Wednesdays are light on the curriculum because Wednesdays are always my husband's day off of work. When he's home, our daily routines are thrown askew. I accommodate the unpredictability of Wednesdays by keeping our workload light and focusing on adventure and relaxation. We do pick up Saturday as a school day so we end up doing even more work than the public school during a week. Just don't tell Reo that.
English Literature:
Reo began reading his Sunshine State Book, Tesla's Attic, Book One of the Accelerati Trilogy by Neal Shusterman and Eric Elfman and we discussed his first impressions of the book.
Mathematics:
Reo earned a couple new medals on Khan Academy for Pre-algebra. We call that an easy day. I take advantage of the Classroom/Coach features in Khan Academy to monitor and assist all my kids through their Khan Academy based learning. While it is not the core of Reo's curriculum, it is a great tool praised by public, private, and homeschools throughout the United States.
Music:
We began talking about the history of music on our continent with the original people on this continent, the Anishinaabeg, from the Great Lakes region. Instead of delving into the Classical composers right away, I wanted to give Reo a knowledge for how intimate and vital music is to cultural and personal identity. We outlined the uses of music for the Ojibwe people and the strength it gave them. We listened to some of the ceremonial music that is still performed today and discussed how it made Reo feel to listen to that music.
Creative Writing:
Yay! Journal writing! He was just as happy with it today as he was yesterday. Reo did find a subject to write about after a few minutes of thought. I haven't reviewed his journal but I know he contributed a substantial amount of words today.
The rest of the day was a Teacher Planning Day. Under normal circumstances, I would have launched Adventure Class for the remainder of the Wednesday, but last night after my daughter's softball practice, my right ear clogged up. I've been in pain and unable to hear out of that ear all day. Adventure Class will likely take place on Sunday when I drag everybody to the beach with me for an overdue and sorely needed Relaxation Day. In the meanwhile, I got a number of U.S. History quizzes ready for upcoming lessons and got us prepared for the remainder of the week. Allons-y!
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Today's Lessons
While Reo is on break for a healthy lunch followed by an hour-long cooldown period where he gets to play a video game for 30 minutes and then spend 30 minutes outside enjoying a beautiful Florida day that actually isn't raining, I thought I'd submit the outline of our work today.
Mathematics:
Ratios, review quiz 12 problems
He does so ever love doing math first thing. I think this is the only time Reo ever complains about school work. Getting the engine going first thing in the morning is always a pain for us natural nightowls. We covered ratios, where we worked together to define the formula and ran through four sample problems before he demonstrated that he could work ratios without my assistance. I let him complete a quiz sheet of 12 problems downloaded from a homeschool math website. Next time, I'll remember to record links so I can share what I'm using.
Science:
Introduction to Botany
Reo loves gardening. Snapdragons are his favorite flowers. He gets a real sense of accomplishment and enjoys the daily responsibility to caring after plants. I thought this would be a great opportunity to start a year of botany where he can delve into the science of what he enjoys. It will provide him a greater understanding of the world around him and enhance his gardening experience. We reviewed what botany is in the science world and what his upcoming curriculum will be. He is excited that many lab assignments involve gardening and plant identification. I have a considerable amount of support for lesson ideas that work Reo outside the box thanks to my mother, who is an amature botanist and expert landscape artist.
Social Studies:
Introduction to Ancient Greece
Last year, Reo learned about Ancient Egypt in an uniquely planned theme curriculum that immersed him in Ancient Egyptian culture. This year, we will explore Ancient Greece as a people and a culture. Reo will learn much of the same that he learned about Ancient Egypt but not with a full immersion of all subjects. Today we talked about how influential Ancient Greece was on the world, permanently leaving an impression for centuries. We took a brief review of the syllabus. Reo will have weekly quizzes about the weekly lessons and will need to write final essays for each subject in lieu of a dry, boring test.
