Successful Learning

You want your children to succeed in their education. We do too. We offer practical tips for teaching your children math, science, writing, and more! These tips can be applied to any homeschool curriculum. There are also highlights of our new textbooks with examples of how our curriculum trains your children to have success in their learning.

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Make Your Kindergarten Curriculum Work for You

How to Teach Paragraph Writing

Quizzing with Hands-on Activities

March Events

February 25, 2016 by Ben

The month of March is full of memorable events you can include in your homeschooling. Check out these highlights.

March 2, 1836

Texas declared independence from Mexico. Texans had been fighting small garrisons of Mexican soldiers since October of the previous year. The Texans disagreed over the purpose of their fighting. Some wanted Mexico to return to an earlier, less restrictive constitution. Others were interested in independence. When the Mexican central government dispatched an army under the leadership of General Santa Anna in February, the rebels began to unify by establishing the Republic of Texas. The Battle of the Alamo was underway while the Texans were declaring independence. I enjoyed visiting the Alamo in San Antonio with my family when I was homeschooled.

March 10, 1876

Alexander Graham Bell placed the first telephone call in the history of the world. It was to an assistant in the next room. Among the most prolific communication technology inventors, Bell used creativity and determination to serve generations. His exercise of dominion allows us to create communication connections with ease. So let your children pick up the phone and call a family member or friend!

March 15, 44 BC

Julius Caesar was assassinated. (Every year I use the Shakespearean phrase to warn my children: “Beware the ides of March!”) Caesar’s death sparked the final civil war of the Roman Republic. At the conclusion of the war, the Caesar Augustus mentioned in Luke 2:1 established an empire and a general peace within the Roman Empire. God choose this period of military peace to send His Son and to begin building His church.

March 20, 1852

Harriet Beacher Stowe published Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Her depiction of the realities of slavery encouraged the abolitionists in the 1850s, but the supporters of slavery were enraged. Stowe’s work illustrates the power a novelist can wield in society. When we teach our children about this book and its effect, we should point out that the literary skills they’re learning, such as theme, plot, character, and so on, are useful and not a waste of time.

March 24, 1882

Robert Koch announced his discovery of the cause of tuberculosis, a previously mysterious disease. Koch had been developing methods for identifying organisms that cause diseases for Germany’s department of health. By isolating the bacterium that caused tuberculosis, he laid the groundwork for developing a treatment. In 1905, Robert Koch was awarded the Nobel Prize for his discovery. What a tremendous use of science to show love to one’s neighbor!

March 30, 1870

The Fifteenth Amendment went into effect, guaranteeing that the federal government would defend every citizen’s right to vote. This amendment to the Constitution was the final one in a group of three amendments that eradicated slavery and established protections for the rights of all citizens. In this election year, we can remember that it is the fifteenth amendment that protects our right to vote.

Is there a special event I missed? Let me know in a comment what your family is remembering this month.

Ready to Learn: A Benefit of Preschool Curriculum

February 2, 2016 by Megan

When my oldest daughter completed kindergarten last summer, I was ready to make sure that she wouldn’t experience any of the summer learning loss that I had read so much about. I had purchased BJU Press’s Vacation Stations: Beyond the Back Door workbook and carefully planned a daily summer schedule that would allow us time to review concepts and practice reading.

I also planned to do preschool with my three-year-old daughter to help keep her occupied and to prepare her for four-year-old kindergarten in the fall. I talked to some friends about my intentions, and they suggested that I purchase a preschool workbook from a store like Walmart^® or Sam’s Club^™.

Unlike complete curriculum packages, workbooks do not include instructional materials. However, I was pretty confident in my ability to teach preschool-level skills. After shopping around, I found what I thought was the perfect workbook. Designed for ages three-to-five, it contained almost three hundred pages of full-color, perforated pages. The activities looked fun. It promised to help my daughter learn skills such as the alphabet, shapes, numbers, colors, and more. It even included a CD-ROM. Best of all was its price tag—$5.99.

My daughter was excited to do “school” along with her big sister, but that excitement soon turned into frustration. The workbook was asking her to do things that she was not prepared to do. For example, the first page in the section designed to teach color skills directed her to color a picture of a crayon blue, trace the word blue (the font being only 2-3 inches high) and draw a picture of a blue house. She had not developed the fine motor skill needed to do the tracing or the drawing. We ran into another such difficulty in the number section. At the top of the page she was shown three objects and was directed to circle the object that only appeared once in the larger picture at the bottom of the page. My daughter was utterly confused.

