A guest post by Rebecca Houghton
As a homeschool graduate, it has been a joy to see how well my education equipped me for the real world. Now in my second year of full-time work, I’ve been able to write checks without fear, have some fun, save for the future, and even weather a few expensive surprises — all on a very modest salary.
Over the past year and a half, I've learned quite a few things about budgeting for myself, and I hope to offer some perspective that your teenagers might find useful also. Since I'm not yet a parent, I have simply written this in the vein of one young person's advice to another. I hope your teen may find these budget tips practical and applicable as they head out on their own.
Expensive surprises, which range from the car that breaks down to that unexpected doctor's visit, are the biggest threat to one's monthly budget. When everything is going well, predictions like these may sound gloomy and far-fetched, but in my experience it's best to plan for the things you can't see.
After months of putting aside money for "when the car breaks down" (on my father's insistence) and nothing happening, I was suddenly faced with a serious medical issue. Although I groaned every time I got a $400 medical bill, I was able to pay all the bills on time without going into debt because I had that extra money I had been setting aside. Otherwise, I would have been in trouble — my normal monthly budget would be overwhelmed by an extra $400 expense!
Later, my very reliable car did actually break down, and by the time it was all over, the car had been towed and fixed for almost $100. I could pay that without a worry because I knew the "Car Fund" could handle it without a problem. What a lifesaver! Even though it's a pain to set aside that money every month, it really pays off in the long run.
[Editor's note: It also helps to have a basic understanding of what might be wrong when you need car maintenance. You can find free car diagnostic tips here, and learn simple ways to diagnose car issues.]
If you're not sure how much to put aside every month, look at medical expenses and car repair/maintenance costs for the past few months; use that to come up with a reasonable estimate. However, if you haven't had any expenses like that recently, you should still set aside some funds — something is better than nothing — my personal recommendation would be for at least $100 a month. You'll thank me for this later, I promise.
Should you be lucky enough to avoid all this world's curveballs, you'll have a lot of money saved up for a fun vacation or other splurge later. Better to be a little ahead than floored by a $300 bill that comes out of nowhere!
Personally, I'm not a fan of super-complicated budgets. I only keep track of things I buy in 3 categories: food/groceries, gas, and fun spending. Everything else (rent, donations, memberships, etc.) is the same every month. I found that if the budget was too complicated, I found it overwhelming, with the result that I ignored it entirely. Having a simple budget that stays pretty much the same from month to month keeps things easy and doable for me. It's easy to see where my money is going.
I have found that it's difficult to save money in easy reach. Money that seems available burns a hole in my pocket and spending it is almost irresistible. After months of watching my savings dwindle, I finally decide to take $100 a month and put it in another account which is more difficult to withdraw from. Having those funds out of reach (I can't write checks from that account, nor do I have a card I can swipe for it) makes them much easier to safeguard.
If you have direct deposit pay that you can split among several different accounts, I recommend this as a painless way to save: I barely even realize that it's not coming into my checking account. Another option is to set up automatic transfers (easy to do online) for shortly after your pay date(s) each month--move some of your pay quickly into savings before you can spend it! Make sure your savings account is hard to get money out of, and set up a system that makes saving automatic, rather than a struggle to remember.
The other big trick, which I first did on a whim but has been a lifesaver, is to be one paycheck ahead: live on last month's paycheck, with this month's paycheck as a buffer. Even if you're just one pay cycle ahead, it still makes a difference. Thus, if you get paid on the 1st and the 15th of every month, your budget for April comes from the March 15th and April 1st pay dates.
This is an easy way to avoid spending all your monthly pay before you get it, and it virtually eliminates worrying about checks bouncing. I still try to keep track of how much money I have in pending checks, but I know there's enough of a cushion that I don't worry about getting hit by a overdraft fine if something posts a little earlier — or later — than I expected.
[Editor's Note: "You Need a Budget" is an excellent system that works on the "last-month's paycheck" principle. I reviewed it on the blog a couple of years ago, and still believe it to be an excellent budget system.]
Budgeting Takes Practice
Finally, budgeting takes practice. Starting from scratch with almost no budgeting experience, it took me about a year to learn to budget effectively. I'm still not perfect; some months I do really well, and other months are a little less than optimal. But I've learned to control my spending and save for the things that are important to me.
Rebecca Houghton is a graduate of her family homeschool and Hillsdale College. She enjoys writing and editing to improve communication, clarify materials, increase profitability, and provide peace of mind. In her free time, she delights in speaking French, cooking, dancing, and singing.
[Another note from the editor: Rebecca was one of my first students when I was teaching the Excellence in Literature books as online classes. It's been a delight to see her grow up and move through college, and into life. I'm particularly thankful for all her invaluable volunteer help on the Excellence in Literature research when the first levels were being completed. She made it possible to meet a nearly impossible deadline.]
]]>Learning should be a lifelong endeavor for every human, but learning doesn't have to involve a college degree unless that is something that fits your gifts or calling. There are many college alternatives and non-traditional college options, and I've written about these on the Doing What Matters blog. Here are links to a few articles that may provide some food for thought.
After the last two posts on financial aid, there were a few private comments about how hard it can be for a student to qualify for some types of aid. Honestly, it is easier now than it has ever been. There are all sorts of programs, initiatives, and projects, all designed to get more people into college.
College is a good thing, but perhaps not for everyone. Not every student is called to a profession that requires college. Not every student is ready for college right out of high school. Not every student is intellectually inclined toward a higher education. For some students, a hands-on trade is exactly where their skills, talents, and interests lie, and that is a good thing, too.
College can be a wonderful learning experience for an engaged, motivated student, but for some, it’s just an expensive party venue with a long-lasting bill. If you have students who maintain they don’t need college, don’t want it, or don’t understand the purpose and meaning of education, it is probably not the right time to go to college. It is better to wait until they are ready . . . Read more.
The last College Alternatives post focused on the skilled trades, such as machinist, electrician, arborist, and others. Since college has been pushed as a primary option for most students, there has been a labor shortage in many of the trades, making them a good alternative or second skill to develop.
Trades are not for everyone, though, so the final two college options I’ll talk about are entrepreneurship and learning through apprenticeships or guilds. Even if your student eventually decides to attend college, he or she can benefit by having one or more of these experiences during high school. Read more.
This classic essay by an unknown author has been around since I began homeschooling, and I often recommend it to parents of children who just don’t fit the college-bound mold. As it becomes more and more common to try to shove every student into a college, I thought it would be a good idea to revisit this essay and think about the consequences of expecting every young person to walk the same path. As much as I value the beauty found in literature, art, and music and enjoy studying it, I realize that the world would be a wee bit lopsided if everyone were just like me. We need machinists and mechanics, soldiers and sailors, builders and bricklayers as much as we need authors, artists, and scholars. Each plays a much-needed role in society, and we do a disservice to young people when we imply that only one type of gift is valuable. No matter what society tries to convey, a worker who diligently and ethically practices a trade can earn an excellent living . . . Read more.
First: He ought to consecrate a certain hour every day to the study of a determined subject, as St. Bernard counselled his monks in his letter to the Brothers of the Mont Dieu.
Second: He ought to concentrate his attention upon what he reads and ought not to let it pass lightly. There is between reading and study, as St. Bernard says, the same difference as between a host and a guest, between a passing salutation exchanged in the street and an embrace prompted by an unalterable affection.
Third: He ought to extract from the daily study one thought, some truth or other, and engrave it deeply upon his memory with special care. Seneca said "Cum multa percurreris in die, unum tibi elige quod illa die excoquas"—When you have run over many things in a day select one for yourself which you should digest well on that day.
Fourth: Write a résumé of it, for words which are not confided to writing fly as does the dust before the wind.
Fifth: Talk the matter over with your fellow-students, either in the regular recitation or in your familiar conversation. This exercise is even more profitable than study for it has as its result the clarifying of all doubts and the removing of all the obscurity that study may have left. Nothing is perfectly known unless it has been tried by the tooth of disputation.
Sixth: Pray, for this is indeed one of the best ways of learning. St. Bernard teaches that study ought to touch the heart and that one should profit by it always by elevating the heart to God, without, however, interrupting the study."
In addition, he advised that "Meditation is suitable not only for the master, but the good student ought also to go and take his promenade along the banks of the Seine, not to play there, but in order to repeat his lesson and meditate upon it."
Although this advice is couched in old-fashioned terms (he was writing in the thirteenth century, after all!), it is still good advice today. In fact, it is very similar to the study methods that were taught at my graduate school orientation, and virtually identical to the way I have always studied scripture and other important books. No matter what subject you choose to learn, these rules for study will help you learn deeply and remember long.
TIP: Copy the rules into your commonplace book, and ponder them until you know their principles by heart. Robert de Sorbonne (or Sorbon) (9 October 1201 – 15 August 1274) was a French theologian who founded the Sorbonne college (now the University of Paris). In addition to his educational duties, he was also the chaplain of Louis IX of France.
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If you need to fill your home library shelves and feed hungry minds, here are some ideas for where to look. I've listed them in order of affordability, with the cheapest options first.
Once you've begun to collect books, it's a good idea to catalog them. I catalog a few of my books on LibraryThing.com, and have an account at GoodReads, too, which is a more socially oriented site. Either can be helpful when you're standing before a table of used books wondering if you already have the one you're looking at.
When I was young and my collection was small, I could remember all I had, but that soon passed. Now, I need all the help I can get in remembering what I need, and what I already have.
Neither LibraryThing nor GoodReads contains my entire book collection — chalk that up to the fact that I had 5000 or so books before I started cataloguing. However, I recently discovered an iPhone app that is helping me add more books to my inventory list.
With Shelfie, you take a photo of a book shelf, and the app will identify the books on it and present a list for your approval. You are able to select and accept those that are correctly identified, and they are added to your library. As a bonus, the app will let you know if there are free or discounted ebooks or audiobooks available for the books you already own. I don't love ebooks, but if I'm stuck in an airport and need another book, it's nice to have access to something I actually want to read.
If you begin building a serious library, you'll soon find that you need bookshelves. Lots of bookshelves. I've found that sheets of particleboard can be sawed into 6" deep strips at a pretty reasonable cost per shelf. A 4' x 8' sheet of particleboard can yield a pretty decent ceiling-height bookcase.
First, saw off two 6" by 8' strips, then saw the remainder of the board into 6" x 32" strips. Screw it all together, and it's pretty sturdy. Be sure to leave space at the top to run a strip of trim around it to connect it to the wall. Never leave it unanchored, or it may fall over!
For added sturdiness, you can cut three 2" wide strips from the long edge of the sheet of particleboard before cutting the shelves. Screw these to the edges and center of the back, and screw them into the wall, and the bookcase should be very secure.
With a little imagination, you can customize these simple shelves to march up a flight of stairs, or wrap around a room. Your library will soon be looking good! The bottom line is, you can have a great home library without paying anywhere near new book prices.
As your collection starts to grow, people will often offer you their unwanted books. Take them! If you don't need them, you can share them with others, swap them, or even sell them and buy books you need. Someone somewhere is probably looking for a book you want to give away. Take care of your books by protecting them from moisture and insects, and they will repay you with hours of pleasure.
NOTE: All Amazon links are affiliate links (see Disclosure below).
Want to learn more about Charlotte Mason and her methods? Her six-book series is just what you need. You can read The Benefits of Reading and Seven Tips on the blog.
]]>Free High School Planning Worksheet
"If you had it to do over again, would you still homeschool through high school?" Three moms blocked my path at a recent convention, and one repeated the question, "Would you do it again?" I always enjoy talking with families at homeschool conferences, and I often get challenging questions. This, however, wasn't terribly hard — even though I wasn't a perfect homeschooler and there were difficult moments, I would still homeschool from preschool into high school.
