Homeschooling through the Holidays - with KIC!

Here's a great Christmas gift that lasts through the year! And it's a wonderful way to keep the teens going with Catholic homeschooling - throughout Advent, again as you "start up" in the New Year, and right through the late spring!

Now, when you order KIC's DIGITAL "The Age of Mary Guides," you will receive the FIRST TWO Guides (almost 30 weeks of lesson plans alone!) within 24 hours of your order and email confirmation! The cost is the same - anywhere in the world - and there are no shipping charges because the Guides come to you via digital delivery!

These digital Guides are "the ultimate" Catholic "unit studies" for teens. Your teens can get all of "The Age of Mary" lessons done, with the help of your home computer and the included, pre-screened Internet links! "The Age of Mary" syllabi include Religion, History/Geography, English (Literature, Composition, and/or Poetry), and Science - with each subject "connected" to each other AND the central theme.

What's the central theme? The Marian apparitions found worthy of belief since 1830, beginning with Our Lady of Paris (the Medal of the Immaculate Conception). All the other subjects circle around it, explaining why Our Lady has appeared so often in "the Modern Age."

You have NEVER seen a thoroughly Catholic curriculum like this one! [And it's available only through KIC!] "The Age of Mary Guides" mean neither 'easy-peas-y' homeschooling nor do they mean struggling on a daily basis! Your high school teens or older children will look forward to their Catholic homeschooling because they'll use the computer every day. "The Age of Mary Guides" include colorful syllabi, SCREENED links to other websites, and give your teens great practice with basic computer skills and writing (ok, typing)! You'll love the Catholic syllabi and the incredible convenience!

To see three web pages of previews of the first "Age of Mary Guide," please see the following links:

The Age of Mary - Preview Page One

The Age of Mary - Preview Page Two

The Age of Mary - Preview Page Three


After you confirm your order via our private list, you'll receive the first Guide within 24 hours. You'll ALSO receive the download information for the second Guide (Our Lady of LaSalette, plus the Holy Face devotion), which is available in a Windows ebook (Windows XP recommended, not Vista! At this time, KIC cannot guarantee the ebook will work in the new Vista environment.). Nothing else is needed because the Catholic "unit study" is in the software; the only thing required for the software is a Windows (up to Windows XP) operating system and Internet Explorer (5.5 or better).

----Give yourself and your children a Catholic Christmas gift for the home computer that perks up everyone, gives you peace of mind, AND ensures a Catholic education - at home!

---All digital Guides are in full color, with Catholic graphics, carefully screened links, and lots of interesting lesson ideas!

Remember, the preview of the FIRST "Age of Mary" Guide starts here: http://www.keepingitcatholic.org/ageofmary_ preview1.html

And please don't forget: When you order "The Age of Mary" today, you'll quickly receive TWO digital Guides... and have the older kids and teens happily homeschooling - on the home computer, under your careful eye - RIGHT AWAY!

Fatima, History, and Homeschooling: The Last Catholic Emperor

Yesterday, we began a family read-aloud of A Heart for Europe (a poignant and heart-rending history of the last Catholic emperor, Emperor Charles and his beloved wife, Empress Zita) to accompany our current studies on World War I. In addition, we will recap the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima (already known well by my own children, since ours is a "Fatima-centric" family), possibly using Warren Carroll's book entitled 1917: Red Banners, White Mantle. This is our teens' second cycle in the study of world history, including the message of Fatima, together with research into the tragic fate of the Romanov's and the mystery of the Grand Duchess Anastasia.

There are many ways to "Keep It Catholic" in our studies; we just need to do a little searching, perhaps paying attention to timelines we can keep in our own minds. Although the following remark could be applied to all history, the years 1900 and onward are so compelling on a spiritual level, because (in addition to all that even secular history teaches) there lived the great saint, Pope Pius X, who - for reasons known only to God - died when human frailty would judge he was most needed as World War I began; in 1917, the apparitions and the all-important message and miracle at Fatima took place, followed by the horrid Bolshevik Revolution, the murder of the Royal Family of Russia, the allegations of England's betrayal in failing to assist the Czar and Czarina - extended members of their own family! Then came end-of-war negotiations and the unjust and overzealous punishment of Germany, which led to WWII (a lesson to victors that injustice eventually returns to those meting out the injustice), and the Great Depression in the US.

