| Author |
Message |
    
Sonja in WA (Sonja)
| | Posted on Friday, June 14, 2002 - 08:46 am: |     |
Paula, Moore Academy has Scripture verses put to music on CD. It is called "Sowing God's Word Through Music: The Young Sowers Sing Scripture." The verses are sung by children. |
Lois in MI (Loismi)
| | Posted on Friday, June 14, 2002 - 07:13 am: | |
I think that Well-versed Kids is good, but I can see a benefit to memorizing entire chapters so that the verses are learned in context. Learning isolated verses is ok and I think it is good to have a single verse in your heart, but if you know in what context it was written, the meaning is deeper. I read about the rigorous scripture memorizaton that Ruth Beechick describes that she did with her children in her book The Language Wars - WOW! It is certainly something to shoot for. They memorized very long passages consistently. It encourages me to know that we are all working on consistent scripture memory. I am interested in hearing about your journeys in this area.
Lois in MI |
Paula in TX (Outofsight)
| | Posted on Thursday, June 13, 2002 - 10:48 pm: | |
Sonja, I'm so glad you shared that encouraging story. We only do one verse a day, and I'm not sure I could absorb more. We are also memorizing hymns, though, a verse at a time. I enjoy some of the new praise choruses, but the old hymns are so full of solid teaching and encouragement that I want our kids to have them in their hearts.
Like some of you, we also struggle with consistency. Lately, we often go several days without doing memory work. In the past, I've allowed my lack of consistency to cause me to drop Scripture memorizing altogether, but I'm trying not to let that happen this time. Every day is best, of course, but I'm sure it's better to at least do it some of the time than not to do it at all.
I really like Bev's idea of putting memory verses on tape, to help with practice time. I read braille, and sometimes my hands are busy with a fussy toddler, so the tape might be a good alternative. I hope to give that a try soon. If anyone does try the Moores' suggestion of working up to four verses a day, I'd love to hear how it goes. Maybe I need to stretch my thinking a bit in this area.
Blessings,
Paula |
Lisa in NY (Lisa)
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 12, 2002 - 08:01 am: | |
I have just recently started reading How to Study The Bible For Yourself, Tim LaHaye published in 1976. This is what I have started to implement. I will summarize.
What memorizing scripture will do for you.
1. It will give you vitory over sin.
2. Helps you overcome worry.
3.It will give you confidence in sharing your faith.
4.It speeds up the tranforming process
5.It assists you discover God's will for you.
6. it helps in your other bible studies.
7. it outfits you for unlimited service to God.
How to Effectively memorize the scripture.
1. Write the Verse on cards.
2. Learn the Verse by Topics.
3. Learn the References.
4. memorize Three Verses a Week
5. Date and Record Each Verse.
6. Read the Verse Aloud and "Picture " it in your mind.
7.Review Daily.
8. 7 Week daily review. (review each verse daily for seven weeks)
Then there are several list of critical verses to learn to start with.
Hope this helps someone. I do hope this keeps me on track. |
Shonya (Shonya)
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 11, 2002 - 05:29 pm: | |
What obstacles confront you when you think of
starting this scripture plan?
I think it overwhelms me and I'm afraid I won't "stick to it". Also as another person has commented, how do we have time for other schooling? But yet, I do believe it's possible, and I want to do it. We learn a verse a week, and to be honest, my daughter learns it the first day. It's pure laziness on my part that keeps me from adding to it--it's just easier to review it the rest of the week.
7. What appeals to you about this type of schoolwork?
This very much appeals to me b/c 1. We ARE commanded to hide the word in our hearts, and besides, what better thing could our children be learning? and 2. I memorized a lot of verses as a child, and I still know many of them. I remember them MUCH better than the ones I have learned as an adult. Also, I did well in school (public)--I was able to learn quickly and retain very well. I can really see the idea that scripture memorization "stretches" the muscles of our minds.
This idea sure has my attention! I can see a lot of benefit from doing this! Now why didn't I open my manual a year ago?!
Shonya |
Terri in TX (Territx)
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 11, 2002 - 05:27 pm: | |
Hi. It is easier for me to copy and paste the questions and answer from there, so here goes....
1. How do you agree with the goals of moving our children from dependent learners to God-directed learners? Did you realize before that there was a higher goal than "independent learner"?
