About Me

I'm a mom, a teacher, a student, a wife, and a scout leader. I am actually an education major currently working on my practicum in a 2nd grade classroom. I also home school my two children. I'm also a cub scout leader, a girl scout leader, and at church I'm the children's music leader. ;) I tend to stay a little busy. My state requires homeschoolers to keep a portfolio. I am going to use this blog as my portfolio.

What am I?

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Progressivism in Modern Curriculum

I wrote the following for a school assignment and thought I'd share. :)      

Our current teaching methods are obsolete for today’s students. The traditional methods used in today’s classroom do not teach to the individual student and it just doesn’t work for the modern student. Students are so diverse that they cannot all be expected to learn the same way at the same time. Modern methods are also test focused and not student focused. This all needs to change. Progressivism is a viable option for modern curriculum.
            It is debated if a progressivism reform movement took place during the turn of the twentieth century. Around 1890-1919 “the philosophical, pedagogical, and administrative underpinnings of what is, in the early twenty-first century, associated with modern schooling, coalesced and transformed, for better or worse, the trajectory of twentieth-century American education.” (Loss & Loss, 2002) Everything completely changed during this time. Progressivism is contrary to traditional learning in that it is student lead and not teacher lead. Most progressive education programs include some common qualities such as, learning through activities and actions, thematic units, critical thinking and problem solving is a big focus, collaborative learning, actually learning and understanding the information instead of just memorizing, personalized education, service learning projects integrated into daily curriculum, varied learning resources (less focus on text books), and ,one of my favorites, assessments based on students’ projects instead of tests. Can you imagine what learning would be like if students were taught this way? Students would be tested on what they actually learned instead of what they memorized for the test. Students would learn other skills like being kind to one another, working with a group, and how to find information instead of just using a text book to give them the information they need. So many more life skills would be learned without having to add more hours to the school day.
            Problems stem from the society’s desire to have students sit in a classroom and act like adults. We are squashing the childhood out of them. This is resulting in many more students being treated for ADHD and other behavioral issues because they are not getting the opportunity to act like children. Children diagnosed with ADHD increased from 7.8% in 2003 to 11% in 2011. Strauss states, “The problem: children are constantly in an upright position these days. It is rare to find children rolling down hills, climbing trees, and spinning in circles just for fun… Children are not nearly moving enough, and it is really starting to become a problem.” (Strauss, 2014) Some children have to focus so much on obeying the rules to act like adults that they miss the lessons. If the lessons were taught to the student, then that little girl who has so much energy could practice addition by doing jumping jacks instead of having to count the dots on her piece of paper.
Our teaching methods must change because we are ruining our children. The current teaching methods may work in college, but not in elementary school. “It imposes adult standards, subject-matter, and methods upon those who are only growing slowly toward maturity. The gap is so great that the required subject-matter, the methods of learning and of behaving are foreign to the existing capacities of the young. They are beyond the reach of the experience of the young learners already possess. Consequently, they must be imposed; even though good teachers will use devices of art to cover up the imposition so as to relieve it of obviously brutal features.” (Dewey, 1938) Even in 1938 they were beginning to see a problem with the way adults expected children behave in school. They needed to teach based on the child’s experiences. A seven year old hasn’t had a lot of experience sitting still and listening or reading to learn. That child has had experience learning through play. All of a sudden we, as a society, expect them to be able to sit still and want to listen to learn. That is not the way to develop a love of learning in any child.
            So much is different for students today; however, curriculum today is mostly the same as it was twenty years ago. There may be different content, but it is delivered in the same way. In today’s world, our children do everything quicker. Their lives are busier, they use computers and video games. Everything moves at a faster pace with more colors and sounds. Why are our teaching methods the same as they were when I was in school? Curriculum “…is taught as a finished product, with little regard either to the ways in which it was originally built up or to changes that will surely occur in the future.” (Dewey, 1938) Changes have occurred in our children. We need to make those changes occur in our teaching methods as well. The content changes because our society continues to grow, therefore, our methods should change to match that growth of our society.
            Student are all so varied. They have different backgrounds, different lifestyles, different family units; the country is full of diversity. Why do we think that every child would be ready to learn the exact same way? We need to start teaching the student and stop teaching the standards. “… The knowledge and skill of the mature person has no directive value for the experience of the immature. Basing education upon personal experience may mean more multiplied and more intimate contacts between the mature and the immature than ever existed in the traditional school, and consequently more, rather than less, guidance by others.” (Dewey, 1938) Teaching to the student would take more time, but to the student, it would be worth it. In order to teach to the students’ experiences, we must learn the students’ experiences.
            Traditional teaching methods rely on testing. Testing is the top priority. This leads to other problems. Schools are giving less attention to the subjects not tested. The focus is now on reading and math. “71% of districts are reducing time spent on other subjects in elementary schools – at least to some degree. The subject most affected is social studies…” (Jennings & Rentner, October 2006). Most schools focus a specific amount of time for reading. High poverty districts are even more likely to focus much of their time on reading. Social Studies, Science, and the arts are getting left behind. If a teaching method such as progressivism was used, the student gets graded on projects they do and not test scores. Much of reading and writing could even be combined with some of the other subjects getting left out so students can continue working on reading and writing as they learn about these other exciting and important subjects.
            Too much emphasis is based on testing. Not all students test well. This makes it a problem when states require standardized testing for funding. “Students are taking many more tests…. In 2002, 19 states had annual reading and mathematics tests in grades 3-8 and once in high school; by 2006, every state had such testing.” (Jennings & Rentner, October 2006)
            In a society where we celebrate people’s differences, we sure do a lot to cram education into a one size fits all box. It’s time to begin teaching our children from a young age to embrace their differences. It’s okay if they learn differently or if they’re good at something else that may not be tested. It is okay, because every person is different; every student is different. Therefore, students should be taught as if they are different. A viable curriculum option is progressivism.