As I talked with those moms I realized that before you start, homeschooling high school looks as scary as Class 5 rapids to an amateur kayaker. Some parents worry that their teens won't be able to get into college; others have talented students who want to participate in group music experiences, organized sports, and other activities; and a few even worry that their children are missing out on important social experiences. I'm here to tell you that the rapids aren't nearly as scary as they look. Doing high school at home is a trip that's exhilarating, exhausting, but well worth it! Let's talk about three of the fears that parents of teens face.
Don't worry! If your child can't get into a college, it won't be because you homeschooled; it will be because he didn't try. Homeschoolers go on to college just as often as students from traditional high schools do. Ambitious, high-achieving students can enter more prestigious schools, while ordinary students can shoot for the local state university. Teens who just want to learn stuff can start out at the community college, and transfer when they are ready.
Most universities appreciate the kind of diversity that students with unique interests and experiences can bring to campus. Homeschooled teens have dozens of options they can pursue while in high school. They can start college early, try out a microbusiness, sample a variety of careers through formal or informal internships, travel, volunteer, or just spend time developing special skills and talents. The result of this rich experience can be a transcript that college admissions counselors pounce on!
If you keep up with the news at all, you'll notice that a disproportionate number of talent and skill competitions (music, debate, robotics, etc.), as well as knowledge bees, are being won by homeschoolers. During the legislative sessions, you can easily discover that a surprising number of volunteers and pages are home educated.
Why is this? It’s because homeschooled students have motivation, time, and discretion to pursue special interests. If they want to spend three hours a day practicing music, there are no deadlines. If they want to spend a semester studying government by being involved, they can. They aren't so tied up with busywork that they can't participate in real-life activities! And because students choose and initiate activities, parents don't end up with the unenviable task of trying to motivate them to do things they've grown tired of.
Most of the activities that can be found in a high school are just watered-down versions of the real thing that can be created or found in the community. A budding musician could organize a mini-chamber orchestra, band, or barbershop quartet, or practice for the Junior Philharmonic or church choir. An athletically inclined student could try out for a church or community league, or could opt to help coach a team of younger players.
In each case, the student would gain a far greater range of skills through active planning and participation than they would acquire by just showing up and passively doing what someone else decides they should do. In addition, in a church or community setting, the homeschooler would have the advantage of being involved with people of differing ages and experience levels, rather than being isolated with a peer group that has little wisdom or experience to offer.
The truth is, that given the nearly limitless possibilities available to homeschooled teens, your teen does not have to miss anything good. A recent tragedy, in which a 16-year-old girl, driving drunk, killed another driver, sparked a series of articles in our local paper about the high school social scene. This eye-opening series and other articles suggest that high-school socialization is best taken in small doses.
Even if your teens occasionally feel they're missing something good (and I rarely meet homeschooled teens who do), they probably aren't. As parents, we have the opportunity to spread a rich feast of opportunities before them. Healthy social relationships can be formed within family, church, community, and homeschool support groups.
Many homeschool groups offer co-op classes, a student yearbook, a newsletter, a prom, and even sports teams and music groups. If your teen wants to participate in an activity that hasn't already been planned, they can learn a lot by planning it themselves. Once they get involved, they won't have time to worry about what they are missing!
If I had it to do over, would I homeschool my boys? Absolutely! The rapids weren't nearly as big as they looked from a distance, and though it took some fancy paddling from time to time, I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
Janice Campbell homeschooled her four boys all the way through, and there was joy in the journey (though she didn't do all perfectly). She has been speaking and writing to encourage, educate, and equip other moms since the early 1990s.
Don't miss Transcripts Made Easy, a reassuring resource that can help you feel confident that you've covered all your record keeping bases.
]]>I've been collecting education quotes in my commonplace books for nearly a lifetime. I enjoy using them for penmanship practice as well as for simply pondering.
Don't miss our collection of Albert Einstein quotes, too.
Much education today is monumentally ineffective. All too often we are giving young people cut flowers when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants.
— John W. Gardner
Only the educated are free.
— Epictetus
Few have been taught to any purpose who have not been their own teachers.
— Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792)
Education makes people easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern, but impossible to enslave.
— Henry Peter Broughan
The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts.
— C. S. Lewis
Learning without thought is labor lost.
— Confucius
I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.
— Mark Twain
Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.
— Albert Einstein
The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.
— Alvin Toffler
She knows what is the best purpose of education: not to be frightened by the best but to treat it as part of daily life.
— John Mason Brown
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
— Aristotle
Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.
— Oliver Wendell Holmes
Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.
— John Cotton Dana
The most useful piece of learning for the uses of life is to unlearn what is untrue.
— Antisthenes
Get over the idea that only children should spend their time in study. Be a student so long as you still have something to learn, and this will mean all your life.
— Henry L. Doherty
What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
— George Bernard Shaw
In large states public education will always be mediocre, for the same reason that in large kitchens the cooking is usually bad.
— Friedrich Nietzsche
Education would be so much more effective if its purpose were to ensure that by the time they leave school every boy and girl should know how much they don't know, and be imbued with a lifelong desire to know it.
— Sir William Haley
I find four great classes of students: The dumb who stay dumb. The dumb who become wise. The wise who go dumb. The wise who remain wise.
— Martin H. Fischer
A university is what a college becomes when the faculty loses interest in students.
— John Ciardi
Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.
— Will Durant
Education ... has produced a vast population able to read but unable to distinguish what is worth reading.
— G. M. Trevelyan
A well-informed mind is the best security against the contagion of folly and of vice. The vacant mind is ever on the watch for relief, and ready to plunge into error, to escape from the languor of idleness.
— Ann Radcliffe
Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.
— John Cotton Dana
Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty.
— Henry Ford
Good teachers are those who know how little they know. Bad teachers are those who think they know more than they don't know.
— R. Verdi
I am beginning to suspect all elaborate and special systems of education. They seem to me to be built up on the supposition that every child is a kind of idiot who must be taught to think.
— Anne Sullivan
The best of my education has come from the public library... my tuition fee is a bus fare and once in a while, five cents a day for an overdue book. You don't need to know very much to start with, if you know the way to the public library.
— Lesley Conger
Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.
— Jim Rohn
It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated.
— Alec Bourne
Education is that which discloses to the wise and disguises from the foolish their lack of understanding.
— Ambrose Bierce
Getting things done is not always what is most important. There is value in allowing others to learn, even if the task is not accomplished as quickly, efficiently or effectively.
— R.D. Clyde
Education costs money, but then so does ignorance.
— Sir Claus Moser
An educational system isn't worth a great deal if it teaches young people how to make a living but doesn't teach them how to make a life.
— Source Unknown
It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated.
— Alec Bourne, A Doctor's Creed
The best teacher is the one who suggests rather than dogmatizes, and inspires his listener with the wish to teach himself.
— Edward Bulwer-Lytton
An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you know and what you don't.
— Anatole France
Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.
— Chinese Proverb
The pupil can only educate himself. Teachers are the custodians of apparatus upon which he himself must turn and twist to acquire the excellencies that distinguish the better from the poorer of God's vessels.
— Martin H. Fischer
Learning is like rowing upstream: not to advance is to drop back .
vChinese Proverb
The difference between school and life? In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson.”
— Tom Bodett
Does that sound impossible?
Believe it or not, it happens at every Beat-the-Clock Essay Workshop I host. I love to see to see students succeed in doing something challenging, and the BTC essay workshop is designed to make it possible.
It is simple to host a workshop, so if you have a support group, or can assemble 10 or more students for a local workshop or 20 or more students for a workshop that requires travel, you may want to consider hosting a Beat-the-Clock Essay Workshop in your area.
Hosting a workshop is fun and easy, and in return for hosting, you and your student may attend the workshop free. It's not hard — all you need to do is locate a place that will accomodate a group, tell people about the event, collect registrations, and show up!
As a thank-you for hosting, you and your student enjoy the workshop free. I hope you enjoy it!
*Many libraries and churches have suitable rooms available — just call around or network to find a space.A: In order to have enough students for good participation and dialog, we need at least 10 students at local workshops. For non-local workshops, there should be 20 or more. The best workshops we've ever done have been with fairly large groups of teens, with at least a few who enjoyed asking questions, sharing their essays, and participating wholeheartedly. Their enthusiasm seems to be contagious, and we end up with a lively, interactive class, which makes the entire topic more memorable.
Q: How old must students be to attend?A: I do not like to put a specific age requirement on the workshop, because children develop so differently. I've had middle-school students who participated fully, and loved the workshop; and I've had a few high-school students who felt a bit overwhelmed.
For the Beat-the-Clock workshop, if your student reads well, and can write at least three paragraphs in a half hour, he or she is probably physically ready to try the workshop. In addition, though, he or she must be able to consider and analyze abstract ideas such as the causes of happiness or the value of honesty. The problems and essay questions we use are formulated by the creators of the SAT, so they are very similar to what students will encounter on the exams.
Q: I heard that the essay will soon become optional on the SAT. Why do I need to learn to write a timed essay?A: You may see current SAT questions at CollegeBoard.com and current ACT questions at ACTStudent.org. I highly recommend The Official SAT Study Guide (or the ACT guide if you plan to take the ACT) for sample exams and lots of test-taking help.
This is the guide produced by the authors of the SAT, and it offers an accurate preview of what to expect in the real test, plus a look at how the exams are evaluated. It is a huge book — nearly 900 pages — and is reasonably priced at Amazon (I don't suggest getting a used book — they almost always have writing or filled-in tests, and they aren't enough cheaper to be worth it). After taking the essay workshop, if your student follows the instructions and works through each of the eight sample tests, he or she should be well prepared for each of the three sections (math, reading, and writing) on the SAT.
Q: My student has never written an essay before, but she likes to do creative writing. Can she still take the workshop?A: Yes. If a student enjoys other types of writing but has not yet attempted an essay, this workshop can be a good beginning. We cover all the basics of how to answer essay questions, organize ideas, and use relevant examples to illustrate the thesis. If your student needs a solid semester-long course in essay writing, I recommend The Elegant Essay Writing Lessons by Lesha Myers.
Q: What is in the Beat-the-Clock booklet?A: The 30-page handbook contains a complete outline of what we cover in the workshop, plus suggestions for additional resources. It will serve as a reminder of what they learned in the workshop, and as a helpful reference for future writing.
Q: What is the difference between auditing the workshop and taking the full workshop?A: Parents who choose to take the full workshop will receive a handbook, write essays, and ask questions, just as the students do. Auditing parents simply observe
**If you are from another area and are interested a workshop, you can get news of upcoming workshops in my email newsletter, so be sure to sign up.]]>Scroll down to see what workshop attendees have said about their workshop experience!
To schedule a seminar in your area, please see the "How to Host" page (it's very easy to host, and hosts attend at no cost!), and e-mail Support at EverydayEducation.com.
You will also find answers to frequently asked questions on the How to Host page. Watch the newsletter or the DoingWhatMatters.com blog for news of upcoming essay workshops.
"This is one workshop that actually delivers what it promises. I'm going home with many practical tools."
"I have never had a language/writing class with a live teacher, so it was such a help to hear what I have been reading for so long from a living and breathing person. I think this class will continue to benefit me for years to come. Thank you so much. And no, I wouldn't change anything, because you finally made writing fun and interesting."
"I appreciated the realistic basis of experience you brought to the class. The material was well structured, as is the method, but your insight and specific reference the SAT, ACT, and other tests was very helpful."
"I have learned much today from your presentation. As a product of the New York School System of many years ago, I graduated high school not knowing how to write. I did not learn the basics until I was in my twenties. Now into my fifties, your presentation would have been a tremendous asset some decades ago. I know I will, and my daughter will benefit from your teachings. Thank you very much."
