Classical Conversations Essentials of the English Language- AT HOME!

So, the Essentials of the English Language through Classical Conversations is a great program.  It is best if you can be part of a group.  However, if you can't, you can still do it at home, and make your own group, or do it alone.  I've found that when you involve a couple more families, you stay more responsible to your goals, and you are more creative on how to inspire your students.  You don't need to know everything about grammar to teach grammar.  Be real, and let the kids know that you're learning with them.  Get a couple good grammar books as reference, and focus on a topic each week.  By the end of 24 weeks, you'll have memorized a lot of really great charts, and useful information.  Find a set of punctuation rules that you love... and memorize those too.

Make sure you let the other mom's know that they are responsible for really teaching grammar at home with their kids too.  When you meet together, you are reinforcing your decision to learn grammar, introduce a topic, and diagram a sentence or two.  Is it exactly what they do in the Essential's paid class?  I don't know... I've never been... but we've learned some great things doing it this way.  Especially me.  Before I thought I wasn't qualified to teach this subject.  Now, my 3rd year of teaching grammar myself, I have confidence, and my kids will forever benefit from my wealth of knowledge of the English language.  I still don't know everything, but I've realized that the answer sheets in the back of the book are there for a reason.  :)

I've listed the items below that we have used to make a successful Co-op.  By watching the DVD's, it has really helped us know how to teach the mastery sheets.  The key is memorizing the information.  The Classical method of learning.

Get your class organized: Once during the Summer.

Have all your materials, and we put your Student Mastery Binders Together.

Talk about expectations, etc.

Essentials of the English Language - Part 3: Gear {Student Mastery Charts} Printed out.

Bring your sheet protectors & folders & file tabs.

Fees:

Non-Refundable/ Non-Transferable Coping Fee of $20 / student per school year.

IEW & Grammar Class 2011-12

I have a few spots at my kitchen table... so I'd like to keep it small. 

7 kids.

Class starts:  Tuesday, August 23, 2011, 2:30 to 5 p.m.

Week 1 Aug. 23

Week 2 Aug. 30

Week 3 Sept. 6

Week 4 Sept. 13

Week 5 Sept. 20

Week 6 Sept. 27

Break Oct. 4

Week 7 Oct. 11

Week 8 Oct. 18

Week 9 Oct. 25

Week 10   Nov. 1

Week 11 Nov. 8

Week 12 Nov. 15

Break Nov. 22 thru Jan 3

Optional: Nov. 29 Christmas Assignment:  Write a story for a Christmas Gift.  IEW "Borrow a Conflict" Assignment.

Week 13 Jan 10, 2012

Week 14 Jan 17

Week 15 Jan 24

Break Jan 31

Week 16 Feb 7

Week 17 Feb 14

Week 18 Feb 21

Break Feb 28

Week 19 Mar 6

Week 20 Mar 13

Week 21 Mar 20

Break Mar 27

Week 22 Apr 3 

Week 23 Apr 10

Week 24 Apr 17 (Last Day of Class)

(I allowed for a few more breaks during the second semester, as that seems to be necessary in my household.  We're always ready to go great for the first half of the year, so I'm taking advantage of that momentum.  It will also allow us to flex a little more, due to unforeseen events.)

Class Layout:  2:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays

45 min  IEW

20 min. Math Games 

10 min.  Break  (Bring a snack to each class)

45 min  Grammar

Here's your official shopping list for our IEW & Grammar Class in the fall.

Website where you can purchase materials:

http://www.classicalconversationsbooks.com/clheforesboa.html

or IEW Website.

http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/catalog

I would like to meet once in the summer to make sure our Student Mastery Charts are ready to go.

I'm thinking August sometime.

Thanks,

Candi

MUST HAVE:

Trivium Tables: English Grammar $10.00

Trivium Tables: Quid et Quo $10.00 Essentials of the English Language - Part 3: Gear {Student Mastery Charts} $20.00 US History Writing Vol 1 - Student $29.00 IEW Portable Walls $7.00 IEW US History Writing Vol 1 - Teacher $20.00 Post-it® Divider Tabs 3 Hole PP Sheet Protector TWO—3 Hole Pocket Folder (The cheap ones, preferably different colors.) Two- Ultra Fine Tip Dry Erase Markers. One- Really cheap Spiral notebook, or composition notebook. For Grammar notes, and IEW Compositions. Not a huge notebook that will be lost or not in order when they need to find information. And, since I'm listing everything...   Don't forget a pen and pencil.  :)

_________________________________________________________

HELPFUL TO HAVE (NOT A MUST)

The Synonym Finder $16.95 Helpful for writing IEW papers at home.   This book is the best Thesaurus I've seen.

