Paths of Exploration: Expanded Instructions

Paths of Exploration

by Debbie Strayer and Linda Fowler

Welcome to Paths of Exploration. We are glad to have you join our Learning Series family. Likely you landed at this page because you were directed here by the curriculum. Each unit's teacher manual includes basic instructions. This expanded version of the instructions gives you further insight into our philosophy of education and contains more detailed instructions on how to make the best use of the curriculum. Following the instructions you will also find required book and resource lists and supplemental recommended resources.

• Philosophy
• Instructions
• Resources
• Dedication and Acknowledgements

Philosophy

The Trail Guide to Learning series weaves together aspects from Charlotte Mason’s methods of natural education, and incorporates the ideas of Dr. Benjamin Bloom’s research on thinking skills, while fully utilizing the time-tested approach developed by noted author and educator, Dr. Ruth Beechick.

Dr. Beechick’s educational philosophy is that developing thinking skills is paramount, learning different subjects (science, history, geography, etc.) is done best in a unified and focused manner, stories are great teaching tools, and that language skills need to be learned in the context of content, not as isolated subjects.

Why did we write the Trail Guide to Learning series?

• We wanted to create curriculum that was easy to use, yet able to lead students to develop higher thinking skills.
• We wanted the things learned to come from real books, discussion, and a variety of activities so that students would enjoy the process.
• We wanted information from different subject areas taught together in relationship to geography, as it occurs in real life.
• We wanted students to become better communicators by learning and practicing language skills along with what they were learning, instead of through separate drill and practice. That way their drawing, writing, and speaking would be a natural response to their thinking and learning.
• We wanted this book to be more than just a teacher’s guide. We wrote it as a source of information for your students and a teacher’s education course for you, giving you bite-sized and timely explanations of what we suggest you do, and why.
• Lastly, we wanted to provide a way to support your family’s worldview.

It took years of labor and a team of workers, but we are excited to have met these goals in the first of the series, Paths of Exploration.

It is important for you to know who helped produce this level, because that helps explain why it is different from other curricula, and why you can have confidence when using it. The team of people who designed, wrote, read, edited, and supported this effort is impressive. It includes veteran home educators Greg and Debbie Strayer, Coke and Linda Fowler, Josh and Cindy Wiggers, as well as young adults who were home educated, Ashley (Strayer) and Alex Wiggers. Renowned home education author, Dr. Ruth Beechick, was Debbie's mentor and always influenced her thoughts and works through personal input. We also owe a great debt of gratitude to the families who road-tested the first year of the Trail Guide to Learning Series with their children and continue to give us helpful feedback.

Why does all this matter? As we say in our Steps for Thinking, “The key to understanding the actions of others is to understand their thoughts.” If you know what our goals were, you will have a good starting point to use this curriculum to fit your own objectives for your students. When you look at the parts of the book, you will see how easy it is to make your goals a reality.

Why do we start with American history?

Children learn best by starting with the familiar. Since they live in America, they have a natural connection to its founders, struggles, and growth. Studying American history helps lay a firm foundation for citizenship based on their family’s beliefs, and shows what a good leader, government, and citizen look like. It also gives children needed time to build thinking skills. When students are older they are better able to understand the events of world history, and more importantly, the causes and results of those events. With greater maturity in place, students are then ready to compare ancient times and events to our history and lives, learning the powerful lessons that can come from such a study.

What is the Big Picture or structure of the Trail Guide to Learning Series?

This unit study-based curriculum covers American History in three years at the elementary level and then moves on to World History once a foundation of our American heritage has been established. Four years of the curriculum are complete as of this writing as described below. We have plans in place to finish two more years of World History and then continue this series through high school.

Instructions

Exploration is a one-year, multi-level curriculum covering the exploration phase of American history. It is divided into the following six units:

• Columbus
• Jamestown
• Pilgrims
• Daniel Boone
• Lewis & Clark
• Trails West

Each unit is an independent package, complete with text, instructions, appendix items, and game cards needed for the study.

Units are made up of six lessons, with five parts each—allowing one lesson to fit perfectly into a five-day week. However (and this is very important!), even though one part can take one day, this curriculum was created to be your servant, not your master. This means you always retain the freedom to make its schedule fit the needs of your students and your family.

