In Language Arts this week, we studied memoirs.
In Reading:
We read three different memoirs:
1. Flight: The Journey of Charles Lindbergh by Robert Burleigh
2. My brother Martin: A Sister Remembers--Growing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Christine King Farris
3. Silver Packages: An Appalachian Christmas Story by Cynthia Rylant
We took notes on the books and the author's writing style. Then, we took notes on "What We Noticed About Memoirs."
In Writing:
We read the first chapter of Ralph Fletcher's book, A Writer's Notebook: Unlocking the Writer Within You. We discussed "Unforgettable Stories" and how those stories can be the memories that spark our own memoir. The kids brainstormed a list of some of their favorite memories, and one of those will develop into their own memoir.
Elliot already started drafting his. He crafted his title much the way the authors of the memoirs we read crafted theirs. His title is "My Friend: A Pilot Story." It begins like this: "It was a dark morning when my dad woke my sister and I up at three o'clock. . . "
YaYa decided upon a memory, but realized that she might not have enough detail to create an effective memoir, so she's revisiting her list.
They are "being real writers"--making decisions, experimenting, conferring with each other. . .
They have a "Travel WNB (Writer's Notebook)" with them on their trip to Maine (there for a week with their dad--his whole family is there). They know to jot down anything that might lead to a piece of writing later--airport, airplane, time with grandparents and 9 cousins, fishing, hiking, clamming. . . there are a lot of stories "brewing" in Maine!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Texas, Our Texas
In social studies this week, Elliot and YaYa studied the Texas Regions (climate, wildlife, plants, resources, geography).
They had two culminating projects:
1. They created a poster-sized map of Texas with all the regions (Pineywoods, Gulf Coast, South Texas Plains, Hill Country, Big Bend Country, Panhandle Plains, Lakes and Prairies). They labeled the regions, pasted on pictures of wildlife, pasted a picture that showed the terrain, and listed the climate, the resources, and the Texas Indians who lived in each region. The poster is gracing the door of our pantry. It's quite a detailed map. We will refer to the map throughout the year, adding information we learn about our great history.
2. They "walked in another's shoes" and wrote a journal entry from the perspective of an Indian child from a Texas Tribe. YaYa wrote a very realistic account from an Apache child. Elliot wrote a creative journal entry from a Tonkawa child. Their papers are displayed underneath the Texas map.
I filled them with Texas pride and knowledge before they left to go to Maine for a week with their dad.
Texas, our Texas! Oh hail the mighty state!
Texas, our Texas! So wonderful so great!
Boldest and grandest, witstanding ev'ry test
O Empire wide and glorious, you stand supremely blest!
God bless you, Texas! And keep you brave and strong!
That you may grow in power and worth, throughout the ages long!
God bless you, Texas! And keep you brave and strong!
That you may grow in power and worth, throughout the ages long!
They had two culminating projects:
1. They created a poster-sized map of Texas with all the regions (Pineywoods, Gulf Coast, South Texas Plains, Hill Country, Big Bend Country, Panhandle Plains, Lakes and Prairies). They labeled the regions, pasted on pictures of wildlife, pasted a picture that showed the terrain, and listed the climate, the resources, and the Texas Indians who lived in each region. The poster is gracing the door of our pantry. It's quite a detailed map. We will refer to the map throughout the year, adding information we learn about our great history.
2. They "walked in another's shoes" and wrote a journal entry from the perspective of an Indian child from a Texas Tribe. YaYa wrote a very realistic account from an Apache child. Elliot wrote a creative journal entry from a Tonkawa child. Their papers are displayed underneath the Texas map.
I filled them with Texas pride and knowledge before they left to go to Maine for a week with their dad.
Texas, our Texas! Oh hail the mighty state!
Texas, our Texas! So wonderful so great!
Boldest and grandest, witstanding ev'ry test
O Empire wide and glorious, you stand supremely blest!
God bless you, Texas! And keep you brave and strong!
That you may grow in power and worth, throughout the ages long!
God bless you, Texas! And keep you brave and strong!
That you may grow in power and worth, throughout the ages long!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Shedding Tears and Creating Memories
We are wrapping up Week 4 at Frontier West. We have accomplished so much! This post explains what we've been up to since my last "progress" post (at the end of Week 2):
Language Arts:
Read-to: We finished reading Shiloh yesterday. As we read, we discussed the character development, the circumstances and consequences around the main character's lies, courage, family. . . they were each given a list of many choices for final projects; both chose to create PowerPoint presentations. They have already fully created their PPt presentations, including the story elements, their favorite part, their recommendation, and their text-self and text-text connections. They have shared their PowerPoint with their classmates and received quality feedback. We'll start a new book tomorrow.
