Notes On Teaching Literature

Once upon a time, I taught a literature/writing class once a week through a homeschool co-op. I loved it, discovered my love of teaching there, and got very positive feedback (from both parents and students)(although now that I think about it,  parents stressed me out then, too!). I taught for two years (or was it three?) and only stopped when the co-op shut down. It was invaluable in terms of the experience ggained and the lessons learned, far from least of which was the concept of breaking big skills into smaller "bites." I look back at my lesson plans, the teaching materials I designed (I was on a shoestring budget so everything - handouts, tests and quizzes, assignments, etc - I created myself), and I'm still pleased with it.

But that was over five years ago,  and I'd forgotten certain things.  For instance,  how much work is involved. ;)

I've been teaching Ruth and Dari writing and literature this whole semester, and it's been challenging in ways I didn't expect. It's been a little harder to motivate them than I thought it would be. But we are finally,  blessedly down to our last two weeks of class before Christmas break,  and we're finishing up with one of my favorite pieces of lit: A Christmas Carol.

Some brief notes on what we're doing (since we've strayed very far from the syllabus at this point and I want to remember what we did):

- I typed up a short, 2 - page handout on the life of Dickens and the reception of ACC and surprisingly,  this was one of the parts of the lesson the girls liked the best! They liked that Dickens tried to affect change through his writing, and that his works were focused on working people. They LOVE reading descriptions of him reading ACC out loud, which segued nicely into our first "exploration" of the text, which was. ..

- ...Reading the first chapter (well, most of it anyway!) out loud. I expected this to be met with groans of misery, but it was met with enthusiasm, and they got more into it the more we read. We started off alternating paragraphs, then when we reached dialogue we assigned characters and a narrator. Inspired by the aforementioned descriptions of Dickens readings, we all read with as much feeling and acting as possible. We read very informally, stopping to discuss unfamiliar words or phrases as they came up, or act out parts they didn't understand.

- The writing journal assignment for this segment is pretty simple: I generated a lot of blank cluster diagrams and the girls are required to "analyze" each character using specific examples from the text to back up their claims (for instance, one of their characterizations of Scrooge could be "miserly," and the evidence for this would be that he saw Marley's death as "a bargain," only let Bob Cratchett have a single coal, and liked the dark because it was cheap). They have to re-analyze Scrooge every chapter, plus two other characters in the book.

- We'll spend two weeks discussing ACC, culminating in a trip to a nearby theater to see it performed on stage, and our final assignment will be their choice: either an essay tracing Scrooge's transformation (using their journal entries) or a reflection essay exploring the differences between the book and the staged performance. Then we're done for the semester!  :)

On the agenda for next semester: I know we're doing Animal Farm, and beyond that my plans are fluid (meaning,  I need to figure them out! ;)).

These People

These people. I love them dearly. I will miss them while they're gone, and I am thankful for the time we got to spend together this summer.

(L-R Natalie, Laura, Elena, Maggie, Jennifer, Connor)

Things To Do - Our Favorite Activities (18 Months - 2 Years)

Did anyone else have the "Things To Do" books when they were growing up? If I remember right, they were a series, like "Things To Do... With Science," "Things To Do... With Art," etc. I loved those books. (I'm pretty sure my mom got rid of them, which kills me, because I can't find them on Amazon and I want a copy for myself!)

One of the things I've been kind of stumped on since starting with the triplets is what to do during our time together. I mean, we do all the regular peek-a-boo, gonna-getcha, naming-objects kind of play... plus the routine snacks, naps, diaper changes (which takes up a surprising amount of time when everything is x3, lol!). But with them getting a little older and their coordination and attention span increasing, they're also a little more easily bored and really appreciate a new game or activity.

Unfortunately, it feels like this is also the hardest age to find appropriate and interesting activities for. :( They're still putting things in their mouth when tired or distracted (or just ornery, lol), their coordination is improving but not very steady yet, and we're not good at sharing at all. (Like, at all at all.)

I would totally appreciate more good ideas from others caring for children of similar ages... but in the meantime, here are our favorite ways to play so far:

1. Water table and sand box - I begged Amy and Ryan to get a water table, figuring that it would be a mess-free, easy way to entertain the babies for endless hours. I was right - it does keep them occupied for seeming hours upon end - but I was wrong in that it still requires a change of clothes, as their favorite ways to play involve lots of dumping on heads, splashing, and making puddles to sit in. :) In view of the hours of happy play, however, I consider it well worth the mess. Here's an amazing tutorial on how to make an easy, elegant water/sand table that I think is just brilliant. :) Or, if you don't happen to have $50 and a couple of hours lying around, follow this link and create a makeshift table from storage bins.

