Thursday, October 28, 2010
A Post for Those Homeschooling A Teen
Here's a post from one of my favourite bloggers. This kid seems pretty cool!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Downloadable Sound Blend Strips
Just found these. Might be worth a look. I'll need to explore her site further!
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Math Curriculum
I'm trying to continue my overview of the resources and curriculum that we're using for the different subject areas. It's taking me a while, and I apologize!
The purchased curriculum that I use is Bob Jones and I supplement with Jump math. I find that Bob Jones is definitely the most thorough and the one that best suits my children. I did not select it because of it's Christian content. I selected it because:
1) it's visually appealing (colourful, bright, lots of images, etc...)
2) it covers all areas of the Ontario curriculum and prepares learners for the next year
3) often goes beyond the grade expectations, and finally,
4) reinforces past learned material
On almost every page of Bob Jones Math is a word problem and although the child may be working on fact families, let's say, the book also includes questions from past lessons (other strands) to help reinforce learning. It's not enough to cover a topic once and then move on. In math especially, students often forget their skills when they're not usually them daily. Not only do kids need to understand the concepts and relationships, but they need to be able to do them fast. The more proficient they become, the more confident they will be with higher level thinking.
I can't say that I'm thrilled with Jump math. In the words of my mother, who's a retired primary school teacher (educated in the British system), "it's ridiculous!" It does have it's purpose, especially when combined with another source. I don't believe that it should be used on it's own. It simply does not cover all areas and doesn't use a variety of strategies.
We also use a number of other resources and manipulatives. Here are just a few of the manipulatives that we use:
Base Ten Blocks. I would not do without these!
We use these cheap plastic toys from the dollar store as counters and other manipulatives. An inexpensive tool.
We've had a few different clocks (including homemade which serves a purpose), but this is by far the best. I like that the time also shows up in digital format at the bottom and that the child can select AM or PM. It also has a handy stand on the back so it doesn't have to be hung up or lay flat on the table.
The kids love the play money. This set was a bit expensive, but after much searching and not being able to find a set with a good number of coins and bills, I settled on this one.
Flashcards. I don't use them often but the kids like to play with them and test each other. They see how fast they can say their facts.
A variety of different manipulatives.
Number stamps. These were given to us by a friend and although I wouldn't have purchased them myself, they've been a lot of fun. Great for encouraging them to make up equations.
The great thing about homeschool math is that we just keep going. We don't stop when the kids finish a grade level. It's a continuum. That's why, when people ask me now what grade the kids are in, I have to stop and think, what the "proper" answer is, not what grade level I'm doing in each subject area. My guys are starting to get very confused! It's great. They're moving at their own pace and that's what matters.
The purchased curriculum that I use is Bob Jones and I supplement with Jump math. I find that Bob Jones is definitely the most thorough and the one that best suits my children. I did not select it because of it's Christian content. I selected it because:
1) it's visually appealing (colourful, bright, lots of images, etc...)
2) it covers all areas of the Ontario curriculum and prepares learners for the next year
3) often goes beyond the grade expectations, and finally,
4) reinforces past learned material
On almost every page of Bob Jones Math is a word problem and although the child may be working on fact families, let's say, the book also includes questions from past lessons (other strands) to help reinforce learning. It's not enough to cover a topic once and then move on. In math especially, students often forget their skills when they're not usually them daily. Not only do kids need to understand the concepts and relationships, but they need to be able to do them fast. The more proficient they become, the more confident they will be with higher level thinking.
I can't say that I'm thrilled with Jump math. In the words of my mother, who's a retired primary school teacher (educated in the British system), "it's ridiculous!" It does have it's purpose, especially when combined with another source. I don't believe that it should be used on it's own. It simply does not cover all areas and doesn't use a variety of strategies.
We also use a number of other resources and manipulatives. Here are just a few of the manipulatives that we use:
Base Ten Blocks. I would not do without these!
We use these cheap plastic toys from the dollar store as counters and other manipulatives. An inexpensive tool.
We've had a few different clocks (including homemade which serves a purpose), but this is by far the best. I like that the time also shows up in digital format at the bottom and that the child can select AM or PM. It also has a handy stand on the back so it doesn't have to be hung up or lay flat on the table.
The kids love the play money. This set was a bit expensive, but after much searching and not being able to find a set with a good number of coins and bills, I settled on this one.
Flashcards. I don't use them often but the kids like to play with them and test each other. They see how fast they can say their facts.
A variety of different manipulatives.
Number stamps. These were given to us by a friend and although I wouldn't have purchased them myself, they've been a lot of fun. Great for encouraging them to make up equations.
