1a. At what age should I
begin using Epi Kardia curriculum with my
child?
It really depends on your child. Parents often use the
booklists as early as 2-4 years old, reading aloud and exposing
their child to excellent literature. Phonics then becomes the next
logical step, typically beginning between the ages of 4-6 depending
on the maturity of the child and his ability to focus on a lesson
long enough to make it profitable. Projects, language arts skills,
and science concepts are best added to your child's program when he
demonstrates a desire and the ability to learn.
1b. What is the difference
between Kindergarten Complete and the Primary Complete Program
(K-2)?
Kindergarten Complete is designed for parents who have a
Kindergartener and prefer pre-written daily lesson plans. Some
homeschool parents enjoy the flexibility of designing their own
daily plans. However, beginning homeschool parents may prefer to
start with a program that outlines each day in detail. In contrast,
The Primary Complete Program is designed to be used over a period
of three years and requires that the parents actually plan their
lessons, with some assistance from the Parent
Manual.
1c. I have two children, one
in Kindergarten and one in second grade. Do I need to buy two
different programs?
If you use the Kindergarten Complete Program for your
kindergartener, you will also need to purchase the Primary Complete
Program for K-2 for your second grader. However, you can use the
Primary Complete Program (K-2) for both of your children if you do
not need pre-written daily lesson plans.
1d. Does the Intermediate Complete Program (3-5) overlap
with the Primary Complete Program (K-2) in any
way?
Actually, in relationship to history books, there are
overlapping book listings. Books that you read to your second
grader may be listed in the Intermediate booklets so that he may
read them aloud or independently. This allows parents to use books
in creative and flexible ways. For example, your third grade child
may read a book to your first grader that is on both of their
reading lists.
1e. If I purchase the Primary Complete Program and the
Intermediate Complete Program, do I need two of the Epi Kardia
manuals and CDs?
No. The Epi Kardia Manual runs from K-5 so you don't need
to purchase a new manual until you get into 6-8 grades, and the CD
is the same on both levels. It contains tools for various grade
levels from K-5. You should purchase only the unit booklets for one
program, which saves you $20.00.
1f. Why are some of the books
denoted as R:2 (interpreted reading level, second grade) more
challenging to my son than others with that same
notation?
Determining the reading level of a book is not an exact
science. We basically look at the vocabulary, content and sentence
length when we decide upon a reading level. Books that we recommend
for certain grade levels may be suggested at a higher or lower
grade by another curriculum company. The authors use their combined
years of both classroom and homeschool teaching experience to make
these determinations with the understanding that these are
recommendations and that children on any particular grade level
vary greatly in their personal abilities.
1g. Why do you recommend waiting until 3rd grade for
formal writing? My child loves to write, but she is only in
the second grade. Should I stop her?
We recommend waiting to teach formal writing because often
children are asked to write before they have developed proper
grammar and spelling skills. This can result in frustration and
leave a child with a negative impression, which is not something we
like to see. However, as with reading, children develop at
different rates and if a child demonstrates a desire to write, by
all means encourage that behavior! You should still evaluate the
written work so your child does not develop bad happens that will
have to be repaired later, which can also lead to
frustration.
2a. Does the Intermediate
Complete Program (3-5) overlap with the Primary Complete Program
(K-2) in any way?
Actually, in relationship to history
books, there are overlapping book listings. Books that you read to
your second grader may be listed in the Intermediate booklets so
that he may read them aloud or independently. This allows parents
to use books in creative and flexible ways. For example, your third
grade child may read a book to your first grader that is on both of
their reading lists.
2b. There appears to be a
large leap from 3-5 to 6-8 in the reading levels and book lengths.
Why is that?
The middle school
years transition a child from elementary to high school. With
the abundance of reading required for most high school
curricula, Epi Kardia included, it is essential that middle
grade students have time to make that transition
successfully. It appears, from experience, that children
adapt to such changes better in 6th grade than 7th or 8th. As
well, by making the change in 6th grade, they have more time
to adjust to the more challenging material and most 6th
graders demonstrate the ability to do just
that.
2c. If we do not use all of
the books in 3-5, should we still move on to
6-8?
Probably. Most families do not use every
single book in any given set of curriculum. They may bypass a book
because of content, lack of interest, reading level or availability
of the book. We do strongly recommend that the core books be read
(they have the book symbol next their listings), but even that may
not be possible if those books aren't readily available. A majority
of the books read would be a worthy goal. Do keep in mind that
children using our curriculum typically 4-6 times as many books as
most other curricula requires. Also note that between K-2 and 3-5,
science and history concepts are often repeated. However, the 6-8
curriculum may not cover basics that are assumed to have been
addressed in elementary school. Therefore, you would want to be
confident that the general science and history topics have been
covered before moving on.
2d. If my child cannot
read some of the chapter books independently by 5th grade,
should we not move on to 6-8?