English:
Assign book, allot reading time
This is part of the afternoon's work so it hasn't happened, yet. I have a list of ten Sunshine State Books. Sunshine State Books is a reading list approved for Florida's public educational system. I have narrowed this list to ten age-appropriate books at his nineth grade reading level and included a brief summary of each so he can better make a decision on which book to read first. By the end of the year, Reo will have read all ten and written book reports for each. He could read more than ten books in a school year, but I'm going to slow his reading pace by engaging in discussion about the book, comparing it to other books he's read, and taking a closer, deeper look at the literature.
History:
Revolutionary era, review quiz
This is part of the afternoon's work so it hasn't happened, yet. We have been in the process of learning about the Revolutionary era of U.S. History. From its colonial uprising through the organization of the nation in its early decades, Reo is engaging in depth about the facts and personalities. When we started these lessons a few weeks ago, I felt bad that I was just now getting him the details and facts in fifth grade since I consider U.S. History and Civics mandatory education to create an informed and engaged electorate and government from children as they grow into adults. However, I have learned that only snippets of what Reo is learning this year is taught in Florida's eighth grade public school curriculum. High school has a bit more but still not what Reo is learning. As a result, my college freshman and my eighth grader will be taking these quizzes and tests. I am using Google Forms, so my friends will also be provided access for their own amusement and edification. Today, we will delve into the first Continental Congress, including dates, location, participants, issues, and decisions. I like to teach U.S. History and Civics with a lot of "Why" answers. Anyone can recite dates and times. An informed voter and a critical thinker understands why things are the way that they are. In the past, we have covered the colonies, The Boston Massacre, the Boston Massacre Trial, John Adams, colonial protest issues, and the British response to colonial protests.
Creative Writing:
Weekly Journal, allot fanfic writing time
This is part of the afternoon's work so it hasn't happened, yet. Reo doesn't like the weekly journal and I don't blame him. Anytime there was a journal assignment in a writing class through my school years, there was always a percentage of the class who groaned at the task. I understand that there is pressure to just write something and how the mind can go blank. As I understood then and still understand now about these journal assignments, the teacher does not care what the subject matter is. The assignment is to freely write, to learn how to process your thoughts into written word. Reo would rather write World of Warcraft fanfic and since he's being creative and enthusiastic about it, I definitely want him to have the time to do what he likes.
While we're not covering it today, there is still an Adventure Class, where we explore the world, apply what we know, and learn more.
Mathematics:
Ratios, review quiz 12 problems
He does so ever love doing math first thing. I think this is the only time Reo ever complains about school work. Getting the engine going first thing in the morning is always a pain for us natural nightowls. We covered ratios, where we worked together to define the formula and ran through four sample problems before he demonstrated that he could work ratios without my assistance. I let him complete a quiz sheet of 12 problems downloaded from a homeschool math website. Next time, I'll remember to record links so I can share what I'm using.
Science:
Introduction to Botany
Reo loves gardening. Snapdragons are his favorite flowers. He gets a real sense of accomplishment and enjoys the daily responsibility to caring after plants. I thought this would be a great opportunity to start a year of botany where he can delve into the science of what he enjoys. It will provide him a greater understanding of the world around him and enhance his gardening experience. We reviewed what botany is in the science world and what his upcoming curriculum will be. He is excited that many lab assignments involve gardening and plant identification. I have a considerable amount of support for lesson ideas that work Reo outside the box thanks to my mother, who is an amature botanist and expert landscape artist.
Social Studies:
Introduction to Ancient Greece
Last year, Reo learned about Ancient Egypt in an uniquely planned theme curriculum that immersed him in Ancient Egyptian culture. This year, we will explore Ancient Greece as a people and a culture. Reo will learn much of the same that he learned about Ancient Egypt but not with a full immersion of all subjects. Today we talked about how influential Ancient Greece was on the world, permanently leaving an impression for centuries. We took a brief review of the syllabus. Reo will have weekly quizzes about the weekly lessons and will need to write final essays for each subject in lieu of a dry, boring test.
