The HomeScholar Helper» HS English

Classics that can Raise SAT Scores

Lee — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 13:01:14 +0000

Hi Lee,

One of the times I heard you speak, you mentioned a certain publisher of literature books (classics) by a particular author that you had your boys read to prepare for the SAT. They were unique in the fact that on the back of each page words were defined.I cannot find that information in my file of notes from you. Do you recall those books, and would you mind sending me the name? Thank you for your time,

~ Valerie

What a good question! I love this question, because I can talk about one of my “favorite finds” for high school English! We used Kaplan books called “Score-Raising Classics. ” They have the real-literature text on the left hand page, and interesting vocabulary words are in bold (vocabulary words that are found on the SAT test, for example. ) On the right hand page is the bold words with their definition. I would generally read these books aloud to my children, one teenager on each side. As I read aloud, they were able to quickly grab any definitions that they needed, as they looked over my shoulder. It worked GREAT! Here is the link to one of those style of books, so you can see it:

We located a similar series of books for studying Shakespeare. The New Folger Library publisher, from Washington Square Press, has the same style for their Shakespeare. The vocabulary is in bold in the text. The right hand page has the bold words defined. It goes further – the difficult to understand phrases are also explained, to ensure you can fully grasp some of the Shakespearean context
as well. Here is a link to one of those books at Amazon:

I frequently mention these books when I talk about literature OR test preparation for the SAT, as they fit both needs at once.
I hope that helps!

Are you my facebook friend? Please send me a friend request. I would love to get to know you better.

Finding Application Essays for Practice

Lee — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 13:22:27 +0000

Junior year is a great time to practice writing college application essays. You can use them as a topic for an English writing assignments, practicing how to brainstorm and polish a technically perfect, self-reflective essay. But how do you find application essays?

“Hi Lee- I’ve been perusing the sites of the schools my high school junior is interested in applying to, wanting to see what their essay questions are so he can begin writing them. But… they all have online applications that require an account. Any ideas for getting a hold of practice essays?”

Kendra, if you visit the college and ask them for an application packet, they will have one available. You can also ask if they provide a fee-waiver for the application since you came to visit, because some do. Sometimes you can simply Google the college name and “application” and bypass the login, getting directly to the application without login in. Finally, you can go to a college fair, and collect application essays from lots of colleges.

Do you need help with college admission essays? Learn how to have your student write a compelling story about themselves so colleges will listen.

Homeschool High School: Pemberly Ball

Lee — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 12:27:06 +0000

I’ve written in the past about our son’s experience with a “Pemberly Ball.” If you’re wondering what that might be, check out these blog posts!

Can’t Get Enough Jane Austen?
The Down-Side of Literature-Based Education
I Hate Literary Analysis – Part 4

Now is a great time of year to start planning events for the winter and spring. If you are considering a “Pemberly Ball” for your own homeschool literary studies, you might be interested in how to find the costumes! Here is the email from my son’s Pemberly Society Vice-President, describing the process.

Have fun!

Hello everyone,

Although costumes for the Pemberley ball are not required, I’m sure some of you would like to come in one anyway and are wondering how to put one together on a student’s budget. As someone who has bought, constructed, and altered several Regency costumes before (five ladies’ gowns, and two gentlemen’s including our illustrious president, to be precise), I’d like to give you some tips for putting together a fabulous look without using up your life savings.

For the ladies, really all you need is the gown. That’s all anyone will see. A basic starting point for that can be found courtesy of the Jane Austen Centre here. If you want to buy your own, my best suggestion to you is to look on E-bay. One particularly reasonable vendor is Wendy’s Doll closet: most dresses run between $40-80. They ship very quickly, usually within a week, and are of excellent quality even though the pictures online are not particularly impressive. The only drawback is that are completely unadorned, but all they really need is a sash, which you don’t even have to sew on, and that only costs a few dollars for ribbon. If you’re more ambitious you can also add beading and trim to suit your fancy. Really, all you have to do is put your hair up in a bun. If you want to leave out your bangs, be sure to part them down the center if you really want to be period-correct.