I hadn't really thought of "God-directed" learning until reading the manual. I see the problem with not reaching this goal in my 14yod. She is a teen and so full of "her" goals, "her" ideas. I ask her frequently...what do you think God would have you do? But that seems to be something way out there for her. I see myself so much in her. It is very easy to be directed by our own interests and desires, but that kind of direction can be so debilitating, so destructive. Fortunately (or not so depending on how you look at it!) I have some examples in my own life that hopefully will help her start to think more about God's goals for her life.
5. When would you have time for other school work?
This is referring to the Scripture memorization. I believe that this "should" take top priority. If all you do is Scripture memorization and you don't have time for any other "schooling" then so be it. Of course this is easier said than done. Reading over this has made me see that it might be a good idea for me to start with this first section and establish some habits here before moving on to any other material in the manual.
6. What obstacles confront you when you think of starting this scripture plan? What stops you in your tracks? How have you overcome these hurdles, if you have?
I have been saying The Lord's Prayer every night with my 6 & 7 yos' for several years now. If I ask them to recite it for me they stare at me with blank faces. We have memorized scripture here and there and they always do well. It normally has taken them from 3 to 5 days to memorize a single scripture whether short or long. The scary part for me is my consistency. Can I do this and remain consistent daily? I will have to begin with baby steps and work from there.
7. What appeals to you about this type of schoolwork? What intimidates you?
This is appealing to me first and foremost because this is something that will truly be of value to my and my children's education. Memorized scripture is with you for life. I know because scripture I have memorized just seems to come to me right when I am needing it. It is an awesome way for God to speak to you right where you are. I can't always just think of it because I want to, but God uses His words when I need them. Secondly, this is the most valuable education I can give my children and it's FREE. I already own my Bible and it will cost me nothing but a few minutes a day to pass this along to them.
I am intimidated not by this type of schoolwork, but by whether or not I have the determination and courage to place this as one of our top priorities. I am afraid I will get sidetracked by all the "other subjects" that we "should" be covering and this will once again take a back seat. This discussion board will help me with that somewhat.
I didn't feel I had anything contribute to any of the other questions.
Thank you for this wonderful website and for this particular discussion.
Blessings,
Terri |
Julia T (Gumnutmum)
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 11, 2002 - 04:32 pm: | |
Hi,
Is well versed kids in the catalog? can you tell more about it please?
Julia |
Sonja in WA (Sonja)
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 11, 2002 - 08:45 am: | |
In our home we have adapted it to a verse a week. We sing it every day in the morning and then several times throughout the day. We make up little tunes for the verses. My boys seem to really pick up on this method. When Brandon was doing Awana he learned 65 verses during the year and still remembers them and that was two years ago. When he hears someone quoting one of those Scriptures he will pipe up and say it right along with the person and it gives him a thrill to hear a verse he already knows by heart. He will grin from ear to ear and say, "Mom, I know that verse!" We have done some longer passages like the Ten Commandments, 23rd Psalm, and Proverbs chapter 1, but we do it in small, baby steps.
As far as this method helping children who learn differently...well, that is why the lady who wrote the program developed it. Her son was in a serious car accident when he was a baby and could not learn to read. This Scripture memorization program was the only "school" he did for a long time. She believes that memorizing the Scripture helped to develop her son's mind so that he could learn to read. She homeschooled him until high school and every day they followed this method of memorizing Scripture. When he went to a boarding academy for high school he slacked off on the memorization and his ability to process information diminished. When he went back to memorizing the Scripture daily using this method, he was able to complete his high school years with excellent grades. He, and his mother, and her other five children (I think that is how many she had), all use this method of Scripture memorization. She believes that memorizing God's Word expands and sharpens the mind. She and her son have quite a testimony about the healing that happened as a result of using this method of memorization.
It is just a suggested method, though, and I believe that whatever works best for each family is what they should do. It does give all of us a place to start when we have never tried to memorize anything before and challenges those of us who have been memorizing to maybe take it a step further. |
Beverly (Flopear)
| | Posted on Sunday, June 09, 2002 - 12:58 am: | |
I don't have my Moore Formula Manual yet (ordering on Monday), but hope it's okay to chime in with a couple of thoughts without having read from the book itself.
