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Education is a Process, Not a Destination
Jan. 13, 2008
This week's report
We are all now recovered from the stomach bug that knocked everybody out for a while. The first half of last week was basically wasted because we were all ill--8th illness for the poor Bear this year--but the second was reasonably productive. I'm working like crazy, so I don't have as much time as I'd like.
Anyhow, as far as accomplishments go, the Bear only read five picture books last week. Lowest grade level was 3.2, highest 4.5. He breezed through them and has declared that for his birthday, I must make him a Thunder Cake from the book of the same name. So that's what we shall do!
I was worried that he wouldn't take to Patricia Polacco because her books are more touching than funny, but he loves the two he's read. So we'll look for more now. Though I am the last person in the world to get my undies in a wad about multy-culty issues, I believe that it is important to expose children to many different ways of living and different cultures. For me, historical variety is as important as cultural variety, and I'm having great fun introducing the Bear to all sorts of new worlds. It's keeps your world from being too small. Polacco's books are Russian-themed and are often about her own immigrant family, who came to the US in the 1800s. They're wonderfully illustrated and competently written, and the stories are lively. I really enjoy introducing the Bear to them. It's a shame he hasn't taken to Tomie de Paola with the same enthusiasm.
The books for this week were:
| And to Think the I Saw It On Mulberry Street |
Dr. Seuss |
| The Keeping Quilt |
Polacco, Patricia |
| Thanksgiving on Plymouth Plantation |
Stanley, Diane |
| Angelina and Henry |
Holabird, Katharine |
| Thunder Cake |
Polacco, Patricia |
We did much better with math than reading--it requires less of him. I backed up one lesson to Lesson 12 of RightStart A, so as of Friday, we'd done 12-24, or 13 lessons total, in 5 days. I am still over the moon with this program. It's just the thing to completely bypass all the Bear's audio processing problems and get straight tot he heart of the concepts. I know from how he works automatically with number things that his fundamental understanding of math is very good, but getting into his brain via the ears was tough. This does it, and we're flying along.
Reading ahead has really helped me figure out where Dr. Cotter's going with some of the things she's doing. I'm actually teaching the material while introducing concepts from later, though at a low level, and the Bear's grasping it all without hardly blinking. The Swim to Ten game, simple version, is pretty pointless because it seems way below his ability level, but he likes it, so I'll see if he gets whatever can be gotten out of it with a few more repetitions. He's had an understanding of things in his head at a much higher level already--he just needed to consciously call on that understanding and to connect it to the words that describe it.
I intend to finish RightStart B in time for his official enrollment as a Kindergarten homeschool student. We'll see where we go from there. I have a number of alternative plans depending upon what path he ends up taking. |
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Jan. 11, 2008
The Bear teared up yesterday when I put the math book away.
One very brave sniff was required before he could go and run for his free time.
Man. I'm loving this.
He did no fewer than FOUR sections--that's eight days' worth--too.
It's so difficult with him because he wants nothing hard and nothing boring. It has to be both entertaining and easy. That balance is NOT simple to find.
We started out with Singapore EB. We did it really over two years--from age 2.5 to 4.5--in spurts. When I started it, DS would get me into these griding three-hour marathons and do three months' worth at a time, and then I wouldn't want to look at the book for weeks.
I like RightStart better than regular Singapore Math, so I decided to switch to that and move back to Kindy just because I liked the order of presentation in RS A so much. So we did that. I was too busy with the house in the first half of 07 to really do anything with him on it, especially since I was so concentrated on READING!!!!! After we moved, I decided to do a trial year of homeschooling, before it "counted" in real K, just to get into the habit and I could finish making my big blunders before it counted.
Well, I made blunders, all right--I wasn't nearly as organized as I needed to be, despite my obsessiveness. (I really, really didn't want to spend some money that now I realize must be spent to have a successful program, among other things. Violin on a violin two sizes too small won't cut it, for instance.)
But on to RS...
For the first two weeks, everything was hunky-dory.
Then the Bear got sick.
And then he got sick again.
And again.
And again.
We just finished up illness #8 for the 07-08 school year this week--and everything he's caught, I've gotten, too, of course.
Anyhow, I decided to cut WAY back. I went back to reading only for a while, with Bible thrown in now and again, until the new year, when I added math back in. In desperation, I have decided to officially homeschool 7 days a week, which means with illnesses, we're getting in 4.5 on average now, about.
Reading's now cruising along at a great place, so I went back to RS A. After about ten minutes, the Bear was right back where he left off--he'd hardly forgotten a thing!
I had tentatively scheduled two lessons per day. Depending upon how long they last, we are currently doing 2-4. Yes, 4. And there are only 77 lessons for 180 instructional days, so each lesson was meant to take about two days on average!
Anyhow, I often look like a crazed camp councilor during lessons. I feel like I should get a free cheerleading outfit. |
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Jan. 3, 2008
The Bear's first chapter book!
The Bear just finished A Lion to Guard Us by Clyde Robert Bulla. It took him five reading days. When he was first shown the book, he cried bitterly because he didn't think he could read a book with so few pictures, but he quickly brightened upon discovering that it was exciting and easy, both.
He had DH reread the part he'd read each day, and he even had me reread again one of his favorite sections after DH had reread it. Now he's asked that we read the entire thing to him, at one go--he'd been warned that it will probably take two days rather than one, but he's still quite happy about it.
