Free RainBow WorkBooks

The Department of Basic Education has introduced English & Afrikaans Literacy as well as Maths Workbooks for Grades 1 - 6.

I saw these workbooks at the FutureEd Expo at the Coca Cola Dome in May & think they are stunning. They are bright & colourful & would appeal to visual learners. I have already tried some of the Maths pages for my third grader & he loved them.

• Soft copies of Workbook 1 (Terms 1 & 2) can be downloaded for free at this link.
• Soft copies of Workbook 2 (Terms 3 & 4) can be downloaded for free at this link.

If you’re looking for Afrikaans or English Literature or Maths, please stop by & check these out.

Visit my HomeEducation Resources Page for more resource links.

 

Birthday Celebrations

When we started the new school year, we decided that birthdays would be time off school from now on. Instead, we'd spend the time creating memorable moments together as a family.

Jesse turned 14 last Thursday. Daddy took the day off work so we could spend family time with him. We took the boys to the movies to watch "Kung Fu Panda 2" in 3D. After the movie we went to Pannarotti's for pizza. Then we headed back home to chillax.

I also spent quite a bit of time last week baking cakes for Thursday & Saturday, not that baking is any one of my specialities. For the first few years of Jesse’s life, his day mother, “Ouma Liz” did all his fancy birthday cakes. But she passed away in 2003. Then of course my backup plan went for a loop when my mom moved to Ireland also in 2003. Now I’m on my own. Fortunately my mom passed on a lovely sponge cake recipe that even I am not able to “flop” & so far my boys have been happy with their plain chocolate cakes with candles & decorations. Fortunately none of them have asked for any specialty cakes like “spider man” etc.

On the weekend Jesse got to celebrate his birthday with some  friends. For the first time in his life Misha wasn't at his party. Daddy took the boys go-karting & Misha wasn't old enough to ride so we allowed him to sleepover & attend another birthday party with his friend instead. Unfortunately I couldn’t join them at the go-karts because I was woke up with a migraine. They stopped by the video shop on their way home for some movies to entertain them the rest of the day. Fortunately, by the time they got home just before 2pm, I had managed to break the migraine.

My sister & her family came by for a braai. Of course it was so cold that we decided to turn the dough she brought into vetkoek & and mince instead of trying to brace the cold outside to braai. We enjoyed a relaxing afternoon. Misha got home around 5pm & spend the rest of the afternoon playing with his little cousin. It turned out to be quite a pleasant & relaxing day.

Now we have a break until next week when it’s daddy’s turn to have a birthday.

 

In the meantime check out this post He Couldn’t Sing, So He Whittled By Zig Ziglar for a really inspiring story. It’s awesome!

If you don’t have the talent you want, use the talent you have. ~ Zig Ziglar

Grade 8-12 / Matric Options

NEVER take the road people want u to. It's your life, ride your own way. U may not have a limo, but feel happy to ride on your own bike.

With our eldest currently in grade 8 and still at the start of his high school years, the time has come for us to make a decision about what direction we’re going to take getting him through matric with University Exemption. We started him up with Le-Amen Education Centre for IEB, but unfortunately the books that were supplied were not very homeschool friendly & are not working for him so we’ve had to add additional material to help him.

During a recent talk at Dayspring College I learnt the accepted options for Umluzi Matric Certificate with the following 4 boards that oversee schooling:

1. Afrikaans

2. GDE (Gauteng Department of Education) ~ According to the information received the standards of the GDE are falling. At present you need 2 x 40%, 2x 35% and 3×30% to pass and receive a matric certificate.  But what is required to get those marks is very little work at all.  Children who get high levels in the matric certificate are often failing at first year university level because the standard of English and math have fallen so far that they cannot cope without extra help.  If the child is in a good school where the standards are high, this may not be a problem – just depends on the school and what they teach as far as skills.  The concern raised was that in the GDE exams, a child could give very simple answers and still pass.  For example, ‘Describe rain’ could be answered with “The earth gets wet” and be correct.

3. IEB (Independent Examination Board) ~ Many of the private schools do the IEB Exams.

4. Homeschooling ~ Within the homeschooling arena there are many options, which include Cambridge, ACE, Delta, Brainline, Le-Amen, etc.

1. IEB Matric

IEB is still a good system but as a homeschooler portfolio of work must be compiled in addition to doing exams, something that is hard to do.  But if you are in the IEB system and are happy with the standard of what is being taught and can compile the portfolio, then your child will be fine.  The answer to ‘Describe rain’ here would require at least a discussion of cumulus clouds and the rain falling because of temperature changes…  While not as comprehensive as might be really good, at least they have to write essays.

The IEB Matric Examinations can be written through the following education centres:

• Hatfield Online Christian School offers the benefit of receiving a quality education and the freedom of studying in your own time and on your home computer.

• Brainline Learning World is an online home school/distance learning system that offers grades 1-12 (matric) in both English and Afrikaans – presenting the learner of the digital age with an alternative form of schooling.

• Delta Education is an educational product and service provider.

• Le-Amen Education Centre is registered with the Department of Education, the IEB as well as provisionally accredited at UMALUSI. They serve as a monitoring & support centre for home-school students from grade K-12. The education of the students remains the responsibility of the parents. They supply the curriculummaterial & exam papers. At the end of the school year they issue the student with a school report.