Works Cited

Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and Education. New York: Touchstone.
Jennings, J., & Rentner, D. S. (October 2006). Ten Big Eggects of the No Child Left Behind Act on Public School. Phi Delta Kappan, Vol. 88, No. 02, 110-113.
Loss, C. G., & Loss, C. P. (2002). Progressive Education. In Encyclopedia of Education. The Gale Group Inc.
Strauss, V. (2014, July 8). Why So Many Kids Can't Sit Through Schoo Today. Retrieved from The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/07/08/why-so-many-kids-cant-sit-still-in-school-today/



            

Friday, August 28, 2015

Author Spotlight - Susannah McFarlane


Susannah McFarlane is a successful children’s book author who, after many years working as a publisher, now spends her time writing and creating stories that kids love to read.
She is the creator and writer of the awarding-winning EJ12 Girl Hero. Susannah understands kids and loves creating stories they enjoy to read. Her understanding and belief in the need for age-appropriate but fun content for kids comes from over twenty years experience as a children’s book publisher and from having worked with some of the world’s leading brands and writers. Susannah actually counts Thomas the Tank Engine, Winnie the Pooh, Tintin, and Enid Blyton as friends, not just former colleagues!
Susannah is also a speaker on children’s publishing for the RMIT Editing and Publishing course. She was previously the managing director of Egmont Books UK; the vice-president of the Egmont Group; the co‐owner, managing director and publisher of Hardie Grant Egmont; a contributor to the UK trade journal Publishing News; and the Convenor of the Children’s Publishing Committee and Board Director of the Australian Publishers’ Association.


