The Classical Scholar

In “How Do You Measure Mastery?”, the first post of this series on preparing to transition to the supervised study of subjects, I compared classical homeschooling to Indy car racing and defined the finish line, the driver, and the crew. Today, we’ll talk about the car, and I’ll share my personal “must-know” checklists for teaching language, critical thinking, and communication skills .

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The Car

An Indy Car driver does not learn to drive in an expensive race car. He probably drove his Daddy’s tractor, dirt bike, or old beat up Chevy around the farm before he was invited to drive a million dollar vehicle. Simple concepts precede complex concepts.

We use different vehicles for different purposes. Indy Cars are made to travel on a wide oval track, Formula One cars travel on tight European city streets, and good ‘ole boy stock cars are made for intentional frequent crashes! Mountain bikes have fat tires for scaling rocky uphill terrain. Racing cycles are lightweight with thin tires for speed and manueverability on pavement. Gargantuan cruise ships carry loads of vacationers while shrimp boats are perfect for fishing and hauling seafood. So, too, there are different purposes and rules for using language, thinking critically, and communicating effectively. Whether you are transitioning to a classical model or just beginning, you need to decide what basic rules of operation you want to teach your child for each particular skill.

What content will you teach your children?

Now if you were expecting me to lay out a full “scope and sequence” for teaching the trivium, I’m sorry to disappoint you. When I go to home school curriculum fairs and see the words “scope and sequence,” my eyes glaze over, and my brain goes numb. In my opinion, scope and sequence is a phrase invented by professional educators to intimidate home school parents into thinking they need experts to tell them what’s best for their children!

Besides, anyone who tells you what to teach by grade level is advocating a public school model, not a classical model. Remember you just need to focus on the big picture: teach three skills! You don’t need a 12 year plan, and in fact, you need frequent pit stops to reevaluate progress, so I suggest you make short-term plans. Personally, I like to reevaluate progress about every 12 weeks, and I always end up adjusting the course as a result to better meet my goals. Here are my short lists of “must-know” content for the three skills.

Diane’s “Must-Know” Checklist for Language Skills:

• How to read (alphabet, phonetic method)

• How to spell (spelling rules)

• How to write (handwriting – print, cursive, and later typing)

• How to punctuate and capitalize

• How to use proper grammar (all 8 parts of speech)

• How to decipher unfamiliar vocabulary

Diane’s “Must-Know” Checklist for Critical Thinking Skills:

• How to classify, describe, compare, and contrast

• How to identify and complete sequences

• How to identify and interpret analogies

• How to solve problems (math equation and word problems, puzzles)

• How to structure logical arguments (syllogism, fallacies)

• How to think inductively (particular to general) and deductively (general to particular)

• How to perform an experiment using the scientific method (including prediction)

• How to analyze literature

• How to research a topic

Diane’s “Must-Know” Checklist for Communication Skills:

• How to have conversations (face to face, telephone, letters)

• How to write a proper sentence and vary the structure (compound, complex, phrasing)
  

• How to write a correct paragraph, transitions, introduction, and conclusion

• How to add stylistic elements (dress ups, openers, decorations, triples)
  

• How to take notes (key word outline, stick & branch, annotation)

• How to write essays, reports, abstracts, research papers, and speeches

• How to footnote, write bibliographies, and edit

• How to develop a thesis statement and prove it with evidence

• How to give a speech (all 10 NCFCA categories)

• How to listen well and interpret meaning

Each family will teach content in differently. Let’s take an example. Learning how to research and develop arguments are two components of critical thinking. These skills can be taught in various ways. For instance, my husband, David, is an attorney who often finds himself before a federal judge. Learning how to research and debate a national or international resolution meets my husband’s criteria for teaching research skills, developing an argument, listening well, and giving a speech. Consequently, participation in our local debate club is mandatory for the Lockman kids! Whereas, your husband may be an engineer who believes research is best learned in a lab setting and communicated in a research paper. Tailor the content and methods to best meet your family’s abilities and preferences.

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In the final post of this series on mastery, I’ll share my 12 week pit stop plan for evaluating progress in acquiring the three skills of language, critical thinking, and communication.

For your convenience, I’ve prepared my “must-know” checklists for you in pdf format, so click on this link and print out your copy today!

In Three Simple But Significant Steps To A Classical Education, I outlined 3 steps for transitioning to an authentic classical Christian home education. The content that follows is the initial post in an extensive series that explores the components of Step 3, Supervise the Study of Subjects. As each post is published, I’ll add the live link to the master list under the header tab called “Step 3″ so that you can access the entire series. I hope you enjoy this content and gain a fuller understanding of the argument that I am making for adopting a true classical model.

