We’re Not Just Featuring a Cyber Monday sale…

How About a CYBER MONDAY THRU FRIDAY Sale?!

This week only at Epi Kardia, we are having an unprecedented

Buy 2 , Get 1 Free Sale*

Have you ordered an Ancients Unit of our Complete Daily Lesson Plans and wish you could order all three sets? This is the week to do it!

Example: Buy Sets I and II of any grade level and get Set III for free! If you’ve already bought the Ancients unit, you’ll still get to deduct that original $25 from your total! Save $75-$95!

Need high school courses? This is the time to buy! Buy any 2 and get the third one free!

Example: Buy American History I and American Literature , and get British Literature for free! You’ve covered 1 year of history and 2 years of literature for around $100.

Now, that’s a deal!

Have multiple aged children and want Complete Daily Lesson Plans for every child?

Example: Buy Set I for two different grades and get Set I free for another grade level! That’s a savings of at least $75!

Can’t decide on a Complete Program or Complete Daily Lesson Plans ? Get both!

Example: Buy 2 sets of Complete Daily Lesson Plans and get a Complete Program free! You’ll save at least $75 on that purchase!

You can mix and match any and all of our curriculum for this sale. When you order, be sure to note which item you’d like free in the “notes” section of your order form.

Sale ends midnight, Friday, December 4^th, so order today!

*The lowest priced item of the three will be free.

I love lists and I like that feeling of accomplishment when I complete my list. However, at the end of the day, the quality of what I accomplished always weighs more on me than how much I completed. This definitely applies to our home schooling as well.  As I have established goals for my children over the years, my focus has generally fallen on the following general categories:

• Character training – without Christian character, the academics are meaningless
• A love for learning – instilling a desire for increased knowledge and skills even outside of “school”
• A habit of thinking – emphasizing extended and organized thought, whether in or out of the box, no matter what is being studied.

Examining these categories, I easily connect how Epi Kardia curriculum reinforces character training and helps instill a love for learning. With our emphasis on strong historical characters in the books that we select and the variety of activities, relating to all of the different learning styles, those goals are achievable. What about a habit of thinking? Does our curriculum promote that as well? I hope so!

I randomly chose an Epi Kardia historical unit and grade level from our Daily Lesson Plans, Immigration in 3^rd grade, and examined the projects associated with that unit. I hope what I discovered can assist you in creating great “thinking” projects for your children!

1. A thinking project doesn’t have to be complicated – after reading the book Liberty Rising: The Story of the Statue of Liberty by Pegi Shea students are asked to design a statue that they believe represents the United States of America. This type of activity promotes thinking on at least a couple of levels. First of all, a student has to develop some picture of the U.S. in his head. What does it mean to live in the United States? What types of symbols can he develop that represent this country? This requires moving from a known symbol, the Statue of Liberty, to a new idea. The next stage of thinking occurs when the student determines how to design their symbol. Even with a simple sketch, thinking through the design and implementing it is a higher level cognitive skill.

2. A thinking project can be messy and fun – following the reading of On the Banks of Plum Creek (Little House) by Laura Ingalls Wilder, students create a model dugout. With this project, creating the dugout itself doesn’t require a tremendous amount of thinking. However, mixing up a batch of mud to form the model is definitely messy and fun. The student can add sod, a window and a door to make the project more detailed. The thinking comes into play after the model is designed and you discuss what it must have been like for Laura and her family to live in such an abode. By talking through their experiences and comparing them to how he lives, your child practices his processing and evaluating skills.

3. A thinking project can train children to organize their thoughts – at Epi Kardia, we are great fans of graphic organizers and charts. We greatly appreciate such tools because they allow children to organize their thoughts in a more concrete way.  If we don’t control our thoughts and organize them in some logical way, they only become burdens, often misleading and confusing us. They float around in our head without definition or logic. It’s like cramming a bunch of documents in a file cabinet without sorting them into files. What’s the point? When you need them, they’re just a jumbled mess.  Children who utilize organizational tools starting from an early age develop the habit of organizing the information they’re processing. For example, after reading Along the Santa Fe Trail: Marion Russell’s Own Story by Marion Russell, students are asked to create a list of items they would take if they were heading on a trail out West with a wagon caravan. Now, you could have the student just make a list without any rhyme or reason, or you could suggest that the student organize his list in logical categories. So, first the student needs to determine which categories might be essential such as food and cooking supplies, animals and livestock, clothing, medicines, etc. The student also has to take into account the limited amount of space in the wagon. Assignment limitations often promote thinking skills that are very practical in real life since we all have limits placed on us when we’re trying to problem solve. This type of organizational thinking translates to many other areas of academics and to general life skills as well.

