FREE - 1st Step Reading Tests and Resources

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    FREE RESOURCES

    for ALL HOMESCHOOL

    AGE GROUPS

    (Find out which level of curriculum is the right one for your student.

    Free tests, how to deliver them, how to evaluate them.

    Learn a lot more about what we offer!)

    copyright 2011Steven David Horwich

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    Table of Contents:

    - An Explanation of the Levels of Curricula from Connect The Thoughts Pg 3

    - About Our Literacy Tests Pg 5

    - 1stStep ELEMENTARY (ages 5-6, pre-literate students) Tests Pg 6

    - LOWER SCHOOL (ages 9-10) Tests Pg 12

    - UPPER SCHOOL (ages 11-adult) Tests Pg 15

    - Reviews and Success Stories, per level:General successes with Connect The Thoughts Pg 20

    Successes With 1stStep (Starter and Elementary, ages 5-8) Pg 22

    Successes with Lower and Upper School (ages 9-adult)Students write about their Successes Pg 24

    Parents and Teachers Successes Pg 27

    - Articles about education, homeschooling and Connect The Thoughts Pg 29

    - Additional resources from Connect The Thoughts Pg 30

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    AN EXPLANATION OF THE LEVELS OF CURRICULA.

    The following is a set of literacy tests from 1stStep and Connect The Thoughts. They are

    intended to help determine exactly which level of our curricula your student should do.

    There are four levels available. Each of these levels requires a different level of literacy,

    both in reading and writing. The ages are recommended, and are not always the bestway to determine which level a student should do. Literacy is what matters. hence, the

    tests.

    Levels from 1st

    Step (for ages 5-8):

    STARTER(ages 5-6, and for students who are just starting to read, or who are pre-literate)

    STARTER is for pre-literate students. The assumption made is that the student does not

    actually read or write much at all. (Accordingly, we do not provide a literacy test for

    Starter.) We offer a full two years of courses for this level.

    (To find out more about our Starter Curricula, please use this link:

    http://www.connectthethoughts.net/starter.php

    There youll find articles and free videos, as well as more free samples of courses, and

    success stories.)

    ELEMENTARY(ages 7-8, and for students who are developing literacy)

    ELEMENTARY is for students who read and write a bit, but are seriously working to

    develop those skills. We offer a full two years of courses for this level.

    (To find out more about Elementary Curricula, please use this link:

    http://www.connectthethoughts.net/elementary.php

    Again, youll find articles, free videos, free course samples and success stories.)

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    Levels from Connect The Thoughts (ages 9-adult):

    LOWER SCHOOL(for ages 9-10)

    LOWER SCHOOL is for students who read well for their age group, and who write well,

    or who are developing writing skills. We offer a full two years of courses for this level.

    (To find out more about Lower School, please use this link:

    http://www.connectthethoughts.net/lower.php

    Youll find free videos, articles, free course samples and success stories explaining this

    level.)

    UPPER SCHOOL(ages 11-adult)

    UPPER SCHOOL is for students who are literate for their age group. We offer anywhere

    for one year-six years of courses at this level.

    (To find out more about Upper School, please use this link:http://www.connectthethoughts.net/upper.php

    Youll find free videos , articles, course samples and success stories for this level.)

    Each level offers core (essential) courses. History, Science, Creative Writing and Study andLife Skills are a part of every semester. Other subjects and electives are covered, as are

    age-appropriate.

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    ABOUT OUR LITERACY TESTS

    There are actually three separate tests in this document, and you will probably only need to

    use one of them per student. We provide you a test for ELEMENTARY, for LOWER

    SCHOOL, and for UPPER SCHOOL, to help determine if your student is going to be able

    to do each of those levels. These tests are free, and you will evaluate them yourself.Essentially, all we want to know is:

    - Can the student read the materials and understand them?- Can the student either write the essays, or dictate them (depending on literacy)?

    - Can the student complete the lesson plans in a reasonable amount of time, generally

    less than 1 hours per lesson plan? (NOTE These tests each contain TWO lessonplans, so set aside a homeschool day to do a test, which may take about 2-3 hours.)

    Youll notice that we arent giving, and are not interested in giving, grades. We aresolely interested in determining the students ability to do the work on each level. Each test

    consists of lesson plans actually from that level, so the testing is not based on some pointlessstandard.

    You may print this document, or have your student simply work on a computer. You

    should have a dictionary available for the student and its level should be correct for the

    students literacy, neither too hard nor too easy. PLEASE do not help very much if at all!Allow the student to work for the requisite 2-3 hours. We want to know what the student

    can do unassisted, basically.

    Please make certain that before taking a test that the student is not tired or hungry.

    You should probably start with the reading test that is age-appropriate for your student,even if you feel that your student is either ahead or behind his reading level. Youll find

    out quickly enough either way if this is so. A student who completes a test very quickly and

    easily has either found his level, or a level too simple for him. You will judge this using

    your own common sense and based on the ease of completion and thoroughness of the workthe student does. (Just because a student does a very good job does not mean thats the

    wrong level. The work gets harder as you go, and the provided lesson plans are taken from

    materials early in each level.)

    If you are really unsure of the students ability to read a level (because hes too fast for it,

    or possibly struggling), you may have him read a limited amount of it aloud for you. If he

    stumbles and mispronounces a lot of words, the level may be too hard at this time. Astudent doing the Elementary Test SHOULD READ ALL ENTRIES ALOUD FOR THE

    PARENT OR TEACHER. This is not so for the other tests.

    If you feel a level is too difficult after testing the student, then have the student do the test

    for the next lower level in its entirety, and evaluate the results. In the end, we want to place

    the student in a level of curricula that will challenge him, but which he can also succeed at.

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    ELEMENTARY TEST (ages 7-8, students who are developing literacy)

    Please note If youd like to watch a free video further explaining this test, please go to:

    http://www.connectthethoughts.net/elementary--reading-test.php

    NOTE This test contains three complete sample lesson plans, and each one may take upto 1 hours to do. They also may go quite a bit faster than that, which is fine.

    NOTE When asked to DRAW, these are NOT art assignments. We are only interested in

    having the student represent an idea or concept and his understanding of it in visual terms.

    Blobs of colors, lines and odd shapes are fine.

    NOTE For the Elementary level, all reading assignments ARE read aloud to the

    instructor. The first lessons are from Living Your Life, a series of courses that help thestudent to develop study and life skills.

    _____

    from ELEMENTARY CURRICULUM -- LIVING YOUR LIFE I

    LESSON # 3: WORK, PLAY AND REST

    (Before Starting - Have a ball for the student(s) to play with. Have some work the student can do, maybe

    three math problems in his current math.)

    1. UNDERSTAND THE WORDS:o Work-Doing things a person must do to take care of himself, take care of his own

    needs, and take care of other people and their needs.

    o Play-Doing things a person wants to do because they are fun.o Rest-Time spent without work or play, but just sleeping or doing as little as possible to

    feel better and be able to do more work or play.

