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.

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! ;)).

A Week In My Life - Tuesday

Tuesdays are the day I teach up at our church's homeschool co-op... It's definitely one of my favorite times! :) I love teaching, and I have an amazing class this year filled with incredible students.

I normally wake up earlier, but I was so on the ball that I got all my prep work done earlier last night, so I knew I could afford to sleep in, since, despite going to bed really early last night (8:30ish?) I was still tired this morning (but cheerful, which is a much better combo than tired and grumpy, lol). I got up, got dressed, etc, and as I was walking downstairs to put on makeup and run out the door, I glanced over into my sisters' room and noticed that Anna, who goes to co-op with me, was still sleeping soundly in her bed!

Now, Anna is the on-the-ball one, the one who has her lunch packed away, her books together, her clothes on and teeth brushed, etc, and then waits patiently for me to get my act together, so I was pretty surprised. So was she, when I woke her up (with ten minutes to get out the door). Apparently her alarm didn't go off. The good thing is that we try to arrive an hour before our first class so that I can make copies, help out at the info center, etc, so even running late we had plenty of time.

I teach two classes: "Film and Television" runs from 10-11 and "Composition and Literature" runs from 11-12. In film class, we are working on a short film combining stop-motion photography and regular footage. I had hoped to finish up our storyboard today but alas! it was not to be. Hopefully we can get started on the actual filming next week. In lit class we are seven chapters into Animal Farm, and I am loving every minute of it. I have always loved Orwell's works, but I am especially having fun teaching this novel, as it is so relevant to today's world. Last week I gave the kids an in-class assignment, in which they were asked to formulate a plan to take over the world using one aspect of culture (music, film, law, education, etc). Today we finished our discussion, then moved on to talk about some of the main characters in AF and their real-world counterparts. I can't wait to finish the book this week and start the essay-writing process!

After my two classes and lunch, Anna still has two periods to go, so I help out at the info center and chat with other teachers/parents.

Anna and Maggie have voice lessons, so I take them over (mom usually picks them up) and get a few minutes at home to breathe. :)

I'm about to go help get dinner going for the family, then I hope to jump onto the Wii Fit for awhile tonight, and make it an early night (again? apparently I need the sleep). :)

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!

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. :)