Here's a neat idea for the first day of school. Write a letter to be delivered later. You can write to your child or they can write to themselves. This free mini lesson guides you through the process:
Letters to the Future: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Letters-to-the-Future-179923
If you want to you can even send the letter by email at some later date.
FutureMe.org will even send the letter by email
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Friday, July 25, 2014
Astronomy Links
Rothney Astrophysical Observatory, Pridis, Alberta. Milky Way nights, school programs, drop in times http://www.ucalgary.ca/rao/
Classical Astronomy curriculum for middle and high school students:
http://www.classicalastronomy.com/SignsSeasons.asp
Royal Astronmical Society of Canada 2014 Star Party
http://calgary.rasc.ca/asp.htm
Monday, May 19, 2014
Simple Record Keeping
Planning:
1) Each student gets one page with their name and school year as the title.
2) Make five headings: English Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Math, Other
3) Under each heading list any curriculum you plan to use. I usually put lots of detail into this list.
For example at the beginning of the year the list for my 12 year old son's math section looked like this:
Mathematics:
Math Facts
Practice: Skip counting
2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12, Math Rider, Mad Minute, Operation Math*
Math U
See Delta Review Lessons
1 – 12 (1 week) and Units 3 and 4
Math U See Epsilon
4) Under "Other" list anything that does not fit in the four other sections like swim lessons, work experience, hobbies, special projects, field trips, skills, language study, courses or travel.
Keeping Records:
As the year progresses when your student completes curriculum, goes on a field trip or achieves a new swim badge, add the month, year and achievement or final score to the list. Keep work samples and certificates in plastic sheet protectors in file folders or a binder. I have three students to keep track of and all their samples fit in one binder. I keep at least two samples for each subject area; one from the beginning and one from the end.
At the end of the year, delete any curriculum your student didn't do from the planning list. Make a note of anything which was incomplete at the end of the year and record final scores. You'll notice that Sam didn't do MUS Epsilon at all this year so I deleted that information. I recorded his pre and post tests for Mad Minute and deleted the fact drills. I print the completed list and add it to the samples I've collected in the sheet protectors and my record keeping for the year is done.
Mathematics:
Mad
Minute Correct
answers in 60 seconds September/December:
(+) 12/18 (-) 14/19 (x) 4/14 (/)
7/18 or September 37/130 28% December 67/130 52%
Math U
See Delta Review Lessons
1 – 12 (1 week) and Units 3 and 4 95% December 2014
Some Final Notes:
I'm a big fan of pre and post tests. I want to see that my students are improving through the school year. but I'm always excited to get started with the school year and often forget that step!
If you can make your planning list on the computer, then you can easily add and delete information. The saved planning list from last year will help me make the new list for this year.
At the end of the year also add to the list anything your child particularly enjoyed that year. In Sam's case he spent a lot of time building new creations with Lego so I'll be adding that to his list.
Separately, I keep a list of books that my student has read or that we have done as a read aloud. Unfortunately, I didn't start this early enough with my two older children and I gave them the responsibility of keeping it up to date too soon. As a result, their book lists have gaps. Sam's list has every book he's ever read.
Record keeping requirements vary from place to place so be sure you are following the guidelines set by your school board and your governing authority. This is what works for me.
* Math Rider: www.mathrider.com
Operation Math: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/operation-math-addition-subtraction/id487387270?mt=8
The Mad Minute: http://www.amazon.com/Mad-Minute-Mastering-Number-Grades1-8/dp/0201071401 (We have an old version bought used)
Monday, April 7, 2014
2013-2014 What worked and what didn't
What worked:
Writing With Skill Level 1 by Susan Wise Bauer: Excellent curriculum for Grade 10 English. It teaches the student to research topics and outline papers in a step by step process which is painless for the parent and the student. Be sure to buy both the instructor's manual and the student book. You'll need both these fat fabulous books. The instructor's manual includes information on how to mark the papers, and how to help the student along the way.
Mad Minute I first encountered Mad Minutes in a public school classroom nearly 30 years ago. These 30 or 40 question drill pages really forced my students to learn and remember their math facts. I made all of them do them and they all improved speed and and accuracy in all four operations.
What didn't work:
Saxon Math Both my high school students are using Saxon, unfortunately what makes Saxon an easy text for parents also makes it easy for students to get the right answer without understanding the concepts. (Each question has a lesson number.) If you can decipher the curriculum, you don't have to understand the concepts just follow the examples in every single problem. Coming from Math U See, I also don't particularly like the seeming random order of the chapters. Not sure about alternatives for my high schoolers, but my 12 yo might just continue with Math U See.