    2. READ ALOUD TO YOUR TEACHER:There are three things a person can do with time. He can work, he can play, and he can rest.

    Doing work is doing things you need to. These are things you do to take care of what you need.That means that being a student and learning is your work. You are learning what you need to, totake care of yourself in the world. That's why you are a student, and that is what you are supposed

    to be doing with study time, learning to take care of yourself. You are also learning how to help

    and take care of other people and things like animals or plants. This, for a student, is work. It can

    also be fun! But because you MUST study, though it may be fun, it's also work. Even eating can

    be "work", as you need to do it to take care of yourself. It can also be fun, if you like the food.

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    There are lots of ways to work, which we'll look at later.

    Play is doing things you want to, only because they are fun for you. Play should never be a thing

    you HAVE to do, because then it becomes work. Remember, it's okay to have work that is fun,

    though! If you are on a baseball team, and you need to be there for practice and to play games,

    that is work because you agreed to do it and MUST do it, but it's also fun. Play is stuff you do to

    only have fun.

    There are lots of ways to play, which we'll look at later.

    Rest is when you do not work or play. Sleeping is rest. Lying around watching TV you reallydon't care about is rest. Lying down for a while after working hard is rest, too.

    3. DO: Draw a person working.4. DO: Draw a person playing.5. DO: Draw a person resting.6. DO: Do some work, get something done you need to do, for about five minutes. (Do math.)7. DO: Play for five minutes. (Play ball.)8. DO: Rest for five minutes.9. DO: Explain to your teacher what is good about doing work.10.DO: Explain to your teacher what is good about play.11.

    DO: Explain to your teacher what is good about rest.

    12.DO: Decide which of the below is work, play or rest. (The correct answers will be on the nextpage. If the student struggles with this, read # 2 in this lesson again.)

    - Meeting friends to see a movie.

    - Playing a video game you want to play and like.

    - Eating a lunch you like so you can study.- Doing history studies that you like.

    - Playing piano because you want to.

    - Playing piano because your parents say you have to.

    - Pulling weeds you don't care about but that must be pulled.

    - Sleeping.

    - Sitting around and playing a video game you don't care about.

    - Meeting friends to see a movie. Play

    - Playing a video game you want to play and like. Play

    - Eating a lunch you like so you can study. Work

    - Doing history studies that you like. Work

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    - Playing piano because you want to. Play

    - Playing piano because your parents say you have to. Work

    - Pulling weeds you don't care about but that must be pulled. Work

    - Sleeping. Rest

    - Sitting around and playing a video game you don't care about. Rest

    -- End Lesson # 3 --

    (Please take a break of at least 15 minutes before continuing.)

    LESSON # 4: DIFFERENT KINDS OF WORK

    1. UNDERSTAND THE WORDS:o Physical-Having to do with bodies and things.o Thinking-To try to understand something by really looking at it and its parts, and

    figuring it out.

    o Plan-A step-by-step list of little things to do which, when done, will get a big thingdone.

    o Creative-To be able to "make things up" that do not exist until you make them exist.

    2. READ ALOUD TO YOUR TEACHER:There are many kinds of work. Here are some of the kinds of work you'll need to do.

    There's physical work. This is work done by making your body and other objects move and do

    what you want them to, so you can get something done. Moving boxes around, cleaning dishes,

    pulling weeds, cleaning your room; these are all physical work.

    There is "thinking" work. Study and school are mostly thinking work. You're thinking when

    you're trying to figure something out. You're thinking when you read and use what you read to do

    something. You're thinking when you are trying to understand people, or the world.

    Being creative, and making new stories or music or art of any kind, is a sort of work that can be

    great fun. It can also be play if you don't have to do it, but want to.

    Making a plan is work. This is a very important kind of work that makes other work easier.

    Making a plan is making up a list of things to do. By doing the things on your list, you will getsomething big done. Let me give you an example. Let's say you wanted to go to Disneyland, but

    you had no money. The first thing you might wish to do is figure out ways to make some money.

    Most ways to make money are work, so you will be working (making a plan) so that you can do

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    work, like cutting someone's grass or taking the trash out, so you can make money. The next partof your plan may be to find a way to get to Disneyland. You would figure it out.

    A plan is made of little things that need to be done, so that a big thing is done. These are just a

    few ways you can work. There are others.

    3. DO: Do some physical work the teacher needs help with, for five minutes.4. DO: Math problems that need you to think to solve them, for five minutes5. DO: Explain to the teacher what the difference is between physical work and thinking work.6. DO: Do something creative for ten minutes. Make up a song, or draw something, or dance, or act,

    or sing a song.

    7. DO: Explain to the teacher the difference between thinking work and creative work. How are theydifferent? How are they the same?

    8. DO: Explain what you like about physical work to the teacher. Explain what you don't like.9. DO: Explain what you like about thinking work to the teacher. Explain what you don't like.10.DO: Explain what you like about creative work to the teacher. Explain what you don't like.

    -- End Lesson # 4 --

    (Please take a break of at least 15 minutes before continuing.)

    from ELEMENTARY CURRICULUM -- CREATIVE WRITING I

    LESSON # 6: WORDS USED TO DESCRIBE ACTIONS

    (Before Staring -- You'll need a TV or computer which plays DVD or has access to films orTV. You'll need to select a show with lots of interesting actions and emotions in it, and a

    five minute section of that show.)

    1. UNDERSTAND THE WORD:o Adverb-A word used to describe an action, something that has happened, is

    happening, or that will happen.

    2. READ ALOUD TO THE TEACHER:You've learned about NOUNS, which are words used to NAME people, places and things. You've

    learned about VERBS, which are words used to NAME actions. You've learned about

    ADJECTIVES, which are words which DESCRIBE THINGS.

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    An ADVERB is a word used to describe an action (a verb).

    If you say that you saw a boy "RUN", the verb is "run". If you say that you saw a boy run VERY

    QUICKLY, both the words very and quickly are ADVERBS.

    There are many verbs. A person or an animal, or even a thing can do many things. The wind can

    blow, it can howl, it can whisper. These are all verbs.

    But HOW did the wind blow, or howl, or whisper? Did it blow LOUDLY? Loudly would be an

    adverb, a word used to describe the verb "blow". Did the wind whisper "softly?" Did it howl

    "angrily?" Did the wind blow "quickly", or "calmly" or "happily?" These are all adverbs.

    There are words that describe how fast a thing was done, such as "slowly" or "quickly". These are

    adverbs when used to describe how fast or slow an action was DONE.

