It’s 5:30 and Our School Day Just Ended!

This post is part of a series showing the realness of homeschooling---the ugly, frustrating, and wonderfulness of it all. 

It’s Monday, our short day! 

I was determined we would get into the swing of things and work through our new schedule.    Things were going reasonably well until right after lunch. Our schedule dictated thirty minutes to go over last weeks writing and suggest improvements before revising and editing happened.   Discovering that my girls had not worked on their writing project for the prescribed 1 1/2 hours on Friday, I had to try really hard not to blow a gasket!

I-E had taken 3 notes on a five page article. She explained she had been annoyed she had to do the assignment, so that when she read the article it hadn’t made any sense to her.   I sent her to the table to work while I checked in with E-R. 

 

E-R claimed she didn’t realize the assignment was to write a one page overview of the  battles fought in the Revolutionary War.   Instead she had drawn a map, and thrown together a really bad paragraph about Billy Howe. 

Remember the gasket I was trying not to blow!   

So we read over the paragraph, discussed what the topic sentence should have been, and took some notes so she could write a good paragraph about Billy Howe.  

I-E checked in with her 7 total notes from that five page article.  

Gasket blowing!   Still holding it inside! 

So we read and took notes together from the first section of the article.   We then determined how she wanted   to introduce the article and what the topic sentence of the first paragraph should be.   Then I helped her write the first paragraph sentence by sentence.   The whole time I wanted to scream---YOU KNOW HOW TO DO THIS!!!!!

 

And then she told me, " I can do the rest—I didn’t know this is what you wanted me to do!"

When will I learn that teenage brains need clear, concise written instructions!  

 

Week in Review

This post is part of a series showing the realness of homeschooling---the ugly, frustrating, and wonderfulness of it all. 

this post is linked up to weird unsocialized homeschoolers weekly link-up.  

This week I wanted to dive into school with our new schedule.   Unfortunately, I-E wasn’t feeling up to snuff, so we took things much slower than planned.   We still managed to complete quite a lot. 

We started logic using Art of the Argument.   We are still working on the introductory chapter, and I’m still trying to explain to the girls why we are studying logic.    I’m more excited about it than my students.  

.  So my goal for next week---inspire!   Get the girls excited about logic.

Second new thing this week—algebra.  Thank goodness for Derek Owens and his online courses!   Math is not my thing.   Left to their own devices both girls have worked most days for longer than the required one hour.    Great start!

Writing also introduced a new idea this week.   Instead of working on specific projects, time is our new writing master.   Without any specific assignments, both girls were excited to free write on Monday and Tuesday.    Wednesday history assignment brought a narrative covering the Revolutionary War’s battles.  With writing time set aside each day, we had time to work on it while also moving on with our reading during history time.  

Goal for next week—get onto our schedule so we can fit everything in.  

Week 25

 

Spring is here! 

We have enjoyed the sunshine and worked on our garden this week.   Our potatoes are up and carrots and onions are planted.   On our patio we’ve planted tomatoes under the dryer vent and lettuce in the shade.  

 

In Math we came to a stand-still with our Singapore.    We worked through the lesson on finding the area of composite figures, but the homework didn’t work out so well.    The girls got most of the problems wrong, and I even after working through the problems numerous times I just can’t get my answers (or I-E’s and E-R’s ) to match up to the answers provided in the answer key.    My husband (also known as Mr. Math Genius) will have a math session with the girls this weekend to help them figure out the problems.   A big part of me feels that the answer key is wrong! (the answer key was wrong!)   In place of Singapore, the girls worked ahead in Key to Algebra.  

In English we’ve almost finished up pronouns.   Next week we will have a chapter review and test before moving onto adjectives.   We had one day of feeling lazy so instead of our usual lesson the girls put together a Jeopardy game.

 

It was an excellent way to review—and actually more work than working though a lesson (but I kept that info to my self).  