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As the sparkling lights of the symphony hall were dimmed, a hush fell over the crowd. All chattering ceased as the distinguished maestro confidently walked across the stage and silently addressed the musicians with his baton. After many years of diligent practice, the concertmaster was perfectly equipped to escort his audience on a musical journey that would quicken hearts and challenge minds.

Over the years, the maestro had mastered the language of music theory: melody, harmony, and rhythm. The longer he studied music, the more he understood the deeper mysteries of his art. Instruments, movements, and themes became his playground for critical analysis and experimentation. Finally, he learned how to interpret the unique meaning of the music and convey the composer’s intent by coaching the performers in their craft. His mastery of language, thought, and communication within his area of expertise would bless his community tonight during the concert and for many years to come as he continued to influence his culture with his passion for bringing music to life.

The maestro demonstrates four unusual qualities that we want to foster in our rising classical scholars:

• He masters the material.

• He disciplines himself.

• He interprets meaning.

• He influences his culture.

Why call these qualities unusual? Because most of today’s preteens and teenagers are captives of an educational system that breeds opposing characteristics and behaviors. Authentic classical Christian home schooling requires a profound shift in thinking about education. Think about your own public school experience.

Mastery is difficult if you only skim the surface. You went to school for 12 years. You had one textbook for each class. Every textbook had 36 chapters - one chapter for each week of the school year. You read one chapter a week. You were segregated by age into a grade. You studied the same textbook as your peers. That textbook was approved by a committee of certified educators who decided what information every child in your grade needed to know about that particular subject. If you couldn’t keep up with the instruction, you felt like an inadequate failure. If you understood the concepts, you were bored with the repetitive drills. The time restrictions of the calendar dictated the material taught, and there was no leeway for slowing down or accelerating learning.

No time for mastery.

Self-discipline is not necessary if someone tells you what to do. You were assigned a home room, and you had your own desk. You were given a timed schedule. Tardy arrivals and absences were noted on your record. You went where you were told including the bathroom and lunchroom at specific times. You read the chapters, you took the tests, you wrote the essays, and you memorized the material, but for some reason, you can’t remember much of what you learned! You were a good student who did what you were told. Good behavior was dictated not by the heart’s desire, but by the law. As soon as the teacher left the room, chaos broke loose.

No room for learning how to make informed decisions or teach yourself.

Interpretation is impossible when someone else tells you what to think. That committee of certified educators made the important decisions for you about what facts were important in literature, grammar, science, math, social studies, health, home economics, and all the other electives. Surveys, also known as secondary sources, formed the backbone of your education. The highlights of human knowledge were offered. Some might say your education was a mile wide and an inch deep. Education experts decided that you were unable to handle the heavier “classics” (other than a token play by Shakespere or novel by Dickens). Anyway, we all know that the classics are too difficult for teenagers, right? You were required to parrot back the facts that you’d memorized on multiple choice and true-false exams.

No chance for independent thinking or interpretation of meaning.

Influence is negative when your highest goal is self. Public schools no longer teach history; they teach social studies. At the center of all social studies is the individual. Next comes his family then his community then his world. In public school, motivation for action is centered around the individual and his or her vocation. You worked hard to get good grades to get a good job. In our family, we refer to this dilemma as “me is me to me.” If educators dream of shaping kids who will influence their community, these dreams are limited to the creation of “good” citizens although good is defined in a Greek sense and not necessarily a Biblical sense. References to the God of human history are non existent, and as such, young people fail to understand their purpose. Since one of the responses of faith is sacrificial service to others, a major motivation for blessing the community cannot be discussed in public schools. Service to others requires a redirection of focus from the self to the community.

No incentive to influence or share what you have learned with others.

Thankfully, you have chosen a different path for your children! You have the luxury of time to help your rising classical scholars master the three skills of the trivium. You have the luxury of gradually training them to be independent, self-directed thinkers who are responsible for their own learning. You have the luxury of determining your own content so that your kids can learn to grapple with the great ideas of Western Civilization as they read and discuss the classics, selected surveys, and biographies. Finally, you have the extreme privilege of being able to lead your children into an eternal relationship with the Living God, teach them how to use Scripture as the spectacles through which to view the world, and show them how to serve others in a way that influences and blesses. Adopt a counter-cultural stand, and experience the joy of classical Christian homeschooling today!