My son, like many, claims to have a hard time memorizing anything - spelling words, scripture, etc. - but incredibly he can quote along with his story tapes for incredible spans of narration! This is done with appropriate inflections and sound effects! Perhaps for him and other auditory learners, reading the scripture onto tape and listening in increasing increments would help. Not only would it be an additional reinforcement of the written Word - especially if they are old enough to tape it themselves - but it would also offer a "study partner" of sorts.
We began using Well-Versed Kids last week, which is nice, but very sloooowwwww. I spent a couple of hours re-writing the Category 1 cards so I could add more verses, and had planned to introduce a new verse every other day. But I like the challenge and structure of this method much more.
I don't find it intimidating to think of memorizing lengthy passages, because I believe it is:
1) a step of obedience in that we are instructed to hide God's Word in our hearts and
2) a step of faith in trusting that God will quicken the learner's ability to memorize and retain His Word.
For me, the first obstacle to this plan is in the deceitful whispers of the enemy, who says we won't have enough time for school if we spend so much time memorizing and quoting scripture. But he only LIES anyway. We'll do it twice a day if he keeps whispering around here...
From a purely practical perspective, it is a big undertaking, especially from the child's point of view. I believe it might be worh consideration to memorize the Books of the Bible and such often-mentioned passages as The 23rd Psalm, The Sermon on the Mount, The Ten Commandments, etc., before proceeding to memorize multiple chapters of less "familiar" passages.
Bev (who is planning to challenge one student to a memorizing contest) |
Shonya (Shonya)
| | Posted on Saturday, June 08, 2002 - 04:28 pm: | |
Thank you Susan!
Okay, I am now inspired. I have had the manual for nearly a year now, and I have just always been overwhelmed by it. Now I'm going to read it "with" you, and I very much appreciate you leading me through it. I'm going to go read the section for myself now, and try to post back on Monday!
Shonya |
Jo Dee (Jodee)
| | Posted on Friday, June 07, 2002 - 12:58 pm: | |
I will discuss the memorization part since this is the area that surprised me so much when I first got the Moore Formula Manual. I wasn't surprised it was in there, I was just surprised about the amount of memorization.
I've never followed this method. I've always believed in memorization and we have done that as each child was old enough to say them. I just can't see doing a verse a day (and eventually up to 4 a day) without forgetting them later. I would rather we take our time and get them down good. We like to discuss the verses, too, so they can learn more about the meaning. I do know there are times they don't understand, but eventually they will and they will already have it memorized. This happened with my daugher once. She was in a Sunday School class where they were discussing something (I don't even remember which verses and what the discussion was) when all of a sudden it hit her! She knew that verse and all of a sudden it now made sense.
I've memorized quite a bit, usually whole chapters. I've also done the book of James (not to brag, just follow me here) and remember most of it. Why? I always go back from time to time and re-do what I forgot. It starts to really get down deep when you keep going back for review.
I also remember when either my children or I would hit a point where one of us can't memorize even another word. We have to keep repeating what we have memorized for a while. I think it sometimes needs to "sink in" a bit (just like any other learning) before we can move on.
You'll find that some of your children will pick up on memorization quite well, others won't. Be patient and don't forget to memorize right along with them. You must be an example.
So I guess we have our own version of memorization. 
Jo Dee |
Susan (Susan)
| | Posted on Friday, June 07, 2002 - 10:02 am: | |
The Moore Formula Manual Section 1 Academic Excellence
"What can we do to be sure our child will achieve academic excellence? The Moore Formula Manual spells out principles and methods to use as you begin this proven historic system of study."
So begins the Manual. And so begins our journey! We are actually going to break this first section into smaller bites, since 5 different points are presented within as the 5 parts of academic excellence, and I think it is important to understand what the Moores are saying here, as it is the basis for all the other material in this manual.
This first section of the manual tells us the essentials of academic excellence, as the Moores see them, and how to implement them in our homes. The letter from Dr. Moore introduces the Manual to us, and we are told that most people who have gotten to this point have already read TSHFH, and are ready to implement the principles laid out in that book.
We are encouraged on page ii, in the flow chart, to utilize all the many resource opportunities in our homes, families, and communities to help us in our endeavors. To use the tools God has provided us, as it were.
Pages iii through v are the table of contents.
