Donna's Journey

Comment by Paula

January 16, 2010 @ 10:13 am

I like your rotation. I have been trying to come up with something similar for my family. I have a question about incorporating scripture study–I like the idea of the four year rotation, have you tried to coordinate it with Sunday School or seminary schedules? Also, as we try to read from the Book of Mormon every day, how do you balance that with study of another scripture resource?
I would also love to know what resources you use for Foreign languages. When you instroduce Greek in the second year do you continue the study of Hebrew? Do you explain your “melting pot” approach somewhere else? I need to explore your site more.

Comment by Donna

January 16, 2010 @ 12:30 pm

I like the Sunday School schedule. All of us are on the Sunday School Schedule, only high school aged children go to seminary and they have to read the text of that years’ study as their own personal home work. We like to do a morning scripture study an evening devotional. Two avenues would permit you to study both.

Ancient Languages. My four year cycle is for children under 12. Though some may be able to learn a biblical language before 12, most are not developed cognitively to fully grasp them. These are not languages we use to communicate in, they are ones that are normally read, and sometimes partially used. So they do not have the benefit to learn thses languages in the same way they learned their native tongue. What I do is take away the fear and give them a foundation on which to build. Grammar is abstract. Most children are ready for more abstract reasoning when they go through the brain changes of puberty.

So, do we continue the study of Hebrew when we are being introduced to Greek and then Latin? No. Biblical Hebrew is and introductory where they become with the Hebrew letters, their Seraphic Script, Aramaic shorthand, the literal meaning, symbolic meaning and numeric value. I took a class so I am teaching from what I know, rather than a textbook. Greek is great to learn the alphabet and see the similarities with Hebrew- Aleph / Alpha, Beit/ Beta, Dalet/ Delta, Gimel/ Gamma… I also like them to learn Greek roots. I still like to use this as an introductory course to expose children to Greek, and not an in depth course. Latin is introductory as well. I like them to learn Roman Numerals and see how cumbersome they are. I want them to learn Latin Roots. This is also a great time to learn animal and plant classification as the words are usually in Latin. Great for nature study and learning the common and technical name for natural things.

I gave a talk at UHEA on The Melting Pot approach to learning languages. The Melting Pot is based on having grown up in a port city and having been exposed to many languages as a child and upon the natural process of gaining a native tongue. I typed up the process that I experienced as a child. A friend of mine is a linguist by training and profession. I had her look over my lecture bullet points and she said that what I created was very current understanding and is how she teaches American English as a Second language to Asian and South American students. She told me there were a few technical terms for what I was saying and she gave me the terms. The Melting Pot Approach takes a child from introduction to speaking and reading. It is not a textbook approach.

This weekend I will be posting an article with resource list in the store of my Princess Academies website.

Comment by Paula

January 16, 2010 @ 1:26 pm

So if you follow the Sunday School rotation are you moving from one scripture program to the next in the middle of your school year, or do you do your entire rotations on a Calendar year basis? Or something else?

We started with Old Testament last fall, together with the study of Ancient History. My school year right now runs July-June, taking breaks where we want them (such is my plan; my oldest child is 1st grade so I’m in the stage of planning and trying things out, hoping by the time I am teaching more and older children to have some basic programs and schedules in place!); but that would have us moving on to New Testament only half way through the year. Nothing wrong with that, of course, I’m just wondering what works for others.

Comment by Donna

January 16, 2010 @ 6:04 pm

We run year round, it just looks different. Scriptures change in January. The church used to be on a Sept to Sept schedule. In the mod 1980s they changed to start the new scriptures in January. So for four months the church studied Gospel Principles.

We are in January and I am starting with the Old Testament again. I want my children to go through all the Standard works with the family before they leave this home. We still read the BoM in our family scripture study. I like to do Academics until it is warm enough to move outside. Then we explore the outside world, garden, etc. during the time of year we feel called outside. We continue scripture study year round. We discuss current events at the dinning table and that often entails history. In fall when nature begins to chill, we begin to pick up again studying Notable men and women.

It has become a part of our life. I have worked hard to find ways to integrate learning into our family culture instead of trying to make it separate. What is homeculture, family tradition, or academics, the line is quite blurred. I feel education should be living. My mom did the same thing.

I do not divide learning up patterned after a graded system of 1st grade, 2nd grade etc. I tend to think of Aspiring Scholars (prepubescent) and Scholars (post-pubescent). The Aspiring Scholar is divided in two. The first 8 years focusing on values, relationships, habits, habitudes, and lots of incidental/hands-on learning.
The next four years is getting breadth of knowledge. It is a nonthreatening time to introduce and experience much learning and developing basic skills. By the time they begin puberty the brain begins to change again. They are ready to take on abstract reasoning, grammar, symbolic learning.

Comment by Paula

January 18, 2010 @ 10:32 pm

Hi Donna,

I just wanted to say Thank You for taking the time to answer my questions!