Using these worksheets will help your child (and you) extract pertinent materials from the Bible reading, analyze it, categorize it, and produce a reference sheet for his or her Bible portfolio. This is not busywork- its writing to learn.

These can be used for all ages even non readers! Mom can fill in the pages for younger students using Charlotte Mason narration principles (child tells mom what happened, mom fills in worksheet).

Sample of Bible Character Worksheet

Sample of Bible Event Worksheet

Teaching Tips

Do not give them a worksheet and walk away. Motivate students by asking questions. Help them use Bible study tools if needed.

Allow students more than one worksheet,  tell them to  plan on writing and rewriting information so that they can condense, arrange, and write the summary in the best fashion.

As they rewrite and reread, they select, eliminate, and add information with your prompts. The student is conveying in his  own words (paraphrasing) the meaning of what was read, using the fewest number of words and sentences.

Don’t underestimate the filling in process. Students develop excellence in achievement by completing the worksheets ; they develop diligence by continually practicing clarity, accuracy, relevance, prioritizing, consistency, depth, and breadth through writing activities.

Use the worksheets as a way of testing. You will find out what students already know and encourage them to learn.

Download Bible Worksheets (12 page PDF)

It’s a new, creative way to organize and utilize Charlotte Mason’s unique methods. Charlotte Mason was an educator in England during the nineteenth century, and her methods are currently experiencing a rebirth among American home schools. “Twaddle” and “living books” are terms coined by Mason.

The books we recommend for each year (Bible, history, science, classics, biographies, etc by grade level) are listed in The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach (over 100 pages you can print out 31 page list of classics we recommend at the bottom of this page).

This four-year rotation course gives each child three distinct exposures to each topic on their own level over a 12 year period. Each unit study includes Bible, history, science, research, writing, and literature.

• History is studied chronologically.
• Science is studied in the order of Creation.
• Life-skills studies are added in middle and high school years.

We also list books by History and Science by year at the Amazon Homeschool Store (purchase new, used, or use for library list).

Books Recommended by Heart of Wisdom’s 4-Year Plan

• HOW Year 1 History
• HOW Year 1 Science
• HOW Year 2 History
  
• HOW Year 2 Science
  
• HOW Year 3 History
  
• HOW Year 3 Science
  
• HOW Year 4 History (These pages are Under Construction).
  
• HOW Year 4 Science (These pages are Under Construction).

Free: Choosing and Using Resources

Free Choosing and Using Resources Booklet(31 pages PDF)
Includes Classics by Grade Level

Click for larger view

It is never to late to read aloud. I read to all my children when they were teenagers.

You can download a 31 page list of classics by grade level (K-12) at the bottom of this post.

Did You Know You Can Get the Classics FREE?

You can get original versions of several classics on the  FREE on Kindle or phone apps!

Many are also available in ebook format from Project Gutenberg. Once you get an ebook online you can usually send it to your e-reader.

A Few Free Ebooks from Kindle

• Robinson Crusoe
• Treasure Island
• Pride and Prejudice
• The Secret Garden
• A Tale of Two Cities
  
• Little Women

You don’t have to have a Kindle to get free Kindle books. See Free Kindle Reading Apps

Kindle offers more than the classics free. See free Christian fiction here. And more free books online you can send to Kindle here.

Originals or Adaptations?

You can’t beat free books. If you have a Kindle you can get dozens of free books. The

Kindle is less than half what I paid for it at $135 it would pay for itself.

The library offers originals and condensed versions free.

However, long chapters and difficult language can  overwhelm and  obscure the richness of the story. i.e. my boys listen better and enjoy the story.

Literature for the masses or literature for the lazy? Does it matter?

We recently read aloud a  children’s adaptation of Robinson Crusoe (apologies to Charlotte Mason- she prefers the originals).

Remember the goal is first to encourage a love of learning.

Differences in Originals and Adaptions

Let’s look at the adaptation I just read to my boys.  The original Robinson Crusoe included cannibals and was a bit daunting  for younger children.

But before you jump on the adaption bandwagon you should know  some children’s adaptations leave out things like Crusoe’s religious experiences to meet the public school agenda.

I wanted the religious part did want the cannibalism or a super long book. So we purchased Robinson Crusoe (Scribner’s Illustrated Classics) (99 cents on Kindle and under $4 with shipping and handling used on Amazon).

Bonus: Since we purchased the paperback I put it on PaperBackSwap when finished!  (Read more about PaperBackSwap here))

The Book: Robinson Crusoe is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published in 1719 . The book is a fictional autobiography of  an English castaway who spends 28 years on a remote tropical island and documents Crusoe’s spiritual journey as he comes to peace with God

The Author: Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) wrote more than 500 books, pamphlets, articles, and poems. Among the most productive authors of the Augustan Age, he was the first of the great 18th-century English novelist.

