The post High School Lesson Plans: Truth Trek Two appeared first on Half a Hundred Acre Wood.
]]>Our Truth Trek Two Homeschool High School Lesson Plans are here!
A few years ago, we started to pursue a long-term vision of developing a complete course of study for Grades 1-12, one in which families can experience many of the benefits of a one-room schoolhouse atmosphere. As a first step towards that end, we offered a suggested sequence along with curriculum recommendations for studying high school subjects as they correspond with each program within our Mission: Great Commission Curriculum series. Since then, we have embarked on the long process of evaluating high school curriculum with our teenagers using our corresponding lesson plans for each curriculum choice. We’re excited to announce that after years of curriculum evaluation and lesson planning, our second set of Homeschool High School Lesson Plans is finished!
We wanted to provide you with a preview so that you can take advantage of upcoming curriculum sales if you decide you’d like to embark on this journey with us through the high school years.
The most challenging part of this vision has been simply…. decision. There are many different curriculum options, and there are many different learning styles. Education is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. Considering this, we have provided two different options for three of the subjects (history, chemistry, and economics), a video-based option and a more traditional textbook-based option. You can find out details about each curriculum option at the bottom of this post.
The Truth Trek High School Lesson Plans are meant to provide a framework to equip parents to continue to teach their children at home through the intimidating high school years. And our hope is that this will provide a catalyst for meaningful discussion and memory-making with your high schoolers!
If you’re interested in using our lesson plans, Trek Two will provide a full, 36-week schedule for the following subjects:
This one-year high school-level curriculum provides 36 weeks of lesson plans for eight high school subjects: Bible, World History, English, Lab Science (Chemistry), Math (Geometry), Foreign Language II (Latin II), Personal Finance (1 semester), and Economics (1 semester). To accommodate for learning style differences, we offer two curriculum options for three of the subjects (History, Chemistry, and Economics). The Truth Trek Two Guide includes lesson plans for each option. NOTE: Some of the curriculum companies referenced below will be holding a curriculum sale in late March or early April. Make sure you’re signed up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date regarding those discounts! In the meantime, make sure you check out the free samples to find the best fit for your student.
If your student is using a different program for any of these subjects, a blank planning page is provided so that you can insert your own lesson plans for those subjects.
The introduction to the Truth Trek Lesson Plans includes details about each program so that you can make the best decision regarding the options provided for history, science, and economics. You can also scroll down to the bottom of this post for a short summary of each program to help with your curriculum choices.
If you’d like to download a sample of the first week of Homeschool High School Lesson Plans: Truth Trek Two, click here.
If you have questions, feel free to hop down to the comments or contact us via email at halfahundredacrewood @gmail.com (no spaces).
High School Plans Truth Trek Two Sample High School Lessons Truth Trek Two PDF Only
Streamline high school with all-in-one lesson plans for courses written from a Christian worldview! This one-year high school-level curriculum provides 36 weeks of lesson plans for eight high school subjects: Bible, World History, English, Lab Science (Chemistry), Math (Geometry), Foreign Language II (Latin II), Personal Finance (1 semester), and Economics (1 semester). Each week consists of four days of instructions for students and wraps up with a “Co-op or Parent Meeting Day” that walks parents or co-op teachers through a discussion of the current week’s topics and confirms that the student understands the material. To download a sample, click here.
Note: This resource is not eligible for purchase through a charter/public school program due to Christian themes. For families with children in Grades 1-8, the Mission World Wonders program teaches corresponding history themes at the elementary and middle school levels. This provides a unified approach to teaching and learning in the home as all students in Grades 1-12 study similar content areas. To provide students in Grades 1-8 with a corresponding science, we recommend Properties of Atoms and Molecules and/or Properties of Matter from God’s Design for Chemistry & Ecology.
Format: PDF Download (Mac & PC Compatible), 247 pages. For individual family use only. A link to download the PDF Document will be automatically sent to the Paypal email address used at checkout.