2. Bubbles - I tried this for the first time yesterday and the kids loved, loved, loved it! I simply pumped out a good amount of Johnson's Baby Shampoo into the water table and added a little bit of water (just enough to make lots of suds!) using the hose on high pressure. The babies started giggling as soon as the suds appeared and couldn't wait to dig in! When the bubbles (or water) get low, refresh with another pump and a whisk. :) I also did the same thing in a couple of aluminum roasting pans we have for water play, but I added a drop of two of food coloring to the suds and swished it around for bright colorful bubbles. Lucy especially thought this was amazing; her play was short-lived because Miles immediately dumped all the colored bubbles out so he could walk around banging the pans together (lol!). We'll be doing this again soon.

3. Ice cubes - Such a simple thing, but it's absolutely fascinating when you're so little! :) Addie loved grabbing the ice cubes and pushing them through the water, feeling them melt when she held them, putting them all in a bucket and then dumping them out again, etc. So far we've only played with regular ice cubes, but I made some colored ice cubes yesterday and stuck them in the freezer for next time. :)

4. Sand Table (or sandbox) - I'm going to be real here: I dread the sandbox. We have a sandbox, and the amount of sand that gets in hair, legs, diapers, etc, is horrifying. But the kids love it, and if they're in the right mood (not obstinate enough to want to throw it everywhere just because I said not to, and not fussy enough that they'll fall to pieces if a sibling accidently throws a little sand in their face) it's a sure-fire way to keep them happy for awhile. I can't wait to try playing with some Moon sand (we'll probably do this in the water table) - I remember Abigail absolutely loving this when she was just a tiny bit older, and I love the fact that it's 100% edible (just cornstarch, salt, and oil) but also discourages eating (because, hello, it's almost 100% salt).

5. Edible finger paint - (1 part flour to 1.5 parts water, and enough food coloring or Jello powder to create the desired hue) We tried this for the first time just yesterday, and while the kids definitely played with it differently than I expected (they wanted to dump it all out and then sort of smear it around, squish it between their fingers, etc), it did seem pretty fascinating and kept them busy for awhile. Next time I will add some baking powder to the mix and give them paper to smear and paint on; when they're done, just pop the paper into the microwave for a few seconds, the "paint" puffs and dries instantly, and voila! Artwork is preserved. :)

6. Dress-up - We only have a few hats and vests, but the babies love putting them on, taking them off, trading them, etc. One of these days when I have a little spare time (HA!) I would like to make a bunch of felt vests (like these) in different colors and styles so they have more to choose from. If I can find some cheap hats, too, all the better. (The other benefit of this sort of play is that they get great practice putting clothes on and off, and handling snaps, buttons, Velcro, etc.)

7. "Rock Band" - My music teacher grandmother would call this "ear training," but I jokingly referred to it as "Rock band practice" and Amy thought it was pretty funny, so the name stuck. :) This is a great activity for when it's too hot (and I imagine this winter, when it's too cold) to be outside, or when everyone is bathed for the evening but still has energy to work out, in that it involves nothing messy. I generally pull out several bowls of different materials (plastic, metal, wood, etc), and several "drumsticks" (wooden spoons, metal spoons, plastic spatulas, etc) and let them go to town exploring the different sounds. Often this is total free play while I fix a meal, clean up after a meal, or do something else that needs my attention, but just as often I sit on the floor and bang with them. :) They love to hear and try to copy different rhythms! And just a warning: once you hand a kid a drumstick, almost everything - cabinets, walls, plastic trays, baby gate, the floor, etc - becomes a drum. There's nothing they can hurt in the kitchen, but if you don't want to turn your house into a giant drumset, teach "only on the drums" early and consistently. :)

Some other things we haven't tried yet, but hope to soon:

Sensory bottles - All the babies like things they can hold and manipulate (shakers, toys with bubbles inside that move, mirrors, etc) so I imagine they'd love a set of sensory bottles with lots of stuff inside to find and experiment with! I've already started a collection of bottles, and I just need to make a shopping trip for stuff to put inside. :)

Fine motor skill activities - Specifically, I'm thinking of this and this. We only have one "shape sorter" and it is high on the list of favorite toys; in fact, whoever finds it usually drags it over to me to play with so that I will fend off greedy siblings from taking it (although we've also used it a few times to practice sharing LOL).

