McGuffey Readers (1836), What We Do...

Mc Guffey's readers are classics and not your typical modern currilum.  They don't come with worksheets, step-by-step teacher directions, lesson plans, or tests.  There is no grade level breakdown offered either.  The most helpful guide would be to read a book about the Charlotte Mason education method.  Some have broken down the books into age groups or grades, but the two determining factors I have used have been reading level and maturity.  This is based on the content of the books.  The fourth book definitely being a high school level book.

William H. McGuffey

Each reader can span two or three years, reading one lesson a week.  I go through the vocabulary list at the end of each reading, asking for spelling and meaning.  From this list, I will pick words to do an etymology on - a study on the meaning of the word, its origin, spelling, and a couple of sentences using it in meaningful context, as you would find in a good dictionary.  Each word is done on a separate index card.  I use a variety of ways to review the words - puzzles, crosswords, hangman, and oral quizzes.

I use the readers to reinforce spelling, vocabulary work, reading ageless stories, biblical moral values, literature, and practicing diction by reading out loud.

It was McGuffey’s view that the proper education of young people required their introduction to a wide variety of topics and practical matters. 

I rarely use a typical spelling curriculum.  Reading is the key to spelling and reading out loud is very important, too.

Links with guidelines:

• How to Teach Spelling with the 1857 McGuffey Readers (with a Few Tips from Charlotte Mason)
• Post about age breakdown
• Encyclopedia Britannica - McGuffey, short biography

Why the 1836 edition is best?

"The 1836 edition was the only one which was actually compiled by McGuffey. His brother Alexander compiled the Fifth and Sixth Readers. Through successive editions, the essentially fundamentalist values that the McGuffeys put in the Readers were diluted by Unitarian influences. Although there were plenty of references to God, there were few to Christ. After the publication of the Readers, McGuffey’s influence as an educator grew, particularly in the West."

Read more in this essay.

Also,

"McGuffey was remembered as a theological and conservative teacher. He understood the goals of public schooling in terms of moral and spiritual education, and attempted to give schools a curriculum that would instill Presbyterian Calvinist beliefs and manners in their students. These goals were suitable for early 19th century America, but not for the nations’ later need for unified pluralism. The content of the readers changed drastically between McGuffey’s 1836- 1837 editions and the 1879 edition. The revised Readers were compiled to meet the needs of national unity and the dream of an American “melting pot” for the worlds’ oppressed masses. The Calvinist values of salvation, righteousness and piety, so prominent in the early Readers, were entirely missing in the later versions."

Read entire article here. 

Preparing for the SAT

Preparing for the SAT begins in 1st grade!  Yes, it is true.  I wouldn't dream of waiting until high school to begin thinking about how to help my children score well on a test that has so many implications for their future.  The SAT means cash in their pockets, for one.  The way things work today with colleges, SAT scores = $$$ or lack thereof.  Everybody knows that, I think. 

So, what do we do in elementary school?  We make the three Rs our priority.  This isn't always the fun part of what we do.  We love unit studies, science journals, history, field trips, park days.....  but all those things must be secondary.  We start our school day with an the RRRs, and once those are done, we move on to the rest. 

We do think our bible studies are the most important subject, by the way, but I like to do this after lunch, when we can sit and relax.  I like to take my time and not feel rushed with the pressure of getting it done so we can get to the tough subjects.  So, bible comes after lunch because I know we will do it and we can all look forward to it.  We tried doing bible first thing in the morning years ago, but it was always rushed.

Prioritizing is one of the keys to success and flexibility is another.  The flexibility to slow down when something isn't working, try different approaches, or  switch curricula is very important.  As homeschoolers, we enjoy the possibility of an individualized approach.  A one-size-fits-all program is necessary in a school classroom setting.  Helping a child love, or at least like, a subject is one of my goals.  There are so many resources available out there.  Integrating a subject like math into other areas - geography, science, or even art... helps to make it likable for some.  Sometimes, it helps to make the subject relevant - a field trip to the grocery store is a great possibility when learning to count money.  Cashiers have always been very kind and patient when I've had my children go up to pay with cash in hand, working out the amounts and what change they receive.