Suggested grades: 10th grade (or high schoolers who need to take a course in any of the following: Bible, World History, English, Chemistry, Geometry, Latin II, Personal Finance, and Economics).
PDF Price: $39.95
The introduction to the Truth Trek Lesson Plans includes details about each program so that you can make the best decision regarding the options provided for history, science, and economics. In future posts or newsletters, we hope to share why we chose this particular curriculum out of all the high school curriculum we have purchased/reviewed/used over the past five years. Until then, you can check out our quick summaries below:
History: Notgrass Exploring World History vs. Dave Raymond’s Antiquity
Chemistry: Experience Chemistry vs. Discovering Design with Chemistry
Economics: Notgrass Exploring Economics vs. Economics for Everybody
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at halfahundredacrewood @gmail.com (no spaces).
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]]>The post New Years Printable: Goals & Reflections appeared first on Half a Hundred Acre Wood.
]]>This week is a time of reflection and renewal for us. As we head into each new year, our family enjoys reminiscing and sharing favorite memories while looking ahead to what may be in store for us in the coming year. To capture this moment in time, we’ve created a printable as a sort of “memory capsule” that we’d also like to share with you.
>> Download a copy of the Goals & Reflections: New Years Printable. <<
It’s a simple way to capture this snapshot in time for us, a way to share our dreams and memories to revisit in future years. It was especially eye-opening last year to find out what our children remembered, what they cherished most, and what they sought to accomplish in the year to come! We hope this becomes a sweet annual activity for your family as well!
To keep our hopes, dreams, and goals in the forefront of our minds, we’ve also created these bookmarks to record the answers to our “Looking ahead” prompts. (I plan to keep this in my Bible…)
We wish you a happy & blessed year!
The Ferrell Family
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]]>The post The Nutcracker – A Mini-Art Tutorial appeared first on Half a Hundred Acre Wood.
]]>We’ve enjoyed having our eldest son among us while he’s home from college. This week gave me a glimpse of a life once lived in our home – one where four boys worked together on assignments and projects….
Before this chapter of his life, I knew I would miss this. I just didn’t realize how much. It was a special gift to me to have them gathered together for a learning experience in our home once again. So, of course, I wanted to share this memory with others!
Our boys (ranging in age from 9 to 20) just finished up a new Christmas activity from one of our favorite art websites, Yellow Spot: Sun. The art tutorial includes a picture study packet and lesson on tints and shades…
as well as a step-by-step video drawing lesson…
and an acrylic painting lesson that provides some wiggle room for customization.
You can sign up for a free preview of this course here or watch the following video preview:
Each of our children enjoyed painting nutcrackers in their own style: a traditional design by the 9-year-old (with help from his mom), a cowboy by the 17-year-old, a German nutcracker in lederhosen by the 20-year-old, and a “creepy Abraham Lincoln” by the 15-year old.
We enjoyed quite a few good laughs with this art project – and it is such a special memory. If you’re wanting to embark on an art project this Christmas season but need a little help in doing so, be sure to check out the Nutcracker tutorial here and download a free sample of the picture study packet.
You may also want to check out some of the other fantastic art tutorials which effectively teach (and inspire!) art appreciation, drawing skills, and art techniques in a one-room schoolhouse atmosphere. Yellow Spot: Sun courses are well laid out, and the printables and finished art projects are simply stunning. Art courses currently available include:
Also available are Literature-Themed Courses and Art Appreciation Packets.
Yellow Spot: Sun offers several drawing and art project tutorials for free! Check out the free art tutorial lessons, which include:
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]]>The post Christmas Wrap 2023 appeared first on Half a Hundred Acre Wood.
]]>Another year down, ’23 in the book.
What happened this year? Now let’s take a look!
The start of the year is the best to begin.
When the boys and their dad finished up at Bag End.
(Bag End is the nickname for a tiny home we built for our sons who are going to Tennessee Tech.)
