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angelmama1209

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Posts posted by angelmama1209

    Breakdown of time spent in 1st grade

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I don't time anything, it's just however long it takes her to do that day's lesson. Sometimes it's an hour, sometimes it's five- just depends on how distracted she is.

     

    math- every day

    phonics- every day

    spelling- 3-5x/week, depends on how many lessons there are for the particular rule

    handwriting- every day

    grammar- every day

    Bible- every day

    science- read every day, exp 1x/week, sometimes a supplemental fun exp

    geography- 3x/week

    art- 2x/week

    sewing- 2x/week- 1 hand, 1 machine

    Beach Activities

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    practice spelling words and math problems in the sand. find one thing you want to learn more About- a starfish, sand crab, certain shell, pretty bird, etc and spend some time digging in, observing, researching, dissecting, etc. scavenger hunt. see if the sea "glows" where you're going. pick up trash on the beach and talk about the environment. fish. count how many of certain things you can find.

    How do you stick with what you have?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    my secret is... have no money! Unless it just really and truly is NOT working for us (with had some of these issues with math this year), use it. I can't afford to just keep buying things to have or to try unless it's really needed. I'm only in my second year and just now adding a second child, but once I find something that works, I see no reason to change it.

    Math Mammoth sale

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I just got this email this morning...

     

    "Just a reminder, you can still get 20% off of all Math Mammoth downloads & CDs - till June 3!

     

    Use the coupon code MAYSALE.

     

    Go to MathMammoth.com first, then find the links to Kagi's order pages. OR, use these direct links:

     

     

     

     

    All the best,

    Maria Miller

     

     

    P.S. If the coupon code claims that it has already been used, delete cookies from Kagi.com and clear your browser's cache. "

     

    hth

    For those who do state history...

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I think we need to start with out city, then our state, then the US and then a more complete continent study.

     

     

    I LOVE this idea!!! my plan has been to do a 4 year history cycle (2nd semester of 2nd- 1st semester of 6th), then 2.5 years of state/american history, then another 4 year cycle. the city study will fit perfectly in that 2nd semester of 6th, then a year of state in 7th, and a year of american in 8th.

     

    I live in and grew up in florida and we did a whole year of florida history in 4th grade. i still have my "florida history notebook" we had to make that year.

    How many times a week...

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Pretty much every day. Spelling depends on the unit- the program we are doing varies on how many lessons there are for each rule- anywhere from 3-5. We may slow grammar down to 2-3x/week, but it's so short and simple, it's easy to do every day. Our handwriting curric recommends every day, so we do. Phonics every day, reading every day. We will be starting writing in the fall and the curric has each lesson borken down into 5 parts- so every day. Nothing takes much more than 5-10 minutes so not much in the grand scheme of the day.

    Phonetic Reader vs Sight Reader?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    If you don't have a reading curriculum yet it sounds like IEW Primary Art of Language would be perfect for your dd. The program is based on a sound-sight system, meaning they are using some common sight words to teach phonograms. For example, the teach the word "green" as a sight word, but through this word they also teach that "ee" makes the e sound. It is a wonderful program that teaches both the phonograms and the sight words- I would highly recommend looking into it!

     

    thank you for this! i'm going to look into it. my 4yo seems to be a more whole to part learner, especially with reading and i've been at a loss so far.

    Are my kids the only ones that HATE school?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I love this board! :D

     

    I just wanted to add a "Me, too!" I always balk at the idea of a schedule, I resent it so. But I also recognize we thrive better for it.

     

    I didn't see this said- when you make a schedule, schedule for yourself and your kids time to do the things that usually distract you from school. My kids have set play and recess times, and this helps them work through a to-do list to completion. My kids are younger, so I'm not sure if you can do this, but I also schedule one hour of quiet time every day from 1-2. Sure, there are occasional days this doesn't happen, like on field trip days or days when friends are over. But if we are home, doing school, they spend one hour a day, alone in their rooms. I hope one day they will read during this time, but for now, I don't care as long as they are QUIET. :D

     

    This is the time I take to surf the web, read a book, mop the kitchen floor, lay down for a quick nap... Knowing I have that time schedule helps ME push through our to-do list. And it gives all of us a break from each other.

     

    This is probably the best advice I give to myself and other over-worked moms- schedule your down time and take it. Then you won't be tempted to steal it from your work times.

     

    we do this, too! i can't make them sleep (and they pretty much don't anymore), but they must be in their beds and quiet. without it, none of us make it through the day well.

    Are my kids the only ones that HATE school?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Well of course they whine and fight, they have no idea what is going to happen from day to day. If things are regular then they know what to expect, They know when lessons are due to start and finish. When you have a routine they know what will be expected of them.