    There are words that describe an emotion. Some of these words are "angrily"; "happily",

    "cheerfully", "sadly", "miserably", "joyfully". When used to describe an action, or something that

    is happening or has happened, these words are adverbs. If you said "The boy ran FEARFULLY",

    fearfully would be an adverb. If you said "She HAPPILY skipped rope", happily would be anadverb. If you said "Betty will UNHAPPILY do her homework tonight", unhappily would be the

    adverb.

    There are words to describe how well an action was done. Some of these are "well", "poorly",

    "brilliantly", and "badly". Used to describe an action, these words are adverbs. If you said "The

    house was built WELL", well would be an adverb. If you said "The boy BRILLIANTLY played

    baseball", brilliantly would be an adverb.

    You use adverbs all the time. Everyone uses adverbs to describe HOW things were done, or are

    being done, or how they will be done.

    3. DO: Have your partner do an action. Name it (a verb). Have the partner invent ways to do theaction. He can do the action any of these ways, or pick some of his own:o Sadly;o happily;o grandly;o foolishly;o broadly;o meanly;o joyfully;o fearfully;o coldly;o boldly;o angrily;o cheerfully;o bitterly;o well;o poorly;o tiredly;o energetically;o smugly;

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    o wearily;o confusedly;o merrily.

    Let the partner do the action in ONE way, using the adverb he picked, while you pick an adverb

    to describe the way the action is being done. Tell the partner the adverb you picked. Get at least

    three right. (You should get three guesses each time!)

    When you get three right, switch places. You do an action, using one way to do it. Let your

    partner guess which adverb describes the way you're doing the action. Get at least three right.

    (You should also get three guesses each time.)

    4. DO: Repeat exercise # 3 with new actions and ways to do them.5. DO: Repeat exercise # 3 with more new actions and ways to do them.6. DO: WATCH a show selected by the teacher for five minutes. As you watch, every time you see

    an action, use a VERB to say what the action was, and an ADVERB to describe the action. (Theteacher should pause the show each time you spot an action.)

    7. DO: WATCH the same five minutes of the show. Every time you see an action, name it as a verb.Then try to describe the action without using any adverbs. Do this for about 10 minutes.

    8. DO: Explain to the teacher how using adverbs makes describing actions much easier.-- End Lesson # 6 --

    _____

    That is the end of the Elementary tests. How did your student do? Did the student

    complete each lesson in under 1 hours? Did the lessons average somewhere around 50

    minutes 90 minutes? Was the student able to read and understand the materials? Was

    the student able to do the exercises with a reasonable or minimal amount of assistance?(Exercises in Elementary tell the student to DO something.) If the answers are prettymuch yes, then this level of curriculum is probably the right one for the student.

    If the student took far longer to get through these lessons, if they truly could not read the

    instructions without a huge amount of assistance (some assistance is perfectly fine, we are

    stretching vocabularies and skills), then this level may be too difficult, and perhaps Startershould be considered.

    If the student completed lessons with far too much ease and far too quickly, and he truly

    understood the lesson plans, perhaps the next level up would be a better fit. That testfollows.

    To discover more about Elementary curriculum, please see the videos, articles and freesamples at:

    http://www.connectthethoughts.net/elementary.php

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    LOWER SCHOOL (ages 9-10)

    Please note If youd like to watch a free video further explaining this test, please go to:http://www.connectthethoughts.net/lower--reading-test.php

    NOTE This test contains 1 complete sample lesson plan from this level, and it may takeup to 1 hours to do. It also may go quite a bit faster than that, which is fine.

    NOTE When asked to DRAW, these are NOT art assignments. We are only interested in

    having the student represent an idea or concept and his understanding of it in visual terms.Blobs of colors, lines and odd shapes are fine.

    _____

    CHAPTER FOUR -- HIEROGLYPHICS

    LESSON # 1:

    1. LOCATE: On a map and a globe:o Europeo Africao The Mediterranean Seao Egypto The Nile River (in Egypt)o Greece

    2. FULLY UNDERSTAND AND USE IN SEVERAL SENTENCES:o Hieroglyphics-Ancient Egyptian writing, made of written symbols rather

    than letters. Each symbol stood for an idea or object. The word means "Sacred(holy) writings."

    o Wilderness-An area of land not yet civilized, without a civilization.o Isolation-The act or fact of being alone, away from others.o Mediterranean-The sea surrounded by Asia, Europe and Africa.o The Nile-The main river in Egypt.o Egypt-A country in Northern Africa.o Egyptians-People who live (or lived) in Egypt.o Irrigation-The act of moving water into fields by digging ditches and rows,

    bringing water to where crops are growing, to help the crops live and grow.

    o Temples-Places where one goes to worship in their religion, including Jews,and many ancient religions.

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    o Greeks-People who live or lived in Greece.o Greece-A country on the Southern edge of Europe and Asia.o Churches-Places where one goes to worship in their religion, usually

    Christians.

    o Preserve-To save, to keep something intact and whole.3. READ:

    THE EGYPTIANS INVENT THE ART OF WRITING AND THE

    RECORD OF HISTORY BEGINS

    THESE earliest ancestors of ours who lived in the great European wilderness were

    rapidly learning many new things. It is safe to say that in due course of time they wouldhave given up the ways of savages and would have developed a civilization of their own.

    But suddenly there came an end to their isolation. They were discovered. A traveler from

    an unknown southland who had dared to cross the sea and the high mountain passes hadfound his way to the wild people of the European continent. He came from Africa. Hishome was in Egypt.

    The valley of the Nile had developed a high stage of civilization thousands of years

    before the people of the west had dreamed of the possibilities of a fork or a wheel or a

    house. And we shall therefore leave our great-great-grandfathers in their caves, while we

    visit the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean, where stood the earliest schoolof the human race.

    The Egyptians have taught us many things. They were excellent farmers. They knew all

    about irrigation. They built temples which were afterwards copied by the Greeks andwhich served as the earliest models for the churches in which we worship nowadays.They had invented a calendar which proved such a useful instrument for the purpose ofmeasuring time that it has survived with a few changes until today. But most important of

    all, the Egyptians had learned how to preserve speech for the benefit of future

    generations. They had invented the art of writing.

    Excerpted from Chapter 4, "The Story of Mankind"

    4. DRAW: According to SOM, the thing that happened which ended Europe's isolation.5. EXERCISE: Find a plant growing outside. Irrigate it.6. DRAW: how the ability to irrigate fields in a desert could help a civilization grow.7. DRAW: how the fact the Egyptians were excellent farmers helped them build a

    civilization.

    _____

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    That is the end of the Lower School test. How did your student do? Did the studentcomplete the lesson in under 1 hours? Was the student able to read and understand the

    materials? Was the student able to do the exercises with a reasonable or minimal amount

    of assistance? If the answers are pretty much yes, then this level of curriculum isprobably the right one for the student.

    If the student took far longer to get through these lessons, if they truly could not read theinstructions without a huge amount of assistance (some assistance is perfectly fine, we are

    stretching vocabularies and skills), then this level may be too difficult, and perhaps

    Elementary should be considered.