In Europe, the "night illuminated by a great unknown light" foretelling war and persecution manifested itself on the eve of WWII (just as Our Lady of Fatima warned); a great evil arose in Europe through the hands of Hitler and Stalin and Lenin; the A-Bomb was invented and detonated, thus ending WWII but causing unbelievable human suffering to the innocent civilians in Japan; in short, the world's pace stepped up considerably from brisk to frantic and chaotic.

And that is why Our Lady of Fatima came to the world in 1917. It was heaven's wish to avert all those tragedies; all heaven needed was our cooperation. Heaven is still waiting for our total cooperation, most especially by the Holy Father and the bishops when they collegially offer the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Only then will this tragic door of history be closed, to be joyfully replaced by an era of peace promised by Our Blessed Mother herself.

Of course, I haven't mentioned other historic happenings of the first four decades of the 20 century, like the sinking of the Titanic or the Lusitania or the Dust Bowl Years, or the evil Nazi attempts to annihilate whole races. Nor have I mentioned Cardinal Mindsentzy, the fate of Hungary, the communist take-over of China, the Truman years, the Bay of Pigs, or the dim memories of my own childhood revolving around the Vietnam War or Watergate. The point is - these things are not really ancient history (though it may seem so to us) but are a continuing line of events in the temporal order, leading to our own time in history. We must never forget the spiritual lessons of that same history. We must not forget the solution that Our Lady of Fatima gave us. It is the wish of heaven, the command of God and His Mother: Consecrate Russia, who has spread her errors throughout the world!

Until then - and even then - we must pray, study and act. In our homes and homeschools, we must pray for perseverance, we must study to acquire (or nurture) our Catholic conscience in history. (Have you read your Belloc lately?)

We must heed the Church's doctrines, especially those in regard to Catholic education. Once we humbly accept our need to "Keep it Catholic", we should seek out more Catholic resources, like the two mentioned above, and others like For Altar and Throne (the historical narrative of the Vendee - that small band of faithful Catholics of the cataclysmic French Revolution), Trianon and Madame Royale (both by Elena Marie Vidal - please don't miss these two!).

As we study history, we will find that we no longer see things with a "Catholic perspective" (which is a false notion) but rather with an informed Catholic conscience that understands history from within the bosom of Christendom, even if the walls of Western civilization are crumbling.

The one over-all truth that Catholic history teaches us is that God is with us, despite ourselves, but also that He also leaves mankind to his own devices when he becomes arrogant. (As the only creatures made in God's likeness and image, and on a whole, we human beings simply do not learn the lessons of history.) History teaches us that we needed a Redeemer and that we will always need Him. God keeps letting us re-learn the lesson.

Let us always pray for perseverance, not only for in persevering with our Catholic homeschools, but in learning what we must be and what we must do to persevere unto the end.

(First posted January 13, 2005 to the original blog, Keeping It Catholic - with Marianna Bartold)

The Age of Mary: Take a Peek Right Here!

With "The Age of Mary" Catholic Internet-based Study Guides...

I personally designed these beautiful electronic Catholic Study Guides so that you can much more easily give your older children a thoroughly Catholic home education, in which Tradition and Scripture permeate all the subjects!

• Economical full-color electronic syllabi with graphics & interactive links


• Each Guide covers 9 weeks (4 Guides per year, 36 weeks total)


• Syllabi subjects are Religion, Language Arts (Composition, Literature, Poetry), History, Geography and Science


• Everything needed is included!


• Perfect for jr. high and high-school age students - making for a smoother transition into high school, when switching from another curriculum, and for those brand-new to homeschooling


• Great for Catholic teachers and catechists looking to supplement Religion, Language Arts, etc.


• A wealth of info for Marian catechists, budding Mariologists, and history buffs!