Guided Reading: We have read several articles from Time for Kids, Texas Parks and Wildlife for Kids, and from websites. They're practicing taking notes, identifying cause and effect, and summarizing.
Writing Workshop: YaYa has gone through the whole writing process on her second story. She incorporated all the information from minilessons and created a really detailed story. Elliot is still drafting his second story, adding a great deal of details, and using his thesaurus regularly.
Cuddle-on-the-couch-after-lunch Reading: We finished reading Where the Red Fern Grows today, through major tears. I cried, they cried, YaYa claimed she hated the book, didn't want to finish it, and never wanted to read it again. I told them it was my favorite book, even though I cry every time I read it. The first time I read it, I read it on-the-couch-cuddling-with-my-Mommy, and we cried so hard at the end that neither one of us could read the ending out loud. I told them this story and as I "rocked" their tears away. I told them I couldn't wait to hear how their children liked it the first time they read it to them. We were pretty spent for the day, but we definitely created a memory.
Math:
Elliot is multiplying with double digits. He's using models and is beginning to use the algorithm.
YaYa is adding and subtracting with re-grouping. She used models for awhile but is beginning to use the algorithm.
Science:
We've finished up all the extreme weathers in Texas (droughts, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods [and dams], blizzards) and will now learn a little bit about meterology before tackling our next topic. We studied floods and flash floods the day that Hurricane Hermine dumped on Austin, flooding much of the town. It was great for them to have background knowledge right in the middle of it, but it also caused a little stress and some fretting about our safety. Everyone piled in the master bedroom that night!
Social Studies:
YaYa has completed her research on the Texas Indians, and we will use her results to start our Texas History lessons. Elliot has researched Davy Crockett, and has gotten on an Abraham Lincoln kick. So, even though it doesn't directly tie to our Texas History curriculum, I'm letting his interests drive his work, so he's researching Abraham Lincoln right now.
We're having a remarkable experience. I'm so proud to be the mom and teacher of these two amazing children. I am blessed.
Language Arts:
Read-to: We finished reading Shiloh yesterday. As we read, we discussed the character development, the circumstances and consequences around the main character's lies, courage, family. . . they were each given a list of many choices for final projects; both chose to create PowerPoint presentations. They have already fully created their PPt presentations, including the story elements, their favorite part, their recommendation, and their text-self and text-text connections. They have shared their PowerPoint with their classmates and received quality feedback. We'll start a new book tomorrow.
Guided Reading: We have read several articles from Time for Kids, Texas Parks and Wildlife for Kids, and from websites. They're practicing taking notes, identifying cause and effect, and summarizing.
Writing Workshop: YaYa has gone through the whole writing process on her second story. She incorporated all the information from minilessons and created a really detailed story. Elliot is still drafting his second story, adding a great deal of details, and using his thesaurus regularly.
Cuddle-on-the-couch-after-lunch Reading: We finished reading Where the Red Fern Grows today, through major tears. I cried, they cried, YaYa claimed she hated the book, didn't want to finish it, and never wanted to read it again. I told them it was my favorite book, even though I cry every time I read it. The first time I read it, I read it on-the-couch-cuddling-with-my-Mommy, and we cried so hard at the end that neither one of us could read the ending out loud. I told them this story and as I "rocked" their tears away. I told them I couldn't wait to hear how their children liked it the first time they read it to them. We were pretty spent for the day, but we definitely created a memory.
Math:
Elliot is multiplying with double digits. He's using models and is beginning to use the algorithm.
YaYa is adding and subtracting with re-grouping. She used models for awhile but is beginning to use the algorithm.
Science:
We've finished up all the extreme weathers in Texas (droughts, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods [and dams], blizzards) and will now learn a little bit about meterology before tackling our next topic. We studied floods and flash floods the day that Hurricane Hermine dumped on Austin, flooding much of the town. It was great for them to have background knowledge right in the middle of it, but it also caused a little stress and some fretting about our safety. Everyone piled in the master bedroom that night!
Social Studies:
YaYa has completed her research on the Texas Indians, and we will use her results to start our Texas History lessons. Elliot has researched Davy Crockett, and has gotten on an Abraham Lincoln kick. So, even though it doesn't directly tie to our Texas History curriculum, I'm letting his interests drive his work, so he's researching Abraham Lincoln right now.
We're having a remarkable experience. I'm so proud to be the mom and teacher of these two amazing children. I am blessed.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
What I Expect in a Classroom (or, more about why we're homeschooling)
One of my first posts addresses some of the reasons why we're homeschooling, but I feel urged to explain things a little further. . .
I am pasting in portions of a letter I wrote to the principal of the kids' school last year, in reference to Elliot's third grade experience. The letter is in blue.