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Over the next four posts, I’ll explore these qualities (mastery, self-discipline, interpretation, and influence) in detail. Before you can release your kids to the study of subjects, you need to make sure they have mastered the skills of the trivium. But how do we know when they have substantially mastered language, thought, and communication? When is it time to move on to Step 3, Supervise the Study of Subjects? In my next post, we need to answer two questions about Step 2, Teach the Skills of the Trivium: (1) what is to be learned, and (2) how will it be evaluated?

Absolutely yes!  Step two of the classical trivium, “Thinking Critically,” involves giving your children tools to solve problems. Observation, language, and evidence are all components of critical thinking but so is creative thinking. How is creative thinking related to critical thinking?

To be a creative thinker is to have a sense of discovery…to imagine…to invent…to be curious. Critical thinkers need to foster creative thinking so that they can develop viable alternatives and solutions for the problem. Solving problems involves the following 5 steps:

1. Identify the real problem.

• Ask lots of questions.
• Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?
• What is causing the problem?
• Eliminate the distracting side issues.

2. Generate a list of alternatives.

• Consult experts.
• Brainstorm.
• Set the timer and “jam” random thoughts.
• Imagine new ways of doing it
• Postpone judgment until later.

3. Evaluate the pros and cons of your possible solutions.

• What do the experts recommend?
• What do the written references say?
• What are the facts?
• Have you had a personal experience with the problem?

4. Decide on the best solution.

• What pros and cons can you merge?
• What alternative solutions can you eliminate?
• What is the most workable solution?

5. Monitor the results of your plan.

• How well is your solution working?
• Did anything unexpected happen?
• Are there any adverse effects?

To think creatively about a problem, your child has to develop a deep understanding of the central concept and issues. In order to foster an environment where creative thinking is encouraged, provide the following conditions in your home school:

Time

Allow lots of uninterrupted time with no distractions so that your child can really think about the issue. Give less work so that he or she can go deep. Eliminate distractions (I know this is difficult). Give him or her time to concentrate so that those creative juices flow. He needs time to absorb all the facts of the situation and imagine solutions.

Place

You’ve probably heard this before, but we really do need a quiet place to engage in deep thinking. My kids work all over the house, both inside and outside, but when they need to really concentrate, they go to their “quiet places.” Meredith goes to her room and closes the door, and Connor disappears in the study. There’s also some value in going to the same quiet place each time they want to do some serious thinking because every time they reenter that place, the memory of prior “ah hah” moments will trigger a similar eureka moment this time.

So where does creative thinking factor into these 5 problem-solving steps? People who think creatively come up with alternatives and solutions that are not the norm. Creative thinkers illuminate the crux of the problem. Creative thinkers innovate when it comes to alternatives. Creative thinkers imagine a better solution. Once a little creativity has been applied to the problem, a critical analysis of the problem, alternatives, and solution can be performed. The more creative thinking your child does, the more ideas he’ll produce. The more creative ideas your child produces, the more skilled he’ll become. The more skilled he becomes, the more satisfying his sense of accomplishment will be. The more satisfying his accomplishments, the more he will love learning!

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Are you beginning to see how mastering the 1st (learning the language) and 2nd (thinking critically) skill sets of the classical trivium can release your homeschooling students from the subject-driven bonds of the public school paradigm? Focus on teaching these two skill sets and don’t worry about teaching subjects yet. Next up: “Why Writing is a Catalyst to Intellectual Development.”

Reviewing content to increase understanding is a critical component of a classical education. So, before we start the next homeschooling series on the classical trivium, “Thinking Critically,” here’s a short primer on classical education.

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Western Civilization was built on the classical education model, and the majority of history’s leaders were trained under this method. Classical education dates back to Ancient Israel, Greece, and Rome. Medieval Europeans, especially leaders of the Christian Church, were classically educated as were the founders of the American Republic. During the 19^th century, the U. S. immigration population soared, and the common school movement was born which effectively obliterated classical education in the United States by the beginning of the 20^th century. With the exception of a minute group of Christian home schoolers, our nation’s leaders are now being trained on the public school conveyor-belt which teaches children what to think and not how to think. (See “The World is Waiting” for a detailed chronology of the history of classical education.)

The classical home education renewal movement is still in its infancy, and many variations in practice exist like the classical model of Charlotte Mason, Susan Wise Bauer, and Oliver Van DeMille. In their excitement to embrace a classical home education, many parents jump right in without really thinking about what distinguishes classical education from other viable homeschooling methods. For example, some would tell you that classical languages like Latin are a critical component of a classical education (more on my opinion of this in a later post!), but the content of the classical education is not nearly as important as the methods by which the content is taught. The trivium and quadrivium provide structure for organizing content while Socratic dialogue and inductive reasoning provide the tools by which to understand the content.

