Sequence of Knowledge
Grammar, history, geography, government
Grammar
Grammer is another thing that just comes naturally if you follow the order. By talking and writing, your child will gain good grammar skills. Textbooks alone can not teach good grammar skills. Using words the correct way in your home will improve grammar.
You should have a good grammar book on hand to check things you aren't sure about. A lot of grammer depends on where and how we were raised. In one part of the country we say Y'all, but it is not proper grammer. It is a slang. I am sure if you pay attention, you will notice many differences. In Ohio, where I was raised, there are many differences in things we speak of compared to other states. If you pay attention,you will notice differences also. Try to correct yourself so your child will speak correctly. If you aren't sure, look it up in your grammar book.
There may not be an exact science to grammar, but it is very important to get the correct message across in speaking and writing. You may not need to teach a noun or adjective, but tell your child that by describing (adjective) a subject (the noun), they can help someone understand their point. I often have my children tell me what a word means. I ask them to describe it as if I had never seen it before. It's a great grammar lesson. If you want a book to follow for grammar, I can suggest Simply Grammar. We use this book weekly, it's a terrific help. But the best grammar lessons come from life with lessons in writing.
History, my most disliked subject in school. Why? Because I had to learn from textbooks. Now that I homeschool it has become one of my favorites. I love learning history. Schools don't have any order in the way they teach history. Here I offer a solution.
The best way to teach and learn history is with reading books, not textbooks!
Start with the beginning of time: Creation of God's Earth from the Bible. Follow in Chronological order: The Bible (Old Testament), Egypt, Greece, Rome, Middle Ages, Renaissance, American History (Explorers to present), Modern U.S. History and Modern World History. What an exciting way to learn history! It is important to learn all history, not just American history.
I recommed getting A Child's History of the World as well as the guides from Greenleaf Press and Beautiful Feet books as well as the D'Aulaire books. There are others I recommend on my recommendations page and history links.
Geography is another subject that I feel I didn't learn well in public school. We'll make up for that now.
So how should we teach Geography?
Again, there is no agreement. But let's try to make it as simple as possible. You can talk about the town or city you live in and locate it on a map. You should have a good atlas and a globe.
Start with teaching about the world, the equator, and directions (N, S, E, W). We started with the book: What you Kindergartner needs to know in the Geography section and worked our way through What your 3rd Grader Needs To Know in Geography. This covered the basics about the world and continents. I then asked the boys which continent they wanted to learn about first. They have a notebook and draw an outline of the continent. On each page after, they put in a country. We start on the north eastern part of the continent and work our way down to the south west. We draw the outline, the capital, write the population, draw the flag and fill in some other natural things (large rivers like the Nile and Mississippi, Mountains, deserts and such). We read a book about the continent, the country, animals that live there, borrow videos about the continent, country and animals from the library. Check PBS and Discovery Channel for listings too! When we finish a continent, we go on to the next one. For the countries that have states, we draw the state with capital and other information. As you go, add more detail.
When you read or listen tothe news with your child , find the place of interest on the map and talk about it.
When you go on a trip, have your child help map out the driving plans, walking route (for hiking trips) or plane course. If you are PCSing (moving), find out information about where you will move to, chart the course for the best way to drive there.
Have your child draw maps of familiar places (room, house, street, housing area, town, etc..) There are so many options available.
Government
Government is very important. We must teach our children about their rights and responsibilities as citizens. Government may go hand in hand with histroy at times. For example, when you teach American history, you may decide it is a good time to memorize the constitution. As an American, it is our duty as a citizen to know our constitutional rights, therefore, we must memorize and understand the constitution. Take your child with you when you vote and talk about why it is important that we, as Americans vote. Explain to them that we are voting to try to elect leaders to stand up for what we believe in morally. We must also teach our children to pray for the leaders of our country. Many homeschoolers are politically involved, taking a stand so that we preserve our rights to teach our own children. Often our schools fall short of expectations. By being involved, you are teaching your child life skills. Have your child write to representatives with their view on a certain subject.
Another way to stay informed is by listening to Rush Limbaugh. If you like him or not, he is well informed and I have learned a great deal from him over the years.
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