As an end of the school year activity, I had Sparkle take the DORA (Diagnostic Online Reading Assessment) test at the Let's Go Learn web site.
I got the test through homeschoolbuyers-coop, for $15 plus a $1 service fee. You can take the test within minutes of placing your order. The results are available immediately. The test took about an hour for Sparkle to complete. (I gave her the test during Glitter's naptime to reduce distractions.)
The DORA test is criterion-referenced, rather than norm-referenced. That means that a student's scores are reported as grade level equivalents, rather than percentages. Most states that require testing for homeschoolers require a nationally normed test, so this test wouldn't satisfy that requirement. Fortunately, I'm not required to test Sparkle; I just did it for us.
DORA is a computer adaptive test. It chooses which test questions to present based on how well the student does on previous questions. The test covers kindergarten through 12th grade. Thus, you can test out-of-grade level.
The test has several sub-tests. For high frequency words, word recognition, and word analysis (phonics) the computer says a word and presents four written choices. The child has to click the word that was said. For Phonemic awareness, the computer gives instructions, and then four talking heads say different answers, and the child has to click the head that said the correct answer. For oral vocabulary, the computer says a word and presents four pictures. The child clicks the picture that best represents the spoken word. The spelling section is the only part that isn't multiple choice - the computer says a word and the child has to spell it using an onscreen keyboard, or the actual keyboard. For reading comprehension, the child reads a passage and then answers multiple choice questions based on the passage.
Overall, I was pleased with the testing. Sparkle assumed it was a game, even though I told her it was important to do her best. The test results helped me because they put her asynchronous development into concrete terms.
I'll do a few things differently whenever I have Sparkle take the test again. (1) On the timed portion of the test, I'll make sure to tell Sparkle that it is more important to go fast than to click the bouncing fly in the exact middle. (2) I'll make sure that Sparkle has more practice using a computer mouse so that she won't have errors due to poor mouse skills. (3) If Sparkle gets tired again, I'll save the reading comprehension section for another day.
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Lunchtime listening: redoing Jack & Jill
We finished "A Little Princess" at lunchtime listening. I found myself getting a bit teary-eyed at the sad parts, even thought I've known the story for years.
Next I decided instead of moving on to a new story, we'd revisit one we've heard before. I figured that these stories are so rich that they bear listening to over again. The girls chose "Jack and Jill" by Louisa May Alcott. It has 24 chapters, so we're set for another month or more. Glitter picked it because of the nursery rhyme "Jack and Jill went up the hill ...."; she didn't remember the story at all. Sparkle did better. She actually remembered that it was about a boy and girl that went sledding and got hurt.
I was reminded of one of the reasons that I chose to start repeated listening by a library book I just got: "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell. Malcom Gladwell has probably influenced my homeschooling more than an other non-homeschooling author. In "The Tipping Point" he explains the success of the tv show Blue's Clues. In a nutshell, kids pay attention to, learn from, and enjoy things that they understand. Children repeatedly watch (and learn from) Blue's Clues because the show has layers of meanings. With each viewing the kids understand more and more of the show. Older kids get bored and tune out because they don't get the same revealing of extra meaning with each iteration.
Quality literature has that same richness of layered meaning. By reading or listening to the story over again, we can extract more meaning and enjoyment from it. The first time we listen we get the general gist of the story - the plot, the characters, the setting, etc. With repeated listening we can give more attention to the nuances of the story, the literary devices, and other choices the author has woven together to form a pleasing whole.
Next I decided instead of moving on to a new story, we'd revisit one we've heard before. I figured that these stories are so rich that they bear listening to over again. The girls chose "Jack and Jill" by Louisa May Alcott. It has 24 chapters, so we're set for another month or more. Glitter picked it because of the nursery rhyme "Jack and Jill went up the hill ...."; she didn't remember the story at all. Sparkle did better. She actually remembered that it was about a boy and girl that went sledding and got hurt.
I was reminded of one of the reasons that I chose to start repeated listening by a library book I just got: "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell. Malcom Gladwell has probably influenced my homeschooling more than an other non-homeschooling author. In "The Tipping Point" he explains the success of the tv show Blue's Clues. In a nutshell, kids pay attention to, learn from, and enjoy things that they understand. Children repeatedly watch (and learn from) Blue's Clues because the show has layers of meanings. With each viewing the kids understand more and more of the show. Older kids get bored and tune out because they don't get the same revealing of extra meaning with each iteration.
Quality literature has that same richness of layered meaning. By reading or listening to the story over again, we can extract more meaning and enjoyment from it. The first time we listen we get the general gist of the story - the plot, the characters, the setting, etc. With repeated listening we can give more attention to the nuances of the story, the literary devices, and other choices the author has woven together to form a pleasing whole.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
I survived my first year homeschooling
A friend posted a kindergarten analysis on her blog, and I thought, "what a great idea." So, here goes.
I thoroughly enjoyed homeschooling this year, even though I ended up completely ditching my original plans. This was our first year homeschooling, and it was an experiment. At the beginning of the year, we didn't even know if we'd continue past kindergarten.
Last summer, I had everything planned out. For English, we'd finish "The Reading Lesson" and then move to "Spell to Write and Read." For math, we'd do RightStart Math. Then we'd snuggle up with a book and do "Five in a Row" for social studies, science, and art. Short and simple. Sounds good, right?
The first part of the plan to go was "Five in a Row" (FIAR). It didn't even make it to the official start of school. I had tried doing a couple of books in the summer before school started. Sparkle loved listening to the picture books, but didn't want any part of the discussions. I also didn't want to put in the effort for the extras that make FIAR fun (extra books, crafts, activities). So I put all the FIAR manuals and books on a shelf for later and decided that it would be okay to skip those subjects for kindergarten.
We finished "The Reading Lesson," but "Spell to Write and Read" (SWR) only lasted about halfway through the year. Both of us hated SWR's lengthy process of dictating new words. I never used any of SWR's enrichments. Even though (or possibly because) Sparkle is a natural speller, I had trouble tracking and reviewing misspelled words. I also learned about studied dictation. I ended up switching to a homegrown spelling program of word analysis, copywork, and dictation. That program has since expanded into a language arts program.
"RightStart Math" lasted the longest. We're still using it, although I am looking for something else. We finished Level A in mid year and then continued to Level B. I still struggle with not knowing what we're doing for math until I open the book. Math is one of Sparkle's weakest subjects.
Throughout the year, I picked up and dropped several other curriculum and activities. Some lasted a few days, others lasted weeks or months, but I ultimately dropped all of them in mid stream. Drawing with Children, Mark Kistler's Draw Squad, Charlotte Mason picture study, Chinese for Children, Sonlight Kindergarten Core, McGuffey's Second Eclectic Reader, What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know, index card timeline, geography coloring sheets, me writing down Sparkle's dictations, drawn narrations.
The school year ended very differently from how it started:
Journal. Every day Sparkle draws a picture and writes a few words in her journal. I'm not involved at all, except to admire the results.
Daily worksheets. I got math drill worksheets from the internet and math word problems from "The Math Lesson". The McCall Harby book provides reading comprehension. We'll move on to the McCall Crabbs book when McCall Harby is done. We finished the Kumon tracing and maze books developed fine motor skills and hand-eye co-ordination. I threw in some critical thinking worksheets for good measure. Sparkle does her worksheets (mostly) independently, and then I go over any corrections with her.
Memory Work. I went through half a dozen different memory work systems. They all were too cumbersome until I found Anki. I connect the computer to the TV and just go through the deck. Once setup, Anki is really easy to use and maintain. Anki is so easy that I've moved everything that involves memorization or review to it: spelling phonograms and rules, musical notes, social studies and science terminology, telling time, prapers, and Chinese vocabulary. Going forward, as we cover science and social studies topics, if any of them are in "A Dictionary of Cultural Literacy," I'll add those topics to memory work and not worry about the rest. Anki rocks!
Homegrown Spelling / Language Arts. I love my new spelling and language arts program. Spelling isn't Sparkle's favorite subject, but it is her best. Every day we do dictation, copywork, word analysis, and writing original sentences. Each day, Sparkle fills up one page of wide ruled paper, writing on every other line. Going forward, I'm looking to expand the language arts program by incorporating aspects of KISS Grammar.
Math. We're still with RightStart Math, but I'm starting to shop around for a different math curriculum. RightStart Math is working, but it doesn't feel "right" either.
