This is my historically easy day as far as teaching time goes. There is a lot of independent work to be done by the kids, though, that I need to monitor for completion. All of my instructional time was completed by lunch, and S and H are already out in the pool.
N (age 11):
Math: N warmed up with a multiplication worksheet and some mental math. Her lesson was a review of finding missing numbers in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division equations. The lesson went very quickly and very well. She completed a lesson review.
Spelling: N took an assessment. She got all her problem words correct and then misspelled two words that she’s never misspelled before. I had her write the correct spelling of those words five times each.
Reading: N read a chapter of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and I read a chapter of The Witch of Blackbird Pond last night.
Bible: N and C reviewed all the memory verses they learned last year (2 Timothy 3:16-17, Exodus 20:1-17) and recited the books of the Bible. They learned about the crafting of the fixtures in the Tabernacle courtyard (i.e. the bronze alter and washbasin) while they colored a picture of it. We discussed the symbolism of each piece, and discussed the hierarchy and origins of the priesthood.
Science: N and C began memorizing the planets and copied definitions about general astronomy and the tools used.
History: N, C, S, and H reviewed the division of the Roman Empire into two, smaller empires and the fall of Rome to “barbarians” less than two centuries later. N did some supplemental reading from The Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of World History.
Spanish: I quizzed N on her vocabulary. Then, she read a short story in Spanish to me, translated it into English, and answered some basic questions about the content of the story.
Music: N practiced her scales (G major and C major) and the last lesson she learned this past spring.
C (age 9):
Math: C warmed up with mental math and a worksheet on subtraction. Her lesson was a review of the 9 times table. She identified patterns to make solving 9 times problems quicker and easier. She got through the lesson quickly and completed a lesson review.
Spelling: C continued to review words with different spellings of the long /e/ sound.
Reading: C read a chapter of Little House in the Big Woods , and I read a chapter of The Witch of Blackbird Pond last night.
Bible: Combined class with N.
Science: Combined class with N.
History: Combined class with N, S, and H.
Spanish: C needed extra practice on this lesson’s vocabulary, so she decided to copy out all the vocabulary words and their translations. She will read and translate the short story later this week.
Music: C practiced chord transitions and reading music that she already learned.
S (age 7):
Math: S warmed up by counting to 100 by 1s, 5s, and 10s, and by counting backward from 20 to 1. Her lesson today was on basic geometry. She used tangram pieces to cover basic shapes. This is one of her favorite math activities.
Grammar: S continued to work on memorizing “The Caterpillar.” She reviewed the definition of a noun, and identified common nouns naming persons, places, and things.
Reading: S reviewed lower case “v” using a printout from The Measured Mom. We sang the alphabet song and S located lower case “w” on the alphabet poster. While she colored a picture of the letter “w” and a wave in the ocean, I read her poems containing the /w/ sound. We played Listen for the Sound again. I said a series of words, some containing the long /i/ sound this time. Every time S heard the long /i/ sound, she clapped her hands. She still made a couple mistakes, but she’s not expressing any frustration. I read S and H a chapter of Beezus and Ramona.
Writing: S did copywork of lower case “w” on a custom worksheet I made at HandwritingPractice.Net.
Bible: S and H learned about the crafting of the fixtures in the Tabernacle courtyard (i.e. the bronze alter and washbasin) while they colored a picture of it.
History: Combined class with N, C, and H.
H (age 4):
Math: H warmed up by counting to 10 with me. Her lesson was on AB patterns. I used two colors of linking cubes to create an AB pattern that H replicated. We read the pattern together. I had a hard time getting her to follow directions today. Of course, she was up later than normal last night, so the tiredness may have something to do with it.
Reading: H reviewed the first two parts of the vowel poem found in The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading. Then, she began to learn the third part of the poem, introducing the vowel “I”. We took turns saying words that contained the short /i/ sound. She colored a picture of the letter “I” and a two children eating ice cream cones from Reading with Kids. She had trouble focusing on the letter “I” and kept reverting back to “A” and “E.” I read S and H a chapter of Beezus and Ramona.
Writing: H did copywork of upper case “I” on a custom worksheet I made at HandwritingPractice.Net. She complained a bit about how long the worksheet was. It was harder than usual to get H to focus on the task at hand.
Bible: Combined class with S.
History: Combined class with N, C, and S.
Homeschool Daily 