Q & A – Kids Ask Susannah




As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
I first wanted to be a cowboy and then, for a long time, a vet. It wasn’t until late in high school that I wanted to work with books. I began working in publishing when I finished university.
Where do you live?
I live in Melbourne, Australia.
What books do you write?
As well as the EJ12 Girl Hero series, I write a series of picture books called Little Mates for younger children. I also co-write a series for boys called Boy vs Beast, but we use the name Mac Park for these – the Mac is me, and the Park is my co-writer Louise Park!
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? And what inspired you to become a writer?
For a long time I didn’t want to be a writer at all. I loved working in publishing – with authors as a publicist, in marketing, and then as a publisher – and I enjoyed writing for fun, but I didn’t think of myself as a writer. But then my daughter inspired me to write my own story: I wanted to write a story that showed her she – and all girls – could do anything!
Are you inspired by any particular books or authors? What’s on your bookshelf?
Lots of them, normally the last one I read. I love reading one particular author, but then also discovering a new one. Our bookshelves take over our living room – it’s fantastic to see all your friends up there.
How do you come up with new stories?
I like to wonder ‘What if …?’ What if the school toilets hid a secret tunnel to a spy agency? What if a 10 year-old girl could solve hard missions but still find mean girls tricky? Or, for Boy vs Beast, what if snow wasn’t really snow but the attacks of an ice beast? Then I try to write the answers.
What advice would you give to anyone who wants to become an author?
Write as much as you can, and enjoy re-writing – it takes lots and lots of drafts to get a story ready, and practice makes perfect! Also, read a lot.
What was your favorite book or author when you were a kid?
I loved The Magic Faraway Tree and the Secret Seven series by Enid Blyton, and then a bit later, the Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I liked stories about girls doing things even then! One of my favourite picture books – which I still have – was Ferdinand the Bull, about a bull in Spain who just wanted to sit and smell the flowers and not be part of bull fighting until one day …
If you had to describe yourself to someone but you could only use 3 words what would they be?
Wow. That’s really hard – I’m going to ask other people that! Maybe energetic, optimistic, but a little unsure? Perhaps that’s where Emma from the EJ12 series gets it from?
Do you have any pets? If so, what are they?
We have two dogs: Bill a Jack Russell cross who thinks he is a person, and Bella who is an insane cavoodle. My daughter has two budgies as well, which are very noisy! When I was growing up we had – all at one time – one dog, five cats, four budgies, six mice, two terrapins and, for a little while, two lambs!
What is your favorite word and why?
Discombobulate (to throw into a state confusion) – it is almost onomatopoeic, like whoosh, which I also like a lot.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I like cooking and eating (luckily I also like exercise!). And I love laughing so I enjoy going to comedy shows, and listening to funny friends and family. My family tells me my jokes are not so funny though.

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

National Aviation Day!


  


  • Celebrate this day by reading Usborne's PLANES.
  • Planes is a part of an exciting series of books for children who are beginning to read on their own. The easy-to-read text has been specially written with the help of a reading expert.
  • Vivid, full color illustrations and photographs on every page, accompanied by short, informative text.
  • Carefully selected internet links to exciting websites to find out more. The is an Accelerated Reader title.
  • Great reading practice for children who prefer fact to fiction.





To see more fun days to celebrate in the month of August, check out this calendar: http://www.usbornebooksandmore.com/ecommerce/Calendar.asp?c=l4426


Friday, August 14, 2015

Book Spotlight: Pencil and Paper Games

  • Amidst endless apps and computer games, there is still an important place for simple yet engaging games, played with just a piece of paper and a pencil. Whether your battery's flat, you're suffering from 'screen fatigue', or you just prefer traditional games, this write-in, tear-off pad is for you, featuring over one hundred games to play.
  • Each game has clear instructions and several colourful pages with grids and game outlines already in place for children to write on.
  • Eliminates the need for lots of spare paper, making it ideal for long journeys and holidays.


Download a page from this activity book so you can try it out with your own kids. 


Want more games? You can purchase this book here: http://l4426.myubam.com/p/5040/pencil-paper-games

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Can I Be a Good Teacher to My Children?