"I liked writing the essays. I think it will make it easier for the SAT. The bubble thing helped with getting ideas on paper. The length of the class was good too."
"Thank you so much for traveling here to serve us. I have been so blessed by it. I loved the way you taught so kindly and encouragingly. Although I do not like writing that much, I enjoyed the class."
"The concrete nature of the class was most helpful. I benefitted from the steps, the information the grading criteria, and your coaching on the writing process in general. The actual writing was very helpful."
"I enjoyed this class a LOT! It makes writing essays less intimidating. Thank you so much. Now I know how to truly write an essay."
"You are a very good teacher and really know what you're talking about. Even though I had previously taken the SAT, I did glean more information than I thought I would. Thank you so much. I think your class will help me for my next SAT."
"I found it helpful to be able ask questions and to hear other people's questions and opinions."
"Thank you so much for this workshop! As much as I love to write, I was nervous about the SAT essay. Having done this workshop, I feel better prepared. Practicing writing essays in class was great experience! All the other tips, ideas, and information were wonderful as well!"
"Even though the example 25-minute essays were intimidating, I found the practice very beneficial. The practice essays help teach how to pace the writing process and to get done within 25 minutes. Thank you!"
"You did a great job clearly laying everything out. It was very easy to understand. This was very helpful, and I really enjoyed it."
"The two most helpful aspects of the workshop were the opportunity to write the essays and to have a copy of the Beat-the-Clock Essay Handbook, which looks to be a terrific resource."
]]>The most commonly used grading system in the U.S. uses discrete evaluation in the form of letter grades. Many schools use a GPA (grade-point average) system in combination with letter grades.
There are also many other systems in place. Some schools use a numerical scale of 100 instead of letter grades. Others, including many Montessori schools, eliminate discrete evaluation in favor of pure discursive evaluation.
Since there is no standardized system of grading in the United States, the decision of how to grade is left up to individual schools, universities, and the regulatory authority of the individual states.
At most schools, colleges and universities in the United States, letter grades follow a five-point system, using the letters A, B, C, D and E/F, with A indicating excellent, C indicating average and F indicating failing. Additionally, most schools calculate a student's grade point average (GPA) by assigning each letter grade a number and averaging those numerical values.
Generally, American schools equate an A with a numerical value of 4.0. For most secondary schools, the minimum overall and course passes are both D or D−. Most undergraduate schools require a 2.0, or C average to obtain a degree with a minimum of D or D− to pass a course, and most graduate schools require a 3.0 (B) average to take a degree, with C or C− being the lowest grade for course credit.
Whereas most American graduate schools use four-point grading (A, B, C, and E/F), several—mostly in the west, especially in California—do award D grades but still require a B average for degree qualification. Some American graduate schools use nine- or ten-point grading scales. In a handful of states, GPA scales can go above 4.0.
The percentage needed in any given course to achieve a certain grade and the assignment of GPA point values varies from school to school, and sometimes between instructors within a given school. The most common grading scales for normal courses and honors/Advanced Placement courses are as follows:
|
"Normal" courses |
Honors/AP courses |
||
Grade |
Percentage |
GPA |
Percentage |
GPA |
A |
90-100 |
3.67–4.00 |
94-100 |
4.5–5.0 |
B |
80-89 |
2.67–3.66 |
87-93 |
3.5–4.49 |
C |
70–79 |
1.67–2.66 |
80-86 |
2.5–3.49 |
D |
60-69 |
0.67–1.66 |
75-79 |
1.5-2.49 |
E / F |
0-59 |
0.0–0.66 |
0–74 |
0.0–1.49 |
Some states may use an alternate grading scale such as the following which is commonly used.
Grade |
Percentage |
A |
92–100 |
B |
84-91 |
C |
76-83 |
D |
68-75 |
E/F |
0–67 |
Whether a school uses E or F to indicate a failing grade typically depends on time and geography. Around the time of World War II, several states began to use E, while the majority of the country continued to use the F, which traces to the days of Pass/Fail grading (P and F). In recent years, some schools have begun using an N for failing grades, presumably to represent "No Credit". Another letter used to represent a failing grade is U, representing "unsatisfactory."
Chromatic variants ("+" and " − ") are used. In most 100-point grading systems, the letter grade without variants is centered around a value ending in five. The "plus" variant is then assigned the values near the nine digit and the "minus" variant is assigned the values near zero. Any decimal values are usually rounded.
Thus, a score of 80 to 82 is a B−, a score 83 to 87 is a B and a score of 87 to 89 is a B+. The four-point GPA scale, the letter grade without variants is assigned to the integer. The "plus" and "minus" variants are then assigned to .3 above the integer and .3 below the integer, respectively. Thus, a B is equal to 3.0, a B+ is equal to 3.3, and a B− is equal to 2.7.
The A range is often treated as a special case. In most American schools, a 4.00 is regarded as perfect and the highest GPA one can achieve. Thus, an A, being the prime grade, achieves the mark of a 4.00; for the A+ mark, most schools still assign a value of 4.00, equivalent to the A mark, to prevent deviation from the standard 4.00 GPA system.
However, the A+ mark, then, becomes a mark of distinction that has no impact on the student's GPA. A few schools, however, do assign grade values of 4.33 or 4.30; but the scale is still called "4.0", because grading scales (or "quality indices") take their numerical names from the highest whole number.
In many American high schools, students may also score above 4.0 if taking advanced, honors, Advanced Placement, or International Baccalaureate classes (for example, a "regular" A would be worth four points, but an A earned in an advanced class might be worth 4.5 or 5 points towards the GPA.).
This is called a weighted GPA and is designed to reward students for taking more advanced courses. Although weighting GPAs is a widespread practice in the United States, there is little research into whether weighted GPAs are better than unweighted GPAs. In one study, weighted GPAs were not suitable for predicting any college outcomes, but unweighted GPA were strong predictors of college GPA.
You'll find more information about grades and transcripts in the fourth edition of Transcripts Made Easy, Janice Campbell's classic resource for homeschooling through high school.
There has been dispute over how colleges should look at grades from previous schools and high schools because one grade in one part of the country might not be the equivalent of a grade in another part of the country. In other words, an "A" might be 90–100 somewhere, and a 94–100 somewhere else.
Calculating a GPA
In middle and high schools that do not use a system based on academic credit, the grade point average is computed by taking the mean of all grades. In colleges and universities that use discrete evaluation, the grade-point average is calculated by multiplying the quantitative values by the credit value of the correlative course, and then dividing the total by the sum of all credits.
For example:
Class |
Credits |
Grade |
Grade Points |
Speech 101 |
3 |
A |
3 × 4.0 = 12.0 |
Biology 102 |
4 |
B+ |
4 × 3.3 = 13.2 |
History 157 |
3 |
B− |
3 × 2.7 = 8.1 |
Physical Education 104 |
1 |
C |
1 × 2.0 = 2.0 |
In a standards-based grading system, a performance standard is set by a committee based on ranking anchor papers and grading rubrics, which demonstrate performance which is below, meeting, or exceeding the "standard.”
This standard is intended to be a high level of performance, which must be met by every student regardless of ability. Levels are generally assigned numbers between zero and four. Writing papers may be graded separately on content (discussion) and conventions (spelling and grammar).
Since grading is not based on a curve distribution, it is entirely possible to achieve a grading distribution in which all students pass and meet the standard. While such grading is generally used only for assessments, they have been proposed for alignment with classroom grading.
However, in practice, grading can be much more severe than traditional letter grades. Even after ten years, some states, such as Washington, continue to evaluate over half of their students as "below standard" on the state mathematics assessment.
Here is another example of a commonly used grading scale, currently in place at Wayzata High School in Plymouth, Minnesota. The Grade Point Average is not the traditional four-point scale, but uses the 12-point scale for unweighted classes and the 15-point scale for weighted classes:
Grade |
Percentage |
A+ |
96.50–100.00 |
A |
92.50–96.49 |
A− |
89.50–92.49 |
B+ |
86.50–89.49 |
B |
82.50–86.49 |
B− |
79.50–82.49 |
C+ |
76.50–79.49 |
C |
72.50–76.49 |
C− |
69.50–72.49 |
D+ |
66.50–69.49 |
D |
62.50–66.49 |
D− |
59.50–62.49 |
F |
0.00–59.49 |
The 12-point GPA scale works as follows. Students receive 12 points for an A or A+, 11 points for an A−, 10 points for a B+, etc. for each grading period. Once a grading period is complete, the student's total grade points are divided by the total number of credits and a GPA is generated.
For example, here is one term of grades and a grade point average from a student whose school uses the 86-minute block schedule (such as Wayzata High School):
Math 4X (1 credit) |
95.06/A = 12 Grade Points |
Chemistry X (1 credit) |
87.39/B+ = 10 Grade Points |
Symphonic Band (1 credit) |
99.76/A+ = 12 Grade Points |
AP United States History (1 credit) |
92.57/A− = 11 Grade Points |
Total |
45 Grade Points/4 Credits = 11.25 GPA (Slightly better than A−, equivalent to 3.75) |
Standards-based grading
Standards-based grading is a well-known practice of assessment. It provides students with learning expectations and an in depth way of evaluation students. It is not the most common assessment method but it provides students with developmental feedback. Researchers have determined that students who were previously exposed to standards-based grading reflected higher performance.
Alternative grading methods
Alternative grading methods over a diverse way of assessing student progress. Recent studies reveal that alternative grading methods may lead to more applicable growth opportunities for students' overtime. These methods can include portfolios, narrative evaluations, contract grading, developmental meetings and verbal feedback. These methods provide insight to evaluation methods and emphasize student progress and improvement.Some alternative grading methods include contract grading, the Waldorf assessment style, and narrative evaluation.
Contract grading emphasizes learning behaviors. Most students are accepting of contract grading; however, the data shows that less than half of students noted they found it helpful and less stressful than letter grades. Most students that dislike this method were advanced students and found the process to be repetitive.
The Waldorf assessment style consists of developmental meetings and an evaluation letter. Waldorf grading methods focused more on what they were learning rather than how well each student applied it. It emphasizes positive feedback and progress. Some people may label it as unstructured, others may describe it as a personalized and relaxed style of learning and assessment. Waldorf philosophy strongly reiterates the growth and improvement of the students.
Narrative evaluation can be defined as detailed written feedback (as distinguished from a Charlotte Mason-style verbal narration). Studies show that over half of students like narrative evaluation, as it focuses on improvement and provides personal detail of how students have grown. It allows for more personalized feedback and eliminates the competitive nature of students to compare themselves to their classmates.
This article adapted on 1/22/20 from a detailed article on international grading systems at Wikipedia.org. Please refer to the original article for up to date information on grading scales for many different countries.
When the child has gained skill in copying and narration, it is time to begin working with dictation. If you prefer to work with carefully planned and sequenced lessons, there are several good writing curricula such as Imitations in Writing and Language Arts Through Literature that use dictation as a foundation.
Otherwise, you can simply choose a brief verse, rhyme, or quotation from a good book. Have the child study it, then dictate it to him/her. Read each sentence only once to ensure close attention, and allow plenty of time for writing.
When the brief passage has been written, go over the paper with the child and help him to compare the written passage with the original. At first, you may be surprised to discover that the neat, careful handwriting the child has developed has almost completely disappeared!
As the child turns his attention to capturing on paper words he cannot see, he will be distracted from his former focus on careful letter formation. Don't be alarmed — this is normal and with encouragement and practice will soon correct itself.
Continue practice with dictation, increasing the length and difficulty of the dictation pieces until you feel that the child has mastered the skills involved. Once the student is comfortable with dictation, he will be able to use writing as means of communication, not only in birthday lists and captions for his drawings, but also for letters and stories.
