Verses
Friday, February 17, 2017
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Phoebe the Spy
So, I guess this is becoming a thing. Rugrat is now reading Phoebe the Spy by Judith Berry Griffin and I can't find comprehension questions or guided reading questions really.
Is that something that gets phased out now? I can remember being tested on Brothers Karamazov in college with basic 'prove you read it' questions.
She just does so much better and can discuss it so much more easily if she has to focus in and pay attention to answer the questions. Or if she has to go back and read again to answer them. She just doesn't miss as much.
Anyhow, there I sat, once again, reading the book and making up questions. And here they are for anyone else who could use them.
Is that something that gets phased out now? I can remember being tested on Brothers Karamazov in college with basic 'prove you read it' questions.
She just does so much better and can discuss it so much more easily if she has to focus in and pay attention to answer the questions. Or if she has to go back and read again to answer them. She just doesn't miss as much.
Anyhow, there I sat, once again, reading the book and making up questions. And here they are for anyone else who could use them.
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Meet George Washington
Once we managed to get through The Skippack School, we began Meet George Washington by Joan Heilbroner.
And guess what? There are no comprehension questions available for it.
Ok. That's not entirely true. There are about four on the publisher's website once you've read the entire book. But I really need them for each chapter or, at the very least, for each reading.
So, once again, to save someone else's tv time from being taken over by reading a 3rd grader's book so they can make questions for their child, here are the ones I made.
Feel free to send praises. :)
You can find them here.
And guess what? There are no comprehension questions available for it.
Ok. That's not entirely true. There are about four on the publisher's website once you've read the entire book. But I really need them for each chapter or, at the very least, for each reading.
So, once again, to save someone else's tv time from being taken over by reading a 3rd grader's book so they can make questions for their child, here are the ones I made.
Feel free to send praises. :)
You can find them here.
Monday, January 23, 2017
The Skippack School
Currently, Rugrat is reading The Skippack School by Marguerite de Angeli for literature.
As a general rule, she does much better with her comprehension of chapter books like this one if she has to answer some basic comprehension questions.
Some of the books in this Sonlight curriculum are not really on the top 10 list that every child in America reads. I have never even heard of some of them. But I like that they line up very well with the rest of the curriculum content.
That being said, it can be very hard to find even the most basic comprehension questions for them to help her kind of cement the events in her head. So, after an exhausting search the other night, I finally just sat down to read the remainder of the book and make up my own.
I am placing them here for anyone else who might like to use them (and in case I accidentally delete the file before we finish :) ). You can find them here.
As a general rule, she does much better with her comprehension of chapter books like this one if she has to answer some basic comprehension questions.
Some of the books in this Sonlight curriculum are not really on the top 10 list that every child in America reads. I have never even heard of some of them. But I like that they line up very well with the rest of the curriculum content.
That being said, it can be very hard to find even the most basic comprehension questions for them to help her kind of cement the events in her head. So, after an exhausting search the other night, I finally just sat down to read the remainder of the book and make up my own.
I am placing them here for anyone else who might like to use them (and in case I accidentally delete the file before we finish :) ). You can find them here.
Monday's Menu (again!)
I just realized that this recipe is one I didn't have listed. It is a VERY simple recipe and also VERY quick but it is quite yummy. And all of us like it -- score one for me.
I don't remember what site I got it from but I'll link it up if I find it again.
I like to make my own barbecue sauce but I keep a bottle of organic barbecue sauce in the pantry for convenience when I don't have time.
I hope you enjoy it!
Monterey Chicken
chicken pieces ( I used boneless skinless chicken breast tenders)
barbecue sauce (either bottled or home made)
bacon, cooked and broken into pieces
shredded monterey jack cheese (or cheddar, if desired)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large dish. Sear chicken in hot skillet on each side then place into baking dish. Drizzle barbecue sauce over each piece of chicken. Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove from oven and sprinkle bacon and then cheese on top of each slice. Return to oven for 10 minutes until cheese is melted.
Monday, January 2, 2017
A Big Change Part 2
If you haven't read the first part of this post, you can find it here. Otherwise, feel free to proceed. :)
*****************
After looking at several curriculums, asking my homeschool friends what they used, and even flipping through some sample books, I decided on a curriculum and ordered it (I even found the majority of it used -- God bless Ebay!).
At first, she told me several times that she missed her old school. I'm not sure why. Maybe just to be contrary.