As a professor of education and a former elementary school teacher, I have very strong beliefs about "best practices." I believe the following practices should be present and consistently followed in my child's classroom:
--Reading Workshop
--Social Studies taught through perspective-taking, multiple resources, and primary source documents
--A learner-centered environment where real-world applications for the curriculum are presented more often than not
--Differentiation of curriculum
In my son's current classroom, only a few "best practices" are being followed:
My son reads well above grade level, but he is not given the opportunity to read on his level. He is not in a book club. He writes in a journal, but does not go through the steps of the writing process. Occasionally, he struggles with a math concept, but he is not given additional instruction; instead, he brings home papers with notes on them that say, "Mom, please teach this concept to Elliot. He doesn't understand it." When I inquired about CGI or PBL math, I was told he gets to use manipulatives if he wants to. He completes worksheet after worksheet in math with very few problem solving problems. His math homework is often a coloring paper or studying for timed "Mad Minute" tests. He reads from the social studies textbooks and has conversations about what he has read, but he does not read from other resources. He does have a science notebook.
My son is a very bright child, but his intelligence does not always show up in traditional manners. He was tested for TAG at his previous school, but his test was analyzed here at your school, and he did not qualify for TAG placement. That, however, does not negate how smart he is and how he would benefit from "best practices" and some academic challenges.
My son is also a Highly Sensitive Child (HSC) (Elaine Aron's Highly Sensitive Child), and has some "quirks" about him. I've shared the document that is attached with all of Elliot's teachers, and until this year, they have celebrated the diversity that Elliot brings to a classroom and found ways to meet his needs without singling him out or causing a fuss. This document has fallen on deaf ears this year, causing some undue stress (especially in testing situations) to my son.
So, there you have it. . . my expectations are high. . . but, I know all of the above is do-able. I've done it in a very diverse elementary school classroom myself. Now, I'm doing it at home, for my children--the most important students I could ever have!
Frontier West is meeting the needs of all of its students! :-)
I am pasting in portions of a letter I wrote to the principal of the kids' school last year, in reference to Elliot's third grade experience. The letter is in blue.
As a professor of education and a former elementary school teacher, I have very strong beliefs about "best practices." I believe the following practices should be present and consistently followed in my child's classroom:
--Reading Workshop
- Whole class instruction in a novel or non-fiction text followed by time to write in a reading response notebook
- Book clubs/literature circles
- Some skill instruction as it relates to the books being read
- Independent/choice reading
- Mini lesson on craft
- Time to write, revise, confer (with peers and with teacher)
- Sharing in the Author's Chair
- Little to no "drill and kill'
- Learning math through problem solving, where any strategy that solves the problem is considered correct
- Learning the algorithms only after the concept is thoroughly understood
--Social Studies taught through perspective-taking, multiple resources, and primary source documents
--A learner-centered environment where real-world applications for the curriculum are presented more often than not
--Differentiation of curriculum
- Pushing forward, academically, where needed
- Providing additional assistance where needed
In my son's current classroom, only a few "best practices" are being followed:
- Whole class instruction in a novel in Language Arts
- Science being taught through a science notebook (sometimes) and a few hands-on experiences
My son reads well above grade level, but he is not given the opportunity to read on his level. He is not in a book club. He writes in a journal, but does not go through the steps of the writing process. Occasionally, he struggles with a math concept, but he is not given additional instruction; instead, he brings home papers with notes on them that say, "Mom, please teach this concept to Elliot. He doesn't understand it." When I inquired about CGI or PBL math, I was told he gets to use manipulatives if he wants to. He completes worksheet after worksheet in math with very few problem solving problems. His math homework is often a coloring paper or studying for timed "Mad Minute" tests. He reads from the social studies textbooks and has conversations about what he has read, but he does not read from other resources. He does have a science notebook.
My son is a very bright child, but his intelligence does not always show up in traditional manners. He was tested for TAG at his previous school, but his test was analyzed here at your school, and he did not qualify for TAG placement. That, however, does not negate how smart he is and how he would benefit from "best practices" and some academic challenges.
My son is also a Highly Sensitive Child (HSC) (Elaine Aron's Highly Sensitive Child), and has some "quirks" about him. I've shared the document that is attached with all of Elliot's teachers, and until this year, they have celebrated the diversity that Elliot brings to a classroom and found ways to meet his needs without singling him out or causing a fuss. This document has fallen on deaf ears this year, causing some undue stress (especially in testing situations) to my son.
So, there you have it. . . my expectations are high. . . but, I know all of the above is do-able. I've done it in a very diverse elementary school classroom myself. Now, I'm doing it at home, for my children--the most important students I could ever have!
Frontier West is meeting the needs of all of its students! :-)
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