The Tate Modern

One of my favorite museums is The Tate Modern in London.  This amazing museum holds one of the most important collections of modern art in the world.  If you are teaching or living in the area, this is a great place for a fieldtrip with students of any age. 

Modern Art is a great way to get students interested in and involved with art, and they have the chance to see many different styles and mediums in the Tate Modern.  Not only is it useful for teaching about art, it's also a good place to help develop critical and creative thinking skills that will aid students in all subjects.

To visit the official Tate Modern website, click here.

For a field trip assignment for students to complete at the Tate Modern, click here.

The Sex Education Show

Channel 4 (in the UK) recently aired a programme called The Sex Education Show.  This show was not intended to just shock people or to be sexually arousing.  It was designed to be exactly what the title says: sexual education.  A lot of parents have mixed feeling about sex ed. and how much should be taught to children and at what ages.  The Sex Education Show takes a frank look at what teenagers want and need to know, and talks with teens (and their parents). 

Whether or not you agree with the programme's methods, here are the facts.  A recent UK-wide survey found that nearly a third of the youth they talked to had lost their virginity before reaching the age of consent (16).  Scarily, many of these young people also admitted that they don't always use protection when having sex.  Click here for the full study.

According to government statistics updated just this spring, there were almost 40,000 under 18 conceptions in 2008 (the most recent information available).  That means that, in England, at least 4 girls (age 15-17) out of every 100 got pregnant in 2008!  Click here to go to the government's Every Child Matters website for further information.

Sex ed. shouldn't just be about sex, though.  It also encompasses understanding our bodies and elements of relationships.  A good sex ed. programme can help youth to feel more self and body confident.  With rising numbers of teenagers suffering from eating disorders and lack of self-confidence, they need all of the support that they can get.

My point being, if you homeschool, at some point you're going to have to consider the issue of sex education.  There are a lot of resources out there.  If you have teenagers, The Sex Education show might be as much of an eye-opener for you as for them.

To visit Channel Four's The Sex Education Show's website, click here.

Teaching A Geography Unit on China

When teaching geography, I've discovered a constant.  When I ask students where they want to learn about, most of them answer China. 

China is one of the largest and strongest countries in the world, and yet in the Western World most people know relatively little about China.  Students are curious about Chinese culture and history.  Thanks to the children's TV show Ni Hao Kai-Lan, even my four-year-old is curious about China.  (It probably helps as well that she loves Chinese food and is determined to learn to use chopsticks.)

Teaching China can be a lot of fun and very interesting.  I taught a Year 9 (Key Stage 3) geography unit on China this year.  Here are a couple of resources that I made:

The Chinese Flag: Students of any age will enjoy getting to make their own Chinese flags, and making it will help them to remember the Chinese flag better.  We made our flags out of construction paper, and then took notes on the history and meaning of the flag on the back.  For information about the Chinese flag, click here.

For a short quiz on China, including the answer key, click here.

Henry Fielding's Joseph Andrews

Joseph Andrews, by Henry Fielding, is sometimes used in high school curriculums, and is often covered in college literature classes.  Here are a few papers on this novel that may help:

"Henry Fielding and the Other"
"Character Analysis Within Fielding's Joseph Andrews"
"The Parable of the Good Samaratin and Fielding's Joseph Andrews"
"Mr. Wilson in Fielding's Joseph Andrews"
"Social Disturbances in the 18th Century-The Cultural Causes for the Development of the Novel"

Free Math Worksheets

If you teach math, you know how tedious it can be to make up your own practice problems and assignments.  Especially if you're teaching something like simultaneous linear equations, it can quickly become time-consuming.  I've looked at a lot of internet resources for teaching math, but KUTA is my fave website for free math resources.  KUTA have free worksheets (with answer keys) for a variety of topics in pre-algebra, algebra 1, algebra 2, and geometry.  This site is a great resource if your teaching about 8th grade up.

Click here to visit the KUTA website, click here.