English:
Assign book, allot reading time
This is part of the afternoon's work so it hasn't happened, yet. I have a list of ten Sunshine State Books. Sunshine State Books is a reading list approved for Florida's public educational system. I have narrowed this list to ten age-appropriate books at his nineth grade reading level and included a brief summary of each so he can better make a decision on which book to read first. By the end of the year, Reo will have read all ten and written book reports for each. He could read more than ten books in a school year, but I'm going to slow his reading pace by engaging in discussion about the book, comparing it to other books he's read, and taking a closer, deeper look at the literature.
History:
Revolutionary era, review quiz
This is part of the afternoon's work so it hasn't happened, yet. We have been in the process of learning about the Revolutionary era of U.S. History. From its colonial uprising through the organization of the nation in its early decades, Reo is engaging in depth about the facts and personalities. When we started these lessons a few weeks ago, I felt bad that I was just now getting him the details and facts in fifth grade since I consider U.S. History and Civics mandatory education to create an informed and engaged electorate and government from children as they grow into adults. However, I have learned that only snippets of what Reo is learning this year is taught in Florida's eighth grade public school curriculum. High school has a bit more but still not what Reo is learning. As a result, my college freshman and my eighth grader will be taking these quizzes and tests. I am using Google Forms, so my friends will also be provided access for their own amusement and edification. Today, we will delve into the first Continental Congress, including dates, location, participants, issues, and decisions. I like to teach U.S. History and Civics with a lot of "Why" answers. Anyone can recite dates and times. An informed voter and a critical thinker understands why things are the way that they are. In the past, we have covered the colonies, The Boston Massacre, the Boston Massacre Trial, John Adams, colonial protest issues, and the British response to colonial protests.
Creative Writing:
Weekly Journal, allot fanfic writing time
This is part of the afternoon's work so it hasn't happened, yet. Reo doesn't like the weekly journal and I don't blame him. Anytime there was a journal assignment in a writing class through my school years, there was always a percentage of the class who groaned at the task. I understand that there is pressure to just write something and how the mind can go blank. As I understood then and still understand now about these journal assignments, the teacher does not care what the subject matter is. The assignment is to freely write, to learn how to process your thoughts into written word. Reo would rather write World of Warcraft fanfic and since he's being creative and enthusiastic about it, I definitely want him to have the time to do what he likes.
While we're not covering it today, there is still an Adventure Class, where we explore the world, apply what we know, and learn more.
A traumatic encounter with an anti-homeschool judge and temporarily losing my child
This is a particularly difficult post to write.
As last updated in this poorly maintained blog, I was homeschooling two of my children, the fourth grade Reo and the ninth grade DrS. While Reo was always cooperative and enjoyed excelling, DrS fought tooth and nail against completing his assigned work. He did complete it. He was not exceptional in his progress but I believe he faired better than he would have in public school. He also learned that homeschool wasn't the free ride he fantasized it would be. There was equal, if not more, demand for study and performance. He asked to return to public school and of course I obliged.
His father has had absolutely no contact with him outside of visitations that I pay for him to have in our son's fifteen years on the planet. Seriously, the man wasn't even there when DrS was born. His father is a continued alcoholic who is unemployed and living in his parents' basement. He is thousands in child support arrears. All of a sudden, his father decides that I'm an unfit mother. He makes up an incredible list of offenses, from claiming that my home was filthy with animal feces, to claiming he had pictures from Florida DCFS, to saying I have never taken my child to a doctor or dentist, to saying I have no education and was providing our son no education in homeschool.
I was blindsided by these accusations. I had no attorney and I was 1300 miles and more time than I had away from having the evidence necessary to stomp all this fiction into the ground. The judge was demonstrably anti-homeschool. Despite my ex-husband being the only one who claimed I was never educated and others, including our son, saying clearly that I was college educated, she settled that there was simply no way to know for sure. She firmly believed that my son, who had passed the ninth grade via standardized testing and homeschool portfolio in accordance with Florida law, was never educated, never attended a public school at any point in time, and I was to blame for withholding legally mandated education from him.
At the end of this legal mess, I will deserve an apology for this outrageous character assassination and verbal abuse from the court and I will certainly never receive it.
