Along with Dove's online lessons, she'll be reading the book series of 39 Clues for additional lessons. Check out the books at http://www.39clues.com/ and you can find lessons online on Scholastic's website as well as their secret agent training. It's a great resource for lesson plan ideas.
Dove love's a good mystery. She is really into the spy thing. In fact, she carries a bag a la' Nancy Drew style. So, this lesson should be interesting. I just hope I have enough creativity to bring it to life.
More information will come soon.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
I found an awesome lesson online based of the book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Since my daughter just recently read it, I decided to do the lesson for it. She made a lapbook for it and didn't realize how much she'd learned.
Some of the things we did: Create your own candy bar with the advertisement, report on a story involving one of the characters (she reported on Violet turning violet), character traits, math wiht M&M's, diagnose a character, research their addiction and prescribe a resolution (Augustus Gloop was suffering from childhood obesity and could lead to diabetes, but she chose Violet and gum chewing).
The most interesting part for me was collecting data from candy bars (sodium, calories, fat, number of ingredients, etc.). We researched the ingredients and I was so turned off that I, an avid chocolate lover, would not and could not eat any of the candy. We also researched the effects of the ingredients on children. Yep, we're definitely going to become vegan.
I'll take pictures and post her lapbook soon. Let me know if you would like the lesson plan. This is Dove preparing our veggie pizza for lunch.
Some of the things we did: Create your own candy bar with the advertisement, report on a story involving one of the characters (she reported on Violet turning violet), character traits, math wiht M&M's, diagnose a character, research their addiction and prescribe a resolution (Augustus Gloop was suffering from childhood obesity and could lead to diabetes, but she chose Violet and gum chewing).
The most interesting part for me was collecting data from candy bars (sodium, calories, fat, number of ingredients, etc.). We researched the ingredients and I was so turned off that I, an avid chocolate lover, would not and could not eat any of the candy. We also researched the effects of the ingredients on children. Yep, we're definitely going to become vegan.
Friday, December 25, 2009
The other day my daughter cried...
I know that I can be tough. But, the reality is that she may not have the opportunity to be homeschooled forever. I would hate to have to put her back into the Charlotte Mecklenburg School system, but I can't predict the future. (And trust me, I would really, really hate to do that.)
So, I must makesure that I do my best to keep her on target or ahead of the game. In doing so, Christmas Eve we worked on a math lesson. The day before we worked on Division with remainders via an online program called "Time 4 Learning." I've learned to sit with Dove while she is doing her online lessons because she has the tendancy to just "go through it" without taking notes. After the lesson, she took the quiz and I found that she didn't really grasp the lesson. Therefore, I began to break it down to here, but ran out of time.
Christmas Eve we had to finish up the lesson. I went through the quiz questions one by one and showed her how to work through the problems. Then she took the quiz herself and told me she passed with an 80%, but I made her retest because she closed the quiz without letting me review it. "How can I help you with the ones you got wrong if you closed it up...that is unacceptable, repeat it." (Okay, I know I was a meanie, but it's the lesson of respecting me as a teacher that I'm trying to teach as well.)
After repeating the quiz, Dove called me to show me her score of 70%. But, again she had to repeat it because she failed to show the work. "How can I help you understand the problems if you don't do the work, what are you doing, guessing at it?" Again, repeat the lesson and she got a 90%. FINALLY! But not quite, she still didn't number the problems so she couldn't tell me what problem went with the work on the page. Ugh!!! So, I went to the profile to see her scores and that 80% she supposedly had was actually 60%.
Hmmm.... "So, why did you tell me you had 80% when you actually scored 60%? Why should I care so much about your education when you don't?" The tears began to swell up before she could even answer the question. As a parent, we already know what that means. She ended up locking herself in the bathroom crying.
"Meet me in the peace room, please." I called out. That's our space where we can talk openly. "So, why are you crying?"
"I feel unwanted. When you get mad at me because I don't do my work it makes me feel unwanted."
I actually wanted to chuckle at the dramatics. Unwanted? Okay, I had to take her feelings seriously since we were in the special room. "Dove, unwanted...really? Come on, I don't get mad at you because you don't do your lessons correctly, I get frustrated because I have to remind you to do them. You have a chore chart, but I still have to remind you to do the chores. You're ten, so why am I still reminding you to put lotion on your face and deoderant under your arms. I'm a single parent and it's just the two of us...I have to do everything and I want you to be responsible for things pertaining to you. Care more about your education that I do. Homeschooling is a priviledge. Me taking care of you and sacrificing the time to teach you is a priviledge. Me wanting the best for you is a priviledge, not your right. If something was to happen to me tomorrow, who else would make sure your grades are up to par? Who else will ask to see your lessons, read you books and make sure that you are exposed to life?" Of course, I went on and on. But I asked, "Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Yes, you want me to be the best."