Essay Voyage focused on content  this week.  The more we work with Essay Voyage the more I like it.    I must admit the classic essays didn’t excite me, and the thought of skipping them did occur to me.   After reading excerpts from  Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist Papers, the Declaration of Independence, James Boswell’s biography of Samuel Johnson,  and Orwell’s Politics and the English Language, I am glad we ploughed through.    Often the vocabulary is difficult and the reading slow, but oh the rewards of sharing the ideas with my girls!  I love the discussions that have ensued.   Wish I had a few more thumbs---I’d give this program 6 thumbs up! 

In History we continued studying The Age of Exploration.    We read about Columbus, da Gama, Cabral, Cortes, and Cabot.  We  focused on note-taking and forming outlines from those notes.   The girls formed an outline from the notes they took last week from the article in The Almanac of World History.  Birth of a New World Religion also provided note-taking practice.  We discussed  what lead to Columbus’s “discovery”  of the New World as well as some of the consequences of that discovery.   Ended the week watching When Worlds Collide.  

I-E started new acting classes—improv and stage combat.  She learned how to perform a slap, a kick in stomach, and a hair pull!   E-R finished her pre-engineering class this week and will start robotics and animation classes in a few weeks.  

A busy, full, productive week with sunshine!  How was your week?

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The Things Kids Write

Recently my daughter discovered the much anticipated fight scene for Winter’s Tale would involve combs.  Yes, COMBS!    The play is set in the 1950s, so the director decided the greasers would pull the combs out of their back pockets for the fight scene.   Each year the kids look forward to learning the fight scene as it usually involves swords or pikes or some such exciting weapon.   Utter disbelief is the only way I can describe E-R’s reaction to this announcement.   On the walk home from Shakespeare, E-R orally put together her argument,   and once home she quickly sat down and wrote out this speech to share with the director.  

KNIVES

I was raised by the Filipinos (the knife people).  Knives are not useless.  We use knives for everything: opening cereal boxes, opening gifts, hunting, opening bags, and self-dense.  Like the “The Outsiders” Johnny saved his friend Ponyboy with his knife ( But he killed him but that is not the point).  We bring it everywhere: to the super market, to a movie, to the park, and to go bowling.  The knife will never go out of style;  my Grandpa still carries one.  The knife is part of your family.  You might think that it is funny to fight with a comb, but knives are the real weapons.You should never use a comb to fight and call your-self a man.  I will never surrender to the comb.  It is against my rule and the knife people’s rule to use a comb when fighting.  BECAUSE WE ARE MEN WE USE KNIVES.  And because, combs are for sissies; knives are for men.
And that is why we should use knives in our fight for Shakespeare not combs

My daughter started out the school year writing four sentence paragraphs.  Each sentence consisted of a subject, verb, and direct object with an occasional adjective thrown in for good measure.  It is exciting to be her mom and teacher and see the progress that is occurring in this arena.       

What progress has you excited?

  

Be sure to check out what others are learning about at

  

and

Solar Science Week, Day Three

It appears the fog is here to stay

So the solar ovens had to wait.

If it is foggy tomorrow, we plan to drive to the sun!

Edited:  Comparison paragraphs.

I-E's paragraph:

Many people use solar energy today.  There are two kinds of ways to heat houses with solar power, active and passive solar systems.  Active solar system heat houses using solar collectors that are flat black boxes that act like a greenhouse. The sun light gathers into heat then it heats the water. Then the water heats the air which is pushed into the house.  Passive solar systems heat house using non- moving parts such as windows that face south, so they catch the sunlight that heats walls or rocks in bins or pillars of water.  Some differences of active and passive solar systems are that active solar system can be put in every house, but passive solar systems can only be put in when you a are building the house. Some similarities are they both use sun light to heat houses, and they both release heat when it gets cold.  Both active and passive solar systems are efficient  and don’t pollute the earth.

 Designed: Houses with both Passive and Active Solar Heating Systems.

Researched: the cost and value of home solar system. A system for our home (which we couldn't technically install because of our shared roof) would cost $35,000. Currently we would qualify for a federal tax credit of about $9400 and a state refund of $2900, bringing the price of the system down to $22,700. At the level of usage we are currently utilizing, it would take 24 years for us to realize the cost of the system. So although the value of solar energy is high, the cost keeps most people from investing in it.

