Analyzing and Interpreting Literature Class: Vanity Fair

I had a great time at the Lit class; every student had a unique perspective and insight--and this was just the first class! I also appreciate how everyone jumped in and contributed, as well as Mr. Morgan's story, and Mr. Lindner sharing about his CLEP experiences.

Oh, would that someone would blog, answering the seven worldview questions regarding Vanity Fair, from Pilgrim's Progress. For instance, does the story of Vanity Fair present a biblical worldview in the death of Pilgrim's companion, Faithful? When you think of "Vanity," what Bible verses come to mind? Also, has anyone else taken the worldview test? More later--I just found out I have missed a writing deadline, but that is off this topic.

Homeschooling College, Distance Education, Life-Time Learning Credit and Non-Traditional College

If you like homeschooling, you might love homeschooling college. Check into non-traditional methods for reducing college costs and graduating early. Look into ways students have received college credit for life experience such as extensive unit studies, portfolio evaluations, internships, travel, and ministry work. For information on credit for prior learning and life experience credit, check out http://www.nationalponsi.org/ and http://www.collegeispossible.org/ . Teaching Home magazine has an excellent article on homeschooling college, at http://www.theteachinghome.com/newsletters/vol_2-no_83.cfm .
Many homeschoolers use the portfolio assessment method to evaluate their youngsters; did you know that you can also receive college credit through the same method? Read Earn College Credit for What You Know, by Lois Lamdin, to find out more. Get it from The Council for Adult & Experiential Learning, or through the inter-library loan program at your local library.
Read more about the issues surrounding Christians in college, and the college at home option, at http://www.patriarch.com/college@home.html . Need to see more proof about the decadent modern college culture? Check out examples at http://www.collegeprowler.com/about_the_guides.asp
Read Ben Kaplan's book, How To go to College Almost For Free (Stratford Publishing: 2002) and books by John Bear such as College Degrees by Mail and Modem.
Would you like to earn your degree in half the time, and for less money? What about receiving college credit through internship experience, life experience, and independent study? Accelerated Distance Learning: The New Way to Earn Your College Degree in the Twenty-First Century, by Brad Voeller, shows you how to accelerate your education, by maximizing your multisensory learning pathways (learning styles), memory, reading speed and comprehension. Voeller earned a four-year, fully accredited college degree in less than six months, and for less than $5000! If you've homeschooled high school, you can homeschool college.
"Some students have completed their entire degree by just taking three GRE exams and five general CLEP exams. Using this method, you could theoretically complete an entire bachelor's degree within a few days!"--Brad Voeller
Keep track of your educational activities. Then use portfolio assessment to qualify for college credit. Thomas Edison State College , Thomas Edison College Examination Program TECEP, 609-633-2844, and Charter Oak State College sell handbooks and offer information on building portfolios. Check with the colleges that you are interested in. Ask if they will accept portfolio credit, or transfer credit earned through portfolio assessment. Learn more about documenting learning through portfolio assessment.
Read Voeller's book, to find out more. Voeller also offers special reports, including Accelerated Distance Learning for Home-School Students, and Accelerated Distance Learning for Christian Students. http://www.globallearningstrategies.org/.
College Credit By Examination
Looking for a way out of the College Agenda? Take a test and receive college credit. Save money on college through CLEP, GRE, DANTES, and Advanced Placement (AP) testing. Best of all, learn the information any way you want—you pick the materials and texts. (This is a good way to get a more balanced education, free from political correctness, pagan religious rites and liberal bias.) If you can’t afford textbooks, try http://www.freeuniv.com/index.html .
Check out these programs and books (Order from web site sources or through inter-library loan) that were created to help you earn credit for what you already know:
The College Credit Recommendation Service, www.acenet.edu/clll/corporate/index.cfm ), evaluated and recommended college credit for more than 9,000 courses, examinations, and certifications administered through business, labor, government, associations, and other organizations.
The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, http://www.cael.org/, publishes Earn College Credit for What You Know, a book for adult learners interested in acquiring credit for prior learning. The Pocket Guide to College Credits and Degrees includes information on applying your learning experiences in the real world to a college degree.
Try these free study resources and guides, if you're interested in obtaining college credit by examination. If you homeschool high school, take some practice tests. You may be surprised at how well you can do!
http://www.4tests.com/exams/exams.asp?cid=2
http://www.bain4weeks.com/
Here are some study materials that are not free, but still considerably cheaper than most college courses:
http://www.instantcert.com/landing2.html
http://www.istudysmart.com/ (also offers a free distance learning guide)
Contact Excelsior College, http://www.excelsior.edu/ for a list of textbooks and test descriptions for college credit tests and a practice sheet with sample questions.
For (Graduate Record Exam (GRE) information, contact http://www.gre.org/ .
Find out about DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSSRs), http://www.getcollegecredit.com/
Ohio University, Office of Independent Study, http://www.ohiou.edu/lifelong .
Learn about AP test preparation at http://www.collegeboard.org/ap . Study for AP tests through online academies such as Apex Learning, http://www.apexlearning.com/ , and http://www.pahomeschoolers.com/
Find additional information on credit by examination and distance education from BA in 4 Weeks, DegreeInfo.com , Jonnie's Distance Learning Page and Distance Learning Undergraduate Business Degrees.
Get a free official downloadable CLEP guide from the College Board: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/prep.html
More free CLEP, DANTES, and other credit by examination study guides, courtesy of The Air Force and Peterson's: http://www.petersons.com/airforce/books.asp?sponsor=8
Free on-line credit by examination test practice, for tests such as CLEP General Mathemactics, at http://www.4tests.com/exams/examdetail.asp?eid=8
Check out information on CLEP guides, homeschooling and College at http://www.davidandlaurie.com/
Check out more college information and links at An Eagle's Nest Homeschool Links Page .