4. A thinking activity can promote further questioning and thoughts leading to more thinking! With all of our Daily Lesson Plans, we include comprehension questions for history and science. Our goal with these questions are twofold: firstly, lead the student to focusing on the most important aspects of the book and secondly, require him to think about what he has read. Too often children are asked to read material, but are never required to work through the process of thinking about it and evaluating what they’ve read. For example, questions from the 3^rd grade Immigration curriculum following the reading of Just So Stories, Illustrated Edition (Yesterday’s Classics) by Rudyard Kipling include:

• Do you think curiosity is a good thing?
• Is there a time when it could be negative?

Note how we start out with a seemingly simple question. The first answer could be a simple “yes” or “no.” If we stopped there, very little thinking or evaluation would take place. However, the second question requires more advanced thinking because it’s an open ended question. This style of question requires thought rather than just regurgitation of facts or a “yes” or “no.”

Another example may be derived from On the Banks of Plum Creek (Little House). The questions related to chapters 23-24 are as follows:

• How was the country party different than the town party?
• How did Laura’s church compare to your church?
• Why did Pa not get new boots?

The first and second questions require that your child compare and contrast. Comparing and contrasting require higher level thinking skills. Also, note that the third question begins with “why” which usually indicates that deeper thinking is involved to give a complete answer.

There are many other opportunities to train our children to think from puzzles to analogies to problem solving sets. With such a variety of options, we can work on these skills without having to focus on one type of activity or project.

Things We Do That Prevent Our Children From Becoming Thinkers

While none of us want to consider that we might have habits preventing our children from becoming strong thinkers, we very well may. By looking at our own habits, and reforming some of them, we can promote stronger thinking skills in ourselves and our children.

1. We don’t give our children time to think. When I was an education intern, I had a teacher who truly loved to teach. I was so blessed by the time I spent with her. She had a habit of counting to 30 slowly after she asked a question, whether it was addressed to the entire class or just one student. She explained that adults often do not give children enough time to think through answers and children develop the habit of hesitating, knowing that the adult will eventually give them the answer. Also, in a classroom setting or even with two or three children, the extra time allows for more students to think through a response. If one of your children is really quick and another requires more time to process, that second child often doesn’t get to think through the process and provide an answer. He may very well rely on the quicker child.

TEACHING TIP: If you have a student who really struggles and needs more time, give him the project directions, questions, etc in advance and let him mentally process what you’re requiring before you become involved.

REFORMING YOUR HABITS: Provide more time for your child to think through problems and projects by being patient.

2.  We don’t  follow through on projects and activities. It’s easy to assign a hands-on project or an activity, especially with older children, and walk away. When the project is done, you give a grade or make a comment and move on. With this habit, you’re missing on the most important part of the process…what was discovered or learned. If you don’t discuss the thinking behind the activity or inquire about the thought involved, then you are basically grading your child on his ability to follow directions.

TEACHING TIP: Before assigning a project or activity, develop a few questions or discussion topics to go along with the assignment. Also, understanding what you expect as outcomes, setting educational objectives, will be an enormous help. This does not have to be complicated or detailed. You can note one or two essential objectives or you could set up a rubric (for more information about rubrics, see the Epi Kardia Parents Manual) in a matter of minutes. Rubrics also reveal your expectations for your children, helping them better understand the significance of a project or activity.

REFORMING YOUR HABITS: Don’t assign a project or activity without thinking through what you want your child to think about in the process.

3.  We have too low or too high of expectations. Sometimes we underestimate our children and don’t challenge them enough. At other times, we have enormous expectations that greatly exceed their abilities. If you notice that school bores your child or he is continually flying through his reading, writing and other assignments, it may be that he is just not being challenged. This same child may also be a behavior problem or he may drive you crazy because he has too much time on his hands. He isn’t learning to think because his work is too easy. Other times, we seriously frustrate our children because we expect them to be like us or other people’s children, when we really just need to give them work on their level. Work that is on the correct level for a child requires some measure of challenge without pushing him into frustration.

