South Carolina — Home School Support Network

Sherry Osborne April 30, 2012

Notebooking Lessons Learned

At the Teach Them Diligently Homeschool Convention I attended a session led by Jeannie Fulbright. This episode of our podcast will feature some of the things I learned from this session.

1st Grade Notebooking Page — Timeline example completed at the end of 1st grade. Riley summarized what he learned about Martin Luther after reading a couple of quality books.

Podcast Episode 15 Show Notes

I briefly mentioned Notebooking in a Methods of Homeschooling blog post with a promise to go into more detail. I went to this session and for the first time received a good understanding of what “notebooking” is and the curriculum that uses this method.
Jeannie Fulbright uses “a methodology of education that employs a child’s comprehension, critical thinking, and creativity to produce a permanent work of artistic and academic value.” This method is based on a Charlotte Mason approach (see previous blog post) which can be linked back to how many great thinkers of the past kept a learning notebook (IE Leonardo & G. Washington).
Highschool lab manuals are basically Notebooking.
You can use Notebooking with ANY curriculum.
It uses “narration” which is telling back in your own words what you have learned.
Is a great way to retain what is learned. You would read a book then the child draws a picture and writes what they learned or a summary. The child has to mull over the material. They forget what is read/learned if they don’t do anything with the information other than taking a quiz.
It becomes a record of learning for the year.
The child “owns” the book AND the knowledge that is in the book he/she created.
Include in the Notebook: maps, mini books/lapbooks, photos of trips or projects, field trip reports, copywork, timelines, summaries, newspaper articles, brochures, and charts/diagrams.
Notebooking does take more time than a test or quiz.
Don’t go overboard by doing one everyday.

Lets look at typical assessments for a minute.

Notebooking replaces “artificial assessment” with authentic learning. Typical assessments don’t increase learning potential and they do not engage the child.

In the lower grades, typical assessments do not develop critical thinking.
no contemplation and it doesn’t engage the whole mind.
makes the purpose of learning about the test
uses mostly short term memory

Other Links mentioned in this episode:

Lapbooks Podcast Episode

Notebooking Pages – Free Sample Page Downloads

Apologia Science

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Other examples of Riley’s Notebooks:

3rd Grade Notebook Page — This is a 3rd grade example of a summary of what a "Relief Sculpture" is. It was completed in our study if Assyria.

Copy Work Example — Copy work example included in a history notebook. Riley completed this in 3rd grade. Copy work focuses on handwriting and correct sentence formation/grammar.

Historical Notebooking Timeline Example — Historical Timeline Example of what would be included in a notebook.

Notebooking Map Example — Map of ancient civilizations and the Bible. Include maps in your notebooks.

Sherry Osborne April 18, 2012

Lessons I Learned from a Conference

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Conference Teach Them Diligently

Reasons to attend a homeschool conference:

It “refuels” mom and gives much needed encouragement!
Refreshing time away.
Personal growth in the Lord.
Hands on opportunity in the vendor hall to really “see” the curriculum.

Rhino Technologies – Get audio files (MP3) of the sessions from the Teach Them Diligently conference.

Yee Haw! Books for Boys- Jan Bloom

Boys do what they see their dads do so dads need to model reading from a real book, not just electronic books!
Allow boys to move around while you read a longer book- they ARE listening! It takes all their concentration to “sit still” and it frees up their mind to be able to move AND listen. (See blog post on Fidgets)
Allow kids to posses the books they love- write their name in them and keep them accessible.
Be aware of when the books were published! Prior to the 1960s the school librarians were the “gate keepers” but it is not so now.
Boys like books with odd information, obscure facts, and challenges. Don’t be afraid of books with battles and conquering.
Keep a “Book Journal” or index box with cards of title, author, # of pages in the book, plot & a few sentences. Gives you a record of what you’ve read and you can go back through your favorites without forgetting them. (See Lamplighter Publishing)
If reading continues to be difficult past 10-12 years, consider www.visiontherapy.com
Books for “early reading”

Nancy Drew, Beatrix Potter, Thorton Burgess, Frog and Toad, Bobbsey Twins, Marion Renich (sports), I Can Read Series,
Boxcar Children- the first 19 books were written by Warner but not the later ones (the character & values are better in #1-19).
Be careful of language and attitude in biography category. Check out Garrard Biographies, Childhood of Famous Americans

“intermediate” reading

Madeleine L’Engle, Jenny L. Cote, Hardy Boys, Sugar Creek Gang, American Adventure, American Heritage, Scripture Slueth, The Building on the Rock Series (5th grade +)
Be careful of language and attitude in biography category. Check out YWAM Biographies & Trailblazer Biographies

The Seven E’s for Choosing Curriculum- Jeannie Fullbright

See the last blog post for more of her points.
Be more intentional about devotion time both personally and with the kids. Devotion tends to go whenever we think we are behind in our “curriculum”!

I try to choose curriculum where Christ is in the center and woven throughout EVERYTHING rather than a curriculum with God as a ‘side entree’.

When you abandon a curriculum because it no longer works/fits your needs, then try to figure out WHY. This is so you don’t end up buying the same thing with a different name on it!

