Homeschool Convention: Saturday Options

(link to master schedule)

My final selections are in bold.

Saturday 8:30-9:30

>>>(Toa) Sentence Diagramming: The Amazing Language Tool p77
We use language to express all sorts of complex ideas. The better we understand how language works, the better we can express our own ideas and understand those expressed by others. Sentence diagramming gives us a powerful tool for understanding how language works. It can help us clarify our own writing, and it can help us fully grasp the writing of others. As one young student of diagramming said, "When you diagram, you make a sentence give up all its secrets."
Elizabeth O'Brien will demonstrate that sentence diagramming is not only useful for learning the basics of grammar, but also for analyzing complex ideas. Join Elizabeth as she brings historically significant and artistically rich sentences to life.

(Teen Track) Why Does God Allow Bad things to Happen? Evil and Suffering p76
The #1 question that students have for God often leaves them (and us) speechless. Why does God allow evil? Where is He when it hurts? In one of his most impacting sessions, John provides clear teaching on these tough questions

(General) Teaching Textbook Bias through “48 Liberal Lies” and “Patriot’s History” p76
Bias in college, high school, and elementary grade textbooks is common, and so pervasive it is often not recognized as bias a t all. Using over a dozen case studies from existing textbooks, this session will examine different ways books employ bias and how to counteract it or guard against it.

*(Parenting) Discipline That Works, When Consequences & Time-Outs Don’t p76
Instead of being drawn into power struggles, yelling and giving meaningless consequences, Kirk will show you 10 ways to discipline with dignity so kids listen to, respect and trust you. Stop the whining, complaining and tantrums. Get kids to listen when they are loud in the car or interrupt on the phone.Teach kids to control their own behavior (self-discipline) so you don’t have to “make them” behave.

(General) Keeping Your Kids Pure in Mind and Body p77
Raising children in our society today and keeping them pure is a real challenge. When children are young, we need to begin to stress the importance of purity, and shape their values. Several practical ideas are given on helping to protect your children's minds, and encouraging their physical purity.


(Sweetling) Beautiful Mystery: The Truth about Purity Revealed p83
In today’s world where purity is mocked, sneered at, and vastly misunderstood, Amber Gallagher will unveil the mystery behind why purity is such a vital and sacred requirement from God. There are doors that can only be unlocked using the key of a pure life. She will teach you effective ways to
convey this inspiring message to the young men and women God has placed in your life.

Saturday 10-11 AM

>>>(Sweetling) How We are Lied to, Cheated and Manipulated by Statistics (+Why We Should Care) p85
Because statistics are based on mathematics, they are very appealing in our evidence-based culture. Unfortunately they are often employed to sensationalize, confuse and make false assertions seem true. In this session you will not only learn several fascinating techniques that are used to manipulate statistics, but you will also learn the power of honest statistics and how they have saved millions of lives. You will leave this session knowing how to teach children to look at statistics in a more critical way.

(Teen Track) Understanding Islam p84
Islam is the second largest religion in the world. In this session we will explore the basic beliefs of Islam, see how they compare and contrast with Christianity, and consider important strategies for reaching our Muslim neighbors.

*(Parenting) The Secret to Successful Discipline p84
Correcting misbehavior and establishing a preventive "misbehavior firewall" does not have to be difficult or drawn out. Nor does it require complicated methods of delivering consequences. In fact, behavior modification doesn't work on human beings. Come find out from John the simple principles behind effective discipline, principles your great-grandmother could have taught you.

*(Parenting/General) Improve Attitudes, Learning, and Relationships by Discovering Roots of Problems p85
Children (and even parents and entire families) can go through seasons when reoccurring problems get the best of them. Perhaps motivation is waning, apathy has set in, children are picking at each other, and learning has gotten harder. Discovering the problems’ roots allows you to make changes that can more likely result in permanent improvements. Would you be surprised to know that every problem can be assigned to one or more of just five issues? It’s true! Come and be refreshed with this practical problem-solving approach.


(S and E) Building the Perfect Reading List–How to Find Great Books for Students of All Ages p87
In an engaging presentation that is as much class discussion as lecture, Adam involves the audience in a lively debate on the definition of the classic. In the process, listeners are encouraged to consider the moral and ethical nature of reading, and invited to suggest candidates for a “class list” of all-time great books. This presentation teaches three important tests to apply to any book in order to determine whether it is worthy –and suggests some reasons why you should even care.So, which books belong on your student’s reading list? Come listen and find out!

(Sweetling) BibleMesh Biblical Languages: Why You Should Teach Your Teenager Hebrew & Greek –And How to Do It p89
In this session we will discuss the value of teaching Hebrew and Greek in a homeschooling context as well as introduce the BibleMesh Biblical Languages online course. We will demonstrate the benefit of a reading-oriented, inductive approach that teaches vocabulary, grammar, and reading fluency directly from the biblical text.