TEACHING TIP: Pay attention to how your child responds to projects and assignments. Note if there’s a specific type of activity that causes him more difficulty than others. Avoid taking the easy road by making assignments too simple, but pay attention if you find that he is getting seriously frustrated.

REFORMING YOUR HABITS: Take time to regularly communicate with your child about his work. Most children will tell you if something feels impossible to them or if they think it’s just plain boring. There are so many different ways to instill skills, adapting to your child’s level of learning is certainly possible.

4. We get stuck in ruts. Sometimes we teach our children the way we liked to be taught. For example, comprehension questions really appeal to certain types of people because they simply have to answer them and move on. Some moms love doing hands on projects and they become so involved in the process that they forget the purpose. Using a variety of activities and projects allows your child to think in different ways and situations. If you’re always doing the same type of activity and evaluation, your child will struggle when life throws him a different type of problem to solve.

TEACHING TIP: Definitely use your personal gifts when teaching your children, but don’t just rely on those gifts. If you never step out of your comfort zone, how can you expect your child to do so?

REFORMING YOUR HABITS: If you have an area that you know is a weakness, such as hands-on projects or maybe you don’t love reading, let your children see you working on them. Discuss how you struggle with these types of assignments, but point out that you’re not ending your education with adulthood. This type of situation is ideal for teaching your child about lifelong learning!

Hopefully, this blog has given you plenty to think about! I would love to hear how you train your children to think. Maybe you’ve overcome a habit in teaching and we could all benefit from that encouragement!

May God give you a spirit of joy, a compassionate heart and a mind that dwells on His glory!

In Him,

Picture Study for Older Students

Although not addressed directly in Charlotte Mason’s original Homeschooling Series, Picture Study is valuable for older students as well our younger ones.  Through consistent observation and enjoyment of a variety of artists’ work in the younger years, older students are ready to take on a little more detailed and guided study of art work.  Even if you have not been regular in your picture study, it is never too late to begin!

We organize our research of artists and their work chronologically according to which unit in history we are studying. Charlotte Mason suggests studying six or so works of one artist during a term, and although we usually recommend following that tried and true pattern with younger children, with older ones we sometimes study more than one artist at a time.  Charlotte’s primary goal was for students to experience art for themselves, not become experts on the artist or a particular piece of art. For older students, however, especially for students who are particularly interested in art, a more structured approach might be helpful.

If  picture study is a new addition to your academic education, take a look at last week’s post to help you begin.  If you have older children, say middle or high school students, a little guidance might be what you need to get started. (The following  is taken from our Middle School Lesson Plans.)

How to Critique and Write About Art

This method is simplified from Edmund Burke Feldman’s method of evaluating art, commonly known to the art world as Feldman’s Method of Critiquing Art. You may use this as a guide in having your students study and write about art.  Always remember you may tailor this to the level and interest of your students; you may want to choose just a few questions for your student to write about if it is the first time he has studied and/or written about artwork, or you may just use these questions as discussion prompts. If you decide to use this guide, it may help for you to talk through it a few times before you actually have your student create a written interpretation.  If you choose to have him write, have him respond in paragraph form in complete sentences.

We will work through this critique together using this painting by Diego Velázquez:

1.  List

State the name of the artist, the title of the piece, and, if you know it, its current location.

This is Diego Velázquez’ Equestrian Portrait of King Philip IV, currently located in the Museo del Prado, Madrid.

2.  Describe

Describe the work to someone as if the person you were talking to could not see it.  Stick to the facts, listing everything you see in the picture.

Answers will differ here—if your student is new to this, please be positive about his or her answers.  If needed, it is okay to ask questions to help him, such as, what do you notice about the background?  What is in the foreground of the painting?  What else do you notice in the painting other than the horse and rider?

Example:

In the center of this picture is a man on horseback.  They appear to be on a hill or on the side of a mountain, as you can see small trees in the background and one behind the man and horse. The man is dressed ornately and he is looking straight ahead; from the title of the painting he must be King Philip.  The horse looks strong and he is standing on his hind legs. There is not a lot of light in the picture; it looks as if it is very early morning or late afternoon – or perhaps it is an overcast day. On the left hand corner of the painting it looks as if there is a open piece of paper that had been folded in half.