I am still homeschooling Reo, who is working on sixth and seventh grade curriculum during his fifth grade year. We live in Florida and even though the Illinois court likes to throw its weight around with ridiculous ways to defend my abuser and rapist as some kind of engaged and suitable parent regarding DrS, I have been married to Reo's dad for many years and no court can prevent Reo from having an advanced and fulfilling education until he decides to return to public school.
At this time, I do not have legal representation in Illinois. Illinois lawyers are expensive and, unlike Florida attorneys, they have this cruel attitude that I can't describe very well, but I can tell you that it cuts into the heart. It's taking time to choose the right professional and, unfortunately, I don't have a lot of time. DrS is already suffering under his father's care.
I will be updating this blog more, if for no other reason than to clearly and publicly document how indepth and demanding a homeschool curriculum is with me in personal defense of what I've just suffered at the hands of anti-homeschool ignorance. Don't get me wrong, Reo has fun, but this isn't a layabout vacation where he does what he pleases and doesn't absorb a considerable amount of information that surpasses that of his peers. The only area where Reo is sorely lacking is handwriting. The boy might have a future as a doctor!
As last updated in this poorly maintained blog, I was homeschooling two of my children, the fourth grade Reo and the ninth grade DrS. While Reo was always cooperative and enjoyed excelling, DrS fought tooth and nail against completing his assigned work. He did complete it. He was not exceptional in his progress but I believe he faired better than he would have in public school. He also learned that homeschool wasn't the free ride he fantasized it would be. There was equal, if not more, demand for study and performance. He asked to return to public school and of course I obliged.
His father has had absolutely no contact with him outside of visitations that I pay for him to have in our son's fifteen years on the planet. Seriously, the man wasn't even there when DrS was born. His father is a continued alcoholic who is unemployed and living in his parents' basement. He is thousands in child support arrears. All of a sudden, his father decides that I'm an unfit mother. He makes up an incredible list of offenses, from claiming that my home was filthy with animal feces, to claiming he had pictures from Florida DCFS, to saying I have never taken my child to a doctor or dentist, to saying I have no education and was providing our son no education in homeschool.
I was blindsided by these accusations. I had no attorney and I was 1300 miles and more time than I had away from having the evidence necessary to stomp all this fiction into the ground. The judge was demonstrably anti-homeschool. Despite my ex-husband being the only one who claimed I was never educated and others, including our son, saying clearly that I was college educated, she settled that there was simply no way to know for sure. She firmly believed that my son, who had passed the ninth grade via standardized testing and homeschool portfolio in accordance with Florida law, was never educated, never attended a public school at any point in time, and I was to blame for withholding legally mandated education from him.
At the end of this legal mess, I will deserve an apology for this outrageous character assassination and verbal abuse from the court and I will certainly never receive it.
I am still homeschooling Reo, who is working on sixth and seventh grade curriculum during his fifth grade year. We live in Florida and even though the Illinois court likes to throw its weight around with ridiculous ways to defend my abuser and rapist as some kind of engaged and suitable parent regarding DrS, I have been married to Reo's dad for many years and no court can prevent Reo from having an advanced and fulfilling education until he decides to return to public school.
At this time, I do not have legal representation in Illinois. Illinois lawyers are expensive and, unlike Florida attorneys, they have this cruel attitude that I can't describe very well, but I can tell you that it cuts into the heart. It's taking time to choose the right professional and, unfortunately, I don't have a lot of time. DrS is already suffering under his father's care.
I will be updating this blog more, if for no other reason than to clearly and publicly document how indepth and demanding a homeschool curriculum is with me in personal defense of what I've just suffered at the hands of anti-homeschool ignorance. Don't get me wrong, Reo has fun, but this isn't a layabout vacation where he does what he pleases and doesn't absorb a considerable amount of information that surpasses that of his peers. The only area where Reo is sorely lacking is handwriting. The boy might have a future as a doctor!
Thursday, January 15, 2015
No Opinion Required
Exploring Early American history, DrS was given a lecture on the life and work of Alexander Hamilton. I give open forum lectures, allowing interruption with questions and comments, especially jokes. This encourages an engaged dialogue which fosters learning and sparks an interest in the subject matter beyond the lecture and documenting test.