Circle time - Lucy especially really loves sitting next to each other and singing with hand motions. I think Circle Time is a really great activity in general, since it teaches kids to sit and pay attention, listen for instructions, copy, etc in a low stress way, so sometime in the very near future I'm going to burn a CD of easy songs and finger plays (Eensy Weensy Spider, I'm A Little Teapot, If You're Happy And You Know It, Where Is Thumbkin, etc), and start introducing this as an activity. :)

More water fun - Since the water table is such a sure-fire hit, I'm starting a list, including this cool idea (gotta pick up some pool noodles at the dollar store and hack them into giant "beads"), water balloons (I think they kids would love this, even though it falls into the "closely supervised play" category), making our own sprinkler (or finding a cheap one on clearance somewhere), and maybe even making a "water blob." Until it gets too cold to spend afternoons soaking wet, I'm gonna rock it for all it's worth!


If you're looking for more details on these or other fun activities for kids, you can check out my Pinterest board where I collect fun ideas. :)

Lots of Literary Fun going on here... :)

I've been indulging my love of old literature lately. Inspired by a movie I saw over the weekend, I decided to dive into Julius Caesar - I remember reading this years ago, but all I retained was the general memory of the plot, not the beauty of the language or the development or anything else. So I started rereading it again. I'm enjoying it so much! I have definitely forgotten almost all of it, so it's like having a new piece of literature! I'm enjoying it so much, I wish I'd taught it to my class. Back when I had a class (little bit of sadness, there, lol). If I get the opportunity to teach again, it's definitely going on the reading list!

It felt so good to get my literary side going again that I went ahead and got another resource page up on EdResource - this time all my Red Badge of Courage resources. Take a look! I loved teaching that novel - if you've never read it, go do it! I'll be glad to lend you a copy!

Yesterday marked my third week on Weight Watchers. I'm seeing results and haven't hit any true roadbumps - some small ones, sure, but nothing I couldn't handle yet. :) I'm excited about all these changes going on... especially since this is the time of year I normally want to crawl under a rock and disappear until spring, and so far I'm still feeling good and going strong. God is really good.

EdResource Updated!

I finally got around to one of my goals today - get my EdResource blog up and running. The design is far from perfect, but I think it's going to have to just stay that way for awhile until I get some actual resources loaded! Anyway, today I got a bunch of Animal Farm related resources up - including a few I created myself last year while teaching the novel to my class. Animal Farm is one of the most accessible "classic" novel to teach to kids, so if you're looking for help, head on over. :)

And if Animal Farm isn't your thing right now... well, other resources will be coming up soon, so check back. I'm hoping to get at least one new resource/unit up each week.

The Play's The Thing!

It's that time of year again - the last obstacle between summer and fall, lol - crunch time for the church's summer musical drama!

I've enjoyed directing it this year, and that is good. :) Because I have to say, I didn't enjoy it much last year. I wanted to. I know that part of the reason I didn't enjoy it is because I was really struggling with some attitude issues on my part, but it also felt like I spent 90% of my time dealing with behavioral issues from teenagers who were old enough to know better, and only 10% of my time dealing with artistic issues. This year, smaller cast - only 12 cast members! - and I felt like I was able to give guidance to everyone. I also threw out the scripts early this year, forcing them to memorize earlier. At least, that was the idea. :) I still have a few scragglers in the memorization department, but I'm not stressed yet.

Today we had our first Saturday rehearsal, and we arrived to discover that our set had FINALLY been set up! Yahoo! I looks great!

I was also good about taking pictures this year!

My assistant director, Hannah, backstage with the actors waiting for the fun to start. Without Hannah, there would be no play! We complement each other very nicely - I'm a big picture person and she's very detail oriented and so she keeps me together. :) She does the work of several people each year - she is responsible for making sure everyone has a script, issuing replacements if they get lost or destroyed, making sure we have extras for readers, etc. She also keeps track of attendance and finds readers to fill in parts for absent actors. If she can't find a reader, she may end up reading a part - or several! - herself. She follows me around and takes notes on things we have to do, props we have to get, emails we need to send, etc. She helps keep all the kids under control. This year she helped me do the shopping. On performance day, she helps get everyone into costume and makeup, and helps manage backstage.

In fact, thinking of all she does... what do I do? :)

Most of the cast onstage. Hannah is reading for an absent actor, as is my dad (who is also the Music Director).

Craig, Chris, and George singing. :) For those of you familiar with Patch the Pirate's ministry, the musical we are going is "Kidnapped on I-Land."

More Craig, Chris, and George. Chris' character "Silas" is caught between Craig's character, "King Me-First," and his trusty sidekick "Paulie Parrot" (who represents Silas' better side).

More of my guys, this time with Me-First's fire-breathing dragon, Torch.

I was running around taking pictures today and then had to turn away for a moment, so I handed my camera to a backstage actor to hold. I turn around, he says "You know, we never get pictures of YOU!" and - snap. I have no idea what I was saying/thinking. :)

Hanging around backstage, waiting for cues.