Artistic Extras. For drawing, we've been slowly, slowly, slowly using "I Can Do All Things." For piano, we've been working slowly, slowly, slowly through a mix of Pianimals and songs from some other beginner books. If we did these subjects daily, Sparkle would probably learn more, but I'm lazy. Sparkle does plenty of drawing practice on her own time. She doesn't practice piano on her own, but might if we get to some songs she likes.
Chinese. I was working through Chinese for Children, but it wasn't working for us. Listening to the same lesson over and over got too boring. But we couldn't move on until the old stuff was mastered. I'm waiting for a new breakthrough in what to do. In the meantime we're just treading water by reviewing vocabulary in Anki. If I can easily incorporate audio in Anki, I think we'll be good to go.
History. We've been on again, off again going through Story of the World 1 (Ancients). History is Sparkle's favorite subject, even though we don't do anything but look at books. She reads the selection from SOTW. I read the corresponding part in the Usborne Ancient World book while Sparkle looks at the pictures. We look at the maps in the activity guide. I get library books from the lists in the activity guide, and Sparkle reads any that catch her interest. We might look at our pre-printed timeline.
Daily Enrichments: "Morning Music" is me playing something from my iPod or a music CD from the library during breakfast. We've listened to several of the Classical Kids CDs and I've started Themes to Remember. "Lunchtime Listening" is an audio book, usually from LibriVox during lunch. "Bedtime Book" is me reading a chapter book on the nights I put the girls down. Sparkle gives spontaneous narrations for Lunchtime Listening and Bedtime Book. If there is a CD in the boom box, she'll occassionally play it during the day.
Weekly Enrichments. Monday is the trip to the library, followed by a nature walk in the adjourning gardens. Tuesday is poetry teatime, a la BraveWriter. Wednesday is ballet. Over the summer, ballet will be on Monday, so our library trip and nature walk will be on Friday. In the fall, ballet will be on Thursday and we'll have homeschool group activities on Fridays, so the library & nature trip will change days again.
******************
There is no way that we could have started the school year doing even half of what we did at the end. Sparkle has really grown academically over the year, both in terms of what she can do and in the ability to focus on a task.
Sparkle started out reading above grade level, and she continues to be a strong reader. She is on the verge of making the transition to chapter books. One thing holding her back is her inability to use a bookmark.
Sparkle no longer needs to think about how to form the letters when writing. She is working on spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and most importantly, holding a thought in her head long enough to write it down.
Sparkle has moved away from needing physical objects to represent small numbers (under 20). She understands place value if she thinks about it. She can mentally add numbers within 20 and subtract within ten. On the abacus, she can add numbers up to four digits long, including trading.
Sparkle's drawings now include more than one object, and she sometimes colors them in. Arms and legs now have width, instead of being sticks. She also draws a greater range of objects - houses, mummies, and animals, although her favorite subject is still the family standing in a row.
Sparkle's narrations show greater understanding of the subject matter. Instead of parroting back whatever words she remembers, she is starting to pick out main ideas. She is also starting to be able to recall events in order - instead of telling about the end of the story and moving backward, she now starts at the beginning of the story and moves forward.
Other areas. Sparkle can read and play the notes in shared middle C position. She can read about 30 words in simplified Chinese characters, and make simple sentences of her own. She is learning to swim. As she is tall enough to stand up in the pool, she no longer needs flotation. She performed in her first ballet. She can make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by herself.
I've been blessed with such a wonderful child to parent and teach. Amazingly enough, most of her day is filled with playing with her sister.
I thoroughly enjoyed homeschooling this year, even though I ended up completely ditching my original plans. This was our first year homeschooling, and it was an experiment. At the beginning of the year, we didn't even know if we'd continue past kindergarten.
Last summer, I had everything planned out. For English, we'd finish "The Reading Lesson" and then move to "Spell to Write and Read." For math, we'd do RightStart Math. Then we'd snuggle up with a book and do "Five in a Row" for social studies, science, and art. Short and simple. Sounds good, right?
The first part of the plan to go was "Five in a Row" (FIAR). It didn't even make it to the official start of school. I had tried doing a couple of books in the summer before school started. Sparkle loved listening to the picture books, but didn't want any part of the discussions. I also didn't want to put in the effort for the extras that make FIAR fun (extra books, crafts, activities). So I put all the FIAR manuals and books on a shelf for later and decided that it would be okay to skip those subjects for kindergarten.
We finished "The Reading Lesson," but "Spell to Write and Read" (SWR) only lasted about halfway through the year. Both of us hated SWR's lengthy process of dictating new words. I never used any of SWR's enrichments. Even though (or possibly because) Sparkle is a natural speller, I had trouble tracking and reviewing misspelled words. I also learned about studied dictation. I ended up switching to a homegrown spelling program of word analysis, copywork, and dictation. That program has since expanded into a language arts program.
"RightStart Math" lasted the longest. We're still using it, although I am looking for something else. We finished Level A in mid year and then continued to Level B. I still struggle with not knowing what we're doing for math until I open the book. Math is one of Sparkle's weakest subjects.
Throughout the year, I picked up and dropped several other curriculum and activities. Some lasted a few days, others lasted weeks or months, but I ultimately dropped all of them in mid stream. Drawing with Children, Mark Kistler's Draw Squad, Charlotte Mason picture study, Chinese for Children, Sonlight Kindergarten Core, McGuffey's Second Eclectic Reader, What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know, index card timeline, geography coloring sheets, me writing down Sparkle's dictations, drawn narrations.
The school year ended very differently from how it started:
Journal. Every day Sparkle draws a picture and writes a few words in her journal. I'm not involved at all, except to admire the results.
Daily worksheets. I got math drill worksheets from the internet and math word problems from "The Math Lesson". The McCall Harby book provides reading comprehension. We'll move on to the McCall Crabbs book when McCall Harby is done. We finished the Kumon tracing and maze books developed fine motor skills and hand-eye co-ordination. I threw in some critical thinking worksheets for good measure. Sparkle does her worksheets (mostly) independently, and then I go over any corrections with her.
Memory Work. I went through half a dozen different memory work systems. They all were too cumbersome until I found Anki. I connect the computer to the TV and just go through the deck. Once setup, Anki is really easy to use and maintain. Anki is so easy that I've moved everything that involves memorization or review to it: spelling phonograms and rules, musical notes, social studies and science terminology, telling time, prapers, and Chinese vocabulary. Going forward, as we cover science and social studies topics, if any of them are in "A Dictionary of Cultural Literacy," I'll add those topics to memory work and not worry about the rest. Anki rocks!
Homegrown Spelling / Language Arts. I love my new spelling and language arts program. Spelling isn't Sparkle's favorite subject, but it is her best. Every day we do dictation, copywork, word analysis, and writing original sentences. Each day, Sparkle fills up one page of wide ruled paper, writing on every other line. Going forward, I'm looking to expand the language arts program by incorporating aspects of KISS Grammar.
Math. We're still with RightStart Math, but I'm starting to shop around for a different math curriculum. RightStart Math is working, but it doesn't feel "right" either.
Artistic Extras. For drawing, we've been slowly, slowly, slowly using "I Can Do All Things." For piano, we've been working slowly, slowly, slowly through a mix of Pianimals and songs from some other beginner books. If we did these subjects daily, Sparkle would probably learn more, but I'm lazy. Sparkle does plenty of drawing practice on her own time. She doesn't practice piano on her own, but might if we get to some songs she likes.
Chinese. I was working through Chinese for Children, but it wasn't working for us. Listening to the same lesson over and over got too boring. But we couldn't move on until the old stuff was mastered. I'm waiting for a new breakthrough in what to do. In the meantime we're just treading water by reviewing vocabulary in Anki. If I can easily incorporate audio in Anki, I think we'll be good to go.
History. We've been on again, off again going through Story of the World 1 (Ancients). History is Sparkle's favorite subject, even though we don't do anything but look at books. She reads the selection from SOTW. I read the corresponding part in the Usborne Ancient World book while Sparkle looks at the pictures. We look at the maps in the activity guide. I get library books from the lists in the activity guide, and Sparkle reads any that catch her interest. We might look at our pre-printed timeline.