We toured an exhibit of Dürer & Rembrandt.
Then to Winter Jam we went to see Jeremy Camp.
On Feb 14, David turned seventeen
With a car to drive ‘round – the “Dragon” machine.
We headed to beaches in Florida in March
And camped in a tent at Big Lagoon State Park.
Building castles of sand at Perdido Key
And conquering waves at Gulf Islands National Sea—
At Pensacola, Fort Pickens, and Tarkiln Bayou,
Herons stalked us on land and in the sky, too.
We toured George Washington Carver Museum
And Moton Field’s site for Tuskegee Airmen.
We headed back home and hiked Ozone Falls
And danced at an English Country Dance Ball.
After an airsoft meetup and homeschool field day,
Brandy wrapped up teaching science at co-op in May.
We hiked Winding Stairs, toured Cordell Hull Dam,
Norris State Park was worked into our plans.
In Puerto Rico, David served with Stevens Street Church.
With Oak Ridge’s Lab, Stephen worked in research.
With a birthday in June, Isaac turned nine.
Oklahoma came next — to camp and to climb,
Hiking Forty Foot Hole, Fish Ladder, Mt. Scott,
Post Oak Falls, Holy City, Slick Rock, and Heart Rock.
This time with her family was Brandy’s best wish.
Then we headed to Gary’s in Union City to fish.
After VBS, swim lessons, and a local Kidz Choir,
In July Stephen turned another year higher.
Then the Caney we kayaked, we adopted a dog,
And Gary started filling out a bus driver log.
After tours, Tenn Tech became David’s first choice.
In HDS as Ira Sankey, he sang with his voice.
In October with friends we camped at Defeated.
For “The King Is Coming,” (as a guide) David greeted.
We raced in Tech’s Golden Helix 5K.
Isaac won a first place, which is now on display.
We hiked Window Cliffs and undertook other things
Like “Emma” and 4-H and the Hearts and Hands Team.
For Levi’s fifteenth he drove two-wheels and four.
He also enjoyed a Corvette Factory Tour.
That brings us to now, the month of December,
The time we slow down and take time to remember
A King who stepped down from His throne to become
A Gift just for us, God’s only Son.
His love is so great, his compassion extends
To all who believe and turn towards Him.
May God bless you this Christmas and in the new year,
The Ferrell Family
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
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]]>The post Easy Wooden Jar Candleholder Craft appeared first on Half a Hundred Acre Wood.
]]>With a theme this summer of light vs. darkness, our community’s choir camp focused on building crafts related to light. Before tackling this craft, we discussed Matthew 5:16…
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
…and explored ways we can let our lights shine. One of those is through building others up with our words and actions. And thus, we “built” a candleholder craft that would shine light into the darkness to remind us to let our lights shine by the words we say and the things we do. This was a favorite craft over the week, and everyone from kindergarten through high school enjoyed it!
This candleholder uses only three supplies, plus a tealight candle (We gave children these safer battery-operated tealights.):
If you use half-pint jars, a set of Dollar Tree tumbling blocks will build three candleholders.
Lay out four blocks along bottom of the jar for alignment and to see the contact point between the jar and the wooden pieces. Pieces should stand up on shortest edge.
Place a dot of glue at the contact point for each block and set against jar.
Align the next layer of blocks on top of the first layer to see the three contact points – one contact point on jar and the two contact points of the wooden piece beneath.
Place glue on the three contact points and set into place. Repeat for remaining blocks.
Continue this process to the top of the jar. When finished, blocks should line up to just under the top of the jar rim. Leave for about 15-30 minutes to dry.
Place your candle inside and light it and… voila! Light shines in the darkness!
This project can also be built with pizza sauce jars or other jars with a cylindrical shape. (If there are any curves in the jar or if the vase or cup is tapered, you will not be able to stack the blocks against the edge.) The below photo shows what it will look like with a pizza sauce jar. Instead of using 24 blocks as we did with the half-pint mason jar, you will use a larger number of blocks for a pizza sauce jar, in this case 32.
