Jump to content

Menu

Kathie in VA

Members
  • Posts

    1,167
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by Kathie in VA

  1. I use Alpha Phonics.  Not sure how you would use it all in 11 weeks.  But this is mainly supplemental and this book has lots of practice.  There lare more lessons that focus on the short a sound with all the other basic letters then you will probably need.  So you should be able to pick and choose.

     

    Another option might be to use The ABCs and All Their Tricks.  It is a small reference book that covers the phonogram and lists many words that use that phonogram.  It also has some explanations to help understand when and why to use the specific spelling for a given sound.  This would be for you to use as a guide.  You can then make make sheets or prep to use a white board or make up some games.

     

     

  2. My favorite is Alpha Phonics.  Sometimes I'll use the white board 'cause the kids seem to like it that way.  Many times we just snuggle up and do a some lessons together.  Its very simple to use, completely open and go... no parts or pieces to manage.  i can add in other things like games, Bob Books, etc. but those are just extras.  Alpha Phonics really does cover all that is needed for reading.  My current student is my just turned 4 yo dd.  She started when she was 3 1/2 years old... very slowly.  I'd do a lesson or two when she seemed interested.  I often repeated the lessons each time we got to doing phonics, till it seemed she really got it.  She is my 4th one I am taking through this book!

  3. I enjoyed reading our advent books to our kids a few years ago. However as the older ones have gotten into high school and college (staying at home while attending community college) they tend to be so busy that I don't feel they have time to sit and listen to stories. So I gather the books to read to just the younger two but then feel like I'm leaving the older two out of the fun. Ug. I guess this is normal? Should I just move on? Should I have them make time for the advent stories (if they want) or keep their schoolwork their top priority?

  4. Hmm. Rod n Staff Eng is by grade but it has lots of review each year. Maybe starting with the 5th grade book might work.

     

    Analytical grammar might work at his own pace starting from the beginning.

     

    An older choice might be Harvey Elementary Grammar. Could prob get all caught up with one book...and it might be online somewhere.

     

    Maybe Khan Academy has what is needed, for free and online.

  5. From the Singapore math Standards 3a...

    Did you realize that the HIG has a great fact practice tool in the back? I photo copied pages a26, a24, a25, and a27 and put the into sheet protectors. I have dd use an ultra fine wipe off marker to fill them in each day. After three days of not even completing them she is already gettin faster.

     

    For those that don't have this it is basically a copy of a completed mult chart, then a partial chart, then the same chart but with the numbers rearranged. There is also a partial chart with some numbers missing but the answer given so they need to think some division.

  6. CW is a full program, especially if you do all that it offers. We were quite busy with it even when we skipped some of the spelling and or vocabulary. BTW, spelling in CW is not meant to be a full program. I guess you can expand it to be one. The vicab is neat to do but it is not many words per week.

     

    Hmm. You may be able to do the CW Homer in a month cours I'm high school and thenove into the Diogenes level (but I'm not sure if that means you get the same level of grammar n applied grammar done with this path).

  7. I like to tell my kids to think of the pictures n videos that could go with their story. Then we wonder if someone else would come up with the same images and actions as they did and how they might imagine it differently. With this they go back over their paper to use vocabulary and grammar to try to help their reader (or confine their reader) to the scenes as they, the writer, imagine them.

  8. The core books from Classical Writing are written to the teacher, at least for the Aesop, Homer, & Diogenes levels. The higher levels are written to the student. All do a nice job of explaining the process from the concept, outlining, writing, and right through the editing stage.

    The core books have the lessons and the workbooks are just one way to implement the lessons.

  9. I used the RS Activities for the AL Abacus and the workbook for my preK kids.  We only went up to about 1st grade but it does go much farther.  I like it as an intro or a supplement.  I didn't want to use it as my main source though.  We switched to Singapore Math at about 1st grade.  I'm not sure about doing both SM and Horizons, but I think some folks do this.  If you don't want to do both or switch to SM, you might be able to add in some of the SM supplements.  We are using their Express Math book and their Challenging Word Problems.  They offer another word problem book that explains their methods in more detail, can't remember the name though.  Another interesting option might be the Zaccaro math books.

     

  10. I liked RightStart but didn't like the spiral approach. I chose to use their tutoring books: Activities for the Al Abacus and Worksheets for the Al Abacus. This worked out great for my dd and then we went into Singapore Math with a strong basis. I'm doing the same with my youngest now.

  11. Hmm maybe start working to memorize something ... And one tool to do that is to copy it. ...piece by piece over time if needed. After copying it once maybe copy it again but in a fun way like different colors or size of letters. Maybe flash cards with first few words and see if they remember the rest. Or maybe they can write it out on index cards to mix and try to rearrange later.

     

    How about post cards to friends and family?

     

    Draw pictures and then write captions and comments to go with it. Maybe their own comic strip?

     

    I startedy dc with classical writing Aesop A but I had them dictate their story to me. Then they copied it themselves "so it would be in their handwriting". Later, when they were ready, I dictated it back to them. The short fables were great for them to write and they enjoyed it. I bound all their stories with a report cover and they showed it off to GramGram.

  12. My plans for my 4th grader this year are to increase her reading ability so that she is not struggling to read. Once her reading is easier then we focus on increasing the amount of reading and then maybe her level of reading.

     

    Math is the next focus. Getting her math facts memorized is key this year. Knowing how to calculate her facts quickly helps but memorizing will be a goal. She will finish Singapore 3b and do 4a. I will use the HIG and add in CWP and Express Math. If she can do 4b that woul be great but I won't rush for this.

     

    Spelling and writing are the next priority. We will shift from her dictating her compositions to me before copying or having them dictated back and now have her write her own. She wi so work on her cursive and typing this year.

     

    Last priority will be history and science. Actually this will be only when we have time. I had planned for this to be just Mondays whe others were at class but now we are prepping to move at the end of the year so I have less time.

  13. I do this with Classical Writing.  We do the assigned projects and then sometimes it asks for a similar project done 'across the curriculum'. So we pick something from history or science or literature and re-write a narrative from there for either Aesop or Homer levels.  For the upper levels, essay writing, we pick topics from our other discussions and create a thesis to work with from there.  

  14. Hmm the younger years. Three kids out and two to go. This time I'm dropping the priority of history. It used to lead but not anymore. LA & math are most important. When you fall behind in those, upper level science gets difficult. History will be dropped when necessary this time thru. Math will also include time to study their facts. After they understand the concepts, their facts need to be memorized. They also need to know how to quickly calculate their facts when they are forgotten so they don't just stall ... Memorized facts are best but getting the answer is the goal.

    We enjoyed doing history but it tended to take up so much time! For now it will be lowest on the priority list till math is strong and steady and their reading fluently is at or above their grade level with age appropriate comprehension skills. We may work on this with good literature, history, bible, or science books but the reading skill takes lead.

    Next focus will be their spelling n writing skills.

  15. When mine did this I allowed her to do repeated subtraction to solve the division problem. So 45 divided by 5 turns into 45 minus 5 get an answer then minus 5 again and repeat till you can't subtract a full 5 anymore. Then go back and count how many TIMES 5 was subtracted. This is the answer to the division problem so I made sure to put it on top of the division problem. I just relaxed and we did these for awhile. Then we did longer problems. Then we would do a problem both ways and see where the two methods were similar. This eventually shows why you do each of the long division steps and why it is so much faster to do long division then repeated subtraction!

×
×
  • Create New...