PrincipledMom™

Okay, I know I said in the lesson plan post that we were just coasting in K this year. Well, Princess S is not a "coaster." She's more a force of nature. The more I pondered it the more I came to the conclusion that she would not be happy to just putter around. She needs structure and she needs to be challenged--and she lets me know that quite often.

So the Holy Spirit reminded me today that in Mr. Rose's book there is a section just for K (starting on p. 165). This section is complete with principles, overviews and lesson ideas. They even included a resource list for each subject. (Math is even planned daily, in chart form, for the first 9 weeks!) And there are gentle reminders about pacing and scheduling the K day (p. 192). I know much of that is for schools, but there is much to be said for scheduling the home school day as well.

I am VERY excited about this because it is exactly what she needs (even though my lazy self wants to take it easy!). And it's all laid out for me, so I just need to break it down into weeks and with a little preparation I'm ready to go!

The kindergarten curriculum is important because once the child enters the first grade there will not be the same opportunity to lay the foundations in such a full, unhurried and enjoyable way. (p. 167)

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Yes, I'll get to the upper grades too, but I wanted to talk a bit about the material in his Guide that will make you say, "Wow! I didn't know that was in there! That's very good to know." Well, maybe something close to that anyway.

"Some Questions Answered" (p. 80-83) gives helpful answers to common PA concerns in a nutshell. He briefly addresses questions like, "Why the emphasis on American history?" and,

"We need a prepackaged program to implement this," and, "Do I have to teach one of the seven principles all the time?"

"Part II: Education for the American Christian Home" (p. 85) is a practical synopsis of applying the Biblical Principal Approach to the home. Mr. Rose and his wife Barbara talk about their PA home, including almost any subject you'd want to see principles applied to. "Developing America's Christian Character,""The Seven Principles Illustrated in the Home" (good stuff) and"A Personal Application of This Approach in Training Children" (I LOVE thispart!) are the three subheadings here. The third part (beginning on p. 97) addresses PA thinking applied to everyday life:
discipline
money issues
voluntary consent and private property (aka sharing)
voluntary union
home government
a home constitution
Christian self-government
corporal punishment
manners
Sabbath
activities and free time
and more...

This will answer just about any question you have about what a PA home looks like. This whole part of the book will excite you because it shows PA, not in a classroom, but in a home. And it reveals how PA shapes your thinking and affects how your govern your family. I can really appreciate the practical insight because they aren't talking "pie in the sky" intellectual mumbo jumbo. They speak simply, from a humble heart, about how PA worked in their family. Now I can see how "How the Seed of Local Self-Government is Planted" (p. 95) can apply to my family. Right now. Today.

For me it's great to learn about these principles and how they apply to the world around me and to America. But to see how it applies to me and my little chicks brings PA to a whole new level for me. And that's what it's all about: bringing PA home to change my own world, so that I can go out from here and change the outside world.

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1. The section starting on page 153 begins with the problem of illiteracy in America. He states on p. 155 that "Literacy is one of the keys to liberty and freedom."
2. Then move on to the paragraphs on p. 155 about the enfluence of the Bible on early American education. He quotes Rosalie Slater, "The HOLY BIBLE has been documented as the single greatest reason for the reading, writing, speaking, and reasoning ability of our American colonists..."
3. You may recognize his History of the Look-Say Method of Reading (p. 156). A lot of today's parents were taught to read this way and struggle with reading (or like my brother, you might hate to read because it was difficult without a phonics foundation).
4. Now it's time to get into teaching reading the PA way (p. 157). This includes intensive phonics (the building blocks of reading) and quality literature, the Chief being the Bible. "Reading is not merely a basic subject in school; it is the basic subject (p. 158d)." He recommends the Little Patriots series but I don't believe they are still in print. You may find them at an auction or rare/OOP book store. He also recommends The Writing Road to Reading, which uses the Spalding Method (p. 160).

I have used Hooked on Phonics and the Writing and Spelling Road to Reading and Thinking from Riggs Institute. The latter is very labor-intensive and a little dry for my taste, although I did like their 70 phonogram cards. They break down each sound in the English language and give rules for when each sound is used. That is really great. It's set up more for a classroom so you must wade through a lot of useless teacher instruction. Overall it is an excellent program and it works well.

With Princess S (now 4yo) I plan to use McGuffey Readers. I may throw in some WSRT too.Some other moms have had success with Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. The obvious key here is to find a program that works for your family that is phonics-based.

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This is strictly my own interpretation of how to go through this section (which begins on p.231). It was authored by James Kilkenney.
Rabbit trail here: James Kilkenney's wife is named Barbara. My parents are James and Barbara. James Rose's wife's name is...you guessed it. Barbara. Three James and Barbaras. Kind of odd, no?

