literature – Carrie Lee Ferguson

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June 4, 2021

Best Gun Violence Awareness Book For Teens

Today is National Gun Violence Awareness Day. It also kicks off Wear Orange weekend, a movement to honor the millions of lives taken or forever changed by gun violence. In recognition of this day, I’m sharing a book recommendation for teens that brings this issue to light in one incredible read: Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. Long Way Down tackles teenage gun violence in short, staccato verse. The entire plot takes place in 60 seconds—the time it takes for Will to decide if he is going to kill his brother's murderer—and it’s told through poetry.[...]

Home Education

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March 2, 2021

Two Historical Fiction Books For Teaching US History

Our homeschool writing class recently finished two important historical novels: How I Became a Ghost by Tim Tingle and 40 Acres and Maybe a Mule by Harriette Gillem Robinet. Both are middle grade (ages 10 and up), and are short, easy reads, but substantial in content, shining a spotlight on particular moments in U.S. history: Indian Removals in 1830, and the early months of Reconstruction (1865). 1. How I Became A Ghost by Tim Tingle Written by a Choctaw storyteller, Tim Tingle, How I Became a Ghost tells the story of a young boy and his family forced to le[...]

Home Education

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January 14, 2021

Fostering Historical Empathy Through the Seeds Of America Trilogy

Homeschool-Resources-Seeds-of-America-Trilogy

“Indeed, how well we do—whether in the classroom or the boardroom—depends more than ever on how well we forge and navigate relationships. In this way, empathy is the new literacy: essential for us to communicate, collaborate and lead.” (From the Start Empathy website) So much depends on our ability to consider the perspective of another—from our ability to foster healthy relationships to our success as a nation and equitable world. Empathy is commonly referred to as an essential leadership quality, and Brené Brown has talked extensively on[...]

Home Education

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May 29, 2020

A Seventh Grade World/Homeschool

Homeschool-Resources-Middle-School-History-Language Arts

My daughter’s educational journey (outside of the home) began at a PreSchool/Kindergarten inspired by Waldorf. She spent her elementary school years at a small Montessori school. I began dreaming about homeschool when Elle was around nine years old. I’d read Home Grown by Ben Hewitt and started envisioning a life of learning alongside Elle . . . a life of connection: to our world, to people and place. I had a strong desire to unschool myself. I wanted to feel the interconnectedness of everything, which I hadn’t experienced in my[...]