Questions? Hop down to the comments and let us know!
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]]>The post Curriculum Picks, Schedules, & Lessons Learned appeared first on Half a Hundred Acre Wood.
]]>When our eldest son graduated two years ago, I had no idea how much it would shift my priorities and our family dynamic. While it’s been a joy to watch him pursue his post-homeschool educational endeavors (and work in his first research internship with Oak Ridge National Laboratory), the honest truth is that… when he graduated and left for college, a piece of my heart went with him.
And now, even though I’m still adjusting to our first son’s graduation, we’re preparing our second son to launch out of homeschooling at the end of this school year. I’m not ready for another senior because it means the end of another homeschool journey. And I have so loved homeschooling each of our boys through high school. It’s exciting to enter into this new chapter of their lives, but man. It’s so hard to let go.
So… in case you’re wondering why it’s been quiet over here, I’m finding it harder and harder to write blog posts and engage on social media and write newsletters because my perspective has shifted so much. Time with my family is just so precious.
Before I share more, I just want you to know… I am a real mom. Our family may run a curriculum business, but, first and foremost, we are a family who loves to spend time together and aims to love and serve God well. I enjoy writing curriculum and sharing ideas (and my husband enjoys shipping, receiving, and customer service), but I am not that mom who has it all together. My ongoing prayer is that what we share here and what our business stands for continues to bless other families. My husband and I are grateful for the opportunity to homeschool our family alongside yours even as our lives shift and transform into a new normal.
Before providing a sneak peek at our schedules and curriculum selections, I wanted to revisit my top lessons learned from our first fifteen years of homeschooling…
Let me take you back to when we first started homeschooling. What follows is a bare bones schedule for learning the basics.
This was the schedule we followed until our thirst for more truth, goodness, and beauty prompted us to seek new learning adventures beyond the basics. Over time, our family started to long for the wonder and beauty of music, art, poetry, science, and literature. We discovered the passions of our children and pursued hands-on history studies with our eldest (who has always loved history). Then we felt a genuine desire to make the Great Commission the focus of our learning endeavors. And as our oldest boys became teenagers, we wanted to stay connected in our learning even though they were studying high-school level material. And so our reading plans, blog posts, and schedules morphed over time to look more like this:
This schedule is just a guideline we’ve used in the past. In reality, our homeschool is more of a juggling act. After our morning time (which consists of activities we use to jumpstart our school day), our high schoolers follow a somewhat independent schedule, choosing the order in which they complete assignments, and they engage me in discussions or ask questions as needed. When I’m working with our youngest, his brothers are working on something they can do without my assistance so that they don’t interrupt — and vice versa.
We have two students in high school and one in elementary (and one in college). Before the school year starts, I usually take each of our children out individually for a “dessert date.” This is where we set goals and choose curriculum for the year. I love to set goals with my children, and I love learning with them. It’s one of the greatest reasons we homeschool. Another reason is learning together, which leads me to…
Our family (from our youngest though our teenagers) starts together with a common morning time over breakfast.
After that, our older students are fairly independent in their individual work and just ask questions as they need my assistance. After morning time, most of my day is spent on teaching writing and math to the youngest, discussing literature/philosophy/finance with the olders, and answering questions as needed.
This year ushers us into another shift in our homeschool. Our third son is in 9th grade, leaving only one of our children in the lower grades. Our youngest son started 4th grade this week. He knows how to read and write and multiply now. It’s the first year in many that I won’t be using All About Reading because… well, he finished it. Three of our sons have asked me to not sell our All About Reading curriculum. I guess I’ll have to write that one into our Last Will and Testament.