• Login Education offers an accredited, integrated online and pc based home schooling curriculum for grades 0 – 6, plus other extra curricular courses to help ensure your child is equipped for today’s globalized marketplace! Grades 9 – 12 will be available in 2012.

Study Material & Teaching Aids:

• Thutong South African Education Portal for information, curriculum, and support materials to the South African schooling and FET College community.

• The Learning Channel offers a comprehensive range of Grades 10, 11 and 12 courses that cover all the Learning Outcomes, Assessment Standards, knowledge, key concepts and skills as reflected in the National Curriculum Statement — everything you need to make a success of your world!

The Learning Channel programmes consist of three integrated components:

• Lessons to watch on DVD.
• A learner workbook that includes:
  • Learner-friendly style and text;
  • Real-life problems in different contexts;
  • Varied texts, for example, tables, graphs, charts; and
  • Regular assessment tools.
• The Learning Channel website.

These courses have been carefully designed so that learners can complete the activities on their own, with a partner, in a group or as a class, making it a versatile tool to be used at home or in the classroom. Worked solutions and answers are included so learners can self-assess their progress.

• MindSet Learn offers study materials, Learn Xtra Gr. 12 Video Lessons, Past Exam Papers & Detailed Study Notes as well as TV Guide for the DSTV Learning Channel 319.

2. Cambridge

CIE is part of Cambridge Assessment, Europe’s largest assessment agency and a department of the University of Cambridge. Cambridge Assessment was established in 1858 as the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate.

The Cambridge exams seem to be the best option for homeschoolers who intend to study further. Cambridge is a very skills based system so that when the student is finished with the exams, they will be ready for university and in most cases the first 6 months of university will be easy because they’ve already done the work.

Details of the Cambridge Qualifications System

• IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education); aimed at students aged 14 – 16
  In Grades 10-11 a student will study to take the ICGSE exams which used to be called O levels. These exams can be taken over a period of 2 years with students taking 6-7 subjects one of which must be English as a 1st language. They must also do a 2nd language. Math usually takes two years of prep so it should be started in grade 10 to allow enough time. The student will prepare for 3-4 exams the first year and 3-4 the second. They can control the exam time as there are 2 exam times each year, one in June and one in October. From what I understood you can only sit exams in 2 of the four potential times and once you pick June or Oct you must take the second set of exams at that time too. The ICGSE exams are the equivalent of Grade 10-12 in the GDE system so the level is quite high.
• AS Levels; aimed at students aged 16 – 19
  In Grade 12 a student will study for the AS exams. They must do between 2 and 5 subjects over 2 years depending on what they intend to do in the future. One of the subjects MUST be English as 1st language.

  If a student does very well on a subject at IGCSE level (B or A) they can “carry” it over as an AS level subject. This means that they will only write for 4 subjects at the end of their AS course and one of their IGCSE subjects can count for the 5th.

• A Levels
  To achieve the equivalents of “A Levels” the South African student needs to complete a Grade 13, but most students do not take this option as it is not necessary for matric exemption and university exemption.

Different Pathways through Cambridge

Once a student gets to Grade 10-11 they need to have an idea of where they are headed because there’s no point doing extra AS exams if they don’t intend to go to university. Any student not headed for college or university can probably stop at the end of the ICGSE exams. Some of the ICGSE levels can be done as either core or extended. If the student intends to do AS levels for a topic, they need to do it at the extended level. Otherwise they can do core as the certificate does not indicate which one they have done. They want to get the best results possible and the highest marks so pick core where possible.

Cambridge has fused Grade 10 and 11 IGSCE, in that a student takes ±7 subjects and except for Math, will be able to complete 3 in the first year and 3 in the second year. They thus complete 2 years worth of work in one year for 3 subjects and write the exam, whereas the GDE schools require an exam for each subject for each of those years.

Remember the level is GDE Grade 10-12 so one must be careful not to take too many academic subjects at once as it is a lot of work. The initial study can take longer say 18 months before the students start taking exams but once the students take the first exams, they have one year before they have to finish the exams. Do not start a young student on the ICGSE as maturity plays a role and that any kid before about 15-16 is not mature enough to do the work no matter how smart they are. In the case of an immature student it is better to wait and do them later. There’s no problem with doing the ICGSE at 16-17 and the AS levels at 18-19.

The alternative is to do the foundation level exams for Grade 9 just 1 or 2 topics in order to gain some of the experience that is necessary before entering proper ICGSE. It is also important to get advice from people who understand how the Cambridge exams are marked as that has a big influence on how well your student does.

SAQA (South African Qualifications Authority) Requirements for Umaluzi Conversion:

• 7 ICGSE exams

• 2 AS exams (1 must be English 1st Language)

Once the student is done with the above, they can approach SAQA with their certificates and they will receive a school leaving certificate that can be used to get into college.

For science classes at ICGSE level, most practicals can be done at home, if not seek a tutor to help you. The student can take the alternative to prac exams that don’t require practicals to have been done BUT this is not a good idea if the student intends to do the subject at AS level later on. At the AS level, should use a tutor who understands the Cambridge system and has the right equipment when necessary. During the exams the student will have to use proper lab equipment and without the experience of using, they will probably not do well.

HESA (Higher Education of South Africa) Requirements for an exemption:

• 6 ICGSE exams

• 4 AS exams (1 must be English 1st Language)

Pass rate = A – D however, it is better to have as many as possible AS exams in case your student fails one of them. One of the other requirements is that 2 languages are done. One as First Language and the other must be a official language which is Afrikaans and the African languages.