A classical Christian home education is not as difficult as many people believe it to be. In fact, when you know your main objectives, classical homeschooling can be extremely freeing and relaxing while still rigorously challenging both parents and children. There are Three Simple but Significant Steps to a Classical Education:

1. Discard the public school paradigm

2. Teach the Skills of the Trivium

a. Learning the Language

b. Thinking Critically

c. Communicating Effectively

3. Supervise the Study of Subjects

Unlike some proponents of classical homeschooling, I do not view the trivium as distinct phases in the child’s life; rather, I see the trivium as three necessary skill sets that should be substantially mastered before moving on to the deeper study of subjects. Think of these three skills as a continuum of increasing competence. The more the child works on the skill, the better the child becomes at the skill. All three skills begin developing at birth but are not mastered for many years. In fact, you are probably still working on these skills just as I am! There does come a day, however, when you know your child is ready to go deeper into subjects, and it is at that point that you can tailor the study of subjects to the individual tastes and interests of the child.

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“Thinking Critically,” step two of “Teach the Skills of the Trivium,” is the topic of the next series.

Writing consists of two skills: first, the child practices the mechanics of developing correct letters and putting them together in properly spelled words, and secondly, the maturing child practices incorporating meaning into the composition. In this final post of the series, “Learning the Language,” step one of the classical homeschool trivium, I’ll give you concrete steps that you can implement which will help your child master the mechanics of writing. Writing with meaning will be covered later when I discuss step three of the classical trivium, “Communicating Effectively.”

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Setting the Stage

You’ve been encouraging your child since birth to expand her spoken language abilities by surrounding her with music, conversations, nursery rhymes, and reading. You’ve gently corrected her when she made mistakes and always respond to her attempts to communicate with praise and excitement. You, your spouse, and her siblings are good role models in that you all love to read. She sees you reading all the time for pleasure and for learning. You read to her every day, and you answer every question with enthusiasm and maybe even more information than she wanted. You’ve looked at the pictures in the books and predicted the story plot line. You’ve shown her that the text moves from left to right and down by using your finger to point out occasional words. You’ve already taught her the Alphabet song. You’ve diligently laid all the necessary groundwork of a rich, literate home where printed text is meaningful and pleasurable to read. Somewhere around the age of 5 or 6 years old, she’ll be ready to acquire another critical skill of language development: writing!

Learning about Letters

Now that she can sing her ABCs reasonably well (even if she slurs the phrase “lmnop”), it’s time to start writing the letters of the alphabet. She may already know the names of some letters from your daily reading-aloud time. You don’t need to purchase an expensive curriculum to teach your kids their ABCs. Just purchase a unlined art sketchbook with smooth paper, or go to Kinkos and have them bind 100 pages in a spiral. You’ll put one letter on each of 26 pages then later you’ll add the letter blends like the sound “sh” and the sound “ck.”

Start with her name. Teach her how to make the letters of her name by saying each letter as you write. Be very specific when you show her how to make each letter. For example, to make the uppercase letter “T” say something like “draw a straight line across” then “now find the middle of the line and draw a straight line down.” Or when showing her how to draw the letter “B” say “start at the top and draw a straight line down” then “go back to the top and draw a fat tummy that points to the right and stops halfway” then draw a 2^nd fat tummy that starts at the center also points right.” Make sure you show her how to write both the uppercase and lowercase letter on the page. Be sure to use the words uppercase and lowercase instead of big and little when describing the letters.

Help her find pictures from magazines that start with each letter, or if you or she are good artists, draw a picture and color it like an apple for the letter “A.” So now you have one page with the uppercase and lowercase letter and a picture or drawing of an object that starts with that letter. When you are finding pictures for the consonants, select images that sound like the single consonant and not a blend. For example, pick a “sock” for the letter “S” and not a “sheltie.” You’ll be adding photos of blends later.

In addition to working in your ABC book, use magnetic letters on the refrigerator, dry erase boards, magna doodles, paint, sand, or play letter games. You can make an easy BINGO board game on cardstock with the letters and letter blends, but don’t just say the letter “D;” say “D as in dog.” I really appreciated the DIY games in Peggy McKay’s book, Games for Reading. Even as the kids got older, we played a reading game every Friday. Make learning the alphabet fun!

Putting it all together in 30 minutes a day

Now that she is becoming familiar with her ABCs, she is ready to begin reading out loud, narrating the story, then writing her synopsis. This will probably be hardest for you because it will take longer, and it might be painful at first as she struggles with pronouncing and deciphering each word, but it is worth the effort! Continue reading out loud to her, but give her 30 minutes a day of dedicated reading time where she reads instead of you. (Caution: many parents make the mistake of discontinuing read-alouds once the child is reading by herself, but this is a big mistake. They need to hear an advanced reader speak difficult words and add inflection, pauses, and emphasis where needed.)