     

    I wouldn't like a job where I had a boss who may or may not call me in to work on any given day. I wouldn't know how to plan. Should I start a game? Start a book? Will I be able to finish? And if I do get called in to work, I have no idea what will be asked of me. Am I going to be there for an hour? 10 hours? If it isn't something that you make the centerpiece of your day, then why should they?

     

    If you make it like a job, non-negotiable and automatic, then there is much less resistance. It is what you do before you do other things. And if there is fretting, ignore it as much as possible. I tell my kids at such times, "I didn't ask if you liked it. I asked if you were done with your work." Those are the days that "if you would stop complaining about it you would be done by now" is a useful mantra.

     

    this is exactly why we started homeschooling- so it wouldn't be like a strict job. my stepson is a product of the public school system and any time he would come to our house and we would suggest he read or do something perceived as educational, he would refuse saying he wasn't in school. this really turned us off. we want our children to view life as learning. now, we use curriculum, we have a loose schedule/routine, and i do not go out of my way to make things fun. i think you really have to find a balance. i have decided what things get done each day, but my children decide in what order. it gives them some control, but i'm still in charge. it's really helped us get things done and with less harumphing.

    If your child is working above "grade level"...

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    thanks for all your answers. Maybe my question was mostly out of curiosity. I have NO intention of pushing her just to reach a certain point by a certain time. Yes, I have goals, but if we don't reach them when I want to, then we don't and we just keep moving on. We are very flexible and move at each child's pace. I'm not trying to make her something she's not. My biggest frustration has been finding a curric that works for both of us. And I feel bad that she's behind because of me. It also doesn't help that hubby is a math PROFESSOR at a local community college. I know she has plenty of time and i know that "grade level" is merely a suggestion, but I need all the help I can get! If we like MM and it works, she will probably skip most of 1-B because she already knows time, money, etc. So thanks for all your comments and suggestions. :)

    If your child is working above "grade level"...

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    As for your question, I think you're asking the wrong people if you're looking at kids who are working "above grade level". Usually kids work at that level because they understand the material easily and just get ahead (especially the "gifted" students). They might work through material quickly or skip over things they already know.

     

    OK, first of all, I truly am interested in the answers to my question. How do they "just get ahead" if you're following a curric? Am I somehow holding her back from something she's good at/enjoys by following the curric? My brain is just not computing. :P

     

    Could you explain more about what you mean by your student being behind? Behind what benchmark? Do you have a reason why you think this has taken place? Your question will be easier to answer with more information.

     

    Yes, my oldest just turned 7 and is "1st/2nd grade". We school year round so we just start new things when we finish old things. She is WAY behind in math. We have had problems finding a curriculum that works for both of us and our family situation at the time (RS for K just didn't happen with 2 toddler in the house and therefore just got skipped all together). We finally finished RS-A in December and have been hopping around ever since. We've tried Singapore and MEP, but she still can't do simple subtraction. She can add okay, though not great, but she does not understand subtraction at all. She hasn't done math in over 2 weeks while we find something new, and school has been going so much smoother, faster, and more pleasantly. I've just ordered the 1st grade Math Mammoth as it seems a good fit for us both. She enjoys worksheets and needs more practice and I don't have to TEACH a ton- I just don't word things well and find it hard to get the point across. Anyway, I'd really like to get her caught up in math by no later than January, then hopefully by the next fall we will have worked steadily through 2nd grade and be on par.

    Nature study in Central Florida?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Get a good Florida field guide. I am up in Jacksonville/North Florida area and teach nature study for our co-op. We meet at a church that is surrounded by pine flat woods (seems boring at first glance). We constantly have opportunities for nature.

     

    Here were our spring topics:

     

    1. Carolina Jessamine

    Gallberry

     

    2. Duck:

    Hooded Merganser

     

    3. Trees:

    Baldcypress

    Sweetgum

     

    4. Epiphytes:

    Deer Moss

    Ball Moss

    Spanish Moss

     

    5. Reptiles:

    Gopher Turtle

    Florida Softshell Turtle

     

    6. Dragonflies

    Blue Darner

    Common Green Darner

     

    7. Sword Ferns

     

    Let me know if you are interested in our fall study. We had a FL theme for that semester and studied our state tree and other state nature symbols. You'll start to see more nature opportunities as you begin studying it. In Florida even the ditches are usually full of cattails, wildflowers, etc. And you shouldn't have a shortage of insects or spiders!

     

    You tube has been great too. We have enjoyed Green Deane's Eat the Weeds series. I think he is out past Live Oak somewhere. My co-teacher made jam out of American Beautyberry (fall study) for our class. It was a hit! HTH!

     

    really?!?! my kids LOVE finding beautyberries! i would love to see your fall study. thanks!

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