To get an exemption the student may not take longer than 2 years to do their ICGSE & AS exams. They can do IGCSE in May June and then do AS in Oct /Nov in the following year, i.e. they don’t have to then be restricted to the same exam sitting. In addition, the student should probably do 5 AS exams so if they do very poorly in one exam, they can drop it from the HESA application.

Once the student is done with the above, they may approach HESA and get a matric exemption certificate. However, the results and the points allocated based on them will determine whether the student is accepted into a particular department, so ensure they know ahead of time what would be required. Contact the department at the university the student wants to attend to find out the exact requirements. Ask for the person in charge of evaluating Cambridge entrance.The universities allocate points based on results, so the higher the results, the better their chance of gaining entry. Also they get more points for more topics. They don’t allow for the fact that AS levels are higher than a GDE matric so your student needs to get the best results possible to get in to their chosen department.

The one requirement from HESA that is difficult to meet as homeschoolers, is Life Orientation. At a fee, some colleges like the BIDC do a Personal Development Program that does meet the requirements for university entrance. This program is project based and is easy to replicate for our homeschool environment. Some IEB schools complete the Gr 10-12 curriculum in Life Orientation in grade 11 (Rhodean) and the students then write off the subject, thus easing the load for grade 12.

Sue mentioned that Life Orientation certificate was required by law. Most of her students don’t bother to get it and have not had a problem at all. The universities apparently bother to ask for it. She has had 2 students whose parents organised for it to be done at one of the schools that offered it. Additional feedback received suggested that, according to admission officers at Wits and Tukkies the Cambridge matric (AS levels) is considered an international qualification (i.e. not South African) and therefore the pupils do NOT need life orientation on their certificate. This may or may not be the case at other universities, so you would need to check with the institution where your wishes to study.

For more information visit the HESA Requirements for Exemption Certificates page.

Requirements for an exemption without ICGSE or if you took more than 2 years to do ICGSE or your ICGSE results were bad:

• AS certificates (1 must be English 1st Language)

Requirements for university with poor ICGSE and AS exam scores:

• 2 A level exams will get you a university exemption BUT it may or may not get you into a particular department at university.

What subjects must should a student take?

According to the guidelines set by the exemptions board of South Africa, your student needs to choose subjects according to the group laid out. For example:

• Compulsory Subjects:
  English
  Afrikaans (or another second language)
  Maths or Maths literacy
• Discretionary Subjects: (two from the following list)
  A third language or Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics or Physics;
  Art, Economics, Geography, History, Music
  Accounting, Business Studies, Computing, Design and Technology or Further Mathematics;

However, practical subjects are not available to some homeschoolers who prefer to do the Cambridge Homeschool Matric independently i.e. without the help of a private college. While Cambridge offers over 70 subjects at IGCSE and AS level, not all can be taken in South Africa.

How to actually get the student through Cambridge:

There are several paths one can take. The student can attend a study centre like Daysprings, but that will cost ±R30,000 per year. There are also several schools that will charge in the region of R3000-3500 per subject for the books, a syllabus, give the student assignments that they will assess and register the student for exams with an exam centre. The exam fees are extra Some schools have their own exam centres and others will send the student to an independent centre.

• Theocentric Christian Education (TCE) ~ offers a fully structured system that ends with a Cambridge Grade 12 (Higher International General Certificate of Secondary Education). This will give access to universities in S.A. They also offer a British A Level (over Grades 12 and 13) which will give access to any university in Britain as well as our local universities. The Curriculum is based on the 27 character qualities of God and grounded on the Biblical Christian worldview, from Grade 0 to Grade 12 or 13.
• Brainline Learning World is an online home school/distance learning system that offers Cambridge IGCSE & Gr. 12 in both English and Afrikaans – presenting the learner of the digital age with an alternative form of schooling.
• Love 2 Learn ~ Feedback received is that that English in Love 2 Learn was good enough for university.
• Damelin Correspondence College

Alternatively parents can source the books, set up the syllabus and register the student for the exams and save quite a bit of money. Below is a list study centres that provide support, some exam centres and so on. Also some websites with past papers for Cambridge exams. Sue said that many of her teachers are willing to take extra pupils in the afternoons or she can give us the details of a tutoring service that will find a tutor. Also her teachers can do practicals for extra students where they need to do science at that level.

• British International Distance College ~ BIC follows the international syllabi set by Cambridge International Examinations (CIE). They supply a work program and textbook. The student receives 6 assignments that need to be submitted for assessment. For more information email or contact them on (011) 706-7199.

• CL Education ~ is an online distance college linking you to prestigious locally and internationally recognised AS/A-Levels and O-level qualifications through Cambridge Independent Examinations (CIE). However, they do not offer the Foundation (Gr. 8-9) course. For more information email or contact Chris Forster on 083 308-8167 or email or contact Bronwyn Ansell on 083 381-0958.

• Dayspring Cambridge International Study Centre ~ offer students a complete qualification in order to obtain a school-leaving certificate that is recognised by South African and all International universities. Many of the teachers are willing to take extra pupils in the afternoons. They are situated on 23 Jim Fouché Road, Constantia Kloof, Roodepoort, 1724. For more information contact Sue on (011) 675 – 2250 or 083 947-7581.