Monarch Online Science This year two of my students tried Monarch's science courses on line. One of my high schoolers did Chemistry and my 12 yo did Science 600. These are dense full year courses. I bought them because I thought they would provide a change from textbook science. Last year I spent a lot of my time trying to find YouTube videos for my son to illustrate scientific ideas. I had the impression that Monarch's lessons, especially Science 600 would include lots of audio and video presentations. I was disappointed. The videos were generally poor quality and done by a man dressed as an eccentric scientist; not really the picture of science I wanted for my son. If you have a student who learns by reading, has taken algebra and is interested in Chemistry, then this is a great course for them. Lots of detail here, but read carefully or you'll miss the clues which will help you answer the questions. I thought this would be user friendly and plug and play, but I spent hours and hours helping both students understand the material and answer the questions. There is no teacher's manual for the parent, so ideally you should pre-read and understand the material before your student does. On the upside, you can change the order of the units; allow your student to skip questions and choose which days are school days. The online part of this course worked flawlessly. You can print informative grade reports for each course and student.
Writing With Skill Level 1 by Susan Wise Bauer: Excellent curriculum for Grade 10 English. It teaches the student to research topics and outline papers in a step by step process which is painless for the parent and the student. Be sure to buy both the instructor's manual and the student book. You'll need both these fat fabulous books. The instructor's manual includes information on how to mark the papers, and how to help the student along the way.
Mad Minute I first encountered Mad Minutes in a public school classroom nearly 30 years ago. These 30 or 40 question drill pages really forced my students to learn and remember their math facts. I made all of them do them and they all improved speed and and accuracy in all four operations.
What didn't work:
Saxon Math Both my high school students are using Saxon, unfortunately what makes Saxon an easy text for parents also makes it easy for students to get the right answer without understanding the concepts. (Each question has a lesson number.) If you can decipher the curriculum, you don't have to understand the concepts just follow the examples in every single problem. Coming from Math U See, I also don't particularly like the seeming random order of the chapters. Not sure about alternatives for my high schoolers, but my 12 yo might just continue with Math U See.
Monarch Online Science This year two of my students tried Monarch's science courses on line. One of my high schoolers did Chemistry and my 12 yo did Science 600. These are dense full year courses. I bought them because I thought they would provide a change from textbook science. Last year I spent a lot of my time trying to find YouTube videos for my son to illustrate scientific ideas. I had the impression that Monarch's lessons, especially Science 600 would include lots of audio and video presentations. I was disappointed. The videos were generally poor quality and done by a man dressed as an eccentric scientist; not really the picture of science I wanted for my son. If you have a student who learns by reading, has taken algebra and is interested in Chemistry, then this is a great course for them. Lots of detail here, but read carefully or you'll miss the clues which will help you answer the questions. I thought this would be user friendly and plug and play, but I spent hours and hours helping both students understand the material and answer the questions. There is no teacher's manual for the parent, so ideally you should pre-read and understand the material before your student does. On the upside, you can change the order of the units; allow your student to skip questions and choose which days are school days. The online part of this course worked flawlessly. You can print informative grade reports for each course and student.
Friday, April 4, 2014
Peace in a time of Conflict - High School Unit Study
1 Yann Martel and What is Stephen Harper Reading?
http://www.whatisstephenharperreading.ca/ - view this website. What is the Yann Martel's purpose? Why did he start sending Stephan Harper books? Do you think a PM has time for a lot of free reading? Find out how the arts are funded in Canada? Answer these questions in writing.
2.) View this webpage/photos: http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1887394_1861256,00.html
3.) "Democracy Education Network was founded in 1993 to help Canadians learn key democracy, civics and active citizenship skills" http://www.democracyeducation.net/
Advocacy and civics courses http://www.democracyeducation.net/democracy-skills-course/
Organizing a Peaceful Protest http://www.democracyeducation.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/HowToProtest.pdf
4.) Read about Louis Riel p.61 Discovering Canada's Government, http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/confederation/023001-4000.61htm-e.l
Read Great Canadian Speeches p. 60-64,
Watch Historica Minute https://www.historica-dominion.ca/content/heritage-minutes/louis-riel. http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?id_nbr=5796
http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?id_nbr=5796
Who was Louis Riel? What kind of protest did he lead? Was it successful or a failure? What does the word Metis mean now - and what did it mean in Riel's time? Is Louis Riel a Canadian hero? Treat this as a research project and generate a thorough response in the form of an essay.