We'll be taking a break between each of our chapter books to do a day of picture books. I expect this pattern will continue for a number of years yet. Picture books are their own genre and aren't just for kids who can't read chapter books yet. There are, in fact, some really fabulous picture books written at the middle school level--Diane Stanley's work comes immediately to mind. |
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Jan. 3, 2008
Reading List--2007
These are all the books that were finished in 2007. McGuffey's Eclectic Primer was mostly read in 2006, but it wasn't finished until Jan or Feb or so, since I decided to have him reread all the stories to lower frustration and build speed.
| McGuffey's Eclectic Primer |
McGuffey |
| No, David! |
Shannon, David |
| David Gets in Trouble |
Shannon, David |
| David Goes to School |
Shannon, David |
| Olivia and the Missing Toy |
Falconer, Ian |
| Little Bear |
Minarik, Else |
| Little Bear's Visit |
Minarik, Else |
| Kiss for Little Bear, A |
Minarik, Else |
| Father Bear Comes Home |
Minarik, Else |
| Danny and the Dinosaur |
Hoff, Syd |
| Biscuit and the Baby |
Capucilli, Alyssa Satin |
| Meet the Dinosaurs |
|
| Hop on Pop |
Dr. Seuss |
| My Pony Jack at the Horse Show |
Meister, Cari |
| Mouse Soup |
Lobel, Arnold |
| Barkley |
Hoff, Syd |
| The Horse in Harry's Room |
Hoff, Syd |
| Johnny Lion's Book |
Hurd, Edith Thacher |
| Johnny Lion's Rubber Boots |
Hurd, Edith Thacher |
| Happy Birthday, Danny and the Dinosaur |
Hoff, Syd |
| Danny and the Dinosaur Go to Camp |
Hoff, Syd |
| Sammy the Seal |
Hoff, Syd |
| Why Benny Barks |
Milgrim, David |
| The Hat |
Keller, Holly |
| Pal the Pony |
Herman, PA |
| Olivia |
Falconer, Ian |
| The Lighthouse Children |
Hoff, Syd |
| Drip, Drop |
Weeks, Sarah |
| Biscuit |
Capucilli, Alyssa Satin |
| And I Mean It, Stanley |
Bonsall, Crosby |
| Amelia Bedelia |
Parish, Peggy |
| Sam Gets Lost |
Labatt, Mary |
| Corduroy's Garden |
Freeman, Don |
| Good Work, Amelia Bedelia |
Parish, Peggy |
| Grizzwold |
Hoff, Syd |
| Amelia Bedelia and the Baby |
Parish, Peggy |
| Julius |
Hoff, Syd |
| Ghost Named Fred, A |
Benchley, Nathaniel |
| Olivia Forms a Band |
Falconer, Ian |
| Bony |
Zweifel, Frances |
| Olivia Saves the Circus |
Falconer, Ian |
| Max's ABC |
Wells, Rosemary |
| Max's Dragon Shirt |
Wells, Rosemary |
| Young Cam Jansen and the Missing Cookie |
Adler, David A |
| Rooftop Mystery |
Lexau, Joan M. |
| Barney's Horse |
Hoff, Syd |
| Gus and Grandpa |
Mills, Claudia |
| Arthur's Back to School Day |
Hoban, Lillian |
| Go, Dog, Go! |
Eastman, P.D. |
| Just the Opposite: Dirty/Clean |
Gordon, Sharon |
| Just the Opposite: Fast/Slow |
Gordon, Sharon |
| The Knight and the Dragon |
DePaola, Tomie |
| Poppleton |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| One Day, Two Dragons |
Bertrand, Lynne |
| Emmett's Pig |
Stolz, Mary |
| Poppleton Everyday |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Poppleton Forever |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Poppleton and Friends |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Poppleton Has Fun |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Poppleton in Fall |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Poppleton in Spring |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Poppleton in Winter |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Little Bear's Friend |
Minarik, Else |
| The Fire Cat |
Averill, Esther |
| The Cat in the Hat Comes Back |
Dr. Seuss |
| Spider-man 2: Everyday Hero |
Figueroa, Acton |
| Days with Frog and Toad |
Lobel, Arnold |
| Mouse Tales |
Lobel, Arnold |
| Frog and Toad All Year |
Lobel, Arnold |
| Frog and Toad Are Friends |
Lobel, Arnold |
| Frog and Toad Together |
Lobel, Arnold |
| Grasshopper on the Road |
Lobel, Arnold |
| Owl At Home |
Lobel, Arnold |
| Uncle Elephant |
Lobel, Arnold |
| Harry and the Lady Next Door |
Zion, Gene |
| Henry and Mudge |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Johnny Lion's Bad Day |
Hurd, Edith Thacher |
| McGuffey's First Eclectic Reader |
McGuffey |
| Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia |
Parish, Peggy |
| Winnie the Pooh Goes to School |
|
| Clifford Learns to Read |
|
| Flik's Perfect Gift |
|
| Small Pig |
Lobel, Arnold |
| The Berenstain Bears By the Sea |
Berenstain, Stan & Jan |
| Dinosaur: Two of a Kind |
Katschke, Judy |
| Arthur's Birthday |
Brown, Marc |
| Glasses for DW |
Brown, Marc |
| It's Best To Leave A Snake Alone |
Fowler, Allan |
| Stars of the Sea |
Fowler, Allan |
| Arthur's Family Vacation |
Brown, Marc |
| Arthur's Reading Race |
Brown, Marc |
| Where's Spot? |
Hill, Eric |
| Ten Apples Up On Top! |
LeSieg, Theo |
| It's Not Easy Being Big! |
St. Pierre, Stephanie |
| Thomas and the School Trip |
Awdry (based) |
| The Great Valentine's Day Surprise |
|
| Are You My Mother? |
Eastman, P.D. |
| Foot Book |
Dr. Seuss |
| Cat in the Hat |
Dr. Seuss |
| Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? |
Dr. Seuss |
| Mitchell is Moving |
Weinman Sharmat, Margorie |
| Dinosaur's Day |
Thomason, Ruth |
