Our homeschool history is taking us back to Carthage this week. Learning about seafaring and trading through the eyes of Phoenicians. Timeline is our favorite part of the week in our studies. Combining fun interactive projects with presenting, comprehension, and creative writing techniques has been one of the best ways I have found to teach timeline.
My goal in homeschooling is for my homeschoolers’ to walk away after graduation with the knowledge they can teach themselves how to read anything, learn anything and that knowledge is power. Combining a love of learning all things is my goal as a homeschool mom.
Creative Writing Paper
This week our topic was titled “My Life as a Phoenician” . My homeschoolers’ were to write a story as a day in the life of a Phoenician. My grammar topics that I was grading on was comma usage and capitals. As my three homeschoolers progress through the years’ and we utilize the one room schoolhouse method it is important that I remember to grade based on each one’s ability. My ten year old cannot be graded for his writing at the same level as my teenager’s. Vice versa also because I want him to learn to work up and challenge his educational boundaries.
The paper’s call showed each individual child’s technique. One of my children wrote out how he would present the paper. He is a very communicative child and really has no problem at all speaking to anyone. His writing represents that extrovert personality. My other son write’s very intellectually, and he writes how he talks. His writing goals for this year are to elaborate slightly more on details and nail a good conclusion.
My middle child is becoming a very good writer. His work is researched well and his paragraphs all support the title. It really is amazing to watch them grow as writers.
Hands On Project for Homeschool History Timeline
Projects are a big part of the timeline. My favorite part to be exact. I love to see the originality that each of them bring. Choices this week for projects were to build a boat how the Phoenicians’ would have built one, build a temple they would have used, or make a perfume bottle. Phoenicians’ were the first to use glass.
Each project turned out good. One of them made a perfume bottle and scented the colored water they made with peppermint sticks. The next one made a perfume bottle with an opening for a ping pong ball to fit through and created a game. Finally, my oldest created a paper boat and researched exactly how the Phoenicians would have built it. As I have stated before I don’t buy anything for the projects unless it is glue, tape or spray paint. Everything is almost 100% recyclable.
Presentation Skills for Multiple Ages
Five minutes is the time limit for presentations. Each one gets to read or memorize their presentation. For the older two we do work on specific presentation skills such as eye contact and memorization. My youngest child actually has not problem presenting. He is an extrovert and loves the attention.
Presentation skills are graded based on each child’s comfort level as they present and if they read or memorize the information. I encourage both, but really in the end want them to be comfortable being in front of others’.
Reading Comprehension Questions
Reading comprehension questions come from the section of the history book we are reading. It is important to note that each child distinguishes what is important to retain for the questions. I have yet to have two of them read the same paragraph and remember the same factual information. How I go about my comprehensions questions is quite simple.
First, I read the very first line of the first paragraph and leave out an important fact such as a name or date. They have to fill in the blanks. If they have read it, then no problem. But if they have not read it, then it shows. Each question is five points. They receive five questions, so this means they are capable of earning twenty–five points. Sometimes they get them all, and sometimes they get none.
Timeline is a great way to teach homeschool history. For more tips on how to homeschool on a dime sign up for my newsletter. I am also on Instagram @momsarefrugal.
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