September 08, 2003
Middle School Mélange
Yes, we have officially entered the "middle school" years! Not only is our oldest child, Zach, teetering on the abyss of the "h" word (hormones), he is also a sixth-grader this year, meaning it is time to raise the bar regarding what we expect from him in relation to his school work.
In trying to achieve this higher standard, we implemented a few new areas of study.
Outlining
One of the first challenges I added to his assignments was learning to outline. I was fortunate in my early education to have a teacher that taught me how to extract the most vital information from written texts. This skill was invaluable in teaching me to study effectively as I got older.
As I was thinking of how to teach this same skill to Zach, I "just happened" to be reading through the Proverbs--which, as it turns out, are full of contrasts. Contrasts are an excellent tool for training the eye and the mind to extract vital information. Plus, he will gain an added advantage in studying the wisdom of the Proverbs so closely, thus multiplying the benefits.
The next step was to go through the Proverbs, picking out those I thought would be most appropriate for this type of study. I started him out on Proverbs 10, and set up a chart showing him how to choose categories to focus on. For this particular Proverb, the focus is on the righteous vs. the wicked, the actions taken by each, and the subsequent reward or consequence.
Then I assigned him a list of Proverbs to work through over the next few months, giving him two weeks to complete each outline. He is currently working on his second outline, and so far so good.
Current Events
The next skill we deemed essential to our son was that of learning to think for himself. In this age of ultra-biased media, and considering how polarized our society has become on social and political issues, we decided to give Zach the opportunity to learn about our society through reading the newspaper. Three days a week (M-W-F) he is instructed to look through the newspaper, cut out an article that interests him, and write a brief explanation of what that article means to him.
One of the most beneficial parts of this assignment has been that Zach and I have had some wonderful conversations about some very significant occurences, such as the recent removal of the Ten Commandments from the courthouse in Alabama.
Anything that gets your child talking to you--and listening to you--especially at this pivotal age is good. Again, we are pleased with the outcome to date.
Vocabulary
The third new subject we introduced to Zach this year was vocabulary. I found an excellent book titled 100 words every high school graduate should know by the Editors of ----Dictionary. Because Zach is an avid reader, he already has an extensive vocabulary, thus the reason for raising this particular bar so high.
For his first assignment, I went through the book picking out five words I thought would be appropriate for him. He has one week to complete the assignment which entails writing the word out once as usual, then writing it a second time showing the syllabary divisions and attributing the accent to the appropriate syllable; identifying the appropriate part(s) of speech for each word; writing out the definition(s) of each word; listing any related words; and finally, using each word in a sentence of his own writing.
As with the other new tasks we have given him, this one will not only stretch him academically, but I believe it will likewise boost his self-confidence.
As with so many tactics in homeschooling, these new areas of study are trial-by-error, and I expect some changes will be made in our methods as the year progresses. One of the key words I learned early in my homeschooling adventure was "flexibility." You know the old saying, "If it aint broke, don't fix it." Likewise, if it's not working effectively, tweek it, modify it, or pitch it altogether. And if all else fails, look for a curriculum that teaches it the "old fashioned" way!
(Now if we could just figure out how to manage this "hormone" thing, we'd be set for a great school year!)
[Our pre-adolescent son, Zach]
Posted by at September 8, 2003 04:21 PM
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Comments
I WANT TO BE HOME SCHOOL.
Posted by: REBECCA WILLIAMS | August 20, 2004 10:43 PM