| Dinosaur Time |
Parish, Peggy |
| What is a Wookiee? |
Buller, Laura |
| Duckling Days |
Wallace, Karen |
| Tale of a Tadpole |
Wallace, Karen |
| Wild Baby Animals |
Wallace, Karen |
| Henry and Mudge and the Long Weekend |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Henry and Mudge and Annie's Good Move |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Henry and Mudge and the Sneaky Cracker |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Slinky, Scaly Snakes! |
Dussling, Jennifer |
| Just Grandma and Me |
Mayer, Mercer |
| New Baby, The |
Mayer, Mercer |
| Are You My Mother? |
Eastman, P.D. |
| Green Eggs and Ham |
Dr. Seuss |
| One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish |
Dr. Seuss |
| Put Me In the Zoo |
Robert Lopshire |
| Clifford's First Snow Day |
Bridwell, Norman |
| Hello, Red Fox |
Carle, Eric |
| Clifford's First Autumn |
Bridwell, Norman |
| Lynx Twins Grow Up |
Smith, Stephanie |
| Pooh's Sled Ride |
Gaines, Isabel |
| Nina, Nina Star Ballerina |
O'Connor, Jane |
| Noah's Ark |
Hayward, Linda |
| Pooh's Scavenger Hunt |
Gaines, Isabel |
| The Tooth Book |
LeSieg, Theo |
| Baby Animals |
Simon, Seymour |
| Clifford's Pals |
Bridwell, Norman |
| Amazing Aircraft |
Simon, Seymour |
| Best Friends for Frances |
Hoban, Russell |
| My First Halloween |
DePaola, Tomie |
| Baby's First Christmas |
DePaola, Tomie |
| The A Book |
Berenstain, Stan & Jan |
| Hello, Biscuit! |
Capucilli, Alyssa Satin |
| The Very Busy Spider |
Carle, Eric |
| Happy Birthday, Biscuit! |
Capucilli, Alyssa Satin |
| Baby Sister for Frances, A |
Hoban, Russell |
| Birthday for Frances, A |
Hoban, Russell |
| Bedtime for Frances |
Hoban, Russell |
| Billy and Blaze |
Anderson, CW |
| Bread and Jam for Frances |
Hoban, Russell |
| Blaze Finds the Trail |
Anderson, CW |
| Egg Thoughts and Other Frances Songs |
Hoban, Russell |
| Blaze and the Lost Quarry |
Anderson, CW |
| The Story of Ferdinand |
Leaf, Munro |
| Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie |
Roop, Peter and Connie |
| Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland |
DePaola, Tomie |
| Knuffle Bunny |
Willems, Mo |
| The Snowy Day |
Keats, Ezra Jack |
| Paddington Bear |
Bond, Micheal |
| One Fine Day |
Hogrogian, Nonny |
| Corduroy |
Freeman, Don |
| Miss Nelson is Missing |
Marshall, James |
| A Picture Book of Thomas Jefferson |
Adler, David A. |
| The Story About Ping |
Flack, Marjorie |
| Why Don't You Get A Horse, Sam Adams? |
Fritz, Jean |
| Goodnight Moon |
Brown, Margaret Wise |
| Swimmy |
Lionni, Leo |
| Leo the Late Bloomer |
Kraus, Robert |
| Komodo! |
Sis, Peter |
| And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? |
Fritz, Jean |
| Kitten's First Full Moon |
Henkes, Kevin |
| Joining the Boston Tea Party |
Stanley, Diane |
| The Biggest Bear |
Ward, Lynd |
| Blaze and the Mountain Lion |
Anderson, CW |
| Angus and the Ducks |
Flack, Marjorie |
| Caps for Sale |
Slobodkina, Esphyr |
| Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing |
Barrett, Judi |
| Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day |
Viorst, J. |
| Baby Farm Animals |
Williams, Garth |
| A Apple Pie |
Greenaway, Kate |
| The Biggest House in the World |
Lionni, Leo |
| Abiyoyo |
Seeger, Pete |
| Dogger |
Hughes, Shirley |
| Clown of God |
|
| What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin? |
Fritz, Jean |
| Frederick |
Lionni, Leo |
|
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Jan. 3, 2008
Reading List--2006
Here I am listing all books that were finished in 2006. I won't be listing these books very often again because the full reading list is getting unwieldy. :-) This list is very short!
| Bob Books, Set 1 |
Maslen, Bobby Lynn |
| Bob Books, Set 2 |
Maslen, Bobby Lynn |
| Bob Books, Set 3 |
Maslen, Bobby Lynn |
| Bob Books, Set 4 |
Maslen, Bobby Lynn |
|
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Jan. 3, 2008
Bear's Reading Year in Review
I've tried to keep track of all the books the Bear has read. Sometimes, I don't update the list for a while, so I've probably missed a few books in there. As of Dec. 31, 2007, the Bear had read 181 books total. 4 were read in 2006, making his total for this year 177 books.
When 2007 began, he was reading at about a 1.8-grade level. By April, he was solidly at a 2.0 level. Around May, he was at 2.5. He hit mid-third grade in November, and around then everything seemed to click because he's now at a mid-fourth grade level and doing well. Third grade is his independent level, fourth grade his instructional level, and fifth grade his challenge level at the moment.
The next year goals are to a) build speed, b) build stamina, and c) get him at a fifth grade independent reading level before September when school is officially in session. Right now, speed is still a serious issue, with his max WPM on a grade-level-appropriate text only being about 90 and his cruising WPM still hovering around 50. (Max WPM for starting 4th grade should be 100 WPM--max WPM for ending 4th grade should be 120-150 WPM.) 50 is still a great deal better than the 30 that it was 6 months ago, however.