Daily Enrichments: "Morning Music" is me playing something from my iPod or a music CD from the library during breakfast. We've listened to several of the Classical Kids CDs and I've started Themes to Remember. "Lunchtime Listening" is an audio book, usually from LibriVox during lunch. "Bedtime Book" is me reading a chapter book on the nights I put the girls down. Sparkle gives spontaneous narrations for Lunchtime Listening and Bedtime Book. If there is a CD in the boom box, she'll occassionally play it during the day.
Weekly Enrichments. Monday is the trip to the library, followed by a nature walk in the adjourning gardens. Tuesday is poetry teatime, a la BraveWriter. Wednesday is ballet. Over the summer, ballet will be on Monday, so our library trip and nature walk will be on Friday. In the fall, ballet will be on Thursday and we'll have homeschool group activities on Fridays, so the library & nature trip will change days again.
******************
There is no way that we could have started the school year doing even half of what we did at the end. Sparkle has really grown academically over the year, both in terms of what she can do and in the ability to focus on a task.
Sparkle started out reading above grade level, and she continues to be a strong reader. She is on the verge of making the transition to chapter books. One thing holding her back is her inability to use a bookmark.
Sparkle no longer needs to think about how to form the letters when writing. She is working on spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and most importantly, holding a thought in her head long enough to write it down.
Sparkle has moved away from needing physical objects to represent small numbers (under 20). She understands place value if she thinks about it. She can mentally add numbers within 20 and subtract within ten. On the abacus, she can add numbers up to four digits long, including trading.
Sparkle's drawings now include more than one object, and she sometimes colors them in. Arms and legs now have width, instead of being sticks. She also draws a greater range of objects - houses, mummies, and animals, although her favorite subject is still the family standing in a row.
Sparkle's narrations show greater understanding of the subject matter. Instead of parroting back whatever words she remembers, she is starting to pick out main ideas. She is also starting to be able to recall events in order - instead of telling about the end of the story and moving backward, she now starts at the beginning of the story and moves forward.
Other areas. Sparkle can read and play the notes in shared middle C position. She can read about 30 words in simplified Chinese characters, and make simple sentences of her own. She is learning to swim. As she is tall enough to stand up in the pool, she no longer needs flotation. She performed in her first ballet. She can make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by herself.
I've been blessed with such a wonderful child to parent and teach. Amazingly enough, most of her day is filled with playing with her sister.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Super Why
My girls watch SuperWhy every morning. I got them in the habit of watching TV in the morning before breakfast to keep them out of my hair, as I an not an early riser. The choice of program is primarily dictated by the PBS broadcast schedule, but I also figure that it's helping Glitter learn her letters.
In general, I try to tune the show out because I think that they mangle classic storylines, and they show the same episodes over and over and over again. However I overhead that there would be SuperWhy storytimes at various local libraries and then yesterday when I was at our library, I saw a flyer for its SuperWhy storytime. I don't know why I pointed the flyer out to Sparkle, but point it out I did, and she instantly wanted to go and suddenly SuperWhy was her favorite #1 show, even though she often complains about it.
Glitter would be in preschool during the storytime, but and Sparkle was a bit old for the storytime, but she seemed really eager to go. I was lothe to spend an hour at the storytime, but after talking to the children's librarian, I figured out a gimic that would make it worth my while. During storytime, the librarian would read a picture book of the "Little Red Hen" story and then show that SuperWhy episode. I told Sparkle that I would take her if she did enough morning school before the storytime and if she gave me a "compare and contract" report on the different versions of the story.
Here's Sparkle doing school in the back of the car in the library parking lot before the library opened.
After storytime, I had Sparkle tell me 5 ways the two stories were the same, 5 ways they were different, and which version was her favorite. Here are her answers. I was proud of her for coming up with all the answers on her own, without any hints, although I did have to ask for clarification on some.
* 5 Ways the Versions are the Same *
1) All the animals said "Not I."
2) The Little Red Hen had to do all the work.
3) The Little Red Hen had to bake the bread.
4) Both versions had a duck, a cat, and a pig.
5) There was a hen in both versions of the story.
*5 Ways the Versions are Different *
1) SuperWhy (the character) wasn't in the book.
2) The Little Red Hen had chicks in the TV version.
3) The Little Red Hen had corn in the book version and no corn in the SuperWhy version. In the SuperWhy version, AlphaPig grew corn.
4) In the SuperWhy version, SuperWhy got the Little Red Hen's friends to help.
5) In the book, the Little Red Hen ate the bread all by herself.
*Her Favorite Version and Why *
"I like the SuperWhy version better because I watch the SuperWhy TV show every morning."
* Bonus Activity *
I did a little bonus activity at the end. I had been writing down Sparkle's answers on a piece of paper. I asked her to look at my handwriting and eventually coaxed it out of her that it was really slopply handwriting. I pointed out badly shaped letters, incorrect capitalization, and scribbled out letters. Then I explained that it was okay to not have beautiful handwriting when the main purpose was to get the ideas from her head onto paper. (For school I insist that Sparkle try to form beautiful letters, but so far she doesn't have to handwrite anything original, just dictation, copywork, and math.)
So, all in all, I'm glad I went, even though I had to slip out of the meeting room for the program because I couldn't stomach watching SuperWhy twice in one day.
In general, I try to tune the show out because I think that they mangle classic storylines, and they show the same episodes over and over and over again. However I overhead that there would be SuperWhy storytimes at various local libraries and then yesterday when I was at our library, I saw a flyer for its SuperWhy storytime. I don't know why I pointed the flyer out to Sparkle, but point it out I did, and she instantly wanted to go and suddenly SuperWhy was her favorite #1 show, even though she often complains about it.
Glitter would be in preschool during the storytime, but and Sparkle was a bit old for the storytime, but she seemed really eager to go. I was lothe to spend an hour at the storytime, but after talking to the children's librarian, I figured out a gimic that would make it worth my while. During storytime, the librarian would read a picture book of the "Little Red Hen" story and then show that SuperWhy episode. I told Sparkle that I would take her if she did enough morning school before the storytime and if she gave me a "compare and contract" report on the different versions of the story.
Here's Sparkle doing school in the back of the car in the library parking lot before the library opened.
After storytime, I had Sparkle tell me 5 ways the two stories were the same, 5 ways they were different, and which version was her favorite. Here are her answers. I was proud of her for coming up with all the answers on her own, without any hints, although I did have to ask for clarification on some.
* 5 Ways the Versions are the Same *
1) All the animals said "Not I."
2) The Little Red Hen had to do all the work.
3) The Little Red Hen had to bake the bread.
4) Both versions had a duck, a cat, and a pig.
5) There was a hen in both versions of the story.
*5 Ways the Versions are Different *
1) SuperWhy (the character) wasn't in the book.
2) The Little Red Hen had chicks in the TV version.
3) The Little Red Hen had corn in the book version and no corn in the SuperWhy version. In the SuperWhy version, AlphaPig grew corn.
4) In the SuperWhy version, SuperWhy got the Little Red Hen's friends to help.
5) In the book, the Little Red Hen ate the bread all by herself.
*Her Favorite Version and Why *
"I like the SuperWhy version better because I watch the SuperWhy TV show every morning."
* Bonus Activity *
I did a little bonus activity at the end. I had been writing down Sparkle's answers on a piece of paper. I asked her to look at my handwriting and eventually coaxed it out of her that it was really slopply handwriting. I pointed out badly shaped letters, incorrect capitalization, and scribbled out letters. Then I explained that it was okay to not have beautiful handwriting when the main purpose was to get the ideas from her head onto paper. (For school I insist that Sparkle try to form beautiful letters, but so far she doesn't have to handwrite anything original, just dictation, copywork, and math.)
So, all in all, I'm glad I went, even though I had to slip out of the meeting room for the program because I couldn't stomach watching SuperWhy twice in one day.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
The Power of Having to Pee
I've started having Sparkle do daily timed math drill worksheets. When she is done I point out any problems that need correcting and write the time at the top of the page. She usually doesn't need any corrections because she has the abacus in front of her to help her with any problems that she doesn't know.
She doesn't mind being timed, in part because I don't do anything with the time but write it down. She actually enjoys pushing the buttons on the timer herself. I've noticed that at the beginning of the week, the problems are done quickly, but as the week goes on, she gets slower. Monday's problems might take only two minutes, but Wednesday's problems would be over four minutes.
