| | | The Everyday Educator
28 October 2014
In This Issue
- Letter from Janice
- Teaching Grammar: To Diagram or Not to Diagram
- A Simple Schedule from Benjamin Franklin
- Three Questions to Ask Graduated Homeschool Moms
- New resources at Excellence-in-Literature.com
- From the Archives: High School Scheduling- Some Non-Traditional Options
- Resource Focus: Transcripts Made Easy
- Beat-the-Clock Essay Workshop in Chesterfield VA
- Events & Contests for students
- Subscription information: Make changes here!
| | Dear Friend,
I can't believe October is almost over! The days are getting shorter, and the air is getting crisper, so autumn is definitely here Although my boys are grown, the back-to-school season is still one of my favorite times of year, and now I have the joy of watching my grandchildren learn and grow. The cycle of life moves on.
One thing I've been working on this month is preparing Working it Out: Growing Spiritually with the Poetry of George Herbert for republication. This wonderful book by Joseph Womack is not only a devotional, but it is also one of the best models for poetry analysis that I have ever seen. If you go through it at the rate of one poem per week, you'll end the year with a deep appreciation for Herbert's beautiful poetry, as well as analytical tools you can use with any other poetry you encounter. I'm so excited to tell you that I just approved the proof of the new edition, and it is on its way to the printer. I know you'll find it a blessing.
I hope that your school year is going well, and for those of you in the southern hemisphere, that you're beginning to experience the joy of spring. Remember, the most important thing you will do each day is to love your husband and your children. Nothing else comes close!
Blessings,
Janice Campbell
P.S. In the next issue, I'll be sharing exciting news about the 1857 McGuffey Readers (and probably sooner on the blog). I know that some of you have been very patient!
P.P.S. We've heard that the links don't show up as underlined in some browsers, so if you see something you think is a link, just mouse over it, and you should be able to click it. If there's an asterisk near a resource, that means it's an affiliate link. You may read more about those in the information at the end of this newsletter.
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| "Study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that it takes in."
~Leonardo da Vinci
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| Article
Teaching Grammar: To Diagram or Not to Diagram?
When I teach essay writing for high school or college exams, I encourage students to beware of using absolutes such as “always” or “never,” because these are rarely true — there are exceptions to almost everything, and those absolutes are an almost guaranteed trigger for a professor’s red pen. I was reminded of that caution when I came across an article in the Atlantic Monthly, titled “The Wrong Way to Teach Grammar.” The author unequivocally declares that the old fashioned way of teaching grammar doesn’t work.
Many homeschoolers and classical school students could challenge the statement that traditional grammar lessons “don’t help and may even hinder students’ efforts to become better writers . . . " READ MORE |
| | Article
A Simple Schedule from Benjamin Franklin
Time management can help you accomplish the things that matter most in life. I’ve made schedules for every stage in my life, and one mistake I consistently made in the early years was to try to shoehorn in too many details.
It took me a long time to realize that it works better to schedule fewer activities, and allow generous time estimates for each. Doing so provides a margin for the unexpected (and isn’t there always something unexpected?), and can reduce stress in the day.
One thing that helped me learn more about scheduling is reading old autobiographies that include the writer’s personal schedule. READ MORE . . . |
| | From the Archives
Three Questions to Ask Graduated Homeschool Moms
No matter what curriculum you use, homeschooling is a deeply personalized journey. What it looks like and how it feels will be based on each family’s unique blend of talents, interests, knowledge, skills, learning styles, and personality types. Moms who are just getting started and looking for the “right way” to homeschool sometimes feel a bit frustrated trying to figure out what to do and how to do it. Is there a good way to figure out the best options for your family?
First, you need to know that there is not one single right way to homeschool. If someone tries to tell you there is, you’re welcome to smile politely, respond noncommittally, and ESCAPE! Although it can be fun and interesting to research the options and go to conferences with your peers, I would recommend that you also talk to homeschool moms whose students have graduated. The more you can talk with, the better, as it helps to gain a variety of perspectives. Here are three questions to begin with: READ MORE . . . |
| | New resources at Excellence-in-Literature.com
As always, there are great new resources on our literature site. The links below are clickable, but if you are looking for other things, just go to the site, type the author's name or a few keywords into the search box, and you should come up with something.
Alternatively, you may just look in the right sidebar for the level you are working with, and click on the Resources link for that level (E1, E2, etc.). There may be multiple pages of results, so if what you want isn't on the first page you look at, look for the "Older Posts" link at the bottom of the page, and click on it for more results. |
| "Children won't remember what you say as much as they remember
how you made them feel."