3.  Note First Impression

What is your very first reaction to the piece?  (Note:  There are no right or wrong answers here!)

The king looks strong, serious and determined.

4.  Analyze the piece

Here you want to look at what the artist has done to achieve certain effects.  You could refer to your first impressions and try to figure out how the artwork caused you to have that reaction.  Possible questions:

• How are the elements of art (color, shape, line, texture, space) and the principles of design (balance, contrast, emphasis, movement/rhythm) used in this artwork?
  • Questions you might ask in discussion here to help your student include process this:
  • What colors did the artist use in this painting?
  • Did the artist use color to lead you to look at some particular object in the painting?
  • What do you notice about how the artist uses light in the picture?
  • Do you see any kind of movement in the picture?
  • What strong contrasts to you see in light and color in this picture?
• What do you notice about the artist’s choice of materials?
• What grabs your attention when you first look at the piece?

Example:

In this portrait of King Philip IV of Spain, King Philip on his horse is obviously the most important part of the painting because he is painted so largely and in the middle. The horse is moving; he is standing on his hind legs.  He looks spirited and powerful,  but the King on his back looks even more powerful than the horse.  The artist uses light to balance the king’s glistening armor with the horse’s glistening coat. King Philip looks very serious.

5. Interpret the piece

All art is about something. It may be about light, color, the subject matter, or even a political statement of some kind.  Some art is easy to figure out and some is more symbolic.

• What is the theme or subject of the work?
• What is the work about; what do you think it means?
• Why do you think the artist created this work?
• What do you think the artist’s worldview is? (this question may or may not be relevant to all of the artwork you evaluate…)

Example:

The King is painted high on a hill.  Everything else is literally beneath him. He is confidently looking straight ahead, in control of his powerful and spirited horse, ready for whatever is ahead of him.  His expression looks pensive and serious, rather than frivolous, for example—the kind of look you would want to see in your leader. (In fact, it was customary at this time to paint royals on horseback, which was a symbol of authority.) Perhaps the purpose of this painting was to help King Philip’s subjects to have confidence in him as a strong leader.

(By the way, the paper painted on the lower left would have been the place where Velázquez presumably had signed the painting.)

Helpful Resources

For some help in learning more about art, I recommend the Art for Children Series, by Ernest Raboff.  Although it is out of print, used copies are readily available from Amazon.com.  Each book offers full color, large scale copies of each author’s work, as well as interesting and pertinent facts about the life of the artist and background and study of each featured work.  I learned tons from these books.  (As every homeschool mom knows, the best way to learn about anything is to read a kid’s book about it, right?)

Albrecht Durer (The Art for Children Series)
Henri Matisse (The Art for Children)
Frederic Remington (The Art for Children Series)
Michelangelo Buonarroti (Art for Children)
Paul Gauguin (Art for Children Series)
Rembrandt (Art for Children)
Leonardo Da Vinci (Art for Children)

Have fun!

Did you know that Abraham Lincoln wrote poetry? He also wrote several letters to Stephen Douglas prior  to their infamous debates. You can read one of his poems and some of the letters, in Lincoln’s own  handwriting, online at the Library of Congress. I know I can be pretty nerdy and I do love history more  than many people, but when I discovered these primary source documents and realized that they  were within a few clicks on the computer of being in my grasp, I became giddy! By the way, Lincoln had less than perfect handwriting!

In our American History I high school curriculum, we teach students about primary source documents:

Letters, diaries, legal documents and photographs all may be considered primary sources as well as other documents created during the actual time period in history being studied.  Primary sources contain first-hand accounts or contain direct evidence of historical events.

Just as a detective looks for the details of first-hand accounts and evidence to help him solve crimes, an Epi Kardia student uses primary source materials to acquire a thorough study of history.

Primary source documents present a beautifully relevant way to help our students examine the truth in history. So often, our children read books that present historical figures and events as biased, based on the author’s own opinions and impressions. Primary source documents leave less room for such error. Bias can occur innocently or with malice. It can also be extreme, with one author presenting all of our founding fathers as pure men of God while another author focuses only on their human weaknesses. Neither of these extremes is realistic or healthy for our children to study. We know that all men are born with a sin nature and can only be saved by the grace of God, and what we really desire is for our children (and for us) to learn from other people’s mistakes, rather than repeat them. History, when studied properly, is a wonderful tool for seeing God in all things, even the past.

