Everyday Education- Making Time For Things That Matter


 
 
 
Transcripts Made Easy: The Homeschooler's Guide to High School Paparwork by Janice Campbell
Grammar Made Easy: Writing a Step Above by Connie Schenkelberg Introduction to Literature: Excellence in Literature American Literature: Excellence in Literature IEW British Literature: Excellence in Literature IEW World Literature: Excellence in Literature Vol. 5 by Janice Campbell Spelling Made Easy: The Homonym Way to Better Spelling

Free rubric and e-zine!

Would you like a free copy of my reproducible writing evaluation rubric? Just type your name and e-mail below, and you'll be taken to a download link. You'll also receive my free twice-monthly e-zine, with helpful articles and tips. Enjoy!

Your Name:
Your e-Mail:

Homeschool High School
-Transcripts Made Easy
Free GPA Calculator
-Conquer the Test- SAT* Prep
-Get a Jump Start on College!
College at Home
-Excellence in LIterature Gr 8-12
-Evaluate Writing the Easy Way
-Grammar Made Easy
-Spelling Made Easy
Beat the Clock Essay Workshop
Home Business
Articles
Life Management
Catalog
Links
FAQ
Janice Campbell-Speaker Info
Taking Time for Thing That Matter Blog
Contact
Home

Article Index

Articles

Newsletter Archives


Here's where you'll find some of the really old newsletters!

November 17, 2005 Brief Update

Good morning! Just a couple of announcements...

I hope you're having a wonderful fall!

-Janice

Last SAT Before Spring!

I just wanted to remind you that the next SAT administration date is January 28, 2006, and the regular deadline to sign up for it (there's a late deadline of 1/4/06, but there's no reason to be late!) is December 22, 2005. This is your last opportunity to take the SAT before spring, so if you need to take it to meet a college deadline, you might want to register now at College Board.

My Favorite Magazine

I thoroughly enjoy "The Old Schoolhouse Magazine," and they have the greatest subscription specials I've ever seen. If you haven't seen this well-designed magazine yet, I'm offering a sample copy of the Fall issue free with any order of Transcripts Made Easy (while supplies last).

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is approximately 200 pages, full color, glossy, and packed with support and fun! Contests and a multitude of product reviews abound, as do excellent columns like Creation Answers with AiG's Ken Ham, Resource Room for special needs homeschooling with Christine Field, Diana Waring's HisStory column, our Finishing the Race (High School) department, and Show and Tell – where readers share their own detailed methods and curriculum choices. And don't forget our lengthy Teachers' Lounge where homeschool parents hang out and talk homeschooling! Jenefer Igarashi chats each issue as well, and Dr. Ruth Beechick drops in from time to time. Keep up with mainstream news with Zan Tyler and Amelia Harper. It truly is "a homeschool convention wrapped up in a journal!"

 


Everyday Education E-Newsletter
June 2005

Contents

o Note from Janice
o Transcripts Made Easy Survey
o Introduction to Verity An Exciting Resource for 'Doing College Your Way'
o New Resources for Independent Learners

o Special Offer from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
o Links to SAT Articles, Study Help, and Beat-the-Clock Essay Workshops

Note from Janice

"What we call the beginning is often the end
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
The end is where we start from."

T.S. Eliot in “Little Gidding”

“Every exit [is]… an entrance somewhere else.”
Tom Stoppard in Rosencratz and Guildenstern Are Dead

The end of the school year tends to put me in a contemplative mood, particularly when that end seems particularly final. Our oldest son graduated from college last weekend—an end—and is beginning the search for a job. He has reached an exit, but it is also an entrance into a new phase of life. Exhilarating, yes; but also a bit unnerving. Thresholds tend to be teetery, uncertain places, especially when there is no light on the other side of the door. Do we step up? Down? Move straight forward? Friends offer advice, like lighting matches in the dark, and each flare of light provides encouragement to move ahead. Many graduates stand in this place of transition this month, and I ask each of you to remember and encourage them as they move forward.

Blessings,
Janice

HEAV Convention: June16-18 in Richmond

Be sure to stop by and visit me at Booth #136 at the HEAV Convention! I will have Transcripts Made Easy, plus workshop tapes, fr*e CLEP information, and used college texts, including a limited number of the wonderful Western Civilization texts by Jackson Spielvogel. I will be moderating a "College Options Panel" with Beth Bess, as well as speaking on "How to Choose and Use Distance Learning Resources" and "The High School Transcript: It's Easier Than You Think!"