5.) Read about the history of UN Peacekeeping missions.
http://www.unac.org/peacekeeping/en/un-peacekeeping/fact-sheets/canada-and-un-peacekeeping/
6.) Find statistics for Canada, USA and one other country. What are the latest available numbers on military spending? Can you find a per capita amount so you can compare the countries side by side. It might also be illuminating to look at violent deaths in those three countries. Does military spending correlate in anyway with the number of people who are killed (or injured by guns)?
7.) In your opinion is peaceful protest a useful way to make changes in society? Why or why not. 500 word7
http://www.whatisstephenharperreading.ca/ - view this website. What is the Yann Martel's purpose? Why did he start sending Stephan Harper books? Do you think a PM has time for a lot of free reading? Find out how the arts are funded in Canada? Answer these questions in writing.
2.) View this webpage/photos: http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1887394_1861256,00.html
3.) "Democracy Education Network was founded in 1993 to help Canadians learn key democracy, civics and active citizenship skills" http://www.democracyeducation.net/
Advocacy and civics courses http://www.democracyeducation.net/democracy-skills-course/
Organizing a Peaceful Protest http://www.democracyeducation.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/HowToProtest.pdf
4.) Read about Louis Riel p.61 Discovering Canada's Government, http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/confederation/023001-4000.61htm-e.l
Read Great Canadian Speeches p. 60-64,
Watch Historica Minute https://www.historica-dominion.ca/content/heritage-minutes/louis-riel. http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?id_nbr=5796
http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?id_nbr=5796
Who was Louis Riel? What kind of protest did he lead? Was it successful or a failure? What does the word Metis mean now - and what did it mean in Riel's time? Is Louis Riel a Canadian hero? Treat this as a research project and generate a thorough response in the form of an essay.
5.) Read about the history of UN Peacekeeping missions.
http://www.unac.org/peacekeeping/en/un-peacekeeping/fact-sheets/canada-and-un-peacekeeping/
6.) Find statistics for Canada, USA and one other country. What are the latest available numbers on military spending? Can you find a per capita amount so you can compare the countries side by side. It might also be illuminating to look at violent deaths in those three countries. Does military spending correlate in anyway with the number of people who are killed (or injured by guns)?
7.) In your opinion is peaceful protest a useful way to make changes in society? Why or why not. 500 word7
Friday, February 21, 2014
Art History
This is a self directed unit study for my high school age daughter. It follows a visit to the National Gallery of Oslo and is intended to broaden her knowledge of artists, their styles and subject matter. The other goal is to extend her understanding of Canada, by including Canadian artists.
Assignment:
1. Write down as many synonyms as you can which might be substituted for "artist" ie painter. Don't use anything more than your own brain as a reference! Create a power point slide using this list. Add to the list as you discover other endeavors which could be included. These additions should be in a different font or colour to differentiate them from the first list.
2. Create one power point slide for each artist. Each slide should have the following information: Name, birth/death, nationality, home, art education, preferred medium, preferred subject, style and one representation of their work
3. There should be a minimum of five Canadian artists and five artists of other nationalities.
Here are some Canadian artists who are "household names". You can choose a person from this list or any other artist for your assignment.
Robert Bateman
Emily Carr
Alex Colville
Bill Reid
Yousuf Karsh
William Kurelek
Paul Peel
Tom Thomson
Douglas Cardinal
Lynn Johnston
Ben Wicks
Due Monday, March 10, 2014
Some links which you might find helpful:
National Gallery of Canada
https://www.gallery.ca/en/publications/a-dictionary-of-canadian-artists.php (link to dictionary is not currently working February 2014)
Article about the data base of Canadian women artists: http://viewoncanadianart.com/2008/10/23/first-ever-online-database-of-canadian-women-artists/
The data base: http://cwahi.concordia.ca/sources/
Canadian native art: http://www.native-art-in-canada.com/nativeart.html
Assignment:
1. Write down as many synonyms as you can which might be substituted for "artist" ie painter. Don't use anything more than your own brain as a reference! Create a power point slide using this list. Add to the list as you discover other endeavors which could be included. These additions should be in a different font or colour to differentiate them from the first list.