Some examples of primary source materials from our American History I course include:

• Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography – You can’t read Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography without hearing a hint of arrogance, or at least an abundance of confidence. The words are his exclusively and he knew what he was writing when he wrote it to his son. It’s fascinating to learn about the man while examining his historical contributions, as well.
• Benjamin Banneker’s letter to President Thomas Jefferson - pleading on behalf of slaves, Banneker’s humbleness and intelligence could never be questioned. I was emotionally moved when I first read this letter as it moved slavery from a philosophical issue to a real life event for me. Banneker’s character is revealed through the letter as he demonstrates his compassion for slaves and his respect for Thomas Jefferson, the President of the United States.
• Photographs from the Civil War – these sources offer a realistic and sometimes devastating view demonstrating the affects and seriousness of war.
• Strategy Maps from the Civil War – Maps created and used during various time periods offer a   clearer picture of specific battles and allows students to see the tools that soldiers worked with during that time.

The value of primary source documents when studying history can’t be overstated. The interest level for students tends to be much higher if they feel connected to the history they’re studying. They can relate better to a historical character when they realize that they’re studying a real person, and not a flat character from history who is only known for his accomplishments or failures.

With Epi Kardia, we strive to use primary source materials in our curriculum. In our recently published American History I, we incorporated all of the above examples and more. Through primary source books and internet sites,  Epi Kardia students have the opportunity to see the reality of history and the impact of primary sources makes history more memorable for many students.

The next time you choose curriculum, consider not just what you want your children to learn but also how you want them to learn. Living books, primary sources and other valuable materials create a path to learning that teaches children not only a specific subject matter, but also instills in them a methodology of learning and hopefully, a love for learning that will be useful to them all of their lives.

As you consider purchasing curriculum, don’t miss out on our current special! If you order our American History I by midnight on Monday, October 26^th, at our discounted introductory price of $34.95, you may also receive a second high school course of your choosing for half price*.  That’s a great savings on two courses!

At Epi Kardia, Dana and I have worked hard to create curriculum that teaches more than just content. We hope to empower you to instill in your children a love for learning and a Biblical worldview as well as the educational skills they need.

*Note: if you order online, your American History I curriculum order will show the reduced price, but the discount for your half off curriculum will not show up in your shopping cart until your credit card is actually processed. We do not process any credit cards until the order is actually shipped. Please let us know in the note section of your order form which curriculum you are ordering for the half price option.

In Christ,

Limited Time Offer on Epi Kardia’s

Newest High School Curriculum!

American History I: Colonization through the Civil War

If you order our American History I by midnight on Monday, October 26^th, at our discounted introductory price of $34.95, you may also receive a second Epi Kardia high school course of your choosing for half price.* That’s a great savings on two courses!

Should you order American History I from Epi Kardia?

Only if you want your high school student to:

• study history from a Biblical worldview.
• be immersed in history through reading great works rather than just receiving a sketchy textbook overview.
• improve his or her writing and comprehension skills through a variety of activities and assignments.
• have a number of different organizational and higher level learning tools at his or her fingertips.
• receive one high school credit, plus the opportunity to receive honors credit.

Only if you want:

• a course that not only provides historical overviews, project and assignment ideas, student directions and learning tools but also includes evaluation tips and many rubrics to make it easier for you to do your job.
• to receive a great value with a tremendous 151 pages of curriculum for an awesome price!
• have peace of mind about what your high school student is learning and how your high school student is learning.

What books will your student use with American History I?

This curriculum not only allows your student to learn history, but it also exposes your high schooler to great writers and their works including primary and secondary sources. All of the titles are easy to order from Amazon by simply going to the Books! page on our Epi Kardia website. By ordering your books through our site, you’ll be sure to have the correct version that corresponds with the curriculum assignments.  Titles include:

• Everyday Life in Early America by David Hawke
• Good Newes from New England by Edward Winslow
• Governor William Bradford’s Letter Book by William Bradford
• The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin
• Beyond Stateliest Marble by Douglas Wilson and George Grant
• George Washington and the Founding of a Nation by Albert Marrin
• Benjamin Banneker by Charles Cerami
• Give Me Liberty: The Uncompromising Statesmanship of Patrick Henry by David Vaughn
• The Patriot’s Handbook by George Grant
• Abraham Lincoln’s World by Genevieve Foster
• The Essential Lewis and Clark by Landon Jones
• The Flag, the Poet and the Song by Irvin Molotsky
• Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom by Catherine Clinton
• Call of Duty by J. Steven Wilkins and George Grant
• The Day Lincoln was Shot by Richard Bak

What other courses should my high schooler take to be prepared for this course?

