Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Study Island Progress

READING OBJECTIVES:
Obj 1: 8 blue ribbons
Obj 2: 2 blue ribbons
Obj 3: 2 blue ribbons
Obj 4: 4 blue ribbons
Total: 16 Blue Ribbons

READING
Sessions: 27 for the year
Time Spent: 5:07:25
Correct / Total: 148 / 183
% Correct: 80.9%
Grade: (M) Met Standard

READING Grade Level Material
Sessions: 14 for the month
Time Spent: 2:52:29
Correct / Total: 65 / 84
% Correct: 77.4%
Grade: (M) Met Standard

MATH OBJECTIVES:

Texas Education Agency - TAKS™ Information Booklets

Obj 1-6: 11 blue ribbons
Obj 2: 3 blue ribbons
Obj 3: 2 blue ribbons
Obj 4: 1 blue ribbons
Obj 5: 2 blue ribbons
Total: 19 Blue Ribbons

MATH Grade Level Material
Sessions: 49 for the year
Time Spent: 7:12:10
Correct / Total: 270 / 322
% Correct: 83.9%
Grade: (M) Met Standard

MATH Grade Level Material
Sessions: 20 for the month
Time Spent: 2:10:41
Correct / Total: 98 / 125
% Correct: 78.4%
Grade: (M) Met Standard

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Centsables



This website offers free information for kids ages 6-11 featuring animated super-heroes who teach fiscal responsibility through their adventures.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Science is Fun!

http://www.mapaplanet.org/

Explore global imagery of the planets and satellites from a variety of missions in an easy to use web interface. Customize and download your own image maps of the Moon, Mars, Venus, and other planets and moons.

Friday, November 20, 2009

End of 13 weeks

I would give the experience a 8 out of 10

The curriculum is outstanding, the amount of work there is reassuring, you will never run out of things to do or be bored. it is a College Prep in a box.

We enrolled well before the first day of school, if the introduction could have occurred before that, it would have been better. Also a LOT of stress would have been relieved if the demonstration would have clearly stated that someone, teacher, computer program, would have done the planning for me, so that I was not overwhelmed with one 1 inch and two 4 inch thick match books and no idea how we were going to get through them, just a little sticker that said: your 'teacher' will create a lesson plan, I would have had a less stress approach. a stick on the box of books, a 8x11 sheet in the box, somewhere that tells me as new parent, I AM going to have HELP would have been well received.

Where I am feeling the most displeased is the pace is very difficult, we are exhausted on a daily basis trying to keep up with just the bare bare minimum of each assessment, we very very rarely have time to try anything outside of the assessments. It takes 6 hours a day just to work through the assessments. We had to completely omit activities and just teach to the test, which was one of the main reason we left public school in order to struggle to keep up. when there is 3% a week goal and a intelligent but struggling student, we are not able to master every objective and enjoy learning at the same time. We are completing the objectives, be we sure are not having any fun doing it.

The staff are supportive, however, any time I express that I am overwhelmed, that my child is struggling, that this is much harder than I expected, the response is always one of care, concern and 'let me know if I can help', but that is it. no suggestions, no ideas, tricks, nothing. a referral to the message board with all the other parents muddling through this process. I went I read, I didn't feel encouraged.

Months ago, I expressed that my child was reading delayed, and asked for a process to start for testing, here it is the middle of November and there has been no follow up on that. I provided the documentation from the school of his reading delays and test results, he completed the three day reading evaluation in study island and it confirmed the delay, but still nothing has been done, no additional services, no additional recommendations, no change in his curriculum. I feel like I am all alone without any resources other than what I can come up with all by myself alone. I could have done that with a library card instead of the stress of attendance and assessments of K12.

I have had all my illusions of making learning fun and exciting completely destroyed. All I can say is that we struggle through each day, hoping to get through one more lesson. I used to feel that I was an intelligent person, I went to college and got three degrees, including a Bachelor of Science and yet, it is so utterly painful to get through the assessments. I am disillusioned that just to get from point A to point B, I am strictly teaching to the test and there is no time or energy for exploration and development. I am forcing my child to push and he ends up crying and in tears 4 out of 5 days a week. He is miserable and I feel like a failure for putting him through this. No matter how little he was learning at school, he was coming home in a pleasant mood and he didn't pretend to be exhausted and asleep to keep from having to do one more lesson.