I expect next year to be fewer since he just finished his first chapter book today. (YAY!!!) Unless, of course, he starts reading more books independently--if that begins next year, then he might read any number of books.
We're briefly backing off on difficulty as we transition to reading more chapter books, as well. At first, we read books like Little Bear by the "chapter". He transitioned to being able to read such a book in halves and then in one sitting, and then we began reading multiple picture books a day, trying to go for varying difficulty levels, breaking up a really hard book with easier ones, etc.
I will be posting reviews of the books that he's read this year--his thoughts and mine. These are nowhere near all the books he's had read *to* him, only the one's he's read, but I didn't keep a list of that. *g* |
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Dec. 14, 2007
Yes, I am a geek.
The best-fit curve was added by hand but is rather off because he continues reading books below his actual reading level.
I arbitrarily assigned BR/beginning readers a value of 20.
The one book up in the 1000s is really a fluke--I don't think it was nearly that hard. However, he's definitely read some solidly fifth-grade level texts now. |
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Dec. 14, 2007
Yes, we're here!
We're still going. The Bear has been more sick this fall/winter than ever in his life--lots and lots of colds from a friend who goes to preschool. So I decided to cut everything back just to reading for now, with math added in the spring.
Reading is going great, though. It's been hard going at times, but in the last few weeks, it clicked!
In August, he was reading at about a 2.5-grade level. Now, he's a solid 4.0, minimum--in fact, he'd be in the middle of the pack in a class of 5th graders at this time of year. Woo-hoo! I've been looking forward to this moment so long. Automaticity can not be overrated.
So, here's a list of the books the Bear has read to date:
| Bob Books, Set 1 |
Maslen, Bobby Lynn |
| Bob Books, Set 2 |
Maslen, Bobby Lynn |
| Bob Books, Set 3 |
Maslen, Bobby Lynn |
| Bob Books, Set 4 |
Maslen, Bobby Lynn |
| McGuffey's Eclectic Primer |
McGuffey |
| No, David! |
Shannon, David |
| David Gets in Trouble |
Shannon, David |
| David Goes to School |
Shannon, David |
| Olivia and the Missing Toy |
Falconer, Ian |
| Little Bear |
Minarik, Else |
| Little Bear's Visit |
Minarik, Else |
| Kiss for Little Bear, A |
Minarik, Else |
| Father Bear Comes Home |
Minarik, Else |
| Danny and the Dinosaur |
Hoff, Syd |
| Biscuit and the Baby |
Capucilli, Alyssa Satin |
| Meet the Dinosaurs |
|
| Hop on Pop |
Dr. Seuss |
| My Pony Jack at the Horse Show |
Meister, Cari |
| Mouse Soup |
Lobel, Arnold |
| Barkley |
Hoff, Syd |
| The Horse in Harry's Room |
Hoff, Syd |
| Johnny Lion's Book |
Hurd, Edith Thacher |
| Johnny Lion's Rubber Boots |
Hurd, Edith Thacher |
| Happy Birthday, Danny and the Dinosaur |
Hoff, Syd |
| Danny and the Dinosaur Go to Camp |
Hoff, Syd |
| Sammy the Seal |
Hoff, Syd |
| Why Benny Barks |
Milgrim, David |
| The Hat |
Keller, Holly |
| Pal the Pony |
Herman, PA |
| Olivia |
Falconer, Ian |
| The Lighthouse Children |
Hoff, Syd |
| Drip, Drop |
Weeks, Sarah |
| Biscuit |
Capucilli, Alyssa Satin |
| And I Mean It, Stanley |
Bonsall, Crosby |
| Amelia Bedelia |
Parish, Peggy |
| Sam Gets Lost |
Labatt, Mary |
| Corduroy's Garden |
Freeman, Don |
| Good Work, Amelia Bedelia |
Parish, Peggy |
| Grizzwold |
Hoff, Syd |
| Amelia Bedelia and the Baby |
Parish, Peggy |
| Julius |
Hoff, Syd |
| Ghost Named Fred, A |
Benchley, Nathaniel |
| Olivia Forms a Band |
Falconer, Ian |
| Bony |
Zweifel, Frances |
| Olivia Saves the Circus |
Falconer, Ian |
| Max's ABC |
Wells, Rosemary |
| Max's Dragon Shirt |
Wells, Rosemary |
| Young Cam Jansen and the Missing Cookie |
Adler, David A |
| Rooftop Mystery |
Lexau, Joan M. |
| Barney's Horse |
Hoff, Syd |
| Gus and Grandpa |
Mills, Claudia |
| Arthur's Back to School Day |
Hoban, Lillian |
| Go, Dog, Go! |
Eastman, P.D. |
| Just the Opposite: Dirty/Clean |
Gordon, Sharon |
| Just the Opposite: Fast/Slow |
Gordon, Sharon |
| The Knight and the Dragon |
DePaola, Tomie |
| Poppleton |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| One Day, Two Dragons |
Bertrand, Lynne |
| Emmett's Pig |
Stolz, Mary |
| Poppleton Everyday |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Poppleton Forever |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Poppleton and Friends |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Poppleton Has Fun |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Poppleton in Fall |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Poppleton in Spring |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Poppleton in Winter |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Little Bear's Friend |
Minarik, Else |
| The Fire Cat |
Averill, Esther |
