wow summer is almost over! i have been desperately thinking of what i should be doing in the coming school year... how can i not homeschool when i had planned it out since Aapi was like 9mos old?? so here is my plan for now inshaAllah. I ask Allah to help me solidify my goals and my plans for the years to come and for raising our babies in the way that He would be happy with...
Arabic: combination of Arabic First and Al-Duha's
Quran:
Math: RightStart Level B for both girls (it may be too advanced for Leeboo but i'll take it slow with her)
Language Arts:
Reading: currently using 100EasyLessons;
Writing: Cursive (heard a lot about Cursive First); Writing with ease (WTM)
Spelling/ Grammar: First grammar lessons (WTM)
Nature Study (charlotte mason)
Other things i would like to cover: Geography and Science
I'll fill in the details as I get them finalized (including my schedules, etc.)
FOR ME:
something i would like to cover for myself:
penmanship
nature study journal
WTM...an entry in a blog about the trivium...interesting thoughts.. it makes me want to know what the approach of our muslim scholars..before the classical method, montessori, waldorf, regio, etc.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
cursive vs. print
there is a real interesting discussion going on at Playschool6 yahoo group regarding cursive or print first? here are some very points that sort of convinced me to try this on the kids...
In our school's 15 year experience, it is really more effective to teach themcursive writing before print. It is actually easier for the child since he/she does not need to lift the pencil and get confused where to put down the pencil to continue writing as is the case in writing in print. We also start with the small letters since capital letters are used only at the start of the sentence or the start of proper nouns. This is the same order when we teach reading - we teach the sounds of the small letters first and then the sounds of the capital letters for the same reason that when we read anything - most of the letters are small. The phonetic way of teaching reading really works so use the names of the letters later since it is actually useful for spelling and not reading. Don't worry about the writing & reading in print - they will all get around to it later. Also, it's better to introduce them to writing only one to three letters at a time. Also we suggest that you don't ask the child to write his/her full name immediately when the child can hardly write a single letter. When the child learns to write in cursive at an earlier age (3-6 in Casa), then their penmanship is more legible than when they shift from print to cursive at Grade2. By then, their fingers are less flexible and you have to compete with the computer keyboard! Regards and God bless. Jojo F.
here's another post:
Many Montessori schools have kept that philosophy or have returned to it. But it's not just Montessori: there's now a ton of research out showing the benefits of starting with cursive. A young child's hand does not typically make very good straight lines and the angles required for doing print nicely are harder than the curves in cursive. Also, reversals are unheard of in cursive, but kids constantly mix up b d or p q in print. Not to mention that it is typically easier for a child who has learned cursive to be able to read print than a childwho has learned print to be able to read cursive. The school that produces A Beka actually changed their classes so that the kids start with cursive in KG and their workbooks have reflected that change. hth, Daisy
her's another:
My son is five and I started him on printing and really regretted it. I remember this exact debate going 3years ago when I was just starting toget my son to hold a pencil. It was on on the forums back then and here it still is. My son has now been writing for a good couple of years and he is still having exactly the same problem you are describing with your daughter. He has continued to have difficulty starting any letter with a circle then a line (small abpqd) he wants to make the letters in one continuous motion which of course he can do with all the other letters. As a result, those letters lookmishapen. I have asked him to redo them which he does but clearly as you've described, it's against his intinct. If I could have a do-over I would start him with cursive writing. Tracy
and another one:
As others havesaid there is a lot of study out there that says it's better for the brain. Infact, if you get into brain gym activities, one of them is writing in scriptwith both hands, using both sides of the brain at the same time...one handwrites forward, one backward at the same time. Kerry
and:
Having written this, I did teach them both how to write in a cursive fashion aswell and left them to decide which they prefer to use.As I am 46 years old, writing beautifully was a very important skill when I grewup. It was a sign of a good education. I, myself, love cursive writing...the waythe letters flow. I am not so sure of it's place in the current world though. Isee fast texting skills as more relevant somehow.I tend to view writing in the same light as calligraphy. How does eachindividual child wish his/her personal unique form of writing to look?...Lea in NZ
and:
This interests me, as the romantic in me loves to write and as a 'dying art' thinks it needs to be protected, I enjoy writing letters, journal writing, and generally the written art forms, and hope that my girls will also, but i see what you mean about it's relevance, there are so many different types of print, and my daughter at this stage doesn't recognise letters in different types, for example, she knows the print 'a', but when we were using some printed resources that I had downloaded, she didn't recognise the standard computer font 'a' (the same as it writes here, as 'a' and it was frustrating... i was annoyed at myself that I hadn't noticed it before we tried to use them as it seemed to muddy the waters for her. My mum suggested looking through newspapers and magazines and making a montage of letters from different fonts to assist this. Best Wishes, Jenni
and
I think our society, due to government-run schools, has tended to veer away from art in general, as though it is superfluous, extra. Cursive would definitely be a way to bring some artistry into our children's daily life! However, I have to admit that I chose cursive from a purely more historically logical stance: kids all used to have their print schoolbooks and did their work in cursive. You can access online 19th century schoolbooks where the kids were expected to copy out some of the text BUT the text is in print and they were supposed to copy it in cursive. It worked brilliantly. I see no reason to give up something that worked in the past and has more advantages! But I admit to having a slight rebellious side, too, and to have "experts" say to learn print first, but I can see all the reasons not to, I'm more aptto go with cursive first. (grin) Daisy
one last one...