So… here’s what he is working on this year:
Our 9th grader will be following our Truth Trek One High School Lesson Plans for U.S. History (1 credit), English I – American Literature (1 credit), and Civics (1/2 credit). (If you’re interested in using our high school lesson plans, Truth Trek One provides a full, 36-week schedule for 9th grade.) Because he’s a year ahead in math and I wanted to teach chemistry and personal finance to both of our current high schoolers at the same time, he’s also following plans I’ve written for Personal Finance (1/2 credit), Chemistry (1 credit), Geometry (1 credit), and Foreign language – Spanish I (1 credit). This means I’ve already written the plans for some of the subjects for our next round of high school lessons, Truth Trek Two, to be released before next summer. Here’s the lowdown on what he’ll be doing this year:
Our 12th grader officially needs only two credits to graduate (Personal Finance (1/2), Government (1/2), and English IV (1)), but he’s taking additional coursework in science and math because he has decided to pursue a major in electrical engineering. He has already earned 15 hours college credit due to his score on the ACT, the American history CLEP test (which he took after completing Dave Raymond’s American History a few years ago), the American Literature CLEP, and the Microeconomics CLEP. This year, he aims to take additional CLEP tests in chemistry and other subjects. (To learn more about what we think is the best way to earn college credit in high school, click here.) What’s listed below is what he has chosen to study.
If you’d like to take a look at a scope and sequence for fulfilling history credits, visit this post.
Many of the resources above are part of the Compass Classroom Membership, a monthly subscription option allowing homeschool families access to over 30 courses for $45/month. You can test drive all the courses for free for one week!
If you have any questions about this schedule, about any of our curriculum choices, or about planning in general, feel free to drop down to the comments or send us an email! We’d love to hear from you!
[I am] confident of this very thing, that he which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: -Philippians 1:6
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]]>The post Homeschool High School Lesson Plans: Truth Trek One appeared first on Half a Hundred Acre Wood.
]]>Our Homeschool High School Lesson Plans are here!
A few years ago, we started to pursue a long-term vision of developing a complete course of study for Grades K-12, one in which families can experience many of the benefits of a one-room schoolhouse atmosphere. As a first step towards that end, we offered a suggested sequence along with curriculum recommendations for studying high school subjects as they correspond with each program within our Mission: Great Commission Curriculum series. Since then, we have embarked on the long process of evaluating high school curriculum with our teenagers using our corresponding lesson plans for each curriculum choice. We’re excited to announce that after years of curriculum evaluation and lesson planning, our first two sets of Homeschool High School Lesson Plans is finished!
We wanted to provide you with a preview so that you can take advantage of upcoming curriculum sales if you decide you’d like to embark on this journey with us through the high school years.
The most challenging part of this vision has been simply…. decision. There are many different curriculum options, and there are many different learning styles. Education is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. Even so, these lesson plans are meant to provide a framework to equip parents to continue to teach their children at home through the intimidating high school years. And our hope is that it will provide a catalyst for meaningful discussion and memory-making with your high schoolers!
If you’re interested in using our lesson plans, Trek One will provide a full, 36-week schedule for the following subjects:
The lesson plans are for the following curriculum choices which correspond to subjects studied in our Grade 2-8 program, Mission Lasting Liberty.
This one-year high school-level curriculum provides 36 weeks of daily lesson plans for eight high school subjects: Bible, American History, English, Lab Science (Biology), Math (Algebra I), Foreign Language I (Latin I), Health (1 semester), and Government (1 semester). To accommodate for learning style differences, we offer two curriculum options for two of the subjects (history and science). This guide includes lesson plans for each option.
Option 1: Condensed American (full year): Notgrass Exploring America (textbook-based) with the following American Literature:
Note: The curriculum + literature bundle from Notgrass includes all of the literature listed above.
Option 2: American History (full year): Dave Raymond’s American History (video-based) with the following American Literature (with settings up to the early 1900s):
In future posts or newsletters, we will share why we chose this particular curriculum out of all the high school curriculum we have purchased/reviewed/used over the past five years.
If your student is using a different program for any of these subjects, blank planning pages are provided so that you can insert your own lesson plans for those subjects.