Flexibility is built in, since every Part 5 (typically Friday) provides time and activities for review of the previous four parts (typically Monday through Thursday). Every Lesson 6 completes the assignments for the unit and provides a time of review and assessment.

In addition, large parts of all the lessons in Unit 6, Trails West, are devoted to review of the other units studied throughout the year.

Grade Levels

This curriculum targets grades 3, 4, and 5 but can be easily adapted for third grade abilities by reducing reading assignments and substituting oral responses for written work. Likewise, seventh graders can be accommodated and challenged through increased reading and writing and through the provided Enrichment Activities.

For your convenience, if you prefer to avoid the time and effort needed to adapt lessons, specific guidance and instruction is available in an extension for children in kindergarten through second grades (Paths of Exploration Junior). An older extension specifically written for students in grades six and seven is also available. Please note that both the younger and older extensions require the use of the main teacher guides and do not work independently.

In most assignments, the recommended activity levels are noted with icons:

 for grade 3

 for grade 4

 for grade 5

If there is no icon (or trail marker) present, the activity is intended for all levels.

Before beginning a lesson, look at the Materials List in Part 1 to be sure you have what you will need to complete the regular activities. In addition, every Part 5 contains extra resources for Enrichment Activities. Enrichment Activities are available for your older students (sixth grade and up) who are completing the curriculum with you, advanced students, or students who want to learn more. Younger students who complete the lessons quickly, or who just enjoy learning on a more in-depth level, can use the Enrichment Activities as well.

Margin Notes

Margin notes appear in the text for several reasons, including to offer encouragement, expand or recall instructions, and explain teaching strategies. Think of them as your teacher guide, and be sure to read them all as they appear. Sometimes the margin note is repeated a second time as a helpful reminder for those who may have missed it the first time.

Answers & Appendices

Answers to most questions asked in the text are indicated with a superscript number and located on the last page of each lesson. Each unit's appendix contains teacher aides that include a Unit Summary, At-A-Glance guides for each lesson, charts and references helpful to the lessons, instructions for various games assigned in the text, and answers for those games.

Reading Assignments

Because various editions of the same book often have different page numbers, the reading assignments in Exploration include the first and last words of each passage. Mark reading assignments ahead of time in pencil so that the flow of your school is not interrupted with finding beginning and ending points.

Research

This curriculum continues to direct students to use research as an important part of gaining information. We believe parents are the best supervisors of their children's use of computers. Since online resources may be the source of information, we expect students to follow their parents' guidelines whenever they conduct research online. While we have attempted to supply correct Internet references on the links pages, information locations can change, so we encourage parents to maintain supervision of all student computer use.

Student Notebooks

The Student Notebook is not only a vital part of our philosophy of teaching, but it also provides a portfolio of your students’ work. A portfolio is often the best possible written measure of student achievement. And completion of the Student Notebook creates an excellent, consecutive record of student work in reading, writing, geography, history, science, and art. The Student Notebook gives teacher, student, and evaluator a clear picture of sequential progress in each subject area, samples of student work, and examples of creative projects. It includes dates assignments were completed, assisting with the documentation process. This helps teachers to see time spent on each unit, as well as giving students a sense of accomplishment as they look over the finished product.

You can give your students the pages either for all six weeks when you begin a unit, or weekly lesson by lesson. We suggest that students keep their notebooks in a three-ring binder, which allows them to add or remove pages as needed. For example, if students complete an art project on construction paper it can easily be dated, three-hole punched, and inserted in the notebook at the appropriate place. If they would rather complete their copywork assignment on different paper or remove the pages provided to make writing easier, they can do so. All in all, you and your students have the flexibility to adapt the notebook to your individual needs.

How can you begin to transfer the responsibility for completing assignments from yourself to your students? Daily checklists are included at the bottom of each Copywork/Dictation page in the Student Notebook to ease this process. These short lists include all activities for which there is no notebook page and help guide and direct students’ efforts. Plus, teachers can tell at a glance what still needs to be done. This checklist system encourages students to take responsibility for their daily work and allows them to be easily accountable for assignments.

