^ Two of Jem's journal entries ^
^ A few pages from the Reading Lesson, he is now on lesson 2 ^
^ a sample of Jem's Explode the Code work, he is on lesson 2 now ^
^ A Reason for Handwriting is going well ^
Come Sit by Me: 'I can do it' unit
First week went well, we read Hurry Up, Franklin nearly every day and picked these 'projects' to do;
Lazurus (Character Study, God's timing is the best timing)
Memory Verse (Character Study, Memory skills)
Telling Time (Math)
Speedy and Poky (Language, Synonyms)
Fast and Slow (Science)
Allegro and Andante (Music, terms and tempo)
Blueberry Surprise (Practical Living, following a recipe)
Science:
Jem is LOVING the science wiz kits. We are going through the LIGHT kit right now. We have enjoyed 'splitting light' to make rainbows and spinning colors to mix them ect. Jem is especially fond of the little motor that spins the color disks.
Math:
Jem is still grasping the first lesson concept of Math-U-See. He is enjoying it quite well and we practice every day.
Extra Activities:
Jem helped bake muffins and brought them to our neighbor. He learnt how to fold paper and cut into the folds to make different shapes and designs. On Sunday he had a long chat with Dad about farm equipment and how it all works, then watched some YouTube videos with Dad about what they were talking about. We walked to the mailbox and Jem received his first letter, I showed him how his name and address were in the center of the envelop and the sender's name and address were in the top cornor. As we were at the mailbox the mail lady came and we were able to watch her open the boxes and sort the mail. Jem was very interested and said he wanted to me a mailman when he grew up. We have gone hiking with Jem twice this week, and he has watched to Disney Nature movies 'Ocean' and 'Monkey Kingdom'. This weekend Jem has also enjoyed listening to 'Christiana' from John Bunyan on audio drama, as well as 'Bethoveen Lives Upstairs'.
Personal Thoughts:
So far homeschooling is going as I expected. It does seem as though there is a awful lot of printing for Jem to do each day and he gets pretty tired of this. I am trying to split the phonics, handwriting, and reading lessons, as well as the unit study book he has to make, into different days mixed in with Science and Math, but it still seems a lot of writing each day. Also with Reading Lesson Jem is having trouble with sounding out the words, for example: reading the word CAT he will sound out each sound and then read the word AT, ignoring the first sound. And reading the word MAD he sounds out the A as AT instead of just A, so his word comes out M AT D. I must admit to feeling very frustrated about this. Is this a common problem?
Wow! It looks like you got a lot done, excellent work. Jem's printing is looking really good! I am so glad to hear that he loves the Science Wiz Kits...they look like a wonderful resource. I love hearing about all of your extra activities--so many wonderful opportunities in life for learning--they pop up everywhere!
ReplyDeleteIn terms of printing, definitely continue to split things into different days. Printing can be very tedious for little ones, and it is common for them to find it frustrating. If there are opportunities for you to do the printing for him, don't worry about taking advantage of these. If he is telling you his ideas, and you are the one writing them down, it is still his work. The unit study book might work well as something that you scribe for him. On a day where he does journaling, I would choose not work in A Reason for Handwriting, as printing sentences in his journal provides wonderful practice.
Yes, what you have described is quite common. It sounds to me like he is confusing and combining some of his letter sounds. It also sounds a bit like he is rushing with the words he is reading. I would consider using a Popsicle stick (he can decorate it) to have him run under each word as he reads it. You can tell him that the stick is to help him remember to say each sound in the word.
I would also consider, if you have space, making a word-wall and covering it with the new words he is learning. Then you can review them regularly in large-form.
Did Jem know all of his letter sounds prior to starting on The Reading Lesson? I am wondering whether he is having an issue with the presentation of letters and sounds in The Reading Lesson. It works well for many students, but not for others. Is Explode the Code going well?
Thanks for your ideas. This helps a lot! Jem did not know all his letter sounds before starting The Reading Lesson, only a few from when I started him last year with Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. We didn't get far before I gave up on that. He is doing pretty good with Explode the Code even though some of the sounds he is not totally sure of, but with a little help from me he is catching on quick.
DeleteI am glad that helps! Okay, so I am thinking that it might be best to focus on Explode the Code and mastering each individual letter sound right now. I would take a break from The Reading Lesson, for as long as you need, until he has a good grasp of the letter sounds. Explode the Code will help with this, and you could introduce a new letter every 3-4 days and practice the sound it makes, find words that begin with that letter, make a picture collage of items that begin with that sound etc. Then, once he has the letter sounds down, go back to The Reading Lesson and see if that makes a difference for him. The Reading Lesson combines sounds very quickly, and I think that is where he is getting confused.
ReplyDelete