If you would like to provide supplemental practice in recognizing and correcting errors in punctuation and grammar, Fix-it Grammar from IEW or the Editor-in-Chief series can be helpful. Older students will be able to refer to a writer's handbook such as the Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers as they learn to evaluate their own writing.
Next to the doing of things that deserve to be written, there is nothing that gets a man more credit, or gives him more pleasure than to write things that deserve to be read. Pliny the Younger (circa A.D. 62-113)
The essence of writing is to know your subject. David McCullough (1933-)
Once your child has achieved fluency in copying (penmanship), narration (mental organization, sequencing, word choice), and dictation (spelling, punctuation, proofreading), he is ready to add the skill of composition.
This is the writing stage in which the student pulls together all the skills he or she has learned, and applies them to either creative or expository writing. Creative writing includes the composition of poetry, stories, and personal essays.
Expository writing includes reports and articles, essays, and other non-fiction writing. The composition stage begins earlier for some children than for others, especially for students who have had extensive narration practice. Most students will be working composition by the middle grades.
"About this time I met with an odd volume of the Spectator - I thought the writing excellent, and wished, if possible, to imitate it. With this view I took some of the papers, and, making short hints of the sentiment in each sentence laid them by a few days, and then, without looking at the book, try'd to compleat the papers again, by expressing each hinted sentiment at length, and as fully as it had been expressed before, in any suitable words that should come hand.
Then I compared my Spectator with the original, discovered some of my faults, and corrected them. But I found I wanted a stock of words, or a readiness in recollecting and using them. Therefore I took some of the tales and turned then into verse; and, after a time, when I had pretty well forgotten the prose, turned them back again.
I also sometimes jumbled my collections of hints into confusion, and after some weeks endeavored to reduce them into the best order, before I began to form the full sentences and compleat the paper.
This was to teach me method in the arrangement of thoughts. By comparing my work afterwards with the original, I discovered many faults and amended them; but I sometimes had the pleasure of fancying that, in certain particulars of small import, I had been lucky enough to improve the method or the language" (35).Franklin apparently pursued his self-education in writing during his early teens, and this is a reasonable age for students with a strong foundation in reading and dictation to begin working with more challenging assignments. You can read more about it on Excellence in Literature. There are several points to remember when teaching the composition stage of writing:
Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell. William Strunk, Jr. (1869-1946) From The Elements of Style.
The evaluation process is very important in helping the student learn to write. Constructive, consistent feedback helps students understand what is expected and how to achieve it.
I recommend using a writer's handbook such as the Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers (for older students) or Writer's Inc. (for younger students) and age-appropriate rubrics to evaluate writing and to help develop self-editing skills.
Evaluate Writing the Easy Way is a short (32 pages) little booklet that teaches basic evaluation skills. Parents can improve their evaluation skills by reading extensively and referring to a writer's handbook for any questions of grammar, style, and usage.
If you are not comfortable with your skill in evaluation, you may be able to find another homeschool mom or a friendly English major to evaluate your student's work and provide feedback. Ben Franklin apparently evaluated his own writing, using published writing as a standard of comparison, and students can learn to do that too.
Students raised on model-based writing practices such as copywork understand that it is wise to begin a writing project by studying a model of the type of paper that is expected. It is simply common sense that a student who can see examples of a compare/contrast essay, for example, will be much better able to write one than a student who has not studied a model.
The more a student reads, the better he or she will write, no matter what the form. You can also seize the opportunity to improve your own skills, and learn to discern good writing by reading books such as On Writing Well by William Zinsser and Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White.
Writing is the most permanent form of communication, and when you take the time to improve your own skills, you demonstrate to your students that you believe writing is important. (As always, Amazon links are affiliate links — full disclosure in the footer).
The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.
Finally, remember that the process of teaching writing does not begin with composition, but with reading. Without adequate input — stories, poetry, essays, fiction, nonfiction — all of it, a student cannot be expected to produce quality output. In order to avoid frustrating students and causing them to feel that they hate writing, you must provideIt is just as difficult to wring water from a dry sponge as it is to extract meaningful writing from a child who has not been saturated in the written word. As a homeschool parent, you have the opportunity to gently shepherd your child into a world of literary delight as you teach your child to write, so relax and enjoy the process. You can do it!
Be sure to visit our shop where you can see Excellence in Literature, the EIL Handbook for Writers (an indispensable guide to writing), Evaluate Writing the Easy Way, and more.
]]>Writing — the art of communicating thoughts to the mind, through the eye — is the great invention of the world. Great, very great in enabling us to converse with the dead, the absent, and the unborn, at all distances of time and space; and great not only in its direct benefits, but greatest help to all other inventions. Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
I have often been asked why students, especially young children, seem to dislike writing assignments. After talking with the parent, I often find that it is a case of "too much, too soon."
Parents often feel that if child can read fluently, he should also be able to write fluently. However, reading and writing require different mental processes and motor skills. Reading is primarily a mental process of decoding and comprehending words that have been put together by someone else, but writing is much more complex.
Not only must the student be able to comprehend words, he must draw upon his own limited knowledge or experience for a subject, organize his thoughts, choose appropriate words (and try to spell them correctly), and use his budding penmanship skills to put it all on paper.
It's no wonder that children are overwhelmed by the task! Here is a simple, model-based sequence of activities you can follow in order to teach your child to write. I hope you find it helpful.
How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live! Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
It is necessary that children learn to write, but when should they be taught, and how? The timing varies for each child, depending on his mental and physical maturity level and his home life. A child who grows up in a home where books hold a place of honor, playing outside is a normal part of life, and screens are simply tools used only when needed is likely to be light-years ahead of a child who doesn't have that advantage.
Children who see their parents read and write for pleasure are likely to imitate them at a very young age, thereby increasing their readiness to read. Parents who spend time in conversation, enjoy a variety of creative pursuits, interact with nature, and read aloud with the family, are modeling a well-rounded life and providing a content-rich atmosphere and the type of sensory input that will help the children write with vividness, depth, and insight.
Laura Ingalls Wilder is a wonderful example of the effectiveness of this "life-style learning." She was able to translate her rich childhood experience into prose that brings that period of history to life. I doubt that she wasted much of her childhood filling out workbooks and answering often-trivial comprehension questions.
Even though life in the twenty-first century is very different from the life recorded in Little House on the Prairie, the requirements for developing writing ability are the same for our children as they were for Wilder or any other writer.
Children need exposure to good, age-appropriate literature early in life, conversation and interaction with adults, personal experience with nature, time alone for developing thoughts, and much penmanship practice so that lack of fluency does not limit creative expression. Ideally, all these things (except penmanship practice) will be part of a child's life from the day he is born.
The Six Golden Rules of Writing: Read, read, read, and write, write, write. Ernest Gaines (1996)
Even if reading and conversation haven't been a regular part of your home life, it's never too late to unplug the television and begin reading aloud and discussing good books with your child.
This is the vital first phase of writing instruction — the construction of a sound foundation of literary experience — and ideally it should last from birth through high school, and even beyond, if the family enjoys it. Hearing good literature read aloud does several things:
Reading aloud is foundational, but if for some reason it is not possible to do it regularly, at least provide your family with audiobooks. These can be borrowed from the library, rented, or purchased. Thousands of titles are available, including fiction, biography, poetry, and non-fiction.
Professionally recorded audiobooks usually have the added benefit of being read expressively and with clear diction. This not only keeps a child's interest, but it also helps with comprehension. Listening to audiobooks can also provide a model for correct pronunciation of challenging words. When students have heard big words or unfamiliar names in an audiobook, they are more likely to recognize those words in print and even be able to spell them more easily.
We are what we write. Michael Wood (1995)
Most children launch naturally into the second phase of writing instruction with very little prompting from the parent. Fingers clenched around a fat pencil, they work hard to copy the letters of their name, or a title for the drawing they have just created.
At this stage, you will often hear, "Mommy, can you write [something] for me?" as they realize that letters put together in a certain order mean something. This is also the stage when they will want to re-tell (often at great length) a story you have read or they have heard on tape. Copying and re-telling, often called narration, are critical to the development of writing skills, as they develop many of the mental processes necessary to good writing.
Copywork
True ease in writing comes from art, not chance, As those who move easiest who have learn'd to dance. Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
The importance of copying is often underestimated, and it is discarded as soon as a child is able to write a few words on his own. This is unfortunate, for frequent copying of well-written sentences or paragraphs provides several benefits:The easiest way to approach copying is to use a piece of the child's lined paper - I like the size of the lined paper designed for third and fourth graders - and write a sentence, verse, or quotation, using the style of printing you want your child to learn.
Skip a line between each line that you write, so that the child can form his letters directly beneath yours. This is much more practical than simply writing line after line of the same letter. It allows the child to see and copy proper letter and word spacing as well as proper letter formation, capitalization, and punctuation. Do this daily until the child is able to copy neatly and easily — a stage that girls sometimes reach earlier than boys. Consistent, patient practice with short lessons is the key to success.
If you have excellent penmanship in the style you want your children to learn, you can make copywork pages by writing on lined paper and skipping every other line. Children would then copy under your line of writing.
For printing, I recommend learning the italic style of writing, a beautiful and natural style. I made a lot of copywork by hand in this style for our boys and used Perfect Reading, Beautiful Handwriting as they grew older. For cursive writing, a handwriting program such as CursiveLogic by Linda Shrewsbury is an excellent, easy-to-use program. More on this stage of writing: Charlotte Mason on Copywork at DoingWhatMatters.com.
Writing and speaking, when carefully performed, may be reciprocally beneficial, as it appears that by writing we speak with great accuracy, and by speaking we write with great ease. Quintilian (circa A.D. 35- 100)
During this stage of learning, you can use narration to begin working on the writing readiness skills of thought organization and sequencing. Read a story to your child and have him re-tell or narrate it back to you in sequence.
Charlotte Mason, the nineteenth-century educator whose methods work beautifully for homeschooling, used retelling as a major learning tool and a means of evaluation. After a child listens to a story he chooses those parts that seem the most important, mentally organizes them, and chooses the words with which to narrate the story back to you.
Narration is simply a form of oral composition. Just as writing helps an adult or older student detect gaps in his or her knowledge, so narration helps younger students to discover their strengths and weaknesses in listening and comprehension. Experienced Charlotte Mason educator, Karen Glass, has written and outstanding book on narration, Know and Tell, which provides examples, a scope and sequence, and much more.
Once a child has mastered the skills required for verbal narration, he will find it much easier to move into written narration than a child who has never had to organize and focus his thoughts in order to convey specific meaning.
Building a home library is an important step in helping children learn to read, and used books are a very inexpensive way to begin. Enjoy!
]]>Many years of teaching and learning taught me that homeschool planning and record-keeping tools had to be simple and streamlined, and (preferably) easy to carry. The Peaceful Planning system closely resembles the simple records I created when we were homeschooling except that the original versions were hand drawn in a notebook. I hope you'll find these little booklets a helpful tool for peaceful planning.
High School Requirements Worksheet (PDF)
12-Year Planner booklet (for you)
1” binder (for you)
Calendar or Personal Planner
1 K-8 Student Record and/or High School Student Record booklets
1 Personal Reading Log or other reading journal
1 expandable pocket folder (2” size works well)
1 large 3-ring binder with tabs (the 12-year cumulative record)
[Links to binder and folder examples are affiliate links, of course; see details at the bottom of each page.]
Before the school year starts, set aside a planning week or weekend (a quiet getaway is ideal, but not always doable).
After the first year, the planning process will be shorter, as the K-12 Planner is already filled out, and you can re-use your planning binder and student folders indefinitely. You will end up doing numbers 1, 3, and 5-10 each year, and it will become simpler and smoother every time you do it. When your student reaches high school, you will continue the same process, and use the High School Record to create a transcript (Transcripts Made Easy can help with the mechanics of making the document). Planning truly can be peaceful!
