Bluebonnets!

 I absolutely love Texas in the Springtime!   

We had a chance to take a mini family road trip, and the bluebonnets were putting on quite the display - so of course we had to be Texan and pose for some pics in them ❤️

UMHB Easter Pagaent

 Noah got the privilege to play a role of a disciple in the UMHB Easter Pagaent 2021 - it was truly a moving performance, and a highlight of the year! They have been doing this for 82 years!

Homeschool Court Student Worktext from Homeschool Court: A TOS Crew Review

 

Disclosure: I received this product free through the Homeschool Review Crew

Homeschool Court Student Worktext from Homeschool Court

It's fun to discover a new way to teach the basics of how our legal system works.  We've been exploring Homeschool Court Student Worktext from Homeschool Court.

This downloadable curriculum is great for grades 4-8th, and easily adaptable for grades 9-12th as well.  We were able to take a peek at the full course, including the Case Summaries.

The core components of this program include the Homeschool Court Student Worktext and the Homeschool Court Teacher Manual.  The goal of this program is to teach a Biblical worldview of the American Judicial System, and prepare students to either participate in a mock trial (as either judge, attorney, witness, bailiff and/or member of the jury), a debate, or to effectively communicate in a written essay.  

9 chapters cover the basics including, important vocabulary, learning who the participants in the court system are, as well as, what are the different courts and types of cases.   The steps in a trial are outlines and discussed.  Finally, students are taught how to argue persuasively and effectively.  The Teacher Manual includes suggestions on how to schedule in either 9-11 weeks, or over 17-19 weeks.  It also offers helpful tips for adapting this curriculum to different students and circumstances.

To accompany the reading, there are some fill-in-the-blank type exercises, and suggestions for additional "Digging Deeper" enrichment activities.  The Student Worktext is consumable, and each student will need their own printed copy. 

The Teacher Manual includes all of the Student Worktext, and additional teacher notes in a gray-scale - I love having it all in one place!  A full answer key is also included along with great teacher tips for making the material memorable with games and activities.

The Homeschool Court High School Supplement and Homeschool Court High School Supplement: Teacher Edition offer additional information and content to help challenge your high school students further and can be used to earn a 1/2 credit high school elective.

The Case Summaries are three different cases that will walk the students step-by-step through legal process as they are learning about the judicial system.

Student Case Summary: Dog Bite at the Dog Show & Teacher Case Summary: Dog Bite at the Dog Show

This case includes a summary of facts, sample witness statements, evidence (illustrations and documents), a discussion of applicable state statutes, jury instructions (explaining concepts such as negligence, burden of proof, and comparative negligence) and the verdict form.

Student Case Summary: Forging Mama's Signature? (contested will) & Teacher Case Summary: Forging Mama's Signature? (contested will)

This case involves a mock trial that argues the authenticity of a will. Included are a summary of the facts, an outline of the law (including a glossary and an explanation of how probate works), witness statements, jury instructions and handwriting evidence.

Student Case Summary: School Prayer & Teacher Case Summary: School Prayer

This case is an appeals case based upon a Supreme Court case. The student attorneys will be engaging in oral argument. It includes a summary of the facts, lower court decisions, and the elements of the law and prior case law. 

 

The Teacher Case Summaries give additional information to help adapt this to your situation, a summary of the evidence, and the outcome of the actual case you can share at the conclusion of your study.

After printing out the curriculum, we jumped right in with reading and discussing. This program is well-organized, and easy-to-use.  It offers a very complete and discussion-provoking way to explore our legal system with multiple ages.  I appreciated the solid Biblical basis and application.

Using this with just my children provided great discussions, and has sparked genuine interest in our legal system. I think it's a great addition to any government study and I would truly love to use this course in a Co-op setting because the hands-on experience of a mock trial would be a great teaching tool!

Find  Homeschool Court on Social Media: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HomeschoolCourt
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HomeschoolCourt
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homeschoolcourt/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/HomeschoolCourtDBurton/_created/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjXgvZzIUtMU4nZe-jFeisw

Hashtags: #hsreviews #homeschool, #homeschooling, #homeschoolcourt, #homeschoolmocktrial, #homeschoolcurriculum, #christianmocktrial

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More Graduation Pics

 She is such a beautiful young lady... I am so proud of her! And, so grateful that I got to be there for all of it... K-12 ❤️

Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers from Everyday Education: A TOS Crew Review

 

Disclosure: I received this product free through the Homeschool Review Crew

Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers from Everyday Education

Writing.  It's full of twists and turns that can be difficult to navigate. Our high school students need to know the correct path to help them write well now and into college.  We have discovered a must-have writing "GPS" the - Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers from Everyday Education!
This 420 page reference manual is available in either downloadable PDF or print version.  Author, Janice Campbell has gotten permission from Mr. Ian Johnson, a college professor, to adapt a couple of his writing handbooks into this one comprehensive, easy-to-use volume. We have been long-time fans of Janice's Excellence in Literature series, and were excited to take a look at the Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers.
This handbook is organized into 2 parts.  Part One offers models and instructions for writing persuasive essays and research papers.  Part Two is full of tips on style and usage on grammar and the mechanics of writing.
This is a resource you can use over and over again. I have three students currently in high school, and another three in college.  I decided to print out our downloadable ebook and put it into a binder, so we can all easily access it.  
With both of my high schoolers knee-deep in ACT and SAT exams, the sections on writing essays were of particular help to us.  Janice takes them step-by-step from setting up the argument, defining key terms, guidelines for a strong thesis, and how to organize paragraphs and essays. 
The section on Writing Arguments About Literary Works is one of our favorite "go-to" sections.  The instructions and samples are a great guide for how to write in this necessary, but unique style while evaluating stories, poems, Shakespeare and even performing arts events.

I have also referred back to this invaluable book over and over as I teach our Communications and Literature classes for our small co-op. Openings, defining a thesis, organizing arguments and acknowledging opposition have all been topics we used to build our speeches, and her examples were just what I needed to brush up and be ready myself. 

The second part contains hundreds of grammar and usage tips.  

This was a reference section we found ourselves reading just for fun (can you tell we're homeschoolers).  It's organized into numbered sections so you can pinpoint areas to focus on, or use as a tool when you evaluate your student's papers.
I thought it would be fun to start each day with a quick read of 2-3 tips from this section as a "warm up" as we get our day started,  it's been a great review and since we're all "word nerds" we have even enjoyed the discussion! 
The Handbook is well organized, and you can use the detailed (9 pages) Table of Contents to find exactly what you need.  This is a book that you can use over and over throughout the years - both for yourself and your students. This is a great writing road map for every high school (and college) student. 
 I highly recommend adding it to resource shelf!



Find Everyday Education on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janicepcampbell & https://www.facebook.com/excellenceinlit/
Twitter: https://Twitter.com/EverydayEdu
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jcwords/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.mx/janicecampbell/

Hashtags:  #hsreviews #excellenceinlit, #homeschool, #writing, #highschool, #writershandbook, #homeschooling, #essaywriting, #teachingwriting, #literaryanalysis, #grammar, #punctuation, #collegeprep

See what other members of the Crew thought here 

Halfway!

 I'm about to graduate my 4th child... that means I'm "halfway" done with homeschooling!  What an adventure it's been ❤️

Here's a sneak peek at her amazing Senior photos - the ballet edition!