Reading is the most important skill to learn in school. That said, my goal in this area was to help my children learn to love it. Video games, daily TV watching and movies are the enemies when it comes to helping your children love to read, simply because those other activities are more stimulating. With one of my children, the choice had to be between reading and being bored sitting on a chair. She always chose reading when I put it that way. Some children mature later than others, and they will need to be allowed to stay with picture books a while longer. The goal, though, is to get them reading books that are not limited in vocabulary. Readers often limit vocabulary, so they are not my favorites. It is very important to have reliable reading lists as resources to pick your children's reading books wisely.  Do not let your children free to pick books at the library for themselves!  Here are some I've used:

The Hand that Rocks the Cradle
Veritas Press

One of the most important tasks to accomplish during elementary school, and one that NONE of my children have liked is to memorize their multiplication tables.  Each one of them has shed tears the first few times they HAD to memorize their facts, because they knew there was no way out of it.  Once they memorized the table of 3, they were over the hump and went along with it.  Becoming proficient and fast at doing arithmetic is very important.  I like A Beka's speed drills and have used them with all the kids faithfully.  The SAT is a timed test, and although they allow the use of a calculator, there is much arithmetic involved in simple algebra problems which would take too long to do with a calculator.  They must have those facts cemented so that they are automatic.

So, what to do if your children are in middle school and don't have this skill down?  Stop, and spend a few weeks doing speed drills and memorizing those facts.  Nothing else is more important in the math department. 

The curriculum we use for high school math:

Pre-algebra    BJU
Elementary Algebra   by Harold Jacobs
Geomerty   by Harold Jacobs
Advanced Algebra and Trig   by Paul Foerster
Trigonometry - MyMathLab (online course)

Note:  Those last three books are also available at Veritas Press.

About a month before the big day, we take time off from a few of our subjects to fit in SAT practice.  I use two resources for this:

Cracking the SAT   Princeton Review
SAT 2400 in just 7 Steps...
Dr. John Chung's SAT Math

If you are not familiar with the SAT, it would be a good idea to buy Cracking the SAT/SAT 2400 and read through the test-taking strategies section.  It is important to teach children how to test early on.

Last but not least, make sure you sign your child up at the College Board to receive daily email SAT questions and other announcements, check their calendar for test dates and locations, practice tests, etc.

Best wishes!

March 2013 update - Our son scored very well on the SAT.  Although he would like to keep his score private, I can say that if he goes to one of the Florida state universities, because of this score, he will go for free.  Dr. Chung's Math book was very helpful in preparing for the test.

February 2014 update - He retook the test in January and scored a 1520 composite, which was great!

April 2014 update - We received a letter from the National Merit Scholar Corporation saying that Michael has met the requirements to enter the 2015 National Merit Scholarship Program!

March 2015 - Michael is a National Merit Scholarship finalist!  We are so excited for him!  All his hard work is paying off, praise be to God.

June 2015 - Michael decided to go to the University of South Florida because of their generous scholarship offer and being able to live at home and commute.  His scholarships from USF as a National Merit scholar would have paid for room and board. He will be saving that money for graduate school.

January 2018 update - Michael graduates from USF this semester, currently has a 4.0 GPA.  He took the LSAT in June and was admitted to the University of Florida Law School with a full scholarship!
Michelle is now preparing to take the SAT either in March or May.  This will be her second try. 

Beatrix Potter - A Unit Study

I am doing a unit study with Emily (8) about the life of Beatrix Potter, the author of the lovely tale of Peter Rabbit and others.  I am using two unit study curricula to help - HOC and another one for free from Curriculum Share.  We had The Complete Tales, and our very own stuffed Peter whom Emily loves very much.  We will also be reading Country Artist: A Story About Beatrix Potter. 

The weeks I spent last summer preparing my school plans for this year have been invaluable.  As always, life has its ups and downs, the plans have helped to keep our ship afloat and on the right course.  We've had to slow down for illnesses and other unforseen events, and that is when I've taken the time to add extras like this unit study.  I don't plan for unit studies, although they are a big part of what makes homeschooling fun and interesting.  I know ahead of time that we can take advantage of our flexibility to add studies in areas we are interested in while making sure we take care of the basics with a good plan.

Other unit studies I am tagging onto our plans this year: The Periodic Table, The First Thanksgiving,

Motivational Tools

Some of the new ideas I've found and will be using this coming year with the girls (3rd and 5th grades):
Reading Notebooks: From Scholastic's teacher board - free downloadable filler sheet.  Scholastic has a bunch of resources for teachers that are useful for homeschoolers as well.  I liked their Writing Center idea as well. Some of these things may not teach much in themselves, but I'm sure they will help keep the girls motivated, and motivation is an essential ingredient for learning.
State Research Report: A free worksheet to fill in about each state.  I like this site - Teachers Pay Teachers.  There are thousands of files for free on every subject.