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Posts posted by Carrousel
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We do the CC timeline at home too. (We are not part of any community.)
We do not memorize the dates of the card. We memorize the timeline to give us a general order as to when things happened in our mind. That way we can make mental comparisons between what was going on in different parts of the world around the same time. The various "3000 B.C." markers give us a general idea of the time that the things happened...but I personally don't think you need to memorize EVERY date on that timeline from the beginning of creation to modern day civilization. Some dates, Yes, but not every single one.
We have a wall timeline. (The one made by Pandia Press.) I made little stickers for each of our CC timeline pegs. I also made some stickers for other places and events mentioned in SOTW. Sometimes when we play the CC timeline song, I have the kids point to the timeline sticker as they sing....that way they can get a visual for other events and people that lived at the same time. That has been helpful too so they can at least see when these things approximately happened. They also get a visual of the person or event to help jog their memory of past readings.
We then memorize history sentences that correspond to the CC timeline and/or our SOTW readings. I just take simple sentences from our books and put them to short little nursery-rhyme-songs (or anything catchy.) I record them in garage band and import them into itunes. They become part of our memory work playlist.
I do this because I don't want them to just memorize the timeline song and have no idea what they are singing about. I want them to know who the Hittites were (just for example). SOME of our history sentences have dates in them. (When I think it is important.) However, many just give a general explanation of the event or person or people group. It has REALLY helped with SOTW retention. :)
Would you be willing to share your line up and non-CC sentences? I know you cant share the cc ones, and I have those already but we use SOTW and I'd love those!
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We have the value tales and love them. I think they are from the early 80s.
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I have:
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-- My tablet, with my Youtube channel of hymns, to cast to our TV and sing along with. Also on my tablet, an app for the Westminster Shorter Catechism.
What app are you using for Catechism?
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I chose Editor in Chief after comparing both books at curriculum fair. My DS prefers to mark up than to copy over with corrections. He will be learning cursive and also using a writing program next year, so I didn't want to push the issue over grammar.
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Just a note for others who may find this thread later, the Exploring LEGO Mindstorms: tools and techniques for building and programming robots by Eun Jung Park, book is in color in the kindle edition but not the print edition. I'm going to get the kindle version and add it to my summer working list.
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Thank you!! Great info, and glad to hear it was learnable for someone who isn't naturally gifted in programming. I think I know what my summer school for myself is! Quick question, how did you find the software for the education version? I own one of the home/retail kits now, trying to decide whether to get home or education kits for class.
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Thanks for the recommendations so far. I have the Discovery book and have been poking so fund the ev3lessons website. Looking forward to a lighter summer schedule to have more time to really start building and playing with it.
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No suggestion, but interested in what you used and how you liked it for 3rd-4th chemistry.
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Another thread about LEGO Education kits sparked discussion on the EV3 Mindstorms and how folks are using or planning to use. Starting this thread to not derail the other one.
We have used the WeDo and the WeDo Expansion packs. I've used them in co op class and at home. Now looking to transition to the EV3, but a little intimidated and wanting some resources for hand holding or lesson planning since I'm not extremely tech savvy. I prefer to follow a lesson plan or have a guide with project starters. Anyone have plans or tips to share?
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Starting a new thread for discussing Mindstorms and EV3.
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How was Robot Turtles? Ds asked for it when he saw it in the store, but I didn't know if it was simplistic and quickly became boring?
Scratch programming I don't know anything about. Any tips on that? Do you end up typing for them or is it a graphic interface (drag/drop)?
And yes to Snap Circuits. Ds loves his snap circuits. I got him his own set so he and dd wouldn't fight. :D
Robot Turtles is really good, doesn't require reading so my 4 year old can play and loves to. Used it with a K-1 co-op class and they really liked it, we played 3 different class periods by kids' request. It is a board game, but each time you play, someone (adult or experienced player), sets up the obstacles on the board. There are a couple different types of obstacles, and you can block the "jewels" your turtle is trying to get to with walls, ice walls, etc., so it is "never the same game board" unless you make it that way, iykwim. It's not "never ending", but I'd think of it like a game of Clue, in that style-- same basic idea, details change, and plan to play it about as much as you would other board games your family plays.
