We are moving right along with our education!! Here's what we're up to at Frontier West:
Language Arts:
Read to: Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (their choice from a large stack of novels). We're reading the book, taking notes on character development, and the kids are responding in their RRJ (Reading Response Journal) every day after we read. The first day he responded, Elliot wrote an entire page of thoughts. He told me that was the longest response he had ever written and that he really wanted ti to be good so he would impress me. He did!
Independent Reading: Both kids are reading a book on their own. We will discuss these books and they will write a book analysis (not a book report) when they are finished.
Guided Reading: They're reading grade-level appropriate articles from Time for Kids and taking notes. After they complete an entire "magazine" of articles, they will answer critical thinking questions about the articles.
For Pleasure: Our "after-lunch-cuddle-up-on-the-couch-for-15-minutes" book is Where the Red Fern Grows. It's my favorite book from my childhood, and I want to share that experience with them. It's also providing great text-to-text connections with Shiloh.
Writing Workshop: We'll begin on Monday!
Math:
We're studying time. YaYa is learning to tell time in 5 minute increments and Elliot is working with elapsed time. I found a great website: Mathstories.com. It cost me $24 for a year's access--this website has pages and pages of story/word/problem solving problems for every TEKS in every grade level. I was writing all of my own problems, but now I can use some of the problems from Mathstories.com. It's already been well worth the investment, as I can use the problems not only with Elliot and YaYa but also with the students I tutor. I highly recommend this website for teachers in public schools and homeschools in Texas.
Science:
One of the displays at the Bob Bullock History of Texas museum was about the Wild Weather of Texas. We will be spending about a week or so delving deeper into the extremes in weather in Texas: droughts, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes. We are tying this information in with social studies by learning how the weather has affected the way people live in Texas for centuries.
Social Studies:
At the Bob Bullock History of Texas museum we got a wonderful overview of Texas History. We will delve into this history, sequentially, more throughout the year with readings, videos, research, adn more field trips--to Nacogdoches, Goliad, Gonzales, the Alamo, etc. Right now YaYa is researching several Indian groups who were living in Texas before colonization. She is gathering information on the region in Texas where they lived, the food they ate, where they got their water, the types of shelter they used, and the weather in that region (and how it affected the Indians' life)--and, extra interesting information (she requested this "box" on her research sheet because she wanted to discuss how the Spaniards introduced horses to the Apache Indians, and hunting buffalo on horseback changed the way the hunted). Elliot is researching Davy Crockett (birth date, when and why he moved to Texas, and his contribution to Texas history, and when and how he died), and soon he will begin researching the events leading up to and surrounding the Texas Revolution.
Music:
The kids are continuing their piano lessons with my best friend and concert pianist, Dr. Carla McElhaney. The three of them have great plans (I'm secretly hoping we have another "Christmas Piano Soiree" in our future). With me, the children will study various classical composers: their lives, their music, and what the neighbors thought (using Kathleen Krull's book Lives of the Musicians: Their Lives, Their Music, and What the Neighbors Thought).
PE:
In addition to YaYa's 10 hours of gymnastics workouts and Elliot's 9 hours of gymnastics workouts per week, I am taking them to Lifetime Fitness every day, and while I get my workout in, the play in the child center (the child center has quite and extensive playscape and gym of its own, and many computers--they've been playing on the playscape and playing tag for about 45 minutes and playing on the computers for about 15 minutes).
Art:
More to come, but it's coming! I believe I'll start with a study of artists: their lives, their art, and what the neighbors thought (a book similar to the music book--I haven't bought it yet, but I know it exists)!
We're really enjoying school!
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