Using the 12-Year Planner, sketch out an overview of what you plan to cover each year. Use a pencil, as this is the draft of a plan — not a record. As you work through each year and see which resources work well, you can write them in more permanently. For now, this is just a working document that will help you see the big picture of what you plan to cover and when it will happen.
If you are just beginning, don’t feel as if you need to fill out the whole thing at once. It is intended to be something that you add to and update throughout the homeschooling years. If you already partway through the homeschool journey, just note what you’ve already done, and sketch out what needs to be done in the remaining years. This simply means identifying what areas of history, literature, science, math, and the arts you will cover in each year. Doing this will help you create an overall plan that not only meets requirements, but will also prepare your student for the next stage of life.
As you look forward to each new school year, photocopy or print from online the table of contents from each major resource you plan to use. Use a highlighter or pencil to note which chapters or lessons you plan to cover. Place these in the Yearly Plan binder.
On your personal planner (here's the planner I have used for years) or wall calendar, pencil in the range of lesson or chapter numbers you hope to do each week or month. I would suggest that planning four school days worth of lessons is probably realistic, even if you teach for five days. You are teaching children, not books, and it sometimes takes longer than a day to fully understand a concept or complete an assignment.
Keep a few work samples: Through the course of the year, add a few work samples from each subject area into each student’s pocket folder. The goal is to have representative samples from the beginning, middle, and end of the school year in order to demonstrate progress.
A 2” pocket folder is usually adequate for one year's worth of classes, but they are available in sizes up to 3.5” deep. To keep your record-keeping simple, remember the Peaceful Planning suggestion to save just enough so that you're not overwhelmed with too much stuff when it is time to add notes to the student record booklets.
At the beginning of the school year, use the appropriate Student Record booklet to briefly record what the student will be studying—including primary books, curriculum, and activities. If you’ve filled out the 12-Year Planner, you can simply transfer basic information to the Student Record, and add additional details.
At the end of each semester or year, sort and review the work samples in the student’s folder. Write a few brief progress notes for each subject on the Student Record, and for high school Class Profiles, add the date the course was completed and a grade.
You will need a large binder for each student, as this will become an easy-to-reference cumulative file. It will contain representative work samples, and the Student Record booklets can be stored in the inside cover pocket. Tab numbers correspond to grades, and the extra tabs can be used for things like book lists, standardized test results, or copies of any official documentation you are required to file for your student.
Returning to the work samples in the folder, choose 2-3 from each subject, and add to the cumulative binder behind the tab that corresponds to the student’s grade. You’ll have 12-18 samples from each year, which should provide a simple overview of educational progress. If you prefer to keep the record digitally, just scan the chosen samples and save to a file in the Google Drive or Dropbox. If you want to create a really interesting souvenir of your student’s work, bind it into a paperback or hardbound book. If nothing else, it will amuse your grandchildren when they reach school age.
(*This used to be called the Lifetime Reading List.)
The widely-extended approval and patronage bestowed upon the Eclectic Educational Series for several years past, have given to them a constantly increasing demand. Their sale is not equaled by that of any other School Books in the United States. Such approval renders it the duty and privilege of the Publishers to sustain and increase their usefulness, by such improvements as are demanded by educational progress. With this view, McGuffey’s Eclectic Readers have been entirely remodeled. Such lessons as discriminating practical teachers had found the least interesting, have been removed, and others, with large additions—especially of primary matter— have been introduced into the Series. A careful attention to progression, by which the learner is led forward, step by step, along an easy gradation; a pure moral and religious sentiment, inculcated in interesting and instructive lessons; a neat typography and handsome style of publication, render them the best class-books for reading in the English language, and, at their very low prices, the cheapest. From the Fourth Reader, p. 4.
First Reader • Second Reader • Third Reader
Set of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd readers
]]>First Reader • Second Reader • Third Reader
Fourth Reader • Fifth Reader • Sixth Reader
First Reader • Second Reader • Third Reader
Set of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd readers
]]>The student is expected to write the words on a slate or blackboard, as well. In the early readers, words are presented with a hyphen between syllables so there is no guesswork as to where syllables fall. Throughout the curriculum, McGuffey seems to intend that individual reading and spelling practice should be in the context of sentences, rather than lists, which seems consistent with classical principles.
Spelling words were usually practiced by spelling and reciting together, then tested by individual recitation. This multi-sensory approach helped students to become intimately familiar with the look and sound of each individual letter and letter combination.
In addition, oral recitations in a multi-grade classroom meant that students who struggled with reading or spelling would hear words spelled and pronounced many times, automatically providing repetition that would help them become better spellers. Advanced students who listened to upper grade recitations were often able to move ahead as they proved themselves capable, just as they can in a homeschool setting.
McGuffey's method of teaching spelling is particularly effective for auditory learners, because students are hearing each part of the word, and then the whole, repeatedly spelled and pronounced.
However, Charlotte Mason suggests that spelling is principally a visual activity. She reminds parents that ‘the gift of spelling depends upon the power the eye possesses to 'take' (in a photographic sense) a detailed picture of a word.” If you have ever looked at a word and said, "That looks wrong," it is because your eye had at some point taken a mental snapshot of the correctly spelled word.
Auditory and kinesthetic learners are less likely to to have strong visual word images, so McGuffey's method adds auditory input, which strengthens the learning process. For kinesthetic learners, you may add an additional sensory element.
For some students, the drag of chalk on a chalkboard, particularly with large letters, can help to connect the shape and sound to the spelling of a word. A whiteboard does not have the same effect — its surface is too slick, providing no friction and almost guaranteeing ugly writing.
Other options for a kinesthetic learner include spelling in the air using full-arm motions; spelling in a tray of sand, rice, or wheat; spelling with magnetic letters; or spelling with puzzles or songs.
To teach spelling for all learning types, Miss Mason suggests that parents and teachers take care that students do not spend time looking at misspelled words, as doing so will result in lasting confusion. She states, “Once the eye sees a misspelt word, that image remains; and if there is also the image of the word rightly spelt, we are perplexed as to which is which . . . It becomes, therefore, the teacher's business to prevent false spelling, and, if an error has been made, to hide it away, as it were, so that the impression may not become fixed.”
Just as a banker studies real currency in order to not be deceived by a forgery, it is essential that students study only correctly spelled words until spelling them becomes second nature. (Charlotte Mason quotes excerpted from Home Education, pp. 240-243)
First Reader • Second Reader • Third Reader
Fourth Reader • Fifth Reader • Sixth Reader
Definitely not! Her schools were designed for students from grades 1-12, and the course of study is quite rigorous. A student who has studied with the Charlotte Mason is well-prepared for life and study beyond high school.
It would take hours to list them all, but here are some I find most compelling000.
- First, teaching is done in ways that respect the child's intellect and nourish his/her spirit.
- There is no talking down to students, so they are able to study in genuinely interesting ways.
- Teachers are encouraged to practice "masterly inactivity" so that the student's brain is the one that must actively work to learn.
- Teaching is not just about learning facts to pass a test, but it's about understanding the world and being able to clearly communicate that understanding.
- Teachers are encouraged to let great minds speak directly to students through their books without being tempted to jump in with explanations, questions, or comments.
- Vocabulary and thinking skills grow by leaps and bounds through exposure to excellent books and the act of narration.
- Lessons are age-appropriately short in the early years, lengthening (again age-appropriately) as the students mature.
- The books you buy are excellent, interesting (and usually inexpensive) books that can be read, re-read, and passed down to your children.
- Lessons do not require expensive, disposable workbooks or unhealthy amounts of screen time.
- The study of science and geography begins with direct observation in nature, which is most effective.
- Study of art and music is woven into the curriculum in interesting and easily managed small bites.
- Outdoor time is part of the educational experience, not something pushed aside in order to slog through more desk work.
- A CM education helps students develop healthy habits of mind, body, and character.
- A CM education develops large and small motor skills, focused attention, and other things necessary for learning and leading a healthy life.
- A CM education is rigorous and academic, and it's also fun.
CM teaching is different (in a good way) from the usual sort of teaching in institutional schools. In a CM day, the school day is short, focused, and interesting because appropriately challenging materials are presenting using developmentally appropriate methods and lesson lengths.
- The primary job of the teacher is to cultivate an atmosphere, discipline, and life that makes learning not just possible, but almost inevitable.
- A secondary task is to introduce students to passionate experts through the medium of excellent books, also referred to as living books. These are books that can be read, re-read, and enjoyed for generations.
- One of the joys of the CM way of teaching and learning is that you can enjoy learning too, which is much better than dragging through something that feels like dismal drudgery.
- If you're already locked into another program or teaching method (at least temporarily), you may be able to improve it by implanting at least a few CM methods or materials.
Classical and CM students study many of the same books and share a focus on growing in wisdom and virtue. I would describe the primary practical difference as one of focus. A classical education focuses primarily on the education of the mind (head) while a Charlotte Mason education addresses the whole child — head, heart, and hand. Mason begins with consideration of the child and how learning actually happens; classical education begins with a vision of passing on the culture and proceeds from there. If you'd like to know more about how these two approaches intersect, you might enjoy Karen Glass's Consider This.
I didn't do it perfectly at all, yet my boys learned well, and more importantly, have continued to love learning into adulthood. When I began homeschooling, most of the resources listed on the Charlotte Mason page were not available and I was patching a variety of things together. Through endless reading (from my childhood library of living books and books from the library, thrift stores, and yard sales) and a good bit of trial and error, I learned what worked and what didn't. When I finally encountered Charlotte Mason, I knew I'd found a way of teaching and learning that would grow with us.
In every area in which I was able to implement her ideas and curriculum, they worked very, very well. As I'm watching my grandchildren learn from the beginning with CM books and methods, I see that these methods when fully implemented, produce something beautiful. Even if you're starting late or trying to recover from a bad school situation, you can jump into CM and you and your family can benefit.
Yes. All of the original content, and only the original content is included. Page numbers even match the original pink editions! I chose to offer the Living Books Press editions from Australia because it is important that parents have access to good quality editions of these important books, and I wanted to offer an edition that did not in any way infringe on the copyright or creative work of anyone else. As a bonus, these books are beautifully typeset with ample margins and nice-quality binding, and the cost is as low as possible so that they will be accessible for virtually any budget.
Note: I participate in affiliate programs from Amazon and other retailers. If a link opens to a purchase page on another site and you choose to purchase something from the site, I receive a tiny percentage of the sale price. It doesn't affect your cost, but helps to keep this website going. Thank you!
]]>I am occasionally asked whether Kindle or other e-reader versions of the classics will work as well as the print versions. I know that digital books can be cheap and convenient, but I usually recommend print books for literature study.
There is a body of research that seems to indicate that print is superior, particularly for learning. This is not the only factor to consider, but it is a place to start. Here are a few articles to consider as you decide between print or ebook format.
The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens
Science Has Great News for People Who Read Actual Books
Why Young Readers Need Real Books by Maura Roan McKeegan
The Medium is the Medium by David Brooks
Readers absorb less on Kindles than on paper, study finds
Serious reading takes a hit from online scanning and skimming, researchers say
Michael Hyatt on "Why I’ve Put eBooks on the Shelf"
Children's and Young People's Reading in 2013
It’s "digital heroin": How screens turn kids into psychotic junkies
You won't remember this article, or anything else you read online, unless you print it out
The choice between print or Kindle is yours, of course, and students using an electronic version will still profit from using Excellence in Literature. Beyond the question of print or Kindle edition, there are other things to consider when choosing book formats.