• Quick electronic delivery


• Receive your first Guide within 24 hours (or less) of your order


• Spring 2008 Offer: Currently 50% off the total price for the full one-year curriculum
  
  
  WHAT is an electronic Guide? You'll get a good idea as you scroll this page and view screenshots of the first Age of Mary Catholic Internet-based Study Guide, "Our Lady of Paris and the Medal of the Immaculate Conception."
  
  With just two tools - your home computer and Internet access - "The Age of Mary Catholic Internet Study Guides" are easy to use every day! Watch student interest soar as they click and type their way through their studies! (Btw, if you want to see a quicker overview, please see this page.)
  
  

The screenshot above displays the first thing you'll see when you receive and open the complete email version. Currently, the first Catholic Study Guide arrives in your emailbox (in the near future, it will be a downloadable, Windows-only ebook). With the email version, all you need do is keep it in a safe folder within your email box! The downloadable version (coming soon) includes the same contents, but in a "virtual book" format that opens on your computer desktop.

Each installment of our Catholic Study Guide includes syllabi (lesson plans) and active links - enough to cover 9 weeks! (Note: There are 4 quarterly installments through the year)

By scrolling through the Age of Mary Catholic Study Guide, you or your student will reach the first section, A Year with Our Lady and Materials and Links.

Please note the column format: The left side displays the central articles & syllabi.

The right side features: Resource lists - like "Recommended for the Entire Age of Mary Series," plus screened links to free online books, articles, and virtual tours! Also included: A list of Catholic living books and supplementary history titles (all very helpful but not strictly necessary because everything needed is included within each electronic Guide!)

Light a Single Candle!

The screenshot above features the opening paragraphs to Light a Single Candle, a combination of historical study and syllabus.

Throughout the study-syllabus will also be found more inter-active links to additional resources, quotations from various historians or websites, etc.

More Features...

Proceeding through the Guide: Above, you can view another section of Light a Single Candle, as well as Historical Figures to Know (with more screened links to online resources for further study and research!) and our History Vocabulary List.


Why Students Love to Learn with "The Age of Mary"!


The main reason? No more disconnected studies! The FIVE subject lesson plans are inter-related! What is covered in Religion is connected to History, what is covered in History is connected to Language Arts (English, Composition, and Literature), Geography, and Science.


There is no other curriculum (designed for Catholics) which offers so much for so little!

NEXT: Lesson Ideas (The Central Syllabus)

• Lesson plans (syllabi) for all five subjects are based on the Marian theme and objective historical facts.


• Study Church dogmas and doctrines, delve deeply into history, soak in literature and poetry, create essays, reports and compositions, geographically explore specific parts of Europe, make virtual tours of shrines and other historic spots, and research various scientific branches.


• Learn Religious Terms to Know (with definitions provided!)

Other Student Benefits:

History Online!

*Whiz through colorful syllabi with screened interactive links to online resources for 5 main subjects, including: Religion, Language Arts (Composition, Literature, Poetry), History (with a "Catholic conscience," not a "perspective"), Geography, and Science.

*Strengthen independent study skills

*Enjoy quality time on the computer


Even More Benefits!


*Via study of the Marian apparitions declared "worthy of belief" by the Church, your students will better understand the historical events that both preceded and followed them.


*Learn more about saints, popes, & other respected historical figures who left their mark in history. Discover philosphers (saints and otherwise) who greatly impacted history - and the times in which we live.


*Study the lives and writings of saints and popes - all online! Cultivate a deeper interior life by learning how to daily live the Church's constant teaching: Pray, Study, Act!


As you can see from these examples, The Age of Mary Catholic Internet-based Study Guides mean serious study, yet offered in an innovative way which strongly appeals to youth.



BENEFITS FOR YOU, the PARENT and TEACHER

• SAVE MONEY! With the low price of our Early Spring Special, get everything needed for ONE SCHOOL YEAR of Religion, Language Arts, History, Geography and Science. (Everything is included except math.) The 4 quarterly installments provide enough material to cover 36 WEEKS of lessons! (Material can be thoroughly covered in either more or less time - depending on a student's individual pace.)



