For my children it was chess and economics. Those things that your homeschool student spends their time on. That thing that sometimes gets very annoying to you. These are the things that could actually end up becoming credits on their homeschool transcript.
Free Webinar Download
“Taking the Mystery out of the SAT & ACT Exams”
I’m so pleased to share the recording of the special webinar with Andrew Pudewa of the Institute for Excellence in Writing. The webinar evening was filled with so much wonderful information and participation from our attendees. Thanks for helping make the event a success! For those of you who missed it (or want to watch it again) here is the link to the recording.
Taking the Mystery out of the SAT & ACT Exams
with Andrew Pudewa of Institute for Excellence in Writing
Whether it is questions about honors, CLEP, or the ACT, I am here to help. My Parent Training A la Carte courses can help you become fully prepared for your next step in homeschooling.
What do you do when your child gets really struggles on daily work? It can be confusing! Let me suggest a few ideas. Check the curriculum, try to motivate kids to work more carefully, consider using a test to inform you on a grade, or provide a grade that reflects their poor scores. Karen asked a question about her son’s math, and you can see how those ideas work in the real world of real homeschooling.
HI Lee, I bought your book, Setting the Record Straight and want to ask what to do on my son’s records (age 14) when his math (Saxon) scores on his daily work are about a C- to D- grade, which he has to fix on his own and score 100% before he passes, but this is a consistent problem he is unable to correct. If I say he is an A or B grade because he self corrects and eventually gets 100%, that isn’t going to work w/ college because they only give 1 chance, and the truth will be known. I don’t test him–just give him daily work. What grade should I give him? I am confused and really think he might have some learning problems.
Thank you,
Karen
If your son is doing very poorly on daily work, then that may not be the best math program for him. I know that Saxon is rated very highly, but he will learn more if he uses a curriculum that’s a good FIT – even if it isn’t rated quite so highly. So check our my article on “Love of Math” and see if you can find a curriculum that’s a good fit for him. For the Love of Math
If you believe the curriculum is a good fit for him, then you might want to try rewarding him for working carefully on his daily work. To do that, you ask him to do 1/2 the problems (odd numbers or even numbers.) If he gets a good percentage correct (say 90%) then he can skip the other problems. If he gets less that you want, then he needs to correct the problems he gets wrong and he needs to do the other half of the assignment.
Occasional tests can provide some college preparation. You’re right, in college you can’t just get a bunch of problems wrong all the time and still end up with a good grade. Colleges use a lot of bubble tests, so it’s important for kids to do well on simple tests. In fact, some of my friends with college kids tell me they wish they would have prepared their children for test situations. Not that you have to test every subject, but having a regular test in something like math can help kids figure out what tests are like, so they don’t become fearful.
If you are happy with your strategy and curriculum, and you just want some ideas about grading and how it will work when he gets in college, that’s a different issue. It’s hard to decide what an appropriate class grade will be for him. I think you’re best bet is to give him a test once in a while, so he know it “counts” and will actually help determine his grade for the class based on comprehension. Without a test, I think I would consider whether this level of math might not be too hard for him. With poor daily grades, the grade for the class is likely poor as well. Your goal is comprehension, of course, not a grade, but if daily work doesn’t show understanding, it won’t be a good grade. At the most, I would only increase his course grade slightly, perhaps by 1/2 a letter grade.
In general, focus on comprehension and mastery – not working at a certain speed. The grade isn’t as important as his understanding.
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.
Is your child taking the SAT this spring? Did you know the SAT has a penalty for guessing? When I explain to parents the difference between the SAT and the ACT, I often mention that the SAT has a penalty for guessing. The problem is that it’s difficult for me to explain exactly what that MEANS, though. I’m not a mathematician, and the concept is a little complicated.
Here is what I know about the SAT:
They calculate the number of correct answers
AND
They subtract the number of incorrect answers.
That’s why they call it a “penalty for guessing.” In other words, a wrong answer hurts more than leaving the answer blank.
For that reason, most test prep companies recommend a simple strategy.
If you don’t have a clue which is the answer, don’t guess. Because each question has four possible answers, it’s not worth guessing.
If you are certain that one answer is wrong, then guess. Once you get it down to possibly a 1 in 3 chance of getting it right, then guessing may pay off.
Of course, it’s BEST when you actually KNOW the answer. But if you don’t know the answer on the SAT, only guess when you can eliminate at least one answer.
For more information, USA Today has an article about how the College Board is eliminating the Penalty for Guessing in the AP exams. You can read that article here: College Board to end penalty for guessing on AP tests.
Do you have more questions about high school tests? I have resources available to help.
Are you a fan of Parent Training A la Carte? I would love to hear from you! Submit a review of any Parent Training A la Carte course you have previously purchased and receive a FREE A la Carte course of your choice! It’s my way of saying thank you. Let me help you learn more about homeschooling high school! Here is how it works…
Login on the Member’s Page
Click HomeschoolThruHighSchool.com
Click the “Buy Now” button for each class you previously purchased
Go down to “Customer Reviews”
Write your review give me some stars
Sign your name (first name and state is fine)
Send me an email and tell me the free class you want
Enjoy your free class!
It’s that easy, and it’s that fun – and who doesn’t love a freebie?
We all want to be ahead of the game, especially when making homeschool transcripts. Knowing the difference between transcripts and course descriptions can help you get started with this important paperwork.
“Honey, There’s a Crazed Mob of Scholarship Wielding Colleges Pounding on Our Front Door!!” Get the Comprehensive Record Solution!