We recommend that your student become familiar with the common essay types encountered in high school writing before or while taking American History I. If your student has never taken a high school composition class, we recommend Epi Kardia’s Essay Styles for High School, which may be taken concurrently with this course.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to receive this curriculum at a reduced price and another Epi Kardia high school curriculum for half price!* Be sure to order by midnight October 26^th to receive this special introductory offer!

*Note: if you order online, your American History I curriculum order will show the reduced price, but the discount for your half off curriculum will not show up in your shopping cart until your credit card is actually processed. We do not process any credit cards until the order is actually shipped. Please let us know in the note section of your order form which curriculum you are ordering for the half price option.

Please feel free to share this with anyone you feel would benefit.

As always, we look forward to serving you, in Christ, at Epi Kardia and God bless your homeschooling endeavors!

Beth and Dana

American History I

Colonization through the Civil War

You’ve been asking for it and we’ve been listening! Our newest high school course is days away from publication and you won’t want to miss out on the great savings during the first week of availability!

Just a little peak to let you see why we’re so excited about this latest Epi Kardia publication! Your student will be able to:

• Learn history from a Christian worldview and develop a healthy, realistic view of our true American heritage with God as the Designer and Orchestrator of our nation!
• Read living history books that truly make history understandable and relevant, with many primary and secondary sources included!
• Examine and evaluate real historical documents such as letters from Benjamin Banneker and poetry written by Abraham Lincoln!
• Learn about who our founding fathers really were and not just what they did!

With over 140 pages including teacher’s notes, book lists, specific assignments, evaluation tips including tailor-made rubrics for all major assignments, and many additional tools, you and your student are sure to have a greater understanding of our country’s history upon completion.

So, watch your email and our blog for this awesome opportunity to share our nation’s childhood with your high school students and bring history to life!

God’s blessings,

Beth and Dana

It’s here!

Epi Kardia’s brand new British Literature course is now available! This seismic 113 page high school curriculum incorporates the best of British Literature, with a special emphasis on the Victorian Age.  The classic works utilized in this curriculum include:

–Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney (epic poetry)

–Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare (historical play)

–A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (short story)

–The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (short stories)

–Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (novel)

–Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (novel)

–Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (novel)

–Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis (novel)

–The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (play)

–Selected poetry printed in the curriculum appendices.

As well as many of the traditional elements of literature such as theme, characterization, plot, irony, symbolism and poetic style, this course emphasizes excellent essay writing skills, literature analysis and the discovery of the unique characteristics of British writing through the study of exceptional models, allowing British Literature: a Study of British Writers to serve as an excellent precursor to further college level studies.  Written assignments and projects employing non-traditional learning modes engage students and help them encounter these works and their authors, as well as the time period during which they lived.

Features of Epi Kardia’s High School Courses

As is true of all Epi Kardia high school courses:

• Assignments are written directly to students, with special sections and appendices written for the benefit of the teacher.

• Evaluation tips and individual grading rubrics for all major assignments are included, allowing you to have full confidence both in communicating to your student what is expected and in fairly evaluating course work.

• This course may be utilized at either college preparatory or honors level.

We recommend that your student be familiar with the common essays encountered in high school writing before taking this course.  If your student has never taken a high school composition class, we recommend Epi Kardia’s Essay Styles for High School, which may be taken concurrently with this course.

Special Price on all Orders Containing British Lit!

We are so excited about British Literature: a Study of British Writers, we would like to offer you 20% off your ENTIRE order if it includes the purchase of British Literature.  For one week only, from 9/24/09 to 10/1/09, you may take advantage of this special offer when ordering from Epi Kardia’s online catalog. Remember, British Literature has to be included in your purchase.  Note: After you place the order and BEFORE your credit card is charged, we will manually reduce your order by 20%.

Please feel free to share this with anyone you feel would benefit.

Coming soon:  a pre-announcement of two more Epi Kardia literature based high school classes:  American History I (from Early Colonies through the Civil War) and American History II (Immigration through Modern).