The great thing about homeschool math is that we just keep going. We don't stop when the kids finish a grade level. It's a continuum. That's why, when people ask me now what grade the kids are in, I have to stop and think, what the "proper" answer is, not what grade level I'm doing in each subject area. My guys are starting to get very confused! It's great. They're moving at their own pace and that's what matters.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Multiplication With Your Fingers
For those students who have problems with their 6,7,8, and 9 times tables, here is a trick they can use.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
A Day At The Apple Farm
Who goes to the local apple farm on Thanksgiving weekend, when as homeschoolers, we can go anytime! We must be crazy! But, we had fun! I think we were the only country people there. Everyone else was from the big city!
Learning Surrounded By Nature
A few weeks ago we decided to take our studies to our local Arboretum. We did some math, some art and read our current favourite novel. I wish every child had the opportunity to learn while surrounded by nature.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Reading Assessments
Reading A-Z is a great site of reading resources. Using leveled readers, you can assess your child's reading level. If you click on the Assessment tab at the top of the page it gives you complete instructions on how to properly assess their reading. This format is very similar to what is used in schools. There are a large selection of books available which could be printed or read from the screen.
At the bottom of the page is a list of associated websites; Science A-Z, Writing A-Z, etc... I haven't checked them all out but the reading site is definitely worth while just for the selection of books. The only problem with this website is that there is so much there that it takes a little time to navigate the site and find what you are looking for. Definitely worth the effort. Enjoy!
At the bottom of the page is a list of associated websites; Science A-Z, Writing A-Z, etc... I haven't checked them all out but the reading site is definitely worth while just for the selection of books. The only problem with this website is that there is so much there that it takes a little time to navigate the site and find what you are looking for. Definitely worth the effort. Enjoy!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Language Arts 2009-2010
I honestly believe that the grade 1 year is one of the most exciting years of a child's education. So much learning and growth happens during this year. We certainly found this to be the case with Mason last year. He started the year reading the basic early readers (3 and 4 letter words and some sight words) and ended the year reading at a confident grade 3/4 level. He loves reading now and delves easily into chapter books. As far as writing goes, he was a very reluctant writer 10 months ago. He was one of those kids who wouldn't compose anything unless he knew how to spell every single word. This took away from the creative process. Now, thanks to his spelling ability, he composes sentences, paragraphs and stories with ease. I would say that 60% of our learning last year focused on language arts. These are the resources we used:
How To Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons.
Mason finished with this program two summers ago and it certainly gave him the foundation he needed to really delve into reading. Mickey finished it in the spring and I feel that she has a good foundation as well. With Mickey we didn't do any of the rhyming work and we did it, on average, once a week. Some weeks we might have done two lessons and other weeks none at all. If you really wanted to move your child into reading quicker, I would suggest doing it every day. The first 50-70 lessons take approximately 10-15 minutes and the rest take approximately 30 minutes, depending on your reader. This program looks boring, and the stories are weird, but it definitely provided both kids with a thorough understanding of phonics. I would recommend it but you must be patient and give the process time.
Progressively Phonics
After Mason finished with the above book we did a number of the Progressively Phonics online books which we printed out. I like their approach. They work on one sound at a time and a small selection of sight words. As you move through the books, the kids progress, adding more sounds and more sight words. The words/sounds and sight words being learned are written in red. These are the words the child reads aloud. The other words are read by the parent/teacher. As I said, I like this process, but the stories are LONG. Once we reached a certain stage, Mason was able to take off with his reading and we moved on to whatever he felt comfortable reading. Often with chapter books, I would read a paragraph, then he would read one. Then we moved on to full pages. Now he is enjoying a good selection of junior level chapter books and fiction. The online progressively phonics books (online or printed) could easily be delivered by a caregiver.
Explode the Code
I love these phonics books and the kids seem to like them as well. The kids work through them at their own pace. Ideally they work best if the kids can read them, but it is possible for the child to work on them with the parent assisting. I think these books are largely responsible for Mason's reading ability today. When both kids started with them, they were barely reading. I would assist and gradually as their reading improved, they were able to work on them on their own. These books (online or printed) could easily be delivered by a caregiver.
First Language Lessons - Grade 1
I would love to hear what others think of this Susan Wise Bauer book. I completed Grade 1 with Mason and to be honest, Mickey learned a lot of it as well just from listening in. Her book focuses on grammar, parts of speech, copywork, memorization (poetry), reading comprehension and some punctuation. The lessons are nice and short which I love. They can generally be done in 10-20 minutes. We did a lot of the copywork but not much of the memorization. I would definitely add this next year. A number of lessons are repetitive for a reason. For example; you really hammer in the meaning and use of a pronoun. It works though. A few of the lessons I skipped or shortened. For the most part, I liked this program. I ended up introducing/teaching concepts that hadn't crossed my mind. This is why I think it's important to use a variety of resources (books, curriculum, internet, people, etc...). We can't think of everything! These books (online or printed) could easily be delivered by a caregiver.
Brain Quest
The Brain Quest books are what I call fluff. They aren't without their purpose but generally they're just filler. I shouldn't generalize because we've only tried the Kindergarten and Grade 1 books. Perhaps the ones for older students are more challenging. These books give a very basic overview of printing, word work, addition/subtraction, time, graphing, etc.. I like them because they are perfect for taking to someone else's house when I'm working. They give the kids extra practice on the basics without completely overwhelming them. Are they stimulating and challenging - no! Do the kids like them - yes!
