KristineinKS Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Ever since we started homeschooling several weeks ago, I've had the feeling that something was missing in the choices I made. Today, I think I may have figured it out. Currently I'm combining my kids (who are in 4th & 6th) for everything except Math & English. First, here's what we're currently doing: History & Bible: WP QAW & SOTW 1 English/Grammar: R&S Math: Singapore Handwriting: Peterson Handwriting (I think I need HWT instead) Latin: Switching over to LCI any day now... Science: Still struggling w/this Here's my problem - by combining them, I've been doing A LOT of reading aloud (like, 2 hours of our day). I can't see how to avoid that unless I order 4 copies of most of the books, which would be very expensive. Yet currently, the kids are doing NO reading on their own & very little writing -- this can't be a good thing. None of the kids like reading & one of my twins in particular really struggles with it (I strongly suspect there's a few learning disorders at play & will be having him tested next week); also, none of the kids are good at working independently. I've tried having them do oral narrations, but it's really hard with 4 kids & so much material...dictation is impossible because my son who struggles w/reading also struggles with writing (and I hate to single him out & do things differently for him because he would hate it & so would the others). I guess my first question is how can I incorporate more reading & writing? My second question...our days seem pretty "light" somehow. Even if I add science in, I'm guessing it would be twice a week. We typically do one or two art/craft activities a week. I know we just started but I don't feel like they're really learning *that* much (except in English) & I really don't want them all falling behind. Am I just being paranoid? :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcjlkplus3 Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Looking at what you have, the only things I see missing is spelling/vocabulary, but I don't know if they are in your LA program. Also art and/or music might be a good thing to add. Writing - one of the things I do for SOTW - I type out the review questions, they have a hard copy of them. Since my oldest is 7 - I usually write the answers down for her and have her copy her narration (or the other way around). I do this, because I like having something tangible that she learned it. With older kids, you could still read the text out loud and then let them write their own answers and narrations. As far as the reading, as long as you don't mind reading aloud for so much of the day, I would keep doing it. Do they like hearing stories - just not reading themselves? Are they reading around where they should be? if not you may want to add in some phonics studies for them. I would let them each pick out their own library books (even if it is total junk, or below their reading level) and have a half hour (or so) of silent reading time every day. Everyone sits (or lays) in the family/living room and spends some time together reading quietly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Many people who don't like to read actually have a decoding problem, here's why: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/aliterate.html And, here's some tests to figure out if there is a problem and also for reading grade level: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/readinggradeleve.html They're all old enough for my remedial phonics lessons if they end up needing phonics help. (Linked below.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristineinKS Posted February 5, 2009 Author Share Posted February 5, 2009 Jenny - Thank you! We've been using the McGuffey Eclectic Speller for spelling, however they're all at such different levels, I need to figure out something better/more user-friendly. We're not doing anything for vocabulary, I'm so glad you pointed that out! I also really like the idea of typing out the SOTW review questions. They all enjoy me reading to them except dd who is the youngest, she gets bored & antsy with so much reading aloud. All of them are at grade level for reading except the one twin I mentioned - he's definitely needs some type of phonics program, I've just been overwhelmed with were to begin on that. Also, some days he does better than others with reading, so it's *very* hard for me to gauge his actual ability. I will definitely implement the 1/2 hour of reading per day. They pick out library books but then never read them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebug42 Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 I also do the 30 minute reading independently thing but I have a basket of books in the living room from the library, some of which they chose but most of which I chose covering a variety of topics. I tell them to pick something from the basket and then read. This usually works and they often choose the books I selected for their reading time. I also cover a variety of reading levels and sometimes they pick easy but others, they do pick the more challenging books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 I guess my first question is how can I incorporate more reading & writing? Pathway Reader with Workbooks CLE Reader with workbooks Both are short stories with incorporated written work. My second question...our days seem pretty "light" somehow. Even if I add science in, I'm guessing it would be twice a week. We typically do one or two art/craft activities a week. I know we just started but I don't feel like they're really learning *that* much (except in English) & I really don't want them all falling behind. Am I just being paranoid? :confused: You could add in the Joy Hakim science (The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way) as a read aloud to coordinate with your history. You could also use Science in Ancient Egypt, Science in Ancient Mesopotamia, Science in Ancient China, Science in Ancient Greece, and Science in Ancient Rome. I remember that when my middle was doing Ancient History in 6th grade I divided the year into trimesters. The first trimester we used Ancient Construction: From Tents to Towers and Ancient warfare : from clubs to catapults. The second trimester we used Archidemes and the Door of Science along with a portion of BF's History of Science. The third trimester we used Galen and the Gateway to Medicine and The Body Book. Your list of books looks good, so I vote for paranoid.:tongue_smilie: HTH- Mandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 It's a reader with workbooks that is excellent. Here's what's included in CLE reading 5: SUNRISE READING 500 – Open Windows LightUnit 501 Vocabulary words Cause and effect Identifying strong, active verbs Describing story characters Identifying similes Defining words from context Choosing facts to support a statement Writing progressive degrees of a concept Working with personification Proving or disproving statements about a story Identifying and interpreting figures of speech Completing analogies Inferring facts not directly stated Understanding circumstantial evidence and proof Defining and using homographs Understanding the term idiom Interpreting common idioms Answering five W questions Numbering story events in order Telling what story characters learned from the way God worked Listing traits of story characters Working with rhythm and rhyme scheme in poetry LightUnit 502 Working with vocabulary words Defining words from context Understanding a proverb Creating an alternate story title Identifying character’s feelings Identifying the most important event in a story Completing analogies that have more than one correct answer Understanding a nonverbal message Predicting what happened after the story Inferring facts not directly stated Marking poetic rhythm Using principle and principal Scanning for answers or topics Evaluating story characters’ actions Identifying a story’s main lesson Understanding the meaning of prejudice and its foolishness Identifying a biography Defining foot as used in poetry Identifying metrical feet in a poem Thinking about race prejudice Working with synonyms Marking rhythm in a poem LightUnit 503 Working with vocabulary words Inferring facts not directly stated Telling what could have happened Identifying main ideas and summaries Describing story characters Identifying a characters fears and hardships Learning about other inventions of Benjamin Franklin Marking poetic rhythm and meter Working with perfect and imperfect rhyme Numbering unstated events in order Identifying figures of speech Defining and identifying metaphors Finding evidence to support statements Outlining a simple story plot Explaining a figure of speech Identifying metaphors, similes, and personification Defining words from their context Suggesting others whom the sinking of the Titanic would have affected Comparing a poem and a story Identifying main ideas of paragraphs Explaining the meanings of sentences Understanding conflict, internal conflict, and external conflict Identifying areas of conflict in the story LightUnit 504: Out in Nature Working with vocabulary words Identifying cause and effect Identifying the story purpose and details that further the story purpose Working with guide words Using the dictionary Finding metaphors in the Bible Inferring facts not directly stated Defining biography Identifying a metaphor in a poem Scanning to locate facts Writing an essay imagining he is Peter walking on the water Identifying a metaphor from the story Defining words from their context Marking the rhyme scheme of a poem Writing another title for the story Making a prediction Categorizing natural resources Naming reference books needed to find answers to given questions Identifying hints of how a character will act Defining free verse Identifying main ideas, story lessons, and summaries of stories Completing a poetic couplet Reading about KJV Bible Rewriting KJV phrases in modern English Identifying characters, setting, external and internal conflict in the story Understanding a character’s actions Imagining what might have happened LightUnit 505 Working with vocabulary words. Understanding story characters’ actions and feelings Describing story characters Working with main idea, story lesson, and summary Thinking about idle words Working with personification Making a simple outline of a story Categorizing words Explaining an idiom Identifying emotions as shown by words Interpreting figures of speech Defining circumstantial evidence Scanning for answers Imagining details not given Imagining story characters’ feelings and explaining possible reasons for their actions Telling what might have happened Defining words from their context Inferring facts not directly stated Identifying similes Choosing exact, specific verbs to replace weak ones Learning the term epigram Join the CLE yahoo group to see samples Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razorbackmama Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Many people who don't like to read actually have a decoding problem, here's why: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/aliterate.html And, here's some tests to figure out if there is a problem and also for reading grade level: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/readinggradeleve.html They're all old enough for my remedial phonics lessons if they end up needing phonics help. (Linked below.) Thank you for these links! I have 1 that tolerates reading but definitely does not read voluntarily. I have 1 that has to be forced to read. Both are good spellers. I have 1 that enjoys reading but is a lousy speller. I wonder if this sort of thing is their problem???? And on another note, my dh doesn't like to read, and I know he was not taught with phonics. He has his doctorate and HAS to read for work all the time, but for pleasure? It is RARE. (Like, I can count on 2 hands the number of books he has read for pleasure in our almost 15 years of marriage.) Of course now these links may totally mess up our school plans....LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcjlkplus3 Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 I also really like the idea of typing out the SOTW review questions. If you want I have the questions for level 1 typed up - we did it last year. They are in one excel document with each part its own worksheet. If you send me a pm with your email address I will email it to you - I can't figure out how to attach things from my computer to anywhere in this forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristineinKS Posted February 5, 2009 Author Share Posted February 5, 2009 Wow, great suggestions here - thank you! I will look into the CLE Reading because I think the workbooks will be helpful. I do pick out a bunch of library books for our book basket, but I'm never sure if the kids are actually reading them when I force them to, or just looking at the pictures. The science suggestions also look great & I will definitely be utilizing the reading tests Elizabeth, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razorbackmama Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 We use CLE reading and are enjoying it.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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