For you gentlemen, there is a really good guides for MacGuyver-ing a look together from secondhand items. It can be found here. There are also good instructions for tying a cravat here. Do this so that you will not face the scorn of Sir Percy Blakney, the Scarlet Pimpernel, “Odd’s Fish, m’dear! The man can’t even tie his own cravat!” Remember that most tasteful cravats in Jane Austen’s time were white.For those of you looking for a tailcoat and a waistcoat, I got tailcoats for two of my gentlemen friends from an E-bay vendor called Monkeysuits. In both cases I was able to get them used tailcoats in their exact sizes and in excellent condition for only $20, and waistcoats run about $10, and recieved both items within three days of ordering them. For the waistcoats, the higher they button, the more period-correct they will look. One last word about tailcoats: darker colors were more fashionable for that time period, so given the choice between black or gray, the two most common colors you can find, go with the black. For pants, long pants will work in a pinch, but if you want to go for knee breeches, a good trick is to get a pair of women’s capris or petal-pushers as long as they’re relatively plain and not denim. Then you just stick a pair of white knee socks with them, and you’re done.

Well, that’s about it. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to drop me a line.

Take care and God bless,

Sandra
Vice-President
The Pemberley Society

If you have any suggestions or experiences with Pemberly Balls I’ve love to hear about it!

Our monthly newsletter comes out on the first of every month. Sign up for your free monthly newsletter here.

Homeschool High School: GRAMMAR – To Teach, or Not to Teach?

Lee — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:30:06 +0000

An “understanding” of grammar is important. You need it in order to write well. You need it in order to score well on the SAT and ACT tests. However, grammar is NOT taught every year in high school. Colleges don’t require or test the ability to diagram a sentence. Taking a special grammar class every year is not necessary for the critical life skill of writing. You may want to teach grammar separately in high school, as some programs suggest, but it’s optional.

For that reason, I chose to teach a grammar program one time, and I used Winston Grammar. After we completed that program, my children were able to understand the vocabulary of writing (noun, pronoun, adverb, etc.) After that, we focused on the grammar they needed for the SAT and ACT.

Grammar is a necessary component in English, but that doesn’t mean you have to buy a book. You can teach grammar in the context of writing, by saying “that doesn’t sound right, does it?” Our study of grammar allowed this test to be all that we needed. It filled in any gaps that we had by teaching grammar naturally through writing.

I’ve recently been connecting with friends on LinkedIn. I invite you to send me an invitation if you want to connect with my business.

Test Prep on a High School Transcript

Lee — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 13:30:05 +0000

SAT preparation is a good idea, but you don’t want to announce “WE STUDY FOR THE TEST” in big bold letters, so I don’t recommend the title “SAT Preparation” for a course title. Instead, I prefer calling it something else.

Many public and private schools will include test prep in their regular English and math courses. Others will provide separate classes for SAT prep, like you are doing. It’s completely fine to give credit for test preparation – either by using it as a component of another class, or by given credit as a stand alone class.

You can call it critical thinking, or study skills, college study skills, college readiness skills, or something like that. I prefer “Study Skills” unless there is a critical thinking curriculum or discussion in your study – but that’s just my opinion.

For credit value, estimate the number of hours spent. If the student works 2-3 hours per week for most of the school year, then call it a credit.

Your best strategy for keeping all those balls in the air is preparation. The HomeScholar Gold Care Club will give you the comprehensive help you need to homeschool high school.

Homeschooling High School: Favorite Writing Curriculum

Lee — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:30:01 +0000

If you ask 10 homeschoolers, you may get 10 different answers about favorite writing programs.

Do you have any favorites for teaching composition beginning in 9th grade? Funny thing, I am a writer and editor by trade but haven’t a clue how to teach it. My kids have learned the most basic of skills in writing an essay but that’s about the extent of it.Also, do you have a preference for choosing curriculum that incorporates all facets – lit, grammar, vocab and composition, or separate pieces?
Thanks!
~ Barb

Dear Barb,
Like all curriculum choices, it’s more about the fit with the student, and not about what I like. Here are some articles that may help, though: 10 No-Fail Strategies for Choosing High School Curriculum “Learn to Write the Novel Way “Homeschool High School – Online English Ideas.

