IEW Posters

Free IEW Posters Link
They've mocked up a set of posters to go along with Institute for Excellence in Writing's "Teaching Writing with Structure and Style" syllabus. Sized to print out on 8.5" x 11" card stock, they're bigger than his examples but smaller than the classroom-sized ones commercially available... perfect for your kitchen or reading nook!.


(However, Page 5 had a spelling mistake... Use this one instead.) Click to enlarge, and then print.

The following 11x17 Tabloid prints are for motivating your IEW Class.

We are following also the Classical Conversations Essentials for the English Language also,

and that is why it is listed as 24 weeks for classes.  The grammar rules & punctuation rules coordinate with that program, but you could easily make up your own list of rules you would like memorized, and add a sticker when completed.

Click on the image to enlarge.  Choose Tabloid setting to print.

This is a sample of doing IEW over a 24 week period.

Click on image to enlarge.

Print on 8 1/2 x 11 paper.

This poster I found helpful.  Especially for younger students who are struggling.  They don't need to complete everything.  Have them focus on grade level items listed.  8 1/2 x 11.

Below, is an example of what I wrote on the poster also.

(Texting Words are banned)

(Verbs & Adjectives)

I wrote it in marker on the original poster printed above.

(Sorry this is such a poor example below.)

The Homeschool Planner

Every year it seems I re-invent the Weekly Planner for our Homeschooling adventure.  This year's invention is going to be for each child to keep track of their own schedule, by marking off what they did each day.  They circle the day of the week at the top, and then put a check mark by the things they've done.  For our Portfolio Review, we need to show what we've done each day in each subject, so this is how we are going to accomplish it this year. 

We follow the Accountable Kids program... (see other post).  The Morning, and Evening Routines come from this.  We reward the kids after 10 days of getting everything done with a Special Date with a parent.

Click on each image to see full size:  8 1/2 x 11

Print the first page back to back.

The second page is the title page.

Place in a Mead, 3 Prong folder.  It's designed to fit perfectly inside one of these.

Also, it can be taken easily with you if needed.

Books I Recommend Frequently

These books are typically viewed as homeschool books, but I recommend them to everyone.  My job as a mother is to educate my child.  Whether or not they go to school somewhere else, it is still my responsibility to make sure they get a good education.  A lot of these books have inspired me to use time while driving, or while preparing meals to educate myself, and my children.

The importance of reading classics, and of viewing life as school, rather than a set period of time in a building.

This one I think is the "Bible" of Homeschooling, well, at least it was to me when I was first starting.  It was daunting to get through at first.  I felt like I would never measure up, but now 6 years later, I see that her suggestions have stayed with me, and I pick more and more of them as time goes on to implement into my routine.

  

(Audio CD's All 4 volumes)

We use our car to homeschool, as well audio books for quiet time during the afternoon.  Especially with a non-reader in our home still, these are full of interesting information.  Good for any age, and targeted for children. 

Made me think more about what kinds of music I expose my children to on a regular basis.  We have Suzuki piano & flute CD's, Beginning piano classics like Beethoven and Bach on CD, and concerts of Andre Rieu, as well as the 3 Tenors that we watch frequently.  My sister in law loves the Yanni concerts.  She's the one who inspired me to open the door to the classics during "down time".  Also, the kids can see people performing in an orchestra, and loving it.  Makes it more attainable as a goal to be good at it one day.

For Pre-schoolers.  Has great suggestions of classic children's books to read, and mini-lessons that are fun to do together.  These are the books that my little ones love, because they remember us doing things together with them.

Poetry Memorization Audio CD and Book from IEW (The Institute for Excellence in Writing).

These poems are great.  They are classic ones, that you wished you had available on CD.  The more you listen to them, the better your language skills increase.  Reciting a poem has become easy when we listen to them daily.  I pick a couple and play them until we get them.

This last one is not a book...

it's a favorite talk from church on being a woman.

I love it so much.  I've referred to it many times, so I find it appropriate to list it here.

"One Thing Needful" Becoming Women of God

4 R's Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, Righteousness

Binder Covers & Spines for Classical Education Notebook Binders.

Click on the image to enlarge it. On spines, it works better if you print it on cardstock and fold in half to insert into binder. The dashed line is to write your child's name on it.

3 R's, & 4 R's of education & homeschool.

Liber-ty Quote inspired by Thomas Jefferson Education, by Oliver DeMille. Liber & Public Virtue

Accountable Kids Program Variation

We've been using the Accountable Kids program for about 3 years now. After the first year of turning cards for everything, we adjusted the cards to look something like this.

I put all morning, afternoon, and evening items on a single card. I laminated it with packing tape for durability. I added post-it tabs that can be changed easily to specify what the individual goal is for that specific area.

Also Bonus Bucks... my little ones always seemed to knock them down, or change them, and they would be wrong more than right. I laminated the top part of this card, and the bottom is able to be written on with pencil. A tally mark is a bonus buck. Each child earns a different amount for a bonus buck, depending on age... so I wrote what they make and when they were promoted on the card also.