If you’d like to download a sample of the first week of Homeschool High School Lesson Plans: Truth Trek One, click here.
If you have questions, feel free to hop down to the comments or contact us via email at halfahundredacrewood @gmail.com (no spaces).
If you’re interested in our second year of Truth Trek Lesson Plans, click here.
High School Lessons Truth Trek One PDF Only
Streamline high school with all-in-one lesson plans for courses written from a Christian worldview! This one-year high school-level curriculum provides 36 weeks of lesson plans for seven subjects: U.S. History (full year), English with American Literature focus (full year), Biology (full year lab science), Math – Algebra I (full year), Foreign Language – Latin I (full year), Health (Elective – 1st Semester), and Government (Elective – 2nd Semester). Each week consists of four days of instructions for students and wraps up with a “Co-op or Parent Meeting Day” that walks parents or co-op teachers through a discussion of the current week’s topics and confirms that the student understands the material. To download a sample, click here.
Note: This resource is not eligible for purchase through a charter/public school program due to Christian themes. For families with children in Grades 1-8, the Mission Lasting Liberty program teaches corresponding subjects at the elementary and middle school levels. This provides a unified approach to teaching and learning in the home as all students in Grades 1-12 study similar content areas.
Format: PDF Download (Mac & PC Compatible), 256 pages. For individual family use only. A link to download the PDF Document will be automatically sent to the Paypal email address used at checkout.
Suggested grades: 9th grade (or high schoolers who need to take a course in any of the following: High School English (with American Literature), U.S. History, U.S. Government, Biology I, Health, or Foreign Language I).
PDF Price: $39.95
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]]>The post How to Teach Public Speaking appeared first on Half a Hundred Acre Wood.
]]>Public Speaking. It strikes a fear and dread into the hearts of almost all of us. A quote often attributed to Mark Twain makes the point more bluntly:
“There are only two types of speakers in the world. 1. The nervous and 2. Liars.”
And yet… this is one of the most important skills we can master. Public speaking allows us to communicate interests and ideas with others. Communicating effectively is necessary in almost every single career. And communication is commanded by Christ:
“Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to all the creation.” Mark 16:15
In fact, scripture has much to say about what we say. As Christians, we’re challenged to encourage and edify one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11), to share the Good News with the world (Mark 16:15), to speak truth (Ephesians 4:15, 25) and move others to goodness (Hebrews 10:24), and to become a voice for the voiceless (Proverbs 31:8-9). Every time we speak or write, we’re choosing the words we say. But how do we decide which words to use? The two greatest commandments, to love the Lord your God and to love your neighbor as yourself, should compel us to speak with clarity and sincerity, engaging others with speech that considers others before ourselves. And thus, rhetoric (or the art of using words well) becomes a subject of great importance in a Christian education.
So… how do we overcome our fear and tackle this foreboding yet necessary skill? Where do we start? And how do we even figure out what to say?
Here’s where I bring in some reinforcements. Since public speaking does not come naturally to me, I must search for resources that lay down the rails for me to teach (and learn alongside) my children. Introduction to Public Speaking is exactly what we needed to provide structure and practice for developing skills in speech-writing, memory techniques, and delivery.
We received this product free for the purpose of reviewing it. We do not recommend anything we don’t use and love in our own homeschool. Affiliate links are used in this post. Your purchases through our links keep this website up and running. We are grateful for your support. Please read our full disclosure policy for more details.
Introduction to Public Speaking is a 12-week video-based course in which middle- and high-school students learn memory and delivery techniques as they write and present five different speeches:
The course includes:
Beginning with an overview of the Five Canons of Rhetoric, the first few weeks of the course focus on developing the skill of memorization using poetry and famous speeches before embarking on the writing of specific types of speeches.
Recorded as a live class, this course teaches students to evaluate themselves and others regarding poise, locution, contact, and content. After students attempt their first critique, they compare their evaluation with those provided within the book. Students continue to evaluate recorded speeches as they prepare for self-evaluation. Thus, the program models the critique process – and the important skill of self-evaluation – for students.