    If the student completed lessons with far too much ease and far too quickly, and he truly

    understood the lesson plans, perhaps the next level up would be a better fit. That test

    follows.

    To discover more about Lower School curriculum, please see the videos, articles and free

    samples at:

    http://www.connectthethoughts.net/lower.php

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    UPPER SCHOOL (ages 11-Adult)

    Please note If youd like to watch a free video further explaining this test, please go to:

    http://www.connectthethoughts.net/upper--reading-test.php

    NOTE This test contains 1 complete sample lesson plan from this level, and it may takeup to 1 hours to do it. It also may go quite a bit faster than that, which is fine.

    NOTE When asked to DRAW, these are NOT art assignments. We are only interested in

    having the student represent an idea or concept and his understanding of it in visual terms.

    Blobs of colors, lines and odd shapes are fine.

    _____

    LESSON # 1:

    1.

    FULLY UNDERSTAND THE WORDS:o Medicine-The science of healing the body, through various therapies, herbs,

    vitamins and supplements, drugs, and any other effective method.

    o Superstitions-Things believed to be true, with little or no physical evidence tosupport them.

    o Crisis-A bad situation, requiring immediate attention.o Acute-Severe.o Chronic-Long-term, continuous.o Phlegm-Mucus.o

    Bile-Digestive fluid.

    o Oath -A vow or promise, generally made aloud.o Abortion -To intentionally terminate the life of a human fetus.

    2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND:THE FIRST DOCTOR

    The ancient Greeks were the first in the west to practice a form of modern medicine. TheGreeks, setting aside the superstitions of centuries past, began a serious study of the

    human body and health through the work of the father of medicine, Hippocrates (460 370 B.C.), who opened the first real school of medicine in 420 B.C.

    Hippocrates used the same approach other ancient Greek scientists used to discover thecauses of ailments. He believed that illness had causes which could be found and treated

    in many cases. He did not believe that illness was born in the will of the Gods.

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    The first real doctor, Hippocrates became famous far and wide as a healer. As others

    insisted in learning about the many cures he had discovered, Hippocrates developed an

    oath which he made all new doctors take. A version of the oath is still taken by doctorstoday, which has provided the medical profession a powerful, ethical base for thousands

    of years.

    Many of Hippocrates ideas were wrong. He thought that the body contained four liquids

    or humors; blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile. He was wrong, and this idea

    slowed medical progress and investigation for a long time. But we owe Hippocrates anenormous debt. Many of his ideas stand at the core of modern medicine. He was the first

    to use certain terms in a medical context, such as crisis, acute and chronic, used to

    describe the severity and longevity of an ailment. He was the first western man to believehealth could be assisted through observation and treatment.

    Read out loud,the Hippocratic Oath. The following is the ancient oath developed by thefirst doctor, Hippocrates. It is sworn to the various Gods and Goddesses of health and

    well-being. The words in italics are added to help define difficult words used in the oath.

    You do not need to read aloud words in italics, just understand that they help define theharder words in the oath.

    THE HIPPOCRATIC OATH

    I swear by Apollo the physician, by sculapius, Hygeia, and Panacea, and I take towitness all the gods, all the goddesses, to keep according to my ability, and my judgment,

    the following Oath:

    "To consider dear to me as my parents him who taught me this art;

    To live in common with him and if necessary to share my goods with him;

    To look upon his children as my own brothers,

    To teach them this art if they so desire without fee or written promise;To impart to my sons and the sons of the master who taught me and the disciples who

    have enrolled themselves and have agreed to the rules of the profession, but to these

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    alone do I offer the precepts (main rules of)and the instruction.

    I will prescribe regimen (what ever must be done)for the good of my patientsaccording to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone.

    To please no one will I prescribe a deadly drug nor give advice which may cause his

    death.

    Nor will I give a woman medication to procure (get an)abortion.But I will preserve the purity of my life and my art.

    In every house where I come I will enter only for the good of my patients, keepingmyself far from all intentional ill-doing and all seduction and especially from the

    pleasure of love with women or with men, be they free or slaves.

    All that may come to my knowledge in the exercise of my profession or in dailycommerce (business)with men, which ought not to be spread abroad, I will keep

    secret and will never reveal.

    If I keep this oath faithfully, may I enjoy my life and practice my art, respected by all

    men and in all times, but if I swerve from it or violate it, may the reverse be my lot(fate).

    Here is the modern Oath, taken today by many doctors:

    I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:

    I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk,

    and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.

    I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures which are required, avoiding

    those twin traps of over treatment and therapeutic nihilism. (Nihilism is the idea that

    all attempts are doomed to fail. A doctor who believed this would never treat a patient

    at all.)

    I will remember that there is an art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth,sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeons knife or the chemists drug.

    I will not be ashamed to say I know not, nor will I fail to call in my colleagues whenthe skills of another are needed for a patients recovery.

    I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me

    that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life anddeath. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to

    take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and

    awareness of my own frailty. (Frailty is weakness.)Above all, I must not play at God.

    I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart (A piece of paper with a graph on it,

    showing how a patients temperature is rising or falling), a cancerous growth, but asick human being, whose illness may affect the persons family and economic

    stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately

    for the sick.

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    I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.

    I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my

    fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.

    If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and

    remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finesttraditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek

    my help.

    (Written in 1964 by Louis Lasagna, Academic Dean of the School of medicine at Tufts

    University.)

    3. EXERCISE: Does this seem like a good promise for a doctor to make? Would youchange any of it? How? Why? What do you want to be sure your doctor believes in?

    What promises would you want from a doctor before he works on your body? 50 words

    or more.

    4. EXERCISE: A health crisis is something happening to a body which must be taken careof immediately or a person could die. In your own words, describe three possible healthcrises.

    5. EXERCISE: An acute illness or injury is one that is happening now, and has not lasted along time. Describe three possible acute ills or injuries. (Do research as needed.)

    6. EXERCISE: A chronic ill is one which lasts a long time, even for years. Describe onechronic illness a person might have. (Do research as needed.)

    _____

    That is the end of the Upper School test. How did your student do? Did the student

    complete the lesson in under 1 hours? Was the student able to read and understand the

    materials? Was the student able to do the exercises with a reasonable or minimal amountof assistance? If the answers are pretty much yes, then this level of curriculum is

    probably the right one for the student.

    If the student took far longer to get through these lessons, if they truly could not read the

    instructions without a huge amount of assistance (some assistance is perfectly fine, we are

    stretching vocabularies and skills), then this level may be too difficult, and perhaps LowerSchool should be considered.

    If the student completed lessons with far too much ease and far too quickly, and he trulyunderstood the lesson plans, perhaps the next level up would be a better fit. That test

    follows.