This lesson continues for a couple hours while we explore the complexity and humanity of Alexander Hamilton's life, accomplishments, and mistakes. He was not the villaneous schemer portrayed in HBO's mini-series, John Adams, nor was he any kind of angel. Like any individual, Alexander Hamilton was affected by life experience and the people around him.
As we conclude, DrS says, "I don't know what the message is here. Am I supposed to like him or not like him?"
Personally, I like Alexander Hamilton. Not everyone has the same opinion as me. So, I teach facts, not opinions. There are more than enough facts about Hamilton's life and work that my opinion is entirely irrelevant to the lesson. DrS has to form his own opinion.
The following hour was a discussion about his opinion on various aspects of Hamilton's triumphs and failures. DrS will only be tested on the facts.
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Road Trip
DrS and myself have to go on a road trip so he can spend the holiday with his paternal family. This involves a lot of driving on my part, a lot of whining on my ex-husband's part, and a lot of data usage on DrS's part.
This also means that homeschool is officially/unofficially on holiday break. Except that DrS and I are leaving on Monday and Reo isn't going on break until Wednesday. So, with my oldest son - an eighteen year-old public high school senior - on break for the week and the husband continuing to work from home, I can enlist the help of substitute teachers for two days of valuable learning.
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| It feels a lot like this but it's actually much, much worse. |
This can be best achieved with more traditional methods so these men can plug 'n play teacher with no difficulty and Reo can complete tasks without much assistance or additional guidance.
In Geography and History, Reo is going to learn the US State capitals as well as the capital cities of Ancient Egypt. Unfortunately, I haven't found any handouts or worksheets that are suitable for learning the Ancient Egyptian capitals and their unique qualities so I've been writing this material this evening. This is not the first time that I've had to structure my own curriculum so I could teach the appropriate information, but this is the first time I've had to create an original and informative hand-out that anyone could read and understand as a solitary lesson.
If I'm in the position to do this more often, especially if Reo responds positively to this format, I will likely create a folder in my Google Drive to share these docs. Time will tell.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Insomnia. I have a cure for that!
The fourteen year-old homeschooler, who shall be known as DrS, has been suffering from Summer Vacation-itis since homeschooling began. His schedule has crept into nightowl territory. The Facebook status updates noted at 3am were a big tip-off that he was headed in the wrong direction. This is something I do not want happening, but insomnia can't be turned off like a switch.
When Reo has difficulty sleeping, I take away the laptop and restrict the use of his Kindle Fire to just reading books. No videos, no games. While he enjoys reading, there's something about reading in bed at the end of the day that really puts him out for the night.
It's not that simple for DrS, who can be kept awake all night with a good book.
So, I gave him one of my favorite books from one of my favorite authors:
Who is the monster and who is the man?
Notre-Dame de Paris, or The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, by Victor Hugo is one of my favorite novels. I have been in awe of the dynamics, the moral and ethic challenges that he posits for people in positions of power versus those who are in a less privileged circumstance, and the way Hugo unfurls the heavy curtain that covers the corruption, greed, and base gutteral humanity of those who present themselves as most pious. You are meant to read his words about his beloved France and then apply them to your own world, then challenge it. Disney's talking gargoyles nowhere to be found.
So, to make sure DrS reads it, I've assigned it. He must read the novel and write a full book review by the end of the second quarter.
In the meanwhile, I think Hugo's knack for sharing the detail of every inch of architecture present in the buildings of his beautiful city will really help DrS out with that insomnia and get his circandian rhythm back on track.
When Reo has difficulty sleeping, I take away the laptop and restrict the use of his Kindle Fire to just reading books. No videos, no games. While he enjoys reading, there's something about reading in bed at the end of the day that really puts him out for the night.
It's not that simple for DrS, who can be kept awake all night with a good book.
So, I gave him one of my favorite books from one of my favorite authors:
 |
| Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo [Buy it here] |
Notre-Dame de Paris, or The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, by Victor Hugo is one of my favorite novels. I have been in awe of the dynamics, the moral and ethic challenges that he posits for people in positions of power versus those who are in a less privileged circumstance, and the way Hugo unfurls the heavy curtain that covers the corruption, greed, and base gutteral humanity of those who present themselves as most pious. You are meant to read his words about his beloved France and then apply them to your own world, then challenge it. Disney's talking gargoyles nowhere to be found.