I still love this program. Actually, I love the Special Dates with my kids. It motivates them, and it motivates me to look for the good they do. We also got rid of earning tickets for everything... however, they know that they can't watch tv, or go play with friends, etc. without having their morning or afternoon stuff done, and cleaning up. So, technically, we still are doing it. I'm just not handing them a ticket. I have 5 kids 10 and under, and that was way too much work to stay on top of. This way, we check at the end of the day. If they did it, they earn a sticker, and the rest is history!

Just wanted to share my variation... because, it would have been helpful to me to see this working in other families when we started off.

My Daily ipod playlist

My Daily ipod playlist inspired by "Nurtured by Love" by Dr. Suzuki

As I read this book, I decided to put my ipod to work. I thought of the things that I most wanted my children and myself to be exposed to on a regular basis. I made a playlist called "Daily Morning", and then I pushed play each morning. When my children have learned the songs on the "Daily Morning" list, I update them with different songs. We have songs, poems, scripture mastery verses, Italian, Spanish, and even Latin that play in the background each morning as we get ready for the day. What we are exposed to on a daily basis make up who we are.

MY BASICS:

I pick a couple mp3 files from each. I add new ones when we're ready, or have memorized them.

1. Classical Music- 5 finger songs easily played

Suzuki Piano School, Vol. 1

2. Poetry

Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization, by Andrew Pudewa, Institute for Excellence in Writing

Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein

3. Scripture Mastery (Links below for website that has many mp3 files available to download)

Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants

“I suggest that you memorize scriptures that touch your heart and fill your soul with understanding. When scriptures are used as the Lord has caused them to be recorded, they have intrinsic power that is not communicated when paraphrased. Sometimes when there is a significant need in my life, I review mentally scriptures that have given me strength. There is great solace, direction, and power that flow from the scriptures, especially the words of the Lord” —Elder Richard G. Scott

4. Songs they are learning at Church

5. Language: Why so many languages? Children have a gift to learn language at an early age. We are just exposing them to it, and giving ourselves opportunities to keep our skills up.

Italian: Italian for Children by Bruzzone, and Muzzy Italian (My husband speaks Italian)

Spanish: Aserin, Aserran, by Erica Busch (I speak Spanish)

Latin: Classical Conversations, and Latin for Children Chant CD

6. Random Songs

States & Capitals by Macho Nacho & Mouth Trumpet, Musical Stew

Classical Conversations Math Songs

Linking Verbs & Helping Verbs: My daughter sang them to a tune suggested in our curriculum, and we recorded it to help us learn them better.

Greek Alphabet

Early Bird by Shirley Temple

The Beautiful Briney from Bedknobs and Broomsticks

Un Marito Per Cinzia- Bing, Bang, Bong, by Sophia Loren

7. Classical Conversations Cycle 1, 2, and 3 Audio CD's.

We also listen to the weekly History, Science, Math, Grammar, and Latin songs/recitations once a day, either while we are driving around town, or as we are getting ready for lunch. They are very useful, and I have found they make a great "learning spine" on which you can plug in everything else you are learning. We focus on one CD a year, then rotate through. I love their website online tutorials. They are expensive, but you can download all you want, and it goes right along with what you're learning from the CD's. You can sign up for a month or two, and then quit when you're done. I put all the info that I download into plastic sleeves and into a binder. I also printout the tutorials and laminate them, (kindof like the Veritas Press Cards), and we display the new one for each week on the wall at home.

Veritas Press Timeline Cards for Classical Conversations:

Timeline YouTube Video 1

Timeline YouTube Video 2

There's an inside to my repetition that helps me and my children learn.

Summary of Nurtured by Love

by Julia Bentley

In the book Nurtured by Love Dr Shininchi Suzuki uses his biography as an

outline for a series of examples to confirm his theory that ability is not

inherited but is taught in the same way that each child learns how to speak. He

believed that people are what they are as a result of their specific

environment, and that a baby is not born musical but can become so through

suitable environmental conditions. Throughout the book Suzuki provides

convincing evidence that, with the right nurturing, any child can develop into a

talented and exceptional human being. He firmly believed that talent is no

accident of birth and that we are all born with the natural ability to learn.

As children are mainly educated in the home, parental involvement is very important.

The purpose of ‘talent education’ is to train children, not to become

professional musicians but to be fine musicians and to show high ability in any

other field they enter. Suzuki concludes his book by declaring that we are all

born with high potential, and if we try hard, any of us can become superior

human beings and acquire talent and ability.

Homeschool Fieldtrip

Took a couple of the kids on a 4H fieldtrip out to the Fairgrounds to a place called Yesteryear Village. Look at how many came! My kids had a blast. I had a blast too, as I arranged something else for the little ones to do so I could take care of the baby too. It's amazing how going on these kinds of things are great with all the kids, when my hubbie is there too. When it's just me, it tends to be a little frazzling keeping track of the 2 year old. Okay, I feel guilty... but not guilty enough to not try it again. I like to pick my battles. :)

Here's me with Little Miss L. in an old schoolhouse at the village. She's 4 1/2 months old now! She just advanced to the saucer, she can now roll over, and somehow looks huge in our tiny crib that we bought for her to save space at home. Oh, and let's not forget that she can now say "Mamma". What a sweetie!