"Yeah, but more importantly, I want you to want to be the best. Be passionate about your life."
So, I must makesure that I do my best to keep her on target or ahead of the game. In doing so, Christmas Eve we worked on a math lesson. The day before we worked on Division with remainders via an online program called "Time 4 Learning." I've learned to sit with Dove while she is doing her online lessons because she has the tendancy to just "go through it" without taking notes. After the lesson, she took the quiz and I found that she didn't really grasp the lesson. Therefore, I began to break it down to here, but ran out of time.
Christmas Eve we had to finish up the lesson. I went through the quiz questions one by one and showed her how to work through the problems. Then she took the quiz herself and told me she passed with an 80%, but I made her retest because she closed the quiz without letting me review it. "How can I help you with the ones you got wrong if you closed it up...that is unacceptable, repeat it." (Okay, I know I was a meanie, but it's the lesson of respecting me as a teacher that I'm trying to teach as well.)
After repeating the quiz, Dove called me to show me her score of 70%. But, again she had to repeat it because she failed to show the work. "How can I help you understand the problems if you don't do the work, what are you doing, guessing at it?" Again, repeat the lesson and she got a 90%. FINALLY! But not quite, she still didn't number the problems so she couldn't tell me what problem went with the work on the page. Ugh!!! So, I went to the profile to see her scores and that 80% she supposedly had was actually 60%.
Hmmm.... "So, why did you tell me you had 80% when you actually scored 60%? Why should I care so much about your education when you don't?" The tears began to swell up before she could even answer the question. As a parent, we already know what that means. She ended up locking herself in the bathroom crying.
"Meet me in the peace room, please." I called out. That's our space where we can talk openly. "So, why are you crying?"
"I feel unwanted. When you get mad at me because I don't do my work it makes me feel unwanted."
I actually wanted to chuckle at the dramatics. Unwanted? Okay, I had to take her feelings seriously since we were in the special room. "Dove, unwanted...really? Come on, I don't get mad at you because you don't do your lessons correctly, I get frustrated because I have to remind you to do them. You have a chore chart, but I still have to remind you to do the chores. You're ten, so why am I still reminding you to put lotion on your face and deoderant under your arms. I'm a single parent and it's just the two of us...I have to do everything and I want you to be responsible for things pertaining to you. Care more about your education that I do. Homeschooling is a priviledge. Me taking care of you and sacrificing the time to teach you is a priviledge. Me wanting the best for you is a priviledge, not your right. If something was to happen to me tomorrow, who else would make sure your grades are up to par? Who else will ask to see your lessons, read you books and make sure that you are exposed to life?" Of course, I went on and on. But I asked, "Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Yes, you want me to be the best."
"Yeah, but more importantly, I want you to want to be the best. Be passionate about your life."
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Natural Museum of History
How homeschooling is going? Dove's Thoughts
Homeschooling is great. I like picking out what I want to learn. I love to interact with the lessons online. I also enjoy writing my lessons down in my notebook when I'm not doing lessons on the computer. (Online, Dove gets her core lessons done like math, language arts, social studies...)
The things that I enjoy most are making up games that I play with my mom to help me learn. For instance, we made a matching memory game out of compound words with the vocabulary words coming from the book I read.
Earlier, we were doing a lesson on food. I logged the food that I ate everyday and where it came from. That way, if you know what you're eating you can figure out the right diets for you and what is healthy for your body.
Homeschooling is a way to do school that you like it and in a better way...the way you think school should be. I always check with my mom to see if my subjects are good and how we can learn the most out of it.
The things that I enjoy most are making up games that I play with my mom to help me learn. For instance, we made a matching memory game out of compound words with the vocabulary words coming from the book I read.
Earlier, we were doing a lesson on food. I logged the food that I ate everyday and where it came from. That way, if you know what you're eating you can figure out the right diets for you and what is healthy for your body.
Homeschooling is a way to do school that you like it and in a better way...the way you think school should be. I always check with my mom to see if my subjects are good and how we can learn the most out of it.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
What To Do?
