Karen Loutzenhiser

Art Beginnings is an arts program that teaches students the principles and techniques artists use along with the history of art, while students are doing art. This course covers the purposes of art, art tools and mediums, line, space, color, texture, balance, emphasis, prehistoric art, early art in the first civilizations, ancient art, Greek art, and Roman art. You will learn about paintings, sculptures, theater, architecture, folk arts, and music during this course. For use with age 6 to 18 years.A Pick-and-Choose CurriculumA mentor uses Art Beginnings to custom tailor learning to the students. The mentor chooses from among the library book recommendations, video recommendations, and activity ideas presented in the book. Mentors and students learn together as they read, watch, craft, play, and create. To complete the activities you will need craft supplies, art supplies such as paints, and some household items. This course was designed for multiple ages or abilities of students to learn together in a homeschool or classroom.Nine Month-Long UnitsArt Beginnings includes nine units, one for each month of your school year.What Is Art?Art SuppliesArt ElementsPrinciples of DesignPrehistoric ArtArt & Early CivilizationsAncient Art Around the WorldGreek ArtRoman ArtReusableEach unit intentionally contains more information and activities than you will be able to complete. The mentor chooses among the options to design a course just for his or her students. Then, in four years, once the entire Layers of Learning cycle has been completed, you all return to the book and do new activities at a higher level of learning. This course was designed for multiple ages or abilities of students to learn together in a homeschool or classroom and contains activities that will appeal to little ones and to high schoolers, often at the same time.Digital Printable PackA Printable Pack of worksheets, paper crafts, foldables, maps, and activities is included with this book. To retrieve the free Printable Pack visit the product page at Layers-of-Learning.com, put the Printable Pack into your cart, and enter the coupon code found inside this book at checkout.

People & Planet is a geography course that covers maps & globes, physical geography of landforms, climates, natural disasters, soil & rocks, ecological issues, water, biomes, and natural resources as well as a tour to each continent, the oceans, and the polar regions.A Pick-and-Choose CurriculumA mentor uses People & Planet to custom tailor learning to the students. The mentor chooses from among the library book recommendations, video recommendations, and activity ideas presented in the book. Mentors and students learn together as they read, watch, craft, cook, play, and create. To complete the activities you will need craft supplies, a student atlas, and some household items. This course was designed for multiple ages or abilities of students to learn together in a homeschool or classroom.Nine Month-Long UnitsPeople & Planet includes nine units, one for each month of your school year.Maps & GlobesAfricaAsiaSouth AmericaOceaniaNorth AmericaEuropePolar RegionsOceansReusableEach unit intentionally contains more information and activities than you will be able to complete. The mentor chooses among the options to design a course just for his or her students. Then, in four years, once the entire Layers of Learning cycle has been completed, you all return to the book and do new activities at a higher level of learning. This course was designed for multiple ages or abilities of students to learn together in a homeschool or classroom and contains activities that will appeal to little ones and to high schoolers, often at the same time.Digital Printable PackA Printable Pack of worksheets, paper crafts, foldables, maps, and activities is included with this book. To retrieve the free Printable Pack visit the product page at Layers-of-Learning.com, put the Printable Pack into your cart, and enter the coupon code found inside this book at checkout.

