On-Ramp Training
New to Portals? Or coming from a traditional learning model? The Portals On-Ramp Training Program equips you with the vision, tools, and practical strategies needed to guide you through project-based, Christ-centered learning. Through focused modules, you'll learn how to think differently about learning, facilitate a lesson, assess authentic learning, and cultivate learning adventures. The program also serves as a launching pad into the Portals approach, preparing you to confidently start and sustain meaningful research proven learning.
• Training Overview •
Activities address social, emotional, physical, and cognitive growth through exploration and guided play.
Day 2
Day 1: Welcome
Think
-
How many subjects of study can you identify in Psalm 104?
-
Discuss how learning is glorifying to God?
-
How might nature journals actually be good for learning to read, write, and do science? After returning from the hike, “debrief” a bit, practice review and memory simply and naturally by discussing each part of the day.
Day One Notes:
-
The Nature Journal piece may be good to read aloud with older learners, or just for the teacher for younger learners.
-
The DIY journal project also has a short section on why they are so effective. Frankly, a creative and expanded daily use of nature journals could be expanded to BE your home education model. Pick up a blank journal at a craft store or make your own here. Label them with your name and the date. Add cover art or personalize!
-
Your state should have a homepage for state parks. Talk about His creation as you walk (or go back over the reading as a scavenger hunt). Let students make some choices while hiking, like where to eat lunch, photos to take, making a hiking stick, reading maps, picking where and when to stop, or where to look for bugs!
-
Also, tomorrow is about hospitality. Is there anyone that you’ve been meaning to ask over for dinner?
Extra: Part of your hike can be auditory too. See who can walk the quietest, or sit down and see who can make the largest list of sounds in their nature journals.
Supplies: Paper grocery bag, paper, string/yarn.
Day 2: Family
Think
-
The word hospitality in the Greek literally means love of strangers. How can we show hospitality? How can hospitality be central to your learning?
-
Discuss your family memories and priorities. What is most important for an “education” in your family? What do you pray for at the end of High School?
-
Why is sharing what we learn important for learning itself?
Do
-
Cook/Bake: What is your guest’s favorite dish?
-
Discipline: Cleaning and adding new hospitality ideas around the home, is it ready for guests?
-
Interview: At the end of hosting, tell your guest what you’re studying and see what they noticed or appreciated when they came over.
-
Bible: Pray for your guests after they leave. What did you learn about them that you can pray for or praise God for?
Day Two Notes:
-
For younger children, have students help you grocery shop for this event. Take time to ‘comparison shop’. Which brand is cheaper? Teach them about rounding to the nearest dollar. How much do they think the total bill will be? Can you have them count out the cash to purchase the items? For older children, can they do the shopping (or parts of it) independently?
-
Also, if you cannot schedule a guest for dinner tonight, no worries. Perhaps you can prepare to host the parent that has been at work all day? Plan for the weekend? If you aren’t hosting tonight, then you have extra time to do the extra project below.
Extra: Depending on time and interest, you can add Welcome Packs. What could students put into a welcome packet to give to their guests when they arrive? Here are some ideas: hot cocoa packets, chocolates, gum, mints, granola bars, bottled water and maybe something unique from your city. Each guest is unique so you could make something special for each one. Also, welcome packs should always come with a big hug and an offer to get someone a beverage.
Day 3: Read
Think
-
What are reasons for reading from the Bible in addition to the reading for today? Why should the Bible be a daily habit?
-
Based on the readings, why is reading a key part of a learning day?
-
Discuss and share stories about your favorite books, characters, and worlds from books.
-
What does the statement “You are what you read,” mean?
Do
-
Interview: Contact as many family and friends as possible to get “Favorite Books” lists, gather all data and organize it in a chart.
-
Field Trip: Take a trip to your local library, get a library card, meet the librarian. Gather books for ‘fun’ reading at home.
-
Active: When you get home, look around your living space, where can a reader ‘get away’? Find a space, decorate it, make it comfortable, and provide lighting for a reading nook.
Day Three Notes:
-
Remember the goal of all education is to excite the learner toward curiosity, interest, and work ethic. When a reading connects, this comes naturally. Sometimes you’ll encourage hard work. But when a student is disconnected, ‘bored’, or just not connecting with a reading after a few chapters, look to replace or skip the book. If you switch genres, but stay within the same era, many of the projects will still work. It is better to skip a book than to push too hard and cultivate a distaste for reading as a whole.
-
Always keep a “want to read” list with your students so you have backups, or extra readings for free time.
Day 4: Think
Read
-
Isaiah 1:18
-
Romans 1:28
Do
-
Create: ‘Word Journal’. Much like the Nature Journal, today you are going to build a journal just for recording big ideas and words you want to remember. You can do this by hand or use your computer with a template. The key is to make it your own!
-
Ministry: Identify a second adult that is not typically there during the school day, but wants to invest in this child’s life. Have your student explain why THINK is an important part of learning.