Page A-1, entitled Our Perspective, is what I call a "pep talk", which explains that inside this Manual we will find the keys to create a learning experience for each of our children that will develop his own individuality. We are told that the manual is not a list of traditional standards of learning, with goals and objectives, but a topical guide "grouped only by general age groups." We are to combine this guide with the list in the Manual called Ways We Learn and Show What We Know in each level to motivate even the reluctant learner. And we can do it all without stress or tears (our children’s or ours!).
It will also challenge the gifted student. At the bottom of this page it states "Moore Formula students average 35 to 40 points (out of 100) higher than the average public school student on standardized tests."
Page A-2 is the 5 Point Prescription for Academic Excellence
Point 1 is Scripture Memorization
Point 2 is Observation Skills
Point 3 is Work and Service Education
Point 4 is Building Skills
Point 5 is Guided Questioning
We are assured at the bottom of this page that by implementing these five points, our child will progress from a Dependent to a God-Directed Learner.
Pages A-3 through A-14 describe in detail each of the 5 points. Then the last page of this section is a comparison of a Dependent Learner, an Independent Learner, and a God-Directed Learner.
Let's talk about Scripture Memorization first, as covered in pages A-3 through A-5. Here are a few highlights from the Manual: (Remember, this is paraphrasing what I have read in the Manual, and not necessarily my own thoughts on this topic.)
Scripture Memorization: Everyone can benefit from this practice, especially learning different children, and normal children could be even more advanced by this simple practice.
What is it? This is a plan to help the students memorize large portions of scripture. The student is going to develop the habits of meditating on scripture, and will make connections between sections of scripture.
And this practice will also enhance learning in other areas of education.
How to do it:
Choose a portion of scripture which will be of practical benefit in your child's life. The Moores say to choose at least one whole chapter, if not a whole book! Assign one verse per day. Write the verse on a 3x5 card. Check for penmanship, spelling, and word accuracy. Insist on lots of physical activity between sessions. Discuss the Meaning of the verses. Set a specific time each day for recitation.
Move up to two verses daily when it is taking less than an hour a day to learn one new verse and recite it along with the preceding three verses.
Continue to expand the memorization schedule until the child is learning 4 new verses a day, after reciting the preceding 8 verses.
Give the student a one day holiday between chapters memorized.
Keep a consistent bed time so to insure that the child's REM sleep cycles are consistent. This enhances long-term storage of information.
Be sure the student keeps his 3x5 cards handy in a pocket so he can review whenever necessary throughout the day.
Other comments in the Manual:
Don't use scripture memorization as the reading lesson for the child.
Many kinesthetic learners need to do something to help, such as march around the room, bang on drums, or sing to a tune while memorizing the verse.
If the student has spent 10 minutes every hour working on the verse but has not memorized it by bedtime, allow him to go to bed with a clear conscience, and begin again the next day. In a few days or at most a couple weeks the child will find it easy to memorize one verse a day.
The Moores state, at the bottom of page A-4, "Measurable improvement will be shown within ten weeks, and in almost all cases there is a significant improvement shown over the course of a school year. Many parents report a marked improvement in attention span and scholastic progress after ten days."
Page A-5 has a list of suggested passages from Scripture. Some of them are quite long, for instance, the entire Gospel of John!
Question Time!
1. How do you agree with the goals of moving our children from dependent learners to God-directed learners? Did you realize before that there was a higher goal than "independent learner"?
2. Who among us have actually tried this method of scripture memorization? How did it work for you? Were there any hang ups with this system?
3. Has anyone tried this with "learning different" children? What was the measure of success here?
4. Can a child actually memorize the entire Gospel of John, be able to recite it, and understand it?
5. When would you have time for other school work?
6. What obstacles confront you when you think of starting this scripture plan? What stops you in your tracks? How have you overcome these hurdles, if you have?
7. What appeals to you about this type of schoolwork? What intimidates you?
Please feel free to post your thoughts, comments, experiences, and ideas about this section, and to respond to others' posts. I only ask that we try to stay "on-topic" and adhere to the manual as much as possible. The general discussion board is the place to discuss all of the wonderful home school materials available to us, to ask general home schooling questions, prayer requests, etc.
My thought is to have a narrowly defined topical discussion of the Moore Formula Manual.
Thanks, everyone!
Susan |
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