Quality of text and supporting material: Although many of the oldest classics are available free on Kindle, they often come without a helpful introduction or reader's notes and have not been carefully checked for scanning errors.
Quality of translation: In Excellence in Literature, we read a significant number of works in translation, including Homer's Odyssey, Dante's Divine Comedy, Cervantes' Don Quixote, and others. The quality of the translation significantly affects the understandability and enjoyability of the work. I have selected translations I feel are particularly clear or beautiful, and most are available in both print and digital formats.
I have long recommended using an audiobook version for works that were originally composed to be told orally. Epic poems such as Beowulf, the Odyssey, and the Aeneid were written to be heard, and can often be best appreciated by ear. Audiobooks can also be useful for auditory learners and students who have learning difficulties. Listening to a book can help students see the big picture in a lengthy or complex work, and can often lead to a deeper understanding of underlying themes.
One caution — avid readers who immerse deeply in a book may find the audio format distracting or frustrating, so remember to be sensitive to learning preferences. Many students find it easier to absorb audiobooks when their hands are busy, so reading time can be a good opportunity to practice drawing, do handwork, construct with Legos, or other hands-on activities.
Most classics are available in audio format, and you will often have a choice between readers. A great reader can bring even the most challenging text to life, and a mediocre reader can sometimes spoil it.
Our family has a longstanding account with Audible.com, and when choosing an audiobook, we always listen to samples of each available reader in order to choose one whose voice and pacing fit the poem, play, or novel. Just as drama is most powerful when seen in performance, poetry is often most powerful when heard. Feel free to choose the format that best fits the poem, play, or story in each module.
One of my primary goals with Excellence in Literature is to have students finish the year loving literature (or at least some of the books they've read). Consider your student's learning style and reading ability, the studies referenced here, and each classic work itself, and choose the format or edition that you believe will work best.
Amazon, Kindle, and Fire are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Any links to Amazon are likely to be affiliate links.
]]>Each of the World Literature texts below is linked to my preferred editions (here's my criteria for a good edition) at Amazon. These are affiliate links, of course — that means I get a few cents from each book purchase, but it doesn't change your cost at all. You can learn more about the entire curriculum at the Excellence in Literature curriculum home page.
Although these are my preferred editions of the World Literature texts, if you already own a different edition, you may use it as long as it is not abridged. The first book listed for each module is the Focus Text, and is the primary book that will be studied. The book or books listed as "Honors" are optional.
Honors: The Iliad by Homer
.The Burial at Thebes: A Version of Sophocles’ Antigone by Seamus Heaney
Honors: Oedipus Rex by Sophocles (included in the same volume as Antigone)
.Honors: Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans by Plutarch
.Honors: Paradiso and/or Purgatorio by Dante
OR Confessions by Augustine of Hippo
.Honors: The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
.Honors: The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo
OR Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville
.Honors: The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
.Honors: The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis (if you didn’t read it in English II) AND The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde
OR Frankenstein by Mary Shelley or Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe
. Module 9: Out of Africa and “Babette’s Feast” by Isak DinesenHonors: Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life by C.S. Lewis
Visit my blog to read about how I chose the literature for Excellence in Literature. This link will open in a new tab, so you don't have to worry about losing your place here. .
The Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers is a reference book that includes instructions on how to construct logical arguments (theses), write essays, and work with grammar, punctuation, and style. 420 pages, paperback.
Evaluate Writing the Easy Way is another small resource that can help you learn how to evaluate your student's work.
]]>In British Literature, students will study nine full-length works of fiction, including prose, poetry, and drama, as well as associated context resources. Students who choose the Honors option will read eighteen full-length works of fiction, including prose, poetry, drama, and more. A brief chapter in the study guide provides instructions for the additional writing that will round out the honors grade.
Each of the British Literature texts below is linked to my preferred edition at Amazon (my criteria for a good edition). The book links are affiliate links, of course — that means I get a few cents from each book purchase, but it doesn’t change your cost at all (full disclosure at the bottom of the page. You can learn more about the entire curriculum at the Excellence in Literature curriculum home page.
Honors: The Dream of the Rood and Caedmon’s Hymn or The Battle of Malden from The First Poems in English
Honors: Piers Plowman by William Langland
(You may choose the J. R. R. Tolkien translation of Sir Gawain if you prefer.)
Honors: Le Morte d’Arthur by Thomas Malory
Honors: Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Honors: Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan (if not read in English I)
OR The Temple by George Herbert (Poetry Collection)
Honors: Persuasion or other novel by Jane Austen
OR Middlemarch by George Eliot
Honors: Oliver Twist OR David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
OR Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
Honors: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
OR Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (if you did not read it in English I) OR Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Honors: Space Trilogy by C. S. Lewis (1–Out of the Silent Planet, 2–Perelandra, and 3–That Hideous Strength)
The Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers is a reference book that includes instructions on how to construct logical arguments (theses), write essays, and work with grammar, punctuation, and style. 420 pages, paperback.
Evaluate Writing the Easy Way is a brief, inexpensive resource that can help you learn to evaluate your student's writing.
]]>Each of the American Literature texts below is linked to my preferred edition at Amazon (you can read my criteria for a good edition). These are affiliate links, of course — that means I get a few cents from each book purchase, but it doesn't change your cost at all. You can learn more about the entire curriculum at the Excellence in Literature curriculum home page.
Honors: A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
Visit my blog to read about how I chose the literature for Excellence in Literature. This link will open in a new tab, so you don't have to worry about losing your place here. .
Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers
The Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers is a reference book that includes instructions on how to construct logical arguments (theses), write essays, and work with grammar, punctuation, and style. 420 pages, paperback.
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In Literature and Composition, students will study nine full-length works of fiction and six short stories. Students who choose the Honors option will read eighteen full-length works of fiction and twelve short stories. A brief chapter in the study guide provides instructions for the additional writing that will round out the honors grade.
Each of the Literature and Composition texts below is linked to the edition I prefer at Amazon. These are affiliate links, of course — that means I get a few cents from each book purchase, but it doesn't change your cost at all. You can read more about how I choose editions to recommend at "Focus Texts for Excellence in Literature." You may go to the Excellence in Literature curriculum home page for more information about the entire curriculum.
Honors: The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss or The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel DeFoe
.Honors: “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau and “Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson
.Honors: The Man in the Iron Mask or The Three Musketeers by Dumas
.Honors: Manalive by G.K. Chesterton
.Honors: The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
. .Honors: Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett
.Honors: King John by William Shakespeare
.Honors: Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare or Rob Roy by Scott
.Honors: Kim by Rudyard Kipling
. Visit my blog to read about how I chose the literature for Excellence in Literature. This link will open in a new tab, so you don't have to worry about losing your place here. .
The Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers is a reference book that includes instructions on how to construct logical arguments (theses), write essays, and work with grammar, punctuation, and style. 420 pages, paperback.
]]>
Each of the Introduction to Literature texts below is linked to the edition I prefer at Amazon. These are affiliate links, of course — that means I get a few cents from each book purchase, but it doesn't change your cost at all. You can read more about how I choose editions to recommend at "Focus Texts for Excellence in Literature." You may go to the Excellence in Literature curriculum home page for more information about the entire curriculum.
Honors: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
.Honors: The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain
.Honors: Shirley OR
Villette by Charlotte Brontë
.Honors: Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot
.Honors: Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
.Honors: 1984 by George Orwell OR
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
.Honors: A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
.
.Honors: The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers
The Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers is a reference book that includes instructions on how to construct logical arguments (theses), write essays, and work with grammar, punctuation, and style. 420 pages, paperback.
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For some books, especially those translated from another language, you may have more than one edition to choose from. I recommend that either you or your student click on the "Look Inside" feature at Amazon and read the first page or two in order to get a sense of the translator's voice and style. Choose the one the student prefers.
There are several publishers who offer good editions of the classics, and you will see that I have favorites. Most of the focus texts in my library come from Modern Library Press, Ignatius Critical Editions, Oxford, Penguin, and Norton.
At the moment, I have mostly Modern Library Press and Penguin, but I've started collecting the Ignatius Critical Editions, as they offer more extensive notes and analytical essays than any other editions I've encountered. In addition, the publisher's mission statement promises a focus on "traditional moral readings" rather than feminist or deconstructionist criticism. I am very impressed by the quality of the Ignatius editions I've seen so far.
You will find the study guide as well as the focus and honors texts for each level listed and linked at the pages below. Remember, the study guide is available on this site as a print book, an e-book, or in a print/e-book bundle. We also offer the Complete Curriculum — all five years of English study in a binder.
Download a PDF of the Excellence in Literature booklist.
Introduction to Literature Texts: Recommended Editions
Literature and Composition Texts: Recommended Editions
American Literature Texts: Recommended Editions
British Literature: Recommended Editions
World Literature: Recommended Editions
Note: As mentioned in the disclosure at the bottom of the page, all links to Amazon are affiliate links, which means that a few cents from each purchase comes back to support the work we do here. Thank you for choosing to start your Amazon exploration at Everyday Education!
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Extra reading for honors students will be listed on the syllabus. Some items will be additional works by authors we are studying; other items will be context works that will help to round out knowledge of each literary period or understanding of the theme. Honors reading may be done during or between semesters and should be recorded in the reading log.
For one full-length honors text per module, the student should complete an approach paper. If more than one honors text is suggested, the student may choose which to read (though it can be beneficial to read all of them) and which to use as the subject for the approach paper. It is not necessary to write more than one honors approach paper per module.
This 6- to 10-page paper, due two weeks after the end of the spring semester, will be a research paper on [topic assigned in study guide]. The paper will be presented in MLA format and will include a Works Cited page, with a minimum of four resources. Up to two of the resources may be Internet sources chosen in accordance with accepted academic standards. For detailed instructions on the process of researching, writing, and documenting a research paper, you will need to consult your writer's handbook.
At the heart of each book you will find nine four-week modules that provide an introduction to the classic work being studied, a listing of context resources, and a week-by-week assignment.
In the third major section of the book, the student will find reference and record-keeping resources. Here is an annotated listing of each of the introductory and reference chapters found in each of the books, and a general listing of the information categories found in each module.
Each chapter is short and readable—my goal is to provide enough information to set students on the right path, but not so much that they become overwhelmed and zone out.
Introduction: Explains why you need to study literature and introduces the curriculum and my reason for creating it.
Overview and Objectives: Includes a look at what is in Excellence in Literature (in more depth than you will find in this post), suggestions for benefitting from the course, and the learning philosophy behind EIL.
Excellence in Literature Pacing Chart: A handy chart that offers a quick look at what is to be done each of the 36 weeks of the school year.
Getting Started: Advice on how to set up a study area and work with the computer, including formatting papers.
Frequently Asked Questions: Addresses common questions in a simple Q & A format, and includes permission to be flexible and adapt the curriculum to your family's needs.
How to Read a Book: Instructions for reading analytically, approaching challenging literature, things to consider while reading fiction or poetry, literary definitions of comedy and tragedy, facing challenging ideas, annotating, and questions to consider as you read.
How to Write an Essay: A brief look at the writing process, including mind mapping, thesis statements, topic sentence outlines, and helpful resources.
Discerning Worldview through Literary Periods: An explanation of how literary periods can provide a key to discerning an author's worldview, along with a brief look at six major literary periods.
Using EIL in a Classroom: Excellence in Literature is increasingly used in co-ops and classrooms, so here are some suggestions to help students learn actively, as well as my thoughts on comprehension questions.
Quick Guide to Excellence in Literature Learning Tools: A one page chart with brief overviews and page numbers for things you may want to refer to more than once.
Each four-week module contains a lesson plan that supports the study of the Focus Text. Here is a list of items that appear in the individual modules. Of course, these items appear only if they are appropriate to the module. For example, the author of Beowulf is unknown, so there will not be resources for learning about the author's life.