• L.S.I. College a Cambridge attached centre situated in 2nd Floor, 77 Park Drive, Northcliff. Correspondence Students have access to the LSI College’s Tuition Services according to the LSI Calendar, in the evenings and over weekends on an appointment basis with the teachers. For more information contact them on 072 369-0957

Two other things Sue mentioned was that she is willing to order the work program books from CL Education on our behalf when she orders for her students. These work program books help you to teach the text books which are written for teachers not homeschoolers. They cost about R1075 (I think) per subject. She did however say that they are not necessary for all the subjects but definitely for Maths and Science as they are quite difficult. The Maths book give you little explanation and just the answer and you have to work out the problem yourself whereas the work program includes how to get to the answers.

Additional Study Material & Teaching Aids:

• University of Cambridge International Examinations is the world’s largest provider of international education programmes and qualifications

• Extreme Papers for past exam papers.

• Free Papers for past exam papers.

Examinations

Exams can be written in June & November. The advantage is that some subjects can be written off in either June or November, leaving more time to focus on the bulkier subjects like Math, Biology and Physical Science. Bear in mind that some subjects like Afrikaans & Combined Science (a.k.a. Physical Science) exams may only be written in the November sitting.

Registrations are due by 15 Jan for May/June and by 15 August for October/November and exam entry fees for 2011 were £27.15 per subject and £54.30 for Physical Science. The late entry fees were an additional £13.35 pounds. Although this may seem expensive, it does provide for an internationally accredited school leaving certificate.

Registered exam centres:

• British Council ~ for private registrations.

British Council Johannesburg, Ground Floor, Forum 1, Braampark, 33 Hoofd Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg 2001; PO Box 30637, Braamfontein 2017; Telephone +27 (11)718 4300; Fax +27 (11)718 4400; E-mail; Director South Africa – Mr David Cordingley; Director Programmes Sub Saharran Africa – Mr Chris Brown
British Council Cape Town, 3rd Floor, Associated Magazines House, 21 St John’s Street, Cape Town 8001; PO Box 1469,Cape Town 8000; Telephone +27 (11)460 6660; Fax +27 (11)460 6691; E-mail; Director – Ms Jean September

• Andrew’s Academy ~ in Windsor Glen; Email or contact Caryn Andrews on (011) 431-0631

• Alma Mater Akademie ~ Email or contact them on (011) 660-7567

• Word of Life Christian School ~ in Vereeniging; Email

• Ashton International College ~ 47 Beryl Street, Farramere, Benoni; Contact them on 011 395 2070 / 011 395 3435

• Greenwich College ~ 1A Cross Place, Bryanston; Email or contact them on (011) 463 9779 or (011) 463 9706.

Study Material & Teaching Aids:

• University of Cambridge International Examinations is the world’s largest provider of international education programmes and qualifications

• Extreme Papers for past exam papers.
• Free Papers for past exam papers.

3. Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT)

The following curricula can be used for SAT preparation:

• ACE (Accelerated Christian Education) ~ Students wishing to enter a University and students from non-Silver Status schools and homeschoolers must write either the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) or the NBT (National Benchmark Tests)

• Switched-On Schoolhouse^® is a comprehensive, Bible-based curriculum that offers computer-based learning for grades 3-12. With animation, video clips, and other fascinating multimedia, Switched-On Schoolhouse is the perfect homeschool curriculum for today’s generation. With this flexible, best-selling curriculum, you can customize student learning to fit individual educational needs. GED Preparatory Courses are also available.

It has recently come under my attention that the universities are unwilling to accept students on the strength of SAT scores alone. They need to have some form of acceptable high school diploma in addition to SAT scores. “My daughter did exceptionally well on her SAT’s but neither HESA nor the Wits enrolment office were prepared to give her university exemption without external proof of what she had completed for her high school education.” However, this can be overcome by utilising online high schools.

Accredited Online High Schools:

• Alpha Omega Academy is an accredited online academy for grades K-12, with thousands of students enrolled worldwide. Qualified teachers, along with courses, bring expertise and a fresh, interesting approach to learning. AOA offers online academy students four award-winning, Christian curriculum options. AOA offers electronic curriculum with Switched-On Online® andSwitched-On Schoolhouse and print-based curriculum with LIFEPACand Horizons. Each Christian curriculum offers unique benefits and features for your student’s education.

• Laurel Springs School is a K-12 online private school that honours the talents, learning styles and interests of all our students. With more than 20 years of experience, we have the expertise to ensure your child receives an excellent private school education. Our students are fully supported by qualified, caring teachers and staff, and are connected to a global community of learners. Laurel Springs is a private school accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

• Keystone School is an online high school and middle school that serves a wide range of students who need flexibility. They offer over 120 teacher-supported online high school and middle school courses. Students can enroll any time of the year either full-time to earn an accredited online high school diploma or part-time to supplement a traditional school or homeschool curriculum.

Please Note: Parents who want to go the route of a SAT homeschool matric, need to contact the faculty of the university that the homeschool student will be interested in and find out if their SAT results and homeschool transcript will be recognised.

For more information visit:

• College Board ~ SAT College & University Search Tool

• SAT Admission Tests

Admission Testing:

Students can write the SAT exam 6 times throughout the year at most major centres in South Africa and the main university in that centre hosts the exams. They cost $45 per exam.

There are two SAT type tests

• SAT1 is the Reasoning Test that tests English Reading, Comprehension, Language and Writing, Maths (all except Trigonometry) and Critical Reasoning or Thinking

It is also a timed test. There are 2400 marks – 800 in the Writing/Language section, 800 in the Reading/Comprehension and 800 in the Math/Critical Reasoning section, and they have 4 hours to complete the test with each of the 10 sections being given a specific time limit.