Syllabus for Analyzing and Interpreting Media: A Literature and Worldview Course

As many of you know, this blog is hosting Analyzing and Interpreting Media: A Literature and Worldview Course. If you would like to respectfully discuss this topic, this is the place to be. If you are part of the bricks and mortar course, you can post/critique assignments here, ask questions, and discuss on topic. Please take off-topic comments or chit-chat to another forum.

Here are the course details, and the lesson plan for week one. We start on Monday, a week from today!

Age Level: Teen (advanced) to College Level
Time and Location: Anytime online and Mondays at 7:00 p.m., New Song Church
Facilitator: Melissa Morgan, Co-author, "Homeschooling on a Shoestring" and "Educational Travel on a Shoestring" (Shaw Books, Div. Random House)
Co-Facilitators/Coordinators/Guest Speakers: Positions Open—can be parents or Teens

Course Objectives:
*Identifying, analyzing and interpreting types of literature and media from a Christian perspective *Using critical thinking to discern worldviews while reading, discussing, and writing about literature and media
*Learning to apply biblical worldview standards in secular environments, such as entertainment, college and work
*Developing college level vocabulary, writing and critiquing skills
*Studying as a group for the CLEP test, Analyzing and Interpreting Literature, offered by the College Board. If parents wish, students may schedule (for details, contact the College Board) to take the CLEP test. If a passing score is achieved the student will receive 6 college credit hours, transferable to most accredited colleges/universities. If you are interested in pursuing this, check individual colleges to ensure they accept CLEPs. Most do, but there are exceptions.

Homeschooling college can help students avoid secular freshman courses that often target youth for indoctrination into secular worldviews. It can also potentially save thousands of dollars in college costs.
This course is not supported by or affiliated with the College Board, creators of the CLEP test. CLEP is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board, which does not endorse or sponsor this course. This is a family friendly course. Our goal is to support, not undermine, parental authority and family unity. So feel free to suggest/implement changes and improvements.