Here are some constructive ways to spend that 30 minute daily reading and writing time. (Don’t worry if you spend more than 30 minutes in the beginning…they’ll pick up speed as they gain proficiency):

1. Select a familiar book that is below her reading level (easy.)

2. Have her read the book out loud.

3. Select a new book from your own collection or from the weekly library trip that is slightly above her abilities. (difficult.)

4. Have her read this book out loud, too.

5. Work on a letter or letter blend in your ABC book, or play a game.

When you think she has mastered her ABCs (both upper and lowercase), you can introduce a handwriting book or purchase a handwriting pad at the local school supply store and create your own contextual words and sentences for her to copy as she practices writing.

Adding narration, dictation, and copywork through stories

When you begin to notice progress, create another blank book for her stories and incorporate this step in the daily routine:

Write a short story together. Let her generate the idea. In the beginning, have her dictate the story, and you write it down. Spell the word back to her before moving on to the next word. Repeat the entire sentence as it is completed. As she progresses in her skills, have her copy your dictation. Eventually, she can write her own story. (It can be 1-2 sentences long in the beginning.)

Here are two options for the story book.

Option one: take a blank piece of copy paper and turn it so that the short side (8 1/2”) is north. Draw a horizontal line about 2/3 down the page. Then draw lines like wide-ruled notebook paper under the horizontal line to fill the bottom 1/3. First she will write the story on the lines, then she’ll illustrate the story above the text. (This is also great for narrating and dictating daily Bible stories.)

Option two: have Kinkos bind 100 blank pages like the alphabet book, but this time use one side for the draft and the opposing side for the final, proofed text. Open the book flat, turn the book sideways so that the 11” side is north and have her write the first draft of the story on the top page. Have her read it and decide if she likes it the way it is. Gently correct any errors with a red pen, and add any new adjectives or details that she wants to add in red. Then have her recopy the edited draft on the bottom page. This is valuable groundwork for the 3^rd stage of the Trivium, “Communicating Effectively.”

Have her read her story to Daddy when he gets home or to brothers and sisters after she’s completed it. Affirmation of her accomplishment will greatly contribute to her joy in her new skills!

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So there you have it, step one of the classical trivium, “Learning the Language.” Your children learn the language through hearing, seeing, speaking, and writing.* All efforts to teach the language should result in the ultimate message that language, both spoken and written, has meaning or purpose. Spend the early childhood years helping your child master the language so that they have the necessary tools for steps two and three of the classical trivium, “Thinking Critically” and “Communicating Effectively,” respectively.

Focus your energies on copious amounts of reading of great variety, and dump the public school myth that would have you believe you need to plop the kids down with workbooks and textbooks by subject!

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To recap, the posts of this series on “Learning the Language,” are:

Learning the Language through Listening

Reading Aloud: the Key to Language Development

What is the Purpose of Reading?

Is Phonics Instruction Really Necessary for Teaching Reading?

Practicing the Mechanics of Beginning Writing

*(For those of you who are wondering where “English Grammar” is in this laundry list, you’ll have to wait until step 2, “Thinking Critically.” ) If you think this series will encourage a friend who is already homeschooling or thinking about homeschooling, please tell her about The Classical Scholar by forwarding this post.

In “Three Simple But Significant Steps To A Classical Education,” I explained how David and I decided (after agreeing on our own home education philosophy) to strip away the idea of a 12 year, subject-driven schedule and all the trappings of a public school model (step one), teach the tools of the trivium (step two), and supervise the study of subjects (step three). A paradigm is a way of thinking about something. If you were educated in a public or private school, you probably approach home education from that perspective, but that’s not the only way. Consider…

Learning Happens All Over The House

When I first began homeschooling, I had dreams of creating a “school room” for the kids. I went to the local teacher supply store and looked at all those cute little banners and posters that elementary school teachers tack to the wall or bulletin board…ABCs, seasons, holidays, calendars…but then I began to wonder where in the world I would put all that stuff! I didn’t have a single room that I could dedicate exclusively to home schooling. I decided that my dining room would be okay if I could just use the china cabinet for books, but then I began to think about all the times we used our dining room to entertain guests. Did I really want my adult friends and neighbors to enjoy meals in the middle of a school room? I decided against the posters and opted for more books.

