flynn057

Dear friends, In honor of President's Day this week, I assigned a literature study on the topic of honesty to my home school co-op English class.  In addition to the assignments and discussion notes below, you will also find very useful lists about honesty at  http://www.k12.hi.us/~mkunimit/honesty.htm Discussion: What is honesty? ·          Honesty is telling the whole truth , in your words, actions, and intentions.  It is being accurate . (That does not mean that someone who tells wrong information is lying.  If they sincerely think it is true, they are not being deceptive, just mistaken. There can still be negative consequences for this, especially if the person should have known better, but there is a difference based on their intention!)   Being honest does not mean you need to tell someone information that is none of their business, or that they would use to harm other people, or that is unnecessarily hurtful...

Dear friends, A couple of days ago, I wrote a post on www.startwellhomeschool.blogspot.com  about  What We're Doing for Elementary School This Year .  We're also home schooling two middle school students: a son in 8th grade and a daughter in 6th grade.  My son has always been home schooled, while my daughter attended a public elementary school for the last four months of the last school year. Our family is continuing with the home school co-op that we've been in for several years with the exception of one year we just home schooled - at home. Here is a run down of what we're doing in and out of co-op. My daughter is taking 6th grade math, with only one other student in her class. They are using the McDougal Littell text, along with a student notebook volume.  For science and history, she is in mixed level classes with 4th-6th grade students.   The science class is using the Apologia text about flying creatures , which is mainly birds and insects but include...

Dear friends, I presented a workshop called "With  Literature and Justice for All:  Teaching Virtuous Reality with American Literature for 4th-8th Grades"  the 4th Annual  Books & Beyond conference . I've got four video clips linked below, as well as handouts and links for on-line study guides. Part 1: Justice & Stories Part 2: Exploration, Colonies & Revolution Part 3: Pioneers, Civil War, Immigration & Civil Rights Part 4: Family History, Field Trips & Virtuous Reality Workshop notes... With Literature and Justice for All: Teaching "Virtuous Reality" with American Literature in the 4th-8th Grades What do stories teach?   Stories capture our interest, stir our imagination, and engage the heart. Stories teach us to ask, "What would I do if you found myself in this scenario?" Stories teach, by positive and negative examples, how to handle situations and challenges in life. What are the consequences of each decision? (Noble action ca...

Great American Communicators: Patrick Henry Patrick Henry was home schooled by his father and his uncle. He had ten brothers and sisters. He didn’t do well at farming or storekeeping, so he taught himself law. He became famous for a case known as “The Parson’s Cause” and went on to establish himself as a prominent lawyer in Williamsburg, Virginia. Patrick married twice. His first wife, Sarah, went insane after childbirth and had to be confined to her home for several years until she died. Between both wives, he had 15 children, but not all of them survived childhood. A powerful orator, Patrick Henry was always a staunch supporter of liberty and patriotism. His “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech in March 1775 is credited with starting the American Revolution in Virginia. He held the following public offices:    Delegate, Virginia House of Burgesses, 1765-1775 Member, Virginia Committee of Correspondence, 1773 Delegate, Continental Congress, 1774-1775 Delegate, Virginia C...