Each lesson includes daily lesson plans, and the teacher’s guide includes a video summary along with the notes that were taken on the board.
At the end of each lesson, students are encouraged to organize their materials, which is, of course, another important life skill.
Included with this program are Portable Walls for the Public Speaker where main concepts are organized as a quick reference for students as they plan, compose, memorize, present, and evaluate speeches.
This program equips parents and teachers with tools that help form competent and confident public speakers…
As our 14-year-old son prepares to present at a regional 4-H Project Achievement Day, he’s using the skills developed in this course to hone his speech and delivery. (Update: He won first in the region for his category!) And… I can already see great improvement in his writing of essays (in general) as a result of this course. This course is actually something he looks forward to each day. But you don’t have to take our word for it. Try the first two weeks of this course free!
Interested in other resources for improving your student’s writing and communication skills? Check out all our favorites!
Because of IEW’s incredible 100% Money-Back Guarantee, we highly recommend purchasing products directly from IEW instead of through 3rd-party sellers.
We highly recommend checking out the first three weeks of Structure & Style for Students program from IEW. (You can access the first three weeks free.)
Other IEW programs you can try out for free include…
Visit IEW to find out more about other programs to transform your students into proficient writers – from early elementary all the way through college! You may also be interested in our favorite resources for teaching grammar and composition to students in grades 3-12.
*IEW product images are subject to copyright. Used with permission.
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]]>The post Framework for a homeschool co-op appeared first on Half a Hundred Acre Wood.
]]>The Mission Great Commission curriculum series is a family-style schooling approach built upon a missions-focused, biblical Christian worldview. The program incorporates scriptural truths while teaching world cultures, history, geography, science, art, hymns, and orchestra/composers. While the program has been developed for families that have at least one student in grades 2-8, students older and younger are invited to participate in the family discussions to encourage an all-in-one family learning experience.
The Mission: Great Commission Curriculum series takes families through a study of the entire world over a three-year period, with…
When a family has completed all three cycles, they may repeat the program to provide another layer of learning as students mature.
This series was designed so that families can start in any of the programs. Mission: World Wonders begins with ancient world history. Mission: Faith Forgers begins with church history from the early church period and then later integrates world history into the narrative from the Protestant Reformation forward. And Mission: Lasting Liberty is a complete one-year study of American history. The curriculum guide for each program lays out exactly what is to be read (or completed) and when.
Not only does Mission Great Commission offer a family-style schooling environment, it has also been successfully used to provide structure and vision to homeschool co-ops and private schools.
If you find at least one other family also using the same mission (e.g., Mission: Lasting Liberty), you can meet weekly in a group setting to support each other in your learning endeavors. Each family will need their own set of books from the same curriculum package to teach at home. The co-op group leader(s) or families can use the Year-at-a-Glance page provided in the appendix of each Mission Great Commission Guide to select the material they would like to complete in a group setting. A suggested 3-hour weekly group meeting schedule for Mission: Lasting Liberty is as follows:
A suggested weekly group meeting schedule for Mission: World Wonders is as follows:
A suggested weekly group meeting schedule for Mission: Faith Forgers is as follows:
In each of these cases, families would read lessons at home prior to completing the associated material in class. Then, families would come together to complete the activities associated with science, fine arts, history, missions, and geography. Each week, the Call to Worship would consist of the hymns and scripture memory work that families would also be studying at home. Students would also have an opportunity to present on a topic of their choosing on a weekly basis. (You can use this post for ideas and presentation skills to hone.)
Not only does this provide an opportunity for a social gathering for weekly encouragement, it also provides a common vision amongst families as they use the same curriculum and discuss what they’ve been learning together as they come together on co-op meeting day.
If you have questions about using Mission: Great Commission in a community setting, email us at support@halfahundredacrewood.com.
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