At first we did all of our “table” work in the dining room, but soon we started moving to the living room sofa for snuggly reading time. When the weather got warmer, we moved out to the front porch to the rocking chairs or the swing. Eventually, we began throwing quilts on the grass and reading in the front yard (I still felt a little anxious when the neighbors drove by, but not so much that I confined the kids to the interior of the house.) These days, the kids choose where to study: in the hammock, in the tree house, on the bed, at the kitchen counter…as long as they get their work done, I don’t worry about where they do it. I’m less uptight these days.

Learning Happens All Hours Of The Day

When we first started home schooling, I followed the public school daily schedule. When the other kids on the street were getting on the bus, we were usually getting started, too. We took longer breaks than they did for lunch and playtime, but we generally wrapped up the day about the time the local school bus drove by our home. At some point, though, I realized that the kids were more efficient with their time; that is, they could squeeze a lot of learning into a shorter period of time than the public school day. So we began to let them sleep a little later because we knew they would be able to complete their work in time to play with their friends after they got home from school.

Very recently (remember we have teens), we began to let them choose when to work. We exercise as a family in the morning and then read Scripture together around the breakfast table, but that’s the only structured time. They can choose to get started studying right after breakfast or postpone studying until later. They have to log a minimum of 5 hours a day, but I don’t worry about when they get the hours in as long as the quality of their work is good. I’ve noticed that they both want to have some free time before dinner, so they plan their study time accordingly.

Learning Happens All Year Long

I used to start and end the academic year when our public school neighbors started and ended the year, but that was mainly because our kids wanted to play with the neighbors, so it was most convenient to be off when they were off and work when they worked. But as the years have passed, we have found that there are opportunities to learn every day of the year. We learn during the work week, surely, but we also learn on Saturdays, Sundays, and during the summer break. There are opportunities to foster learning in the evening when the kids are practicing baseball or during the summer when they are selling lemonade to hot and thirsty garage sale customers. If you approach every occasion with a questioning spirit, you can find the gems of knowledge and teach from them.

Learning Happens In All Areas Of Knowledge

One thing we continue to discover is this truth: learning is not confined to discrete subjects. I understand that the state has a vested interest in making sure all children have a certain foundational knowledge like reading, writing, and arithmetic, and I want all of our citizens to master those basics. I also understand that when you have to manage and process so many children through the system to make sure they are learning those basics, you must find a way to carve up the necessary knowledge which is why most public and private schools today divide the day into periods and teach specific subjects.

We homeschoolers are not bound by those limitations. We can do so much more to ensure that our kids are learning all that the Lord has revealed through His creation. We don’t have to sit our elementary kids down at the table and compel them to complete a grammar workbook in 36 weeks. If we are using proper grammar at home in our conversations and reading excellent literature to them daily (or having them read if they are older), they will learn proper grammar without the grueling pain of workbooks and true/false tests. I’ve used workbooks and textbooks when it is best for our family, but I don’t use them as the primary learning tool anymore. If I find that they are missing an important point (punctuation for instance), I’ll usually schedule a week of intensive, deeper study in the area of need. I’ll talk more about this later.

All of life is learning…all over the house, all hours of the day, all days of the year, and in all areas of knowledge…if you’ll only relax and be creative in creating an environment where you foster love of learning.

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Up Next:

Step 2 - Teach the Skills of the Trivium

Step 3 - Supervise the study of subjects

Recently, Lisa, the homeschool moderator for Faith Lifts, asked me to write an article about homeschool dads. In this article, Tailor Your Home School Learning Plan to Both Child and Parent (or how to effectively involve your husband!), I reveal how my clever husband, David, can be so wildly successful in home schooling our son. After you read the article, you’ll understand this next comment, but yesterday as Connor was working on the assignment talked about in the article, he VOLUNTARILY began narrating what he was learning!! This rarely happens when I give him an assignment…I have to ASK him to narrate…it doesn’t just bubble out of him. I learned so much yesterday about the different ranks of officers in the U. S. military branches all because Connor was excited about the topic that his Dad had chosen for him. Hope you enjoy the article and share it with your own husband for inspiration. Homeschooling for Dads has never been so easy!

The landmark book How Children Learn was originally written by John Holt, a former 5th grade math teacher in an elite private school, during the early 1960’s before the modern homeschooling movement gained momentum. Since then, it has been embraced by one segment of the home education community as the quintessential reference on unschooling.

Primarily a journal based on Holt’s observations of children from birth to around age 10, How Children Learn proposes that children are born with an innate ability and desire to learn about the world around them, and given the freedom to explore the things that interest them, they will develop thinking skills.