Bear in mind that each unit’s book is both a teacher and student “Trail Guide.” It contains lessons written to your children, yet it always assumes your involvement. Margin notes, as mentioned earlier in these instructions, serve as a teacher guide for you as they provide on-the-spot instructions, encouragement, and understanding of various methods and materials used in this curriculum.

Steps for Thinking

Since a primary focus of the Trail Guide to Learning series is to develop and sharpen your student’s ability to think, each lesson in Paths of Exploration begins with several Steps for Thinking. These are the big ideas demonstrated through the reading, discussion, and other activities of the lesson. Explain each step to your child, and discuss any ideas or questions he may have. You will revisit the steps regularly, so look for opportunities to connect examples to the concepts whenever possible. By the end of the lesson, your student will have more experience with the concepts and be able to discuss them more thoroughly.

A. Copywork & Dictation

Copywork and dictation provides a consistent method for students to see, hear, and write language correctly. It is the first step in learning language skills. Always start your student with copying the passage. It may take more than one day for your student to complete copying or dictation assignments, which is perfectly appropriate. This means that you may be using only two passages per week until, and for a while after, he begins to experience success.

When he is comfortable with the shorter assignments, gradually increase the length of his copywork or dictation, being careful to safeguard his sense of achievement. Meeting your child’s individual need to successfully complete the assignment is more important than trying to keep up with a suggested schedule.

After copying, he should match what he has written word for word to the text and correct anything that is not the same. This level is appropriate for many second and third graders throughout the year. It may also be appropriate for older students, and needs to continue for as long as your student seems sufficiently challenged. From time to time, you may want to attempt a bit of dictation by allowing your child to choose a sentence or passage that he has already worked with, to build confidence. Don’t worry, this isn’t cheating! Your goal is to build the ability to read and write language, and teaching means providing the support needed to be successful. Assessment should come later.

If your student is a fourth or fifth grader, evaluate his success after he has copied several passages, and decide whether this activity seems too easy for him. If so, try dictating (or speaking) the first few words of the sentence slowly, and ask your student to write down what he hears. If he can write at least a portion of the words correctly, then he is ready for dictation. The ability to write from dictation is a skill that must be learned. It may be difficult at first, so give your student the help he needs. Initially, allow him to become familiar with the sentence, or sentences, you plan to dictate. You may even want to let him choose the sentence(s). After he is very successful at writing from dictation using this method, gradually start adding a few words at a time. Remember that success is your goal, not quickly moving to more difficult dictation passages. Going through the process too quickly, without allowing your student the time to become successful and confident, may create resistance towards this type of language learning.

Another common problem, especially for younger students, is the struggle with handwriting. Before beginning the copywork and dictation process, your student needs to know how to form each letter. If handwriting is especially frustrating and difficult for him, try different writing tools and surfaces. If he continues to experience difficulty, it is perfectly acceptable to allow your child to type the passages. This is also an effective approach for the older student who prefers typing to handwriting. Again—the goal is for your student to see the words, hear the words, and write the words. Remember that it is more important for him to learn the spelling mechanics and reading skills that result from dictation and copying than it is to handwrite the passage.

B. Reader

The natural method of learning continues in this section with the Reader assignments. These assignments occur in real literature, and there are several reasons why this is important:

• real literature is more interesting;
• the language used is more natural; and,
• a willingness to read is built as your students experience the success of reading a real book.

Students are regularly instructed to read assignments aloud in order to build reading fluency. In turn, fluency, or the ability to read something effortlessly, is an important part of comprehension. If a student can read a passage aloud with expression, correct phrasing, and attention to punctuation, it is much more likely that he will also understand its meaning. To practice fluency at all levels, begin with passages your student can read without constant decoding. In other words, start with a few sentences that seem easy to read. Often, you can have him choose the passages, and sometimes you might select them in order to gauge his growth. To do this, find a passage that is a sentence or two longer than the last one he read or one that requires attention to punctuation, such as dialogue. Real books are perfectly suited to fluency practice. And since literature provides such an abundant source of reading materials, artificial activities are unnecessary.