Today just before starting the worksheet, she announced that she wanted to go potty. Sensing that she was stalling, I told her she needed to do the worksheet first, and that would give her extra incentive to do the worksheet quickly. I also figured that five years old is old enough to exercise bladder control. She got to work and was done in record time. I could hear her mumbling the addition strategies that she had learned from RightStart Math under her breath. When she was done, she pranced off, and not in the direction of the bathroom. I had to remind her that she had wanted to go potty.
She doesn't mind being timed, in part because I don't do anything with the time but write it down. She actually enjoys pushing the buttons on the timer herself. I've noticed that at the beginning of the week, the problems are done quickly, but as the week goes on, she gets slower. Monday's problems might take only two minutes, but Wednesday's problems would be over four minutes.
Today just before starting the worksheet, she announced that she wanted to go potty. Sensing that she was stalling, I told her she needed to do the worksheet first, and that would give her extra incentive to do the worksheet quickly. I also figured that five years old is old enough to exercise bladder control. She got to work and was done in record time. I could hear her mumbling the addition strategies that she had learned from RightStart Math under her breath. When she was done, she pranced off, and not in the direction of the bathroom. I had to remind her that she had wanted to go potty.
Monday, April 13, 2009
School Reading
I'm struggling with what to do with Sparkle for reading. She done with basic phonics instruction in how to decode words. The McGuffey reader was nice, but after a while I felt that the stories didn't do much for me. I'm thinking of introducing a content subject, like history, and having her read and narrate the textbook for her reading.
April Readaloud
Previously I tried listing our readalouds in two long posts that I periodically updated: one for lunchtime listening and another for the bedtime book. I decided that updating a single post wasn't working. So, I'm trying something new. I'm going to try a monthly post with our lunchtime listening and bedtime book.
Lunchtime Listening: The Blue Fairy Book
We finished "The Blue Fairy Book". For more info, see the previous lunchtime listening post.
Lunchtime Listening: A Little Princess (In Progress, chapter 5?)
This book is from Librivox. The book is by Frances Hodgson Burnett, the same author who wrote "The Secret Garden" which we listened to earlier (although Sparkle no longer remembers hearing it). Part of the reason I chose this book was because it is also read by Kara Shallenberg. It's relaxing to return to her voice after some of the more jarring readers in The Blue Fairy Book. Another reason that I'm reworking how I blog about our readalouds is because I'm trying out listening to the story directly on the computer, instead of first downloading it onto the iPod.
Update: listening to the story directly on the computer isn't working out. I'm downloading the story to the iPod.
Bedtime Book: Elmer and the Dragon
We are continuing "Elmer and the Dragon". For more info, see the previous bedtime book post. The chapters have been just the right length. The story isn't quite as whimsical and captivating as "My Father's Dragon." Glitter has gotten really good at listening quietly and is actually starting to pay attention.
Bedtime Book: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (In Progress)
I wasn't sure what bedtime book I'd do next. My original plan was to go on to "The Dragons of Blueland," but Sparkle said that she wanted to read it herself. I was leaning towards "The Wizard of Oz" or "A Bear Called Paddington." Oz won out because Sparkle wanted to know what a Munchkin was. I happened across a nice oversized paperback version of the book that has large type (because Sparkle likes to follow along) and pictures on every page (for Glitter). The book is quite different from the movie with Judy Garland. This is one of the few cases where I like the movie despite the massive changes from the book. (I'm also enjoying the book.)
Lunchtime Listening: The Blue Fairy Book
We finished "The Blue Fairy Book". For more info, see the previous lunchtime listening post.
Lunchtime Listening: A Little Princess (In Progress, chapter 5?)
This book is from Librivox. The book is by Frances Hodgson Burnett, the same author who wrote "The Secret Garden" which we listened to earlier (although Sparkle no longer remembers hearing it). Part of the reason I chose this book was because it is also read by Kara Shallenberg. It's relaxing to return to her voice after some of the more jarring readers in The Blue Fairy Book. Another reason that I'm reworking how I blog about our readalouds is because I'm trying out listening to the story directly on the computer, instead of first downloading it onto the iPod.
Update: listening to the story directly on the computer isn't working out. I'm downloading the story to the iPod.
Bedtime Book: Elmer and the Dragon
We are continuing "Elmer and the Dragon". For more info, see the previous bedtime book post. The chapters have been just the right length. The story isn't quite as whimsical and captivating as "My Father's Dragon." Glitter has gotten really good at listening quietly and is actually starting to pay attention.
Bedtime Book: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (In Progress)
I wasn't sure what bedtime book I'd do next. My original plan was to go on to "The Dragons of Blueland," but Sparkle said that she wanted to read it herself. I was leaning towards "The Wizard of Oz" or "A Bear Called Paddington." Oz won out because Sparkle wanted to know what a Munchkin was. I happened across a nice oversized paperback version of the book that has large type (because Sparkle likes to follow along) and pictures on every page (for Glitter). The book is quite different from the movie with Judy Garland. This is one of the few cases where I like the movie despite the massive changes from the book. (I'm also enjoying the book.)
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Sparkle's Poem
Those poetry teatimes and nature walks are starting to pay off.
We were at the gardens Monday. Since we looked at leaf shape last week, my plan was to look at leaf edges (smooth, toothed, etc.) this week. The girls had other plans. Glitter wanted to measure the grass, and Sparkle just wanted to enjoy the sunshine. We ended up by the fish as usual. Out of habit we started looking for the white fish. Then I heard Sparkle saying this rhyme.
Under the lilypad,
Throughout the pond,
Nice and pretty,
Nice and blond.
The rhyme was reminiscent of a poem from "When We Were Very Young" but it wasn't quite right. Then I asked Sparkle if she was quoting something or if she made it up herself. Turns out, she had made it up herself. The word "blond" clued me in that she was talking about the white fish, but just to be sure, I asked her what the poem was about. Yup, it was the fish.
Now, I admit that this poem isn't great literature, and "nice" and "pretty" are bland words. However, the use of the word "blond" is unique, it rhymes, and the first two lines have a nice flow. I think that it's a wonderful piecing of words for a five year old. Even more wonderful is how it came to her mind with no visible effort. The rhyme was the result of filling her mind with nature walks, repeated observation of the fish, and poetry, and then letting it all simmer until this piece bubbled out.
At teatime on Tuesday, Sparkle asked if she could recited her poem, and of course, I agreed.
We were at the gardens Monday. Since we looked at leaf shape last week, my plan was to look at leaf edges (smooth, toothed, etc.) this week. The girls had other plans. Glitter wanted to measure the grass, and Sparkle just wanted to enjoy the sunshine. We ended up by the fish as usual. Out of habit we started looking for the white fish. Then I heard Sparkle saying this rhyme.Under the lilypad,
Throughout the pond,
Nice and pretty,
Nice and blond.
The rhyme was reminiscent of a poem from "When We Were Very Young" but it wasn't quite right. Then I asked Sparkle if she was quoting something or if she made it up herself. Turns out, she had made it up herself. The word "blond" clued me in that she was talking about the white fish, but just to be sure, I asked her what the poem was about. Yup, it was the fish.
Now, I admit that this poem isn't great literature, and "nice" and "pretty" are bland words. However, the use of the word "blond" is unique, it rhymes, and the first two lines have a nice flow. I think that it's a wonderful piecing of words for a five year old. Even more wonderful is how it came to her mind with no visible effort. The rhyme was the result of filling her mind with nature walks, repeated observation of the fish, and poetry, and then letting it all simmer until this piece bubbled out.
At teatime on Tuesday, Sparkle asked if she could recited her poem, and of course, I agreed.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Art Museum
Our homeschool group went on a school tour of the local fine arts museum. Because I had to drop Glitter off at preschool, I didn't know if I could make it to the the museum in time for the tour. Then another homeschooling mom volunteered to take Sparkle early with her. I was tempted by the idea of not going to the museum and having a few hours to myself. However, Wander's jealousy over the opportunity to visit the museum convinced me that I should go. After dropping Glitter off, I headed downtown. Ugh. I forgot just how yucky city traffic is. Fortunately the early morning rain had cleared up.
We met up with the group just barely in time. The docent led us through the museum and read two picture books to the kiddos. The docent showed us a pointillism picture, and a Tiffany stained glass. We saw two Mary Cassatt's, which I found neat as we had been doing picture study of her pictures. We also saw the original of the Matisse that we have on our fridge. (Years ago a friend visited the museum and got us the magnet, and it's been on our fridge ever since.) After the tour, we looked around a bit. Sparkle was more interested in squirreling around with the other girls her age, but she was eager to draw a picture when another mom pulled out paper and colored pencils.