You know what? That is a hard question. As I look at other blogs, it seems that everyone has this homeschool thing figured out. It seems as if everyone is so much more organized than me, more comfortable with the process and more knowledgeable. Ugh, what is a girl to do?
Research. Yep. That's as simple as it can get. I was and still am, being haunted with the realization that I can actually fail my daughter. What if she has to go to school next year and is not at grade level? I refuse to let that happen.
At first, I started out with great ideas. We were going to start Social Studies with Egypt, but we never finished our lessons. Then I checked out the movie Roots from the library and intended to do a family tree with interview questions for our elders. The notebook is still on the shelf. Then we researched a wonderful artist, Romare Bearden and I created a great lesson plan and tied in our family history in it. Well, uhhh....that lesson is still on the to-do board.
In panic of the haunting voice in my head, I clicked on youtube. "How to create lapbooks?" So many video's came up. That was a wonderful start. Then I found lesson plans. So, I'm happy to say that we're doing an all-inclusive lesson plan based off of the book, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. There was a great lesson plan that included all of the core subjects: math, science, language arts, social studies, and art. And, we're doing it and it's not on the shelf! Next, we'll do an a'la carte lesson based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. (If you need the lesson plans I'll post the links.)
And, you'll never know...I might get so good with following through with my lesson plans that we'll go back and do the other stuff I wanted to do.
Tip: Don't get overwhelmed in trying to do it all. By putting so much pressure on yourself, you'll probably create anxiety and block your creativity in your lessons.
Research. Yep. That's as simple as it can get. I was and still am, being haunted with the realization that I can actually fail my daughter. What if she has to go to school next year and is not at grade level? I refuse to let that happen.
At first, I started out with great ideas. We were going to start Social Studies with Egypt, but we never finished our lessons. Then I checked out the movie Roots from the library and intended to do a family tree with interview questions for our elders. The notebook is still on the shelf. Then we researched a wonderful artist, Romare Bearden and I created a great lesson plan and tied in our family history in it. Well, uhhh....that lesson is still on the to-do board.
In panic of the haunting voice in my head, I clicked on youtube. "How to create lapbooks?" So many video's came up. That was a wonderful start. Then I found lesson plans. So, I'm happy to say that we're doing an all-inclusive lesson plan based off of the book, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. There was a great lesson plan that included all of the core subjects: math, science, language arts, social studies, and art. And, we're doing it and it's not on the shelf! Next, we'll do an a'la carte lesson based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. (If you need the lesson plans I'll post the links.)
And, you'll never know...I might get so good with following through with my lesson plans that we'll go back and do the other stuff I wanted to do.
Tip: Don't get overwhelmed in trying to do it all. By putting so much pressure on yourself, you'll probably create anxiety and block your creativity in your lessons.
Friday, November 6, 2009
The Real Deal -Part 2
I met a wonderful woman today as I waited to get my car serviced. She noticed the way that Dove and I were interacting and working on our lessons. "Are you homeschooling her?" After letting her know that I was indeed homeschooling her, the obvious question came next. "What made you decide to homeschool?"
I wanted to say, "Take a seat, this might take a while." So I gave her the short version, which I'll repeat for you.
First, I went on a mission trip to Guatemala and met a few homeschoolers and loved how mature, responsible and smart they were. I knew that I wanted my child to grow to have those qualities. At that moment, I promised that if I had the opportunity then I'd consider homeschooling. Well, I seized the opportunity when BOA and Mr. Vanderberry pushed me out of the door. Which, I might add, was the best thing that ever happened to me.
Secondly, I visit schools and teach drama to elementary students to help their reading and writing. I was so hurt with realizing that children didn't have a grasp on vocabulary, sentence structure or the elements of a story. It's not that our teachers were failing them, but the whole school system. Teachers have their hands tied behind their backs with the lack of resources, the red tape and lack of freedom with their lessons plans and the pressure of having the students pass the EOG standardized testing. And, not to mention the disruptive behavior and behavior issues that they have to deal with. I was truly disheartened.
Thirdly, my daughter was being bullied for being on the A-Honor Roll. Even though the schools had a "NO BULLY" policy, I still didn't see that they enforced it. It was so bad that the counselor contacted me because they found a note that she wrote that said, "I feel like I want to kill myself." Chile, I cried and thought, "Not my child." But, several of my friends admitted to me the almost same story.