2. Create one power point slide for each artist. Each slide should have the following information: Name, birth/death, nationality, home, art education, preferred medium, preferred subject, style and one representation of their work
3. There should be a minimum of five Canadian artists and five artists of other nationalities.
Here are some Canadian artists who are "household names". You can choose a person from this list or any other artist for your assignment.
Robert Bateman
Emily Carr
Alex Colville
Bill Reid
Yousuf Karsh
William Kurelek
Paul Peel
Tom Thomson
Douglas Cardinal
Lynn Johnston
Ben Wicks
Due Monday, March 10, 2014
Some links which you might find helpful:
National Gallery of Canada
https://www.gallery.ca/en/publications/a-dictionary-of-canadian-artists.php (link to dictionary is not currently working February 2014)
Article about the data base of Canadian women artists: http://viewoncanadianart.com/2008/10/23/first-ever-online-database-of-canadian-women-artists/
The data base: http://cwahi.concordia.ca/sources/
Canadian native art: http://www.native-art-in-canada.com/nativeart.html
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
O Canada - resources for an overview of Canadian History
These resources should be suitable for children aged 10 - 13. If you have some historical fiction recommendations for this age level, post the titles as comments. I just discovered a series called "I am Canada" on Amazon. Unfortunately for us the books don't seem to have Kindle editions, but they look excellent and cover a wide range of historical periods.
General:
My First History of Canada by Donalda Dickie and Rudiger Krause Sam will be reading this independently and we will use the questions and activities in the back as a jumping off point.
History Tellers*: www.historytellers.com (I couldn't get this link to work from Turkey and there seems to be no recent posting on their FB page.) I bought this curriculum years ago and used it as a supplement to our studies. This year we'll be finally using the stickers that came with the kit to build a time line of events and aide memorization of the events. We'll also be using it to provide a bit of structure to our studies.
Canada My Country by Donna Ward and Marj Cassidy Used to discuss the difference between political and physical maps. Read aloud Unit 2 Physical Map about each of Canada's regions.
Map Exercise: http://www.lesplan.com/files/CanMap_Lev1.pdf
This map of Canada is a nice size for colouring or labeling. http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/Colouring-Book
The Story of Canada by Janet Lunn and Christopher Moore may read parts aloud
Canada S&S Learning Materials Sam and I used this before. We may put some of the graphics to use if we decide to do a lap book.
Canada Symbols Kit I got this cool resource from my brother who was a classroom teacher. There's a card for each of the provinces with the coat of arms, flag, floral emblem and some basic information on one side and on the reverse origin of the name of the province, and a short history. Might post these.
Canada Colouring Book - good line drawings but Sam isn't really into colouring
Historical Maps of Canada http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/mapping/historical_maps/1867.asp
Canada: A People's History http://www.cbc.ca/history/ We've viewed the first 5 of these documentaries. My 12 yo son has really enjoyed them. They're about 90 minutes long, but they are organized in short vignettes. It's easy to stop in the middle and pick up where you left off. I've never watched them before now and I highly recommend them. We found them on YouTube, but I think they are worth the purchase price or borrow them from your local library. We also liked seeing some of our favourite actors!
This very useful PDF breaks each video down into segments and tells where they are on the dvd so it is possible to review certain vignettes and skip others. We'll be using this in the fall.
http://www.cbc.ca/history/histicons/teachers/english_index.pdf
Canada's Natives Long Ago by Donna Ward and Marj Cassidy We will share the reading of this book and do some of the puzzles and activities together as Sam is interested.
History Tellers: www.historytellers.com (I couldn't get this link to work from Turkey and there seems to be no recent posting on their FB page.) I bought this curriculum years ago and used it as a supplement to our studies. This year we'll be finally using the stickers that came with the kit to build a time line of events and aide memorization of the events.
Native Peoples by Robert Livesey and A.G. Smith This book has activities we can do here and Sam would like.
Native Homes by Bobbie Kalman Good pictures Sam could read
First Peoples of Canada by Sandie Smoker This is an excellent unit study which I may use as a planning resource.
Historica Canada https://www.historicacanada.ca/content/heritage-minutes/vikings
Eric the Red and Leif The Lucky by Barbara Schiller Sam will read this independently
Viking Ship Museum http://www.khm.uio.no/english/visit-us/viking-ship-museum/index.html
Viking Travels in North America http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/research-sheds-new-light-on-viking-travels-in-n-l-1.1375575
L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Park http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/4
Madeleine Takes Command by Ethel C. Brill Historical Fiction set during the 17th century in New France
The Broken Blade by William Durbin Historical Fiction set in 1800 Northwest Company Voyageurs
General:
My First History of Canada by Donalda Dickie and Rudiger Krause Sam will be reading this independently and we will use the questions and activities in the back as a jumping off point.