Most homeschooling parents I now are constantly questioning if they can be a good teacher to their kids. I know I do. That's why I'm in school for education, so I can be a better teacher for my children. So, how can a parent be an effective teacher?
  1. Know the subject matter: Q: What do you need to know to teach a horse? A. More than the horse.
    While this may just seem like a cheesy joke, it's really very true. To be a good teacher to our children, we have to know the subject. Luckily, we live in a time where there are resources EVERYWHERE!!!
    Some resources I love are Khan Academy, Usborne World History Encyclopedia, and Usborne Science Encyclopedia
  2. Pedagogy: We can't just know more than our children and telling it to them. We also need to know effective teaching strategies.We need to effectively build on the information. This is stuff like, tell the students how something is done, demonstrate it, do it with them, and then allow them to do it on their own. This is done through graphic organizers, cooperative learning, lectures, demonstrations, discussions, games...etc. There are so many examples.
  3. Know the student: This one is great for parents, because parents probably know their students better than teachers do. If you know the student then you can better decided with pedagogy you want to use with them. I have one child who is very logical and prefers to learn on paper. So, adding... he was find just looking at the pictures and adding them up by counting. When his sister got to adding, she didn't want to count the pictures, instead she did 3 jumping jacks plus 2 burpees equals five. And, yes, she actually did these things. So, one of my children prefers more demonstration while the other prefers more games and hands on learning. Knowing this, helps me know how to teach my children different things. Following the lesson plan isn't always perfect for all children. 
  4. Intentional Teaching: Intentional teachers are people who think about what they want - what will the end result be?  Everything done through the day is planned ahead of time with the desired outcome in mind. This ties in with knowing the student and pedagogy.
  5. Believe in your student: Some teachers believe certain students are not capable of learning - this belief could be based on genetics, home environment or many other factors. A teacher should believe their student has the ability to learn. Believe in that student and that student will believe in him/herself. 
I hope this was helpful. What are some other things you believe are vital to being a good teacher!!! :) 

Tips to get your child to write


Writing can be such a big deal to students sometimes. In my house, it often ends in tears. However, through research, occupational therapy, and trial and error I have learned a few tips along the way. My son is a kid who HATES writing. Yes, he has dysgraphia, but he is capable of it through lots of encouragement. So, here are some things I've learned.

Friday, August 7, 2015

Getting Ready for School with Usborne

Getting ready for school is no exception to the thought put forth by Henry Ford. Many families are doing just that – school supply shopping, purchasing a new backpack, starting to set the alarm earlier so that they are ‘ready’ for school to begin.
Are books and reading on your “To Do” list as you prepare for school this fall? If not, they definitely should be. From the youngest of children to those packing to leave for college, Usborne Books & More has books that will match the needs of all students (and even the not-yet-students).
Toddlers will enjoy learning about colors and languages with our new Big Book of Colors and the My First Word Book available in both French and Spanish. Big Book of Colors is a large, sturdy board book introducing all the colors of the rainbow and their many variations, including lots of color vocabulary such as turquoise, magenta and vermilion, and color descriptions such as navy, lime and rose. The acetate page shows how colors mix and change when combined with others.
Learning to write? Wipe-Clean Beginning Pen Control and Wipe-Clean Pen Control will keep the children in your life entertained for hours as they make their way through these fun books teaching pre-writing skills.
Encourage creative writing with My First Story Writing Book and Write Your Own Adventure Stories.
Delve into the wide world of science with fun facts and interesting tidbits made available in 100 Things to Know About Science. Science is a huge topic.  This is a friendly book that breaks it down into bite-sized chunks, making it an accessible introduction for anyone who wants to find out about this fascinating subject. Highly illustrated, in a pictorial, 'infographics' style, with snippets of information about all aspects of science from particle physics to genes and DNA.
Whether you love them “hugely like a whale,” or “shyly like a quail,” Animally, this adverb adventure through the animal kingdom, is perfect to share with all the birdily, bugily, animally loved people in your life.
Math and art, as different as night and day, right? Wrong! This is Not a Math Book shows how math can be beautiful and art can be numerical. Amazing patterns with a mathematical basis will be revealed as you follow the simple activity instructions.
Don’t forget about finishing up that Summer Reading project! Does your child still need to read a few more chapter books to complete his/her reading list before school begins? Check out our brand new fiction series:
EJ12: Girl Hero – As EJ12, our heroine finds the courage to take on the evil Shadow Agency, leaping through jungles and snow-boarding in the South Pole. But as school girl Emma Jacks, she worries that she’ll fall in the state gym contest and doesn’t know how to stand up to the school ice-queen, Nema, when she teases Emma’s friends. With these two personas, EJ12: Girl Hero, is the perfect blend of real-life dilemma and fast-paced spy adventure, with Emma cracking codes – and life’s problems.
Wheelnuts! – Eccentric billionaire Warren “Wheelie” Wheelnut has decided to mount the biggest, most off-the-scale competition ever! He has created extreme race tracks: including one in a desert and one set in a haunted town.
All this and more are available to help you get ready for the school year. I can’t wait to help you find everything you need.