Then we had lunch in the sculpture garden, and the kids ran around.
After lunch, we returned to the museum. By now we had lost track of the group, and Sparkle and I wandered around on our own. She pointed out pictures that she found interesting, and payed attention to the artwork more without lots of fun kids around.
On the road back, I missed the freeway entrance. But, God was looking out for me. I ended up going on until I got to the HOV lane, which opened only a few minutes before I got there. At first it wasn't any faster, but soon I was flying by stacks of cars. We went straight to Glitter's preschool and got there just in time to pick her up. If I had gotten on the freeway at the original entrance, I would have been caught in traffic and late picking up Glitter.
We met up with the group just barely in time. The docent led us through the museum and read two picture books to the kiddos. The docent showed us a pointillism picture, and a Tiffany stained glass. We saw two Mary Cassatt's, which I found neat as we had been doing picture study of her pictures. We also saw the original of the Matisse that we have on our fridge. (Years ago a friend visited the museum and got us the magnet, and it's been on our fridge ever since.) After the tour, we looked around a bit. Sparkle was more interested in squirreling around with the other girls her age, but she was eager to draw a picture when another mom pulled out paper and colored pencils.
Then we had lunch in the sculpture garden, and the kids ran around.
After lunch, we returned to the museum. By now we had lost track of the group, and Sparkle and I wandered around on our own. She pointed out pictures that she found interesting, and payed attention to the artwork more without lots of fun kids around.
On the road back, I missed the freeway entrance. But, God was looking out for me. I ended up going on until I got to the HOV lane, which opened only a few minutes before I got there. At first it wasn't any faster, but soon I was flying by stacks of cars. We went straight to Glitter's preschool and got there just in time to pick her up. If I had gotten on the freeway at the original entrance, I would have been caught in traffic and late picking up Glitter.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
P.E. day
Our homeschool group has P.E. on some Fridays of the month. We went to try it out yesterday. Yesterday was volleyball. The mom in charge separated the kids into three groups by age, and they practiced drills.
I had talked to Sparkle about wearing shorts and a t-shirt, but she preferred to wear her normal dress. Here she is about to bump the ball.
Afterwards the older kids played volleyball on the sand courts at the park. However, Sparkle and Glitter preferred to just dig in the sand and play on the playground. Then we had our customary pb&j sandwiches for lunch.
During the course of the morning I skinned my knee, which provided two blessings. (1) I was able to set an example to Sparkle of picking myself up and continuing with the activity without whining and crying. (2) Having an boo-boo helps me be more sympathetic to Sparkle when she gets boo-boos.
I had talked to Sparkle about wearing shorts and a t-shirt, but she preferred to wear her normal dress. Here she is about to bump the ball.
Afterwards the older kids played volleyball on the sand courts at the park. However, Sparkle and Glitter preferred to just dig in the sand and play on the playground. Then we had our customary pb&j sandwiches for lunch.
During the course of the morning I skinned my knee, which provided two blessings. (1) I was able to set an example to Sparkle of picking myself up and continuing with the activity without whining and crying. (2) Having an boo-boo helps me be more sympathetic to Sparkle when she gets boo-boos.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
a short day of school
This Wednesday our playgroup stuffed eggs for the church Easter egg hunt to take place this weekend.
I decided to cut out most of morning school in order to make it to playgroup early to help stuff eggs. I thought we could squeeze in spelling, though. I put Sparkle's spelling notebook on a clipboard and gave her dictation in the car. Other than the inevitable handwriting difficulties, it actually worked. When she was done writing the sentence, she passed the clipboard to me and I told her what corrections to make. I won't be doing car dictation on a regular basis, though, due to the handwriting issues and the difficulties in her self-correcting her work.
I saved the copywork and word analysis part of spelling for when we were at playgroup. I had poor Sparkle sit at the table and do her spelling while the toddlers played and the moms stuffed eggs. She had a hard time concentrating, and one of the other moms commented about how hard it must be for her to work with all the distractions.
After Sparkle finished her schoolwork, she went off to read. Sparkle spent most of her time at playgroup reading. Glitter copied her sister.
Meanwhile the moms finished stuffing the eggs with the help of the kids.
After we got home Sparkle and I had lunch. Glitter fell asleep in the car and continued her nap on the sofa. Then after lunch, Sparkle fell asleep too! So we didn't do any afternoon school. I finally woke Sparkle when it was time to get ready for dance class. Then I carried a still groggy Glitter into the car.
I decided to cut out most of morning school in order to make it to playgroup early to help stuff eggs. I thought we could squeeze in spelling, though. I put Sparkle's spelling notebook on a clipboard and gave her dictation in the car. Other than the inevitable handwriting difficulties, it actually worked. When she was done writing the sentence, she passed the clipboard to me and I told her what corrections to make. I won't be doing car dictation on a regular basis, though, due to the handwriting issues and the difficulties in her self-correcting her work.
I saved the copywork and word analysis part of spelling for when we were at playgroup. I had poor Sparkle sit at the table and do her spelling while the toddlers played and the moms stuffed eggs. She had a hard time concentrating, and one of the other moms commented about how hard it must be for her to work with all the distractions.
After Sparkle finished her schoolwork, she went off to read. Sparkle spent most of her time at playgroup reading. Glitter copied her sister.
Meanwhile the moms finished stuffing the eggs with the help of the kids.
After we got home Sparkle and I had lunch. Glitter fell asleep in the car and continued her nap on the sofa. Then after lunch, Sparkle fell asleep too! So we didn't do any afternoon school. I finally woke Sparkle when it was time to get ready for dance class. Then I carried a still groggy Glitter into the car.
End of a Journal
Sparkle used the last page in her journal this morning. She's been anticipating filling out this last page all week long. I told her that when it was filled, we would put it into storage. Then when she grows up, we'll take it out and ooh and aah over it and exclaim how cute her work was when she was five. Then when she moves out into a home of her own, we'll give it to her to store.
Here's an entry from the beginning of the journal.
Here's the last entry.
Her handwriting has improved, as has her use of capital letters and ending punctuation. Her pictures also show slight improvement. Hair is no longer two straight lines. Pictures are sometimes colored in instead of just outlines. Other things haven't changed. She's still drawing the same types of things (family members and princesses), and her sentences are still blah.
She's already decorated a cover for the next journal. I'm looking forward to seeing how she fills it.
Here's an entry from the beginning of the journal.
Here's the last entry.
Her handwriting has improved, as has her use of capital letters and ending punctuation. Her pictures also show slight improvement. Hair is no longer two straight lines. Pictures are sometimes colored in instead of just outlines. Other things haven't changed. She's still drawing the same types of things (family members and princesses), and her sentences are still blah.
She's already decorated a cover for the next journal. I'm looking forward to seeing how she fills it.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Math - base 10 cards
Here are some pictures of the math lesson with Sparkle. I'm really impressed with how the textbook introduces the base 10 picture cards, teaches trading with them, and will eventually move to using the abacus to represent and add numbers in the thousands.
(Base 10 picture cards are little cards, each with a picture representing 1 [a single cube], 10 [a rod], 100 [a flat], or 1000 [a large cube]. The cubes in the rod, flat, and large cube are even color coded in five's just like the abacus. The picture cards are like the actual base 10 cubes that other math programs use, but cards are much cheaper and easier to handle, especially when dealing with multiple thousands.)
Here is Sparkle using the cards to add three four-digit numbers together. First she found the base 10 picture cards to represent each four digit number. Then she combined all the base 10 picture cards together, arranging them in columns to mimic how she will use the abacus in the future.
Then came the trading. She gave me ten 1's and asked for one 10 in exchange. She gave me ten 10's and asked for one 100 in exchange. She gave me ten 100's and asked for one 1000 in exchange.
Finally she got to the answer. I can see how using the base 10 picture cards really helps illustrate the concepts of place value, addition, and carrying. However, the cards really take up a lot of time and space, and so I'm glad that the cards are used for only a few lessons.
She also had to write the numbers on paper. The textbook has the student use special graph paper to make it easy to line up the columns (ones, tens, hundreds, thousands) when writing, which I think is another amazing idea.