Each segment within the module is short, because my goal is not to spoon-feed information to the student, but to provide direction and a variety of resources so that he or she will begin to think and work like a college student or adult.
Focus and Honors Texts: Title and author of each book or other resource, plus recommended editions or links when available.
Literary Period or Type: Identification of the literary period or type of literature.
Module Focus: A sentence or two describing the focus of the month's lesson.
Introduction: A paragraph or two introducing the Focus Text for the module.
Something to think about: Something I'd like the student to ponder, often accompanied by a question for further contemplation.
Something to notice: Interesting things that may increase your understanding of the Focus Text.
Context Resources, including:
Honors: Additional reading and writing assignments designed to allow the student to earn honors credit and weighted grades, and to possibly take standardized exams such as AP, SAT2, or CLEP.
Excellence in Literature Assignment Checklist: A one-page checklist for all the assignments, both short and long, during the school year.
Student Evaluation Summary: A two--page summary that provides a year-end summary of the student's rubric scores for the essay in each module of the year.
Formats and Models
How to Evaluate Writing: A two-page overview for parents on how to use a writer's handbook and rubric to provide constructive evaluations, and how to evaluate the rough draft and the final draft of the essay.
Evaluation Rubric: A detailed one-page checklist for evaluating the student's essay on content, style, and mechanics.
Glossary: An extensive list of definitions of literary terms.
Selected Resources: Additional things I think you'll find helpful.
______
You might also want to read the Excellence in Literature FAQ.
]]>Self-directed: In light of the third goal, each study guide is written directly to the student. Each guide covers one year of study in nine four-week modules. Each module is focused on a full-length classic work, which is presented in its historic, artistic, and cultural context.
In addition to the study guide, you will need to obtain the classics that students read (recommended editions linked here). It is also wise to have a writer's handbook — either the Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers or another such as Writer's Inc.
The Excellence in Literature study guide is divided into three parts, which are described in more detail in "What's Included in Excellence in Literature?"
The third section has record keeping and reference materials, including an assignment checklist, Formats and Models (instructions and a student-written model for each type of paper required), and instructions and a rubric for evaluation.
Students will read the first section before beginning the school year, and will refer to the third section, particularly the formats and models throughout the school year. Parents should read through both sections as well, in order to know what to expect and also to be able to refer to instructions and models as needed in the evaluation process.
Once both student and parent are familiar with the front and back material in the study guides, it's time to begin working through the modules. Here is an overview of what happens in each Excellence in Literature module:
In each module, there is a four-week schedule that tells the student what to read and write. The first week's paper is always short — often an author profile. That keeps the focus on the focus text, where it needs to be.
Students can pace their reading so that they finish the focus text within the first two weeks of the module period. If the student needs more time to read an especially long book, you may add a week or so to the module (you're the teacher, so you can make that decision).
Continue with focus and context readings in the second week. The second week's writing assignment is relatively short and designed to help student think through the book in a particular way. The second week's assignment may be analytical or creative (sometimes there is a choice), but is often an approach paper. Instructions and a student written model for each type of paper assigned can be found in the "Formats and Models" chapter near the end of the book.
At some point during the third week, the focus shifts from reading to writing the essay. If the student is working with a particularly long or challenging book such as Don Quixote (World Literature), you may want to add an extra week to the schedule. However, the books in lower levels are chosen to be completely manageable by an average student in the allotted time.
Students who struggle can take longer, or have additional adaptations made. By the end of the week, an essay draft should be completed and turned in. The parent or other evaluator will evaluate the content and organization of the paper, using those sections of the provided rubric and referring to a writer's handbook when necessary.
At the beginning of the week, return the student's evaluated paper and the rubric, and the student will create a polished final draft based upon the feedback you have provided. Evaluate the paper using the complete rubric, and post the final results on the Evaluation Summary page.
I encourage you to approach each text as it was originally intended to be presented. Epic poetry such as Beowulf or Homer's Odyssey was originally composed to be recited aloud, so I encourage you to listen to it, before or in addition to reading it. Hearing it brings it to life.
Just be sure to listen to a good quality recording of a good translation. At Audible.com where I get all my audiobooks, you can listen to samples of each narration and see which narrator you prefer. A poor translation or narration can almost ruin a great book, so it pays to be careful with this.
Even if you're not in an epic poetry module, it's quite all right to work with the student's learning style for particularly challenging works. An auditory learner can often more easily see the big picture, fully grasp the story arc, and discern underlying themes when the book is heard through his primary learning gate.
The student should also have a printed copy of the book to use while working with writing assignments, and you may assign portions of the book to read, in addition to listening. For any students who bog down in the prodigious vocabulary and complex sentence structure of the classics, listening to a book can provide a way to step through those difficulties and catch the humor, drama, and pathos of these great works.
I want students to finish the year loving at least some of the books they've experienced, so I encourage you to feel free to work with your student in ways that can make this happen. If you are beginning in the eighth grade or below, you may want to work with your student at first, helping to orient them in each module.
The goal is to offer just enough guidance to help them take off on their own as quickly as possible. If you'd like to see what that looks like in a real home, Debra Brinkmann's overview of using EIL with her son might help you see how it works.
I hope this overview of how to use Excellence in Literature is helpful for you. Be sure to look below for other articles that offer even more information on how to use the curriculum. Remember that all Amazon links are affiliate links (see below for how they work). Thank you!
]]>Excellence in Literature has been around for quite a few years, and there are questions that crop up almost every year, so it seems that it's time to post an Excellence in Literature FAQ. I've gone through my inbox and pulled out a selection of those most frequently asked questions, which you will find below. The main Excellence in Literature information page has a lot of information and links to more articles on various aspects of the curriculum, so be sure to check there, too.
With very few exceptions, I assign the entire unabridged book, as this is a college-prep course. First, they will get more out of the book if they read the whole thing. They are welcome to use audiobooks, too. It can bring the story to life for many of them, and most are available on the Amazon Prime channels.
If you do not plan to do the honors option, you do not need to purchase the books, though they make great summer reading. Because these are classics, most will also be available at libraries or used, but I strongly recommend annotating books, so it's better to own than borrow if at all possible. I have linked to my preferred editions on the website, with an explanation of why I chose them. Ultimately it's a choice to buy or borrow, but I think they get more out of the books if they own them.
A lot depends on the student's reading speed and overall work load plus the length of the book, but most students spend an average of an hour a day on the curriculum. In the first part of the book, I tell them how to plan and manage their time by looking at the length of the book and deciding how much to read each day.
Grades 8-12 is a transitional time for students, and one of the goals of the curriculum is to teach them to think and work like smart college students. Writing directly to the student encourages him/her to take responsibility for time management, turning in proofread work, consulting models and a writer's handbook as needed, and more. By the time they've done these things for a few years with EIL, they should thoroughly understand how to be an excellent student.
We host a regularly updated set of links on the Excellence-in-Literature.com site for each individual module in the curriculum. You may access them at the Curriculum User Content page.
The links in print book links are also updated, but obviously not as quickly as the online link list above, so for any resource you need to find, visit the appropriate module page in the Curriculum User Content section of the Excellence-in-Literature site. Alternatively, you may type a keyword or two into the search box on the Excellence in Literature resource site or try the tips at the Link Updates page.
The first thing I'll note is that thinking deeply and writing about literature at this level IS challenging, and that holds true even for students in college and beyond (one reason we start practicing it now;-)). The difficulty lies in the fact that students are being asked to do something that many have never tried or even observed — develop a clear and well-supported answer to a question that open to judgement. In addition, they are being asked to do so in a serious, formal way, as they will have to do in college or business writing.By the time they reach middle school, they've probably written a boatload of essays expressing opinions about something, but it's likely that few have been required to support their opinion with evidence from a text. They are now at the age and stage of learning when thinking and communicating should be transitioning to a more mature and reasoned style, and being able to construct and convey an argument is central to doing that successfully. If not now, when?
“Every maker of video games knows something that the makers of curriculum don't seem to understand. You'll never see a video game being advertised as being easy. Kids who do not like school will tell you it's not because it's too hard. It's because it's — boring.”—Dr. Seymour Papert
The short answer is no, because the curriculum is designed to be flexible. The longer answer is that it can be helpful to study the levels in order because they gradually increase in difficulty, including both assignments and the books that students will be reading. The writing skills that are practiced within the curriculum are always used more than once as students progress, so they will encounter foundational skills throughout the series.
That's exactly the reason he should start writing! You write in order to learn, not in order to show something you have learned. There is no “answer” that he must know in order to begin; it’s something that is discovered through the writing process.
The essay questions are designed to help your student ”think into” the work. The pressure is off once you (and he) realize that understanding unfolds as you write, not before. I’ve read thousands of books in my life, and the ones I have come to know and love most deeply are usually the ones I’ve written about in a way that helped me ”think into” them. Writing is thinking on paper, and it can be fun.
In 8th-9th grade, there will be a few students (usually students who read a lot) who have an engaging writing style that can be encouraged, but many will still be writing bland formulaic essays. Show them what it means to have a distinctive writer's voice by sharing well-written models by great writers. This can help students begin to hear the differences in writers' voices, especially when you can pair a few examples of writing in the same subjects.
One way to show style is to share a variety of classic literature passages that describe the weather. Just experiencing how different authors approach the same simple topic can help students see how style impacts not just writing, but also what the reader takes away.
I understand — it's a challenging skill to learn.Start with discussion: Consider having classroom discussions that begin by having students share one thing they found interesting or confusing about the book. If you ask questions, those that begin with should or why tend to produce much more interesting and meaningful discussions than questions that begin with what, where, and when.If students start talking about what happened in a scene, notice that they tend to get most interested in exploring questions that cause them to engage with the character's motives; an unintended consequence of an action; and similar issues.If you can get them talking, you can usually get their minds to working, especially if they can disagree about something — should Huck have turned in Jim? Should Jean Valjean have run away from Javert? Why did Mr. Darcy make such a bad first impression?Questions like that are designed to get brains moving, not to elicit a "right answer," so it has to be safe for student to talk about it without feeling that it's necessary to agree with anyone else. This type of question gives them a chance to connect what they know or believe (ethics, moral principles, etc.) with the situation in the book, which can lead them to a statement (thesis) about what they believe the character should have done.Flip the question: If you have a student who is struggling, consider showing them how to transform the essay prompt into a statement that can become part of the thesis.
I don't know about you as a student, but when I had a lot of extra time on an assignment, I didn't always spend it wisely. I was more likely to do other things during the extra time and whack out the assignment in the last couple of days. The other thing about more time is that it will be harder to have classroom conversations as some students will be farther ahead; others behind. Keeping a regular pace tends to keep them moving forward and learning together.Bottom line: if you can keep up the schedule, I would do it, as it's very reasonable for that age group, and much more relaxed than they will encounter in college. However if you will have them for several years and feel that working more slowly in the first year might be helpful, that's okay too. They don't have many more years before college, so you'll want to bring them up to speed as soon as you can.
I like the idea of journaling responses, especially if you don't have classroom time for talking about the resources. It can be a form of written narration, kept in a learning journal. That will keep them from forgetting things as they work through the module, which can be a hazard if the module goes on for four weeks or the time between classes is long.
I'd suggest reading Mortimer Adler's How to Read a Book and William Zinsser's On Writing Well as a first step (Amazon links are affiliate links, of course). Familiarize yourself with the EIL Handbook for Writers, especially the front half on constructing essays and arguments. It's designed to take you through college, so the examples should be helpful. You might also find it helpful to go through Teaching the Classics.As you move through the teaching year, do one module from each level of EIL you are using. It's a great way to get acquainted with both curriculum and books. Do the whole module, including the papers, and evaluate yourself with the rubric. You might even ask someone else to evaluate you if you are comfortable doing so. You'll be able to empathize with your students if they tell you it's challenging!