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Usborne Books and More

I did something crazy! I use Usborne books so much in homeschool that I decided I needed to join the company as a consultant. I had no idea they had more than non-fiction. They have everything from infant to young adult books. I actually just read one of Collin's books I ordered for him from Usborne.

Monday, July 20, 2015

New Plan this year

Here is an example of my weekly plan.


Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Language Arts Curriculum

My life is busy, but I've been having trouble finding a language arts curriculum that I really like, is low maintenance, and goes with my children's learning styles. So, I made videos. It's a recording of me actually teaching the lessons. I also have notebooking pages to go with them. It's a work in progress. I do them in 6 week sessions.

How does this work? Watch one video a week and then use the notebooking pages during the week.

1st 6 weeks for 2nd grade:
youtube videos found here
Packet to go with it is here

Wk 1 - Who, what, when, why, where and how in literature
Wk 2 - Informational Texts
Wk 3 - Long and short vowel sounds
Wk 4 - Find the central message
Wk 5 - Who, what when, where, why, and how in informational texts
Wk 6 - Vowel Teams

Monday, June 15, 2015

LDS and the new Cub Scout Program

I am working with a new program for school and wanted to see how it worked. I had to do this presentation at our LDS Scouting Forum a couple months ago so thought I'd try it with it and see how it went. LOL! I'm also posting it here to see how it would work for that as well. :) So, here is my presentation. The kids are coughing and talking to me and my hair is crazy, but whatever. This is my life. :)


Monday, June 8, 2015

Licensed to Create





Wouldn't this be amazing? Think of how awesome our schools would be if we could adapt this into our education system.

Stereotyping... BOO!!

So, a page I follow posted this article on Facebook.

Sunday, June 7, 2015

The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller

I think all homeschool families should read this. While, yes, this is written for the classroom, we are applying it to the homeschool world as well.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

A Day in our School

A day in our life looks something like this....
 We start every morning with math and typing. We use Singapore Math and Typing without Tears. One works on math one of one with me while the other does typing and handwriting independently.

Then we take a little break (15-20 minutes). The kids earn GoNoodle coupons for having a good attitude and trying their best. This is their opportunity to use them up. :)
 Back to work... This is our ELA block. We start with vocabulary.
 Selfie --- calm mommy. :)
 Then we do our read aloud. In history, we're learning about vikings so we are reading a fictional story about vikings in literature. :) After we finish our read aloud we normally have a comprehension activity (mural, charades, project...etc) or do some copywork (a quote from the book).

 Then we work on grammar -- verbs, nouns, pronouns, interrogative sentences, declarative sentences, and spelling.

By this time, it's normally lunch time. So, we take a break and eat and the kids play outside when they're done. If the weather is nice then they're sometimes in the sprinklers or we take the dogs on a walk or whatever.
 Finally, back to school. Read to self time. The kids read to themselves for 20 minutes. We use Accelerated Reading program for their reading level and points. The AR program gives a certain number of points per book. Since we do 6 weeks of school followed by a 2 week break, the kids have to earn a certain number of points every 8 weeks. So, long books are worth more and short books are worth less. It's the fairest way I've found to do it for our family and it gets the kids to read.
 After that, we start science. YAY!! The kids love science.
Finally, we get to history and we are done for the day.