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    To discover more about Upper School curriculum, please see the videos, articles and freesamples at:

    http://www.connectthethoughts.net/upper.php

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    SUCCESS STORIES FOR 1ST

    STEP

    & CONNECT THE THOUGHTS

    The following are success stories and reviews for Connect The Thoughts (for ages 9-adult)and 1stStep (ages 5-8). We provide core comprehensive curricula for homeschoolers. Here

    are a few general success stories covering our program. To read more success stories, use

    this link:

    http://www.connectthethoughts.net/info--success.php

    I can't say enough how your curriculum fits the bill of teaching critical thinking, including a

    nice broad range of topics that we would feel are important, and yet not teaching details to death

    or creating a situation where meaningless facts and events are memorized. It is the perfect

    "spine", to borrow the classical educators trendy lingo, for us to work with to wrap other

    projects around as well. Our religions study has taken on SUCH depth and meaning for all of us,and the kids (five children) are almost finished and going to create their display boards and each

    gave a 5-7 minute presentation to their dad explaining their religion. Using your guide about

    how to do research they each did a fantastic job and were EXCITED about doing a "real"

    project. They all feel your curriculum is the only one where they are treated as smart people, not

    "dumb kids", and for that I am grateful.

    There are times when I still find it hard to believe that in your curriculum, we found everything

    we had hoped for. Prior to homeschooling my hubby and I sat down and created a list of what

    we hated about school, what we had discovered as adults was wasted learning in school, and

    what we hoped to find for curriculum or create if we couldn't find it. For months I searched and

    haunted blogs, telling my husband that I was simply not happy with anything I was seeing, and

    that I didn't even know if what I wanted was out there. Stumbling upon a link to your site was the

    single best thing to happen to our homeschool experience.

    C.L., Homeschool Mom

    My daughter has been studying the Connect The Thoughts curriculum for nearly 3 years. She is

    nearly done with the science courses and 2/3rds of the way through the history program. For me,

    this curriculum is a dream come true.

    As a home schooling parent, it has become obvious to me that a good curriculum is the hub

    around which the successful home schooling program revolves. One can be a superb teacher and

    have an excellent relationship and great communication with a child, but with a weak

    curriculum, both parent and child soon become discouraged and frustrated. For the one and

    one-half years of home schooling we did prior to finding the Connect The Thoughts program, I

    was constantly searching for good books, materials and curricula. While there is a lot on the

    market, the majority of it, in my opinion, is poorly written, insufficiently researched or boring.

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    Connect The Thoughts is a home run. Not only has my daughter gained a basic college level

    understanding of the sciences including geology, oceanography, meteorology, biology, chemistry

    and physics and the entire time line of history, geography, government, religion, philosophy and

    art, but she can also think on her own, form her own conclusions and research any subject

    imaginable. She has become an independent student.

    Additionally, the curriculum is so fascinating, our entire family is learning along with my

    daughter, including my 91 year-old mother-in-law, who lives with us and greatly enjoys the

    materials. She reads everything she can get her hands on. From Homer to Shakespeare and tidal

    waves to black holes, no stone is left unturned for Connect The Thoughts graduates who, I

    believe, will make a difference because they can understand problems and envision solutions.

    The Connect The Thoughts curriculum is making this world a better place.

    My deepest appreciation to CTT for caring enough to research and author these amazing

    materials.

    A.B., Homeschool Mom

    We started Connect the Thoughts several years ago when CurrClick offered the Spelling course

    as the free Monday give-away. I was immediately impressed with the brilliance of the author, as

    he recommended exactly what we were already doing.

    When we needed some Creative Writing assistance it was easy to turn to Connect the Thoughts

    for aid. My daughter, then 9, flat out refused to attempt any of the multiple creative writing aids

    we had purchased. All of the courses varied in price, cuteness, length, reviews, and

    recommendations. The only thing they had in common was my daughters resistance to anything

    they offered.

    The Connect the Thoughts Creative Writing turned her around and did so quickly. She went from

    not wanting to put anything on paper to asking me how to write on the computer so she could

    save the book she planned to author. She became proud of her writing.

    During her first Connect the Thoughts year our daughter entered and placed Third in the

    Georgia Public TVs Reading Rainbow contest. She hasnt stopped writing, yet. After reading the

    How to Do Connect the Thoughts Course, my daughter decided she wanted to try a few of their

    offerings.

    We started with Manners, Science and History. She became excited about learning in a way that

    we had not seen before. Giving her control over how fast and how in-depth she studied changed

    everything for her. She started notebooks for her courses and would study a subject for hours

    spending time at our local library and at the home computer. She would have discussions with

    her friends about the things she was studying and seek their opinions. She would chat, daily, with

    her father and I about things she had learned.

    We are a Connect the Thoughts family, now. We use Saxon for Math and Grammar and Connect

    the Thoughts for everything else. I converted my loyalties after hearing my daughter quote

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    Connect the Thoughts during a play date. We had just finished the Information, Right or Wrong

    course. The course is one of the best and I believe it should be required for all students. It is a

    course that teaches students to think. I dont know of any other course like it. The course

    suggests to the students that they get the proof of information given to them. My daughter was

    discussing something with a playmate and when they could not agree on the facts of the matter

    she asked, Where is your proof? I was so proud of her. She has since become comfortableenough to ask the same question of her father and me. I am still proud of her. The question tasks

    me on occasion because I am forced to think, rather than mime my answers.

    The Upper School courses are as well done as the Lower School courses. Steven Horwich is

    more than fair in his pricing of the various courses. The courses include free web sites for

    required movies, suggested books that can be found in most libraries, experiments the students

    can do (almost on their own) and hints and instructions for the parents/teachers. My daughter

    has friends who are public schooled and home schooled. All her friends have made positive

    comments on her course notebooks. One of her public schooled friend asks every visit to see

    what is new in the science notebook. She says my daughter gets to learn so much more than

    she ever learns.

    Our family will be staying with Connect the Thoughts through Upper School. I am sure our

    daughter will take the lessons, so beautifully presented, with her on her lifes course. Where is

    the Proof? is part of our daughter now and we know it will serve her well. Some people never

    learn to ask that question. Because of Steven Horwich our daughter learned to ask the question

    before she had a real need to ask it. Her father and I will be thanking Steven in our prayers for

    the rest of our lives.

    K.O., Homeschool Mom

    Success with 1st

    Step

    Here are some successes regarding our 1st

    Step curricula, the levels we call Starter (for ages

    5-6) and Elementary (ages 7-8).

    I wanted to share that our family started the Elementary History course this week, finished through

    lesson 2. I had planned on our 6th grader beginning Lower School history, and was saying to myself as I

    printed out the Elementary history that I wished he was younger because the Big Ideas are indeed core

    thoughts about history and important to think about. Well, as I sat with our 5 around the table and

    Matthew was listening in, he begged me to allow him to do the Elementary History with the rest of his

    siblings as he found the conversation fascinating. He is our history buff, and I decided to throw away

    convention and just let him learn from the beginning. If it takes us longer to finish history at the end of hiseducation, who cares? He will have simply spent another year or so learning more about his passion.