Each Reader is coordinated with the unit and provides a ready-made history lesson, as the lives of real people become linked to places and events. In turn, this connection brings character and convictions to light, as well as great adventures and drama. Examples of mechanics and word usage, as well as phonics principles, spelling patterns, and vocabulary, come directly from the wellspring of literature.

Every student is to read or listen to both literature selections for the unit. Reading or hearing the two perspectives adds richness to the stories and depth to the understanding of events and circumstances of the times. Critical thinking skills build as the two related stories allow students to compare and contrast to find similarities and differences. An artist’s illustrations contribute to learning about context clues, and the divisions of chapters and paragraphs help students recognize important main ideas and details. All of these lessons come naturally from real books.

C. Read-Aloud, Discussion, Narration, & Reflective Writing

Most parents agree that it is beneficial to read aloud to young children to develop pre-reading skills. But the benefits don’t stop there. Reading aloud to children of all ages is one of the easiest, most enjoyable, and effective ways to share ideas and begin thoughtful conversations. Since students do not have to worry about decoding during read-aloud time, they can focus totally on the meaning of what they are hearing. This allows them the opportunity to think about the ideas and information being presented and to formulate their own thoughts. In other words, it prepares them to respond to what they have heard through discussion, retelling, or reflective writing. And these skills provide a natural way for teachers to see what their students have understood from passages read aloud.

Read-Aloud. As you read aloud, you also model fluency, expression, and comprehension. When your voice reflects punctuation, students can see its purpose and the way it makes the passage more understandable. As they listen and sometimes follow along with their eyes, students see the language and hear it read correctly, which provides an excellent example for their own reading. Because of this, Read-Aloud assignments are an important part of each lesson.

Discussion & Narration. Read-Aloud assignments provide the basis for student responses. As they listen, it is natural for them to respond by speaking, which is a good first step toward meaningful discussion. Bear in mind that meaningful discussion in this context is intended to be an exchange of thoughts and ideas, but not an argument or debate. Accurately putting thoughts into words is an important skill and a first step toward expressive writing. In the give-and-take of discussion, you can listen to your students’ understanding of the passage, ask questions, and share your thoughts. All of these combine to expand their thinking on the topic. It also lends itself to the natural memory practice of narration, or retelling. As students become familiar with the process of retelling, their abilities to pick out main ideas, recall details, and sequence events develop.

Reflective Writing. This is the most complex response for students, because it involves having them write their thoughts about something they have heard. But it is also a concrete, natural way to practice thinking about and answering questions in writing. The answers that students give are correct, because they come from their thoughts and understanding of what they have heard.

D. Word Study

The Word Study section exists to equip students with strategies to gain meaning from unfamiliar words and to begin gently introducing the basic elements of language mechanics. This information must be connected to other learning in order to remain with children on a long-term basis. As a result, the best time to teach them about phonics, word usage, mechanics, vocabulary, spelling, and grammar is when they read a word or hear it used in a story. Study of a sound or word form is natural and makes sense to students when they see a need to read, understand, and use that word. Word Study activities occur in every lesson, taking advantage of the opportunities presented in the literature to connect meaning and structure for your students.

Vocabulary is a focus of this curriculum as students make and collect cards with words and meanings listed. The purpose of this activity is not memorization or dictionary skills, but understanding. By building an awareness of new or unusual words, you are teaching your students an important strategy for understanding what they have read or heard. New vocabulary words appear in the context of a lesson or story, which helps students recognize the connection between the way a word is used and its meaning. This is an important reading strategy called using context clues. As children complete the vocabulary activities in this curriculum, they see the importance of learning and using new words as they read, write, discuss, and retell.

Spelling is a skill that has several components, such as perceptual ability and memory. Some of us are naturally good at spelling, and some are not. The goal of the spelling assignments is to improve your students’ ability to spell by helping them make connections to meaning, phonics, and word patterns. Memorizing a list is not as valuable to students as increasing their ability to comfortably write words that express their understanding and opinions. The goal, then, is to increase their ability to recognize and spell more words correctly, not just to be able to spell a new word correctly for a week or two and then forget it.

