RebeccaMary
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Posts posted by RebeccaMary
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I love these ideas!
Here are a few writing projects that my kids have come up with:
1. Create an alien planet (describe the landscape, composition, gravity, atmosphere, surrounding planets and moons, etc...) then invent animals to populate the planet. This was inspired by David Aguilar's "Alien Worlds" book and morphed into a fairly elaborate weeks-long writing/drawing project.
2. Invent a country. This one started out as a game of make-believe and has spilled over into a series of writing projects. So far, they've created maps, flags, constitutions, trade agreements - and are currently inventing their own languages.
3. Adapt a Greek myth into a play, then corral some friends to help stage the play (there's a free online scriptwriting program we use: celtx.com).
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Not sure what topics in World History you're looking to cover, but the Horrible Histories books and TV show are definitely a hit with my 9 and 11 year olds.
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We like:
The Elements and the companion book, Molecules, by Theodore Gray (also see his website)
Animated short videos on chemistry from TED-Ed
NOVA: Hunting the Elements from PBS (2 hour special)
The Khan Academy and Bozeman Science Chemistry series (Bozeman might be a little advanced for Middle School)
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Two contemporary options to add some diversity: Inside Out and Back Again by Thanha Lai and One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia.
A few classics from the 70s: Julie of the Wolves, Bridge to Terabithia, and Philip Hall Likes Me, I Reckon Maybe.
Short story collections by Poe or Bradbury. Here's a great list of 24 short stories for Middle Schoolers.
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"The Amazing Story of Quantum Mechanics" by James Kakalios (written for adults) is another good math-lite intro to the topic - great for kids who like sci-fi and comic books.
I second the Kurzgegast suggestion - also check out the MinutePhysics quantum physics playlist and the SpaceTime videos (good but definitely more advanced).
For Black Holes, we liked "A Black Hole Is Not a Hole" by Carolyn DeCristofano and the Socratica video, "Intro to Black Holes" -- both are perfect for middle school.
One more adult book to check out is Stephen Hawking's "The Universe in a Nutshell," which deals with black holes, quantum physics, general relativity, time travel, and more. The illustrations are really good.
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Hi Everyone! I've recently created a homeschool resource recommendation website:
I've benefited from so many great book and resource suggestions from this forum over the years, and I hope that, in turn, some of you will find this website to be of interest!
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I agree with the other posters - in our house, family read-alouds are off-limits for independent reading (at least until we've finished them).
It sounds like you've learned that he needs you to jump-start a new book for him. So why don't you pick out some books that you think he would like to read independently and read the first chapter or two aloud to him. Then leave them sitting out and let him at them...
The Percy Jackson series is great for this age. My 9-yo ds has also enjoyed the NERDs series, Mysterious Benedict Society, Pseudonymous Bosch, the Hatchet books, Sisters Grimm, and Hiaasen's children's books (Scat, Hoot, Chomp, Flush), among others.
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Here is a list of 20th century world history literature options that I've been compiling for the upcoming year...
Russian Revolution
Angel on the Square
The Impossible Journey
Letters from Rifka
India
Homeless Bird
Depression Era
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Bud, Not Buddy
Turtle in Paradise
Moon Over Manifest
Out of the Dust
Esperanza Rising
A Long Way from Chicago & A Year Down Yonder
WWII
Under the Blood Red Sun
Black Radishes
The Devil's Arithmetic
Number the Stars
The Book Thief
Yellow Star
Manhattan Project
The Green Glass Sea
Hiroshima (by Yep)
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
Post-WW II Communism
The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain
Breaking Stalin's Nose
Korea
Year of Impossible Goodbyes
When My Name Was Keoko
Communist China
Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution
Homesick: My Own Story
Red Land, Yellow River: Story from the Cultural Revolution
The House of Sixty Fathers
Cuba & Missile Crisis
Countdown
90 Miles to Havana
The Red Umbrella
Civil Rights
One Crazy Summer
Sylvia and Aki
The Watsons Go to Birmingham
The Rock and the River
Revolution (by Wiles)
Vietnam
Water Buffalo Days: Growing Up in Vietnam
Inside Out and Back Again
Africa
Out of Bounds: Seven Stories of Conflict and Hope
Journey to Jo'Burg & Chain of Fire
A Long Walk to Water
Afghanistan
The Breadwinner & Parvana's Journey
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Math is something she is naturally good at, but still enjoys learning it with manipulatives over book work.