Consider expanding the book with lesson plans:

Most classic have lesson plans. Look at all these for Crusoe:

• Religious Purpose in Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe – This book is a heavily religious novel. This is signified through three instances in which religion emerges as a major theme at pivotal points in the plot.
• Robinson Crusoe Island Adventure Lesson Plan from Crayola. Write original Island Adventures with detailed characters, setting, and plot, then construct an island environment using a paper bowl and Crayola® Markers.
• Island Survival – In this activity, students will participate in a simulation of life on a deserted island. They will be challenged to use their critical thinking skills and knowledge of islands to “survive” and ultimately return to safety. Grades 4-12.
• The Original Survivor – PDF. With this unit, students will understand the connection between classical literature and the human experience. Grades 4 & up.
• Robinson Crusoe Island of Despair Study Guide- PDF
• Robinson Crusoe Teaching Unit (Prestwick House) – A complete teaching unit and reproducible individual learning packet including a chapter-by-chapter study guide, topics for discussion, vocabulary, and a multiple choice and essay test with answer key.
• Robinson Crusoe Lesson Plan from Reading A-Z - Vocabulary, questions, grammar and other activities.

Classic Literature With Similar Themes

Family Guides to Great Reading

Books with annotated lists of classics, Bible stories, biographies, and more.

My List

Free Choosing and Using Resources Booklet (31 pages PDF)
Includes Classics by Grade Level

“Twaddle” refers to dumbed-down literature; material with an absence of meaning. “Living books” refers to books that are well written and engaging—they absorb the reader—the narrative and characters seem to come alive. Living books are the antithesis of cold, dry textbooks. Charlotte Mason believed children should be educated through a wide curriculum using a variety of real, living books.  Her concern was for students to develop a lifetime love of learning. She based her philosophy on the Latin word for education, educare, which means “to feed and nourish.” This method focuses on the formation of good study habits, reading a variety of books, narration, copywork, dictation, keeping a nature diary, keeping a spelling notebook, and preparing a timeline book.

Click to See Timeline Resources

The Heart of Wisdom teaching approach organizes each of Mason’s unique methods into a four-step process which is incorporated into all of its unit studies. The Four Steps

Narration

Narration is literally telling back what has been learned. Students are instructed to read a passage from the Bible, text from a suggested resource, or content from a web site and then tell what they have learned, either orally or in writing. This is a perfect activity, and one which you will find frequently in the third step of the 4Mat System. This process involves sorting, sequencing, selecting, connecting, rejecting, and classifying information. Miss Mason found that if you use narration consistently, review is unnecessary. Narration increases the mind’s ability to remember.

Copywork and Dictation

Copywork and dictation are underrated. Both provide ongoing practice for handwriting, spelling, grammar, etc. Both are good exercises for teaching accuracy and attention to detail, and students discover things about the text they are copying that they would be unlikely to notice otherwise. In dictation, the child writes as the parent reads. Students learn correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and other language mechanics when they compare their work to the original and correct their mistakes. Timeline Book Charlotte Mason recommended preparing a handmade Book of the Centuries or timeline book. Below is a sample timeline page. Click to see more samples.

“Upon the knowledge of these great matters—History, Literature, Nature, Science, Art—the mind feeds and grows. It assimilates such knowledge as the body assimilates food, and the person becomes what is called magnanimous, that is, a person of great mind, wide interests, incapable of occupying himself much about petty, personal matters. What a pity to lose sight of such a possibility for the sake of miserable scraps of information about persons and things that have little connection with one another and little connection with ourselves!” —Charlotte Mason (Vol. 4, p. 78 — The Original Homeschooling Series)

The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach: Bible-Based Homeschooling

The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach is for all homeschoolers who want to make the Bible the center of their school day. This giant 500+ page book provides you with the methods, program, and resources for a course of study where students spend half the school day studying God’s Word and the other half studying God’s world (academics). Students study history chronologically and science in the order of the days of Creation. This book will encourage, motivate you and instruct you, step by step, how to give your child a Bible-focused, comprehensive education from preschool through high school; one that will train him or her to read, to study, to understand, to love to learn and, most importantly, to desire and seek true wisdom. This approach can be used for all grade levels.

When homeschoolers are asked about this book, one word continues to come up over and over–Wow! Read the excerpt today to see what all the wow is about.