That is our full day of school. We normally finish around 3pm or so. We don't start until 9 and we take breaks when the kids them. It's fun!

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Islam and Muhammad

We have been learning about Muhammad and how he started the Islam religion and what his followers, the Muslims believe. It has been really interesting.

I recommend this book:

This is also a great video that teaches The Five Pillars of Islam. My kids loved it. My kids wanted more info so I let them watch the second video too.
Then we did some of the worksheets from here: http://homeschoolden.com/2013/02/19/learning-about-islam-worksheets-for-kids/


This specific worksheet pictured was this one.... http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/re/pdfs/five_pillars_of_islam_ja.pdf

Monday, February 9, 2015

Art

Collin took a sai course last month so wasn't able to take art. However, he starts on Tuesday and is so excited!!! Here is what Ryanne did this month in art class...

Pink Flowers

Asian Mask

Starry Starry Night (Van Gogh) jar lamp

painted silk

Science Experiments

 This science curriculum is one of the kids' favorite things to do! We do an experiment and then talk about why it happened. In the picture above, the kids were learning about how heat and cold can affect the size of solids. In this image above, we heated a quarter. Then, I put it in this tool (don't know names of tools -- maybe an adjustable wrench?) As it cooled, it shrunk back down and fell out of it. It was kind of cool. This was last week.
This week we learned about air is a mixture. So, in this picture above we lit the candle. Then we put baking soda and vinegar in a jar which created carbon dioxide. We then "poured" the carbon dioxide (not the vinegar) over the candle and put the fire out. It was pretty cool. Then, we did Q & A until the kids figured out what happened -- carbon dioxide is heavier than hydrogen and oxygen so it snuffed out the candle. It was cool.
This one was neat too. It went with our air is a mixture chapter as well. I lit a birthday candle and poured a small amount of wax into the bottom of a bowl and stuck the candle to it so it would stand. Then we poured a half cup of water in the bowl and turned the glass upside down over it. As the candle burned up the oxygen, the glass sucked in the water to take the place of the oxygen burned. Once all the oxygen was gone and only nitrogen, then the candle went out. We did it several times.

The Trumpet of the Swan report


 When we read a book out loud together for literature, the kids have to do a report on it when we are finished. We turned these pizza boxes into educational resources. ;)
Working on their projects.

Front of Collin's

Inside of Collin's. He included vocabulary words to describe two of the main characters (Louis the Swan and Sam Beaver) and then he has index cards with information on settings and plot. 

Front of Ryanne's

Ryanne's has information on settings and plot and she included two main characters.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Book Report Ideas

My kids have finished The Trumpet of the Swan so now they have to do a book report on it. I have given them several options and thought I'd post it here. That way I have all my ideas right here together. :)


Book Mobile! More info here: http://www.performingineducation.com/2014/11/a-spin-on-tradition-book-report-t.html
This is one of my favorites --- one column is the plot, one is the setting, and one is the characters. They drew a picture on one side and wrote about it on the other. Perfect!
 Character Reports! Found here: http://www.uniqueteachingresources.com/character-body-book-report.html
This one was cute too. They made people and then it looks like they put the "book report" on the body of the characters. Love it! Simple for those who don't like to write!
 Pizza Box! http://njtoday.net/2012/05/04/photo-clark-second-graders-craft-pizza-box-biographies/
This is fun! The outside of the box is the title of the book and then the interior is the information on the book. 
 Pop-up Book Reports! http://www.3rdgradethoughts.com/2013/04/updated-animal-research-reports.html
Pop up books because everyone loves pop up books!
 Character Bottles! https://www.flickr.com/photos/smcl/4390208785/in/photostream/
There was no information on these but I thought they were pretty self explanatory. A Styrofoam ball = soda bottle equals character! :) 
Book Report Diorama! http://mrscolegrovesfourthgrade.blogspot.com/2013/03/shoebox-dioramas-to-talk-about-setting.html
I used to love these when I was in school.
Movie Poster!!
They pretend the book is being made into a movie and create a poster to help promote the movie.

