Jump to content

Menu

How to work in notetaking and my science whine


Recommended Posts

Need some encouragement.

 

We have  A LOT on our plates--I know that, but I still hoped that I could work on some skills this year to get my 6th and 5th grader to do more independently.  I am still reading aloud for history and I am writing down notes for them to copy. My goal was to transition them to reading science on their own, and to have them take notes every once in awhile for history. I am just struggling with the history schedule. I feel like that will slow us down and I already have 37 weeks planned (we just finished week 13).  The history is very reading heavy. So I feel like I need to sacrifice something here--and the trouble is, I am struggling to figure that out.  I feel like I am doing my 6th grader a disservice by not having him practice the note taking, but I am completely overwhelmed with introducing it.  We do IEW which is a lot of time and writing, and they do know how to do the key word outlining, but that is not the same as note taking.  Could I do a couple day intensive, or do I need to really figure out how to put this into the week? Any suggestions??  

 

Begin whine:  Science has been disappointing. I am so tired of science curriculum where the experiments don't work as written. If I pay for an edited, reviewed book used in school systems, I don't expect to have to research and replace part of a lot of experiments.  I might was well research and schedule my own labs. I am just really fatigued with the struggle with the science. It seems like most people I encounter here locally just don't bother doing the labs or they skip it if it doesn't work.  I have a really hard time "skipping" (see above paragraph--LOL).  I am teaching a lab at co-op and every week is a new challenge--something that doesn't work, some aspect of the lab equipment that is not described completely in the text/teacher manual, etc. Between the lab I am running and high school one I am assisting in, I am SO over these labs. Why can't they be written in complete language, with detailed descriptions of all equipment, supplies and conditions, with REAL data presented (not fake data), and tested in a normal environment??  It has gotten to the point where I dread shopping for science curriculum.  End whine.

Edited by cintinative
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do your kids outline history? 

 

I find that is helping my 7th grader learn to take notes, because it helps her to see how the information is connected and flows together.

Another thing that is helping is to listen to (or read) something with her and let her see how I take notes on it. We compare notes  from the sermon after lunch on Sundays. 

 

We have done a little instruction on note-taking, but not lots. Enough that she knows not to try to write down too much and to listen/read for the big ideas and supporting details. I may teach her Cornell note-taking this summer. 

 

eta: I do not require my 7th grader to take notes on regular history reading. She outlines and we discuss. 

Edited by ScoutTN
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Learning to flow a debate round helped mine to learn how to take notes.

 

Full disclosure: one child did speech and debate for the last 3 years of high school. Another did speech & "junior debate" and then team policy from 6th grade on. For us, it was money and time well spent for more reasons than just note taking. 

 

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If it makes you feel better, I didn't start working on note-taking with mine until they were 9th and 7th grades. And independent science happened the year they were 7th and 5th. Hang in there, they'll get there! Sometimes it's a process. Remember it's not a sprint--homeschooling is a marathon. Pace yourselves :-).

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If it makes you feel better, I didn't start working on note-taking with mine until they were 9th and 7th grades. And independent science happened the year they were 7th and 5th. Hang in there, they'll get there! Sometimes it's a process. Remember it's not a sprint--homeschooling is a marathon. Pace yourselves :-).

 

 

Thank you! I needed to hear that this week. 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just started teaching my son notetaking (in a during a lecture sense) this year in 7th grade. We took about 6 weeks at the beginning of the school year and I taught him several different methods. I had him practice them with readings in other subjects and by taking notes during a TED lecture that had nothing to do with what we were learning, but that I thought he might find interesting. Right now I am walking him through notetaking in math lessons. What are the keywords you should be listening for? How is the text highlighting the really important stuff? Notice how I’ve repeated this in the lesson several times and asked you a few times if you got it off the board before erasing? Did you write that down? It’s a little slow going.

 

I had him outline readings from the Kingfisher history encyclopedia starting in 6th grade. I think there’s still plenty of time, obvs.

 

My kids are good readers and seem to retain enough to do their own history reading. Ds (7th) does all of his history reading independently. Dd1 (4th) does most of her reading independently, though sometimes I read and help her fill in the outlines from the SOTW AG. My kids are each learning something different for history and aren’t combined so this works well for us. I assume your kids are combined. Is the reading on their level? If so, what if you did a round robin reading? Everyone reads a paragraph. While the one kid is readng the paragraph, you sit with the other and work on notetaking. Another option would be to round robin the reading, but have an outline already partially filled in ala the SOTW AG, then the listening kid is filling in the outline as you go along. Or you do the reading and both kids are listening and filling in the outline - kind of like what Julie Bogart in BW calls French dictation.

 

Or another option altogether. It doesn’t have to be an inside the box solution. It could be a tiny, baby steps solution. What little thing can you do to move the kid forward to the skill of notetaking? Not complete independence, just a scaffolded move toward that direction.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hate poorly procedured science experiments.   

 

It got to the point that I would thoroughly research the labs, checking various websites with their procedures, watch any youtube videos looking for tips.  Then I would run the experiment by myself without the kids present so I could work out the kinks. 

 

I remember one experiment that demonstrated Brownian motion.  You were supposed to suspend mud/clay particles in water and view under a microscope.  I tried and tried and didn't see anything.  So I looked up "Brownian motion experiments" on the internet and found one that used whole milk.  Success!  

 

This reminds me why elementary/middle school was such a busy time for me.  Much of that time was spent on perfecting science experiments.  So glad that's over now, though I was called upon to twirl some metal washers attached to the end of a string over my head (I wore a bike helmet because I kept getting hit) for AP physics last week.  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...