So, to make sure DrS reads it, I've assigned it. He must read the novel and write a full book review by the end of the second quarter.
In the meanwhile, I think Hugo's knack for sharing the detail of every inch of architecture present in the buildings of his beautiful city will really help DrS out with that insomnia and get his circandian rhythm back on track.
Monday, October 27, 2014
New Student
After reviewing my posts, I am surprised that I have not mentioned this, yet. My fourteen year old has decided to homeschool. He is my child with high-functioning autism and there were a few aspects of this school year that were very difficult for him to connect and make work. Since I could see the pattern emerging where this turns into a downward spiral, I decided to allow him to remain home for his education and we'll see if we can work him ahead for the next school year.
To avoid the mess with a portfolio and remain in compliance with Florida's homeschooling laws, he is going to continue taking the FCAT. These scores will suffice for his academic achievement for the school year.
I have not consulted him for a blog pseudonym at this time so he will remain nameless until I do.
I've picked up a reputable Algebra I textbook and keep him working on Khan Academy for his mathematics. It is important to me that he completes and excels at both Algebra I and Geometry before the next school year begins.
He remains ahead in both history and science so I'm finding it difficult to challenge him. I have finally decided on an assignment for this quarter.
To avoid the mess with a portfolio and remain in compliance with Florida's homeschooling laws, he is going to continue taking the FCAT. These scores will suffice for his academic achievement for the school year.
I have not consulted him for a blog pseudonym at this time so he will remain nameless until I do.
I've picked up a reputable Algebra I textbook and keep him working on Khan Academy for his mathematics. It is important to me that he completes and excels at both Algebra I and Geometry before the next school year begins.
He remains ahead in both history and science so I'm finding it difficult to challenge him. I have finally decided on an assignment for this quarter.
First Quarter Essay Assignment
Compare and Contrast two Nations geographically located on two different continents. These nations can be from different eras and do not need to exist during the same period of time. They should be superficially distinct from each other.
- Include a general review of history, culture, religion, political climate, and governments, then choose a specific aspect to compare/contrast for these nations, explain why your chosen aspect is significant for each nation.
- Cover the ways in which these nations are similar to and are different from each other in the chosen aspect.
- Include 3 graphic aids that are relevant and help illustrate the information of the essay.
- Minimum 4,000 words, Maximum 6,000 words.
- Spelling, grammar, and vocabulary will impact your grade. To get more information on how to write at a 10th grade level, use:
http://www.azed.gov/standards-practices/files/2011/09/grade10.pdf
- Cite sources using CMS. To reference how to use this citation style properly, use:
* access this assignment sheet through Google Docs to easily follow links.
To Build Your Essay Properly
Contributing work should include*:
- Notes of material to use with citations
- Outline with revisions through writing drafts
- First Draft
- Second Draft
* does not need to be included with essay assignment
Completed Essay Due: November 21.
Subject Credits:
History
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Social Studies
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Political Science
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Geography
|
I was impressed with his interest and eagerness to begin. He was impatient while I typed out the requirements and details of the assignment for him. Giving a young teen with HFA so much freedom to learn and write will yield positive results. And, just to make sure he doesn't slack, I reminded him that I will fail him and he will end up repeating the nineth grade, if he does not do his assignments on time and as expected. That is a choice he makes, not me. HFA kids are not lazy. Sometimes they feel overwhelmed or exhausted by a project and will become slap-dash to be done with it. While this essay is not easy, he's well within his realm of ability. By providing him the ability to choose his own elements and focus for this essay, I've empowered him the ability to write well over 6,000 words. I know he will learn editing skills with this assignment.
Overall, I'm pleased with my new student. He's getting along with his little brother very well and is assisting in Reo's lessons, as well as taking a positive energy with his own education and work. This is becoming a tremendous homeschooling year!
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