We also found this company, Sungevity, which leases solar systems so the upfront cost is not a prohibitive. We are waiting to hear back about the cost of leasing.


Creating: Started a Mosaic sundial.

Solar Science Week, Day 1

Solar Science Week, Day 2

Solar Science Week, Day 4

Airport Poetry and Prose

The airplane is big and loud.  

Old gray pantsuit

weary and bent over

slumped

sad

Peppy

quickly clicking high heels

polished

ready to conquer the world

Anxious to see his new love the young man urgently talks to the counter man about his missed flight.   He missed his flight because he needed that extra minute to get his hair just right.   The lucky lady will now wonder where her love wonders without her.   When will they meet again?  And will their love survive the separation?   

Ever stuck in the airport with time to spare?   With wiggly bored kids?   

I've found airports to be a great place to people watch and to practice writing skills.   I try to have paper and gel pens (which seem much more inspiring than the regular kind) in my carry-on bag, so we can use that time to have a little writing session.   Littles may write a sentence and include a picture to illustrate their writing.   Poems of any shape and form are popular in our family and all jump in to help describe what they see.   Sometimes we write paragraphs one sentence at a time with each family member adding on one sentence to tell the story as they see it.   Other times we choose the same person for all to write about and then compare our stories we see in that person.   

This has been an easy way to include the joy of writing in our everyday life.  How have you included writing in your day to day activities? 

Our Homeschool Curriculum Choices 2011-2012 or English, Science, and Math oh my!

It's that time of the year again.   Time for homeschoolers to get all their ducks in a row for the coming school year.   Time to file, time to plan, time to organize, time to sleep-in--oh, one of these things doesn't belong!

This school year I am down to two students in my homeschool.  E is leaving our school to join A-M at Foothill Technology High.  All though we will miss E, we are also excited about the bit of freedom this will allow us and the new adventure this brings to his life. 

And so without further ado--our curriculum choices for the year! 

English:
Rod and Staff English Level 6
Rod and Staff English Level 7
Sentence Composing for Elementary School
Grammar for Middle School: A Sentence Composing Approach
Write Source 8
Sequential Spelling

 E-R really wants to finish her beloved Rod and Staff English series before starting high school, and since level 6 has so much review I think combining both levels 6 and 7 this year is doable. Also, level 7 is where the writing instruction moves more toward logic stage skills which we need at this stage.   Adding to the writing skills in Rod and Staff, we will finish up Sentence Composing for Elementary School and move into Grammar for Middle School:  A Sentence-Composing Approach by by Don and Jenny Killgallon.  Write Source will continue to help us incorprate writing across all of our curriculum, and Sequential Spelling will cover those all-important spelling skills.  

Science:
Thames and Kosmos Physics Solar Workshop
Thames and Kosmos Wind Powered Kit
Thames and Kosmos HdryoPowered Kit

Thames and Kosmos alternative energy kits will form the base of our science this year.  In addition to the kits, we will utiliize Usborne and Kingfisher Science Encyclopedias, library books, and various websources.   Our first kit,  Solar Eneregy, requires lots of sunshine.  We're keeping our fingers crossed here in this fog-encased community that the sun will make it's usual appearance in October.   As we use the kits and work out the kinks in my lesson plans, I'll post the lesson plans, so check back for those.    Feel free to check-out and use my lesson plans for the Thames and Kosmos physics kit here and here.

Math:
Singapore Math Standards Edition Level 6
Key to Algebra : Books 1-4
Key to Percentages

Singapore Math Standards Edition Level  6 along with Key to Algebra: Books 1-4 will prepare E-R and I-E for algebra next year.   We also have Life of Fred: Biology floating around to throw in for a change now and than.   I'm also drooling over the Murderous Maths Books.  I haven't tried these out, nor even seen them in person, but I hope to get my hands on one to see if it would add a bit of fun while shoring up some math concepts.

Literature: 

I have all of the books and the guide for Beautiful Feet Horse  Study.   I'm not sure if it will hold E-R and I-E's interest like it did for A-M at this age.   So, I also purchased Blackbird and Company literature guides for Eight Cousins, I am David, and Treasure Island.   And the all important Figurative Language workbook is making another appearance.   It prepared E for Windows to the World.   E-R and I-E started it last year, but it became clear quite early in the year that they were not quite ready for it, so we set it aside until this year.