Maths Quiz on Multiplication

Maths Quiz: Multiplication


You have fifteen minutes to complete this quiz. You may solve the problems mentally (in your head) or on paper, but you may not use a calculator. Good luck.



1) 12 x 6=

2) 2 x 3 x 4=

3) 150 x 2=

4) 11 x 5=

5) 8 x 6=

6) 0.5 x 100=

7) 5²=

8) 3/(4 ) × 2=

9) 15 x 3=

10) -4 x 7=

11) -12 x -8=

12) -2 x 5 x 4=

13) 2.5 x 2.5=

14) 1/2 ×1 1/2=

15) 5 x 7=

Homework Assignment on Natural Numbers

Natural Numbers


1. Give an example of an infinite set.



Give an example of a finite set.



2. What is the difference between even and odd numbers?



3. Draw a number line depicting multiples of three.



4. Write down the next three numbers in each of the following number patterns.

A. 5, 10, 15, 20…

B. 100, 93, 86, 79…

C. 1, 1, 2, 3, 5…



5. What is the value of each of the numerals in the number 3967?

3

9

6

7



6. What is the largest number that can be made with the numerals 2, 4, 7, 9?



What is the smallest number that can be made with the numerals 2, 4, 7, 9?



What is the difference between these numbers?

Weather & Climate

I recently taught a Year 9 unit on weather and climate.  It's a really good thing to study, especially at this time of year, because it's easy for students to observe first-hand and get involved with.  You can study weather at any age.

Here are some resources I created for teaching weather (Click to follow the links to them):

Review Sheet on Weather
Test on Weather
Answer Key for Test on Weather

Writing an Essay: How a Book Can Help

Learning to write an effective essay is difficult at any age.  Obviously, one of the best ways to learn is by doing.  Students get better at writing essays by writing essays.

There is a book that can help as well.  Writing an Essay, by Brendan Hennessy, is a good resource book on writing essays.  This can either be used to teach teens who are first learning to write a serious essay, or it can be used by adults of any age who want to improve their essay writing abilities.

Writing an Essay is very accessible.  It is divided into logical chapters, and include plenty of examples.  There are also summaries and other focus passages that make it easier for students to pick out and learn the key points.

The only drawback to this book is that the tasks are sometimes awkward, and they will be off-putting for teens.  Otherwise, my experience with this book is really positive.  It can be used beginning around year 9.  Encourage students to make the book their own by highlighting in it, writing answers in the margins, etc.  I have worked through the book, chapter by chapter, with a student before, and their essay writing steadily and noticeably improved.  I did set different tasks for many of the chapters, but otherwise just followed Hennessy's structure.

Overall I would definitely recommend Writing an Essay, especially for older teens and adults.

Religious Education: Seminary

One of the advantages to homeschooling is that you can have greater control over your curriculum and what subjects you teach.  Many homeschooling families have chosen to include religion classes, or to incorporate more of their religious beliefs into their studies.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has an established religious education program for its youth aged 14-18 (high school).  Teens in school would normally attend an early morning class before school.  This program has a 4 year curriculum covering The Old Testament, The New Testament, The Book of Mormon, and Doctrine & Covenants.  This program is called seminary, and is organized around the world.

LDS families who homeschool can either do homestudy seminary or attend through their local congregation with other teens.  Although the courses on The Book of Mormon and Doctrine & Covenants are most relevant to Mormon families, the other two years (The Old Testament and The New Testament) could be used by any Christian.  The courses include a lot of resources, including manuals, music, DVDs, etc.  You can buy these even if you're not affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or a lot of seminary resources are available for free.

If you are homeschooling your teens and want a Christian course of study, this could be a really helpful resource.  Click here to visit the official website for Seminary.  Click here for resources for studying the Old Testament and here for the New Testament.

Here Comes Science

Quirky band They Might Be Giants has a long history of making educational songs.  When I was in high school I passed my AP American history exam partially because of their song about James K. Polk.  Somehow when you put information to music, it becomes easier to learn and remember.  Not many students will enjoy memorizing a poem, for example, but they all know the lyrics to their favourite songs.