• The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach ( 60-page excerpt PDF File)
• Start reading the Ebook today! $17.00 Add to cart
• Order the bound book. Retail $34.95 NOW $27.95 Add to cart

Research has shown that reading out loud to children is the single most important thing a parent can do to prepare a child for future academic success. Young children learn a great deal when books are read aloud to them. You have the opportunity during your read-aloud time to share in the excitement and emotions as children learn about the structure of stories—how they begin, different types of conflicts, and possible solutions.

Children learn to know that events can be seen from different viewpoints, how to use their imagination, and how to view situations from various perspectives. Being read to also helps a child learn the connection between the written and spoken word. Reading aloud to children develops their listening skills and builds vocabulary. And, last but not least, listening to books read aloud helps children develop a taste for excellent literature.

Unfortunately, by the time children outgrow picture books, many parents stop reading aloud with them, but there is no reason to stop reading aloud. Children of all ages enjoy being read to, and they shouldn’t be punished for learning to read by losing that special
reading-aloud time.

We also need to remember that there are whole new frontiers to explore in books even as the children grow older, and children can listen to more advanced books than they can read. I recall several times reading aloud to my eight- to twelve-year-olds, when I didn’t think any one else was listening, only to hear later from my much older teenagers remarks about the stories that they had heard when they were eavesdropping on our story time.

Remember, it’s never too late to read aloud.

The Heart of Wisdom unit studies were designed for grades 4-12. The first unit in our history series, Adam to Abraham, was revised to include resources for all ages. Many families are adapting the unit studies successfully for their entire family.

If you would like to use Ancient History: Adam to Messiah with younger children, you can easily stretch the one-year book into a two-year program. We are currently revising each unit to include activities and resources for grades K-3. If you purchase any ebook now you will get the revised versions free when they become available.  Click here to see the Resource List for Younger Children.

One of the activities we encourage is Scrapbooking to Learn. The two images below are good examples of children learning on different levels.

Jonah 1 was done by a four-year-old with his mom’s help using scrapbook paper and stickers. Children work on projects as the mother reads the lessons.	Jonah 2 was done by a teen working on the computer. Older students are involved in more independent studies. Click here to see more scrapbook samples

Teaching Tips

Below are some ideas that will help you adapt this program for younger elementary students. If you have one older child in Heart of Wisdom and you adapt this program for your younger students, you will save time and money: you won’t have to buy, assign, teach, and check separate workbooks and text materials for each child.

Many parents are interested in HOW because it teaches things they were never taught, such as history from a biblical viewpoint. Parents, even with very young children, can learn through HOW lessons and share what they have learned with their children.

Watering down the activities is fairly simple. Pray for wisdom and insight (remember, God has promised wisdom to those who ask). Read over the four-step lesson yourself the night before or that morning. Your major change will be in step 2.

Watering Down the Lessons

Step 1 Excite: Use this step to discuss what God shows you about the lesson–enthusiasm is contagious! Step 1 usually can be done for all ages so you won’t have to alter it.

Step 2 Examine: depends on the age–and there are three options:

1. Read the text (from an Internet site or book) and summarize it for the student. (This is Charlotte Mason’s narration method in reverse).

2. Help the student read a book written at his level about the topic (elementary-age books are being added to each unit in the Resource Section). Usually you can just read aloud the book recommended in the lesson.

3. Read aloud to the child for no more than 10-15 minutes, and then stop for a narration (retelling) by the child. Make sure he or she is grasping the concepts.

Step 3 Expand: instead of the writing assignment, have the child narrate (tell back) what he has learned. Or have them illustrate or dictate a few sentences to you as you write them. Many activities in HOW unit studies can be done with all ages.

Step 4 Excel: Students put work (on their level) in a portfolio and share with others. You will still work on the portfolio but on their level.

Sample Days

• Sample Morning with Younger Children: Breakfast, chores, Bible, phonics, history, science, ect with elementary students.
• Delight-Directed Homeschool Day: Example of a school day with a kindergartner and 1st grader

Build Your Own Package with New or USED books based on HOW Four-Year Plan You can now build your curriculum browsing our recommendations and choose only books you need.

