Ann – Page 14 – The Adventist Home Educator

Family Worship as Homeschool Teacher Training

June 20, 2018 Ann1 Comment

The importance of Bible instruction in the home needs no explanation for any Christian parent. We happily teach our littlest ones simple Bible stories and sing Bible songs to them. As they grow, we work on having a vibrant family worship/Bible study time at home. Later, when parents start to think about a formal education for their child and they consider homeschooling, they often write themselves off as having no teaching ability or skills. Wrong! What many parents don’t realize that family worship and Bible study is where one begins to develop and strengthen skills as a teacher. Future homeschooling parents, you have already started your “student teaching” with family worship!

Remember when you stood in the ABC at camp meeting trying to decide which devotional book or study guide would work best? That was the beginning of learning to evaluate curriculum. As you plan worship and Bible study times for your family, you are developing your lesson planning skills. When you find that a particular book or activity does not meet the needs of your child and you adapt what you are doing to a video or song- that is simply adjusting the curriculum to meet the learning style of your child. The time spent on preparing Bible crafts or learning finger plays does more than simply make Bible learning time more special for our children. These creative efforts for Bible study plant seeds for future inspiration – which leads to creative science or history lessons.

Be encouraged. Look at your family worship time with new eyes. It holds more blessings than you realize. Consider how you are developing skills that will easily transfer over to math and reading lessons.

Motivation Monday

June 18, 2018June 17, 2018 AnnLeave a comment

We need not keep our own record of trials and difficulties, griefs and sorrows. All these things are written in the books, and Heaven will take care of them. While we are carefully counting up these disagreeable things, many things that are pleasant to reflect upon are passing from the memory; such as the merciful kindness of God surrounding us every moment, and the love over which angels marvel, that God gave his Son to die for us.

Gospel Workers, 1892, page 462

Thinking About High School English – A Revisit

June 13, 2018 Ann1 Comment

I’m revisiting this post because there are currently some questions about high school English curriculum on the AHE email group. When this post was first written, my oldest was a high school sophmore. Since then I have graduated two high schoolers. I was curious- Have I changed my mind about what I’ve written? No, my thoughts/advice remain the same. It is especially important to choose curriculum in light of your student’s strengths and weakness.

Thinking about high school English/Language Arts (ELA) curriculum? Things to consider as you make your choices: What are your student’s future educational goals? Is your student planning to pursue vocational training or attend a college/university? What are your student’s strengths and weaknesses when it comes to reading and written communication skills.

Vocational training programs will require basic technical reading comprehension skills as well as basic writing abilities. Your student will also need to be able to communicate effectively on written tests. It might be a good idea to compare your student’s abilities with the minimum high school competencies for ELA in your local area. Many high school competency ELA tests mirror the level of essential skills needed for success in vocational studies.

If your student is planning to complete a degree program at a college or university, then your focus will be different. Acquiring strong composition skills, especially in the areas of report of information, persuasive and analytical writing will be a priority. A college-bound student will also want to develop an outlining/note-taking strategy to help with keeping track of lecture information.

What to do for literature studies? The answer is one of personal family preference. Many SDA families choose to exclude fiction from literature study. It is important to note that literature study can be accomplished without fiction: essays, biographies, journals and other non-fictions works can provide the foundation for analytical writing, one of the main purposes for literature study.

Continued grammar or vocabulary lessons and the study of Greek/Latin roots can be helpful for students preparing to take the SAT or ACT.

Resources:

Online Grammar Handbook– from the University of Minnesota. Helpful for high school level students to see what type of writing and competency is required at the college level.

Elements of Style : classic writing handbook

Merriam-Webster – online dictionary with a Word-of-the-Day

SAT Question of the Day – get an idea of what type of grammar/writing is on the test.

Motivation Monday

June 11, 2018 Ann1 Comment

An eminent divine was once asked how old a child must be before there was reasonable hope of his being a Christian. “Age has nothing to do with it,” was the answer. “Love to Jesus, trust, repose, confidence, are all qualities that agree with the child’s nature. As soon as a child can love and trust his mother, then can he love and trust Jesus as the Friend of his mother. Jesus will be his Friend, loved and honored.”

In view of the foregoing truthful statement, can parents be too careful in presenting precept and example before those watchful little eyes and sharp senses?

Child Guidance, 486

Sabbath Playlist ~ Taking a Nature Walk with Young Children? Nature Scavenger Hunt Printables

June 8, 2018June 3, 2018 Ann1 Comment

Something a little more active for this week’s Sabbath Playlist! If you have plans this weekend to take a nature walk with young children, how about some fun free nature scavenger hunt ideas and printables? Teachstarter.com offers 16 nature walk ideas and activities will especially appeal to young children. I especially like the free checklist printable because it encourages children to engage all of their senses as the enjoy nature.

-16 NATURE WALK ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS-

Free Adventist Learning Community Course ~ Steps to Christ

June 6, 2018June 3, 2018 AnnLeave a comment

Interested in an in-depth study of Steps to Christ? The Adventist Learning Community or ALC, is featuring a free course on the book, Steps to Christ led by Pastor Denis Fortin, a pastor at Andrews University. The self-paced course includes activities and quiz questions. The student will also create a journal for chapter reflections.

The ALC, an initiative of the North American Division is a Seventh-day Adventist educational platform designed to provide continuing education courses, teaching courses, ministerial training, and uniquely Adventist content for the church community and beyond. To learn more about the Adventist Learning Community and the Steps to Christ course, click HERE or on the image above.