History Tellers*: www.historytellers.com (I couldn't get this link to work from Turkey and there seems to be no recent posting on their FB page.) I bought this curriculum years ago and used it as a supplement to our studies. This year we'll be finally using the stickers that came with the kit to build a time line of events and aide memorization of the events. We'll also be using it to provide a bit of structure to our studies.
Canada My Country by Donna Ward and Marj Cassidy Used to discuss the difference between political and physical maps. Read aloud Unit 2 Physical Map about each of Canada's regions.
Map Exercise: http://www.lesplan.com/files/CanMap_Lev1.pdf
This map of Canada is a nice size for colouring or labeling. http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/Colouring-Book
The Story of Canada by Janet Lunn and Christopher Moore may read parts aloud
Canada S&S Learning Materials Sam and I used this before. We may put some of the graphics to use if we decide to do a lap book.
Canada Symbols Kit I got this cool resource from my brother who was a classroom teacher. There's a card for each of the provinces with the coat of arms, flag, floral emblem and some basic information on one side and on the reverse origin of the name of the province, and a short history. Might post these.
Canada Colouring Book - good line drawings but Sam isn't really into colouring
Historical Maps of Canada http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/mapping/historical_maps/1867.asp
Canada: A People's History http://www.cbc.ca/history/ We've viewed the first 5 of these documentaries. My 12 yo son has really enjoyed them. They're about 90 minutes long, but they are organized in short vignettes. It's easy to stop in the middle and pick up where you left off. I've never watched them before now and I highly recommend them. We found them on YouTube, but I think they are worth the purchase price or borrow them from your local library. We also liked seeing some of our favourite actors!
This very useful PDF breaks each video down into segments and tells where they are on the dvd so it is possible to review certain vignettes and skip others. We'll be using this in the fall.
http://www.cbc.ca/history/histicons/teachers/english_index.pdf
Aboriginal Nations*
Canada's Natives Long Ago by Donna Ward and Marj Cassidy We will share the reading of this book and do some of the puzzles and activities together as Sam is interested.
History Tellers: www.historytellers.com (I couldn't get this link to work from Turkey and there seems to be no recent posting on their FB page.) I bought this curriculum years ago and used it as a supplement to our studies. This year we'll be finally using the stickers that came with the kit to build a time line of events and aide memorization of the events.
Native Peoples by Robert Livesey and A.G. Smith This book has activities we can do here and Sam would like.
Native Homes by Bobbie Kalman Good pictures Sam could read
First Peoples of Canada by Sandie Smoker This is an excellent unit study which I may use as a planning resource.
Exploration - Colonization*
Vikings Historica Canada https://www.historicacanada.ca/content/heritage-minutes/vikings
Eric the Red and Leif The Lucky by Barbara Schiller Sam will read this independently
Viking Ship Museum http://www.khm.uio.no/english/visit-us/viking-ship-museum/index.html
Viking Travels in North America http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/research-sheds-new-light-on-viking-travels-in-n-l-1.1375575
L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Park http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/4
Madeleine Takes Command by Ethel C. Brill Historical Fiction set during the 17th century in New France
The Broken Blade by William Durbin Historical Fiction set in 1800 Northwest Company Voyageurs
Confrontations*
Bully Boys by Eric Walters Historical Fiction set during the war of 1812
I am Canada: Storm the Fortress by William Jenkins
http://www.amazon.ca/Am-Canada-Fortress-William-Jenkins/dp/1443100072/ref=pd_rhf_dp_s_cp_4_BPGB?ie=UTF8&refRID=0XK3VRGV2JQ702ABR3XE
Building a Nation*
Prohibition in Canada
Tunnels of Moose Jaw
Prohibition Timeline: http://prohibitionincanada.blogspot.ca/p/prohibition-timeline.html
Smuggling: https://www.canadiangeographic.ca/magazine/ja10/timeline/history-canada-us-border-smuggling.html
http://www.ascension.k12.nf.ca/curriculum/social/canhistory_1201/new_page_7.htm
Immigration - Industrialization*
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)