She did get to talk to the teacher occasionally during conferences and at some of the classes we were able to attend. And she is a charmer toward any adult. Except me. And Daddy. So she didn't get to try to work her magic on the teacher anymore. The teacher was suddenly wise to it. Hmm.
After about a month, we began to figure things out. The meltdowns had mostly ceased with an occasional one here or there. And, then, suddenly, we had a great day where everything fell into place. Her day ended by 1:00. What!!
She decided this kind of school wasn't so bad. But she still wouldn't claim to like it.
She began to not mind reading either.
The last book we read in the online school was, it turned out, a 5th grade level book. According to the teaching manual, she should have been able to read the almost daily assignment of 2 chapters in about 20-25 minutes. Try two hours. Yes. Two hours!
When I found out what level it was, I fumed. She had struggled and cried about that book. And I had been concerned about some of the content that was above her understanding. Nothing bad, just beyond her maturity level. Concerned because they expected her to pull out all kinds of inferences about motives and such. I don't know any 8 year old who could have come up with some of it.
But, it turned out that she was right at average reading level for her age. The books she has read so far have been age appropriate with a few challenging words. She is mostly able to figure out how they're feeling and what their motivations are now -- not at first.
And for the first time, she is referencing parts of the books she read when she sees something that applies while we are out and about. Because the literature and the history are in the same time periods and work together, she has made more connections than ever before. The online school program was intended to work concurrently to some degree but the schedule the school administrators set up completely threw that by the wayside. So, every class, every lesson, every daily check-in was on something different, even when they were on the same subject.
This has turned out to be our new blessing. And, the fact that Oklahoma allows me to do it legally is even more of a blessing. For the first time, I feel like she is actually learning -- not just getting it long enough to take a test and go to the next thing. I feel like this might be something she remembers later on. I feel like she is being educated.
Last week, my husband mentioned her 'old school.' For the first time, she told us she likes her new school better of her own accord. I consider that success.
If she ever says she 'loves' school, I will probably have a coronary. So I'll just be happy with liking what we are doing better. That definitely works for me. :)
*****************
After looking at several curriculums, asking my homeschool friends what they used, and even flipping through some sample books, I decided on a curriculum and ordered it (I even found the majority of it used -- God bless Ebay!).
At first, she told me several times that she missed her old school. I'm not sure why. Maybe just to be contrary.
She did get to talk to the teacher occasionally during conferences and at some of the classes we were able to attend. And she is a charmer toward any adult. Except me. And Daddy. So she didn't get to try to work her magic on the teacher anymore. The teacher was suddenly wise to it. Hmm.
After about a month, we began to figure things out. The meltdowns had mostly ceased with an occasional one here or there. And, then, suddenly, we had a great day where everything fell into place. Her day ended by 1:00. What!!
She decided this kind of school wasn't so bad. But she still wouldn't claim to like it.
She began to not mind reading either.
The last book we read in the online school was, it turned out, a 5th grade level book. According to the teaching manual, she should have been able to read the almost daily assignment of 2 chapters in about 20-25 minutes. Try two hours. Yes. Two hours!
When I found out what level it was, I fumed. She had struggled and cried about that book. And I had been concerned about some of the content that was above her understanding. Nothing bad, just beyond her maturity level. Concerned because they expected her to pull out all kinds of inferences about motives and such. I don't know any 8 year old who could have come up with some of it.
But, it turned out that she was right at average reading level for her age. The books she has read so far have been age appropriate with a few challenging words. She is mostly able to figure out how they're feeling and what their motivations are now -- not at first.
And for the first time, she is referencing parts of the books she read when she sees something that applies while we are out and about. Because the literature and the history are in the same time periods and work together, she has made more connections than ever before. The online school program was intended to work concurrently to some degree but the schedule the school administrators set up completely threw that by the wayside. So, every class, every lesson, every daily check-in was on something different, even when they were on the same subject.
This has turned out to be our new blessing. And, the fact that Oklahoma allows me to do it legally is even more of a blessing. For the first time, I feel like she is actually learning -- not just getting it long enough to take a test and go to the next thing. I feel like this might be something she remembers later on. I feel like she is being educated.
Last week, my husband mentioned her 'old school.' For the first time, she told us she likes her new school better of her own accord. I consider that success.
If she ever says she 'loves' school, I will probably have a coronary. So I'll just be happy with liking what we are doing better. That definitely works for me. :)
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