Comment #1858

2008-02-29T23:50:23Z

Oh, and it's in Orlando, too! I'd love to visit the Exhibit Hall and see what the vendors have to offer -- but apparently only registered attendees are allowed in, and $80 is too steep a price tag just for looking around.

We were FPEA members for a while, and I almost went to one of their conventions. It was further away than Orlando, but I would have made the drive but for one thing: Children were explicitly excluded! That attitude seemed so inimical to the spirit of homeschooling that I stayed home -- and told them why.

Apparently the organization has matured along with the whole movement. I quote from this year's registration materials: It is FPEA policy to let children accompany parents....

Comment #1857

2008-02-29T23:27:49Z

We have been using the Student Writing Intensive for over a month now. I won't say the boys are thrilled with it, but that is not a reflection on Mr. Pudewa. They find him very funny. They just know that when they hear that music at the beginning of the DVD, it means they have to do some writing and they dread that. (His description of the 18 page girl vs. the boy who would rather scrub bathrooms than write pretty much hits the nail on the head in our house).

So far we have gone through outlining both fiction and non-fiction paragraphs and we have just covered up to the fifth "dress-up". I have the boys do their outlines and then "read back" the paragraph to me based upon their outline. They may then use the computer to write their first draft. I review and make corrections and then they fix it and print their final copy. This is a good way for Billy, especially, to practice his typing skills (although he spends WAY too long on changing the font, the color, the formatting, etc.)

One of the most difficult things for me is to not change what they have written to make it sound better. Based upon reading and watching the DVD, it appears I should only correct those things that have been taught. I should not correct the flow of the paper. I really struggle with that. I can see the importance of what he says and that with practice and exposure to good literature, the kid's writing will begin to have a better flow, but it is hard.

There are free lesson plans available on-line and those have really helped me get organized. I usually start with the paragraphs they provide and then on subsequent days have the boys do paragraphs based upon a topic we are covering.

In addition to the writing from IEW, I am also looking at the spelling program. I had great intentions of doing spelling to go along with our areas of study. I think I did it twice. I like the idea of them being able to do a self-paced study for what appears to be maybe 10 minutes a day.

I also looked at the Teaching the Classics. Probably not something I will get this year, but it looks interesting.

FYI- Mr. Pudewa will be in FL in May at the FPEA Convention.

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Comment #1858

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