From Cindy Swicegood:
I absolutely love the Alveary Reflective Practice Plan Book! I think it is an incredible resource for learning to step back and consider how things are going in general, as well as learning to assess progress in very specific aspects of the teacher’s and the students’ lives. Although my children are in college now, I still draw great inspiration from it.
As the end of school draws near I would encourage you to spend some time in reflective practice. While you may have some regrets about this school year, we would love to hear about an aspect of your school day that has gone better this year than last year–or better this term than last term. This could be anything from “I started setting my alarm earlier so we actually started school before 10 a.m. last week” or “I have established good habits in staying hydrated” to “My son has made the slightest improvement in the habit of taking care of his school supplies” or “I can see my children beginning to have more respect for one another as image-bearers.” What is one way you have seen growth this year–either in yourself or your student(s)? Let us know in the comments of this Fabulous Friday post in the Hive.
Notes
MCT Grammar: We have discovered a couple of informative and helpful videos on the Michael Clay Thompson grammar series. Here is a Mason-esque quote from one of them:
Education is a relationship–an interaction between the child and the material–and it is our duty to make that relationship as engaging and enjoyable as possible. The goal of the MCT curriculum is for children to have a positive, lifelong relationship with the English language and its literature. The MCT curriculum strives to reach children on many levels so that they will have a deep understanding of and appreciation for English language arts. Story, art, humor, imaginative play, and creative design all serve as vehicles for learning and are an integral part of each component of the curriculum.
A Guide to Selecting a Level of the MCT Curriculum
An Introduction to Michael Clay Thompson’s Language Arts Curriculum (Homeschool Edition)
Queries
1. Science: Grades 1-3: Nature in the Neighborhood is out of print. Are you going to provide a replacement title?
We work very hard to find great books that are also in print, since we understand that most of our members strongly prefer hard copies of their books. However, once in a while, the best book we can find on a particular topic is only available digitally. That is the case with this book. We have downloaded the Kindle version and tried it on several types of devices, and we find that this book looks great when viewed on your computer screen using the Kindle app that is available online. Alternatives would be to find the book used or to scan your library’s copy for home use (permissible by most public libraries). We will attempt to contact the publisher to ask if we may provide a PDF, but in the case that we cannot, the Kindle version will work great. You can also choose to print it from the kindle version.
2. Office Hours: Gladys Schaefer and Lisa Cadora were our guests during Office Hours last week. Gladys gave a great deal of background information on dyslexia and we have broken it up into the following videos:
Introduction of Lisa Cadora and Gladys Schaefer
Overview of Alveary Reading Lessons
How Charlotte Mason’s Principles Can Help Students with Dyslexia
Understanding How Dyslexic Children Learn and How to Help Them
Signs that Your Child May Be Dyslexic
Recommended resources:
Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity
Basic Facts About Dyslexia and Reading Problems
Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills
Our next Office Hours will be Wednesday, May 11, at 3:30 pm EDT. If you have questions you would like our team to address, please submit them at least 24 hours in advance by commenting on the event in The Hive.
Have a great weekend!
The Alveary Team