(Base 10 picture cards are little cards, each with a picture representing 1 [a single cube], 10 [a rod], 100 [a flat], or 1000 [a large cube]. The cubes in the rod, flat, and large cube are even color coded in five's just like the abacus. The picture cards are like the actual base 10 cubes that other math programs use, but cards are much cheaper and easier to handle, especially when dealing with multiple thousands.)
Here is Sparkle using the cards to add three four-digit numbers together. First she found the base 10 picture cards to represent each four digit number. Then she combined all the base 10 picture cards together, arranging them in columns to mimic how she will use the abacus in the future.
Then came the trading. She gave me ten 1's and asked for one 10 in exchange. She gave me ten 10's and asked for one 100 in exchange. She gave me ten 100's and asked for one 1000 in exchange.
Finally she got to the answer. I can see how using the base 10 picture cards really helps illustrate the concepts of place value, addition, and carrying. However, the cards really take up a lot of time and space, and so I'm glad that the cards are used for only a few lessons.
She also had to write the numbers on paper. The textbook has the student use special graph paper to make it easy to line up the columns (ones, tens, hundreds, thousands) when writing, which I think is another amazing idea.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Boxcar Children
I've been reading The Boxcar Children to the girls at bedtime. Sparkle enjoys the story and, with prompting, usually remembers what happened in previous chapters. Glitter is learning to be quiet and not interrupt in the middle of the reading.
Right now I'm taking a break from my normal Monday routine to type this. I had been taking a break from school to swap out some laundry when I heard the girls playing that they were the boxcar children. Sparkle told me that the baby she had wrapped in a blanket was Benny. She was Jessie, and Glitter was Violet. I asked her where Watch was, and she wasn't sure until I asked if he was the stuffed puppy at her feet. Then, just to test her a little, I asked where Henry was. Sparkle said that he was invisible. I was a bit disappointed in that answer, and maybe it showed, because she quickly changed her mind and said that he was gone. I waited a moment to see if she would remember any more from the story, and eventually I got what I wanted from her. Henry was out working at Dr. Moore's house. Ah, yes, she was paying attention to the story.
Technically this isn't a school activity - it is something the girls just decided to play in their own free time. However, it is neat to see how they internalize things from books that I do sort of consider part of school.
Right now I'm taking a break from my normal Monday routine to type this. I had been taking a break from school to swap out some laundry when I heard the girls playing that they were the boxcar children. Sparkle told me that the baby she had wrapped in a blanket was Benny. She was Jessie, and Glitter was Violet. I asked her where Watch was, and she wasn't sure until I asked if he was the stuffed puppy at her feet. Then, just to test her a little, I asked where Henry was. Sparkle said that he was invisible. I was a bit disappointed in that answer, and maybe it showed, because she quickly changed her mind and said that he was gone. I waited a moment to see if she would remember any more from the story, and eventually I got what I wanted from her. Henry was out working at Dr. Moore's house. Ah, yes, she was paying attention to the story.
Technically this isn't a school activity - it is something the girls just decided to play in their own free time. However, it is neat to see how they internalize things from books that I do sort of consider part of school.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Timelines, Timelines, Timelines
When I like something, it seems like I end up with multiples of it, like when there were three kiddie bikes in the garage, when I had only one child, or when I had six car seats but only two kids. That's why I have three abacuses. That's why there are two giant maps plus two globes in the house. That's why I have three to six timelines, depending on how you count them.
I experimented with a "make your own" timeline, but decided that it just wasn't for me. I was doing all the work and there were too many questions of what figures to use, where to place them, etc. for me to actually get around to doing it. Then I had a lightbulb moment. I have fully labeled maps on the walls. When we are interested in a country we look it up on the map, where it is already colored in and labeled. Why not do the same thing with a timeline? Instead of building the timeline, just get a preprinted one and look things up on it.
Wander is also really generous with the homeschool budget. He allowed me to buy both the "World History Book and Wall Chart" and "The Classical Education Timeline" set. I removed the Wall Chart from the book, had it laminated, and stuck it to the wall under the world map on the landing of stairs. This timeline is packed with info and uses a consistent scale. However, it only goes back to 1000BC.
The Classical Education Timeline set is four different timelines, each with its own scale. It goes back to 5000 BC, but overall has less information. The set also takes up a lot of room. I have the set stretched out on our dining room table.
Sad to say, I feel that we don't use the timelines to their full potential. We refer to them when something peaks our interest. For example, on Columbus day, it was neat to find when "Columbus discovers America" on the timeline. But I don't do a history curriculum yet. Well, the timelines are there whenever I do start history.
Now, if you've been keeping track, you'll note that I accounted for only two (or five) timelines so far. I recently found out about an index card timeline, where the cards are stored loose in a box. I decided that was a method of making a custom timeline that I could manage.
Here is the box. It has lots of room to grow, and the dividers are movable.
So far, we have only about five index cards in the box - mostly composers from the music appreciation that I do informally at breakfast. I made the first two index cards, but then Sparkle wanted to make them. So, I print off a picture and some very basic info on the person. I tape the picture to the card, and then Sparkle copies the text onto the card. Here is a completed card for Mozart, and Sparkle working on a card for Tchaikovsky.
After completing the card, I had Sparkle find the item on the map (Russia for Tchaikovsky) and on the other timelines (if it's there).
Then she files the card in the box, hopefully to be seen some time again.
All of our timeline work has been informal, but so far it has been fun and I can see Sparkle start to make some connections - like who was alive at the same time and who wasn't, and how earlier people influenced later people, but not vice versa.
I experimented with a "make your own" timeline, but decided that it just wasn't for me. I was doing all the work and there were too many questions of what figures to use, where to place them, etc. for me to actually get around to doing it. Then I had a lightbulb moment. I have fully labeled maps on the walls. When we are interested in a country we look it up on the map, where it is already colored in and labeled. Why not do the same thing with a timeline? Instead of building the timeline, just get a preprinted one and look things up on it.
Wander is also really generous with the homeschool budget. He allowed me to buy both the "World History Book and Wall Chart" and "The Classical Education Timeline" set. I removed the Wall Chart from the book, had it laminated, and stuck it to the wall under the world map on the landing of stairs. This timeline is packed with info and uses a consistent scale. However, it only goes back to 1000BC.
The Classical Education Timeline set is four different timelines, each with its own scale. It goes back to 5000 BC, but overall has less information. The set also takes up a lot of room. I have the set stretched out on our dining room table.
Sad to say, I feel that we don't use the timelines to their full potential. We refer to them when something peaks our interest. For example, on Columbus day, it was neat to find when "Columbus discovers America" on the timeline. But I don't do a history curriculum yet. Well, the timelines are there whenever I do start history.
Now, if you've been keeping track, you'll note that I accounted for only two (or five) timelines so far. I recently found out about an index card timeline, where the cards are stored loose in a box. I decided that was a method of making a custom timeline that I could manage.
Here is the box. It has lots of room to grow, and the dividers are movable.
So far, we have only about five index cards in the box - mostly composers from the music appreciation that I do informally at breakfast. I made the first two index cards, but then Sparkle wanted to make them. So, I print off a picture and some very basic info on the person. I tape the picture to the card, and then Sparkle copies the text onto the card. Here is a completed card for Mozart, and Sparkle working on a card for Tchaikovsky.
After completing the card, I had Sparkle find the item on the map (Russia for Tchaikovsky) and on the other timelines (if it's there).
Then she files the card in the box, hopefully to be seen some time again.
All of our timeline work has been informal, but so far it has been fun and I can see Sparkle start to make some connections - like who was alive at the same time and who wasn't, and how earlier people influenced later people, but not vice versa.
Piano Lessons
Early in this homeschooling adventure I decided that I wanted to teach Sparkle to play the piano. I don't know how to play, but I bought myself a book and taught myself enough to plink out a few simple tunes from the book.
I don't want to shell out the money for the traditional half-hour once-a-week piano lesson for Sparkle. I feel that at this age, I can teach her more cheaply at home. I had several false starts, but I think we have found our stride.
We usually do the piano lesson during Glitter's nap, because the few times I've tried it with Glitter around, it is impossible to keep her off the keyboard. I aim for 5-10 minutes every day, but it's a rare week when we actually do five lessons.
I got the Pianimals series to start, and then got books from two other series on PaperbackSwap. However, I wanted a book with only limited pictures, and without any finger numbers, so I transcribed the books into my own custom book, interleaving the songs from the various books.
