In addition to continuing to share chapters and discussion questions from my fiction book in progress (Shadows and Sparks), I will endeavor to provide at least one free resource (freebie) per week. (Hat tip to my writing buddy and Homeschooling on a Shoestring co-author, Judith Allee, for the idea). Families can homeschool - even with limited income! Most freebies will involve an internet connection, unfortunately. If you know someone who needs these resources without access, consider helping them to use the library or other locations. To kick off the freebies, I'll start with some of my favorite resources, which offer completely free online curriculum.
Ambleside (https://www.amblesideonline.org/help) offers a free Charlotte Mason-based online curriculum called the Helping Hand Emergency Learning Plan
Easy Peasy’s All in One Homeschool and All in One Highschool includes a complete, all free Bible-based curriculum for all subjects in pre-K to grade 12. I used some of the program resources to homeschool my youngest child, as well as supplemental resources for students I tutored.
Old Fashioned Education (https://scienceandliteracy.org/oldfashionededucation) also provides free curriculum resources for all grade levels, from a Charlotte Mason homeschooling perspective (but also includes textbooks). I love the way the author organizes free, downloadable e-books!
I hope you enjoy some of these freebies. As usual, I will also include an excerpt from Shadows and Sparks. Read or review previous chapters at Enjoyable Learning! The Unit Study and Discussion guide, which accompanies each chapter, also contains many free resources.
UNIT STUDY DISCUSSION GUIDE, CHAPTER TEN – School
1. What new recipe does Lizzie learn, and what is a pig apron? See a picture and read more about pig aprons, or cauls, at The Spruce Eats, https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-caul-fat-995601.) (Answer: She learns to make a dish called faggots, made from pig aprons. The “pig’s apron” comes from the thin caul (or membrane) around a pig’s belly organs. It looks like a net.)
2. Would you like to try Lizzie’s recipes? Why or why not? (Answers may vary.)
3. What is a modern food similar to faggots? (Answer: hot dogs.)
4. View at least three of the recipes in the e-book version of Mrs. Martin’s cookbook, Old County and the New, Maria Ewing Martin, 1910, (https://ia601408.us.archive.org/30/items/recipesfromoldco00mart/recipesfromoldco00mart.pdf). You might also find the advertisements interesting, and notice that in the cookbook, Mrs. Martin includes several (more complicated) versions of Welsh rarebit. (Lizzie learned how to make this dish, which she called “Welsh rabbit,” from her Da.) Pick at least one recipe from Mrs. Martin’s cookbook to prepare, with adult help.
5. Miss Pencil used “corporal punishment” (physical pain for discipline). Read the article, “corporal punishment,” at Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/topic/corporal-punishment). Do you agree or disagree with using physical pain for discipline? Discuss.
6. Read about the history of public education in the 19th century. View resources such as “Education” at U.S. History (https://www.ushistory.org/us/39a.asp), the “American Educational Timeline” (https://www.eds-resources.com/educationhistorytimeline.html), Reference.com’s “How Did the Industrial Revolution Affect Education?” (https://www.reference.com/history-geography/did-industrial-revolution-affect-education-c9526d4fda18c1bb) and “A Brief History of Education in America” (https://cblpi.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/EdHistory_0.pdf). For a different view, advanced students and parents can explore Gatto’s Underground History of American Education (https://dn790000.ca.archive.org/0/items/TheUndergroundHistoryOfAmericanEducation_758/TheUndergroundHistoryOfAmericanEducation.pdf). Gatto writes “that mass schooling of the young by force was a creation of the four great coal powers of the nineteenth century. It was under my nose, of course, but for years I avoided seeing what was there because no one else seemed to notice. Forced schooling arose from the new logic of the Industrial Age—the logic imposed on flesh and blood by fossil fuel and high-speed machinery."
After research, choose a topic and write an informational essay (with at least five paragraphs) describing what you learned about the history of American Education. Consider asking and answering questions beginning with “Who,” “What,” “When,” “Where,” Why” or “How.” Possible topics and essay titles include:
a. American Education: Most Important Events
b. Who Influenced American Education?
c. What is the history of Corporal Punishment in American Schools?
d. How did the Industrial Revolution Influence American Education?
e. The History of Compulsory Education
f. Your Choice of Title– About American Education
7. Why do you think Willie would not answer the teacher’s questions? (Answers may vary, but may mention that Willie did not like to sit still, and that although he could read well, he struggled to communicate.)
Read more about Melissa L. Morgan’s books, including books in the Educational Elephants Guide series and (co-authored with Judith Waite Alle) Homeschooling on a Shoestring, at Amazon Author Central, amazon.com/author/melissamorgan. Find inexpensive educational resources, such as ABCs of Survival: Safety Tips for Every Kid, Including Students with Special Needs (ADHD, Autism, Learning Disabilities, and More). If you find my resources helpful, please leave a positive review. Thank you!
As always, enjoy the learning journey! Best Wishes to you and yours,