Survey
If you are a past or present user of Transcripts Made Easy (or if you plan to use it in the future), I am beginning to think about a reprint, and I would appreciate your feedback on the following questions. You may cut and paste the questions into the body of an e-mail, add your answers, and send it to me. For each response I receive, I will e-mail you a coupon good for $2 off anything I offer (TME, BTC Workshops, audiotapes, etc.). I really appreciate your input!

1. What did you feel was the most helpful thing about Transcripts Made Easy (TME)?

2. What do you feel could be improved about TME?

3. The first edition of TME was published as a paperback book, similar in size to the Wordsmith writing curriculum or the Getty-Dubay Italic Handwriting series. The second edition has been published in a three-ring binder. Each format has advantages and disadvantages. Which format would you prefer, and why?

4. Do you have any other comments about TME?


Introduction to Verity:
Another Way to “Do College Your Way”

If you have attended my workshops at conventions in Virginia, you know that I am a strong advocate of using college-level exams, portfolio credit, and distance learning to earn a college degree. It takes a great deal of motivation to do this, but it is enormously rewarding for those who choose to try it. The Institute for Basic Life Principles has begun a unique discipleship program, called Verity, that is designed to shepherd high school graduates to a college degree using non-traditional methods. Verity is not a college, nor do they award credits—their mission is simply to provide support and services, including educational and tutoring resources and the supervision of study schedules. The thing that makes Verity more than just an academic resource is their mission to integrate “God's truth ("verity") in every area of personal development, learning, and lifestyle.”
You can learn more about Verity at its website.

New Resources for Independent Learners

Trump University
The hyperactive Donald Trump has conceived yet another winning idea—an online ‘university.’ Rather than offering degrees or grades, Trump University offers a smorgasbord of business-related courses for $300 each, most of which can be completed in one or two weeks. Longer courses will be offered in the future. Other resources include self-assessments, access to message boards, Ask the Experts, Ask Mr. Trump, and audio stories from business leaders. Many resources are free, once you have filled out the short registration form. The university philosophy appears to be based upon a highly effective “learning by doing” concept, and some of the courses may be useful as study tools in preparation for college-level exams.

Verizon E-Learning Center
Verizon’s E-Learning Center offers a variety of business courses, plus access to resources from the “Small Business School” show from PBS. For a flat yearly fee of $99, you may take up to 30 courses from the fairly extensive menu of choices. Course categories include Internet, Information Technology, Life Management, Desktop, and Business Skills. This looks like an inexpensive way to acquire a variety of skills useful both in business and in personal life.

SAT in the News

The addition of an essay section to the classic SAT has generated a spate of publicity for the old test. Here are links to a few of the more interesting articles (remember to cut and paste the entire link into a new browser window, unless you are reading this from the website):

5 Ways to Write a Great Essay on the New SAT

Penmanship: The Newest SAT Worry
I highly recommend the adaptable, efficient Barchowsky Fluent Hand for both initial handwriting instruction and remedial instruction. This is the best handwriting system I've seen!

Secrets of the SAT
This is a link to the web resources/interviews from a “Frontline” program. Very interesting stuff!

SAT Study Help
This excellent site offers tips and sample questions and essay prompts:

The Study Hall
A study site with SAT/PSAT help, vocabulary suggestions, memory improvement tips, speed-reading tips, and advice for the road to college.

If you come across a particularly helpful web page or resource, feel free to send a link to me, and I'll include it in the next newsletter.

Everyday Education Newsletter - August 2003 Newsletter

Highlights

  • Everyday Education Offering High-School English Classes!
  • Beat-the-Clock Essay Workshop in Sterling, VA
  • SAT Dates and Deadlines
  • August Tip

Hi--

January 1 may be the official New Year, but for me, it's not nearly as meaningful as the start of school. My year has always started with the purchase of new school supplies, and a celebration of the coming autumn and cooler weather. I hope you are looking forward to the start of school also!

This year, in addition to homeschooling my last two boys, I will be teaching high-school English in a distance-learning format, as well as meeting some of you at Beat-the-Clock workshops. I haven't finished remodeling the www.everyday-education.com website yet, but I'm working on it. I hope to have it completed by the time I send out the next newsletter. As usual, I'm available via e-mail if you have any questions about high school English, Beat-the-Clock Workshops, or about using Transcripts Made Easy. I hope your school year will get off to a wonderful start!

Blessings,

Janice Campbell

News Briefs

If you have a student who plans to take the SAT this year, the fall test dates are October 11, November 1, and December 6. Registration deadlines are September 9, September 26, and October 30. It pays to register early if you want to take the test at a particular school. You can read more about the SAT, register online, and try the SAT question of the day at www.collegeboard.com.