Please note: secular materials are a necessary component of this course. For instance, there are NO explicitly Christian CLEP resources that we are aware of. Some CLEP materials are more benign; others are strongly biased. We may wish to pick and choose the less biased, but part of the course is learning to discern the worldview of college level materials. With your permission, we'd like to share a few of the more outrageous examples, as well as some of the Christian grass roots organizations that are springing up to combat anti-Christian bias on campuses.

Active parental participation is desired and encouraged. We greatly desire that parents participate as course planners, testers, graders, resource providers, writing coaches, guest speakers, and any other areas. Parents of teens are NOT, however, required to attend the course.

Suggested Resources:
Starting Points chapter, Identifying Literature Based Upon the Biblical Worldview (Christian book, see below*)
The Deadliest Monster (Christian book, see below*) Analyzing and Interpreting Literature CLEP Guide, by Sheryl Spencer and Ann Warren
Free College Board resources
Optional components from the Starting Points Worldview Curriculum, such as How to Read Slowly (James Sire), Answers for Difficult Days, Know What You Believe, by Paul Little. The Elements of Style, Strunk and White
Various classics, books and media sources, some Christian and some not. No sexual content, graphic violence. Again, parental standards must apply.
Suggested literature reading and media viewing (will be discussed in course):
Pilgrim's Progress
Shakespeare's Hamlet
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde,
Robert Louis Stevenson
The Magician's Nephew, Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis
The Horse and His Boy, Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis

In Identifying Literature Based Upon the Biblical Worldview, students will start by exploring the imaginary world of Narnia as seen in three of C.S. Lewis's books: The Magician's Nephew, The Horse and His Boy, and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. As students read they'll take notes on characters, plot, and worldview, then sum up their findings in a helpful chart which compares the nature of God, the universe, and evil in Narnia with the biblical view of these. Next you'll take a look at two movies, The Wizard of Oz and It's a Wonderful Life. Finally, you'll turn your attention to two horror classics in The Deadliest Monster. In this fascinating book, author Jeff Baldwin shows how 10 major worldviews from Islam to New Age religion fit the Frankenstein model, but the Dr. Jekyll/ Mr. Hyde model corresponds with the accurate picture of unredeemed man. Learn how your assumptions about man affect your beliefs about God, truth, morality, and even politics."-Spotlight Review, Ann Wegener, Practical Homeschooling magazine, September, 2005

Course Grade and Transcripts: Grade may be assigned at option of parents. If desired, a free worldview test is available for both parents and students, at Nehemiah Institute, http://www.nehemiahinstitute.com/ . One test to show proficiency and readiness for college level language arts material is the CLEP Analyzing and Interpreting Literature. The test would need to be scheduled at a local college testing center (in our area, Columbus State has given the CLEP; other colleges may also offer it.) There are many other college credit tests available (CLEPs, APs, DANTES, Excelsior), and we will be glad to share resources regarding these if anyone is interested. Students who obtain College level credit along with superior high school class grades can end up with a greater than 4.0 weighted grade point average at high school graduation, which can be outstanding for scholarship and entrance evaluations. (Please note: this is for your information only, and can't be consider professional advice. We aren't authorities, and had to get help to do our homeschool graduate's grade point average; we suggest you seek expert advice for your transcripts.)

Melissa has wanted to explore these books with a group for a long time, and we are excited about having fun, growing both spiritually and academically, and learning to discern together. We want to help our Christians young people not just survive, but take back the media and higher education in this generation! Carpe Diem!

Borrow books from a friend, from your church library, or order from the library, if you don't have your own copy.

Note: If you own a copy of Starting Points, please note that the weeks that we will use on this Syllabus are different than what is used in Starting Points. We will also be covering additional material.