The Great Backyard Bird Count is February 17 – 20.
People across the country will spend 15 minutes or more taking stock of the birds in their towns.This looks like so much fun! I love birds! You can find resources here: Birdsource.org and they have a guide here: How-to HelpTo encourage birds to visit your yard, try hanging a homemade birdseed biscuit. I found the cutest heart-shaped recipe in Family Fun Magazine: Birdseed BiscuitsHave fun counting those birds!
I hope you had a Happy Valentine’s Day! Here is my heart-shaped sweet for you – Freebies from the Institute for Excellence in Writing! IEW has a wonderful online catalog, called a Magalog. This year, if you sign up for their 2012 Magalog before February 14th, you get some GREAT freebies! This is pretty cool stuff, and I just HAD to share it!
Four Deadly Errors of Teaching Writing Audio Download
Nurturing Competent Communicators Audio Download
Reaching the Reluctant Writer Audio Download
IEW’s Recommended Read-Aloud List
The 2012 Magalogs should arrive in your mail box by early March. By then you should be all done with your freebies! I love Andrew Pudewa’s common-sense, low-stress encouragement in English. Here is the description of each of these free classes.
Four Deadly Errors of Teaching Writing Audio Download
We’ve all suffered it at one time or another: Frustration about writing assignments. Either on the receiving end, or perhaps now on the giving end, there can be a few distinctly discouraging aspects to teaching and being taught writing. The tough questions include: What to correct and how to give a grade? How much help is too much? Isn’t the assignment clear enough? Why don’t students find their own errors? Learn and avoid four teaching mistakes that contribute to this frustration: Overcorrecting, Holding Back Help, Unclear Assignments, & Over-Expectation. Play time: 65 minutes. You may also download the article The Four Deadly Errors of Teaching Writing.
Nurturing Competent Communicators Audio Download
Many parents think that good readers will naturally become good writers. Others think that writing talent is just that—a natural ability — some have it, others don’t. Both are myths. History and modern research show very clearly how good writers develop, and demonstrate the two most critical things needed for a high level of aptitude in writing. With humor and insight, Andrew will share the two easy but unbelievably powerful things you can do to build language patterns and nurture competent communicators in your family. Play time: 76 minutes
Reaching the Reluctant Writer Audio Download
Many children do not like to write. Why? This workshop will answer that basic question and teach a specific and successful method of separating the complex process of writing into the smallest possible steps, making it possible for even the most reluctant writer to produce short but complete compositions. He will be proud and motivated to write again. If you remove the problem of what to write you will be free to help your child learn how to write, using source texts, key word outlines and “dress-up” checklists. Results guaranteed! Play time: 75 minutes
You will also have a IEW Reading List added to your downloads.
My A la Carte courses can provide you with the tools you need to homeschool high school successfully.
Charlotte Mason would have loved my pond. It’s only two blocks from my house. The pond has salmon, river otter, blue heron, bald eagle, and huge variety of ducks and geese. The park will sometimes even have visiting wildlife – coyotes, rabbits, racoons and more. When we moved here, I thought I would spend hours at the pond with my children, doing nature studies. I bought some fabulous books about nature studies that I loved;
The pond is just a few yards from Puget Sound, I fantasized about oceanography units and marine biology studies. I bought great books for a Marine Biology unit:
I dreamed of examining algae under a microscope and I was positively giddy about the ducklings. I was all set up to encourage my children so they would delight in nature studies, and learn naturally in the great outdoors.
Except there was one problem. It didn’t happen that way at all!
My boys would whine and complain the whole time we did nature studies. They loved physical exertion, and didn’t mind getting out for a bike ride or a swim, but they didn’t want to just “sit there and look at stuff.” All they wanted was books and bikes. It’s one thing to focus on “delight-driven” studies, but what about driving “non-delightful” studies? What’s a “Charlotte Mason Style Mom” to do?
I finally had to conclude that the “delight” in delight-directed learning was about them, not me. My learning style is not the same as their learning style. My interests are not their interests. I had to let go of the fabulous nature studies and focus on the ways my children learned instead. If they loved books… well, I’d let them have books.
My children are grown now, and it’s just me and my husband at home. We frequently walk to the pond, and walk to the beach, and enjoy our nature studies together. And he doesn’t whine at all! You see? Success is just a matter of time!
Homeschooling is NOT the same as doing schoolwork at home. There is LOTS of freedom! My Gold Care Club will give you all the help you need to succeed!
I’d love to meet you this month! Please join me if you are in Washington or Oregon!
Meet The HomeScholar Reach East
“High School Records for Fun and Profit”
Monday, February 13
7:00pm
Crossroads Bible Church Bellevue, WA Reach East website
First Class Ministries Homeschool Seminar
“Preparing for Homeschool High School”
Friday, February 17
12:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Damascus, Oregon
$30/person or $50/both days
Contact Michelle
503-327-4626
MLaw1970@aol.com
Oregon Christian Home Education Conference
June 22-23, 2012
Oregon Convention Center
mail@oceanetwork.org
If you can’t come to my area, I would love to come closer to you. Please ask your homeschool convention organizer to have me speak at your convention next year. Because I have other family responsibilities, I can’t go to conventions unless I’m asked to speak. For information on my speeches, you can find information here:
Speaker Information Old Schoolhouse Speaker Bureau
or Balancing the Sword Speakers Page
Contact me for more information
My A la Carte courses can provide you with the tools you need to homeschool high school successfully.
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