(Toa) Raising Dangerous Sons in a Safe and Mediocre World p90
Let’s face it! Most men today are yellow-bellied, Lilly-livered weenies. They may wear tall Stetsons, drive fast cars, bungee jump from bridges, collect souped-up power tools, and carry big black Bibles, but they’re weenies. They flex their biceps and proclaim their faith, but when the economy collapses, the newest pandemic hits the scene, a family crisis arises, or the going gets tough...they play it safe.
Truth is: God wants your sons to leave the heavily-populated, safe waters and live dangerously. He wants your sons to trust dangerously, work dangerously, and love dangerously. But, that doesn’t come naturally. Everyone around them, from the talking heads in the media to pastors in the pulpit, keep repeating, “Play it safe.” Here’s a secret: dangerous living leads to joy, family happiness, and real success while safe living results in worry, family failure, and heartache.So join Todd as he encourages you and your sons to GET DANGEROUS.

Saturday 11:30-12:30

>>>(S and E) Teaching the Tools of the Historian: Teaching Your Children To Search For the Truth in History p99
Participants will learn what tools historians use to evaluate, analyze, and form judgment of the past. Learn how you can use the different stages of your children’s lives in your favor as you teach them history. This is an interactive, engaging talk where the audience will play short games to experience the learning process. We will watch a sample Socratic discussion between a 14 and a 12 year old. Parents and teachers will be given concrete lessons how they can teach critical thinking skills to kids, for ages 3-129.

(Teen Track) Putting Ideas to the Test: Tools for Christian Discernment and Conversation p92
This generation encounters more ideas each day than other generations would in a lifetime? How can we evaluate them? What questions should we ask? And, how do I respond to someone who deeply disagrees? John shows how to test worldviews, and how to lovingly and truthfully respond to those who hold them.

(Parenting)  “You’re Not the Boss of Me!” Motivating Strong-Willed Toddlers & Teens p93
How do you motivate a child who looks right at you and doesn’t listen? What about a teenager who has shut down or defiant? Your child was born with boxing gloves on, ready to fight. Well-meaning people tell you to clamp down on and get control of your child. But you don’t want to crush his
spirit or create more defiance. Instead of constantly creating power struggles, we'll show you how to enjoy a respectful, motivated child who is confident, persistent and purposeful. Society needs our
kids. And you can enjoy them. I'll get my own strong-willed son, Casey, answering questions
in this class. One of my favorites.

*(Me) The Case for Once a Month Cleaning p95
It’s not only the schooling aspect of homeschool life that proves itself challenging — often the logistics of maintaining our homes keep us struggling as well. Come listen to descriptions of different types of home management possibilities that work better alongside a lifestyle of home education. Let’s think outside the box when it comes to cleaning! Options including once-a-month cleaning, once-a-month decluttering, and weekly cleaning will be covered.

*(Sweetling) How to Build an Amazing Homeschool Transcript p95
There is only ONE secret ingredient to giving credibility to a homeschool transcript. If you don’t  know it, author Jean Burk will share the answer in this incredible lecture. As parent/teacher/principal and primary record-keeper you may not know where to start or what to include. Discover the insider criteria that Harvard uses to judge applicants and why summer break needs to be more than just a vacation. Learn the differences between AP, Dual Enrollment, and CLEP courses and the pros and cons of adding them to your schedule. Find out about the 3-Tier credit plan, so you can correctly build a portfolio that will impress any admissions counselor. If your kids are planning to go to college, you cannot afford to miss this engagement!


(Toa) Building Quality Compositions: Sentences, Paragraphs, and Essays p98
Discover the easy, step by step approach to forming quality compositions at any grade level. This workshop will provide you with a complete discussion of the structure of sentences, paragraphs, and/or essays. Plus, Stephens will show you how to get your students to write quality compositions in no time.

Saturday 1-2 pm

>>>(Me) Open I didn't pick out any workshops this hour so that I could make any final purchases or visits to the vendor hall.

(Teen Track) Keeping Cool underFire: Handling Objections with Grace and Truth p101
As Christians, we're called to give a persuasive yet gracious defense for our beliefs (1 Peter 3:15). Thankfully, doing that doesn't require that you memorize an encyclopedia of pro-life answers to every objection hurled your way. You just need to memorize three simple questions that can make a world of difference in your next conversation. Before you know it, you'll be out of the hot seat and into the driver's seat--where you belong!