Spelling Power and Spelling City
Each year, or sometimes twice a year I test their spelling level and plan their spelling goals based on their ability. We use Spelling Power which I quite like. I've actually started using this program in my school classroom as, it allows me to provide differentiated spelling instruction. To accompany this program Mason and Mickey both use Spelling City which is great for practicing their spelling words. This is another activity that could easily be done with a caregiver.
In addition to the above, here are a few other things that we are working on:
- family novel (currently Harry Potter): discuss main idea, plot, setting, characters and character development, inferencing, suspense, predictions
- reading for pleasure
- reading comprehension (short stories)
- parts of speech
- poetry
- letter writing
- calendar development and writing
- abbreviations
- story writing
- word usage
That's all I can think of for now. I'm sure that there will be more as the year progresses. I'll post about our math program soon.
How To Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons.
Mason finished with this program two summers ago and it certainly gave him the foundation he needed to really delve into reading. Mickey finished it in the spring and I feel that she has a good foundation as well. With Mickey we didn't do any of the rhyming work and we did it, on average, once a week. Some weeks we might have done two lessons and other weeks none at all. If you really wanted to move your child into reading quicker, I would suggest doing it every day. The first 50-70 lessons take approximately 10-15 minutes and the rest take approximately 30 minutes, depending on your reader. This program looks boring, and the stories are weird, but it definitely provided both kids with a thorough understanding of phonics. I would recommend it but you must be patient and give the process time.
Progressively Phonics
After Mason finished with the above book we did a number of the Progressively Phonics online books which we printed out. I like their approach. They work on one sound at a time and a small selection of sight words. As you move through the books, the kids progress, adding more sounds and more sight words. The words/sounds and sight words being learned are written in red. These are the words the child reads aloud. The other words are read by the parent/teacher. As I said, I like this process, but the stories are LONG. Once we reached a certain stage, Mason was able to take off with his reading and we moved on to whatever he felt comfortable reading. Often with chapter books, I would read a paragraph, then he would read one. Then we moved on to full pages. Now he is enjoying a good selection of junior level chapter books and fiction. The online progressively phonics books (online or printed) could easily be delivered by a caregiver.
Explode the Code
I love these phonics books and the kids seem to like them as well. The kids work through them at their own pace. Ideally they work best if the kids can read them, but it is possible for the child to work on them with the parent assisting. I think these books are largely responsible for Mason's reading ability today. When both kids started with them, they were barely reading. I would assist and gradually as their reading improved, they were able to work on them on their own. These books (online or printed) could easily be delivered by a caregiver.
First Language Lessons - Grade 1
I would love to hear what others think of this Susan Wise Bauer book. I completed Grade 1 with Mason and to be honest, Mickey learned a lot of it as well just from listening in. Her book focuses on grammar, parts of speech, copywork, memorization (poetry), reading comprehension and some punctuation. The lessons are nice and short which I love. They can generally be done in 10-20 minutes. We did a lot of the copywork but not much of the memorization. I would definitely add this next year. A number of lessons are repetitive for a reason. For example; you really hammer in the meaning and use of a pronoun. It works though. A few of the lessons I skipped or shortened. For the most part, I liked this program. I ended up introducing/teaching concepts that hadn't crossed my mind. This is why I think it's important to use a variety of resources (books, curriculum, internet, people, etc...). We can't think of everything! These books (online or printed) could easily be delivered by a caregiver.
Brain Quest
The Brain Quest books are what I call fluff. They aren't without their purpose but generally they're just filler. I shouldn't generalize because we've only tried the Kindergarten and Grade 1 books. Perhaps the ones for older students are more challenging. These books give a very basic overview of printing, word work, addition/subtraction, time, graphing, etc.. I like them because they are perfect for taking to someone else's house when I'm working. They give the kids extra practice on the basics without completely overwhelming them. Are they stimulating and challenging - no! Do the kids like them - yes!
Spelling Power and Spelling City
Each year, or sometimes twice a year I test their spelling level and plan their spelling goals based on their ability. We use Spelling Power which I quite like. I've actually started using this program in my school classroom as, it allows me to provide differentiated spelling instruction. To accompany this program Mason and Mickey both use Spelling City which is great for practicing their spelling words. This is another activity that could easily be done with a caregiver.
In addition to the above, here are a few other things that we are working on:
- family novel (currently Harry Potter): discuss main idea, plot, setting, characters and character development, inferencing, suspense, predictions
- reading for pleasure
- reading comprehension (short stories)
- parts of speech
- poetry
- letter writing
- calendar development and writing
- abbreviations
- story writing
- word usage
That's all I can think of for now. I'm sure that there will be more as the year progresses. I'll post about our math program soon.
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