Math she is spot on at dispite few lessons. She has the potential to go far with math as she catches on pretty quickly. I'd still like to keep it fun though. Any kind of fun supllemental things you can think of? Right now she is loving playing store and money bingo, as well as just counting money.
Right Start Mathematics has a set of math games that you could check out. There are many board games out there, like Dino Math Tracks, that can be used to practice specific concepts.
We've also enjoyed teaching through picture books. Here's a link to a ton of good math picture books by topic: http://www.the-best-childrens-books.org/math-for-kids.html.
When my older son was 6-7, he didn't enjoy writing in the books either, so I bought the Home Instructor's Guide (we use Singapore Math) and basically guided him through the math concepts using manipulatives and discussion, writing out just a few problems for him to solve on the white board at a time. He enjoyed it and using the Guide ensured that we weren't leaving major gaps in topics.
Other thoughts: Most kids love making their own graphs - you could get oversized books of graph paper and let her graph out heights of buildings, sizes of animals, whatever. She could use the graph paper to map out the house (or the town or the garden) as a way to understand area and perimeter. My older son at one point became obsessed with the Fibonacci sequence and we spent days (weeks even) following the sequence as high as we could - at the time, it seemed kind of insane, but this is how he learned to add large numbers (we then followed it backward, and that's how he learned subtraction with borrowing).
Bottom line - as long as you have a plan in your head of what you want to cover this year, I think you can be very flexible about how you get there.
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I will move onto the next topic, but then everyday before starting the new concept, I will put 3 review problems on the board, so I consciously can review the part she is missing, but not be stuck on it at the same time.
Yes - this is what I do as well.
It's too frustrating for both of us to have to stop all forward momentum just to review a (hopefully) temporarily forgotten concept. If we completely stopped in our tracks to review, we'd probably get bored after a day or so and move on before the concept was really re-cemented. With this approach, we get a little bit of practice over many days, and it's much more likely to stick long-term.
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Some ideas listed below. I'm sure I've made some grievous omissions. Upper elementary is not too old for PBS's excellent "Liberty's Kids" series. Another great resource that will help you quickly cover your bases is Steve Sheinkin's book "King George: What Was His Problem?"
Topics.
Build-up to the War: Stamp Act, Townshend Acts, Boston Massacre, Sons of Liberty, Boston Tea Party, King George III
Continental Congress
Battle of Lexington and Concord
Declaration of Independence
Siege of Boston and Battle of Bunker Hill
Capture of Fort Ticonderoga
Washington crossing the Delaware
Winter at Valley Forge
Help from the French (Lafayette & Rochambeau)
Surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown
People.
Military: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, Ethan Allen, Henry Knox
Political: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, Patrick Henry
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Thanks so much, Lori, this is great! True, some of these resources are too advanced for my kids, but I am looking forward to educating myself on this topic as well...I love the digital history articles and YouTube links.
I'd be very interested to read your classic film recommendations.
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We're planning to study 20th century world history this year and I'd like to incorporate a unit on the history of film. Does anyone have recommendations for books, websites, and age-appropriate classic movies?
My younger ds has directorial aspirations, so any recommendations for biographies of notable directors would be particularly appreciated!
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If he really is interested and dedicated, then he should go for it. As other posters have mentioned, with a PhD in math, you become very employable in a wide range of lucrative sectors - not just teaching. And in the sciences, at least, grad school is free - paid for by your graduate advisor's grants and your own teaching. 3.5 sounds like a very respectable GPA, especially if it's at a good school.