Our Mother Tongue $20.00 Helpful for doing Grammar at home. I am not teaching Grammar as much as it needs to be taught. You will be responsible for teaching at home. We will be memorizing charts & facts, and diagramming some sentences in class. Our Mother Tongue - Answer Key $5.00 Our Mother Tongue - Answer Key ES016

Spelling Plus $19.95 If you don't have a spelling program, this is helpful.

Grammar & Diagramming Sentences $10.95 This is for doing at home grammar work.

Dictation Resource Book

$12.95

Great source, and you should be doing some type of dictation work every day at home.  One way to use grammar in a practical setting.  Any type of book like this is helpful.

CC Tour Essentials DVD

Item# ES003

$29.95

You cannot buy the guide through their website if you're not officially enrolled in a class.  However, I bought the DVD, and found it very useful.  It shows you how to use the pdf's, and then you can use your own sentences from Our Mother Tongue to compliment the lesson.

Helpful Add-ons to print out.

These two 8 1/2 x 11 pages I made are to help memorizing sentence structures.

It can go along with CC Essentials, as well as IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing).

Click to enlarge:  IEW Sample Paper.  (8 1/2 x 11) 

IEW Sample Paper:

1.  Dress-ups are listed on the right.

2.  Sentence Starters are listed on the left.

3.  Each paragraph: Topic Sentence and Clincher reflection words highlighted.

4.  Not shown:  Introduce Subject (1st line of paper) and Final Clincher (last line of paper) reflection words in Bold.

5.  Nice to have:  Highlight your Final Clincher and Title reflection words.  Not shown above.

I still haven't figured out how they did this on the computer with the dress-ups and starters in the margins.  We just underline and highlight on the computer, and then add the notes in the margins by hand.

Photoshop & Design Tips

Helpful Tips & Links from Multi-Media Workshop

This was created by Jessica, Cosette, & Sydney during the first class last week in photoshop!  Ages 11 & 12.

Click on flyer to enlarge:

Copyright Image usage & Graphic Design Tips for Flyers & Posters

Copyrighted Images:

Ask permission to use them, upload the images yourself, or buy the images.

Royalty Free Images Websites:

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

All images are free.  Pay for larger sizes.  Login required.  

www.istockphoto.com

Some free images, or pay as you go images from .95 on up.  Login required.

http://www.dreamstime.com

Some free images, or pay as you go images from .20 on up.  Login required.

Free Background images

http://www.shabbyprincess.com/downloads.asp  No login required.

http://www.backgroundlabs.com/   No login required.

Great for Powerpoint presentations.

When using Free Images:

Acknowledge the artist, as well as the website you got the image as a courtesy.

Church Images:

http://classic.lds.org

Gospel Library, Images Library,

New Gospel Art Book, Download

Direct Link:  http://lds.org/library/display/0,4945,1-1-4779-2,00.html

Web Searching:

Google images (google.com)

Advanced Search,  Size:  Larger than 640x480.

Use caution when using this tool.  Do not allow children to use.  Also, many of these images are not royalty free.  Email to ask permission to use them, especially if printing many copies.  Depends on what it is, but I have many give permission.

*Tip, search with the words “Royalty Free” included in your search.

Paint.net Online Tutorials:

They kept picking the wrong foreground/primary color, but it's still a good one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSQ8hpLbu0Q

This one makes brushed metal effects on text, something good because at least they write words on screen to describe what to do:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ogzDetANH0

Poster Maps of Israel, Old Testament & New Testament

So, I made these posters from the back of my scriptures.  They're very useful, and very cheap to make.  The images are high quality, and you can make a tabloid size print very easily.  Tabloid size is 11x17.  I laminated mine too, and for less than $10 I had a great teaching tool for the Ancient Times, as well as all Old and New Testament Studies.


Bible Maps Link
Terms & Use: You may view, download, and print material from this site only for your personal, noncommercial use unless otherwise indicated.

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