It is
not the books themselves that are the concern, but your
child's reading level. There is a significant jump from 5th
to 6th grade and you want to be sure that your child can make
take that step. Our recommendation would be to look at the
6-8 sample and select a few 6th grade reading level
books to use in evaluating your child. Remember that the
sample is from the Civil War unit meaning that it is later in
the school year, so if your child struggles a little, that's
okay. If your child really can't read any of the books and
comprehend them, you might want to consider one more year on
the 5th grade reading level. Another option would be to pull
independent readers from the 5th grade curriculum, but read
with your child using the 6th grade level
books.
3a. Why are there so many experiment
books on this grade level compared to
others?
The middle school years are an excellent time to
learn about why things happen and also to develop an understanding
of the scientific method. By doing experiments, students discover
rather than just read about important scientific concepts. As well,
the hope is that older students will find science more enjoyable
and easier to understand through experimentation. Most high school
science programs require labs, so it makes sense to prepare your
student for that environment, as well as providing him with
experience writing up lab reports and understanding the process of
laboratory science. Click here for a simple review
form of the scientific method. Click here for information
about creating lab reports. For examples of middle school lab
reports, click
here. Remember, you can adapt these materials to your homeschool
student and situation.
3b. Should we be choosing as many books
per unit on this level? The books seem to be longer and I am
concerned that we won't have enough time to read as many
books.
No. You are correct;
the books are longer. You want to stay within your weekly
guidelines for each unit if you plan to finish in one year. This
will probably require choosing fewer books per unit. However,
you'll note that there are not as many books listed at the 6-8
grade level, for that reason. Some parents plan the history units
over 1.5 years, allowing them to cover all of the material twice in
middle school. This gives them longer units with more time to read
in each unit, but the material isn't covered as
often.
3c. On what type of writing
assignments should my middle school student be
focused?
Again, the idea is to prepare your middle school
student for high school. Longer reports (not quite research paper
length) of 4-8 pages utilizing a thesis statement (main idea),
outline, research and note-taking, as well as resources are a good
starting point. Essay styles such as expository (a factual essay
designed to teach or inform) and narrative (retelling of an event)
are certainly appropriate with a length of 4-6 paragraphs.
Continued skills practice by pulling examples from books being read
is essential. Simple lab reports provide wonderful writing
opportunities. Poetry and short story writing should also be
experienced in the middle school years.
3d. We used textbooks for writing and
history in elementary school but are switching to Epi Kardia now at
6th grade. Will my child be well enough prepared to use your
program?
That depends on your child. If you feel that your
child has really understood and retained the information from the
texts, he should have a basic foundation. He may not have the
detailed ideas and examples that an elementary EK student would
have, but he can pick up much of that if you use EK faithfully
throughout middle school.
3e. Is there an overview of world history
that you would recommend?
Sure. Kingfisher History of the World
contains enormous amounts of information for reference purposes.
Note that it does have evolutionary material in the beginning, but
overall the information is quite valuable. It not necessarily a
daily reading resource, although Elizabeth uses it with her son to
develop note-taking skills. They don't use every page each year,
but focus on specific people and ideas each day. Another resource
that is much more readable is Susan Wise Bauer's, The Story of
the World. It is a 4-volume set that reads more like a story
than a historical text. It may not be as useful for reference, but
it is much more palatable.
3f. What grammar resource do you recommend
on this grade level?
The Little Brown Handbook is Elizabeth's favorite.
Although it is a college level text, you can find the answer to
almost any grammar question in it. This book will also take you
through the high school years as a grammar resource. It has
multiple examples and a very detailed, user-friendly index. She
does not recommend using the assignments in the text. Note: a new
copy of this handbook is extremely expensive. However, it is
readily available used. Don't worry about the edition...grammar
hasn't changed much over the years!
Dana has enjoyed using
Writer's Express (4th - 5th grades), Write Source
2000 (6th - 8th) and Writer's Inc (9th-12th), from Write
Source http://thewritesource.com/. As it is written
to the student, she especially finds Writer's Express
helpful in explaining specific grammar points in language easily
understood by an elementary aged student.
4a. Why aren't there any science books
listed on the high school level book
lists?
In high school, students have very specific science
courses such as Biology, Chemistry and Physics. There are not whole
books designed to teach these courses in full.
4b. Do you have recommendations for
math and science curriculum at this
level?
In the past, Elizabeth used BJU which was
sufficient for Algebra, but became challenging later. Her biggest
issues with the curriculum was that it didn't provide enough
explanation or examples for a mom who is not math oriented.
Switching her daughter to Math-U-See, she found much more
success and has been especially pleased with the instructional DVD
that provides a teacher demonstrating each problem type.
Math-U-See is also very reasonably priced for a curriculum
including a DVD. Apologia is by far Elizabeth's favorite
high school science curriculum and she has had the Chemistry
evaluated by college level Chemistry teacher and the Biology
evaluated by a microbiologist who is also a college professor, both
with favorable results.
For Math, Dana has enjoyed using Teaching
Textbooks. It has a DVD component which shows the
solution of every problem in the program, and currently
covers Pre-Algebra, Algebra I and II, and
Geometry.