In His Service,

You can register your student today for any of my online courses listed below. Classes begin September 9th and are taught using a secure online forum. For the literature and history courses, students not only receive assignments and evaluations online, but they also participate in discussions twice a week to evaluate comprehension of material. Best of all, Epi Kardia curriculum and materials are used for these courses! Please note that there are a limited number of spots available for each course.

Detailed course descriptions are available at www.epikardia.com. Classes for the 2009-2010 school year (all courses are full year):

· High School Writing Prep (7th – 8th grade) – based on my years of teaching Essay Styles, the first year high school course, I discovered that many high school students are still making the same errors in writing repeatedly. This course troubleshoots those specific areas allowing students to enter high school courses with a distinct advantage in writing skills!

· Essay Styles (high school) – our recommended first year course for high school students covering the five basic essays.

· British Literature (high school) – discover great British authors and poets from the Middle Ages to Modern.

· American History I (high school) – whole books, timelines, research projects and more are incorporated to discover American history from Colonization through the Civil War.

· American History II (high school) – covers Immigration and Modern historical time periods.

Other important details:

Tuition for online courses: $320 per year with a monthly payment plan option of $40 per course, per student, for a total of 8 months. Parents are committed to pay for the entire course except in extreme cases of job loss or serious illness.

Tuition discount: For families with more than one student and/or students taking more than one course, the second student’s courses or any courses for the same student beyond one cost $280 per year or $35 monthly.

Curriculum: Students will need to purchase the appropriate Epi Kardia curriculum but will receive a 25% discount.

Registration:  Students may be registered by email (send to beth@epikardia.com) by submitting the following information.

· Student name

· Parent name

· Grade/age

· Course(s)

· Email addresses (parent and student)

· Physical mailing address

· Contact phone number (parent) – this number is only for extreme cases when a parent or student is not responding to email

Important note: Email registration is considered a commitment for completing the course.

Please contact me personally at Beth@epikardia.com if you have any questions or would like to register your student. I’m looking forward to a year immersed in wonderful literature and fruitful discussions!

God bless your school year!

Beth

Hello All!

Just wanted to send you a quick note to thank those of you who prayed for my daughter’s mission trip!  She is now back safely from the Amazon.  We have been enthralled with her stories and pictures and are thrilled to have her home again for a few days, at least, until she leaves for college on Friday.

A Yagua Family

It was amazing that this student team was able to live and work beside a people who had only seen Americans one time  previous to this team’s arrival.  It was even more amazing that they ate the local food and swam in a river with piranhas with no illnesses or injuries!  If you would like to hear details about how God worked on her trip and see  more pictures please read her prayer blog.

Thank you again for your prayers!

In His Grace,

Greetings!

You may have noticed we have been quiet lately!  As many of you, Beth and I are up to our eyeballs finishing school, catching up on recordkeeping, working on upcoming high school classes and more.  In the meantime, enjoy this insightful post from a homeschooled teen currently living in Finland.

Blessings on your week,

10 Thoughts on Encouraging Independent Learning

Learning to be independent is a complex task we all deal with as we get older. On top of their own experience growing up, parents have to go through the process with each child. For most parents it’s easy to let schools do the talking, but for a lot of homeschoolers the ultimate goal in educating their children is teaching them how to learn on their own. The process is gradual, usually taking most of the child’s at-home life.

Here are a few tips to encourage independence, self-education, and bonding as a family: three things needed to be a responsible and aware learner. Many of these tips can be used while deschooling as well, should you only recently have pulled your child out from the system.

Note: These tips have been compiled for homeschooling teenagers, but the word child/children has been used in most cases to ease adjusting the tips to children of all ages.

1. Discuss important topics whenever possible, whether it be news, history, important people, buildings around you, plants you see, anything! Encouraging conversation without a predefined structure will make learning come more naturally. It awakens curiosity and helps everyone share their knowledge. It can even lead to looking up information together, should you come to a point in the conversation where no one knows the answer to a question or comment. It even comes with a bonus: you get to know each others’ levels on certain topics. Best of all, natural conversation with an adult will help children of all ages understand that adults are human, too, and make mistakes just like kids do. Discussion is important for bonding, sharing morals, and teaching your child by example. Even babies should be talked to: the younger children make connections in their brains the better their learning experience will be later on in life.