If you have some time, this website will help with learning styles HomeEdExpert.

If you don’t like the feel of that website, then her book is 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum: Choosing the Right Curriculum and Approach for Your Child’s Learning Style by Cathy Duffy.

Personally, I loved Sonlight Curriculum, and that is what we used. I also hear particularly good things about www.WriteShop.com (see their blog at www.writeshop.com/blog, Institute for Excellence in Writing (writing only, not literature, so just add some good books) and BraveWriter (one of my Gold Care Club members is a HUGE fan.)

I would love to hear about writing programs that other homeschoolers have already USED and LOVED. No fair mentioning things you haven’t used yet – or things your child barely tolerated! I’m only looking for positive recommendations, please.

The Comprehensive Record Solution provides the training and templates and real life examples of successful high school records.

Homeschoolers: Celebrate National Audio Book Month with a Giveaway!

Lee — Tue, 31 May 2011 11:30:30 +0000

The Giveaway Contest is now over. Thanks to all who participated!

June is National Audio Book Month! To celebrate, my friend Molly Evert of My Audio School is providing a giveaway for my newsletter and blog readers! Just leave a comment on this blog post about My Audio School and you will be registered to win a one-year subscription! Two lucky readers will win! I know my Office Manager Stephanie, just LOVES My Audio School. Here is what she says:

“I was raving about how much I loved My Audio School, and Lee asked me to share the information with you. It has to be one of the best purchases we’ve made over the years. Not only does the content compliment and complete a wide variety of homeschooling styles and curricula, but it is a wonderful resource to use during non-school time as well. We love the variety of materials including the “old time” radio programs that are also a part of the subscription. However, my favorite parts are what I call the bonus features! The site hosts lovely artwork, most of which include links to additional information about the piece, as well as links to unit studies, research sites and more that are tied to the chosen book. It is a goldmine for moms who love to add supplements to keep their kids hooked! My Audio School truly is a valuable website to parent and child alike.” ~ Stephanie

They have some great books usually seen on reading lists for college bound students. Check out this sampling of college-prep titles -

The Anti-Federalist Papers, Patrick Henry

As You Like It, William Shakespeare

Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Beowulf, Anonymous

Multiple titles by GA Henty

David Copperfield, Charles Dickens

Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton

The Federalist Papers

Frankenstein, Mary Shelley

Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte

Les Miserables, Victor Hugo

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas

Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen

The Odyssey, Homer

On the Duty of Civil Disobedience, Henry David Thoreau

The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson

Leave a comment and you will be entered to win one of two free subscriptions. Winners will be chosen from comment entries on Monday, June 6, 2011 at 5pm PST using random.org. Even if you don’t win, it’s a GREAT value. A subscription to My Audio School opens all their audio books and links. The cost is just $14.99 per year for an Individual/Family membership. What a great deal!

Thank you, Molly, for sharing your giveaway with my readers!

Website www.MyAudioSchool.com
Visit her Facebook Fan Page

G^keKa@S^oOD

Along the Latin Road

Lee — Fri, 13 May 2011 13:30:18 +0000

I really loved Latin Road. I had no real Latin background, and when I looked at the other books they looked SO difficult to even START their programs. Latin Road is written by a homeschool mom who assumes you know nothing — an accurate assumption in my case! I worked two weeks ahead of my kids for the whole year, doing the work before them. The student does copy work, copying off the information in the textbook so they can learn the information slowly as they are writing. Then they do some translating Latin to English and vice versa. Then they do some memorization - FUN memorization, by the way. One Christmas my son Alex led the choir in Adeste Fidelis that we had learned in Latin. I know that Latin Road works. Alex took senior level Latin in college, and he earned A’s for his work. I know that any mom could teach Latin using Latin Road, provided you can convince your student to do all that copy work.

You can learn more about Latin Road to English Grammar here!

If you need any extra help, you will really appreciate my Gold Care Club, as well as lots of templates and tools that will help you along.

Are you doing too much in your homeschool?