We did the play for several years with either no backstage/wings to speak of (actors would simply walk off or onstage from the floor) or with really small/modified wings. Last year I begged for a backstage and proposed this design - two "wings" with a curtain in the middle. I loved it, it looked great, and the Christmas drama program loved it so much they stole it for their musical. :) This year we ditched the curtain and just went with the two wings. I love it - it's SO NICE having a place to change costume, relax, etc.

My sister Elizabeth is my pianist this year and has done an INCREDIBLE job! I'm still kind of in awe over how well she's doing!

My sister Maggie singing one of the songs.

Maggie turning pages for Lizzie and hanging out piano-side.

I'm excited about our play this year. I think it will be the last play I direct for awhile - I'd like to take a summer off - and I think it'll be a great play to go out on. :)

Scientists In The House!

Since we were originally going to spend Tuesdays at co-op, all my lesson plans this year are designed for a four-day schoolweek. I'll fix them eventually, but this week Ruth already had a four-day schoolweek as she spent Monday going to a doctor's appointment several hours away, and the twins decided to get their schoolwork done by Thursday so that the only work they had to do Friday was a science lab with me. It worked out pretty well, although Ruth did not get quite as much done as I'd hoped. But she's still getting in the swing of things, where the twins are old pros now, so I'm hoping the routine gets easier as we go along. I will say this - having only one student needing constant attention is SO MUCH EASIER than having two! :)

Anyway, today was science day (and catch-up day for Ruth and I). We're using A Beka for science this year for both Ruth and the twins - I don't love A Beka but I wanted a curriculum that had both "book learning" and hands on labs/experiments for each week. The twins' curriculum, Science of the Physical Creation actually has its own lab manual with multiple experiments for each concept - I love! I do have to modify some of the experiments to work with household objects, as I'm not ready to sink a ton of money into science lab equipment (maybe next year), but nothing too bad.

If the twins' curriculum is acceptable, though, I love Ruth's curriculum. We're doing Exploring God's World and the focus is all on observation, hands-on experiments, and the joy of learning. I used this curriculum myself when I was around her age (maybe a little older?) and I still remember many of the concepts from it. It also taught me how to discover things for myself and think logically.

Anyway, today was science lab day. The twins have been studying about scientific notation and measurement this week, so their lab was all about tools we use to measure.

Their first task was the measure the living room using a student ruler. They had to repeat the process twice, then measure the room using a tape measure.

Next we weighed several different objects - a pitcher filled with water, a hymnal, and a crate of books - using a postal scale and a bathroom scale.

Finally, we measured out 250 ML of water using a large kitchen measuring cup, then a smaller liquid measuring cup, then a graduated cylinder.

We recorded the results of our finds in our notebooks and talked about precision and accuracy, and why scientists use different tools to measure different things. The twins then had to fill out a chapter review which, I'll admit, looked hard to me! But they did really well! Elizabeth panicked a little at the beginning (science is not her thing, lol, whereas Allen goes at it like he was a born scientist), but I sat with her and told her that learning to understand scientific terms, etc, was just like learning to speak Spanish or read sewing patterns - it was its own language and took some time. After that she did just fine. :)

Ruth has been learning about what science is, what scientists do, and how our five senses help us investigate about the world around us. The recommended lab project for this lesson was to begin a "science museum" where she could collect items and display them. This is where homeschooling requires a little innovation. The lesson is obviously designed for a classroom, which would have space to set aside for a display, but we're doing schoolwork on the kitchen table! It's hard enough to get it cleared away for lunch! I had decided earlier than instead of keeping a physical display, we would photograph and sketch the objects we study throughout the year and put them in a nature journal. Thus, instead of sending her out to collect flowers to display (and later identify and label), I handed her my digital camera and told her to go out and photography as many flowers as she could find, making sure to get a good picture of the stem, leaves, and flowers (as this will help us identify them in a later lesson). When she returned, I had her sketch the flowers using the photographs and colored pencils. I am uploading the photos to walmart.com as we speak to make prints; I'll pick up the prints tomorrow and we'll put them in our nature journal along with her sketches.

I did realize when I looked at her sketches that I'd given her too little direction about sketching. I need to teach her about sketching - counting how many flower petals there are, how the veins in the leaves branch out, etc. Just proves I'm still learning to teach!

Thanks!

This morning when I got up I had some text messages from friends who were asking me how I was feeling now that there is no more co-op. Throughout the morning, I got more. I just want to say, thanks everyone for the concern! It really warmed my heart to know that everyone cared!

In answer to the queries... I'm fine. I'm sad that this thing I loved is (at least temporarily) gone, but I am so grateful for the opportunities it gave me and the growing I did there.