• SAT2 are subject tests that students can take in specific subject areas for example Physics, Chemistry, Biology English Literature, Spanish, etc.

USA Universities mostly only require SAT1 as it tests for college readiness rather than an ability to learn content material.

Undergraduate Admission

• SAT I & SAT II tests from College Board
• ACT from ACT Inc

English Language Ability

• TOEFL from the Educational Testing Service

Graduate Admission

• GMAT & GRE from the Educational Testing Service

Test centres in South Africa:

Thompson Prometric conducts tests for GMAT, GRE & TOEFL.

Registration

• Prometric
  ATTN: PTC Registrations
  Noorderwagenplein 6
  8223 Al Lelystad
  The Netherlands
  Tel: +31 320 239-593
  Fax: +31 320 239-886
  e-mail
• Cape Town
  Thomson Prometric
  The EF International Language School
  389 Kloof Street
  Gardens
  Tel: +27 (0)21 422-4735
• Johannesburg
  Thomson Prometric
  55 Empire Road
  Parktown
  (Center no. 8201)
  Tel: +27 (0)11 713-0653
  Fax: +27 (0)11 482-3715

You can do ‘any’ programme you want, but make sure the department at the university/college of your choice will recognise the programme and accept your student after completion. Also make sure that the student has the skills needed to succeed at university.

Please visit this page frequently as I will be posting regular updates as I find more resources.

SA Home Schooling Blog Carnival

The first carnival of the South African Carnival of Homeschooling Bloggers (SACH Bloggers!) has been launched and the first post can be viewed at the Hayes Happenings Blog entitled SACH Blogs Carnival #1 – Our experiences, ideas and philosophies.

The idea of a carnival is for participating bloggers to send the host blogger a link to one of their most favourite recent home-school relevant blog posts. The host blogger then writes a blog post on his/her own site that is the "blog carnival". It's really a post that showcases the other blog posts - kind of like a real life carnival where visitors can pop in to different stalls and try different foods or activities. It's a wonderful way to share what is happening in the South African home schooling community and to share great ideas among ourselves.

If you are keen to enter, you can join the carnival by heading to the South African Carnival of Homeschool Bloggers sign up page. All the details, plus a carnival button for your blog, are there. We hope you enjoy the carnival as much as we have!

 

Live today as if there were no tomorrow. We don’t get a second chance to say “good job” or “I am so proud of you” at the most important moment of accomplishment. Words of encouragement last a lifetime and then some. Share your legacy—your life—with your children.

Happy to be on Holiday

It may not be summer here in South Africa, but we're nevertheless happy to be on school holiday…

Although we've had a major change in strategy for Misha, since the first term, it was still quite a hectic term, especially for Jesse who's still got the "school at home" scenario because of the pressure & expectations from Le-Amen. Of course all those tests & exams he needs to write cause me a fair amount of strain due to setup & marking, but it’s a sacrifice well worth making in light of the positive impact home education has had on our family & relationships.
All the boys' books have been handed in for monitoring today & will be available for collection again on 12th July. Until then, we'll be taking a well deserved break. Nothing but reading, fun & games for 4 blissful weeks for the boys.
Jesse's going away on holiday with his friend again from the 8th – 18th July, so we’ll be continuing education when he gets back home from holiday.
Of course I still have some backlog admin to catch up as well as tax return preparations that need to be done. I also need to prepare some more LapBooks for Misha to do next term. … but first I'll be spending a week on "scrap therapy".
I got a Holiday Art Box for Misha from Little Picasso today. He just couldn't wait to get home to start work on his Tin Foil Robot. Took it only took him a few minutes to complete it & here is the result:

There are 8 projects in the box. We'll be doing some this holiday & then 1 per month for the rest of the year.

 

"Success often comes to those who dare to act. It seldom goes to the timid who are ever afraid of the consequences." ~ Jawaharlal Nehru

Happy Father’s Day

Wishing all dads an awesome Fathers’ Day.

Afrikaans Resources

Well, this was not a very productive week where schooling is concerned. After a trip to the doctor on Sunday, I picked up an allergy to the prescribed antibiotics. I spent a few days with itchy face & eyes & had to return to the doctor on Wednesday.

Of course the boys enjoyed mommy having to “sleep” it off. After all, if mommy’s sick, they can’t do school…

But I have taken some time to research our options for teaching the boys Afrikaans next year as an alternative to the mundane workbooks they’ve been using this year since they enjoy interactive learning so much more.

Here’s what I’ve found so far:

• Open Languages The Author's Background: The author is a native Afrikaans speaker. He studied at the University of South Africa and at the University of Pretoria, before coming to the USA, where he started the Afrikaans program at BYU in 1985. Presently the Afrikaans program at BYU is under the direction of Barry Hornabrook, a former South African ambassador. The materials developed for the BYU program are the basis for this Web-based course. The paper-based version of course has been used at several universities in the USA to teach hundreds of students. The goal is that this Web-based version will teach hundreds, if not thousands more. Just in case you are wondering about the hat -- it is a true African hat, made in Zimbabwe.
• Eurotalk This one could be a good starting point. Free .pdf file that contains Language Note, Alphabet & Pronunciation, Vocabulary & Afrikaans- English Dictionary
• Easy Afrikaans is aimed at anyone who wants to start learning the Afrikaans language or just wants to learn a few useful words and phrases before their next visit.
• Talk-Now--Learn-Afrikaans---Beginning-Level
• Linguata ~ Learn_Afrikaans Linguata offers a Free Afrikaans software trial that gives you the freedom to learn Afrikaans words and phrases in a modern, practical and fun way with an emphasis on rapid vocabulary development.
• Digital Dialects website features free to use online games for learning languages. Language resources include games for learning phrases, numbers, useful words, spelling, verb conjugation and alphabets. Games use Macromedia Flash Player.
• Language Quests for Afrikaans Educational Software.
• Multilingualbooks CD-ROM Course for Afrikaans
• Aramedia World Talk is aimed at intermediate level learners who have already built up some confidence listening to and speaking the language. The interactive games and quizzes will help to further develop fluency and understanding of the language.
• Byki Free Language Software
• Languages on the go starts teaching Afrikaans visually with the “Visual-Flash-Card-System”

  Play the Video Files on you Computer, Laptop, Ipod Video. This will give you the necessary mental image to associate the new-phonetics-words with. Then, review your learning by listening to mp3 audio files with your mp3 player; Reinforcing your learning.

• Language Learning System online Afrikaans Video with Basic Phrases & Pronunciation.

Visit my Foreign Languages page for my most recent updates on Afrikaans & Foreign Language Resources.

Cambridge Talk ~ Summary

Jesse & I attended a talk at Dayspring Cambridge International College on doing Cambridge on Tuesday (14th June). I thought I’d post a summary, but time has just not been on my side lately, so I decided to add the summary received from Abby Wilson via the HChat homeschoolers group as a whole.

“Thanks to Ruth for organising this presentation today.  Below is my summary of the presentation today at Daysprings Study Centre.  Please don't get upset if I write something negative about a curriculum you are using as what I write is based on her opinion.  I don't have enough information to tell you whether she is correct or not, but want to give people the information so they can check for themselves.  If someone else wants to add their comments, please feel free to add anything I missed.

Daysprings is a 4 year old study centre in Roodepoort where one can prepare for Cambridge.  The owner, Sue, gave us an overview of the Cambridge system to help homeschoolers understand how they can do Cambridge without paying a fortune.  Obviously she would be willing to have you enrol your child with her.  And it is an option if you have about R30,000 to spare per child per year.

Otherwise, keep reading!

Currently in South Africa there are 4 boards that oversee schooling.
1.  Afrikaans
2.  GDE (government schools fall here)
3.  IEB (private schools are here)
4.  Homeschool
Cambridge, ACE, Delta, Brainline etc all fall under the heading of Homeschool.

The information that Sue gave us is that the GDE standards are falling.  At present you need 2 x 40%, 2x 35% and 3x30% to pass and receive a matric certificate.  But what is required to get those marks is very little work at all.  Recently, even children who get high levels in the matric certificate are often failing at first year university level because the standard of English and math have fallen so far that they cannot cope without extra help.  If your child is in a good school where the standards are high, this may not be a problem - just depends on the school and what they teach as far as skills.  Her concern was that in the GDE exams, a child could give very simple answers and still pass.  For example, 'Describe rain' could be answered with 'The earth gets wet' and be correct.

Sue told us that IEB is still a good system but as a homeschooler you have to compile a portfolio of work in addition to doing exams, something that is hard to do.  But if you are in the IEB system and are happy with the standard of what is being taught and can compile the portfolio, then your child will be fine.  The answer to 'Describe rain' here would require at least a discussion of cumulus clouds and the rain falling because of temperature changes...  While not as comprehensive as might be really good, at least they have to write essays.

Within the homeschool arena, there are many options, some of which Sue felt were good and others bad.  She made it clear that her school is there to get the children the skills and a qualification that they can use to go to the next level - usually college or university.  Obviously most of the children sent to her will at least be going on to college, so her comments about certain homeschool programmes must be taken in light of that fact.  If your child is not headed for a 3 year college or university, than you may not need to concern yourself. 

From me personally, I'd push your child to achieve the highest level that they can and get some sort of paper behind their name.  It is difficult later on in life if they decide they want to study and find that they cannot because they never got a school leaving certificate.  In addition, there is a psychological advantage to having some sort of school leaving certificate even if from the GDE system.  People feel embarrassed to admit they didn't finish school because they feel it marks them as somehow less than those who did.  The Cambridge option is best for children who want to study further, so if yours doesn't, then you don't need to pursue this option. 

Sue didn't list all the homeschool options that will give you a certificate and get you into university/college, but a few that she didn't like were ACE (final exams didn't require any essay writing), Delta and Leaien (spelling?).  I'm not saying you must change, but beware as they may not prepare to succeed at university level do to the standard of English and math/science.  She also didn't think that the English in Love 2 Learn was good enough for university.  Her opinion is that writing Cambridge exams is the best option for homeschoolers who intend to study further.  Cambridge is a very skills based system so that when your child is finished with the exams, they will be ready for university and in most cases the first 6 months of university will be easy because they've already done the work.

Sue felt the best time to change to Cambridge is in Grade 8 or 9 which is the foundations phase.  She felt that by changing then, your child will have some experience of what is expected before taking the important exams later on.  However, she has found that children coming out of decent schools are fine changing at Grade 10 level provided they have the necessary skills.