There are many advantages (as Daisy pointed out); one of the other advantages is that the child can more easily see the print (later) within the cursive if they know cursive first. They have a much more difficult time seeing the cursivewithin the print if they are taught print first then cursive. This can make it difficult for the child to learn cursive later. Because the words are connected, it makes it easier for a child to learn spacing; where a word ends and a new word begins - unlike print. It also helps with dyslexia, according to experts."Must one begin with strokes? The logical answer is "No." These require too much effort on the part of the child to make them. If he is to begin with the stroke, it should be the easiest thing to execute. But, if we note carefully, a straight stroke is the most difficult to make. Only an accomplished writer can fill out a page with regular strokes, whereas a person who is only moderately proficient can cover a page with presentable writing."(Dr. Maria Montessori, 'The Discovery of the Child', Clio Press Ltd, 193) Here are a few links: http://www.nathhan.com/mcinnis.htm
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4049540
http://www.hwtears.com/answers.htm
http://www.abeka.com/Resources/PDFs/CursiveFly.pdf (A Beka flyer about cursive in Kindergarten)
I think making cursive sandpaper letters, moveable alphabet and maybe investing in a good cursive computer font is worth it, IMO. HTH, Margaret
soooo the conclusion from all this? I will inshaAllah make a conscous effort to introduce & work with cursive with the kids... also, the beauty in Arabic caligraphy.....another way of introducing to the art of caligraphy... funny thing is i didn't consider it much before this discussion on the board!
In our school's 15 year experience, it is really more effective to teach themcursive writing before print. It is actually easier for the child since he/she does not need to lift the pencil and get confused where to put down the pencil to continue writing as is the case in writing in print. We also start with the small letters since capital letters are used only at the start of the sentence or the start of proper nouns. This is the same order when we teach reading - we teach the sounds of the small letters first and then the sounds of the capital letters for the same reason that when we read anything - most of the letters are small. The phonetic way of teaching reading really works so use the names of the letters later since it is actually useful for spelling and not reading. Don't worry about the writing & reading in print - they will all get around to it later. Also, it's better to introduce them to writing only one to three letters at a time. Also we suggest that you don't ask the child to write his/her full name immediately when the child can hardly write a single letter. When the child learns to write in cursive at an earlier age (3-6 in Casa), then their penmanship is more legible than when they shift from print to cursive at Grade2. By then, their fingers are less flexible and you have to compete with the computer keyboard! Regards and God bless. Jojo F.