Grammar study in Exploration is approached in the most natural and meaningful way possible—through the children’s literature. As students engage in Grammar Scout searches and activities, they become familiar with fundamental language mechanics in an unintimidating, realistic way. They are given opportunities to see parts of speech modeled in actual stories or through games, which prove far more effective than pages of artificial activities.

E. Geography, Science, & History

Making connections is an important part of this curriculum, and the studies of geography, science, and history are naturally connected. The knowledge of one area contributes to knowledge in the other areas. By considering the linkage of subjects in real life, connections readily occur for the students. This helps them add to what they know when they encounter new information. It also helps students remember what they have learned.

Geography is the umbrella under which the other studies connect. It includes the study of places. If you learn about places, you learn about the impact those places have on people. If you learn about people, you learn about cultures and worldviews and the impact those people have on places. So in the study of geography, you naturally learn about people, places, and all the ways they affect each other. All culture, history, and science connect to concepts of geography, so we study science and history in the light of their connection to the people and places encountered by the explorers and their paths.

Science is naturally enjoyable to children through the study of nature. Following the practices of Charlotte Mason, students gain skills that allow access to more information about nature and its connection to people and places. Observing, recording through drawing and describing, discussing, evaluating, and connecting new information to previously learned concepts are the core of the science instruction. This curriculum also uses reading as a means of obtaining more information that is useful to your students, since reading about topics is just as valuable in learning science as doing activities.

History is a daily part of the curriculum through literature readings, discussions, and activities. The study of history that focuses on dates and facts alone can be dry and hard to remember. However, when events in history are associated through the literature, geography, and relevant science concepts, they connect the learning and are much more likely to be retained. Great stories and biographies help students connect to the struggles and triumphs of the times. Literature provides a basis for discussion and evaluation of the decisions made and the results that occurred. Books read by the students and read aloud by the teacher provide the thread that ties the events, discoveries, and decisions of the explorers together. Learning history could not be more natural!

F. Writing, Drawing, Art, & Doing

Learning new things should inspire a response. Since we are not limited to conventional school-type methods, we can employ an array of effective and enjoyable ways to gain and respond to information.

Writing is an integrated part of this curriculum. It is not a separate subject, but rather a set of skills with which to become familiar. Writing ability improves with practice and time, both of which come in the context of literature, history, science, and geography learning. The best writing occurs when it is a response to content learned, new ideas, or as a result of an activity or experience. Since writing begins with thinking, once your students engage in assigned thinking activities, the way is naturally prepared. As you use this approach, your students will begin to see themselves as writers, which is the first and most important step to becoming one.

Drawing was used by scientists for many years to record new information. It was also a tool used by explorers to communicate what they encountered with others. As your students develop the important skill of drawing, they will naturally build their power to observe and notice detail. This, in turn, equips them to communicate what they learn more effectively. Combining what your students see with an activity builds powerful thinking skills. Also, use of the North American Wildlife Guide develops the ability to research and compare what they notice to what others have seen. Not to mention the fact that drawing is fun! Experts like Barry Stebbing and Sharon Jeffus help your child develop needed skills to observe and draw successfully.

Doing an activity is a powerful teacher. Students gain the ability to sequence and organize what they do and think through the activities that are included in this curriculum. The 1911 Boy Scouts Handbook, the North American Wildlife Guide, and other resources included in the text offer time-tested, effective, and enjoyable ways to gain skills and information through activities. Motivation is a key component of successful learning, and our Doing activities certainly help keep motivation strong. Since connecting learning to doing is an important part of this curriculum, these activities illustrate that important connection and provide the basis for authentic writing activities.

G. Independent Reading

This is an important part of each student’s daily schedule. It provides regular practice for word study and reading skills, as well as thinking skills. Quiet time to consider ideas and link new information to old is essential in building new understandings. Though you may be tempted to skip this activity to save time, please don’t! Completing the reading log each day also gives your students a sense of accomplishment, as well as some time to work independently.

Resources

We couldn’t have such a rich curriculum and educational experience without including a well-thought-out selection of biographies, reference materials and living books. The materials lists below are divided by resources that are required for use, practical resources needed (crayons, highlighers, rulers, etc.), and supportive resources.