Lee — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 13:30:21 +0000

How do you know when enough is enough? Particularly with Writing and History, how can you make sure you are not asking too much and frustrating yourself and your children?. Sometimes it can be so hard to tell. It can be VERY difficult to make sure you aren’t expecting too much!

Here are some ideas to consider if you think you may be overworking your children. If you use a curriculum for writing and history, do not supplement it. A standard curriculum is meant to be a whole high school credit. So if you supplement it with anything (no matter how wonderful and cool) you can experience burnout and frustration, because you’re expecting too much work.

If you feel like you MUST supplement, then the simple solution is to remove something else from the curriculum that might take about the same amount of time. In other words, remove as much as you add.

Remember as well, in high schools they don’t do ALL of the curriculum. In other words, if the book lists 4 hands-on projects, they may only do one – or none of them. They give a lot of suggestions in a public school curriculum that may never be used by any teacher.

I have a blog post about how important it is not to double up on your curriculum; http://www.thehomescholar.com/blog/homeschool-blunder-doubling-up/1696/

If you aren’t using a curriculum, but you are pulling together pieces yourself, then strive for only 1 hour or less for history each day and 1 hour or less of English each day (reading books may take longer, but the writing, grammar, vocabulary, etc. – that stuff keep to just 1 hour or less.)

Do you Twitter? Follow me here!

Literature-based vs. Reality-based Homeschool

Lee — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 13:30:42 +0000

We used a literature-based curriculum for high school, and my children read TONS of books in high school. What does literature-based learning look like in the REAL world, where parents are faced with the demands of homeschooling, housework, and household economics?

Tell me, did you read everything your kids read on the Sonlight and The Well Trained Mind reading lists so that you could discuss the books together?Personally, I think that a lively discussion is more enlightening and engaging than dry, technical literary analysis. But how do we discuss a book if only one of us has read it? I am all for reading living books, but don’t have the time to read everything my daughter reads so that we can discuss them. Did you read aloud to your sons or did you let them read by themselves? My daughter is 12 and often prefers to read books by herself because she understands them better. When I read aloud, she is greatly entertained, but I have noticed that,sometimes, her comprehension suffers. I’m perplexed about how to move forward with this and would love to hear what you think.

Thanks a lot! ~ Cori

Wouldn’t it be nice to have the ability to pre-read every book and have thoughtful conversations about everything your children read? Yes. But our children are only in high school for four years. That’s NOT enough time to read all the books suggested in a literature based curriculum, and not enough time to thoroughly digest each book to the degree an English Major in college might digest it.

I did not read every book ahead of time. Many of the books I would look at in the Sonlight Catalog, Jim Trelease Read Aloud Handbook, The Well Trained Mind, or Tapestry of Grace Catalog. That would give me a clue about the content of the book, so I would know if reading ahead was necessary. Some books I chose to read ahead because I wanted to read them myself.

I did read aloud to my children almost every single day of high school. Once or twice they would express concern that I was treating them like “babies.” I would honestly tell them that my own Honors English teacher in the public high school would read aloud to the class. It was a non-negotiable. We read aloud. Hearing me pronounce words would sometimes help their pronunciation as well. Sometimes I would begin a book by reading aloud. Once they were hooked on the story I would allow them to finish reading it on their own.

Every parent has to weigh the pros and cons for themselves. Which book is important to read ahead, since I can’t read them all? Which books to discuss and which to enjoy separately. A lot of factors go into those decisions. How many pounds of laundry per week? How many load of dishes? How many younger siblings? How much do you value personal time?

I know one thing for sure. It’s the love of reading, the love of learning, that will really stay with them forever. You can do that without reading ahead or analyzing literature. You can even do that without having a two-way discussion. Just listen to them express their joy in each book.

Wow. I’m such a radical! LOL! For more on my radical views on literary analysis, read this article: Do Great Homeschools Really Need Socratic Dialog?

I hope that helps.

If you need any extra help, you will really appreciate my Gold Care Club, as well as lots of templates and tools that will help you along. We are currently featuring an hour long video training session on how to keep homeschool records. You need to hurry, though. That video training won’t be there forever!