After a few weeks of repeated frustration, we completely abandoned the workbook. Even though my daughter didn’t learn the alphabet or her numbers over the summer, she’s learning them now with the help of BJU Press’s Footsteps for Fours curriculum. Her experience with this curriculum has been completely positive—she enjoys it so much that she wants to do school all day long.

It’s easy to think that the concepts taught in preschool and kindergarten are so basic that you don’t need a curriculum, but this experience taught me differently. One of the biggest values of an early-learning curriculum is in its sequencing. Within a good curriculum, skills and concepts are taught in certain order; they build on one another. The result of sequencing is that children are prepared for the introduction of new skills and concepts. They don’t get frustrated because they have been given all the tools they need to succeed. And succeed they will. Not only will they gain new knowledge and skills, but they will have the confidence they need for continued success.

Remember These Dates in February

January 28, 2016 by Meredith

Can I let you in on a little secret? February is one of my favorite months. Historically, culturally, scientifically, and personally—it holds events that have shaped the world and my own life. Plus, it’s during this month that those of us in the South sometimes get to experience a winter (or more likely icy) wonderland.

A month-long celebration we shouldn’t overlook is Black History Month. It honors the achievements of men and women who have influenced American society. God gives each of us unique circumstances through which we can choose to serve Him and others. Highlight the inventions, literary works, brave actions, and fight for justice of notable African Americans.

February 1

The first installment of the Oxford English Dictionary was printed on this date in 1884. This project initially began with the intent of recording English words used as early as 1150 AD through the mid-1800s. It took forty years to publish the complete volume. However, the English language continues to develop with new words and different pronunciations or meanings. Today anyone can access this dictionary of the English language online. Just for fun check out OED’s definition of homeschool.

February 11

Celebrate National Inventors’ Day by having everyone put on an imaginary “thinking cap” and spend time exploring what life would be like with (or without) certain inventions. Make this activity like a science fair project where your child can test his hypothesis. Studying these inventors who were born in February might provide some inspiration: Thomas Edison, George Ferris Jr., and Levi Strauss. It amazes me what power one person’s idea can have to change the world (within the limits given by our sovereign God). Each invention is a fulfillment of God’s command for humans to take dominion over the earth.

February 14

Don’t forget to make Valentine’s Day special! Last year, I had the opportunity to make homemade valentine crafts with some young friends and Val the Mailbox Gal was the perfect way to deliver our notes. Find directions for the craft and Scripture valentine printables in this blog post.

February 15

Honor the Chief Executive of the United States on President’s Day. The third Monday of February was selected for this holiday because it’s close to George Washington’s birthday. Any citizen born in our country could grow up to be president. But with leadership comes the responsibility to serve the people who have elected you. Gain insight into the beginnings of three presidents and see how their experiences prepared them for the biggest job in the world.

February 18

On this day in 1930, Pluto, which used to be considered the ninth planet in our solar system, was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory. Tombaugh found Pluto mostly by accident. Today, Pluto is considered a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union because it shares its orbit with another celestial object of similar size. (You can get the full explanation in the BJU Press Earth Science textbook.) And if you’re ever near Flagstaff, Arizona, stop by and visit the Lowell Observatory. It’s a great field trip for aspiring astronomers as well as those who might be less than thrilled with science. I enjoyed my family’s visit several years ago!

February 23

This was the date in 1945 during World War II when a famous picture of the Battle of Iwo Jima was taken by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal. US forces continued this battle for weeks after the flag raisings. In fact, of the six men shown in the photo, only three survived the battle. This image also served as the model for the monument that honors all the Marines who have died in service to our nation. Seeing this memorial in Washington, DC, is a privilege I don’t think I’ll ever forget, especially now that I know the history of the Marine Corps War Memorial. Share the bravery of these young men with your kids.

February 29

Leap Day is here! Wondering what to do? I’m pretty sure your kids will rejoice if you surprise them by making today a play day instead of a learning day. But if you decide to put something educational on the agenda, why not have them write letters to themselves to be opened on the next Leap Day? Be sure to seal the letters in envelopes so no one peeks before 2020!

Check back with us next month for more activities and events!