Scratch is fun, and mostly drag/drop style but my 7 year old needed a lot of help to get started with it. There are lots of you tube videos and a couple "how to" books (Scratchy's Programming Adventures) that are helpful too.
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I'll answer (hopefully others will too!)
First, what are your goals? What do you want out of a robotics kit? Is this just for your child? Too do with others?
I'd recommend the wedo kids for that age- though I know nothing about them. Only that they are geared for that age group. My understanding is they are less open ended than ev3, and your kids will (eventually) outgrow them. Though, they are a cheaper way to explore robotics than the ev3...
I teach a robotics class using the ev3-and without a lot of hand holding my 7yo wouldn't be able to succeed with it. But I know a child who at 7 could have succeeded (he is much more technologically literate than my kids are) We have no option for fll or Jr, but if I remember correctly you can purchase at a discount?
When I needed to order, I called Lego education (several times). They were great to work with. Gave me recommendations on what I NEEDED to accomplish my goals and what I didn't need to spend my money on.
Would you mind charing details about your EV3 class? I'm working on that for the upcoming year!
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I've used Simple Machines (non-motorized) and LEGO We Do both at home and in a co op class. Both were really good. Simple Machine sis the cheapest, thoroughly covers the simple machines component for the 1st-4th grade range when used with the teacher's manual, and doesn't require a computer or programming. WeDo is a little deeper into combining multiple simple machines and power, requires a computer with software, and introduces easy to use drag and drop programming. A 1st grader could use at home with a parent, for a class setting, I'd recommend mature/highly interested 2nd grader, or 3rd-4th grade. Would be fun all the way thru elementary, but gets pretty easy when you hit the 4th graders if they're proficient LEGO builders. Older kids could build more creatively and design on their own and get mileage from WeDo thru 6th, but I think most start to get starry-eyed over the bells and whistles of Mindstorms by then.
For Physics for an 8 year old, I'd go with Snap Circuits to cover electricity, Simple Machines LEGO kit or the Klutz book and you tube videos, a magnet kit, and a sound/light kit and call it good. You may also want to check out Robot Turtles (board game teaches basic programming) and Scratch programming (free download from MIT), to round it out. That would be more comprehensive/complete as a Physics course than doing the WeDo LEGO set.
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Has anyone heard about Lightning Lit 4 book choices or sign ups for testing? We've done the grade 2 and 3 trials and used parts of them and enjoyed them. Trying to plan for next year and wanting to compare the LL book list.
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My DH is the same way. I'll build shopping carts and make pros and cons lists and spend hours reading others' reviews. He looks at 3 options, picks the one he thinks is best, and purchases. He doesn't worry about if it is "best" of every option in the whole wide world, he buys something that is solid and will get the job done, and he gets to work.
I think it's Hunter's signature that has the line about " a good curriculum that gets done is better than a great curriculum that doesn't get done" or something along those lines. I try to keep that in mind when shopping-- find something solid, purchase, and implement. If I wait to find the perfect science program to start teaching science, my kids will be graduated with no formal science! ;)
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Not crazy. Or maybe crazy but I just did the same thing when the CWP scare happened. I love the HIGs, I want the algebra readiness, I have no interest in CC alignment. I only have two DS though, so bought level 4 and 5 for DS1, and then went back and bought all the 1-3 workbooks for DS2. If SM doesn't work for DS2, at least I have complete sets to sell. If I get both kids thru SM and can't resell "old"Standards editions of HIG and text, I'm fine with that. Or if by some crazy 1 in a million occurrence we were ever to school additional children, I think you could pretty easily teach the bulk of the SM methods and program with the texts and HIGs and use a different edition workbook or make your own problems, etc. To me, the HIGs make the program, they're the gold. My interest level in switching to an edition without them is absolutely zero.