Nature Studies:
Handbook of Nature Study
My Nature Journal
Handbook of Nature Study Blog

This year we are adding formal nature studies to our school for the first time.   My two gals love to draw and muck around outside, so I think adding nature studies to our week will add a level of enjoyment we've been missing.  I downloaded for free the Handbook of Nature and will use lots of the terrific ideas from the Handbook of Nature Study Blog.

Art:
Atelier Art 7
Meet the Masters

After drooling over Atelier Art at a homeschool convention, I came home determined to finish Calvert Art so we could move on to Atelier Art.    Calvert is a super-solid program which I have always wished had more levels to it.    I think Atelier Art is comparable to Calvert instruction with many more levels available. Meet the Masters is a fun program I purchased and downloaded on a whim last school year.  We did several of the projects, and I'm sure it will help us beat some of the school blues that pop up from time to time in even the best of homeschools.

Memory Work:

As always, memory work will fill an important spot in our homeschool day.   I haven't even started planning it out though!   I do plan on featuring Memory Mondays again throughout this coming school year and invite all to join in.   I think I will make it a bit more formal with a linky to make it easy for all to hop around and glean ideas from other's work.

Logic:
Building Thinking Skills: Verbal

We have used Building Thinking Skills workbooks for several years now and will work through the end of the series, but I would like to add something a bit more formal at this stage.   I'm looking at the Blast Off with Logic series.   

History: 

Last, but certainly not least!
Story of the Renaissance
Native America on the Eve of Discovery
History Portfolios: Renaissance
History Portfolios:  Modern History
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia
Marco Polo Jackdaw
China a Cultural Heritage Jackdaw
Rats, Bulls, and Flying Machines
Almanac of World History
The World of Columbus and Sons

are some of the books I'm using to put together our studies this year.   As my current project,  the books are spread all across my living room, and I'm beginning to wonder what in the world I bit off!   But I'm sure it will work out in the end!

I would love to see what you are using in your homeschool or answer questions about what I'm using this year or what worked for us in past years. 

And be sure to check out what curriculum other homeschoolers are using this year at

Weekly Update: March 21-24, 2011

We made it through a wet and dreary week of spring by hanging out on the couches under our blankets in PJs.   The majority of the week was spent in a writer's workshop--that's a fancy term for mom working one on one with each child.   That took up a ton of time, therefore  history and science took a backseat.  Also, I had everyone work a bit more independently on other things than usual.

Writing:  After reading several threads on the Well-Trained Mind Forums about how writing and  basic skills are so important to cement before moving on to high school,  I decided to revisit our writing from last week.   E-R and I-E  started over with taking notes from an article about the Hagia Sophia.   I sat down with each one individually and read the article paragraph by paragraph.  After each paragraph we discussed what information in that paragraph answered the questions they were looking for, and they wrote those down in note form.    After we worked our way through the article taking notes, we organized our notes into outline form.   I introduced another level to the outline so now we are working with a four point outline.   Then I sat down and worked on making interesting, varied sentences with those outlines.   Student wrote a sentence on the white board.   I wrote a sentence on the board covering the same point.    Student wrote a different sentence on the board covering that same point.   We then looked at the sentences, discussed what made them interesting or not so interesting, how we could change them, or even combine parts from different sentences to come up with a good sentence.   Both I-E and E-I tend toward subject verb direct object sentences--with a subject verb direct object comma conjunction subject verb direct object thrown in for good measure.   This was a good way to help them change their sentence form up.   We didnt' do this with every sentence, but about six sentences.    Then student wrote the paper, and we revised and edited  it.   Then it was typed up--final draft done.   This process was spread out over the whole week.   