If possible, bring a notebook (and your copy of Starting Points, or other Christian worldview book) and/or a journal to every class. Your journal can be either electronic or hardcopy. You will be developing your own personal worldview, and writing notes in your notebook and your essay in your journal. Consider making your journal your very best work, suitable to pass on to future generations of your family. By the end of the course, you will have completed an essay describing your personal worldview, which you can, if you wish, share with the group or online. We will also consider publishing, as a group, an e-book documenting each completed student's work (allowing your work to be published is optional, and any completed work will be given away, not sold). Our intention is that our work will be a wake-up call to our culture's apathy, and answer the following questions:

"What is God like?What is the nature of the universe?What is the essential nature of man?What is the basis of morality and ethics?What is the cause of evil and suffering?What happens to man at death?What is the meaning of history?"-- Excerpt from Starting Points by David Quine

To explore these questions, and aid in discussion during the course, read books such as David Quine's Answers for Difficult Days, Know What You Believe, by Paul Little, and Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan. Find many free online notes regarding Pilgrim's Progress and worldview at http://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?sourceonly=true&currSection=sermonssource&keyword=mtolive&subsetcat=series&subsetitem=Pilgrim , A Christian Worldview of Fiction blog at http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/tag/craft/page/2/ and Pilgrim's Progress Today, Worldview Discussion Guide, http://www.laelarrington.com/WorldView.pdf#search=

Week 1
Orientation and discussing of worldview (Starting Points, page 90-92, Chapter 2 of How To Read Slowly), overview of credit by examination programs and options, analyzing and interpreting literature and media; Free resources, handouts, pretesting. How to begin outlining Your Personal Worldview. Snacks and excerpts from movie: Pilgrim's Progress. Online discussion question: How does the worldview in Pilgrim's Progress contrast with our modern western cultural norms? Click on the "Comment" button. Post what you think!

Five years after 9/11, words still failed me. I couldn't watch the movies, couldn't watch the news. I couldn't blog. Every once in awhile, I couldn't avoid passing through the living room where my husband sat, reliving again minute details from that harrowing day.

Even though I tried to ignore the mainstream media memories, no matter how hard I tried to avoid thinking about Patriot's Day, I struggled to sleep last night. I wished I could have written a brilliant blog post. I wished I could have done something to save all those children, moms and dads. I wished we didn't live in a world that hates our Lord and the "Crusaders" who follow Him.

Today is a new day. I see that our children still smile. They still homeschool and learn in freedom.

Yet, what of other children in other lands? What of the smallest and weakest humans in our own land, the tiny unborn with beating hearts are dismembered, the so-called "braindead" adults starved to death, those with disabilities denied medical care, the very old disrespected? May Patriot's Day remind us that in "the land of the free" we must protect the right to life and freedom for ALL, not just those who have a voice. May we never forget to protect the littlest and weakest humans--because that is what our Lord would do. May we protect our basic freedom to worship, and train up our own children in the way they should go. And may America bless God.

Faith and Action is a Christian outreach whose mission is to to reintroduce the Word of God into the public debate surrounding legislation and policy matters, and they blogged on Patriot's Day. "Sadly, it takes a grotesque act as barbarous as the 9/11 attacks to snap us out of our Pollyanna worldview and wake us up to reality. The deliberate, premeditated, intentional mass murder of thousands of innocent children, women and men epitomizes the complete violation of God's moral law for the Universe. Once again, the exception proves the rule: 9/11 couldn't have been evil unless an absolute Good truly exists. The Bible says that the Law of God is written upon our hearts. Somehow, even the most irreligious among us know this heinous act contradicted that often ignored Law."http://www.tencommandmentsoncapitolhill.blogspot.com/

Just the Facts Before You Vote

I don't know about you, but I'm already getting annoyed at various media, celebrities, and politicians who distort the truth. The focus of this blog is homeschool and Christian education, so I'm not taking sides here. (I'm sure you can easily find lots of other blogs to discuss your politics.) However, whether you are a Democrat, Republican, or Independent, you can start some interesting political discussions around the dinnertable with Factcheck.org. I doubt if anyone can honestly claim to be totally unbiased, but they seem to take an honest shot at it. Use it to supplement your class on government, or as another view before you vote. Here's a sample:
An Election-Year Virus: De-bunked again and again, a false e-mail keeps circulating claiming members of Congress don't pay Social Security taxes. Get the facts!