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Last year, we did a private school 2 days a week, and it really was too much. Our remaining days together were so rushed, I didn't feel we had time to pursue our own educational agenda. A one day option would have been ideal for all of us.
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We use Open DNS - you can choose block or allow entire categories as well as specific websites. It's a free service.
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No, it seems they're definitely meant to be used as a spine. They're pretty comprehensive.
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We've enjoyed this set from Spectrum: http://www.amazon.com/Carson-Dellosa-CDP744086-Spectrum-Flash-Cards/dp/1609960246
It covers addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, time, and money.
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I agree with imrich - 10 books is quite a lot, but probably doable for 8th grade
Alternatively, if you don't need to get through all of US History this year, you could just plan to cover 4-5 books and supplement with historical fiction and videos.
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This is my child, too! These are all such great suggestions
I would recommend the classic picture book "Andrew Henry's Meadow" - it's not a "resource", but Andrew Henry is such a great character.
Now, if anyone has suggestions about how to control the mess and mayhem that our aspiring inventors leave in their wake...
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We usually save documentaries for evening entertainment - my husband loves them, so we try to watch them together as a family. If I find a shorter video (like MinuteEarth or CPG Grey) that fits especially well with what we're doing in history or science, I'll integrate that into our regularly scheduled lesson time.
I definitely do not ask the kids to produce any output - our casual discussions are enough to show me that they really are absorbing a lot.
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We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel
Actually, I'm not sure my ds has heard it, but I should definitely play it for him this year when we study the 20th century.
Yes! I love this song! I was just trying to remember the lyrics for my kids a few days ago - we're doing 20th c. this year as well and I'm going to definitely play it for them a few times (and have it in my head for the next several months...)
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Meh. I'd skip it. While my kids really liked it, I thought it was terrible. It's not nearly as good as the other "Walking With..."
Yes, that's what I'd heard as well. Too bad - it's such an interesting topic. Are there any better shows on human evolution out there yet?
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Here are my favorites.
Physics:
MinutePhysics videos (YouTube)
Eureka videos (www.animatedscience.co.uk/flv/animated_science_player.swf)
The New Way Things Work by Macauley
Let's Read and Find Out Books ("Gravity is a Mystery", "Forces Make Things Move", "Energy Makes Things Happen", "What Makes a Magnet")
Magic School Bus Books ("MSB and the Electric Field Trip")
Snap Circuit Physics kit
OK Go videos with those crazy Rube Goldberg contraptions
Simple Machines by Horvatic (out of print but good, check your library)
Chemistry:
The Elements by Ellen McHenry
The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe by Grey
Interactive, Online Periodic Tables of the Elements (try: www.periodicvideos.com and www.periodictable.com/index.html)
NOVA: Hunting the Elements
Global Warming: It's All About Carbon - a series of short NPR videos (www.npr.org/news/specials/climate/video/)
They Might Be Giants song "Meet the Elements" from Here Comes Science (no actual instructional value, but fun)
living books for grade 4 modern history / thoughts on Robert Lacey?
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
It's tough to find good supplemental resources for Modern History!
Here are a few that might work for you. Most of these are apolitical, although Patrol definitely does not have a positive take on the Vietnam War.
Communism
The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis.
World War I
War Game by Michael Foreman
World War II
Pearl Harbor by Stephen Krensky
Franklin and Winston: A Christmas that Changed the World by Douglas Wood
The Little Ships: The Heroic Rescue at Dunkirk by Louise Borden
Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki
Hidden: A Child's Story of the Holocaust by Loic Dauvillier
Vietnam
The Wall by Eve Bunting
Patrol by Walter Dean Myers
Modern Explorers
Shackleton's Journey by William Grill (Antarctica)
Trapped by the Ice by Michael McCurdy (Antarctica)
Keep on: The Story of Matthew Henson by Deborah Hopkinson (Arctic)
Space Travel
Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca
Team Moon by Catherine Thimmesh (more for Middle School students)
US History
There are tons of good Civil Rights books for Grammar stage (for a list, you can follow the website linked in my signature or go here)