Ethan's paper compared the Magna Carta to a strike, arbitration, and general election.  I didn't need to help E with the note taking.   He had researched for his paper well.   We had to dig down deep to get his thinking going though.   He had a hard time coming up with ideas of his own.   E loved learning about the four sentence paragraph back in third grade.   He's loved the four sentence paragraph so much, he's fought me ever since about writing anything but a four sentence paragraph!    It's gotten to a point where I have to tell him exactly how many sentences must be in a paragraph, or I get a four sentence paragraph from him.    So he approaches his outlines as if he is writing a four sentence paragraph--Roman numeral I and A, B, C--,  and he writes his outlines in full sentences so he can just transfer the sentences into paragraph form.    So we  worked on writing the outline in note form--and moving beyond (you guessed it) the four sentence paragraph.    I made sure each of his paragraphs were outlined to at least three points.    It was quite difficult for him to think beyond reguriating back facts and come up with his own thoughts about the subject--which was the point of the assignment.   I must admit that towards the end I let some things slide without pushing so much.   After his outline was complete, we worked on writing sentences just like with the girls.  He is still working on writing his final draft.

English:   E's worked his way through punctuation in Rod and Staff and took his test today.   E-R and I-E are working their way through a chapter on adverbs and adjectives.    This week they covered degrees of adjectives and using good, well, and negative words.   After completing the lesson on good, well, and negative words I realized I had accidentally skipped four lessons!   Oops!   So, I suppose next week we will be going backwards in the book!

Literature:  E worked pretty quickly through the chapter on figurative language.   It was mostly review.   E-R and  
I-E started reading The Shakespeare Stealer and working in their lit guides.   

Math:  E worked on applications of real numbers and linear equations, solving problems using linear equations, functions and systems of equations, and graphing a linear inequalities.    I-E and E-R worked on averages in their Singapore books.  

History: We continued learning about the Byzantine Empire. We read about the Iconoclastic Controversy and discussed icons in our culture. We skimmed the other articles in :

so that next week we can move on our study of Native Americans.

And we added important dates from the Byzantine Empire to our timeline books.

That was our week.  It doesn't look like a lot, but I'm determined to slow down and really get the important skills down pat.    

Be sure to check out what others are doing at:

 

Weekly Update: March 7-18, 2011

I haven't posted in almost a week!  Last weekend was my kids' performances of MacBeth.   All the stress, late nights, long hours of memorizing, extra classes, and time spent were TOTALLY WORTH IT!   The show was a great success.   

Opening fight scene

Three Weird Sisters

MacBeth after becoming King

MacBeth and Banquo discuss their meeting with the three weird sisters

Lady MacBeth telling MacBeth how things are going to go down

Banquo Dies!

I knew this experience had cemented a love for Shakespeare when I overheard my kids using lines from MacBeth to insult each other!  

What Say You---Whey Face!   

You were of women born

Ay, in the catalogue ye go for men.

Geese, villian!

 (said with as much scorn as one can muster)

For the most part these past two weeks, we stuck to our normal routine--though day light savings threw a ratchet in the time we started school this week.  

Grammar---We finally finished pronouns in Rod and Staff.   E-R and I-E bombed their tests.    They just never picked up on the concepts of the different cases of pronouns.    After spending way too long on trying to teach the concepts, I've decided to move on.   Next year R&S 6 will reteach most of the concepts, and perhaps their brains will remember a little something from this year.   They have moved on to the next chapter on Adjectives and Adverbs and studied descriptive and limiting adjectives.   E did well on his pronoun test.    Usually all the levels of R&S  follow the same outline of topics.   For some reason level 6,  switches the adverb and adjective chapter with the punctuation chapter.   So, E is studying punctuation.   It's been all review for him, so far---end marks, quotations, split quotations,  and indirect quotations.   Everyone worked in their Building Thinking Skills books.   E worked in his test prep and word roots vocabulary books.   E-R and I-E worked on reading comprehension and free writes through-out the week.  

Lit---E's Window to the World has finally been found!    It was sitting on a shelf in his room.    He read and took notes on chapter 10 Setting.  I-E and E-R finished reading A Family Under the Bridge.    This book is an easy read, but is full of such great discussion fodder.    We discussed what makes a family, how one achieves self respect,  how fear affects our actions, how appearance affects your actions and others perceptions, and how we determine what is right and wrong.  For their final project,  both girls decided to make a budget for a small family living in our little town.   It was an eye-opener for them to see exactly how much things cost.    We were able to look at the budgets and discuss how homeless can happen.  

