We’re in the midst of our fourth week back to homeschool (Sprite’s seventh grade). Despite my terrible motivation issues, it’s been a smooth transition back to books and learning. Like I suspected, once I dive in, the motivation returns. We have done math, language arts, art, and composer study in these weeks — four of our favorite areas. (Okay, math is not a favorite, but it’s necessary.) Eventually I’ll be adding in science and history.
The composer I chose for this term is Chopin, the Polish Poet of the Piano. Listening to his piano music has been a great inspiration for Sprite as she gets back into the swing of piano lessons. (Her teacher takes a break over the summer.) We are still enjoying his music on audio CD, but we’ve already wrapped up the biographical study. These are the resources we used.
Living Books
Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers
Opal Wheeler biographies
Notebooking pages
Chopin is not one of the artists available on the freebies page, so I used my purchased composers set from Notebookingpages.com. (No, you don’t need fancy, custom-made notebooking pages. Plain paper works just as well.)
Sprite made written narrations of the Opal Wheeler books, the chapter from Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers and the Chopin VOX disc. She took notes as she listened to the latter two and then worked her notes into written narrations.
Activity Pages
Geography
The printable maps from Scholastic’s Ready-to-Go Super Book of Outline Maps came in handy for integrating geography into our living book studies. As Chopin traveled around Europe, Sprite marked the location on her map of Europe.
Timeline
She made a one page Chopin timeline with the free timeline notebooking page from The Notebooking Fairy.
I made a lens over at Squidoo with more resources. I always find far more than we can manage to use. So visit Chopin Composer Study for a buffet of teaching ideas. Pick and choose what works best for you as you enjoy Chopin.
Fourth week?! *faints*
We love the Opal Wheeler books too 😉
We’re easing back into our school routine next week – I’m using BF Ancients with my 6th & 7th graders and omitting/adding. Just a question with what you did since I noticed you used it just last year: Did you follow the teacher guide (with a few changes) or did you really overhaul the whole thing? I have so many books and IGs (winter promise, MOH, SOTW, Streams of Civilization) that I’m getting overwhelmed with it all. I saw your suggestions on Ancient Egypt and a tiny bit on Ancient Greece. Didn’t see what you used on Ancient Rome. Do you have any tips?
Thanks for sharing! We’re on Handel (same cd series) right now and planning to cover Chopin in October, so this is great timing.
I just love Sprite’s gorgeous illustrations on her timeline notebook page! My kids will enjoy this too!
It is good to ease into a full schedule over the weeks. Somehow everyone (including mom … smile) copes better and stays motivated!
Hi Jimmie,
Sprite did a great job with timeline pictures! I love her drawings!
My son Sandro e made a little Chopin Lapbook last year. You can see it here:
http://buntblume.wordpress.com/2010/11/22/fryderyk/
Have a beautiful September!