How to Use Current Events to Make Science Relevant

January 21, 2016 by Justin

You’ve probably heard in the news about the massive skyscraper fire that erupted in Dubai on New Year’s Eve. A 1,000-foot 63-story hotel was engulfed in flames so large that they dwarfed the fireworks display going on nearby. Hundreds were inside, but no one died.

You may not have heard of the Winecoff Hotel, a 15-story hotel located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. It burned in 1946, killing 119 people.

The difference between the two outcomes could be attributed largely to the fact that the Dubai hotel was equipped with smoke detectors, fire alarms, and fire suppression systems, while the Winecoff had none.

As BJU Press’s Physical Science textbook discusses, Henri Becquerel discovered nuclear radiation in 1896. His discovery led to a huge number of inventions and innovations that improved the quality of human lives. One of those inventions was the smoke detector, which became widely available in the 1950s. Common smoke detectors use nuclear decay in the process of sensing smoke. Becquerel’s discovery has helped save thousands, if not millions, of lives.

What does this event have to do with teaching science?

It involves interest and motivation. You’ve just been introduced to a major science concept and probably want to know more. Your teen will too. It’s interesting for a couple of reasons.

First, the example about the hotel fires links a science concept to a current event and then shows how the two relate, taking a normally dry lesson and making it relevant and interesting by giving it purpose. A science lesson using this example would then go on to include a deeper study of nuclear radiation and decay, but now your teen would be approaching the topic with an understanding of its value.

In addition, this example makes it clear that God has given us a powerful tool in science, one that enables us to serve Him by carrying out His commands to love our neighbors by improving the lives of others around us. Motivation to learn comes from a desire to serve in this way.

Just about any scientific concept can be made more accessible by relating it to something that interests your student. The end result is that you as the teacher get to be creative and your teen isn’t bored with memorizing endless facts without purpose.

Here are some steps to get you started.

Find a current (or historical) event or problem that was changed or solved using science.
Ask your student to explain what role science played in the event. (Doing so encourages his critical thinking skills.)
Ask your student to research why science worked that way in relation to the event and to explain the associated concepts that influenced it.
Finish the lesson with a discussion of why using science in this way would please God.

Quizzing with Hands-on Activities

January 19, 2016 by Ben

The Lord has gifted my first two daughters very differently. My six-year-old enjoys quiet, motionless activities such as reading. Even before she could read, we would find her curled up with a picture book, soaking in the illustrations. Our second daughter is always in motion. Even when she colors, she bounces in her seat. She seems to learn best when she is moving. She is four now, and we’re still working on letter and shape recognition. In a standard learning environment with pencil and paper quizzes and tests, she probably wouldn’t get good scores. For example, if my daughter was in second grade and had to sit still long enough to label a map, she probably wouldn’t do well—not because she isn’t capable, but because she learns best through activity.

More Than Pencil and Paper

The good thing is that away from public schools and high-stakes testing, there’s more freedom to adapt the learning to the child. Activity-based learners, like my four-year-old, can engage in hands-on projects to master what’s being taught. After reading together, we can playact a story to improve reading comprehension. Our driveway can become the “paper” and sidewalk chalk the “pencil” when we practice writing our names.

Such activities can not only aid in teaching but can also help us measure or grade our children’s progress. Some children adeptly learn new material but aren’t skilled at filling out those bubble sheets or regurgitating a set of facts on paper. We can use an activity-based project to gauge our child’s progress even in a subject such as geography, where mastery is often measured by labeling a blank map with a memorized list of places.

Global Balloon Positioning

As a dad, I want my daughter to show us what she’s learned. I can’t imagine her (even two or three years from now) sitting her active little body down with a black-and-white image of the world and labeling the continents. But what if she could show her knowledge of the continents with scissors, tape, a balloon, and a rubber band? The BJU Press Heritage Studies 2 Teacher’s Edition includes this learning exercise. By completing the activity my child could demonstrate her understanding of the poles, the equator, and the relative location of the continents. I know my four-year-old would love and excel at this activity. While she was having a great time with her scissors and tape, we could “grade” her progress in developing map skills. It’s a win-win.

Memorize, Draw, Label, Repeat

It’s easiest to teach and grade with pencil and paper. It makes teaching and grading “standard.” But God uniquely formed each of us in our mother’s wombs. So we look different, we have different abilities, and we learn differently.

While some children excel when you have them memorize a map, draw a map, label a map, and repeat; other children do well when they’re moving. Others learn best when they can listen and then talk through the concept. It’s a blessing that we can individualize the learning for the children God has blessed us with.