PowerPoint!
Since we're homeschooled, a great opportunity to teach the students how to use Power Point would be to have them create slides to explain what happened in the book.

The students write about the book on the outside of the bag -- setting, character illustration and so on. On the inside the student collects 10 things that remind them of the book. They present it and explain why each object reminds them of the book.

Friday, January 16, 2015

Week 2 1-12-15

Monday
Both of them did their math assignments for the day using Singapore Math. Ryanne has moved on to subtraction.
Vocabulary; retreat, odious, union, altitude, exhibition
Literature: read Ch 6 of The Trumpet of the Swan and then drew a narration card. Their narration card was to sum up today's reading and tell it in their own words. They also worked on their memory work -- Changing by Mary Ann Hoberman
History: We read the first section of Chapter two about The Celts in Britain.
Read to self for 20 minutes.

Tuesday
Math: Next lesson using Singapore Math.
Art: 2 hour art class at Hobby Lobby
This is Ryanne's. She traced the picture and there was something with glue and salt and then she painted it. I'm getting this info from a 7 year old. I think she said it's silk.

Vocabulary: captivity
Literature: read Ch 7 of The Trumpet of the Swan, Narration card
Read to self for 20 minutes
Memory Work: Changing by Mary Ann Hoberman
History: We used the Usborne Encyclopedia
Vision Therapy for one hour
These are some crazy glasses Collin sometimes wears in vision therapy. He wore these as he walked across a balance beam. LOL!


Wednesday
Math: Next lesson using Singapore Math
Vocabulary: disinclined, analysis, sanctuary, countenance, coy, antics, doleful
Literature: Read Ch 8 of The Trumpet of the Swan, Copy Work
Read to self for 20 minutes
Memory Work: Changing by Mary Ann Hoberman
Science: All Matter is Made of Particles
Breaking rock (a solid) into smaller particles. Notice, we were being safe and all wearing safety glasses. :) 

See the tiny particles the kids made.

Comparing salt, flour, and sugar through the magnifying glass.
 I didn't get a picture but here I used a spray bottle and prayed it into a very fine mist. The kids were awed because they couldn't even see it. Then I sprayed their hands and they watched as the little mist pooled together on their hands.
 Here we made little packages of air particles.

This lead to a question about electricity. We were discussing how matter all has weight, takes up space and is made up of particles. That's when Collin (my 9 year old) asked me about electricity. He wanted to know if it was matter and if it was, which state was it in. My response... I have no idea. So, the research began on electricity.





Here is Collin zoned out watching the videos mentioned above.

History: Read Medieval Tales: Boudicca: Tales from the Celts

Thursday
Math: Next lesson in Singapore Math
Vocabulary: publicity, procured, deplorable, emit, erect
Literature: Read Ch 9-10 of The Trumpet of the Swan, narration card
Memory Work: Changing by Mary Ann Hoberman
Read to self for 20 minutes
Science: The Difference Between Solids, Liquids and Gases - then they worked on their notebooks.
History: second section of Ch 2 - Barbarians Come to Britain, map work, timeline work

Friday
Math: Collin did a test and Ryanne worked on her next lesson
Vocabulary: They both took a test then they learned the new words - privy, prejudices, malodorous, untarnished
Literature: Read Ch 11-12 of The Trumpet of the Swan - We also listened to the revielle and taps on youtube. :)
Memory Work: Changing by Mary Ann Hoberman
Read for 20 minutes
Science: We played....
This is magic sand. We also made snow!
History: The kids took a test then we watched the documentary Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxons http://youtu.be/R3hjjaUQiVA?list=PL48B6488B46A5F877