Monday, May 4, 2009

Classical Conversations:Info


If you're a homeschooling mom you know just what it means to be surfing around, trying to find the curriculum that will work for you in teaching style, learning style, cost, etc. I have been doing my research for next year...I have really enjoyed K12 and have learned a lot about how and what I want to do. So I'm looking for that just right thing.

I've recently been introduced to Classical Conversations. I love the idea of the kids going to class once a week, and of course that this curriculum is God centered.

I'm going to post a short description of the style below, and I'm going to a meeting Thursday night if you'd like to join me to learn about CC or just about home schooling in general. I hope this helps you in your process too...



FOUNDATIONS K-6th
The Foundations Program is for mothers (or fathers) and all their children ages 4 to 12. We encourage mothers by forming friendships among women who want to train themselves and their children to think classically. This simple, yet complete program enables a mother to teach her children to master a subject easily and efficiently. Once a week, for 24 weeks from 9:00 - 12:00, mothers and children meet at one location where the students are placed in groups of 8 students by age/grade. Students participate in art projects, science experiments, oral and written presentations, and in a rigorous memorization program. A parent must attend and is welcome to bring her pre-school children.

GOALS:
-To provide foundational instruction for K-6th graders to enable them to know God and to make Him known.
-To participate in a rigorous memorization program capitalizing on the young child's ability to absorb facts
-To instill a comprehensive understanding of Providence by mastering a timeline of significant historical events
-To teach students to draw and label continents from memory
To develop a strong science vocabulary, to participate in science projects, and to teach the scientific method
-To help students develop oral and written presentation skills
-To model for students a respect for God's Word, the USA, and one another
-To memorize the major grammar rules of the English language
-To demonstrate how to learn Latin
-To master common math tables, conversions, squares, and cubes
-To encourage women to form friendships and provide accountability for educational excellence.

THE ESSENTAILS PROGRAM 4th-6th grade:
The Essentials Program prepares 4th thru 6th grade students for the Challenge Program. The students and their parents meet from 1:00 to 3:00 each week after their Foundations Program. The essentials Program meets one day a week for 24 weeks each school year. The students will spend 45 minutes studying Classical Conversations English grammar dialectically, 45 minutes on a writing assignment from the Institute for Excellence in Writing and 30 minutes in a math Slam competition. A single tutor will facilitate this program. Parents are expected to attend so they can use the program as a complete Language Arts program at home.

THE CHALLENGE PROGRAM 7TH-12TH GRADE:
The Challenge program is for students 12 and older. For 30 weeks they study 6 challenging subjects at home while practicing dialectic and rhetorical skills in a weekly class. An experienced home schooling parent tutors the students in math, foreign language, and science labs. Students also receive suggestions for improving their written work. Other coursework is shared through facilitated discussions. We call each level a challenge rather than a grade as we want all students to be enrolled in the level they are prepared to study. The Challenge A program coming to Redmond this fall will include Latin, Creative Writing, Newbery Literature, Geography, Nature Study, Clear Reasoning, and Saxon Math 8/7 or Algebra 1/2 (TBA)and is suitable for students about age 13 to 16.

Please contact Janet Hucke, Foundations/Essentials Director or Leanna Long, Challenge A Director for more information.

Janet - 598-5804, huckes5@yahoo.com
Leanna - 923-8618, leannalong@netscape.net

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Great stuff!!

I thought I'd also alert you to the Web academy through Sisters. I think you get a free laptop for each child, their curriculum seems really cool (includes one of the best second language programs which isn't cheap to buy but it's free with them), they do home visits 2 times per month...

that's about what i know at this point, but there's more on their website:

http://www.sisterswebacademy.com/

Unknown said...

Also, by the time a child finishes highschool through this web academy, they will have completed their sophomore year in college (for basically free).

They use Rosetta Stone for learning Spanish - cool way to learn a language as you don't translate from the english word to spanish but instead learn to think in Spanish first.

Here's some of the Web academy student resources:

Odyssey Ware:
Link for students: http://edchoices.owotw.com

Rosetta Stone:
Link for students: http://edchoices.rosettastoneclassroom.com
Parent Resource: http://www.rosettastone.com/homeschool/sem

ACT- Actions Changing Tomorrow
Link to ACT Webpage: http://edchoices.us/ACT/

OAKS Oregon State Assessment
Links for OAKS Browser: http://www.oaks.k12.or.us/

Amy said...

Sounds really really neat, Amanda!

I am going to email and see if there is a group in my state...

Yule {b}Log said...

I'm so looking forward to this.

Karyn said...

I'm glad you're my goooooooood friend. That's all. :)

Kristin said...

I can't make it Thursday. I am so bummed out, but Jeff and Mandi have their spring concert at school and I can't miss that!!! I hope that you can fill me in more. I have looked at the web site and so far like much of what I see.