Now that it is over, though, I think I'm even more inspired to get some of my own personal projects underway. I really want to get my educational resource blog/site up and going, and I'm more determined than ever to continue being diligent about posting here and on my other blogs (my nanny blog and my writing blog).

Last week, before I knew about co-op, I started writing fiction again. Granted, it was fanfic, and granted, it was bad fanfic. :) But I was writing again, which is refreshing, and I hope that "spark" will give me some momentum towards working on my own stuff again.

Someone also brought up the possibility of teaching out of my home, which is something I've been considering and praying about for awhile now. I'm not sure I'm ready to commit to that yet - especially on such short notice! - but I'm definitely one step closer. I'd like to spend some time this coming year to really refining my class and putting together a curriculum and syllabus that I could use if I did go that route.

I also sat down again to rewrite lesson plans for the kids - GROAN! We were going to have a four-day schoolweek (four days at home plus one day at co-op), so I had to rewrite the plans for a five-day schoolweek. And you know what? It works out SO MUCH better that way. :) So in that respect, it's all good!

With all change comes sadness. *shrug* I think that's kind of the way it is. There will always be some aspect of "the way it was" that you'll miss, no matter how exciting "the way it will be/is" is.

Feeling Some Sadness

As many of you know, for the last three years I've taught a "Composition & Literature" course through our church's homeschool co-op. I started teaching because I'd just switched my major (to English) and everyone kept asking me, "So, are you going to teach?" I'd never taught anyone anything, but apparently teacher was high on the list of options for an English major, so I figured I'd better figure out if I liked teaching or not!

I signed up to teach a six-week course in poetry for sixth through twelfth graders; I was supposed to have eight students, then a few days before class I had ten, then I got the call asking if I could handle twelve, and then the first day of class showed up and I ended up with fourteen students.

I quickly discovered that I loved teaching! :) When the six weeks were over, I signed up again to teach an essay-writing class, which evolved into the "Composition & Literature" class I taught

Over the last few years, I kept learning and growing as a teacher - I honestly think I learned as much from my students as they learned from me! I loved teaching - I loved figuring out how I was going to get across new concepts, developing strategies, designing worksheets, etc. In fact, last year when I graduated and was job hunting, I stuck some of the stuff I'd done in a binder and sent it in with my application and resume, and the binder got me an interview along with two other applicants, each having over fifteen years experience teaching and writing.

Although I have good memories of all three years, last year was especially incredible. I had older students, so I was able to teach literature that was a little more mature, and I had intelligent students who were able to really digest the literature and apply the truth in it to their lives. I loved getting papers back to grade - often the students would point out aspects or elements of the literature that I hadn't fully appreciated before.

Tonight I was out with some friends, including the mom of three of my students from last year. We started chatting about the co-op, and she shared with me that she felt that being in my class last year had prepared her sons for this year's school year (they have switched to a literature-based curriculum). I was really touched - her sons are really smart guys who constantly kept me on my toes, and I was sort of always wondering "Are they bored? Do they care about what I'm teaching? Do I look like an idiot?" It was such an affirmation to hear that I'd impacted them in even a small way.

Anyway. The co-op has been in choppy waters for the last few weeks; we lost our director this year, so most of the work has fallen on our pastor, who already has a full plate. We couldn't seem to get a schedule together, then once we finally did get a schedule together the class offerings were pretty slim. I knew we were in danger of being cancelled, but I was sure that something would come up and save the day.

Tonight I got the email - there won't be a co-op this year. We'll regroup and reorganize and try again in 2011, but it'll be a year before I'm able to get inside a classroom again.

I'll be okay, but tonight I'm feeling sad. I'll miss teaching - it was the one way I was actually using that degree I earned, and I have to admit I panicked a little bit when I realized I wouldn't be teaching this year, because I kept thinking, "What will motivate me to keep reading, keep developing lesson plans, keep growing?"

Well, I'll keep growing/learning/reading because it's who I am. I don't need a classroom (as a student or a teacher) to keep exploring the world around me. I explore the world around me as a person, and I bring that to the classroom as a teacher. :) It's a subtle distinction, but an important one!

I'm trusting that God has my best interests at heart, here. I'll have lots to keep busy with this year - teaching the twins, teaching Ruth, chasing after Abigail, etc. Maybe I'll finally get that educational blog off the ground. Maybe having a year off guilt-free is really a gift.

Maybe tomorrow I'll feel that way. Tonight, I'm feeling some sadness.

