Random Learning Notes & Thoughts About Aspergian Development

Marie and I are reading To Kill a Mockingbird. I am loving it even more the second time around. (Literature, History) She is still spending time on her movie reviews. (Writing, Film Studies) The other day, I suddenly became aware that this avocation is not just about writing and film studies. It is actually a [...]

Animal Farm

Monday, we wrapped up our reading and discussion of George Orwell’s Animal Farm. (Click the link for a summary of the book and discussion of the characters.) Here is a video on the historical symbolism in Animal Farm. I watched it with the kids after our discussion, because I wanted them to draw their own [...]

Tea Time and Poetry

Marie and I made Apple Scones and had tea time today.

We recently read Keesha’s House. It tells the story of a group of troubled teens in poetry. Each poem focuses on a particular character. They are in classic forms, such as English sonnets, Italian sonnets and sestinas.
This reminded me a bit of Edwin Arlington Robinson’s [...]

Marie and I Are Planning a Huge Unit on MOVIES — Suggestions Anyone?

It looks like we have enough fodder here to keep us busy until she’s in college.
Marie: Specific activities you can start on are in blue.
I. Choose five movies by the same director/filmmaker.

II. Using the library or online sources: learn about the fundamentals of filmmaking, i.e. angles, movement, space, sound. Take notes (I’ll buy [...]

Reading the Classics

My friend Queen Bee wrote a thought-provoking post on the fact that kids (even homeschoolers) aren’t reading classic literature. She has noticed this with her writing students, and she feels this impoverishes their writing.
I am predisposed to agree with this; it’s one of the reasons I was attracted to Charlotte Mason when I first started [...]

Repost: Deconstructing Luna

Fall, 2008
Marie and I are reading a lot of young adult literature together. We did a simple literature
study on Luna by Julie Anne Peters using some of the methods described in Deconstructing Penguins by Nancy & Lawrence Goldstone. This novel deals with issues that are sensitive to some, including a teenaged boy who is transgendered.
I [...]

Repost: Because of Winn Dixie, with a Rabbit Trail into the Civil War and the Underground Railroad

Martin and I just finished reading Because of Winn Dixie by Kate Di Camillo. I really love this book. The author manages — with a very light hand — to offer a story that is realistic and profound, with a lot to say about human experience, yet gentle, fun, and — at times — fanciful.
I [...]