I must say that I really enjoyed this section more that I thought I would. It's really amazing how exciting a subject can be when you get to the principles, the reason behind it all. I love how easy it is to see God in math (which I elaborated on in a earlier post). So here we go.

1. The basic principles of math are illustrated on p. 232. This will give you definitions and help you understand what he talks about later. This is must-reading for anyone afraid to teach math to their kids, even at an elementary level. Of course you can do this! And read the section on the language of math (p. 233). This is helpful for planning your lessons.
2. As always, we begin with the beginning. Page 234 defines for us the Biblical Source and Origin of Mathematics. To understand how to teach it, we must understand its roots and its Creator.
   Next there is the Biblical End and Purpose of Arithmetic (p. 236) and the Rudiments (p. 237). I really loved his subtopic "The Principle of the Plan for Solving Problems (p. 239d-241)." This was very helpful.
3. Next I would recommend reading his part on the Seven Principles and Mathematics (p. 247) to get you in the PA frame of mind for lesson planning.
4. Now it's time to start planning your lessons. The Course Goals (p. 242) will give you a direction. The stories he highlights here are also helpful. His chart on p. 244 gives you an at-a-glance view of K-4 mathematics, which is helpful if you are planning to teach multiple grades. It's good to see what everyone will be learning at the same time. And keep in mind that these are guidelines.
5. Don't freak out if your child isn't at the same pace. Maybe he just needs more teaching. He'll catch up. Or maybe your child is ahead. Don't hold reign them in because a chart said they should be at a certain level. Let them excel.
6. Now that you have your goals you can read his section on organizing your course (p. 245). If you are wondering about using textbooks, read his section on "Resources" (p. 249).
7. As you are planning your lessons, make time to read "Arithmetic and the History of Liberty." It will add depth to your lessons.
8. The bibliography (p. 250) has a great list of books for you to peruse at your leisure. His bio on p. 251 is also quite interesting. I really like to see how other families get into PA.

Personally I use Ray's Arithmetic. The lessons are constructed in a simple sequential order so there are no grade restraints. We are free to go at our own pace. If you like worksheets you can find them that coordinate with Ray's for the different lower grades here. And you can get higher math--even algebra, calculus and trig for the high schoolers-here. (And it doesn't hurt that an entire K-12 curriculum on CD-ROM with teacher's keys--a 20-volume set-- is $59 !) But of course use what you are comfortable with.

When you read Mr. Kilkenney's writings I hope you'll consider planning lessons and teaching math yourself, and not simply going through a textbook. Especially in the lower grades it is so satisfying to instill these biblical principles that will last a lifetime. For more along this same train of thought read Lisa'a great post here.

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This Guide will give you all the help you need to set up your teacher notebook and create your own plans. It even gives you resources for research and lesson development.The section is written by Ruth Smith and begins on p. 203. This is only my recommendation of how to read this section.

1. It will be beneficial for you to 4-R the subject. Steps for that can be found on p.145.
2. Page 208-211 gives an overview of the nine links with ideas for developing the teacher's notebook for each link. This is extremely helpful I think. Then as an example she goes on to expand the 7th link, The Pilgrim Seed of Our Christian Republic. She includes more teacher notebook preparation and identifies the 7 principles in the pilgrim story on p. 219.
3. She lists course objectives on p. 204. These you will consider as you plan each year because they do not change, they only deepen.
4. On p. 205a she shows what rudiments to begin with each year and then she refers you to the chart on p. 207 to deepen the elements according to age. I must say here that this chart is how I first came to understand how to teach multiple grades. The chart shows each link addresses to different depths. Seeing this chart, it all made sense to me. That's when I knew I could create my own plans and teach what I want to teach. That's when school gets fun for me! (If you are interested in her history books like The Mighty Works of God[second year on the chart], her books go by this chart, so you can see what will be covered in each book.)
5. So she lists 8 steps to follow to create your plans on p. 205. Some of these steps are for schools so just ignore those, but there is great information here just the same. Again, you want to take her suggestions and make them your own. I can't stress enough the importance of making things fit your family and not the other way around. And check the bibliographies on pp. 222, 225 and 306-307 for resource ideas.
6. She then lists some sample lesson plans on p. 222 and of couse you must keep in mind that these are for a school and not a home. Each subject's section ends with a short autobiographical essay by the author and Smith's is, of couse, enlightening.

The information she gives in this section is a comprehensive resource to get started teaching history PA. From understanding the 7 principles and the links to preparing your teacher's notebook and creating plans from her helpful charts and lists, she's covered all you need.

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