    We are doing this as a group with open discussion. My kids could easily do this by themselves, but we like

    talking about the ideas so much that it is too much fun to do alone! I have printed out the curriculum for

    each child, and then we took composition books and using them for our writing as they are sturdy and

    nothing falls out. I cut smaller pieces of blank paper for them to draw on for the drawing assignments,

    and we are taping them to the pages.

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    This is the single best curriculum we have used since starting homeschooling a year and a half ago. All 5

    kids said in way or another "Wow, this is making me really think!". I love that it is doing exactly that, not

    just having them re-read for information to fill in a blank. They will have a wonderful piece of work when

    done with each course, something more akin to a journal than a worksheet and I can see them all

    enjoying reading their own thoughts years later...these will definitely be "Keepers".

    I am absolutely thrilled beyond belief to find that we have our history curriculum solved all the waythrough high school. No doubt, this will work for us better than anything else I have considered.

    Just had to share that this is working even better than I ever dreamed of!

    C.L., Homeschool Mom

    I just began to use First Step Curriculum this year with my 6 year old son, and he really enjoys all the

    subjects. I value all the practical exercises that allow my son to draw his own conclusions. We have just

    begun to delve into the history of the major religions. At first I wondered if the history of religion would

    be over his head, but our recent visit to a Cherokee reservation showed me he is not just doing lessons,

    but thinking with the knowledge. We visited Oconaluftee Indian Village, where its set up how theCherokee lived a few hundred years ago, and during a question and answer period someone asked about

    Cherokee religion. Then my son thought to ask "What's the difference between a Cherokee and Jew?"

    Some people were a little surprised by his question, I loved the man's answer that people live in different

    places, and so end up speaking different language and that basically we are all the same. Then my son

    raised his hand again, the man says, "Okay, almost afraid to hear this but go ahead" and my son says,

    "What all religions have in common is that they all believe spirits are immortal." The Cherokee man says,

    "You and I could have a long conversation, I think."

    A.L. Homeschool Mom

    We are new to homeschooling and are still learning how to navigate our rocky and winding road.

    Reading this program gave me lots to think about for several reasons. I work in an environment where DS

    (who is currently 6) is exposed to the entire world on a fairly regular basis. It is not even remotely

    unusual for him to meet those of different backgrounds and even faiths. I was immensely concerned that

    putting our son into many of the Christian-based curriculum I liked would make interacting in the future

    very difficult.

    Prior to reading this, we had been considering Connect The Thoughts for a few months. Our son is both

    gifted and has dyspraxia and dysgraphia. Connect The Thoughts made the cut with a good combination of

    hands on as well as incorporating writing. But I have to honestly say that reading About Homeschooling

    and Connect The Thoughts made ALL the difference in the world in our final curriculum choice. Not only

    does Connect The Thoughts meet what we need, it exceeds what we WANT.

    We want our son to grow up knowing how to think. We want him to be able to look at something not from

    the point of view it is given to him, but to look at all the facts and make his OWN determination at what

    was just and unjust, right or wrong. We want to raise a child who not only recites facts, but who

    comprehends and understands what he has learned.

    I truly believe, from the very bottom of my heart, that Connect The Thoughts will help him learn the way

    we want without judgment, without "failing", without struggling, and without his natural creativity being

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    stifled.

    Connect The Thoughts gives me every opportunity to do what I want. It provides a curriculum that allows

    him to be gifted and creative without rapidly forcing him into higher "grade level" curriculum that he is

    not able to handle the content of due to his age.

    I believe, after looking through this and studying the curriculum, that any child would excel because theyare learning while they are still allowed to be children. Thank you, Mr. Horwich, for taking the time to

    really put down in writing WHY I homeschool. It's more than him not getting a good education in public

    or private school. It's about making his education fit HIM. Thank you for understanding that.

    H.H., Homeschool Mom

    Successes With Lower & Upper School - Students

    Here are a few great successes from the upper levels of CTT. Well start with a few great

    successes our students have written us about!

    I have been going to private schools all my life. About one year ago, before summer, I was four

    grades behind. I knew I wasn't a moron. I just needed something that I wasn't gettinga real

    education. I was told I could catch up if I really tried. I knew this to be true, but I had no

    intention to do so because I felt that I wasn't learning anything. I had felt this was for about

    three years, yet I continued school because I "had to". I wanted an education, sure, but I wasn't

    getting one. So I stopped going to school the last couple of weeks, and I felt completely apathetic

    about education. My future looked scarce, for any potential success.

    During the summer I was hanging out with the wrong people. I felt these were the only people

    whom I could have any reality with.

    For a long time my parents had been telling me that if I go to school and study hard, I'd have a

    chance for a successful future. My parents couldn't have been more right but what they didn't

    get is that I wanted an education and I did try, but I was set up to fail. My parents thought I

    wasn't trying. It's true I wasn't, but that's because I wasn't learning anything!

    Summer ended and the new school year started. I knew I needed an education, but I figured I'd

    just do my G.E.D. and work for my dad. I felt that this life time, I wasn't going to get a real

    education.

    One day, my mom told me that there was a curriculum that was amazing, and that it was a real

    answer to an education. She said I had to do it. I thought Ok, this is the last time I'm going to

    make any attempt for an education. If I don't like this curriculum, I give up.

    My dad and I went to check it out, and I thought it looked relatively simple. I didn't really care

    whether or not I did it. I just wanted my parents off my back.

    After a couple of weeks I thought it was OK. But the more I did it, the more it made me want to

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    study, and the more I felt I had a future, a good one. One thing I realized is that the more

    esoteric you make a subject, the more you find students unwilling to study it. And that's just the

    opposite of the Connect The Thoughts Curriculum. It's easy, and you learn a lot. So subjects

    don't have to be complex for people to understand them.

    I was actually winning in school. Wow! The last time I remember doing that was the 1st grade!

    I was now confident in myself and I felt I could do anything if I really wanted to. When I would

    hang out with my old friends I could barely find any reality. I think that knowing what I now

    know helped save my life.

    I am now on the Pre-History Course, and I love it. (Editor's Note- He's since completed that

    course with an "A" average on his tests, and is now moving rapidly through Early Civilizations.)

    I have never been so enthusiastic about learning! I think if anybody wants a real education, they

    should do this curriculum.

    R.Y., 15 year-old student

    I think the Connect The Thoughts course was my favorite.I already loved history but now learning it

    this way, chronologically for one. (And I know it seems logically that's how you would learn it

    anyway, but really in all my other schools I have been to, you don't. It helps so much). Second,

    simply understanding how it relates to your everyday life is so interesting, so important for you

    to be able to relate to it to gain more understanding of it. This helps make it much easier and fun

    to learn.