4c. Why don't you have any reading
levels for the high school book
lists?
Actually, there are reading levels in the form of
Most Challenging (MC), Challenging (C) and Less Challenging (LC)
noted with each book. Numeric grade levels are not applicable in
high school, for the most part.
4d. What is the purpose of the list of
people, places and events at the end of each
unit?
This list primarily offers the student and parent an
overview of the time period in a list format. It may be used to
select a topic for a research paper or essay, create a timeline of
events, research and write mini reports or just orally review
people, places and events. Elizabeth's daughter would highlight
anything on the list that she could orally explain and then she
would research those things that weren't
highlighted.
4e. Can my student get high school
credit using Epi Kardia? What courses can be acquired through your
curriculum?
Most definitely! PCC (Possible Course Credit)
listings in the high school book list note which books can be
applied to which courses. Some of the possible course credits
include World History, U.S. History, World Literature, American
Literature, British Literature and Religious Studies or Church
History. World History may be divided into I and II because of the
extended time periods.
4f. Can my child get credit for just
reading books or does he have to do something with the information
in order to receive
credit?
While state laws vary on this
topic, we strongly recommend that students do something evaluative
for each unit. Options include short writing assignments, oral or
written narrations, book reports, artistic expression, projects,
timelines, and maps. We don't typically make tests for each unit,
but some parents like to do so. Essay tests are usually the best
possible format to provide the student with the opportunity to
express all that was learned from the reading.
5a. How do you decide which of the
Epi Kardia books should be used in each grade level when
utilizing this program in a private
school?
We have already divided books based on grade level
for a school setting. As well, we can alter booklists as needed to
meet the needs of the school.
5b. Do students need to have
a copy of each book in order to use this
curriculum?
No. Most schools
could not afford for students to have a copy of every book and it's
unnecessary anyway. We do recommend specific books per grade level
as classroom sets. As well, we suggest multiple copies of certain
books for work in small groups and pairs. Finally, all other books
would be utilized primarily by the teacher in presentation to the
students.
5c. Is it really possible for
teachers to replace reading, language arts, science and history
textbooks with whole books in a classroom
setting?
Not only is it
possible, but it's better! Students who use Epi Kardia in the
classroom often express how much more they're enjoying history and
science. They remember information better because of the unique and
interesting presentation. Epi Kardia emphasizes writing assignments
and hands-on projects which are often overlooked by textbook
publishers. As well, students receive an education that is detailed
and fascinating, often demonstrating more than one viewpoint,
rather than having to only be led by the viewpoint of the textbook
publisher. Finally, Epi Kardia promotes classroom participation and
more interaction between teachers and students.
5d. Obviously this would
require teachers to instruct their students differently. How
difficult is the transition and do you offer any
support?
The transition
doesn't have to be difficult. Epi Kardia allows teachers to
actually do what they've been trained to do...teach! Teachers who
are flexible and enthusiastic tend to operate better with Epi
Kardia. As well, schools who are looking more at character
training, Biblical influence and mastery of skills will find this
curriculum truly beneficial. A "big picture" point of view is
definitely a plus when using Epi Kardia books and materials. We do
offer staff training and support tailored to the needs of the
school and faculty.
5e. How do teachers handle
students who are ill or take time off when there aren't copies of
every book for every child?
Typically, there
are books in the library that parents can check out to use in the
interim. Often, in private and cottage schools, parents purchase
books and establish a home library so that their other children
also benefit from the excellent literature utilized in the
program.
For more information about using Epi
Kardia in the Classroom, click here.
6a. Why do you only sell complete
lesson plans for Kindergarten? Do you plan on selling daily
lesson plans for other grade
levels?
We originally designed Kindergarten Complete to
assist moms who were just starting their home school journey. Our
thought was that more experienced moms would appreciate the
flexibility and economy of having a three year curriculum, so we
designed the other grades in that manner. Daily lesson plans are a
common discussion topic when contemplating development of new
curriculum.
6b. Can I use other programs,
such as spelling and grammar curriculum, while using Epi
Kardia?
You can use Epi
Kardia as you see fit. We make recommendations in the Parent's
Manual, but ultimately you need to do what is best for your unique
family situation. Epi Kardia was designed to be flexible enough to
allow incorporation of other curriculum.
6c. Is is okay for me to
change the documents on the Tools CD?
Actually, we
developed the CD tools as Microsoft Word documents so that every
parent could adapt them to fit their family. The great thing is
that you can alter the document, save it on your computer, and you
will always have the original on your Epi Kardia CD.
6d. Do I have to complete Epi
Kardia in one year?
Again, Epi Kardia
was designed to be flexible. We recommend the layered affect of
history that comes from studying all of it each year, but some of
our parents are more comfortable completing the program every two
years. This seems to be particularly true in high school when the
material becomes more challenging.
Copyright © 2006
Epi Kardia. All rights reserved.
Revised:
07/16/07
.