| The Cat in the Hat Comes Back |
Dr. Seuss |
| Spider-man 2: Everyday Hero |
Figueroa, Acton |
| Days with Frog and Toad |
Lobel, Arnold |
| Mouse Tales |
Lobel, Arnold |
| Frog and Toad All Year |
Lobel, Arnold |
| Frog and Toad Are Friends |
Lobel, Arnold |
| Frog and Toad Together |
Lobel, Arnold |
| Grasshopper on the Road |
Lobel, Arnold |
| Owl At Home |
Lobel, Arnold |
| Uncle Elephant |
Lobel, Arnold |
| Harry and the Lady Next Door |
Zion, Gene |
| Henry and Mudge |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Johnny Lion's Bad Day |
Hurd, Edith Thacher |
| McGuffey's First Eclectic Reader |
McGuffey |
| Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia |
Parish, Peggy |
| Winnie the Pooh Goes to School |
|
| Clifford Learns to Read |
|
| Flik's Perfect Gift |
|
| Small Pig |
Lobel, Arnold |
| The Berenstain Bears By the Sea |
Berenstain, Stan & Jan |
| Dinosaur: Two of a Kind |
Katschke, Judy |
| Arthur's Birthday |
Brown, Marc |
| Glasses for DW |
Brown, Marc |
| It's Best To Leave A Snake Alone |
Fowler, Allan |
| Stars of the Sea |
Fowler, Allan |
| Arthur's Family Vacation |
Brown, Marc |
| Arthur's Reading Race |
Brown, Marc |
| Where's Spot? |
Hill, Eric |
| Ten Apples Up On Top! |
LeSieg, Theo |
| It's Not Easy Being Big! |
St. Pierre, Stephanie |
| Thomas and the School Trip |
Awdry (based) |
| The Great Valentine's Day Surprise |
|
| Are You My Mother? |
Eastman, P.D. |
| Foot Book |
Dr. Seuss |
| Cat in the Hat |
Dr. Seuss |
| Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? |
Dr. Seuss |
| Mitchell is Moving |
Weinman Sharmat, Margorie |
| Dinosaur's Day |
Thomason, Ruth |
| Dinosaur Time |
Parish, Peggy |
| What is a Wookiee? |
Buller, Laura |
| Duckling Days |
Wallace, Karen |
| Tale of a Tadpole |
Wallace, Karen |
| Wild Baby Animals |
Wallace, Karen |
| Henry and Mudge and the Long Weekend |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Henry and Mudge and Annie's Good Move |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Henry and Mudge and the Sneaky Cracker |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Slinky, Scaly Snakes! |
Dussling, Jennifer |
| Just Grandma and Me |
Mayer, Mercer |
| New Baby, The |
Mayer, Mercer |
| Are You My Mother? |
Eastman, P.D. |
| Green Eggs and Ham |
Dr. Seuss |
| One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish |
Dr. Seuss |
| Put Me In the Zoo |
Robert Lopshire |
| Clifford's First Snow Day |
Bridwell, Norman |
| Hello, Red Fox |
Carle, Eric |
| Clifford's First Autumn |
Bridwell, Norman |
| Lynx Twins Grow Up |
Smith, Stephanie |
| Pooh's Sled Ride |
Gaines, Isabel |
| Nina, Nina Star Ballerina |
O'Connor, Jane |
| Noah's Ark |
Hayward, Linda |
| Pooh's Scavenger Hunt |
Gaines, Isabel |
| The Tooth Book |
LeSieg, Theo |
| Baby Animals |
Simon, Seymour |
| Clifford's Pals |
Bridwell, Norman |
| Amazing Aircraft |
Simon, Seymour |
| Best Friends for Frances |
Hoban, Russell |
| My First Halloween |
DePaola, Tomie |
| Baby's First Christmas |
DePaola, Tomie |
| The A Book |
Berenstain, Stan & Jan |
| Hello, Biscuit! |
Capucilli, Alyssa Satin |
| The Very Busy Spider |
Carle, Eric |
| Happy Birthday, Biscuit! |
Capucilli, Alyssa Satin |
| Baby Sister for Frances, A |
Hoban, Russell |
| Birthday for Frances, A |
Hoban, Russell |
| Bedtime for Frances |
Hoban, Russell |
| Billy and Blaze |
Anderson, CW |
| Bread and Jam for Frances |
Hoban, Russell |
| Blaze Finds the Trail |
Anderson, CW |
| Egg Thoughts and Other Frances Songs |
Hoban, Russell |
| Blaze and the Lost Quarry |
Anderson, CW |
| The Story of Ferdinand |
Leaf, Munro |
| Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie |
Roop, Peter and Connie |
| Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland |
DePaola, Tomie |
| Knuffle Bunny |
Willems, Mo |
| The Snowy Day |
Keats, Ezra Jack |
| Paddington Bear |
Bond, Micheal |
| One Fine Day |
Hogrogian, Nonny |
| Corduroy |
Freeman, Don |
| Miss Nelson is Missing |
Marshall, James |
| A Picture Book of Thomas Jefferson |
Adler, David A. |
| The Story About Ping |
Flack, Marjorie |
| Why Don't You Get A Horse, Sam Adams? |
Fritz, Jean |
| Goodnight Moon |
Brown, Margaret Wise |
That is 161 books now. |
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Aug. 17, 2007
Could visitors pleeease sign names or handles?
Aug. 17, 2007
Curriculum Picks 2007, Part IV - English
Resources:
various readers
All About Spelling
Getty-Dubay Italic A
nursery rhymes
For this year, the concentration is on reading. There will be no grammar and only some handwriting and a fair amount of spelling (for the decoding reinforcement).
READING
For reading, we're going to be reading a variety of early readers for half an hour to forty minutes a day, seven days a week. This is the only school that we will make sure to do on Saturday and Sunday as well. I strongly believe that reading is the greatest doorway to learning, and this is reflected in my emphasis upon it.