Things Break Down*

*(There is an obscure literary reference in this title... a student of mine began throwing out obscure literary references in class one week, with meaningful glances at me to see if I could name them. So far, I've named them all and stumped him once. :))


Last week, right in the middle of my run (the part where I'm about to get a second wind and feel like somebody pumped me full of lightning, to be exact), my treadmill died. I tried to fix it, to no avail. I got my dad to look at it, and he worked on it and got it running again, saying something about the thing having an internal circuit breaker to deal with static buildup (???). I didn't care - it was working again.


A few days later, the same thing happens. I reset it the way he shows me, but every six minutes afterwards it needs resetting. This is a little annoying, since I have to pause and jump down every six minutes, but okay.


Yesterday the thing died at six minutes and refused to be reset. I am annoyed. I tried substituting the Wii Fit, but the Fit seems to bug my hip (long story, but I sprained my back last month and while my back has healed up, my hip seems to be stubbornly refusing to heal).


I tried a mat routine yesterday (i.e. jogging in place, light weights, some step aerobics, etc) and kind of hated it. So today I went outside to run. Yes, that's how desperate I am. I went outside and dealt with the pollen, the gravel (which inevitably finds its way inside my shoe), the bugs, and the possibility of snakes (which we regularly find stretched across the road). It worked, but it was not satisfying in the way my treadmill is. :(

I don't know what I'm going to do today... I am going out with a friend from co-op tonight, and technically it is time for a rest day (I have been taking a day off every 4-5 days), so I'm contemplating taking a rest day today (especially since my hip is killing me today). I can't wait for dad to get home and fix my treadmill!

In other news...

Co-op ended today! I'm a bit sad about this - I love teaching - but on the other hand, I am looking forward to summer, and doing some traveling on the weekends, and directing the teen drama program at camp, and hanging out at the pool with the kids and Abigail on the afternoons. I love the cycle of seasons - I like marking the passing of time. :) I'm also looking forward to working on next year's curriculum over the summer! Should be a good year!

My Boring Life

Whew! What a day!

Today I packed up Abigail and the stroller, picked up Anna as a backup, and took us all over to the A Beka Books open house taking place about 1/2 hour away. I got to glance through their display last week at MACHE, but we had three hours before the displays closed and three buildings to get through, and I was stressed and knew an open house would be a much less stressful setting, so I didn't buy anything. Today was different - I know a bit more about what next years curriculum is going to look like (lol, I know a bit more about what the next four years are going to look like!) so I was more prepared.

I picked up science books and test/key sets for the twins (14) and Ruth (10)... I don't really intend to modify the course much, as I am not a science-y person. I picked up a lot of language arts material in various grades to use as reviews/quick studies, since it has recently come to my attention that our language art skills are a little lacking. Ok, try nonexistent. I am trying to keep a hopeful mind, since we were working 4th grade math on October and the kids just tested into 7th grade math last week, and will probably test close to grade level by the start of the next school year (we'll definitely be working math over the summer!), but on the other hand... Oh, I am so discouraged! It feels like just when I get one area under control, I find another area that needs just as much work. I would love to take the summer off because right now I just feel so overwhelmed, but when I think about "wasting" even a few weeks, I feel almost more overwhelmed. Arg. No good answers, apparently, just keep chugging away and do the best we can. Anyway...

I also picked up a history course for Ruth at grade level, but I'm also conscious that if I can't get her reading at a much higher level by next year, I'm not sure how much of this curriculum she'll be able to handle. This is key - I absolutely HAVE to get her reading over the summer! Must must MUST! As far as the twins go, I want to do world history/geography, but I wasn't in love with the A Beka course, so I bought the map worksheets and am going to cobble together my own curriculum.

Anna (16) bought a Bible Doctrines course for next year. I was impressed by the curriculum, and I think that not only will the knowledge be useful to her, but that the textbook itself feels less like a textbook and more like a reference book. Well worth the $16!

I also bought several grades worth of math for Ruth, as she also has some major catching-up to do in the arithmetic department, but I think she will be easier to get caught up since she is still pre-algebraic. ;)

I expected to feel less stressed out after getting the curriculum together... instead I think I feel a little more. :(

I'm A Mad Scientist!

Okay, well, maybe not so mad... and not much of a scientist... :)

I've been trying to be good about doing one hands-on "lab science" type session per week with the twins (we usually pull Ruth and Anna into our sessions, too!). This week we're studying the matter and motion unit in our science books, so I immediately thought about this density column experiment. I remember doing it myself when I was their age and having a blast!

One of my goals this year was not only to get us caught up to grade level, but to establish good schoolwork habits (write neatly, do your work, read the instructions, etc), so before we began I had each kid bring their notebook and sharpened pencil over, and reviewed standards - neatness, show their work, etc. Some of us are naturally more neat than others, but all of us have to make the effort, lol! We paused between each step to let everyone record the results in their notebooks, and I also kept track of the results on a whiteboard.