Details of the Cambridge Qualifications System

ICGSE Exams
In Grades 10-11 a student will study to take the ICGSE exams which used to be called O levels.  These exams can be taken over a period of 2 years with students taking 6-7 subjects one of which must be English as a 1st language.  They must also do a language.  Math usually takes two years of prep so that should be started in grade 10 to allow enough time.  The student will prepare for 3-4 exams the first year and 3-4 the second.  They can control the exam time as there are 2 exam times each year, one in June and one in October.   From what I understood you can only sit exams in 2 of the four potential times and once you pick June or Oct you must take the second set of exams at that time too.  The ICGSE exams are the equivalent of Grade 10-12 in the GDE system so the level is quite high.

AS Exams
In Grade 12 a student will study to do AS exams.  You must do between 2 and 5 subjects over 2 years depending on what you intend to do in the future.  One of the subjects MUST be English as 1st language.

Different Pathways through Cambridge

Sue said that once your child gets to Grade 10-11 you need to have an idea of where they are headed because there's no point doing extra exams if they don't intend to go to university.  Any child not headed for college or university can probably stop at the end of the ICGSE exams.   Some of the ICGSE levels can be done as either core or extended.  If your child intends to do AS levels for a topic, they need to do it at the extended level.  Otherwise they can do core as the certificate does not indicate which one they have done.  You want to get the best results possible and the highest marks so pick core where possible.

To go to college you need the following:
7 ICGSE exams
2 AS exams (1 must be English 1st Language)

Once you are done with the above, you approach SAQA with your certificates and they will give you a school leaving certificate you can use to get into college.

For science classes at ICGSE level, most practicals can be done at home, if not seek a tutor to help you.  You can take alternative exams that don't require you to have done the practicals BUT this is not a good idea if your child intends to do the subject at AS level later on.    At the AS level, you should send your child to a tutor who understands the Cambridge system and has the right equipment.  During the exams your child will have to use proper lab equipment and without the experience of using, they will probably not do well.

To get an exemption you need the following:
6 ICGSE exams
4 AS exams (1 must be English 1st Language)

Once you are done with the above, you approach HESA and get a matric exemption certificate.  However, your results and the points allocated based on them will determine whether your child is accepted into a particular department, so ensure you know ahead of time what would be required.  You must contact the department at the university your child wants to attend to find out the exact requirements.  As for the person in charge of evaluating Cambridge entrance.

To get an exemption you cannot take longer than 2 years to do ICGSE and 2 years to do AS exams.  In addition, your child should probably do 5 AS exams so if they do very poorly in one exam, they can drop it from the HESA application.  The universities allocate points based on results, so the higher the results, the better their chance of gaining entry.  Also you get more points for more topics, so if   They don't allow for the fact that AS levels are higher than a GDE matric so your child needs to get the best results possible to get in to their chosen department.

To get an exemption without ICGSE or if you took more than 2 years to do ICGSE or your ICGSE results were bad:

5 AS certificates (1 must be English 1st Language)

To go to university if you do poorly in ICGSE and AS exams:

2 A level exams will get you a university exemption BUT it may or may not get you into a particular department at university.

How to actually get your child through Cambridge

There are several paths one can take.  Obviously your child can attend a study centre like Daysprings.  But as I said previously, that will cost you R30,000 per year.  There are also several schools that will charge in the region of R3000-3500 per subject for the books, a syllabus, give your child assignments that they will assess and register your child for exams with an exam centre.  The exam fees will be extra  Some schools have their own exam centres and others will send you to an independent centre.  Or you can source the books, set up the syllabus and register your child for the exams and save quite a bit of money.  Attached is a list of resources - study centres that provide support, some exam centres and so on.  Also some websites with past papers for Cambridge exams.  Sue said that many of her teachers are willing to take extra pupils in the afternoons or she can give us the details of a tutoring service that will find a tutor.  Also her teachers can do practicals for extra students where they need to do science at that level. 

Sue told us that you need to get advice on how to get through Cambridge to the correct levels without causing your child to study too hard.  For example, doing chemistry or physics is not advisable because the level of these topics is very high and not required.  Instead you can do 'Physical science' which is a combination of the two topics at a level that is reasonable.   Sue also gave Ruth a list of books they use for the various topics and I'll get it from Ruth soon and scan it.  Because of the number of people who will want it, I'll probably post it to the group.  Please don't e-mail and ask for it.  If you were there and I missed something, please let us know!

Regards

Abby”

I am still investigating Jesse’s options for Matric & will be posting a comprehensive summary of all my findings, once I’ve completed my research.

In the meantime, I hope this helps those who are looking at Cambridge as an option for their children.

Progress

“Fair” does not mean that every child gets the same treatment, but that every child gets what he or she needs . . . Students should be encouraged to concentrate on tasks that show what they can do instead of what they can’t do. ~ Richard D. Lavoie

WoW, I can not believe the first half of this school year is almost done. I know I’m way overdue on a blog update, but time & energy have just not been on my side lately. I have learnt so much already & yet still have so much more to learn.

We have just 3 weeks left to school holidays. Once again I’ve had to reschedule our school holiday for this year. This time Jesse is scheduled to go away on holiday with his friend again for about 10 days so he needs to do an extra week to catch up for being away when he is supposed to start his next term. I’ve also rescheduled their September holiday in order to accommodate the horse camp.

It has been a hectic term & I have had to make some changes to accommodate the boys learning styles and thus far the results have been astounding. We now start our day with “How Things Are Made”, “How They Do It” and “Myth Busters” followed by Guitar.