History is taught Chronologically. Science is taught in the Days of Creation Order. Choose the Year and Subject:

• Year 1 History: Adam to Abraham, Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Israel, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Messiah
• Year 1 Science: Creation, Light, Energy, Matter, Motion, Electricity
• Year 2 History: Early Church, Vikings, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Reformation
• Year 2 Science: Weather, Oceans, Plants, Geology, Astronomy
• Year 3 History Exploration, Colonies, New Nation, Civil War, American West
• Year 3 Science Ocean Animals, Birds, Insects, Land Animals
• Year 4 History: Industrial Era, WWI, Depression, WWII, Holocaust, 1960 to Present
• Year 4 Science: Anatomy human body

Not sure where to start? Read The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach Overview

]]> http://www.heartofwisdom.com/homeschoollinks/how-do-you-teach-grades-1-3/feed/ 1 http://www.heartofwisdom.com/homeschoollinks/craeting-a-timeline-book/ http://www.heartofwisdom.com/homeschoollinks/craeting-a-timeline-book/#comments Sat, 08 Nov 2008 23:13:17 +0000 admin http://heartofwisdom.com/homeschoollinks/?p=107 In her writings, Charlotte Mason recommended preparing a handmade Time Line Book (originally called a Museum Sketch Book; sometimes called a Book of the Centuries). This activity is based upon one of the major keys to motivation: the active involvement of students in their own learning. Students learn by doing, making, writing, designing, creating, and solving. Creating this Time Line Book is a marvelous way for students to not only be actively involved but to “pull it all together” and grasp the flow of biblical and historical events.

Sample Pages

In a short period of time, students can complete an illustrated time line page that tells a story, resulting in immediate feedback that is satisfying and rewarding. Then, as your students learn historical facts, they will make notes and sketches in their book, on the appropriate dated page, about famous people, important events, inventions, wars, etc. (Work that includes undated information about a time period, such as daily life, education, etc., fits better into the Portfolio, but you can combine the two books if you wish.)

Timelines can also be made as wall charts, fold outs, or in a file box. The samples below were made with History Through the Ages illustrations.

Timeline Tools

The Record of Time is the most nicely layed-out blank book. Paired with the notebook is a great tool for timeline figures-a CD-ROM that offers thousands of printable images.  The material is indexed in a variety of ways and offered in different formats for ease of changing images at will.

You can purchase a blank Record of Time Bookor make your own with the instructions below.

Paper Packets and CD Roms

HISTORY Through the Ages Historical Timeline Figures help tremendously when putting the puzzle of history together. They allow you to follow across eras of time using illustrated figures to represent people and events key to world history. Using them on a wall will allow you to see the global picture, or you can use them in a notebook for portability that will become both a valuable resource and treasured keepsake! Click on the images to view the packets and CD options.

Reproducible Maps, Charts, Timelines and Illustrations

Here’s a treasure-trove of eye-catching charts, maps, and illustrations to make your lessons come alive. This is a visual reference book you will use again and again. Click book to view timeline samples!

Click here to see all Timeline Resources

Lapbooking

Students that enjoy creating timeline books usually enjoy creating lapbooks or Scrapbook Folders. Click here for ScrapFolder directions.

Click to See Sample Bible Timeline Lapbook

1. A three-ring notebook with a clear-plastic pocket cover
2. Blank 8.5″ X 11″ pages
3. Smaller lined pages (8.5 x 11 cut down to 8.5 x9)
4. A three-hole punch
5. Glue sticks
6. Optional: Clip art or Software

An option is to choose a color for the pages of each unit (peach for Mesopotamia, pink for Rome, blue for Israel, etc.).

Decide upon the units of time you will use (decades, centuries, etc.) to divide your time line into segments. A time line documenting the period from Adam to the Messiah will begin with Creation (before 2000 B.C.) and end with the resurrection of Christ (c. A.D. 30). (The nice thing about the notebook style timeline is that it’s cumulative; every year’s study can be added in. You can continue this time line as you study later periods by adding pages.) As you study each period, there will be times when you will document decades on one page, and other times when you will document several centuries on one page.

Place the appropriate section of the time line across the top of each 8.5″ x 11″ page to represent increments. The shorter lined pages will go in between these pages to hold notes. If there is not room on your time line to include all of your chronology, cull some of the dates or add pages with larger segments that leave more room. Use the time lines in this book as a guide. There is disagreement about Bible dates, especially before Abraham (c. 2100 B.C.). Our time lines give the commonly accepted dates agreed upon by Bible scholars.

Illustrate Pages

On the blank pages add illustrations. Utilize the Internet. Thousands of illustrations, maps, Christian clip art, etc., are available on the Internet.You can also draw your own illustrations, use illustrations from the web or trace or photocopy the illustrations from Reproducible Maps, Charts, Time Lines and Illustrations (What the Bible Is All About Resources). Click here to see all Timeline Resources

Add Notes and Outlines to Lined Pages

On the lined pages add notes or outlines about key events or people. Write a brief summary for each event, development, or invention. Include: Who did it? When did it occur? What it was. Where it occurred? Why it was important? Write a short biography for each person you research. Information that you may include: birth and death dates, where they were born, where they died, what they did that was important, etc.

For more creative ideas see ScrapbookingtoLearn.com