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I panicked a couple weeks ago when the CWP US edition was discontinued that Standards would be next. Bought the rest of the Standards series for DS1, and all the workbooks for DS2 so I could stick with Standards and use the HIGs and texts I already own. I love the HIG and don't want to have to change unless we hit a wall with SM. I figure there's less money risk in having the workbooks than having to buy all new textbooks and teacher's manuals. Plus, if it just doesn't work for DS2, I at least have the HIG, text, and workbook as a set should I need to resell it.
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When we hit a frusration point, my general approach is to "move sideways"--- tackle a different concept area for awhile and then revisit the concept again in a few days or weeks. If the frustration is with computational things, fact mastery, try moving your main lessons to topics like time, money, measurement, geometry, while incorporating fact practice a little into each day. That way, you're still covering math concepts and not losing time moving forward. It may not be the what curriculum so much as she needs time to mature or soak up a concept before she can master. Don't be afraid to move sideways and let the concept "marinate" in her brain for a little while.
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Will be interested to see your comparison, Sweetpea. I went ahead and ordered the CWP US editions for my older DS, but am holding off on a second set of those for younger DS. I don't think (hopefully!) the CC CWP is a big deal, since we will mostly use as a supplement and test practice anyway, we were using standards instead of US edition already. I think the bigger thing for me was that pulling the CWP US edition without any notice made me really, really nervous that the same could happen to the Standards line, and I really like those HIGs, and want to use them thru elementary with both boys. Of course, older DS is begging for only Beast, but we'll outpace the production schedule to make it our main thing.
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I think CWP gets used pretty widely, even by folks who don't use SM as their main curriculum. I don't think good, challenging word problems would be a waste, even if you weren't using the "Singapore way" to solve them. Plus, I'm gonna bet if you decide not to use them, you won't have much trouble re-selling them.
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This is how we do it too. And I'm as crazy as the rest of you-- I ordered workbooks for ds4 now up thru the guides I already owned for ds1 because I don't want to change editions.
You can definitely do both, if you decide to make your DS stick it out with Singapore, lol. I love Beast Academy...it is my favorite curriculum out of my entire collection.
Eldest DS loves it too...but, there is not enough review for the concepts to really stick. He has to see the concept again, a bit down the road, and then again a bit down the road after that. He learns it easily enough, but will forget some of it if we don't review from time to time.
So we use Singapore as our primary curriculum and then Beast as a summer bridge. I also use Beast occasionally during the school year as a supplement.
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Just live-chatted Rainbow and all the have lef tin CWP is CWP 5. I ordered the others from Sonlight, who seems to have everything still except 1 looks like the new CC one when I added it to cart.
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The comparison chart is linked above. I think which is "better" depends on what your needs/goals are. I prefer the pre-algebra content and thinking that is in Standards to the CC edition being aligned with common core. I don't plan on my kids going to public school, or needing to know CC methods, so the algebraic concepts are more valuable to me than the alignment to standards I don't think we'll encounter until everyone has given up on them and by then there will be new editions to new standards anyway.
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I'm torn on what to do, too. Standards is working so well with DS1, and I have the texts and the HIGs for 1-3 already. I think I'll start collecting 4-5 for both boys, and an extra set of workbooks for 1-3 for DS2. If it works for DS2, great, that makes good use of the texts and HIGs I already own, and if it doesn't, well, at least I'll have full sets to sell.
I've heard most of Standards 6 is review, so I'm only planning on collecting thru 5B.
CLE LA-- is one "lesson" a day or a week?
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
Looking at the LA samples for CLE, and it shows one "lesson" about 5 pages. Is this one day;s worth of work, or a week or what? Is the "Section" a week? How many lessons are in a Section? How many Sections in a Light Unit? Trying to understand without ever having seen it IRL.
https://www.clp.org/documents/5487/original/Language_Arts_301.pdf