This bully got other people to ostracize my daughter. And, I didn't want her to not excel in school to fit in with them. I was really mad with the principal at the school for an incident that happened with this bully. For Christmas, I gave specialized keys to friends with different words on them such as peace, love, success, prosperity, wisdom, etc. I specifically picked the keys out for people and special reasons. I gave Dove's teacher one for "love," I wished that she would have an abundance of love for teaching. I also gave Dove success and wisdom.
Well, one day (months later) her chain broked and the "bully" picked them up and wouldn't give them back. The teacher ended up taking them and both girls sweared that they were theirs, but the teacher knew that they belonged to Dove and even told the "bully" that I gave her one just like it. Her hands were tied because the girl was relentless with claiming them as hers. So, the teacher gave them to the principal whom I contacted. I even sent the card that I gave to Dove describing why I gave her the keys and the store where I purchased them. She told me that she knew that they belonged to Dove, but the "bully's" mother said that the keys belonged to her child and was given to her by an uncle. Yep, now ya'll know that lady was lying, right?
Back in the day, my Detroit teachers would have called a duck a duck. But, in this day and age, we can't offend anyone. So, the principal went out to the store and purchased the keys for the "bully" and gave my daughter back hers. I thought this was awful! They allowed this child to lie and steal and she was rewarded for it. What message would that send to the other children?
Lastly, I wanted my child to be able to compete in this world for colleges and scholarships. I don't feel confident in the school system to equip her with the knowledge to get her ready to be able to do that.
So, after our brief conversation, the nice woman I met was inspired to research it and consider homeschooling her preschooler.
I wanted to say, "Take a seat, this might take a while." So I gave her the short version, which I'll repeat for you.
First, I went on a mission trip to Guatemala and met a few homeschoolers and loved how mature, responsible and smart they were. I knew that I wanted my child to grow to have those qualities. At that moment, I promised that if I had the opportunity then I'd consider homeschooling. Well, I seized the opportunity when BOA and Mr. Vanderberry pushed me out of the door. Which, I might add, was the best thing that ever happened to me.
Secondly, I visit schools and teach drama to elementary students to help their reading and writing. I was so hurt with realizing that children didn't have a grasp on vocabulary, sentence structure or the elements of a story. It's not that our teachers were failing them, but the whole school system. Teachers have their hands tied behind their backs with the lack of resources, the red tape and lack of freedom with their lessons plans and the pressure of having the students pass the EOG standardized testing. And, not to mention the disruptive behavior and behavior issues that they have to deal with. I was truly disheartened.
Thirdly, my daughter was being bullied for being on the A-Honor Roll. Even though the schools had a "NO BULLY" policy, I still didn't see that they enforced it. It was so bad that the counselor contacted me because they found a note that she wrote that said, "I feel like I want to kill myself." Chile, I cried and thought, "Not my child." But, several of my friends admitted to me the almost same story.
This bully got other people to ostracize my daughter. And, I didn't want her to not excel in school to fit in with them. I was really mad with the principal at the school for an incident that happened with this bully. For Christmas, I gave specialized keys to friends with different words on them such as peace, love, success, prosperity, wisdom, etc. I specifically picked the keys out for people and special reasons. I gave Dove's teacher one for "love," I wished that she would have an abundance of love for teaching. I also gave Dove success and wisdom.
Well, one day (months later) her chain broked and the "bully" picked them up and wouldn't give them back. The teacher ended up taking them and both girls sweared that they were theirs, but the teacher knew that they belonged to Dove and even told the "bully" that I gave her one just like it. Her hands were tied because the girl was relentless with claiming them as hers. So, the teacher gave them to the principal whom I contacted. I even sent the card that I gave to Dove describing why I gave her the keys and the store where I purchased them. She told me that she knew that they belonged to Dove, but the "bully's" mother said that the keys belonged to her child and was given to her by an uncle. Yep, now ya'll know that lady was lying, right?
Back in the day, my Detroit teachers would have called a duck a duck. But, in this day and age, we can't offend anyone. So, the principal went out to the store and purchased the keys for the "bully" and gave my daughter back hers. I thought this was awful! They allowed this child to lie and steal and she was rewarded for it. What message would that send to the other children?
Lastly, I wanted my child to be able to compete in this world for colleges and scholarships. I don't feel confident in the school system to equip her with the knowledge to get her ready to be able to do that.
So, after our brief conversation, the nice woman I met was inspired to research it and consider homeschooling her preschooler.
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