DS is dyslexic. Yes, he was taught to read through phonics, but phonic merely lowers the chances of reading problems--it doesn't rewire a miswired brain! For that reason, our biggest challenge right now is speed. We'll continue reading books at the second grade level until DS's speed is in the higher end of the normal range for second grade. We'll read many classics, including Arnold Lobel, Seuss, Gene Zion, and the like, as well as new favorites, such as Cynthia Rylant. Dyslexia, unless it is incredibly severe, needn't be a stumbling block to any child of normal intelligence with the right amount of intervention.
SPELLING
For spelling, we will use the program All About Spelling. It is one of several Orton-Gillingham derived programs, but it needs much less time than other programs, like Spell to Write and Read, and does not require writing. The first level is equivalent to about K-1st grade, so I won't mind taking more than a year on it, if we need to, since we'll only be doing it for a short while each week.
HANDWRITING
I believe that the goal of handwriting is legibility and clarity, and I couldn't care less about 19th century traditions. For that reason, Getty-Dubay Italic is a perfect choice for us. This year, DS is just doing one worksheet per day, and that is all. If he wants to write more later in the year, he can, but I'm just concentrating on a good, loose pencil grip and correct letter formation this year.
Most of the time he spends on handwriting is actually spent on the coloring portion, as I read our chapter book read-aloud. This is great fine motor skills practice and helps him concentrate.
READ-ALOUD
Our read-alouds are of three types: the current chapter book, picture books, and poetry. The first and third I read, and the second is what DH reads at bedtime.
I'm choosing our chapter books to be developmentally appropriate and high-interest but with a very rich vocabulary in order to expose DS to more words in a fun context. In addition, I don't particularly care to read books to him that he would otherwise read in a year or two but prefer to choose something more out of the way. Of course, I also look for short chapters!
We are starting this year with George Macdonald's The Princess and the Goblins, which is just about perfect. DS is mesmerized by the "ooooold lady Irene" and the goblins, both. Our next read-aloud will be Kipling's Just So Stories. After that, I'll probably start choosing fairy tale books, like those by Lang.
MEMORY WORK
Our memory work for English this year will be nursery rhymes, one per week. They are culturally important rhymes to know, are appealing to children, and memory work in general helps train the memory, as well as helping enunciation and presentation, which, since DS is a born mutterer, he needs. |
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Aug. 17, 2007
Curriculum Picks 2007, Part III - Music
Resources:
songs
classical music CDs
Suzuki Violin, vol. 1
Ah, music! I have a love/hate relationship with this subject. I have a more-than-decent voice and have done various choir, solo, and musical performances, and I love teaching kid songs. I really enjoy classical music, and it's so easy to make kids love it that it is effortless to expose them to to it. But violin--argh, violin!
SINGING
Our first area of concentration in music for the elementary grades is singing. I'm doing a list of sacred and secular songs, both. We will learn two new songs a week throughout the school year, one of each.
For the secular songs, I'm drawing heavily on older songs because they are true classics with staying power. The next couple of years will be all about kiddie songs, and after that, we'll transition into ballads and folk music.
For the sacred songs, I'm choosing traditional hymns, starting with the most popular and moving to more obscure songs. The kiddie church songs he'll get just fine at church and AWANAs, but hymns are becoming more and more scarce, which is a shame because they tend to have so much more content than modern "praise and worship" songs and are infinitely more singable.
CLASSICAL MUSIC LISTENING
For the first couple of years, our music appreciation will consist of simply listening to classical music and becoming familiar with the names of pieces and composers. This year, I'd like to include the great classical children's pieces, too (Carnival of the Animals, Peter and the Wolf, and The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra) as well as some of the cute stories from Classical Kids. (Yes, this group does some corny and moronic marketing with their "Mozart Effect" series, but at least it isn't the insulting and offensive Baby Mozart noise from Baby Einstein.)
VIOLIN
DS was desperate to try an instrument, so I let him two years ago. He loved it...until people actually started ASKING things of him. Then it was not so fun anymore. I didn't want it to become a battle and, to be honest, I disliked practicing so much that I tended to avoid it, anyway, and so here we are, two years later, with an outgrown violin.
I started violin again two days ago with him, and it's going enormously better. Right now, I can practice violin hold, bow hold, and rhythms with him, but until he gets a bigger violin ($$$), I can't go very far. We'll be using the Suzuki method because a reading-based approach is torture to a dyslexic kid and almost impossible for anyone so young!
Oh, I don't like this, though. Not until a child is ready for Twinkle do I like it. |
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Aug. 17, 2007
Notes one week in
On Spanish
I was starting to get a bit frustrated at how s-l-o-w our progress has been. We'd cover no more than half a chapter per week in Voces y Vistas. (I'm using American capitalization because that's what the textbook writers use, BTW.)
Then I looked more closely at the book and realized, that with 16 chapters and four En Camino pre-chapters, we'd still cover the entire book in less than a year and half at that rate. Since I'd be thrilled to cover it all in two years, this is nothing to sneeze at.
DS will, of course, have done NONE of the written work at that point and no reading until next year at the *earliest*, so I'm not granting a high school credit for Spanish I until he's done quite a bit more than one high school textbook.
On Granting Credit
I will grant high school credit whenever the equivalent of a high school course is completed, no matter what the age. I am not doing anything resembling testing right now, which means that if DS does accumulate enough credit, he'll get a P for pass rather than a grade.
On Violin
I hate teaching violin, oh, yes, I do. It's the only subject I loathe, and I'm putting it off today until this evening because I hate it so much. I think maybe we should move it to the first thing of the day--otherwise, I don't think I'll actually do it. Gah.
