Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Canadianized AO - Year 2 (updated)



Because the AO Curriculum changed their Science Books slightly for Year 2, it just seemed that our Term 2 was a bit heavy with Owls in the Family there, and then our Term 3 was ending up on the light side.  So I've moved Owls in the Family to Term 3, from my previous schedule.

I am also removing "The Story of Canada" by Janet Lunn - as we will be using "The Story of Canada" by E.L. Marsh instead - starting in Year 3.

Most of the year will be based on AO's Year 2

Booklist Change Summary:

  • Remove - This Country of Ours.  (Used the D'Aulaire biographies where there is an option.  TCOO is not used at all)
  • Add - Canadian Minutes from Historica (these are the "Canadian Minute" ads from TV - we watch them online)
  • Add - The Fishing Summer (authors last name is Jam)
  • Add - The Fabulous Song (authors last name is Gillmor)
  • Add - Owls in the Family (Fawley Mowatt)
  • Optional in Free Reads - Abraham Lincoln & Brighty of the Grand Canyon 
  • Note - we also don't do Trial and Triumph
  • (Add - Young Folk's History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints by Nephi Anderson) 
Note - I generally tried not to add something without removing something, so as not to overburden the year. For History, that was generally easy, as we were not doing Trial and Triumph, and also removed the US History.   For Literature, I made 2 books optional in the Free Reads - and 2 of the Canadian additions are fairly "light"   I also looked at the number of readings each week, as well as chronology of the history, to determine where to add in the Canadian content.


Weekly Changes 
(I haven't noted the readings by week that you don't read from the AO schedule for the books that were removed.)


Week 1
  • Young Folk's History... - Chapter 1
  • The Fishing Summer (entire book)
Week 5
Week 9
  • Young Folk's History... - Chapter 3

Week 10
  • The Fabulous Song (entire book)


Week 13
  • Young Folk's History... - Chapter 4


Week 17
  • Young Folk's History... - Chapter 5


Week 21
  • Young Folk's History... - Chapter 6

Week 25
  • Young Folk's History... - Chapter 7
Week 27
  • Owls in the Family Chapter 1
Week 28
  • Owls in the Family Chapter 2
Week 29
  • Owls in the Family Chapter 3
  • Young Folk's History... - Chapter 8
Week 30
  • Owls in the Family Chapter 4
Week 31
  • Owls in the Family Chapter 5
  • Owls in the Family Chapter 6
Week 32 
  • Owls in the Family Chapter 7
Week 33 
  • Owls in the Family Chapter 8
  • Young Folk's History... - Chapter 9
Week 34
  • Owls in the Family Chapter 9
Week 35
  • Owls in the Family Chapter 10
Week 36
  • Owls in the Family Chapter 11

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Map Planning

One thing we really enjoyed learning last year was how to draw our own maps of an area we are learning about.  This has been an exercise that Delta and Echo really enjoyed - and so we plan to do maps along with our Ambleside Online studies.

I'm including a general plan of maps that might go well with each year.  Of course, someone new to doing maps should start with some basic instruction first, and the continents first.

Here are a couple more maps that have been completed!

Delta's Drawing of the travels of the Norse (Vikings)


Echo's Map of the Great Lakes, to go with Paddle to the Sea

Plan:


Year 0.5 - Instruction in drawing maps - Basic Continent Position (mostly ovals instead of actual shapes)


1 map per term in years 1-3.  A student that really enjoys map making might make more...

Year 1 - 
  1. Great Lakes Region (Paddle to the Sea)
  2. Roman Empire (Our Island Story) [probably do an ancient one...]
  3. Scandinavian Countries [maybe including Iceland]   (Viking Tales / Our Little Viking Cousin)
Year 2 -   
  1. Southwest U.S.  (Tree in the Trail) or Travels of the Vikings
  2. England (Our Island Story)
  3. Western Europe [Germany, France, Spain area]  (Our Island Story)  [ancient or modern?]
[someone new to doing maps in Year 2 could do a Basic Continent map, adding in locations for "Seabird"]


Year 3 -  
  • Middle East / China [find a map of the route of marco polo - pref. one that matches what book we read...] 
  • Latin America (Conquistadors)
  • Northern Canada / Eastern Canada (Cabot. Cartier, Frobisher, Davis - their journeys, etc)
2 or more maps per term in years 4-6 - following are suggestions, but by no means exhaustive.  Maps can really bring history to life, so a student that likes to make them might make many.  A student that does not, might make only a couple a term.


Year 4 - 
  • Mississippi River Area (Minn of the Mississippi)
  • early US (Louisiana Purchase?)  / Pre-Confederation Canada? [for us Canadians]
  • West African Coast/Brazil/Caribbean (Robinson Crusoe)
  • Scotland (Kidnapped, OIS)
  • ?? mountains ?? (Incredible Journey)?
  • Map of US (showing Native Tribe Areas) / Map of Canada (showing Native Tribe Areas)
  • Map of Battle of the Plains of Abraham / New France
  • 13 US Colonies
  • Upper Canada, Lower Canada
  • Australia [James Cook] / New Zealand

Year 5 
  • India (Kim); 
  • U.S. (TCOO or other US History book); 
  • Australia 
  • War of 1812 maps
  • The Holy Land
  • Western US (travels of Lewis & Clark)  / Western Canada (travels of Alexander Mackenzie, Simon Fraser, David Thompson)
  • Canada East, Canada West, other pre-Canada Colonies
  • Northern Canada (Franklin) 
  • Canada on July 1, 1967
  • Northern Canada - Klondike Gold Rush
  • South Africa (Boer War)
  • WW1 Europe
  • PEI (Anne of Green Gables)
  • Halifax [area affected by Halifax Explosion]
  • Antarctica [South Pole reached]

Year 6 - 
  • Europe [WW2]
  • Pacific [WW2]
  • USSR [Cold War]
  • Africa (David Livingston) [map of his travels?]
  • Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome
  • Modern US / Modern Canada / Modern anywhere... 
  • Local Province / State
  • Korea/Vietnam/surrounding areas
  • Persian Gulf Area
  • ???