Earth & Space is a science course that covers earth science as well as astronomy. Students will learn about plate tectonics, the structure of the earth, natural disasters, earthquakes, volcanoes, rocks, soil, fossils, seasons, climate, the atmosphere, weather, galaxies, stars, planets, and the solar system. As they learn about these things, students are also learning about the history of science, famous scientists, the scientific method, and the tools that scientists use. For use with age 6 to 18 years.A Pick-and-Choose CurriculumA mentor uses Earth & Space to custom tailor learning to the students. The mentor chooses from among the library book recommendations, video recommendations, and activity ideas presented in the book. Mentors and students learn together as they read, watch, experiment, play, and craft. To complete the activities you will need science measuring tools like beakers, thermometers, and an electronic balance; craft supplies; and some household items. This course was designed for multiple ages or abilities of students to learn together in a homeschool or classroom.Nine Month-Long UnitsEarth & Space includes nine units, one for each month of your school year.How Science WorksPlanet EarthPlate TectonicsRocksFossilsSeasons & ClimateWeatherUniverseSolar SystemReusableEach unit intentionally contains more information and activities than you will be able to complete. The mentor chooses among the options to design a course just for his or her students. Then, in four years, once the entire Layers of Learning cycle has been completed, you all return to the book and do new activities at a higher level of learning. This course was designed for multiple ages or abilities of students to learn together in a homeschool or classroom and contains activities that will appeal to little ones and to high schoolers, often at the same time.Digital Printable PackA Printable Pack of worksheets, paper crafts, foldables, maps, and activities is included with this book. To retrieve the free Printable Pack visit the product page at Layers-of-Learning.com, put the Printable Pack into your cart, and enter the coupon code found inside this book at checkout.

Writer's Workshop engages young writers with high interest writing prompts and projects. The Writer's Workshop method creates a happy environment where kids are coached incrementally towards improved writing skills. "Layers of Learning Writer's Workshops are nothing short of amazing My son struggled desperately with writing, and I, despite having an elementary education degree, struggled to teach it. However, while I find it hard to formulate my own teaching plans, I know a good curriculum when I see one, and this is the BEST writing curriculum I've come across in 10 years of homeschooling." - Amy, a customerThis book is a parent guide to help the adult plan daily writing lessons. It can be used to teach all ages from 6 years old to 18 years old and can be used simultaneously with different ages or abilities, family-style.What's In This Book?Writer's Workshop includes nine month-long units including: Writer's Workshop Jump Start - to break free of old writing patterns, learn to have fun writing, and learn the writing process.Sentences, Paragraphs, & Narrations - to teach well-crafted, powerful sentences and paragraphs plus how to retell information in your own words.Descriptions & Instructions - to paint a picture in your reader's mind with vivid language plus write clear instructions.Fanciful Stories - to write setting, characters, plot, and dialogue for fictional stories of all lengths.Poetry - to write formula poems, free-verse poems, rhyme schemes, and spare figurative language.True Stories - to write biographies, news articles, memoirs, and more.Reports & Essays - to research and write book reports, science reports, history reports, essays and more.Letters - to write letters to friends and family, write business letters, fill out forms, craft a resume, and more.Persuasive Writing - to get people to come around to your point of view through appeals to authority, emotion, and more.You can read more about Writer's Workshop method of writing in the Guidebook: How to Create a Writer's Workshop, available at Layers-of-learning.com. A Writer's Workshop LessonEach daily writing lesson starts with a five-minute Mini-Lesson including grammar, mechanics, writing skills, and genre lessons. Next, choose from dozens of Exercises. Evaluating Writer's WorkshopOne project per unit is taken all the way through the Writing Process. When the project is completed it should be shared in front of a cheering audience. The Writing Project is evaluated with printable grading rubrics that assess each writer based on his or her growth during the unit, as opposed to an arbitrary standard.Reusable and For All AgesThe units are repeatable so you can use the same Writer's Workshop book and program year after year with all of your children from beginning writers who sit on a lap and tell Mom what to write down, to high schoolers preparing for college writing.The parent picks and chooses between mini-lessons that address the children's needs and then exercises that will engage the children's interests.Printable PacksWriter's Workshop also includes printables for every unit. The Printable Packs are available as a digital PDF download from Layers-of-Learning.com on the Writer's Workshop product page.About the AuthorsWriter's Workshop is from Layers of Learning, a homeschool curriculum company begun by two sisters in 2008 in Idaho, USA. We specialize in hands-on high-interest learning designed for families with multiple ages. You can find out more at Layers-of-Learning.com.