• No books or extras are needed for The Age of Mary. In each Catholic Study Guide, there is included a suggested supplemental list of living books or other items (which you may wish to purchase elsewhere). However, they are *not* strictly necessary.

• SAVE TIME! Discuss topics (provided in the syllabi) & review "The Age of Mary" assignments in about one hour a day.Your student(s) can then study, read through links, research or type assignments for the rest of the day.

• As your jr. high or high school student uses the computer for 5 core topics, you'll have extra hours to teach your little ones, take care of household tasks, or simply relax a bit

• Enjoy worry-free convenience! Just check over your students' shoulders as they zoom through each installment of the electronic 9-week "Age of Mary" syllabus.

• Easily provide parent-teacher guidance while encouraging independent study!

• Offer your students the best of both worlds - both classic and scholastic!

• Print out the complete syllabi for your records! No writing in lesson plans books or typing them into your word processor necessary!

• Relieve (or completely avoid) "homeschool burnout" (for both you and your students)!

• Most importantly, bring your family (or class) closer "to Jesus through Mary." The Age of Mary curriculum is designed for junior high and high school students, but is easily adaptable for middle grade students (grades 6-8).
  
  
• With The Age of Mary, your students will learn and retain so much more about religion, history, literature, and other subjects through study of Church-approved apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary - including Our Lady of Paris (the Miraculous Medal), LaSalette, Lourdes, and Fatima!
  

~EARLY SPRING OFFER~


The Age of Mary is a Keeping It Catholic exclusive and is available nowhere else. With over 400 hours required to create just one Guide, I personally create each installment with homeschooling parents and students in mind.

During this time of transition from e-mail to ebook format, I can personally offer a 50% discount on The Age of Mary when you order TODAY! You'll receive the first Catholic Study Guide within 24 hours, via email. The remaining Guides will be in a Windows-only format, for which I'll send you the download link as the appropriate time.

For a LIMITED TIME: Only $49.99 (in U.S. funds) - anywhere in the world!

(Please Note: Price will increase in late spring 2008)


To Save 50% now, please visit the Keeping It Catholic Order Page


In the love of Christ and His Virgin Mother,

Marianna Bartold

We're "Keeping It Catholic" on the Net!

High School Transcripts: How to Create Your Own

It's that time of year in which I receive questions about how to create a transcript for homeschooled high school graduates who will go on to college.

First of all, please don't be nervous! If someone with a need to know (like a prospective employer) should ask a recent high school, homeschooled graduate seeking employment , "Do you have a high school diploma?" any homeschooled young adult can simply and honestly answer "Yes." There is no need to add, "But it's a homeschool type." While I realize that individuals or some organizations might disagree, it comes down to the Christian truth that a HOME school diploma is authentic, especially when we know that we have every right and duty to educate our own children.

In addition, when was the last time any of us recall pulling out our high school diploma to offer proof of our high school education? I can't recall doing that even once. The usual question really has to do with high school graduation, and a homeschooled student can forthrightly state, "Yes, I graduated" (again, without necessarily sharing details to a prospective employer).

To prepare a high school transcript that reflects grades 9-12 (completed) and which will be submitted to a college, I recommend simply going over each subject which your student has studied and break each subject down into either a "1 semester class" or a "whole year" class. A one semester class is usually listed as a half credit (.5), while a whole year class is one credit (1.0) If you haven't done so already, please be sure to:

---Find out what are your state’s current graduation requirements (e.g. - how many credits needed for math, science, social studies - eg. history and geography - and Language Arts - eg. English, Composition, Poetry, Literature inclusive).

---Thoroughly research the college admission requirements at the campus in which your student is interested. I say this because there are always exceptions to the general outline which I am here providing. If you call and ask verbal questions, be absolutely sure to ask for the college counselor's name and direct extension number - and file any that info inside a special folder on your computer. (A word to the wise: Verbal discussions mean little. A counselor can easily say at a later time that you misunderstood them. So ask for a letter of confirmation, clearly spelling out what high school graduation requirements or any special considerations they need for home educated high school grads.) If you don't find explicit information on homeschool requirements in the college catalog, be sure to ask - and be sure to get the answer in writing.