They Might Be Giants' newest CD is called Here Comes Science. 

I highly recommend this CD, especially to homeschoolers.  It comes with both a CD and DVD (with animated videos to all of the songs).  Here Comes Science covers a range of science related topics.  I particularly like the song "Meet the Elements"; this video is a great introduction to chemistry.  My teen students really like the two songs about the sun, and it helped them to remember a lot of facts.  What I didn't expect, though, was how much my own kids LOVE this CD/DVD.  My one-year-old, who is a big fan of anything on wheels, gets really excited about the song "Electric Car".  My four-year-old thinks that this is the greatest thing ever.  She can sing along to most of the songs, and has learned a lot about science from it.  Here Comes Science has made her really excited to learn more about science, and has allowed us to discuss a lot of different topics with her.

If you have heard anything else by They Might Be Giants, you'll know that they are definitely quirky and have a distinctive style.  It is a really fun CD though, and a lot of the songs are pretty catchy.  I am so glad that I bought Here Comes Science, and I highly recommend it.  You can either just let your kids watch the DVD, or use individual songs/videos as they fit into your lessons.

Homeschool Project: Going Green

It is becoming increasingly important to learn about "green" issues like climate change and pollution.  With recent events like the BP oil spill, taking care of the environment has become a pressing concern that is, and should be, being addressed in education.

I recently covered this disaster with a year 9 student.  I made my students write a contemporary event paper on it.  I gave one week to write a single page paper explaining what had happened and what the ramifications are.  Then we discussed the oil spill in class.  Click here for good teaching resources on the BP oil spill.

When studying environmental concerns, a really good project can be to "go green" as a family.  It's an easy way to reinforce their schoolwork throughout the rest of the day/week, and to let young people help to make a difference and feel involved.  For some easy tips on how your family can be greener, click here.

Young Adult Book Reviews

One of the hardest and most exciting parts about teaching English to homeschooled teens is picking which books to cover.  You will get guidelines from the curriculum and can take other factors into account (the student's tastes, what you are covering in other subjects, etc.). 

Here are a few book reviews of young adult books that I've read.  There's a wide variety of styles and topics here.  Hope they're helpful to someone.

A Great & Terrible Beauty, by Libba Bray
Rebel Angels, by Libba Bray
Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
Peaches, by Jodi Lynn Anderson
The Tarot Reader's Daughter, by Helen Dunwoodie
(Un)arranged Marriage, by Bali Rai
The Opposite of Chocolate, by Julie Bertagna
The Firefly Gate, by Linda Newberry
Guitar Girl, by Sarra Manning
Just in Case, by Meg Rosoff
Remembrance, Theresa Breslin
The Secrets of Love, by Rosie Rushton

Making Grammar Interesting

I find it a common problem that teenagers have poor grammar, but find learning about it boring. Most grammar textbooks, even I admit, are pretty boring.  It can be really hard to get students to pay attention or put any effort into it.


There is, however, one book that I've had success with.  Eats, Shoots, & Leaves is a great book about grammar.  It's not a textbook.  It's an entertaining book that teaches grammar.  No, most students won't want to read it for pleasure, but they do seem to engage with it a lot more than other grammar resources that I've found.

To read my review of the book Eats, Shoots, and Leaves, click here.

If anyone else has a good grammar book for teens, I'd love to hear about it.

Welcome

Welcome to School Without School.

My name is Keri. I work as a private tutor for children and teenagers who, for varying reasons, are out of the mainstream educational system and are being home schooled. As a tutor working closely with the parents of home schooled young people, I have often looked up resources on the Internet. I have also posted material that I have created.

As all of these resources are spread around the web, I decided to start a blog to organize all of this information in one place. I hope to post resources, information, anecdotes, teaching material, reviews of supplies, etc.

My hope is that this site will be helpful to families who home school, tutors, and even teachers.

I would love to get as much feedback as possible from everyone. It would be great to be able to create a support network through here.

So that's my story. Welcome to School Without Schools.

Thanks for stopping by my corner of the internet,
Keri