Saturday 2:30-3:30

 >>>(Me) 10 Exits off of Overwhelmed Highway p111
Are you running on a treadmill, racing like crazy but getting nowhere? Does it feel like you just cannot keep up? Does each new day seem to pile more and more on you, and you can barely keep your head above water? Do you hit the ground running when you get out of bed, and keep a frantic
pace all day until you drop at night, yet never finish the workload? Come find out some guaranteed, tried, tested and true ways to get off of Overwhelmed Highway and onto Sanity Street.
(Teen Track) THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS: FACT OR FICTION? p108
The Christian faith is built upon the historical resurrection of Jesus. There is compelling historical evidence that Jesus existed, died, was buried, and appeared to many people after the third day. This talk is based upon Sean’s book Evidence for the Resurrection (co-written with Josh McDowell)

(General) Worldview Overview: How to Do this Worldview Thing in Homeschooling p109
This seminar is a favorite of John and his audiences: worldview education made easy and interesting. An engaging demonstration of why worldview thinking is crucial for every Christian, including a complete introduction to worldview thinking and a contemporary look at the major worldviews that compete for our allegiance, as well as the basics for help students develop a truly Biblical worldview.

*(Sweetling) 10 Things You Need to Teach Your Daughter Before She Graduates p110-111
When you’re choosing what to teach your daughter it really boils down to what matters and what doesn’t...or what your daughter needs to know tolive happily ever after. The only problem is that everyone seems to have a different answer. Experts stand on every street corner shouting something different, “They need to know state history...master advanced algebra...and speak a foreign language.” It’s enough to give a well-meaning parent a headache and an ulcer. After all, what if you forget to teach her something important, dooming your daughter to a life of misery and failure? Problem solved. During this hour, Todd will cut away the tall grass and share with you the top 10 Things You Need to Teach Your Daughter before She Graduates that guarantees happiness and success.


(Toa) Paragraph Writing Skills Enhanced with Manipulatives called “WITS®” p112
A flow chart, The Progression of Written Communication, introduces the pathway students have traditionally used to gain the knowledge and skills associated with writing. Reasons why many  students struggle to reach competency are listed and explained. Research about the use of manipulatives is presented to explain why and how WITS® manipulatives do assist all students in developing writing skills more quickly and easily. Components of WITS® that correlate with research are noted as participants learn how color-coded, visual and tactile symbols on WITS®correspond to writing conventions such as indentation, sentences, capitalization, punctuation, elaboration, sequence, organization and the “5Ws”. Using one WITS® tile, attendees participate, in a “hands-on” manner, in building a paragraph, and from using a series of WITS® tiles observe how longer compositions can be built. Why these writing “tools” enable learning and assist the student  and the teacher in the process of brainstorming words, creating variety in sentences, and supporting grammar initiatives is demonstrated. The presenter illustrates how these versatile manipulatives are  used to teach writing with outstanding results. By participating in the process and observing compositions being built upon this system of learning, attendees can assess the importance of the  WITS® as assistive “tools” in establishing lifelong writing skills.

(Sweetling) 5 MORE Online Careers for You and Your Children p112
Veteran home school mom of 7 and award-winning Internet business owner, Rhea Perry, reveals 5 MORE online careers anyone can learn with their children at home. These are completely different from those mentioned in her other workshop.

(Toa) Awana for Homeschool! p113
For years, homeschooling parents have appreciated Awana®–both as a strong Bible curriculum for ages 2-18 and as a great weekly ministry experience for their kids. And while we continue to recommend our church-hosted clubs to homeschooling families, we are also excited to introduce the option for homeschooling families to purchase our curriculum directly. But that’s only the beginning! Awana for Homeschool will also feature specific adaptation helps designed to maximize use of our curriculum in your homeschool. Plus, we will invite YOU to be part of making this new option even better as we enhance it in the future with tailored teaching tools.

Saturday 4-5 PM

(Teen Track) Can anyone be Right about Anything? The Case against Moral Relativism p114
“Who are you to push your views on me?” If you're a Christian, you've heard that said many times. Indeed, at both the street and academic levels, moral relativism remains the single biggest challenge to a Christian worldview. Beginning with Kant and the empiricists of the 17th and 18th centuries, objective moral rules were either considered non-existent or unknowable. Now, it seems the only thing our tolerant culture won’t tolerate is you claiming to be right! Indeed, the very definition of tolerance has been turned on its head! In this session, Scott will trace the history of the relativistic worldview and suggest tactics Christians can use to expose its intellectual shortcomings. Although relativism is used to silence dissent, its bark is worse than its bite. When subjected to scrutiny, it self-destructs!

***(Toa) Six Reasons Why Your Student Won’t Write—And, no, I’m not Going to Blame You p115
Description of Session: Do your middle school or high school students dread writing essays and reports? Do they freeze up and quit writing or make it as painful as possible for everyone? This is unnecessary (which is a nice word for crazy-making). Sharon Watson has successfully guided many students from hating writing to loving it—or not hating it as much—and she shares five eye-opening reasons why your students might have such a negative attitude toward writing. But wait! There’s more! You’ll discover proven, practical, and interesting ideas to help you overcome those reasons and get your students writing essays again.