Day Four Notes:
-
Either with a reading or read aloud, the enthusiasm and interest you show sends a message. If you don’t have time to talk it through, the learner would see the reading isn’t that important! If you rush through it, they will rush through it tomorrow - mirroring your interest. You may not be interested in the eating habits of squid, for instance,... but if you want passionate learners, get passionate. Be a learner, be engaged, silence distractions, and invest in learning. When they share at the end of the day, make sure your second adult knows this too. Students always respond to positive reinforcement over time.
-
It may be helpful to make a graphic or chart showing daily options to add to THINK. We won’t include “review vocabulary” every day on the lesson plans, however your learner may enjoy picking out new or effective words every day.
Day 5: Do
Do
-
Active: Designing a Scavenger Hunt. We are going to take the 7 reasons from the Project-Based Learning reading and use them as clues for a scavenger hunt at home.
-
Experiment: What do you remember from the week? For each memory choose a visual icon or image and create a collage divided into five days (today too!). For older students, consider using software for building computer skills.
Day Five Notes:
-
The reading is for the teacher today, however, you can practice reading aloud and highlighting key points for younger learners. Each point of the reading can be a chance to have a conversation and talk more about how our minds work.
-
The experiment today can also have a "Think" component and review patterns and indications of memory and how it works. Notice higher rates of memory found in activity, laughter, and getting past tough challenges.
Day 6: Flexibility
Do
-
Create: Spend time planning together what and where your learning will happen. Redecorate, hang calendars, and set up a few work and reading spots.
-
Play: Return to the same park as last Monday and relax. With Founders, enjoy a play day…With older levels:
-
1) Try to remember everything you did last time.
-
2) Put these things on a list before you go. Is there anything you want to add?
-
3) When you arrive at the park, do everything in reverse order from what you did last time!
-
Day Six Notes:
-
There are no notes for today.
Day 7: Physiology
Read
-
1 Corinthians 9:24
-
Hebrews 12:1
-
Extra: Until the Streetlights Come On - Ginny Yurich’s book is a wonderful summary of research around time outdoors and justifying both structured and unstructured time in the open air.
Think
-
Stages of development change are different for every child, can you think of examples that identify stages for each learner?
-
Assess your sleep and eating habits, do they help learning?
-
Why might God encourage discipline in our physical habits, to help our spiritual life?
-
If we know all of this about learning, why don’t traditional schools apply more of it?
Do
-
Active: Backyard Races - We have a lot of reading pieces today, so plan an AM and PM running event. Practice measuring heart rates all day, including after races. Does your resting heart rate change AM/PM, hungry/full, peaceful/excited?
-
Chart: Tracking speed daily is a powerful way to watch muscle and heart growth over time. Complete the same jog/run, and track your time and heart rate.
-
Life Hobbies: If your kids are especially active and love running. Why stop today? Make this a daily or weekly part of your routine!
Day Seven Notes:
-
There are no notes for today.
Day 8: Quests
Think
-
Do the math! How many hours/week do you need to put in to get 10,000 in 10 years?
-
What shouldn’t and should we be spending our time on? How might Satan use digital media to minimize our service to God?
-
How might our work get in the way of God’s work? What can we do to balance that?
-
How might time be a resource God wants to use in your life? Or attitude?
-
Do you have any goals or skills you want to master in life? What would you like to be good at in ten years?
Do
-
Build/Craft: Find a place in your home that needs a piece of furniture (for youngers perhaps a bookshelf or lego project). Research, build, and add that item. This may take all day!
-
OR - Computer: Try designing something epic! Minecraft in creative mode allows endless options. Minecraft can be used for a number of projects over the years - like a 3D pad of paper. For older learners Civilization V, SpaceChem, or Factorio will test organization skills and balancing resources with production.
Day Eight Notes:
-
Today has an “OR” in the Do column. Here you can choose one or the other, and still discuss Think questions as you do either. OR’s are included when an activity may be suited for a home setting vs. a classroom setting or when we have an activity that some parents want to avoid. Today has computer time, and if your child already has too much time playing games, this may or may not be fruitful for you. This flexibility allows you to make judgment calls and stay on pace for the year.
-
Portals is not computer intensive, and projects generally minimize screen time in relation to the age of the learner. We don’t emphasize, but we also don’t avoid. Many careers today involve use of digital media and tools. Healthy development of a capacity for, exposure to, and use of digital resources should happen with your supervision and teaching.
-
Practice taking hourly ‘movement’ breaks for longer screen time sessions.
Day 9: Ministry
Do
-
Discipline: Create a list of everyone you know, (this may take a while, but you have all day!) Next to it, add a list of ideas to minister to each person.
-
Ministry: How many of these ideas can you carry out in one day? Can you get ones done that allow your parent/teacher time to prep for next week?
Day Nine Notes:
-
There are no notes for today.
Conclusion
Congratulations! You have reached the final day of the Portals On-Ramp for Homeschooling program. Take today and breathe, soak in life, and make a lifetime memory together. Enjoy life, do a puzzle, take a walk, or play a board game. The academics will wait until next week.
1 Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the LORD your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, 2 that you may fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. 3 Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the LORD God of your fathers has promised you—‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’
4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
-Deuteronomy 6:1-9
We here at Portals are praying for you, we love you, and we know God will sustain you. Education is work, for sure, but it’s a burden that brings with it great joy, peace, and hope. God bless you this year!