2. When discussing with your child bring up their interests and goals, no matter their age. It’ll make it easier to supply them with what they need as well as open up your child to the thought of making goals and reaching them, an important life skill. Encourage them to keep track of what they want to do on their own, as well. Should they be more actively academic a good idea is listing off what they would still like to learn.

3. Make a day trip to the local library and encourage your children to take out whatever they’re interested in. If they’re reluctant you could help them: ask what their favorite things to do are, what they’re interested in, and go on from there. Librarians would most likely be at hand to help you, as well as direct you to the correct area of the library. There should be computers available for browsing the contents of the library, and there could possibly be a map of the library somewhere within the building (just ask the librarians ).

4. If your child absolutely refuses the idea of libraries try this: leave books around the house on topics you know your child is interested in. No matter how academic (or nonacademic ) the material, encouraging reading is an important step in self-directed learning. For example if they like comics you could encourage them to read about the maker of their favorite comics, how comics are made, and similar topics. Creative twists to broaden topics are always out there, feel free to brainstorm!

5. Smothering a child with too much structure isn’t going to support their independence, and will in fact make them lean more and more on you as time goes on (sound similar to a different educational system? ). Teenagers especially will need space and if they don’t get enough will react negatively and rebel to express frustration. In a library, for example, you could give them a tip about asking the librarian if they need help, and then let them handle it on their own while you observe from afar. If you don’t give your child an opportunity to test their independence they will never achieve it. It’s also important for them to break any connections between forced, boring, and learning, and make new ones based on their experience of choosing and studying on their own. They might not even directly realize they’re learning!

6. Take “negative” words and labels according to today’s schooled society, and make them positive. Nerd, geek, dork, weird, etc are good examples. Children need to understand that being knowledgeable or interested in something considered academic, intellectual, nerdy, geeky, etc isn’t a bad thing. What’s so wrong about knowing something? The only problem there is is that people that feel less knowledgeable will usually respond with hostile jealousy. Having that understanding will help remove obstacles between your child and them taking initiative in their education.

7. Starting out with unit studies is a good way to encourage curiosity and broaden the child’s understanding of how things work. When you cover a topic deeply enough you’ll help the child understand that academic subjects are mostly arbitrary – making it easier for them to pull together information and make better connections in their learning. They’re covering all the subjects in a natural manner, in a way that makes sense. Natural learning environments will indirectly teach the child how to handle new information in the future. The easier their learning is, the happier the child will be to continue to broaden their knowledge.

8. Keep kids away from mindless video games when they’re younger ( don’t buy game consoles! ), and use the time to teach them about responsibility and priorities. A positive view of self-enrichment will stay with them, making them able to be responsible with gaming as they’re older. Should they really want the gaming experience it’s possible to make a lesson out of the game: money management within the game, new vocabulary from the game manual and instructions, reading reviews and the wikipedia article before purchasing, earning play time with work/chores, etc. A new twist to the situation could be having them teach YOU about the game: encouraging conversation, bonding, and most importantly a little bit of fun. On the other side of gaming: educational games can be a great addition to learning and usually won’t need encouraging.

9. “Traditional” games such as word searches, Sudoku, board games, etc. are usually good things to have around the house. Most of the time people don’t even think of the intellectual value of such activities. You could keep a “boredom corner” in the house and direct your kids there should they ever complain about not having something to do. Art materials, brain teasers, a camera, and objects good for building Goldberg-style “machines” are all great to include. Creativity is a very important factor in learning, no matter the subject.

10. And far from least: As many of these tips suggest it’s important to encourage any sort of independence. Confidence, knowledge of oneself and one’s abilities, and the experience of self-directed activity will eventually lead to learning. We learn in all activities we do, and the more experienced we are in exploring the world around us the more valuable we see knowledge. Self-directed activities your children already do might not exactly include mowing the lawn or reading a book on calculus, but any project or activity your child does on their own is bringing them one step closer to independence: both in learning and in life.

And as a bonus! >> Be a self-directed learner yourself, and teach by example. Never got around to learning French like you always wanted to? Keeping putting off that self-instruction course on gardening for later? Now’s the time, your children are keeping a close eye on you.

Good luck, and happy learning!

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Anna H. (adversarian) is a gifted and talented teen homeschooler residing in Finland. She fills up her time with writing, reading, and learning. Read more on her blog.