Math Apps – Worth Their Weight in Gold!

Classes, Classroom Help, Informative, Preparing for College, Technology

Published with Permission
Written by Sharra Badgley
www.thehomeschoolmarm.com/www.thehomeschoolmarm.blogspot.com
www.TOSMagazine.com

Math. It has always been the subject of dread in my life until recently. I have never fully understood my struggles in higher math and my anxiety over mathematical computations until I observed our 9-year-old daughter as she struggled with math. My daughter is an exceptional learner who has inherited my learning challenges of Gifted/ADHD. After several years of homeschooling, I observed that she could blaze through a large work of classic literature with full comprehension and understanding beyond her years. However, a page of math with more than ten problems on it would cause her to break down in tears and lay her head down in defeat. I could recall having these same experiences during my own childhood, all the way through my college years. As a Gifted/ADHD learner, our daughter was overwhelmed by the magnitude of numbers on the text pages.

At the elementary level, in our home school we have used an assortment of home school curricula, all of which have included thirty to forty problems per lesson. As classic educators, we appreciate math drills, which help cement concepts in the mind. The difficulty arose as our daughter’s sheer anxiety over math prevented her from moving forward and completing enough problems to master the concepts.

The freedom and flexibility of homeschooling have allowed us to explore many curricula and programs so that we could reach a place of success, and the use of educational apps has truly revolutionized our homeschooling. We use educational apps in conjunction with our textbooks, workbooks, and other online supplementary programs. (more…)

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Totally Epic

Classes, Classroom Help, Informative, Preparing for College

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Written by Amy Barr
www.lukeion.org
www.TOSMagazine.com

The first powered airplane only flew 12 seconds on its maiden voyage, and the first car could only move 2 miles an hour. The first Greek epic, however, was invented even before the finishing touches were put on the Greek alphabet in which it would eventually be recorded. Homer’s Iliad, and his smash sequel the Odyssey, have been moving the world ever since.

You probably have a copy of one of these epics on your bookshelf. You may even have tried to work them into your curriculum with varying levels of success or frustration. With a little background in place, most quickly learn that this three thousand-year-old literature still offers food for thought and potent words for modern ears.

Troy, known as Ilion/Ilium to the Greeks and Romans, is a real place you can visit in northwest Turkey. I worked with the excavation team at this well-fortified Bronze Age city and witnessed how most tourists climb the giant Trojan Horse replica for a fast photo before hastily leaving. The site of Troy is no Coliseum or Parthenon, because its claim to fame is its destruction. Archaeological evidence suggests that something calamitous happened there around 1180 B.C. when the city was nearly leveled. (more…)

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Mason-Inspired Methods for Teaching Writing

Classes, Classroom Help, Informative

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Written by Jessica Boling
jessicaboling.wordpress.com
www.TOSMagazine.com

“Time for writing!” My announcement silences the chatter of several young voices at the Charlotte Mason-inspired co-op where I teach. The students take their seats and pull out black-and-white speckled composition books. They listen as I read a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, our selection for copywork and dictation.

The Charlotte Mason approach enriches a student’s English education in many ways. Families who incorporate Mason’s ideas in their home school introduce their children to quality literature (what Mason terms “living books”) at a young age. Students thrive when they are encouraged to read interesting stories, firsthand accounts, and beautiful poems. On this rich foundation, parents can build their children’s writing skills by using several Mason-inspired methods: copywork and dictation, written narration, and literary analysis. (more…)

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