    T.G., 16 year-old student

    I've been having a lot of fun with Connect The Thoughts . Not to mention learning way, WAY more than

    I ever learned! For example, I would've never learned about the Jains or Jainism if I hadn't

    studied Connect The Thoughts . Before doing this, I was barely learning anything about religion

    and history. The only thing I knew about Gandhi was that he did some good things. But now I

    know the whole story!

    I studied the first civilization, Sumeria. I know a lot about the Hindu religion! I've learned

    about the Hebrews and their culture and religion. I've learned about Exodus, and the Ten

    Commandments. Buddhism was also covered in Connect The Thoughts . I studied India and

    China. The Chinese were very brutal in war.

    I think one of the most interesting things I've studied was Egypt. I studied its religion, way of

    writing, Pharaohs, the stories of Hatshepsut and Akhenaton. Akhenaton was particularly

    interesting. Right now, I'm studying Confucius, and the Tao. Everything I've studied so far is

    fun to study, and I'm learning a lot.

    I'm also doing the Baseball course, and am learning a lot about baseball. I'm even practicing

    what I'm learning! How to steal a base, take a lead off, ground rule doubles, the works! Last

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    Sunday, the whole family went to a baseball game, to see how the pros do what I'm studying. It

    was a lot of fun! I also learned new techniques at swinging the bat, and overall, playing the

    game. There are many drills on the course in which you go out to a baseball field and do the

    things you learned about. I'm having fun with this course.

    I'm enjoying the way I'm learning these things, too. It's making everything easier to understandand do. We define words about the subject first, then read up on it. Since the words are already

    defined, I don't have to go out to find out what they mean, because I already know! That makes

    it easier to understand the reading. I like the fact that my vocabulary is increasing, because of

    the words defined on this course.

    The method of how I've been learning is fun, and it makes everything easier to do and to

    understand.

    W.H., age 12

    (The following was written about Creative Writing I, for ages 9-adult)

    I have 2 children, a boy 14 and a girl 9. We used CTT Creative Writing I recently and they both enjoyed

    it.My 9 yo especially loved it and her writing has improved tremendously. She is actuallywriting for a change and with a smile on her face! She loves it. My 14 year old's writing has

    really grown through this course. I've been truly amazed.

    Thank you for a great course!

    This review [below] was written by my 9 year old daughter about the Creative Writing I course

    by Connect the Thoughts ....

    "My review of the CTT Creative Writing I course is ... I loved it. It is my favorite subject. I will

    say that I used to beg not to write but now I beg to do it! I think that the CTT Creative Writing I

    is a great Creative Writing Course. This course has made me start to write a book and the best

    part is no one can tell me I am wrong. Plus it has helped me with my spelling a lot because Idon't want people to see what I've written and it all be spelled wrong."

    I didn't mention this in my earlier review, because I forgot, but my daughter is right that herspelling has improved tremendously after taking this course and others by CTT. I can't explain it

    but it really has. She even shows an interest in spelling now and before she just didn't care. I

    think the fact that the "teacher" is not supposed to really critique their work gives the childrenfreedom to express themselves. I do mention when a word is misspelled or that a comma might

    be needed and so on but I try to limit that because I want them to write and to enjoy writing. She

    definitely does NOW.

    My 14 yo son wrote the following review of the Creative Writing I Course by CTT:

    "I took the Creative Writing I course in Connect The Thoughts and I'll admit at first I thought it

    was just another stupid course my mom found on the internet, and through the first few lessons I

    did it in a sarcastic way with minimal effort. I did come to enjoy writing more and more as I

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    went through the course. I am a 14 year old freshmen who loves to read and write, and the

    course was really too easy for me, but it was good for me to get to practice my writing ondifferent scenarios that the course had.

    "As I progressed through the course I began to write entire pages and more when only 50 words

    were required. I'm now on Creative Writing III and am enjoying my writing even more still. Iwould recommend the writing course to anyone who loves to read and write as much as I do."

    S.W. and her children

    Some Parents and Teachers Write About Their Successes with Connect The Thoughts

    Connect The Thoughts has increased my children's interest in their studiesand has become my one of

    their favorite subjects. It's rather amazing to hear a 12 year old discuss the Popul Vu as if

    knowledge of it were a matter of course. Or to hear my children discussing amongst themselvesthe philosophy of non-violent resistance after studying Gandhi, with great understanding of it.

    I feel that they can now look at something like today's news and see how history is essentially

    repeating itself in many ways. This will serve them well in the future the ability to study and

    understand the varying viewpoints on this subject increases a child's awareness of and

    communication with their environment as the material is readily absorbed and easily applied to

    the world at large.

    The entire purpose of an education should be application to the everyday world. I feel that this

    program really forwards this concept and makes the subject of history into a living study since it

    incorporates all the other elements Art, Science and Religion necessary to really

    understand History and to connect it to life by having the data on the timeline of events on the

    past but taught in such a way as to truly become part of a child's education.

    M.G., mother and teacher

    My son, who is now 15 years old, has never had much of an intention to be a student or learn.I

    witnessed this many, many times throughout his life and education. One factor was, he disliked

    Math, and constantly fought being in a "classroom".

    By the time he was 12, he announced to me that he was "done with school and ready to work". I

    knew that he didn't have many of his basics in enough to go out and work. he struggled through 2

    1/2 more years of school with very little success.

    One other situation was his complete inability to write or express himself. He'd take a simple test

    and it would take literally hours. The same thing would occur with writing a short, simple letter

    hours later he'd say he was done. When this occurred at his previous school, the personnel

    would be stunned by his pace. He'd be given timed periods in which to complete the test to no

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    avail. We tried remedies, but nothing changed this. This was agonizing because I knew he was

    bright and capable, and could be "brilliant" if he had intention.

    Then, he began Creative Writing Study Guide #1 , as part of his home schooling. I decided to

    have him do that intensively and just continue until he was actually writing. After about five

    hours on the study guide, he "broke through". Suddenly he was writing, and writing them withease!

    His father and I are amazed at the change. His esteem is out through the top. Now my son wants

    to be educated, and started working longer hours of study on his own. He is also doing Connect

    the Thoughts Pre-History , and has beaten every target given him.

    I can't believe the change and resurgence. He is now truly "on the road" to a better life and

    future.

    M.Y., Homeschool mom, teacher

    I put five students on the Acting I course today and they are THRILLED! They are already

    having so much fun that I have a couple others I may be putting on tomorrow. I have not seen

    those students look that happy since we started and it was a delight to see. They are already

    planning to put on a skit/play for the younger kids at the school.

    If I had to put together a high school curriculum in the time I had to prepare without you I would

    have quit in the first month. More importantly, I think the students are really learning on your

    courses and I know they love the art courses (animation, acting, and now music). They were

    "starved" for this!