---Look at everything your student did that qualifies for each subject, in addition to written work. (e.g. - special reading interests, 4-H, Science Fairs.)

---Do the same by listing extracurricular courses - anything from Latin (or any foreign language) to "sports" to any special interest clubs. The reason for doing this is to clearly but briefly display that your student possesses a range of outside interests.

---Then type out the draft of your master transcript to start totaling and comparing that your student fits the requirements. Keep the transcript size to fit ONE typed 8" x 11" page. When it is completed, double and triple-check for typing errors, alignment errors, etc. Send only clean, wrinkle-free copies.

---Start out with your student's name, Social Security (required these days), class standing (1of 1), and graduation date (month/date/year). Then start with 12th grade and move backward. It's easier to make a 4 box chart on the page (one box for each grade) and then type out class names and grades in each box: 12th grade in the first box with school year (Ex: Grade 12, 2007-2008), 11th grade in the 2nd box (Ex: Grade 11, 2006-2007), etc.

If your student has enrolled in any home study programs or other outside classes,and received a grade, record such subjects on your master transcript. (In most cases, it is a good idea to attach the outside source’s transcript as proof. Also be sure to ask the outside source to send a copy of that same transcript to the college. Ask for the person's name who is taking your request and mark your calendar with the date your made the request. This may seem like a waste of time, but most colleges will require this extra step - and if the transcript doesn't show up, you will know who to contact and provide that person with the specific date on which you made the request. It's better to be safe than sorry!)

For example, you could list on your master transcript a Catholic home study program's class like this:

English*

At the very bottom of the transcript page, include the following note:
*Name of the Catholic home study provider (e.g., Our Lady of Victory Catholic School or Seton Home Study, etc.) To your own transcript, staple the outside Catholic curriculum provider's transcript.

-Make a small grade chart, placed either on the top right or bottom right of the transcript (for example, an "A" = 4.0000, a "B+" =3.5555, a "B" = 3.3333, etc.). Also include the total number of credits per year, plus showing the grand total by graduation. (Again, a general rule of thumb is to compare to your state's graduation guidelines.)

--For your own self-designed classes, provide them with any name you desire. For example, one could use the term "Theology" for Religion, since most colleges (except Catholic ones) will not accept any Religion class credits. (If you have to be extraordinarily creative, it might be called "Universal World Religion" - that is, singular, not plural - since, ridiculous as it is, studying world religions with a secular viewpoint seems to be slightly in vogue). As long as your student really did the work, they should be able to claim the high school credit, even if the name of the subject must be somewhat changed. Another example: Label a Catholic Literature class "Western Literature," while another lit class might be "American and British Literature."

--On the bottom of the transcript, you should include a few notes about any extra-curricular activities (choir, volunteer work, part-time job, etc.). Keep it simple with the description. Examples:

---Boy Scouts, attained Eagle Scout Rank
---2 years of volunteer work (or part-time work) at ****.
---1 yr. Community Choir
---3 yrs. (vocal, instrument, or dance) lessons at ***.

Most high school transcripts don't include any "church" volunteer work simply because most colleges (except Catholic ones) will not seriously consider anything to do with the church (choir, soup kitchen, Legion of Mary, altar boy, etc.). Therefore, it's up to you if you wish to include church-related activities, despite the prevailing attitude against local parish volunteerism. (You might consider stating such volunteer work as "Volunteer at Annual Thanksgiving Soup Kitchen" and simply name the city and state location, or if helping out in teaching others about religion, briefly phrase this worthy work as "part-time tutor.")

Finally, total all of the completed credits in each grade box (grades 9-12) and then record the student's GPA (over the span of 4 high school years) in a separate, small area on your master transcript.

Best wishes to all of our upcoming Catholic homeschooled graduates!

In the love of Christ and His Virgin Mother,

Marianna Bartold
We’re “Keeping It Catholic” on the Net