On Singing
My kid is no future opera star, that's for sure. He makes this bag-pipe like noise at first until he picks up the words, and even then, he sings like he has a mouthful of marbles. Yikes.
On Math
My little hearth thrilled today when I told DS that he either had to leave me alone and play quietly so I could work or start school and he was so excited by the idea of doing math that he chose school over playing. Math did go tremendously well--as is should, given how easy it is for him. We take a full half hour to do two days' worth of material because we repeat anything he enjoys, like today, when we had to play a memory game twice. |
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Aug. 16, 2007
Curriculum Picks 2007, Part II - Spanish
Resources:
Voces y Vistas
Rosetta Stone Spanish
The Complete Book of Spanish
This is probably the list that looks the most questionable at first glance. It works only because I have a decent background in Spanish through majoring in it.
Voces y Vistas is a high school textbook that's pretty darned decent. It was the textbook I used in middle school, and I'm using it in conjunction with conversation to teach the language. It works because we're going slowly and I can already speak Spanish. Ideally, I'd teach pure immersion, but that's a recipe for hysterical meltdowns here, so I'm not trying it. Instead, I'm trying the FSI "overlearning" method with a good deal of additional language exposure. We'll see how it goes. I got the book for all of $2.50 since it's now out of adoption. Most of the replacements are just this side of disastrous, so I'm glad to have it, 80s hairdos and all.
The main reason I'm using Rosetta Stone Spanish is that it's free and low stress. It will accustom DS to hearing different accents and will get him some vocab. This is extremely far from a complete course--after all three levels, a child would struggle in second semester college Spanish, for example. But it does have its place, even if I find the company's claims of its efficacy highly misleading at best and outright lies at worst.
The Complete Book of Spanish is pretty worthless for really teaching Spanish, but it has the virtue of being a workbook, and my kid loves workbooks. So to make Spanish more fun, I bought it. It was very cheap. |
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Aug. 16, 2007
Daily Journal
| Math |
RightStart Level A |
Lesson 8 |
:30 |
I've decided that his auditory processing simply isn't up to the "taps"--I think I was telegrpahing the answers last time, and he got them right because of body language! He was definitely making an effort today and not getting it. He isn't intantaneously recognizing 9 on the abacus yet but has all the other numbers |
| Reading |
Frog and Toad Are Friends |
|
:35 |
Total toot. Had to have a talk. Only read two stories. |
| Bible |
Egermeier's Bible Story Book |
Joash Repairs the Temple |
:05 |
Still toot-like at the beginning, getting more interested at the end. |
| Handwriting |
Getty-Dubay Italic, Level A |
1, 0 |
:20 |
Still his favorite. Still his worst. I don't get it. Most of this coincides with the Princess and the Goblin. |
| Read-aloud |
The Princess and the Goblin |
Chapter 7 |
:10 |
|
| Lunch |
|
|
|
Huge banana and toast, plus milk |
| History |
Story of the World 2 |
Chapter 28 |
:15 |
Having a meh day here. |
| Spanish |
Voces y Vistas |
Chapter 1 |
:20 |
Astonishingly, this went better. To which I say: Huh? |
| Music |
Singing |
Amazing Grace |
:05 |
Same songs as yesterday. He's picking up the words to the new song. |
| Music |
Violin |
Rhythms |
:15 |
Got all the rhythms down clapping--needs to SLOW DOWN to get them on the violin. |
| History |
US Presidents Flashcards |
3 presidents |
:02 |
Meh. |
| Art |
Natl Museum of African Arts |
Treasures |
:15 |
Online exhibit. Wanted to know why everyone was naked. ;-) |
|
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Aug. 16, 2007
Curriculum Picks 2007, Part I - the list
This is just a list, which I'll explain more about later. Some of the things here look odd or less than ideal without knowing what I'm doing with them!
MATH
RightStart Math
Singapore Earlybird/Primary Mathematics
The Thinking Company
Destination Math
ENGLISH
Early Readers
All About Spelling
Getty-Dubay Italic
Read-Alouds
Memory Work
BIBLE
Egermeier's Bible Storybook
AWANAs
SCIENCE
Real Science-4-Kids
Exploring Creation With Astronomy
My Pals Are Here Science 3
(Enrichment books)
Young Scientists Club
HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES
U.S. Presidents Flash Cards
Talking globe
Story of the World
(Enrichment books)
SPANISH
Voces y Vistas
Rosetta Stone Spanish
The Complete Book of Spanish
MUSIC
(Singing)
Suzuki Violin, Vol. 1
(Classical music listening)
ART
Baby Lamb's Book of Art
The Complete Book of Arts and Crafts
Child-Size Masterpieces for Steps 1, 2, 3 - Matching, Pairing, Sorting - Level 1 Easy |
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Aug. 15, 2007
Daily Journal
| Math |
RightStart Level A |
Lesson 7 |
:35 |
He was a toot with the abacus until I brought out the pennies, and then everything suddenly went much faster. Did "taps" perfectly with pennies and the warning that the better he did it, the less time it'd take. |
| Reading |
Frog and Toad All Year |
|
:30 |
Finished the book. Still haven't gained back previous speed. |
| Bible |
Egermeier's Bible Story Book |
Joash the Boy King |
:10 |
Answers questions much better with pennies. ;-) |
| Handwriting |
Getty-Dubay Italic, Level A |
t |
|
Favorite subject, as usual. What is wrong with my child? |
| Read-aloud |
The Princess and the Goblin |
Chapter 6 |
:20 |
Long chapter but still well enjoyed. |
| Lunch |
|
|
|
Raisins, saffron rice, and toast |
| Science |
Real Science-4-Kids |
Chapter 1 review, experiment |
:20 |
Atoms and molecules, plus making observations. Remebers what oxygen is and what sodium and clorine make. |
| Spanish |
Voces y Vistas |
Chapter 1 |
:20 |
Spanish = least favorite subject, hands down. |
| Music |
Singing |
Amazing Grace |
:10 |
Rose (of course), My Bonny Lies Over the Ocean, and Amazing Grace |
| Music |
Violin |
Rhythms |
:20 |
Went surprisingly well, with quite a bit of enthusiasm. |
| History |
US Presidents Flashcards |
3 presidents
|
:05 |
Excellent. |
| Art |
National African Art Museum |
|
:15 |
Online exhibit. Dunno how much he got out of it. He enjoyed it, though.
|
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Aug. 15, 2007
Almost there!