Throughout the year, listen to some of the Close Reads book reading podcast from David Kern at the delightful Goldberry Books or read the book-focused posts on their blog. Those are all well written and they give you a sense of what it means to think through a book. It's the only blog and podcast I listen to semi-regularly. Whatever you manage to get done will enrich your teaching and make you a better writer. I hope you have fun!
"You must expect enough of them to help them grow from where they are to where they should be."
The short answer is that there is not one right answer. I've consistently observed that when students are struggling with the writing, it's because they have the idea that there is one right answer or interpretation and they need to come up with it. This is simply not true. The bottom line in evaluating the argument is whether it is well stated and adequately supported with evidence from the text and other reliable resources.Once students understand that there is not one right answer, most relax and feel more confident about writing. Whoever is evaluating — parent or tutor — must be careful to evaluate with this criteria, not whether the student agrees or disagrees with the evaluator's interpretation.For students, this may be the first class they take in which their reading of a text can be just as valid and supportable as anyone else's, so that can be intimidating at first. But once they discover the power of citing evidence from the text, it can become empowering and a great deal of fun to develop and defend a position.
The evaluation method I use and recommend is the triage method. You evaluate using the rubric, just as instructed in the study guide. However, you focus on the three areas of the rubric (content, style, mechanics) in order of importance so that the paper doesn't return to the student an overwhelming mass of corrections and markings.Content (including organization) is the primary thing, so most attention and comments should focus there. Problems with style or mechanics can be marked with a different color pen so that it's clear they need work, but are different issues and on a different level than content.The main focus of most comments is the reader experience — will someone reading this paper find it clear, interesting, and well-written?More advanced students receive different types of comments than less advanced students, and the comments were always supplemented with a cover note about the overall paper. Rarely do I comment on every single thing that's wrong, and for students that struggle most, I tend to include more positive comments and more guidance in their cover letter.
Mechanics should be fairly well under control by now, and students should have at least one writer's handbook to consult for questions of grammar, punctuation, and usage. It should be requirement that students proofread before they turn in a paper, so there should not be many mechanical issues unless there is a documented learning disability. Even then, students should be required to use reference books to find and fix errors before turning in the paper, as it needs to be habit before they go to college.If there are a great many issues, focus first on clarity of content and organization. Refer the student to the correct section in the writer's handbook so he can fix the issues, and then re-evaluate. Remind students that when they turn in a final draft, it needs to have been carefully proofread, preferably aloud, and not just spell checked because they will be evaluated on the paper in your hands, not on what they meant to write.
The bottom line on what to expect: Each student should make progress in each of the seven areas of the rubric over the course of the school year. For the essays, the goal is solid understanding of the text and clear communication of a logically constructed and well-supported argument.Essentially, you must expect enough of them to help them grow from where they are to where they should be. I would suggest that the level of the model essays in the back of the study guide are an appropriate target level. Unless there are major disabilities or overwhelming schedules filled with AP classes, you can probably expect more from them than you've been getting once they realize they don't have to find the "right" answer.
If you use the 1-5 feedback scale:
- Add together the scores for each of the seven evaluation categories (Ideas, Organization, etc.).
- Divide by the number of criteria (three for most categories).
- Add together the totals to get a final score.
- Divide the final score by 7 (the number of categories).
Base your grade on the number that remains (it should be between 1-5). You may set the grading scale that seems most appropriate to you. A 5 would be "Outstanding" or an "A," of course; a 3 would be "Average" and other grades would follow.If you use the +/-/= feedback scale, the + would be a 5; - would be a 1; and = would be a 3. Calculate as you would with the 1-5 grading scale.
Each of the EIL courses is a full high school English credit. If you complete the normal four-week cycle of assignments for each of the nine modules, you do not need to add anything. If your student completes the honors option as well, he or she should receive an honors grade with weighted grade points.
Can homeschooling work for everyone? I don't care for blanket generalizations, but I believe that homeschooling can work for any family where a parent (or grandparent or other responsible adult) is willing to learn and grow along with the child.
Just as traditional classroom teachers rely on textbooks, a homeschool parent can utilize all sorts of books, resources, and experiences to supplement her own knowledge. There are people from virtually all socio-economic levels and life situations who are homeschooling and succeeding beyond their wildest dreams.
Why would I want to homeschool my child? People homeschool for many different reasons, but for me, a dozen years of homeschooling has produced three compelling reasons that homeschooling was the right choice for our family:
Is it legal to homeschool in my state or country? The best place to find specific information for your area is your state homeschool organization. If you don't know what it is, just do an internet search for "[state or country name] homeschool organization."
These organizations will usually have up-to-date information on their websites about the law, and they are strong advocates for homeschooling families. If your state has one, I hope you will join it.
Another resource is Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). They have legal information for individual areas, and they provide legal services to member families. There is another association that does similar work, but the name has slipped my mind. I'll list it when I remember.
Do I need a college degree to teach my children? It depends on the state or country you live in. For most in the United States, the short answer is "no." A college degree is a good thing to have, of course, and if you do not have one, there's no reason why you cannot learn enough as you teach your children to pass CLEP exams and earn a degree if you want one (Get a Jump Start on College tells you how).
However, the process of teaching is not dependent on what you know; it's more dependent on the books and information you share with your children and what you are willing to read and learn. In the process of raising literate kids, a literate lifestyle (books in the home are the primary ingredient) is far more important than a parent's college degree.
You can read more articles about creating a literate home on my blog, DoingWhatMatters.com.
What are the most important academic areas to teach a student? Although there are basic things that every literate person should know, each child's interests will lead him to focus on certain areas more than others. It's important to nurture head, heart, and hand — feeding special interests, while providing a solid information infrastructure. The classic trivium and quadrivium provide a strong outline for things that must be covered.
At minimum, every child must know how to communicate- read, write, and speak- well and accurately perform arithmetic functions.
He should know how to find and use information from a variety of sources including books, the library, the internet, and personal interviews.
A good grasp of the history and literature of Western Civilization, basic scientific principles, mathematics, and technology will give him a solid foundation for exploring personal interests and deciding on his life course.
And practical skills such as financial management, construction, home maintenance, and other life-skills will enable him to make the most of what he has as an adult.
How old should my child be before he starts studying for college-level exams or attends community college? Let me answer this one with another question- when was your child ready to start eating solid food? When he had enough teeth and an appetite to encourage him to try new things, right?
Your student can start college-level work whenever he has the appetite and the skills to absorb the material. The amount of knowledge customarily taught in grades 1-12 is so limited that most students can get through it all in considerably less time. The early-mid teen years are ideal for studying subjects at the college level, and it's extremely efficient to get a head start on earning college credits. There's no point in wasting time and opportunity when it's so simple to move ahead.
How can a student get into community college before he graduates from high school? It's surprisingly easy to do this- community colleges usually offer "dual credit" options, meaning that a high school student is granted both college and high school credit for classes taken at the college. So many homeschoolers use the community college option that some schools even have special admittance categories just for home educated students.
Just call the admissions office of your nearest community college and request a catalog and application. Fill out the application for your student, indicating that he will be a part-time, non-curricular (no declared major) student. This is the easiest way to get in for the first semester. A major can be declared later. This is an excellent way for a homeschooled student to get accustomed to the routine of tests and schedules before plunging full-time into college life. It's also relatively inexpensive.
Are homeschooled teens able to get into college? Absolutely! Colleges everywhere are accepting homeschoolers in record numbers, and an increasing number of them (such as Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia) even have Homeschool Admission Counselors to assist homeschoolers through the application process. You will need to present your student to the college in a ways that presents him or her in a way that is comparable with traditionally-schooled students, so a professional-looking transcript is important.
Generally, home-educated students are valued for their independence of mind, mature study habits, and broad knowledge base. Several of the books on the catalog page have lists of colleges which have accepted homeschoolers. The list includes not only community colleges (which sometimes accept homeschoolers as young as 13), but also the most competitive Ivy League schools. College acceptance has truly become a non-issue when making the decision to homeschool.
Is there an age limit to distance education? One of the best things about distance learning is that artificial barriers such as age limits are usually removed. Some schools do have preferences, of course, but as long as a student can demonstrate the ability to work at college level, there is usually no barrier. For very young students, this is something to verify before a final enrollment decision is made.
Is financial aid available for early college? Just as in traditional education, financial aid depends upon several factors: your financial need, how many classes you will take per semester or quarter, and whether or not the school is accredited. It always pays to apply for aid, even if you don't think you'll be eligible. Let the experts decide! For more information or to apply online for aid, go to the official FAFSA site.
Can I earn a real college degree entirely from home? Yes! In fact, you can earn both bachelor's and master's degrees with little to no residency required. It may not be as much fun as focusing on college for four consecutive years when you're young, but for many people it's the only way they'll ever have time to earn a degree. And colleges are increasingly eager to attract non-traditional students because of their high level of scholarship and motivation for learning.
There are several books available to help you select a degree program suitable for your needs. My favorite guide, Bear's Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning by the highly opinionated John Bear has gone out of print, but Get a Jump Start on College can point you in the right direction.
Which guide do you recommend for CLEP preparation? Start with the CLEP Official Study Guide . It offers sample tests, and more, and it's published by the test's creator. The Princeton Guide is good as well.
]]>Einstein was much more than just a math and science genius — he was a thinker in the most comprehensive sense of the word. Here is a collection of pithy quotations that have been attributed to him. For homeschoolers, these quotes can be good discussion starters, copywork, or just inspiration.
I want to know God's thoughts; the rest are details.
I am convinced that He (God) does not play dice.
God is subtle but he is not malicious.
Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind.
Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage — to move in the opposite direction.
Imagination is more important than knowledge." "Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love.
The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax.
Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
The only real valuable thing is intuition.
A person starts to live when he can live outside himself.
Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.
I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.
The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility.
Sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing.
Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.
Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds.
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.
Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen.
Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it.
The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.
The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.
God does not care about our mathematical difficulties. He integrates empirically.
"The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking.
Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal.
Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.
The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible.
We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.
Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.
The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.
Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater.
Equations are more important to me, because politics is for the present, but an equation is something for eternity.
"If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut.
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.
As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain, as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality.
Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods.
I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.
In order to form an immaculate member of a flock of sheep one must, above all, be a sheep.
The fear of death is the most unjustified of all fears, for there's no risk of accident for someone who's dead.
Too many of us look upon Americans as dollar chasers. This is a cruel libel, even if it is reiterated thoughtlessly by the Americans themselves.
Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism -- how passionately I hate them!
No, this trick won't work...How on earth are you ever going to explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love?
My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind." "
Yes, we have to divide up our time like that, between our politics and our equations. But to me our equations are far more important, for politics are only a matter of present concern. A mathematical equation stands forever." "
The release of atom power has changed everything except our way of thinking...the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker." "
Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence.
The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.
A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.
The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge.
Now he has departed from this strange world a little ahead of me. That means nothing. People like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.
You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat.
One had to cram all this stuff into one's mind for the examinations, whether one liked it or not. This coercion had such a deterring effect on me that, after I had passed the final examination, I found the consideration of any scientific problems distasteful to me for an entire year.
...one of the strongest motives that lead men to art and science is escape from everyday life with its painful crudity and hopeless dreariness, from the fetters of one's own ever-shifting desires. A finely tempered nature longs to escape from the personal life into the world of objective perception and thought.
He who joyfully marches to music rank and file, has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be a part of so base an action. It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder.
A human being is a part of a whole, called by us "universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.
(Sign hanging in Einstein's office at Princeton) Compiled by, and copyright: Kevin Harris 1995 (may be freely distributed with this acknowledgement)
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