The Brain, Memory, & Learning- Carlita Boyle

Takes 5-6 hours to move learning from temporary to permanent storage. Teaching a new skill befores this causes problems with the first learning. Application: It doesn’t always help to give more work- need short teaching times.

the time of day influences learning- Learn your child’s pattern
Most probable effective learning times are after waking, just before bedtime, few hours before/after midpoint of the day. Ask your child “Is there a time that you like to learn?”
Stress has a major impact on memory. Children link the EMOTION they had when learning something back to the INFORMATION they learned!
Not getting enough sleep interferes with memory. REM sleep happens in the later hours of the night and that is when short term memory is transferred to long term. Power Sleep by James Maas
Exercise helps memory! Learn first then exercise- It releases epinephrin and they learn better. DON’T SKIP RECESS!!
3 ways to get information into long term memory

1. intense sensory experience to link memory to
2. intense repetition or drill (most commonly used in textbooks)
3. drill used over TIME- is effective when learning a little bit at a time, over time.

Sensory Based Activities- Special Needs Consultant in SCAIHS

“All children can benefit at some time instructionally with sensory activities to allow them to be better able to focus on the lessons being taught.” Osbornes call them “fidgets”. They keep the fingers busy so the brain can focus.
Indicators of Sensory Integration disorder: speech & laguage delay/deficits, hypo &/or hyper activity level (like with Vestibular issues), stimuli reactions (tactile issues), difficulty with coordination skills (motor planning like with Proprioceptive issues)
“FEED THE NEED!” Identify the need & provide opportunities for the child to do it in a safe and appropriate mannor. Examples
We DO need to introduce textures they don’t like- little bits at a time.
Plan some sensory activities in your day that are individualized to your child…even in busy or “bad” days.
check out www.sizzlebop.com and carol’s Web Corner http://www.westfieldacademy.org/adhd/ for ideas on teaching distractable children and helping them to memorize or retain information.
check out www.blueletterbible.com for awesome features that are helpful for ALL CHILDREN. I was also told (but haven’t figured it out for myself yet) that you can enlarge a passage and change the background/text color to make it easier for dyslexic readers.

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Hank Osborne January 5, 2012

South Carolina Home School Law

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Our “Goal” for this episode of HSSN podcast is to provide some clarity of the Homeschool Laws in SC. It is very easy to home school in SC and we want to talk through what the law requires in layman’s terms. We have not found an audio explanation of the SC homeschooling options on the Internet.

SC has three options to choose from in terms of who you answer to from an accountability perspective. On the surface these options can seem to be very similar and that can create confusion for the homeschool parent when trying to choose an option. We will break down the differences and similarities of these three options in South Carolina. HSLDA “State Laws” map. This link is a great tool showing the level of states’ regulations at a glance. Individual states are listed at the bottom. Click on your state then click “Legal Analysis” to read what the law actually says for your state.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are our personal interpretation of the SC Homeschool law. We are not lawyers. You should review the law for yourself and/or seek legal advice.

South Carolina Home School Law Basics:

There are three options in terms of accountability in the State of SC. You can be accountable to:

Option I: The district board of trustees
Option II: South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools (SCAIHS)
Option III: An association (of your choice) for home schools which has at least fifty members.

Options II and III seem very similar on the surface and we will explain the differences in more detail below. We will also provide some links to associations that meet the requirements for Options III.

Similarities of the Options:

Compulsory Attendance Ages: “five years of age before September first until … seventeenth birthday or graduates from high school.” Any parents whose child is “not six years of age on or before the first day of September of a particular school year may elect for their child” not to attend kindergarten, and then must sign a written document with the school district. S.C. Code § 59-65-10. The source for this quote is HSLDA’s legal analysis of SC law.

Basic Requirements:

1) A parent must have a high school diploma or GED
2) The school year must be at least 180 days
3) Subjects taught must include: Reading, writing, math, science, and social studies; composition and literature in grades 7-12.

Differences between the options:

Option I vs. Option II – Michael Farris said at one point, “South Carolina was the most active state in the nation in taking home schoolers to court.”

1992 – Option II – Law passed
1996 – Option III – law passed

Option II vs. III

The over arching difference between II and III is that with Option II you have a mandated accountability group (SCAIHS) vs. in Option III you can choose.

SCAIHS membership requirements are much more structured than most of the Option III accountability groups. (see their site for things like required testing for certain grade levels)

The Option III accountability groups’ membership fees are on average about 10% that of SCAIHS. However SCAIHS is much more organized and offers some benefits that none of the Option III accountability groups.

A list of accountability associations from State of SC: (CAUTION: Some track more data than the law requires.)

PACESC – $40 covers all family members

The South Carolina Homeschool Accountability Association (http://www.tschaa.com/) – $10 covers all family members (Not mentioned or linked on SCHEA web site or HSLDA)

The accountability groups in option III are required by SC state law. The law is focused on reporting and membership requirements. The law associated with Option III does not require these associations to provide support in terms of support group meetings, field trips, cooperative education services, etc. There are a number of support groups that you can choose to join regardless of the homeschool option you choose in SC. OPTION III is the least intrusive Homeschool Option for parents in the state of SC. You are not required to provide anything directly to your school district or the state as long as you follow the requirements of your OPTION III Home School Association as defined by SC §59-65-47.

South Carolina Virtual Charter Schools:

If you choose to enroll your child in SC Virtual Charter Schools you are not considered to be home schooling in the state of SC! This method of educating your child is simply providing public school education directed by a public school teacher in a separate geographic location from the other public school kids in your district. We have heard stories about parents and even state employees confusing virtual charter schools with homeschooling. The SCVCS web site is very well worded and should create no confusion in this area. The SCVCS program is a good option for families who want public education for their children but would rather not send their children into the public school classroom. A great example is when you have a child in your home that you are not allowed to choose the education method. It might be due to custody reasons. They might be foster children that the state or social worker will not allow to be homeschooled.

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