We started off by weighing the same amoung of seven different liquids - water, salt water (we added about 2 tablespoons to every cup), molasses, oil, vinegar, wine (don't ask!), and syrup - basically every liquid we could find in the pantry. Using a postal scale, we measured 1/4 cup of each liquid and recorded the respective weights (I don't remember the results off the top of my head, lol, but they were each different). I very casually introduced the scientific method - hypothesize, experiment, gather data, form conclusions - and we had a lot of fun making hypotheses about what each liquid would weigh, how much the salt would change the density of the water, what the heaviest and lightest liquids would be, etc.
After recording the results, I told the kids we were going to "stack" the liquids and asked them to hypothesize about the order the liquids would take.

We built our density column out of a ruler and a cylindrical vase. Everyone took turns pouring about 1 1/2" of their favorite liquid into the vase and we watched it form into layers. We compared the actual results to our hypotheses - I think everyone got it right! - and then began dropping small items in to see on which layer they landed. Key? straight to the bottom. Paper clip? straight to the bottom (this surprised me... I thought it might slow down a little around the molasses/syrup layer). Ditto BB pellets. Airsoft pellets landed on top of the water layer; same with the crayon. The plastic poker chip (I know, I know, wine and poker chips?!?) hung out on top of the oil.

Overall, we had a fun day in the old science lab - I mean, the kitchen. :)

I'm Leaving, On A Jet Plane...

I've been longing to get down to Alabama for FOREVER! I miss my best friend and I can't wait to meet her son. :) At long last, tomorrow is the big day!

Let me just confess to you: I hate flying. I love the convenience of stepping on a plane, reading/chilling/sleeping/etc, and getting off the plane in a matter of hours in a totally different place, but I hate the hassle of packing under airline restrictions, lugging luggage around, and security. I hate security. I finally got a TSA guy to admit that the reason I was always, without fail pulled out of line was because they do in fact have guidelines about women in skirts. Apparently traveling in pants is no biggie, but traveling in a skirt immediately places you in the potential terrorist category. I really honestly don't mind being pulled aside and wanded - I mean, come on, wouldn't we all rather take a little longer in line to gain more security?!? - but I'm always terrified that someone is going to snatch my laptop while my back is turned. They can have my luggage and my purse, but please, please don't take my computer! :)

Since I'm just gonna be gone for the weekend, however, I'm leaving the computer at home and just taking a (big) purse and carryon. And - get this, folks - this carryon is fully functioning. It has four wheels that roll, a handle that comes and AND goes in, and the zippers are fully intact. Yes, my last three trips have all involved luggage that has broken in some way at the airport. I do not have good luck with luggage.

Actually, I'm starting to think I don't have good luck with flying in general. Case in point: first flight to Alabama, airline goes belly-up in the week between when I fly down and when I'm scheduled to fly back. I flew back a day early on the very last flight the airline flew (I wish I could remember which airline it was now!).

Second flight to Alabama: plane hits turbulence over Washington and has to make the approach twice while I clutch the back of the seat in terror.

Third flight to Alabama: I have a twenty minute layover, the plane breaks down and is going to be delayed for at least three hours, so this is an issue. Ticket Guy looks at my ticket, asks if I checked my luggage or if I'm carrying it. I'm carrying it. Upon hearing this, Ticket Guy points down the hall and says "Gate 23. Run." I literally ran down the hall, my suitcase flying behind me. The gate is empty, and I am the last person to get onto the plane. I get on plane sans any paperwork - boarding pass, ticket, etc - and eventually get up enough courage to ask my seatmate, "Um, what airport are we going to and when are we going to get there?" (Yes, he looks at my strangely). Turns out I am going to a completely different airport at a completely different time.

So if you're wondering if this post is long and rambling so I don't have to think about tomorrow... :)

In other news, Abigail and I are still partners in crime. She's learned this week that she can make choices, so she's all about picking out her own clothes, foods, and movies. I get a kick out of her decisions, so we haven't really had any battles over anything like some folks said we would. I'm always amazed at how kicked-back cool this baby is - we were over at my house when naptime rolled around, and she happily slept on my bed all afternoon without her music, crib, etc, and didn't seem at all fazed.

I've finished up teaching Animal Farm and I'm thinkng about our next book. I'm thinking "To Build A Fire," but we'll see. I think "Man Vs. Nature" may be my least favorite literary conflict, and this is probably because I'm not at all an outdoorsy person. :)

Odds 'n Ends

I've missed a post! And a Friday Update! And I didn't post to Girl In Skirt last week... so what have I been doing?