I also figured that when I taught Sparkle to read English, I didn't teach Sparkle to read until after she had the alphabet (letter names and sounds) memorized. Why not do the same for piano? After all, it is tough enough to actually play a note without having to figure out what that note is in the first place. So, I made flashcards for each note. I resolved to not introduce any songs until she knew how to read all the notes in the song. I started with one note - middle C, and added new notes as the old ones were mastered. Once we got all nine notes from shared middle C position, I stopped introducing new notes, since it will be a while before she changes hand position. We used to play games with the flashcards, but now I just shuffle them and hand them to Sparkle for her to sort from low to high. Then I reshuffle them and have her play them one at a time.
Once I was ready for was ready to play a song, I showed her the book I had made. I had her go over the song several times before actually playing a note. The first time I had her name all the notes as she points to them. The second I have her count out the beats, again pointing at each note as she counts it. I also try to point out any patterns in the song, such as repeated sections. Only after she has shown that she can read the song does she actually play it.
Once Sparkle has a song down, I'll have her play it several times: simply play it, play it while saying the note names, play it while counting the beats, and play it while singing the words. When she can do all three well, we move on to the next song. On days when I'm tired or rushed, we might just review old songs.
At first Sparkle messed up a lot and got upset when she goofed. I've gradually gotten her to take it more in stride and understand the importance of practice. Now, when she messes up in the middle of a song, she'll scowl, and I'll gently tell her "that's okay, try again from the beginning" and she will. (Most of the songs are only four bars long, so it's no big deal to start from the beginning.) I also think that the note reading drill is really helping her when it comes to learning and enjoying new songs. I've even seen her sneak a peak at future songs in the book and play them correctly.
Rhythm is one of my really weak spots. I tried the CD that went with the textbook with Sparkle early on, as a method of teaching a regular beat, but that was a disaster. However, I recently tried gently introducing the metronome now that Sparkle has much more confidence at the piano. I only use the metronome on songs that Sparkle can read and play without hesitation, and even then not that often.
I don't want to shell out the money for the traditional half-hour once-a-week piano lesson for Sparkle. I feel that at this age, I can teach her more cheaply at home. I had several false starts, but I think we have found our stride.
We usually do the piano lesson during Glitter's nap, because the few times I've tried it with Glitter around, it is impossible to keep her off the keyboard. I aim for 5-10 minutes every day, but it's a rare week when we actually do five lessons.
I got the Pianimals series to start, and then got books from two other series on PaperbackSwap. However, I wanted a book with only limited pictures, and without any finger numbers, so I transcribed the books into my own custom book, interleaving the songs from the various books.
I also figured that when I taught Sparkle to read English, I didn't teach Sparkle to read until after she had the alphabet (letter names and sounds) memorized. Why not do the same for piano? After all, it is tough enough to actually play a note without having to figure out what that note is in the first place. So, I made flashcards for each note. I resolved to not introduce any songs until she knew how to read all the notes in the song. I started with one note - middle C, and added new notes as the old ones were mastered. Once we got all nine notes from shared middle C position, I stopped introducing new notes, since it will be a while before she changes hand position. We used to play games with the flashcards, but now I just shuffle them and hand them to Sparkle for her to sort from low to high. Then I reshuffle them and have her play them one at a time.
Once I was ready for was ready to play a song, I showed her the book I had made. I had her go over the song several times before actually playing a note. The first time I had her name all the notes as she points to them. The second I have her count out the beats, again pointing at each note as she counts it. I also try to point out any patterns in the song, such as repeated sections. Only after she has shown that she can read the song does she actually play it.
Once Sparkle has a song down, I'll have her play it several times: simply play it, play it while saying the note names, play it while counting the beats, and play it while singing the words. When she can do all three well, we move on to the next song. On days when I'm tired or rushed, we might just review old songs.
At first Sparkle messed up a lot and got upset when she goofed. I've gradually gotten her to take it more in stride and understand the importance of practice. Now, when she messes up in the middle of a song, she'll scowl, and I'll gently tell her "that's okay, try again from the beginning" and she will. (Most of the songs are only four bars long, so it's no big deal to start from the beginning.) I also think that the note reading drill is really helping her when it comes to learning and enjoying new songs. I've even seen her sneak a peak at future songs in the book and play them correctly.
Rhythm is one of my really weak spots. I tried the CD that went with the textbook with Sparkle early on, as a method of teaching a regular beat, but that was a disaster. However, I recently tried gently introducing the metronome now that Sparkle has much more confidence at the piano. I only use the metronome on songs that Sparkle can read and play without hesitation, and even then not that often.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Teatime with Glitter
We had our first teatime with Glitter yesterday. It wasn't a rousing success, but it wasn't a failure either. At least there were no broken dishes, unlike the first teatime with Sparkle.
In the past I've tried to squeeze teatime in just before picking up Glitter from preschool. However, that time kept getting squeezed and squeezed by school and errands until there was barely anything left. So, I decided to try postponing teatime until after we got home with Glitter.
Upon picking up Glitter we announced to her that she would get to participate in teatime. We explained that she had to be on her best behavior during teatime. She was agreeable. It wasn't looking so good when there was an argument over who would get the "snowman" mug. Neither would give in at all. Finally, I decreed that no-one would get the "snowman" mug, and we would all get plain mugs. Then things went a bit more smoothly. Both girls enjoyed their hot chocolate. I placed a bowl of ice cubes on the table, which helped cool down the hot chocolate for them. I read from "Now We Are Six" including Sparkle's favorite, "Buckingham Palace". Sparkle accepted that I didn't want her bringing her own book of poetry to the table this time, as things were crowded, but she did read from my book. It took a while to get Glitter to stop chattering in the middle of a poem, but eventually she was able to be quite for an entire poem, if it were a very short one.
Overall, I think teatimes with just Sparkle and I were more calm and I enjoyed the poetry more. However, it was also nice not feeling rushed to hurry up and finish in time to pick up Glitter.
In the past I've tried to squeeze teatime in just before picking up Glitter from preschool. However, that time kept getting squeezed and squeezed by school and errands until there was barely anything left. So, I decided to try postponing teatime until after we got home with Glitter.
Upon picking up Glitter we announced to her that she would get to participate in teatime. We explained that she had to be on her best behavior during teatime. She was agreeable. It wasn't looking so good when there was an argument over who would get the "snowman" mug. Neither would give in at all. Finally, I decreed that no-one would get the "snowman" mug, and we would all get plain mugs. Then things went a bit more smoothly. Both girls enjoyed their hot chocolate. I placed a bowl of ice cubes on the table, which helped cool down the hot chocolate for them. I read from "Now We Are Six" including Sparkle's favorite, "Buckingham Palace". Sparkle accepted that I didn't want her bringing her own book of poetry to the table this time, as things were crowded, but she did read from my book. It took a while to get Glitter to stop chattering in the middle of a poem, but eventually she was able to be quite for an entire poem, if it were a very short one.
Overall, I think teatimes with just Sparkle and I were more calm and I enjoyed the poetry more. However, it was also nice not feeling rushed to hurry up and finish in time to pick up Glitter.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Memory Drill
I have Sparkle do various types of memory work for school. I've played with various different methods of doing memory work, and this post describes what works for us now.
General Memory Work
This memory work is the only one I formally label "memory work." It includes skip counting, prayers, spelling rules, the Pledge of Allegiance, address, and such things. Each topic is written on a 3x5 index card. I file the cards in an index box with tabbed dividers. I organize the cards based on a spaced repetition system. The cards for the day are in front of the first divider. To start, I pull the cards for the day and move the front divider to the back. I give Sparkle the prompt for each item and help her if she needs it. If she remembers the item, I write the date on the back and file it based on my best guess for when she'll need to review it - a few days, a week, two weeks, or a month. If she doesn't remember the item, I coach her through it and then put the card back in front to be reviewed the next day.
Spelling Phonograms Drill
I used to drill the the phonograms from Spell to Write and Read every day. Each phonogram has its own mini flashcard. Once Sparkle learned all 70 of them and was getting all of them correct, I cut it down to once per week. She likes to jump on the mini-trampoline when reviewing phonograms.
Math Facts Drill
Sparkle does a math facts drill every morning as one of her worksheets. She is currently working on all the addition facts that equal ten or less. I made nine worksheets, each with five problems, and she does one worksheet per day. The abacus is available if she wants it, but she doesn't have to use it.