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Resource Focus for the Month of October
Transcripts Made Easy
I bought a copy of Transcripts Made Easy in a 3 ring white binder at the HEAV Convention in 1998 or 1999. I was hosting speakers at the HEAV convention in Richmond VA and was blessed to host Janice so I got to sit in on this workshop. My son was getting ready to enter 7th grade and I wanted to find out what I needed to do for high school. This was the answer to my fears. I love how Janice makes things so simple. I've been through other workshops for highschool recordkeeping and sometimes it's overwhelming. I want to assure you Janice does not get bogged down in the "unnecessary." One of my favorite sections in this book is her guidance on what to do with those activities and projects that your students do that are not in a book or on a test, like drama at church, debate class or their music. They put a lot of time in these extra classes and should receive credit. How do you put that on a transcript? She guides you through a process to honestly and fairly evaluate your students. I give Transcripts Made Easy a five star rating. ~Ann Hoopsick, Virtual Assistant to Janice and Retired Homeschool Mom
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| | | | | | Although
we aren't able to screen all the contests that come across our desks, we are
sharing them here so you'll be able to check them out yourself. Contests can be
a useful motivational tool, so be sure to check them out! |
| Register by Nov. 4th to participate in a Beat-the Clock Essay Workshop in Chesterfield County VA sponsored by Chesterfield Christian Academy
CCA will be hosting Mrs. Janice Campbell and her Beat the Clock Writing Workshop.
If you would like your student to attend, please email Chesterfield Christian Academy (cca4uinfo@gmail.com) by November 3rd
notifying them of your interest. A registration form, along with info
on purchasing lunch, will be forwarded to you to mail in by November 10th. Limited spaces available.
DATE: Friday, November 14th TIME: 9:00am - 1:30pm (30 min break for lunch) LOCATION: Southside Nazarene Church Large Conference Room |
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Is your student intimidated by the SAT*
essay?
Unnerved at the thought of essay
questions
on college
exams? Don't be!
- Presented by Janice Campbell
This 4-hour writing workshop is
designed for high school
and advanced intermediate-school
students (and for parents who want to
improve their own writing and evaluation
skills). The workshop includes a 30-page handbook full of helpful tips on
essay writing.
-
Check
upcoming SAT Test
Dates from the College
Board website or the list
below
-
Wondering
when your student should take the
SAT, find
out here.
We'll be glad to
help you plan this event and you'll
find information about
hosting a workshop at the
website.
Please visit this link for more details on the
recommended class size, costs and other
planning information. Online
registrations can be made available to
your group.
We may plan a workshop for the Richmond Metro Area sometime in October.
Janice is also available to speak to your
group on a wide range of
topics.
Visit
the Everyday-Education.com website for her
list of available topics. Email
her assistant Ann at
cornerdeskva@gmail.com
to get started planning your
workshop.
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| Scholastic Art & Writing AwardsThe Alliance for Young Artists & Writers identifies teenagers with exceptional artistic and literary talent and brings their remarkable work to a national audience through The Scholastic Art & Writing
Awards. More Information on Contests & Awards for 2014-2015 |
| - Students must be between the ages of 6 and 18 as of March 15, 2014 and not yet a high school graduate.
- The student’s volunteer actions should be described in detail on the nomination.
- Volunteer efforts must have occurred in the last year.
- Winners will be chosen based on the benefits and outcomes of their volunteer service.
- Nominators must be 21 or older.
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| Our new writing competition is now open to kids aged 8+ and adults. Poetry and picture books are not acceptable in this competition, and you don’t have to submit your full story – just the first 500 words.
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| | SchoolSoup’s research team has identified Writing Competition
Scholarships. SchoolSoup.com is considered the authority on college/university scholarships and we have listed over $40 Billion in available scholarships. |
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*Links or Amazon resources marked with an asterisk are affiliate links (that means that if you purchase the item from the link, I would get a small referral commission; nothing happens if you don't purchase anything). Most of these items are things I have read and used and loved, and have shared many times without affiliate links, and you can be sure that I would never recommend anything I didn't believe to be beneficial.
If you haven't yet seen the Excellence in Literature resource website, I think you'll enjoy it. If you're using the curriculum, you'll find that we've hosted many of the context resources on the site, organized by level so you can easily find them. Even if you're not using EIL, you'll find good resources for literature and history study, including source documents, poetry, and more. I hope the new site makes using EIL even simpler!
You'll find posts on entrepreneurship, microbusiness, and marketing at Do What Matters, Make it Pay. www.DoingWhatMatters.comIf you work with words, or want to, you need to get "The Edge: Success Strategies for People Who Work With Words," a free newsletter from the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors at www.NAIWE.com. *SAT, CLEP, AP, and PSAT/NMSQT are registered trademarks of the College Board and/or National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which are were not involved with the production of this email. Update Subscription Information Below |
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