This Week in Learning: May 24th, 2015

Literature

Family Read: (Younger Children)
Sisters of the Last Straw: The Case of the Missing Novice – Karen Kelly Boyce. The younger children enjoyed, I find it odd and slightly irritating.
Escape from Mr Lemoncello’s Library – Chris Grabenstein. Abandoned after a couple of chapters, maybe the younger children are too young to appreciate?
History – John of the Sirius – Doris Chadwick Excellent! Dearly loved and nearly finished.

Michelangelo Read:
Ark Angel – Anthony Horowitz
Timeriders: Day of the Predator
Silverfin: James Bond


Princess Read: 
The Witch of Black Bird Pond – Elizabeth George Speare
Emmy and the Home for Troubled Girls
The Emerald Atlas
The Princess of Trelian
The Dragon of Trelian
New Dawn of Rocky Ridge
Little Town in the Ozarks
On the Other Side of the Hill
In The Land of the Big Red Apple
Little House on Rocky Ridge
Little Farm on the Ozarks
Faith – St Elizabeth’s Three CrownsJelly Bean Read:
Many of the Magic Ballerina setAudio
Princess – Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat

• Taking a break from All About Spelling with the younger children and using Schonell’s Spelling book instead.  A great little book, 3200 common words, grouped in families and an easy way for the children to build on their spelling skills. JB and JJ are ready to increase their ‘weekly word count’.
• Princess has been focusing on lists of words for ‘Secondary Students’, a good stretch for my competent speller
• Michelangelo Schonell AAS

• Jack Jack still begins and continues his letters incorrectly. End result is neat but still….trying to get him to correct.
• Jem should be practising more regularly but truth is I’m prioritising his Sacramental Preparation and reading at present.

• Finally having the grammar lessons and conversations I’ve long dreamed of with the older children. Using an old text, English for Australian Schools – Ridout, Book 5 (Grade 11), I’m finding ‘teaching’ the lessons with the two of our teens together most effective. At this stage we are focusing on vocabulary and the words and exercises are a stretch, which is wonderful. I have an extensive vocabulary but some words have stretched me.  Using the older texts highlights the quality of education of yesteryear.
• Continue to be happy with the older Australian grammar texts I’m using with Jelly Bean and Jack Jack, a great mix of focuses. Both children impress me with their understanding, I expected them to struggle with some concepts but they haven’t, they often listen in to each other’s lessons and contribute, they really enjoy grammar.
• I’ve tried to start Jem with grammar but really he’s not ready, at this stage his time would be best spent focusing on his reading anyhow.

• Have been using The Lively Art of Writing – Lucile Vaughan Payne with Michelangelo and Princess.  Reading through the chapters together and the children then doing the exercises. I’ve been most happy with their writing ability but the chapters are rather long and even though I’m skimming and condensing I know Princess in particular is finding it too much of a stretch, I’m losing her. In our last lesson we’ve been focusing on thesis statements and she’s really not getting it, she’s a couple of years younger than Michelangelo, which is a factor. My new plan is for me to pre-read the chapter and then just ‘teach’ the content in my words so she’s not lost by the chapter end, as the concepts are brilliant.
•  Encouraging the younger children to write a couple of short stories a week. For the boys I’m scribing, it encourages them to focus on story plots, sequence of events, probability (or not;)
•  JB’s writing voice has suddenly become more mature which is wonderful to see, I do wonder if there is a correlation between her independent reading and her writing maturity.  Is she writing better now she is immersing more in the written world? More aware of plots and development?
• A few weeks back I made small simple paper books for the boys, one of those ‘quick moments’ that lead to a deep learning immersion. You can’t plan those moments but you can jump aboard and enjoy the ride. JJ was so taken with his booklet that he became very engrossed in ‘writing a book’ for the next couple of weeks. Using the ladybird reader on the story of the Three Little Pigs, he copied much of the story but added twists and turns and planned a different ending. He lived and dreamed that book, taking it to bed with him, his constant companion, he’d regale us with what he planned to write when he got to the point of deviation.  He never actually finished the book, maybe one day, but a writer ‘was born’ during that period.

Maths

• The three younger children have been concentrating on learning their times tables, with the assistance of youtube, though I admit hearing them rap out throughout the day “Yo bro, you know the score, 2 x 2 = 4” is a little disconcerting.
• All three are also feeling too challenged and therefore unmotivated to undertake their lessons, needing a little tlc, so I have been sitting with them and encouraging and walking them through the lessons.
• Princess ‘hit a wall with her maths’ so took herself back and is revising some of her work from her earlier years to find the missing pieces.  I’m impressed with her initiative and diligence.
• Michelangelo has been focusing on statistics, tax fees etc

 Science 

• Princess has been learning about The World Environment: pollution, endangered animals, the effects of war on the environment and other environmental issues, she is finding it interesting and for a child who’s not that interested in scientific matters that’s rather exciting.
• Michelangelo has continued reading Science Matters (fantastic book) and watching youtubes on Quantam Mechanics.
• Reading through Wonderland of Nature by Nuri Mass with the younger children. They are rather engaged, particularly Jem. One day he announced that he’d “like to be a bee, a princess bee ’cause prince bees die quickly.” Priceless conversations.

• Children focusing on learning the counties and capitals of various continents, the older children learnt all of South America and are now memorising African  nations. The younger children focused on Australia. Checked their knowledge with pop quizzes at the end of the weeks.
• This then led to an interest in other map knowledge and now has evolved for some into flag knowledge too.  They have been deeply engaged in online geography games, an interactive, engaging way to learn with no tears:)
• Reasonably happy with the couple of sites we are using but I wish they had sound for pronunciation. Anyone have any sites to recommend?

History

• Reading John of the Sirius – Doris Chadwick for Australian history with the younger children, as always excellent and dearly loved.  We’re close to finishing and then plan to read the sequels.
• History for the older children has fallen to the wayside, so I need to keep my ‘finger on the pulse’ a little better with them.  Not overly worried though with Michelangelo as in the past he has devoured audios and books on history, he is a history buff, at present much of his energies are ‘all things science’.  Princess however, whilst a living book fan does need to broaden her general knowledge.

• Our local homeschool group has engaged a drama teacher this term and we are having weekly workshops.  The teacher is brilliant, the children are loving this opporutunity and we’ll complete the Term with a play.
• Drawing as always is a passion with children
• Extra curricula of dance lessons and soccer training are happening.