We invested in Switched on Schoolhouse 3rd Grade Language Arts for Misha. He loves the interactive games & although he still has very creative spelling, he’s finally starting to write some sentences on his own. We have also added Vocabulary & SpellingCity to help him get a grip on Spelling & Vocabulary. We use a variety of educational games & internet resources to learn the way he learns best with technology and all other hands-on methods we can find.

We have also replaced his boring Maths worksheets with Teaching TextBooks 3. Here he has the option of either doing his Maths in the workbook provided or doing them interactively on his laptop. Of course he prefers the interactive version & now he does 2 Maths lessons a day (27 questions per lesson) with a smile in about 30 minutes, whereas 1 worksheet with 10 questions can take him anything from 30 to 60 minutes. He gets immediate feedback & of course the auto grading frees up some of my time.

For additional Maths practice we use educational software, online games and any hands-on material we can find. In short, we cater for kinaesthetic, audio as well as visual learning. No more moping over filling out sheets, but instead, excitement when he gets it right.

Best of all, is that his quiz & test results for Maths are in the high 90% & his English scores range between 80% & 95%, which goes to show if they don’t learn the way you teach, teaching the way they learn and addressing their learning styles makes all the difference in producing lasting results.

 

Avoid compulsion and let early education be a manner of amusement. Young children learn by games; compulsory education cannot remain in the soul. ~ Plato

Tannie Hettie has recently done an assessment of his gross motor skills & I’m happy to report that except for not yet being able to touch his toes when bending down, all the other gross motor skills are finally up to date. He has finally mastered the skipping rope, midline crossing and all the other lacking areas & with that we have seen a huge improvement in his reading. Hettie says home-education has been the best move we could have made for him. She has recently introduced him to SpeedStacking in order to enhance his writing skills. We even use the Wii Fit as a physical education training tool. He gets to hop, skip & jump whenever necessary. Physical education is not a once a week period or afterschool activity. We incorporate it throughout the entire day in and even during lesson time.

I still stand amazed at the difference physical & gross motor skills development have made to his overall ability to learn & retain what he has been taught. Over all he is much more relaxed & his confidence is improving steadily.

In short, he didn’t learn the way the system taught, so we now teach the way he learns with the added bonus of teaching both for the price of one & it even includes Junior Engineering, camps & field trips.

 

What is desired is that the teacher cease being a lecturer, satisfied with transmitting ready-made solutions; his role should rather be that of a mentor stimulating initiative and research. ~ Jean Piaget

Jesse also loves his Switched on Schoolhouse General Science II. His science scores have gone up from the high 70% to 85% and above. We are currently investigating his options for grade 9 & onwards. Daddy wants him to go the Cambridge route, but he is enjoying SOS so much that he wants all his subjects that way. We’ve also seen some great high school material last weekend at the FutureEd Expo for the IEB Matric, but Jesse still prefers the SOS to all the options we have seen so far. At this stage it is probably going to be a choice between British International Distance College for Cambridge and Switched on Schoolhouse for SAT.

He enjoys the freedom of getting up later, being able to listen to his music whilst he’s working. He sets his own schedule and as long as his allocated tasks for the week are completed by 12h00 on Friday, he gets to choose whether he wants to work at his desk in the classroom, on his bed or at the kitchen table. He has even allocated himself SOM (Sit on Mommy) subject & of course when dad get’s home from work at night Jesse does S.O.D (Sit on Daddy) Subject.

 

What is desired is that the teacher cease being a lecturer, satisfied with transmitting ready-made solutions; his role should rather be that of a mentor stimulating initiative and research. ~ Jean Piaget

Misha still goes to school twice a week for chess and once a week for SpeedStacking. Jesse also gets to spend some time with his ex class buddies when we take Misha for his activities. Of course the highlight of their week still remains Junior Engineering for Africa (Lego). Misha is currently doing Robotics and Jesse is on to Pneumatics 2.

As for field trips we’ve already done the Sci-Bono Science Museum, the South African Military Museum and the Planetarium. Misha has also been to the Monte Casino Bird Sanctuary.

Honestly, I’m so glad we’ve made this move. I love the overall affect the stress reduction has had on our family. The daily fighting & whining is gone & has been replaced with a relaxed atmosphere & left just the occasional fight. We now have a very relaxed, peaceful atmosphere around the home. We no longer do home school, we do home education.

 

A teacher affects eternity; he/she can never tell where his/her influence stops. ~ Henry Adams

Horse Camp in Mpumalanga

We have signed our boys up for a homeschoolers’ camp at Mooikrans, Mpumalanga in September. For Clive & myself that’s going to be a whole new learning experience too. Time to let go and let them learn some independence, Life Skills as well as give them the opportunity to make some new friends in the homeschooling circles. As for ourselves, well we may finally be able to celebrate an early 19th wedding anniversary & catch up on that Honeymoon we missed, due to a lack of funds, when we got married.

Their days will be broken up into different activities, weather permitting starting with morning chores of feeding the various animals & fetching the horses, praise & worship, an outride in the rolling hills of Mooikrans or lessons in the arena, Kleilat-gooi, target shooting, woodwork, obstacle course and various other games and activities to make the week fun & adventurous! Sounds like it is going to be so much fun!

This will be Misha’s first camping experience whereas Jesse has already done two school camps.

Only time will tell what impact this will have on their lives.

We shall wait & see… Feedback will follow….