After crying and cajoling, fighting and fussing, the grades / assessments are as follows:

Friday Goal: 34% - A<- completely unachievable.

our goal:
A (95) - 31% Core Lessons Complete
B (85) - 29-30% Core Lessons Complete
C (75) - 27-28% Core Lessons Complete
D (65) - 25-26% Core Lessons Complete
F (60) - Less than 24% Core Lessons Complete

Today achievement:
Math: 27% - C
Spelling: 31% - A
Literature: 26% - D
Language Skills: 27% - C
Social Studies: 29% - B
Texas Science: 34% - A
Art: 22% - F
Music: 21% - F
P.E.: 31% - A
Health: 25% - D

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Sick Sick Sick

B.R.A.T. Diet:
Bananas
Rice
Applesauce
Toast
Tea

Low grade fever (97.4'F), lots of vomiting, but he rallied around 3pm, and so we covered three Language Arts lessons before he had to take another nap. Public schooling may be one foot in front of the other, Homeschooling is inch by inch.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Spelling can be FUN!

Test MeTeach MePlay A Game

what if I get them all correct? well then you will be a brilliant boy!

I love how much Magnus loved using his boring old spelling words in sentence scramble, it was wonderful, I was able to copy and paste his spelling lists in and let him 'play' and yet he was still able to meet the objective and pull ahead in his goals. Now that is something I can get excited about. Keep in moving, keep it interesting, keep it interactive, keep it fun. That is a test that he is happy to take.

Pokemon Portrait

we located a Pokemon Picture from Diamond and Pearl, printed it, taped it under glass, painted over it on the glass, including all the space around the Pokemon, removed the paper from under the glass, and placed the glass back into the frame.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Monday, November 16, 2009

Native American Studies

Anasazi, the ancestors (older relatives) of the Pueblo Indians. Magnus is pretty tired today, did not finish second youtube clip before climbing back in bed.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Pioneer Day


Pioneer days: yee haw!

Do you remember way back in the time when kids would do a little blacksmithing, woodworking or cooking instead of playing video games? Yeah, me neither, but this weekend you can try it out at the Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center during Pioneer Days. There will also be folk music and hayrides.

Pioneer Day
Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center
20634 Kenswick Drive, Humble
Saturday
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Magnus Perfect Day Essay

Christmas is my favorite day because I get free toys and wake up in a warm house. I also like the candy in my big sock. The toys are very good. It smells like the everyday smell. the every day smell is good. And I mean good. No, really good. It can't be better.

Christmas sounds are annoying, I hate Christmas carols. So do not sing them, OK! There is one thing I hate the most about Christmas and that is Erik is there. Erik is everywhere than school. At least I never go too school during Christmas brake not even this year.

The best thing about Christmas is the video games. So I put video games on the top of the list. The thing I do first is open presents. Then I get the stuff out of the big sock like toys and candy. Last I will eat breakfast like bacon, eggnog, and waffles. It's cold outside so I will stay inside and stay warm under a blanket.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Candle Making

Art Club, we missed the club, but we got the homework done.

Science, Math and Matter

Whole Wheat Oat Bread
2 cups of water (480 g)
2 tsp sea salt (15 g)
3 Tbl local honey (55 g)
2 Tbl Canola Oil (10 g)
600 grams of Flour (1.5 cups of wheat and 1.5 cups of oat groats ground with Whisper Mill)
70 grams vital wheat gluten
2 Tbl powdered milk (80 g)
2 tsp yeast

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Week 12

Random Thoughts....
Friday was Field Day.. a day of Perfect weather, Fantastic Free Range Fun, and some healthy parents letting their kids play and cavort in a healthy manner. I loved it. This is a healthy IMO group of diverse parents with unique and individual reasons for homeschooling in a non secular way. It was a very pleasant afternoon. Thank you to TXVA Boosters.

Wednesday folder.. new rules effective next Monday, no parent are parent like substance may enter the school without texas issued photo id, no parent are parent like substance may eat at the same table with thier ligitemate or illigetimate offspring in teh general population. they must after entering in through security, obtain a VISA from immigration at the front desk, proceed to the cafeteria where they must sit with their inmate and not someone else's inmate, partaking of the food like substance separate from any and all other wildlife. Other wildlife may NOT join immigrants and inmates, and no seeking asylum at the parents table that is sectioned off away from the general population. VISA can be revoked at anytime. this is a directive from the Borg. ( could not make this up if I wanted too, even with the aid of pharmaceutical grade drugs) I seriously need to send a note to the "Free Range Parent", she would die over this.

What is next? Pat down and orifice check for banned books during mother reader? sheez. There are no teachers sitting with the little darlings during lunch, they tend to get a little rowdy, having a mom at each table has a calming response and they tend to not get as carried away. All the locked doors makes me feel like the Berlin wall is up around the school, and now we have Gastapo controling the reading material, and now we have to sit at the TIME OUT TABLE if we want to consume food with our offspring.