Math---E-R and I-E worked on a short geometry section in Singapore.   They learned how to determine the measurements of angles in triangles and quadrilaterals.  They also worked on a cumulative review and took some tests on line at Brainchild.   E worked on Aleks Math.and mastered square root simplification, factoring a perfect square, and proportion word problems.  

Science---This week in science we read chapter 23, It's a Gas Take its Temperature!   Covering four scientist, Joseph Black, Henry Cavendish, Karl Scheele, and Joseph Priestley, this chapter managed to cram a lot of info in a small amount of reading.   In order to help the kids process all that info, each kid picked one scientist to study indepth.   Then we had a panel discussion about their discoveries and important contributions to science.   Poor Karl Scheele had the bad habit of tasting all the chemicals he experimented with and it is believed that he died by poisoning himself with one of these tastes!  

History---Last week in history we covered the Magna Carta using a Jackdaw. 

We read the broadsheets about King John, Barons and Feudal Lords, Magna Carta: What it was, and what it was not, The signing of Magna Carta, King John and History, and England in 1215.   We then read the Magna Carta (well most of the Magna Carta---it was dry and not a bit entertaining!)  E-R and I-E created Venn Diagrams comparing and contrasting governments today and in King John's time.   E wrote an essay comparing the way the barons settled their dispute with the king, with general elections, strikes, and arbitrations.   We also enjoyed the copies of the original Magna Carta and the poster showing how the Royal Standard from King John's time through today has developed. 

This week we started our study of the Byzantine Empire.   I-E and E-R wrote reports on the history of the Hagia Sophie,  Justinian, created mosaics, and drew and labeled maps of the Byzantine Empire.  

PE--Everyone swam and have a meet today.   I-E started working with a water polo team.   She's one of the youngest, but seems to be holding her own. 

Fieldtrip--We did squeeze a fieldtrip in.   I posted about that here.

Be sure to check out everyone else's weeks at the



Assignment of the Week

Write a recipe for a dictator. 

Dictator Dirt Pie


1 large bag of Charismatic Cookies

1 cup of Narcissism

½ stick of Brilliance

1 package of Antisociality

2 boxes of Paranoia

3 ½ cups of Ambition

1 container of Inconsistency


Chop Charismatic cookies in food processor until cookies look like dirt.

Mix brilliance, antisociality, and narcissism together until smooth.

Blend paranoia, ambition and inconsistency together.

Combine paranoia and antisociality mixture together until lumps are smooth.

In 9 X 13 pan, layer cookie mixture then paranoia mixture, leaving enough cookie mixture for the top. (Optional: Decorate with small mustaches.) Chill in Landsberg Prison for 8 months. Consume within 20 years after finished chilling.

This was an assignment that I felt A-M did an excellent job on. 

Weekly Wrap-Up February 28-March 4, 2011

Testing, MacBeth, Swimming 

This week we didn't follow our normal routine.  Instead it was full of :  

STAR writing test for E-R and I-E

Online post testing for everyone

Finishing up costumes for MacBeth

Learning cues and working on director's notes for MacBeth

Celebrating a 13th birthday

Reading  

Room Cleaning

Memory Work

Shakespeare is taking a lot of our time that we would usually use for school time.   One week until our performance.   I'll be sure to include pics next week.   

E-R and I-E both started their own blogs this past week. 

I-E's is all about animals--feel free to check it out.

E-R decided her blog's theme will be food--here it is.

These are two girls that normally hate to write.   Now every morning they wake up early to have time to write on their blogs.   So far, I've let them do what ever, but eventually I will be sneaking in some writing instruction.  

 N started his pre-engineering internship at the Navy Base.   This week he got his security badge, meet all of the people that he will be involved with through the program, and learned the scientific theory of engineering.   He enjoyed  meeting everyone, but I really think I am more excited about this then he is!  

Be sure to check out what other homeschooler's are up to this week.