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Classes and Lectures by Laurie Block Spigel |
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Classes for Children K-12 / Lectures for Adults / Other Topics
 Laurie's Poetry and Board Game class, ages 9-13, June 2006.
Read some more testimonials from homeschooling parents. If you would like more information, please send your request in an email. Read some poems from one of my poetry classes and some of my own poems. See some art from one of my art classes. I am also available for educational consultations.
Classes for Children:(Classes range from one - two hours depending on age and group size) Playwriting for Teens(90-minute sessions for middle schoolers, 2-hour sessions for teens, semester or year-long programs.)
Acting and improv is a part of this course as children learn many techniques to develop characters and create a written scene or a finished short play. The aim of this course is for each child to write, direct, and act in their own plays.
Create your own Board Game
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One parent's comment: "[My daughter] was lucky enough to participate in a great homeschool class this April through June. Called "Create Your Own Board Game," the class was geared for ages 9-13. It was really a research class in disguise.
A very special teacher, Laurie Spigel, organized the class. Laurie is a longtime homeschool mom (with sons ages 15 and 21) who takes a Renaissance approach to all her classes. She designed this class based on the experience of her youngest son, who, over the years, created three increasingly sophisticated versions of a game on marine biology." See this student's boardgame on The Great Depression.
Pictures from Laurie's board game classes (click to enlarge):
Built It (robotics) |
 Civil War |
 Civil War in play |
 Darwin |
 Darwin in play |
 Horror House |
 Horse Roundup |
 King Tut's Adventures |
I have developed many games that teach parts of speech, vivid use of language, metaphor, and more. Children will have fun exploring language, while they also explore their senses and themselves. Poets are chosen with the interests and abilities of the students in mind, and I often include poets from the NYC area. Forms are introduced such as acrostics, limericks, sonnets, or blank verse. Creative techniques for displaying poetry and making poems into gifts are also part of this course. Basic materials are provided; materials fees may be added for special projects.
Memory, fiction, and nonfiction will be discussed and defined. Children will write several short memories, including those (real and imagined) of their parents or their pet. Examples of memoirs from great authors will be used to inspire direction, focus, and technique. Writing will be done in class and at home. Pieces will be shared with the group and revised. The finished memoirs will be made into books (small materials fee).
This class combines the literature comprehension development of an exciting book club along with my favorite poetry lessons. Authors and titles are selected based on the interests and abilitiesy of the group. Books are read at home and discussed in class. Poetry games are used to learn English, develop warm-up techniques, and find the creative voice. Characters in the books we read inspire our writings. Copies of the finished poems are mailed to the authors, who usually honor us with a reply.
Art is a primary resource that leads directly to the understanding of culture and history. Each class aims to increase awareness of time and space, as well as teach the history of the particular culture and era. Maps are used, timelines are created, and examples of art are examined and discussed by the students. Hands-on activities are selected in order to enhance the understanding of the art form and of the time period.
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Activities might include:
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Choose from three ten-week courses, (or design a course with me to suit your topics, budget and schedule): Art History of the Ancient World (ten different ancient cultures); European Art from the Middle Ages to the Impressionists; 20th Century Art in Europe and the Americas. Materials fees apply. See some pictures by young artists.
All ages love to play poetry games and get inspired! These workshops
end with a simple bookmaking or creative poetry presentation. Write
haiku poetry (a favorite in spring) and make a handmade Japanese book
for your poems. Learn how to write a pantoum and create an accordion
screen that displays the verses. Make a Days-of-the-Week or Favorite Flowers little book. Prices vary according to materials used.
More photos from Laurie's poetry classes:
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$10 per child per hour, $15 per child per 90 minutes, based on a group of ten students or more, with additional materials fees where noted.
(Lectures are one to two hours long and can be tailored to your group)
From poetry to the college essay, learn how to teach everything from early expressions of just a few words to research reports and creative writing. Every time I give this lecture I share different ideas and techniques. Come with paper and pencil and be prepared to have some fun!
Homeschooling is a misnomer. The truth is that the world is our classroom. Learn how to incorporate homeschooling into your daily routine, finding educational opportunities in the supermarket, the post office, the pet store, around your own block. I will share lots of ideas on how to make greater use of your community and how to bring the outside world into your classroom.
What are deschooling or unschooling? What is a classic curriculum? What are correspondence school courses like? Why do some people choose one way and some another, and what are the common threads to all of these approaches to homeschooling? I will answer these questions and more.
What makes kids want to bang down the door to get into a book club? For the past four years I have run a book club for homeschoolers, and I have learned much in the process. Let me share with you all of my tips for making the study of literature an exciting and painless process. I will also suggest writing activities that are a natural outgrowth of the book club experience.
I will share several lesson ideas for teaching history that can be applied to every age level, with specific examples. History is not just something in a dusty book, but something that is happening now! Learn how to make history come to life and make this study an ongoing adventure!
What is child-led learning? I will show you how you can take your child’s interests and create an entire curriculum for any age level. Create what works well for you and your children, by having parents and students work together as a team. I will give specific examples of how to achieve homeschooling success and how to aim for personal excellence for each child. I will then take questions from the audience, applying these ideas to current situations. I will include tips for assessments and how to write up these experiences in the mandatory quarterly reports required in New York.
Does homeschooling make applying to college more difficult? I homeschooled my son, Kalman, throughout high school and he was accepted into NYU Film School, which was a more selective process than Harvard (that year). Let me share how we did it, and how I plan to do it for my son Solomon, currently homeschooling high school and on the college track for a career in science. Details of the college application process will be discussed. No one can be a better college counselor than a child’s parent, because no one else could be more motivated. Learn how to find out about colleges and scholarships, what it takes for a homeschooler to qualify for state financial aid, and how to find out what a good fit is for your child (finding the right school). I will also discuss other options for higher education besides college.
I am available to lecture on any topic about homeschooling, education, and parenting. Past speaking experiences include:
If you would like more information, please send your request in an email.
Imagine if, at the end of a course of study, instead of facing the dreaded research report or the terrifying exam, you had to play games? Well, that's just what the students in this class do and they love it! This is a course in research and social studies. Each student selects a subject he or she wants to learn more about. Then they are encouraged to do hours of research outside of class (books, periodicals, libraries, internet, interviews, and other locations), as well as research in class, with the aim of making games from what they learn. All materials will be provided including blank board game, dice, blank cards, pawns, markers and decorating materials. In the end, each child teaches their own social studies curriculum to the rest of the class by inviting everyone to play their game.