Contrary to establishment educators, Holt argues that the traditional school model forces children to “learn” which results in a changed personality. Persistent testing and compulsory learning (often of subjects of no interest to the child) creates mistrust, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Instead of developing a love of learning, the traditionally schooled child loses his natural curiosity.

Unlike some of the other books in this series on home education philosophies, John Holt’s book does not outline detailed methods for a successful education; rather, he asks the parent to thoughtfully observe and respect the child —trusting that real learning will occur over time if the child is given space and freedom to explore.

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If you are interested in a free online support network with daily discussion,

you might want to consider joining the following Yahoo Groups:

Always Learning (1578 members)

“Discussion for homeschooling fans of John Holt, whose books Learning All the Time, Never Too Late, and Teach your Own have made unschooling a sweet and viable option for thousands of families. This is a moderated group, with trapdoors for the uncooperative. (Not moderated in the advance-approval way, but in the be-nice-to-play way.) It’s an idea group and is intended to lean more toward pure unschooling than neutral, general homeschooling discussion.”

Unschooling Basics (1866 members)

“A list designed for those new to the philosophy of unschooling. Ask experienced unschoolers all those niggling questions, and find out how unschooling works in real families. f you’re familiar with John Holt’s work, but unsure of how to begin or what an unschooling day really looks like, this is a place for you to discuss,question, ponder and become deeply familiar with natural learning and how it affects our entire lives. From parenting issues to learning from the whole wide world and beyond, come explore the issues that unschooling families have dealt with in the past and how to get beyond “school-think” to a joyful unschooling lifestyle!”

Christ Centered Unschooling (338 members)

“CCU stands for Christ Centered Unschooling. Unschooling is a style of home schooling based on the ideals of natural learning. John Holt, who is credited with coining the term “unschooling” espoused the idea that children, like all people, are born with an innate desire to learn. Learning is unavoidable and if given the encouragement and environment in which to flourish will happen without coercion or structure. Rigid structure, forced learning and contrived curriculum can be destructive to the desire to learn. Unschooling, practiced for several decades and by many families, has resulted in confident, productive and independent thinking adults. This list was formed as a place for Christians who are either unschooling, attempting to implement more unschooling into their lives or just interested in learning more about the ideas.”

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Are you interested in learning about other home education philosophies? Charlotte Mason, Susan Wise Bauer/Jessie Wise, and Oliver DeMille all agree that love of learning is a priority even though their methods differ. Read more by clicking on the names above.

How many times have you, as a home school mom, heard these plaintive words when you have given your child a writing or speech assignment?

“But, Mom, I don’t know what to write!”

Consider adding topical, thematic, and quote prompts to your home school writing toolbox to spark creative ideas and increase the frequency of writing and public speaking. Prompts are also beneficial in helping your homeschooler narrow the focus of the topic and organize thoughts before wasting time in undirected meandering. Don’t encourage writing or speaking just for the sake of checking off a “to-do” on your long list of objectives for the kids. You want to raise effective communicators, and prompts can give you control over the process.

Prompts restrict the focus of the broad topic

Even an excellent author needs to restrict the focus of the topic before beginning the writing process. G. A. Henty is a popular author among home schooling young men and is known especially for his historical fiction. Henty likes to write about major events in world history, but he purposefully narrows the focus of the event to a few significant events. For example in one our family favorites, The Young Carthaginian, Henty tackles the monumental military feat of General Hannibal when he led the troops of ancient Carthage across the Alps to engage the Romans. Extensive coverage of a 15 year military campaign would be impossible in a book of a few hundred pages, so Henty restricts the broad topic of Hannibal’s campaign to the first 3 battles of the Second Punic War: Trebia, Trasimene, and Cannae. In restricting his topic to these 3 victories he eliminated other topical possibilities. He could have focused on 3 major people of the engagement: Consul Gaius Flaminius Nepo, Dictator Quintus Fabius Maximus, and General Scipio Africanus. Or he could have restricted the topic to any number of other interesting facts: weapons, animals, and weather.

So, too, topical prompts help your child narrow the focus of the written or speaking assignment. Select a topic from the subjects currently being studied. As in the case of Henty, have your child select a broad topic from the history reading then brainstorm possible subtopics. Here’s an example: Connor is currently reading about the American Civil War. Unlike Hannibal’s war, this war only lasted 4 years; however, there is still a vast wealth of subtopics for consideration. Here are a few ideas for restriction of the topic:

• Battles: Bull Run, Shiloh, and Gettysburg
• Confederate Generals: Lee, Jackson, and Stuart
• Politicians: Polk, Lincoln, and Davis
• Political parties: Whigs, Republicans, and Democrats

He could restrict the writing to the economic conditions before, during, and after the war. He could narrow the focus to any number of subtopics on the Civil War!