Chinese Vocabulary Drill
I drill Chinese vocabulary every day. Each word has its own mini flashcard. I used to drill every word every day, but that got to be too much work. Now I use a spaced repetition system in a box with tabbed dividers. The cards for the day are in front of the first divider. To start, I pull the cards for the day and move the front divider to the back. As Sparkle goes through the flashcards, I note which ones she has down and which she is still learning. If a word gives her trouble, I tell her the word and then the card goes in the front of the deck to be reviewed tomorrow. If she gets it right easily, I put a tally mark on the back of the card. Where I put the card depends on how many tally marks are on the card. Cards with one tally mark go behind the first tab back to be reviewed in two days. Cards with two tally marks go behind the second tab back, and so on. The more tally marks, the more times she has correctly identified the word, and the longer the wait until she has to review it again.
Musical Notes Drill
I drill note reading every day. Each note from "shared middle C position" has its own mini flashcard. I shuffle the deck of cards and Sparkle sorts them from low to high. Then I shuffle them again and Sparkle plays them on the keyboard. When Sparkle can get all the notes without thinking I'll cut back to a weekly drill.
General Memory Work
This memory work is the only one I formally label "memory work." It includes skip counting, prayers, spelling rules, the Pledge of Allegiance, address, and such things. Each topic is written on a 3x5 index card. I file the cards in an index box with tabbed dividers. I organize the cards based on a spaced repetition system. The cards for the day are in front of the first divider. To start, I pull the cards for the day and move the front divider to the back. I give Sparkle the prompt for each item and help her if she needs it. If she remembers the item, I write the date on the back and file it based on my best guess for when she'll need to review it - a few days, a week, two weeks, or a month. If she doesn't remember the item, I coach her through it and then put the card back in front to be reviewed the next day.
Spelling Phonograms Drill
I used to drill the the phonograms from Spell to Write and Read every day. Each phonogram has its own mini flashcard. Once Sparkle learned all 70 of them and was getting all of them correct, I cut it down to once per week. She likes to jump on the mini-trampoline when reviewing phonograms.
Math Facts Drill
Sparkle does a math facts drill every morning as one of her worksheets. She is currently working on all the addition facts that equal ten or less. I made nine worksheets, each with five problems, and she does one worksheet per day. The abacus is available if she wants it, but she doesn't have to use it.
Chinese Vocabulary Drill
I drill Chinese vocabulary every day. Each word has its own mini flashcard. I used to drill every word every day, but that got to be too much work. Now I use a spaced repetition system in a box with tabbed dividers. The cards for the day are in front of the first divider. To start, I pull the cards for the day and move the front divider to the back. As Sparkle goes through the flashcards, I note which ones she has down and which she is still learning. If a word gives her trouble, I tell her the word and then the card goes in the front of the deck to be reviewed tomorrow. If she gets it right easily, I put a tally mark on the back of the card. Where I put the card depends on how many tally marks are on the card. Cards with one tally mark go behind the first tab back to be reviewed in two days. Cards with two tally marks go behind the second tab back, and so on. The more tally marks, the more times she has correctly identified the word, and the longer the wait until she has to review it again.
Musical Notes Drill
I drill note reading every day. Each note from "shared middle C position" has its own mini flashcard. I shuffle the deck of cards and Sparkle sorts them from low to high. Then I shuffle them again and Sparkle plays them on the keyboard. When Sparkle can get all the notes without thinking I'll cut back to a weekly drill.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Chinese for Children
For reasons specific to our family, I decided that I wanted to learn Mandarin Chinese and I want my daughters to learn it too. For a while we met with a Chinese playgroup run by a Chinese speaking mom, but then the kids became school age and the playgroup disbanded. I enrolled in a Chinese as a foreign language class at a local Chinese Saturday school, but for several reasons that school isn't a good fit for the girls.
When I looked into Chinese programs, other people discouraged me from trying to teach Chinese without a native speaker, citing the difficulty with the tones. So, for a long time Sparkle didn't learn any Chinese because I didn't have a teacher for her. She knew a few things from the playgroup, but I found that it was slipping from her mind quickly and she never really understood several phrases that she had learned by rote.
Finally I decided to take the plunge and teach her myself, even though I don't know Chinese myself. I know that I'm garbling the tones with her, but the alternative right now is for her to not learn Chinese at all.
I'm teaching Sparkle using the textbook "Er Tong Han Yu" (also called Chinese for Children, but not to be confused with the other books and programs with the same name in English). The book comes with a recording of the lesson so she can hear the language. It includes age appropriate vocabulary, simple grammar, and pin yin drill. However, the book is almost all in pinyin, and it is important to me that she learn characters from the beginning, so we are using a copy that I typed in simplified characters. Here are the original textbook (cover and inner pages) and the copy I transcribed.
I try to work on Chinese a little bit (5-10 minutes) each day. We listen to a lesson on the iPod while Sparkle follows along.
I drill vocabulary flashcards. If Sparkle knows a word at once, great. If not, I tell her and we move on. We used to do all the cards every day, but when we got to 30+ words, it became too cumbersome to drill all of them, so I started a spaced repetition system using a box and tabbed dividers.
I'm still working on a good way to practice creating original sentences in Chinese. I believe that creating original sentences with the actual characters is important because it helps make the mental connection between the character, the sound, and the meaning. It also helps practice and test grammar concepts. Seeing all the characters at once and being able to move them around also makes it easier to demonstrate grammatical concepts, such as different word orders. I also believe that it is best to have some sort of prompt for creating sentences, such as a story or a picture. It is difficult to come up with an original thought as well as an original sentence, and the student will likely come up with something that is beyond her ability or doesn't practice the appropriate concept. My current method involves cutting up little bits of paper, each with one word, and re-arranging them. I hope that it will continue to work.
Overall, I'm very proud of the progress Sparkle has made. After about two months, she can recognize 30+ words (simplified characters). She understands what the tones are, even if neither of us can produce them correctly. She can construct a simple sentence (within her vocabulary). She can ask and answer simple questions (within her vocabulary).
When I looked into Chinese programs, other people discouraged me from trying to teach Chinese without a native speaker, citing the difficulty with the tones. So, for a long time Sparkle didn't learn any Chinese because I didn't have a teacher for her. She knew a few things from the playgroup, but I found that it was slipping from her mind quickly and she never really understood several phrases that she had learned by rote.
Finally I decided to take the plunge and teach her myself, even though I don't know Chinese myself. I know that I'm garbling the tones with her, but the alternative right now is for her to not learn Chinese at all.
I'm teaching Sparkle using the textbook "Er Tong Han Yu" (also called Chinese for Children, but not to be confused with the other books and programs with the same name in English). The book comes with a recording of the lesson so she can hear the language. It includes age appropriate vocabulary, simple grammar, and pin yin drill. However, the book is almost all in pinyin, and it is important to me that she learn characters from the beginning, so we are using a copy that I typed in simplified characters. Here are the original textbook (cover and inner pages) and the copy I transcribed.
I try to work on Chinese a little bit (5-10 minutes) each day. We listen to a lesson on the iPod while Sparkle follows along.
I drill vocabulary flashcards. If Sparkle knows a word at once, great. If not, I tell her and we move on. We used to do all the cards every day, but when we got to 30+ words, it became too cumbersome to drill all of them, so I started a spaced repetition system using a box and tabbed dividers.
I'm still working on a good way to practice creating original sentences in Chinese. I believe that creating original sentences with the actual characters is important because it helps make the mental connection between the character, the sound, and the meaning. It also helps practice and test grammar concepts. Seeing all the characters at once and being able to move them around also makes it easier to demonstrate grammatical concepts, such as different word orders. I also believe that it is best to have some sort of prompt for creating sentences, such as a story or a picture. It is difficult to come up with an original thought as well as an original sentence, and the student will likely come up with something that is beyond her ability or doesn't practice the appropriate concept. My current method involves cutting up little bits of paper, each with one word, and re-arranging them. I hope that it will continue to work.
Overall, I'm very proud of the progress Sparkle has made. After about two months, she can recognize 30+ words (simplified characters). She understands what the tones are, even if neither of us can produce them correctly. She can construct a simple sentence (within her vocabulary). She can ask and answer simple questions (within her vocabulary).
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