here's another post:
Many Montessori schools have kept that philosophy or have returned to it. But it's not just Montessori: there's now a ton of research out showing the benefits of starting with cursive. A young child's hand does not typically make very good straight lines and the angles required for doing print nicely are harder than the curves in cursive. Also, reversals are unheard of in cursive, but kids constantly mix up b d or p q in print. Not to mention that it is typically easier for a child who has learned cursive to be able to read print than a childwho has learned print to be able to read cursive. The school that produces A Beka actually changed their classes so that the kids start with cursive in KG and their workbooks have reflected that change. hth, Daisy
her's another:
My son is five and I started him on printing and really regretted it. I remember this exact debate going 3years ago when I was just starting toget my son to hold a pencil. It was on on the forums back then and here it still is. My son has now been writing for a good couple of years and he is still having exactly the same problem you are describing with your daughter. He has continued to have difficulty starting any letter with a circle then a line (small abpqd) he wants to make the letters in one continuous motion which of course he can do with all the other letters. As a result, those letters lookmishapen. I have asked him to redo them which he does but clearly as you've described, it's against his intinct. If I could have a do-over I would start him with cursive writing. Tracy
and another one:
As others havesaid there is a lot of study out there that says it's better for the brain. Infact, if you get into brain gym activities, one of them is writing in scriptwith both hands, using both sides of the brain at the same time...one handwrites forward, one backward at the same time. Kerry
and:
Having written this, I did teach them both how to write in a cursive fashion aswell and left them to decide which they prefer to use.As I am 46 years old, writing beautifully was a very important skill when I grewup. It was a sign of a good education. I, myself, love cursive writing...the waythe letters flow. I am not so sure of it's place in the current world though. Isee fast texting skills as more relevant somehow.I tend to view writing in the same light as calligraphy. How does eachindividual child wish his/her personal unique form of writing to look?...Lea in NZ
and:
This interests me, as the romantic in me loves to write and as a 'dying art' thinks it needs to be protected, I enjoy writing letters, journal writing, and generally the written art forms, and hope that my girls will also, but i see what you mean about it's relevance, there are so many different types of print, and my daughter at this stage doesn't recognise letters in different types, for example, she knows the print 'a', but when we were using some printed resources that I had downloaded, she didn't recognise the standard computer font 'a' (the same as it writes here, as 'a' and it was frustrating... i was annoyed at myself that I hadn't noticed it before we tried to use them as it seemed to muddy the waters for her. My mum suggested looking through newspapers and magazines and making a montage of letters from different fonts to assist this. Best Wishes, Jenni
and
I think our society, due to government-run schools, has tended to veer away from art in general, as though it is superfluous, extra. Cursive would definitely be a way to bring some artistry into our children's daily life! However, I have to admit that I chose cursive from a purely more historically logical stance: kids all used to have their print schoolbooks and did their work in cursive. You can access online 19th century schoolbooks where the kids were expected to copy out some of the text BUT the text is in print and they were supposed to copy it in cursive. It worked brilliantly. I see no reason to give up something that worked in the past and has more advantages! But I admit to having a slight rebellious side, too, and to have "experts" say to learn print first, but I can see all the reasons not to, I'm more aptto go with cursive first. (grin) Daisy
one last one...
There are many advantages (as Daisy pointed out); one of the other advantages is that the child can more easily see the print (later) within the cursive if they know cursive first. They have a much more difficult time seeing the cursivewithin the print if they are taught print first then cursive. This can make it difficult for the child to learn cursive later. Because the words are connected, it makes it easier for a child to learn spacing; where a word ends and a new word begins - unlike print. It also helps with dyslexia, according to experts."Must one begin with strokes? The logical answer is "No." These require too much effort on the part of the child to make them. If he is to begin with the stroke, it should be the easiest thing to execute. But, if we note carefully, a straight stroke is the most difficult to make. Only an accomplished writer can fill out a page with regular strokes, whereas a person who is only moderately proficient can cover a page with presentable writing."(Dr. Maria Montessori, 'The Discovery of the Child', Clio Press Ltd, 193) Here are a few links: http://www.nathhan.com/mcinnis.htm
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4049540
http://www.hwtears.com/answers.htm
http://www.abeka.com/Resources/PDFs/CursiveFly.pdf (A Beka flyer about cursive in Kindergarten)
I think making cursive sandpaper letters, moveable alphabet and maybe investing in a good cursive computer font is worth it, IMO. HTH, Margaret
soooo the conclusion from all this? I will inshaAllah make a conscous effort to introduce & work with cursive with the kids... also, the beauty in Arabic caligraphy.....another way of introducing to the art of caligraphy... funny thing is i didn't consider it much before this discussion on the board!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Kindergarten links
Here is a link i found on Let'sExplore on KG countdown...i'm in such a lame mode regarding KG... i feel as though it's not about my aapi but me failing (&dh winning???) at her going to kg.. and btw, when i blurted out (against my good judgement) that i'm not hsing the reply was a simple..'it's ur choice!' i still can't believe that's what was said...
anyhow, here is the link & i think i need to really think it through so that my baby girl will not have too much transitional time... maybe i'm not taking it too seriously 'cuz all the mom's whose kids have gone to KG all just blow it off as not a big deal.... that's why i feel like she'll just go with the flow... but i really like how this mom has broken it down...
KG countdown...
so... inshaAllah...i'll be implementing ...
anyhow, here is the link & i think i need to really think it through so that my baby girl will not have too much transitional time... maybe i'm not taking it too seriously 'cuz all the mom's whose kids have gone to KG all just blow it off as not a big deal.... that's why i feel like she'll just go with the flow... but i really like how this mom has broken it down...
KG countdown...
so... inshaAllah...i'll be implementing ...
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