Not only do topical prompts restrict the focus for history writing and speaking, but the broad topic can also be restricted for science and geography reading. If your child is studying the animal kingdom (broad topic), let them restrict the focus to mammals, insects, or microscopic life. Once the subtopic of mammals is chosen, the child can then further restrict to cats: tigers, lions, and pumas.

Restriction of topic in writing about their geography studies is equally helpful. Is your child currently mapping the Middle East? Restrict the broad topic to Jordan, Syria, and Israel. Further restrict to politics, topography, or culture. The possibilities are endless.

If you don’t want use a topical prompt from the assigned reading, choose a random prompt from BrainyQuote or Phillips’ Book of Great Thoughts & Funny Sayings.

Thematic prompts and quote prompts are just like topical prompts in that you start with a broad topic then restrict. Thematic prompts usually come from literature or history. Are you listening to the audio version of Treasure Island with your children? Assign the theme, “going on a quest,” and let the kids narrow the topic from there. They could discuss Jim Hawkins adventures in terms of the journey, the dangers, and the valuable treasure. Quote prompts are really just topics or themes rolled into a complete statement. Can you find a broad topic or theme in the following quote prompt?

“But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life, and thanks to a benevolent arrangement the greater part of life is sunshine.” - Thomas Jefferson

When using a quote prompt, look for the nouns to determine broad topics or themes then restrict. In this example, the homeschooler could examine the broad topic of friendship and write about 3 friends in real life, literature, or history. Or an older teen might want to speak about theme of old age (the shade of life) and youth (the sunshine of life) with restrictions from his own personal observations, Scripture, or culture.

Prompts of all kinds, whether taken from assigned studies or randomly chosen, can spark ideas, increase the frequency of writing, and narrow the focus of the broad topic.

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Have you ever given your child a prompt for (1) writing an essay or (2) giving an impromptu or expository speech in your homeschool? In this first post of a four part series on effective oral and written communication, I’ll explain why writing prompts can be very useful because they:

• spark ideas
• encourage more frequent writing and speaking
• narrow the focus

Just like the name implies, prompts assist or inspire. We’ve been using writing prompts effectively in our home school for several years. Whether you have elementary age kids or teenagers, prompts can be tailored to the skill level of the child. For instance, the same prompt could be used for siblings…let’s say you have a 9 year old who is just learning how to write a good paragraph and a 15 year old who is writing five paragraph essays. Give them the same prompt, but adjust the required length appropriately.

Prompts Spark Ideas

It is much easier to write a paragraph or give a speech if you have a fresh idea to start with! Think of prompts in terms of eating: when you go to a buffet-style restaurant, the culinary choices are virtually unlimited. Just like the diner can select a prepared entree instead of cooking from scratch, so too, the budding writer or speaker gets a head start on the “meal.” The child doesn’t have to wrack his brain trying to come up with a subject; rather, the prompt tells him what to write about. This also helps eliminate the occasional whine that homeschool moms hear occasionally: “But I don’t know what to write about!”

You can select from several types of writing prompts for your home school writing assignments. In our home, we primarily use topical, thematic, and famous quote prompts. Topical prompts can be spontaneous (”what you had for breakfast” or “what you dreamed about last night”) or planned in advance like the topic that is intentionally related to the subjects currently being studied. For instance, If your child is reading about the planets in science, pick a topic from her reading like planetary temperatures or planetary rotation as a prompt.

Thematic prompts are triggered by an abstract theme like liberty, happiness, or responsibility. Pick a theme from the book he is currently reading like “growing up” in Peter Pan. It might also benefit your child to select a thematic prompt related to a character trait that you want to instill in him like courage or faithfulness.

Quote prompts are basically the same as topical or thematic prompts because most famous quotes can be reduced to at least one idea. For example, the actor Paul Newman once said, “If you don’t have enemies, you don’t have character” which can be simplified to 3 possible ideas: enemies, character, or Paul Newman! Scripture is full of potential quote prompts like “Those who trust in their riches will wither, but the righteous will flourish like green leaves.” (Proverbs 11:28) Wealth, trust, and righteousness are all themes that could be explored from this quote prompt.

For a host of free prompts, consult BrainyQuote, or if you would like to have your own copy of a handy paperback around, consider the handy Reader’s Digest book, Quotable Quotes.

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In my next post, I’ll examine how topical, thematic, and quote prompts can encourage more frequent writing and speaking. Narrowing the focus and improving organization skills are the subjects of posts three and four. Please feel free to share any helpful tips that you have discovered in the comments section below.