We're almost to a full school day now!
We're missing music appreciation (because my CDs are still all in NM...) as well as spelling, art, crafts, and art appreciation. I haven't yet started memory work, and memory verses will come with Awanas next month. History and science are both lite since my books are in NM still, and I don't yet have the experiment kits I'd really like for science. I also have to work up to 30 min a day of violin, but at this point, it's mostly torture to me even if the Bear enjoys it.
We'll pick up gymnastics and (most likely) martial arts later, as well. I may wait a year on the martial arts, though, since he'll he'll already have two extracurriculars and has such a good time playing with Werewolf next door! |
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Aug. 15, 2007
Books read to date
Beginning next year, I'll start a new list, but this is the Bear's reading list as of today:
| Bob Books, Set 1 |
Maslen, Bobby Lynn |
| Bob Books, Set 2 |
Maslen, Bobby Lynn |
| Bob Books, Set 3 |
Maslen, Bobby Lynn |
| Bob Books, Set 4 |
Maslen, Bobby Lynn |
| McGuffey's Eclectic Primer |
McGuffey |
| No, David! |
Shannon, David |
| David Gets in Trouble |
Shannon, David |
| David Goes to School |
Shannon, David |
| Olivia and the Missing Toy |
Falconer, Ian |
| Little Bear |
Minarik, Else |
| Little Bear's Visit |
Minarik, Else |
| Kiss for Little Bear, A |
Minarik, Else |
| Father Bear Comes Home |
Minarik, Else |
| Danny and the Dinosaur |
Hoff, Syd |
| Biscuit and the Baby |
Capucilli, Alyssa Satin |
| Meet the Dinosaurs |
|
| Hop on Pop |
Dr. Seuss |
| My Pony Jack at the Horse Show |
Meister, Cari |
| Mouse Soup |
Lobel, Arnold |
| Barkley |
Hoff, Syd |
| The Horse in Harry's Room |
Hoff, Syd |
| Johnny Lion's Book |
Hurd, Edith Thacher |
| Johnny Lion's Rubber Boots |
Hurd, Edith Thacher |
| Happy Birthday, Danny and the Dinosaur |
Hoff, Syd |
| Danny and the Dinosaur Go to Camp |
Hoff, Syd |
| Sammy the Seal |
Hoff, Syd |
| Why Benny Barks |
Milgrim, David |
| The Hat |
Keller, Holly |
| Pal the Pony |
Herman, PA |
| Olivia |
Falconer, Ian |
| The Lighthouse Children |
Hoff, Syd |
| Drip, Drop |
Weeks, Sarah |
| Biscuit |
Capucilli, Alyssa Satin |
| And I Mean It, Stanley |
Bonsall, Crosby |
| Amelia Bedelia |
Parish, Peggy |
| Sam Gets Lost |
Labatt, Mary |
| Corduroy's Garden |
Freeman, Don |
| Good Work, Amelia Bedelia |
Parish, Peggy |
| Grizzwold |
Hoff, Syd |
| Amelia Bedelia and the Baby |
Parish, Peggy |
| Julius |
Hoff, Syd |
| Ghost Named Fred, A |
Benchley, Nathaniel |
| Olivia Forms a Band |
Falconer, Ian |
| Bony |
Zweifel, Frances |
| Olivia Saves the Circus |
Falconer, Ian |
| Max's ABC |
Wells, Rosemary |
| Max's Dragon Shirt |
Wells, Rosemary |
| Young Cam Jansen and the Missing Cookie |
Adler, David A |
| Rooftop Mystery |
Lexau, Joan M. |
| Barney's Horse |
Hoff, Syd |
| Gus and Grandpa |
Mills, Claudia |
| Arthur's Back to School Day |
Hoban, Lillian |
| Go, Dog, Go! |
Eastman, P.D. |
| Just the Opposite: Dirty/Clean |
Gordon, Sharon |
| Just the Opposite: Fast/Slow |
Gordon, Sharon |
| The Knight and the Dragon |
DePaola, Tomie |
| Poppleton |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| One Day, Two Dragons |
Bertrand, Lynne |
| Emmett's Pig |
Stolz, Mary |
| Poppleton Everyday |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Poppleton Forever |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Poppleton and Friends |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Poppleton Has Fun |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Poppleton in Fall |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Poppleton in Spring |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Poppleton in Winter |
Rylant, Cynthia |
| Little Bear's Friend |
Minarik, Else |
| The Fire Cat |
Averill, Esther |
| The Cat in the Hat Comes Back |
Dr. Seuss |
| Spider-man 2: Everyday Hero |
Figueroa, Acton |
| Days with Frog and Toad |
Lobel, Arnold |
| Mouse Tales |
Lobel, Arnold |
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Aug. 15, 2007
Moving off my author blog
| I've decided to move everything concerned with homeschooling the Bear off my author blog from now on to keep from boring my readers to death. |
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