Well, I'm getting used to my new routine, even though it doesn't feel "routine" yet, lol. However, I'm enjoying my new role as nanny and I expect it will soon feel like I've been doing this forever. :)

I am still teaching at the church homeschool co-op. In literature/composition class right now, we're two chapters into Animal Farm and we seem to be back into our groove (we all seemed to be out of sorts when the semester started... don't know if it was just the post-holiday letdown, the weather, or what. But it's better now). Lots of opportunities in that book for great discussion and debate; I have an incredible group this year (of course, I say that every year) and I am realizing more than ever how much I as a teacher learn from my students. I have several extremely bright students this year who are also very detail oriented; at the beginning of the semester, they would be obsessing over a small point or choice of words that I saw as inconsequential, and I would get frustrated because I wanted them to let it go and see the bigger picture. I realized quickly - lol, I'm learning fast! - that this was a chance to sit back and be taught. I am so glad I did! I'm not detail oriented in the least, so this is a chance to learn.


In film class, we've now entered our film-making period. We've finished planning out our first project, a short involving a short stop-motion sequence, and begun storyboarding our stop-motion sequence. I'm a little itchy to get started actually filming, but I know all this planning will keep us on track!

I've also taken over the schooling for the twins, as Mom spends the majority of her time shuttling Maggie to her appointments with her occupational therapist, chiropractor, various doctors, etc. This is the third week of our official semester since we took a long winter break, and we're still having a little bit of trouble getting everything done (read: if I'm not there to tell them to do schoolwork, it doesn't seem to get done, lol). I am trying to buckle down this week and be a Hitler... not much fun, but hopefully once we're all back into our groove I can return to my former role as learning-instigator. :) I am trying to enjoy the rest of the semester, as I know the summer will be full of curriculum-hunting, curriculum writing, and lesson-plan making. :) In the meantime, I'm accepting suggestions for all curriculums, all subjects.

We have way too much snow here... I realize now how much snow is a child's thing - this is the first year I've wished the snow away just so I wouldn't have to think so hard about getting from point A to point B. My uncle and grandfather conspired to drive me to work and back on Monday since my uncle's driveway was impassable for my small truck. I was hoping that by today everything would be back to normal - but we're supposed to get MORE snow tonight! Sheesh! and I tried to use my sister's sedan to take her to voice lessons, and couldn't make it up the hill in the snow. Luckily my dad came along just then - but it still took him fifteen minutes and many tries! My uncle is supposed to call me tonight and we'll get a plan together for tomorrow. Snow, snow, go away, come again - next year! :)

I hope you're all staying warm and cozy!

Some Resources

Just a few of my fav resources that I use in my own personal research/study, as well as teaching:

Online-literature.com - I have found very,very few pieces of literature that are not included in this beautiful online repository. To search for a particular piece (or even just browse among the authors!) click on the "authors index" link in the first paragraph. In addition to the literature itself, it offers nice author bios, info on particular works, and a discussion forum where lit buffs can wrangle questions about plot, setting, theme, and anything else that catches their fance.

abcteach.com - If I need a worksheet fast and I don't have time to create it from scratch, or if I'm in a bit of an inspiration "slump" and need a fun activity idea, I hit the good folks at abcteach.com. While there are many pages limited to their members (I think membership runs about $30 a year and is probably worth every penny), there is a bevy of pages available for free, which tend towards the colorful and fun!

Of course, I'm a stickler for format, so I love The Owl At Purdue. MLA format made easy!

New Curriculum Review

For the last two years, as I've been teaching various English-related classes through my church's homeschool co-op, I have ended up writing/assembling my own curriculum. This was not for lack of looking for a ready-made curriculum to use - I would have been glad to find one; however, it just seemed that all the curriculae I looked at were either too childish and relied mostly on rote busywork (which I hate as a main learning tool), or too mature or explicit (including themes, language, or analysis that was offensive or just too heady for my younger highschoolers).

For my first class, an introduction to poetry class, I actually spent several weeks writing my own curriculum, complete with workbooks and lesson plans. For the rest of my classes, I ended up selecting my own literature, pairing it with discussion prompts I developed, and writing my own classroom charts, handouts, and worksheets. It worked well - it was tailored exactly to the level and interest of my students - but it was time-consuming.

Imagine my excitement when I attended HEAV this year and discovered Andrew Adams and his Center for Literacy Education! Finally a "curriculum" that I could apply to any piece of literature, complete with teaching method, supplemental materials, and resources. After sitting through two of his seminars and looking through his exhibit table, I ended up buying his Worldview Supplement (including DVD set) for this fall.

I am looking forward to selecting literature to use with this method for the upcoming school year!