    I'm certainly glad I found out about your courses--this year could have been pretty awful

    otherwise. Thanks again!

    N.G., Home School Program administrator

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    Articles About Education, Homeschooling,

    & Connect The Thoughts

    We provide well over 100 articles about all sorts of aspects of homeschooling. Many ofthem are on our site, www.connectthethoughts.com. Many others are found on our twoblogs.

    Starting on our site, wed recommend strongly that the homeschool teacher read the

    following, as needed:

    (If you have students ages 5-8, or plan on considering either Starter or Elementary

    curriculum)All About 1st

    Step, an article extensively covering the ideas and methodsused to teach these methods, by CTT. Indispensible for this level, for the teacher.

    http://www.connectthethoughts.net/info--articles.php?no=50080#text_content_start

    For more information on the need for Starter and Elementary courses, and their

    use and value, read Why Is 1st

    Step Needed.

    http://www.connectthethoughts.net/info--articles.php?no=50150#text_content_start

    For a clearer overview of the levels of curriculum we offer, and a better idea of how

    to get going and select the right level, readHow To Place Your Student.

    http://www.connectthethoughts.net/info--articles.php?no=50220#text_content_start

    Also, for clarity in understanding the levels, readHow and Where To Place A

    Student in CTT.

    http://www.connectthethoughts.net/info--faqs.php?no=80160#text_content_start

    Not sure yet about whether or not CTT is a good answer to the problem ofhomeschooling? Please readAllow Me To Make A Sales Pitch To You.

    http://www.connectthethoughts.net/info--articles.php?no=50240#text_content_start

    We offer dozens of articles on how to homeschool at our FREE blog, HomeschoolHows & Whys. Almost every important subject to a homeschool family is dealt

    with there, including such things as how to schedule the school day, how to make

    homeschooling work for parents with jobs, how to handle the question ofhomework, you name it!

    http://www.connectthethoughts.net/blog/

    Our second blog, Homeschool Under Siege, contains dozens of articles describing

    abuses in education around the world, and might help motivate your homeschooling

    effort. The articles are sometimes darkly amusing, but are also no-nonsense attackson the failed business as usual methods of education found in nearly all schools.

    http://www.homeschoolundersiege.com/

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    Additional Free Resources from Connect The Thoughts

    Free Webinars about Homeschooling!

    We currently provide three FREE webinar podcasts you can listen to, to get a good idea

    of how to better succeed at homeschooling. You may listen to these as a teacher, and

    even share them with your students. The author of CTT, Steven David Horwich,

    discusses in each podcast an important aspect of homeschooling. A good time to

    listen might be after the student completes How To Do CTT Courses, and you have made

    progress (or completed) How To Teach CTT. Each webinar runs under one hour.

    You might wish to start with Why You Should Be Confident Homeschooling. This

    webinar explains why you ARE qualified and are indeed the best choice to teach

    your children.

    You might wish to follow this one up withHomeschooling and Creativity, a talk all

    about how to encourage both the student and the teachers creativity as a part of

    the homeschooling process,

    Finally, listen toHomeschooling in the 21st

    Century, a lecture intended to provide

    ideas and resources unique to our time, which will benefit your homeschooling

    experience.

    The link to all three webinars:

    http://www.connectthethoughts.net/webinar.php

    Free Publishing for Students Creative Stories!

    By the way, we also offer a FREE showcase for students creative writing! Submitted

    stories and poems are posted on our site for the world to read. Posting a story is

    simple. Just use this link:

    http://www.connectthethoughts.net/student-stories.php

    This will take you to our Student Story page. Select the creative writing course, or

    holiday course, that your student wrote the story for. Then select the Add New

    green button, and several blank fields show up. Fill them in as required (name, age,

    course), and copy and paste your story into the correct field. Thats it! The students

    story will be published shortly thereafter, surrounded by artwork.

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    Free Samples of EVERY Course

    You can view FREE samples of every course we offer, and even try them out with you

    students. You can do this at CurrClick, or at our site, www. connectthethoughts.com.

    On CurrClick:

    To view 1stStep courses (ages 5-8) and their samples on CurrClick use this link:

    http://www.currclick.com/index.php?filters=0_0_0_0_0_0&manufacturers_id=215

    Select the course youre interested in. Youll find sample pages available about waydown the page that provides info on the course.

    To view CTT courses (ages 9-adult) and samples of each course on CurrClick, use this link:http://www.currclick.com/index.php?manufacturers_id=138&filters=0_0_0_0_0_0

    On www.connectthethoughts.com, with Free Videos about the program

    To view Starter Curricula (ages 5-6, pre-literate students) with FREE samples, and FREE

    videos explaining each part of this curriculum, use this link:

    http://www.connectthethoughts.net/starter.php

    Youll find a list of courses offered on this level in the column to the right. Select a subject

    and click it. Then select a course youre interested in from that subject. A page will pop

    up including a description of the course.. A table at the bottom of that same page will show

    you how many hours the course will take to do, how many pages it has, how many tests,and what school requirements that course fulfills. Clicking on the cover art for that course

    will pop up sample pages you can read and try out for every course._____

    To view Elementary Curricula (ages 7-8, students developing literacy) with FREE samples,

    and FREE videos explaining each part of this curriculum, use this link:http://www.connectthethoughts.net/elementary.php

    Youll find a list of courses offered on this level in the column to the right. Select a subjectand click it. Then select a course youre interested in from that subject. A page will pop

    up including a description of the course.. A table at the bottom of that same page will showyou how many hours the course will take to do, how many pages it has, how many tests,and what school requirements that course fulfills. Clicking on the cover art for that course

    will pop up sample pages you can read and try out for every course.

    _____

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    To view Lower School Curricula (ages 9-10) with FREE samples, and FREE videosexplaining each part of this curriculum, use this link:

    http://www.connectthethoughts.net/lower.php

    Youll find a list of courses offered on this level in the column to the right. Select a subject

    and click it. Then select a course youre interested in from that subject. A page will popup including a description of the course.. A table at the bottom of that same page will showyou how many hours the course will take to do, how many pages it has, how many tests,

    and what school requirements that course fulfills. Clicking on the cover art for that course

    will pop up sample pages you can read and try out for every course.

    _____

    To view Upper School Curricula (ages 11-Adult) with FREE samples, and FREE videos

    explaining each part of this curriculum, use this link:http://www.connectthethoughts.net/upper.php

    Youll find a list of courses offered on this level in the column to the right. Select a subjectand click it. Then select a course youre interested in from that subject. A page will pop

    up including a description of the course.. A table at the bottom of that same page will show

    you how many hours the course will take to do, how many pages it has, how many tests,and what school requirements that course fulfills. Clicking on the cover art for that course

    will pop up sample pages you can read and try out for every course.