As for my inadequecies as a teacher, yes, I have my own feelings of failure, but never are they more glaringly brought to light than every other person reconfirming that I am totally unqualified to do this by telling me that he should be back in school. Yes, those three pesky degrees in science and mathematics are completely worthless when it comes to educating my own child in a 1:1 environment. I couldn't possibly do it properly. WHY? WHY? why does it bother so many people? what is it about our society that just can not handle someone breaking away from the traditional and trying something new. I mentioned to someone else in the education system that I discovered at

TEXAS VIRTUAL ACADEMY AT SOUTHWEST Academically Unacceptable

EHRHARDT ELEMENTARY Exemplary

Now according to her that must be because one school was better than the other. that one has better personnel than the other. I being the devils advocate, would suggest that maybe one of them teaches to the test, on a DAILY BASIS rather than test on what is taught daily. Erik has brought home TAKS study sheets daily for years, more so this year than last and more last than in 2nd grade, but TRUST ME, the school teaches to the test. Just as sure as my bank account is always nearly as empty as my gas tank.

the general population at the other school is probably children that the traditional school failed to meet their needs and the parents are desperate for education but not willing to loose what little civil liberties that they have left, have you noticed that there are no doors on those toilets in that place? HELLO? so non traditional students tested in a unfamiliar setting are naturally going to exhibit even higher level of test anxiety than traditional students that will be in the same environment that they have been in day in and day out for years. It is biased and IT SUCKS.

So back to my personal choice and progress.

we are at week 12.
Since Magnus has a low motivation, easily gets headaches and needs time to 'rest' we are supposed to be about 32% done with the curriculm, however, as it stands:

Math: 24%
Spelling: 24%
Literature: 26%
Language Skills: 23%
Social Studies: 28%
Texas Science: 32%
Art: 21%
Music: 21%
P.E.: 31%
Health: 25%

However, if we spend a few days during Thanksgiving and keep working, we should be able to get closer to goal. I have a sneaking suspicion that we will be making up some work during Christmas break.

Friday, November 6, 2009

TXVA Field Day





Frisbees, balls, jump ropes at the park.. We are also going to have a potluck lunch. that should be fun. now to pack the lawn chairs and sunscreen.

Field Day Lesson Plans

  1. Dr. Seuss Field Day- "To have students engaged in activities inspired by the Dr. Seuss books."
  2. Field of Fun Day- To provide an end of the year event showcasing many of the different activities taught during our classes as well as some activities just for fun.
  3. Healthful Living Field Day - "This field day allows for the physical education program to work with health professionals in the community to plan an entire day of informative talks and activities, which are designed to promote healthy living in the lives of students. "
  4. Sports and Fitness Festival- To extend the physical education curriculum beyond what can be offered in regular PE classes and to expose students to new sports and activities which lead them to a healthy lifestyle.
  5. Survivor Island Field Day- "The purpose was to provide children with the opportunity to use the teamwork and leadership skills they learned in our cooperative learning unit in a real situation."
  6. Wacky Olympics- "To have students enjoy a fun field day. "
  7. "Where The Wild Things Are" Field Day- This year our Reading Incentive Program is based on the Caldecot Medal winning book, "Where the Wild Things Are". This field day is an effort to collaborate in the school-wide program
Northshore Park, The Woodlands, Texas.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

3rd Grade TXVA

Show all

Some days are just what they are

Some days we just do not want to get out of bed, and it requires some coaxing. okay, today is a easy day. just do online study island and get one Taks Reading component done.... okay just read one chapter in your literature... maybe just browse through one social studies quiz. Just 15 minutes bike hike to the park and back. we slowly eeked through the day and we made a little headway but didn't fight the grumpy little boy. In his defense, he has been coughing up some pretty icky stuff and he really probably doesn't feel 100%. We are however going to have to start assigning 'HOMEWORK' and studying much later in the day to make up for his lack of progress.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Laying down the law...AGAIN

Do we see a pattern here? I get fed up, I print out the grades, there is a family meeting, we lay down the law, things go along smoothly until it gets back to the underlying problem. He Don't Want to Work. Repeat. Today is day two of the cycle. He better get his work done.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Wiped Out

Magnus has had a rough day today. He was super tired in the morning, daddy bribed him with bacon to get him out of bed. Momma administered children's claritin for the stuffy nose. No fever, just aches, pains, and general feeling of ICKINESS. We did a repeat of Taks 1D for Math on Study Island. We took the Scantron Weekly Math Exam. We completed Social Studies (map reading), Science (desert, tundra, and everglade ecosystems), and Health (food pyramid), and then he collapsed in a puddle, and cried himself to sleep. He complained that his tummy hurt, that he didn't feel good and he was just too tired.

I think we are going to "call it a day" early today, and see if he feels better tomorrow.