The Rest of the News

High School English Classes

Everyday Education is offering four literature-based high school English classes this year. Each one-year class is designed to prepare students for college or business by developing competence in analytic reading, literary analysis, and academic writing.

Each of the classes will be taught in two twelve-week semesters, which are divided into two- to four-week units that focus on a major author or work. For each unit, in addition to the major work in focus, students will read a brief biography of the author and some short works written by other authors of the period in order to provide context and depth to their understanding of the literary work.

A wide variety of writing assignments ensures that the student will gain comfort with the writing process and be prepared for the types of writing encountered in college and in life. All classes include assignments in Vocabulary From Classical Roots and refer to Writers Inc. (English I & II) or Write Right! by Jan Venolia (English III & IV). Students will practice guided Internet research and learn to use MLA documentation.

Once enrolled, students will receive a syllabus with a schedule of assignments at the beginning of each semester, and will submit typed assignments via e-mail. All work is promptly and individually evaluated using the 6-Trait writing assessment (see http://www.nwrel.org/assessment/toolkit98/traits/index.html if you are not familiar with this).

· English I: Introduction to Literature

Includes readings from O’Henry, G.K. Chesterton, Mark Twain, Charlotte Bronte, George B. Shaw, Daniel Defoe, George Orwell, and Jonathan Swift and others.

· English II: Literature and Composition

Includes readings from Henry David Thoreau, Victor Hugo, C.S. Lewis, Beowulf, John Donne, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Emily Dickinson, William Butler Yeats, Willa Cather, and others.

· English III: American Literature Includes readings from Benjamin Franklin, Washington Irving, Edgar Allen Poe, Herman Melville, Mark Twain, Edith Wharton, Ernest Hemingway, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, William Carlos Williams, T.S. Eliot, and others.

· English IV: British Literature Includes readings from Geoffrey Chaucer, Arthurian literature, William Shakespeare, John Milton, Jane Austen, William Wordsworth, Lord Byron, Charles Dickens, Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barrett-Browning, Emily Bronte, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Joseph Conrad, Henry James, H.G. Wells, Virginia Woolf, and others.

Students may enroll at any level, provided they have a solid background in English and are reading at grade level or above. Co-op groups of six students or more may choose to begin the fall semester one or two weeks later if this would better accommodate the co-op schedule. I am posting additional information on the website at www.everyday-education.com/classes, and hope to have a printable enrollment form and outlines for each class uploaded by Wednesday, 20 August. If I run into technical difficulties and don't have it up by then, please feel free to e-mail me for information or a form.

Dates (12-week semesters): Fall 2003 semester: 9/1/03 - 11/21/03; Spring 2004 semester: 1/12/04 - 4/2/04

Sign up early, as class size is limited! Enrollment deadline for fall is 30 August 2003. Remember to check the website or e-mail me at jc@everyday-education.com for more information!

Beat-the-Clock Essay Workshop The first BTC workshop of the school year is scheduled for 9/17 in Sterling, Virginia. I don't know if space is still available, but if you are interested in attending, e-mail me privately, and I will forward your inquiry to the coordinator. If you've never been to a BTC workshop, you can't imagine how much fun it is to see a group of students glowing with a sense of accomplishment after learning to write an essay in an hour.

This four-hour workshop is designed to teach the skills needed to organize thoughts and write a timed essay, such as those required for essay exams, CLEPs with essay, the new version of the SAT (after 2004), or the GED. Parents can choose to audit the workshop and participate in a Q&A session at the end of the workshop, followed by evaluation of their student's essay. If you would like more information about scheduling a workshop in your area, e-mail me.

August Tip

Don't forget to copy enough Transcripts Made Easy forms for each of your students. The records they keep now will be a big help when you start to create your high school transcript. However, if you are almost at the end of the homeschool journey and not kept records, TME can help you reconstruct your student's high school experience. Remember—it’s just paperwork! Have a wonderful school year!

Bookmark and Share

*SAT, CLEP, AP, and PSAT/NMSQT are registered trademark of the College Board and/or National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which were not involved in the production of, and do not endorse, this website or products.

Page copy protected against web site content infringement by Copyscape Please! Keep your family safe on the internet- use parental control software. Click HERE for information. Everyday-Education.com is Safe Surf rated for all ages. Safe Surf Rated for All Ages

 
(c) 2010 by Everyday Education, LLC :: designed by se7endesign ::