I've decided to update each Friday with one of my favorte things.
This weeks favorite - Pocket Charts.
I love pocket charts. They are useful in a hundred different ways. No, really, at least a hundred.
Organizer pocket charts are helpful for sorting materials. We have a file folder pocket chart that hangs vertically and has ten pockets for books, papers, file folders, etc. . . Last year, I labeled a pocket for each child and kept their finished work in their pocket until the end of the week when I had a chance to sort, grade, and file each child's work. This year I got some chairback buddies from Carson-Dellosa for each child. I love them. They have a slot for a nametag and pockets for file folders, and a larger pocket for books and smaller supply pockets for pencils, scissors, etc . . .
The pocket charts that we use every day are the calendar and weather graphing pocket charts. Most math curriculums will have you work on calendar skills and weather graphing at some point in the school year. The pocket charts allow us to do these activities as a whole class rather than each student doing them individually. The weather graph is a fun math activity. I also purchased an awesome calendar set from Carson Dellosa. The set includes a title card for each month and individual calendar cards for each day of the year. The cards slip right into our calendar pocket chart and the cards each feature a cute seasonal graphic. The cards creat a pattern each month so that the calendar becomes an easy way to teach patterning skills. This months cards feature apples and chalkboards and create an A-B, A-B pattern. Patterns increase in difficulty each month of the year.
The basic pocket charts are a great resource for all kinds of activities. Lakeshore Learning has awesome pocket chart kits. Some of the ones we use are the Science Vocabulary Cards, Correct-A-Sentence set, Mastering Math sets, among others. These kits are excellent interactive ways to teach math, language, reading, and science concepts. My kids love getting up and moving around during classtime. Interacting with the pocket charts by matching rhyming words, matching vocabulary words to definitions, etc . . . engages and reinforces concepts and makes class fun for all of us.
I recently found some great pocket charts designed for review. They are game show pocket charts and are set up like a Jeopardy board with categories to choose from and point cards from 10 to 25 points. Now, all I need are the buzzers the kids need to ring in with the correct answers. Which I have found from Learning Resources - can't wait 'til my birthday - I am going to get the buzzers for our game show reviews!!
What are your favorite things for your classroom?
Friday, July 29, 2011
Curriculum Choices
Curriculum.
Why are there so many to choose from?
Sometimes, I just wish there were two curriculum options and that one was obviously terrible so I would be left with one good option. Well, where would the fun be in that? Those who have ever considered homeschooling and looked into choosing a curriculum have probably had the same problems I have had. There are so many to choose from. Which one do I choose?
The final decision for curriculum choices needs to reflect several aspects of a homeschooling family. Some of these aspects are fairly obvious, others you may not have considered before.
- Motivation
What motivated you to choose home education for your family? Your curriculum choices should reflect your family's reasons for educating at home. If you think the public education system isn't giving a quality education, then your homeschooling should provide an education superior to the best of a public education. If you don't want negative influences in your chidlren's lives, your curriculum and activities should fill your child with Godly instruction and Godly influences. If you want your children to have lots of one-on-one or hands-on instruction, make sure you are choosing a curriculum that will provide that for your family. Whatever your personal motivation for choosing home education, be sure your curriculum reflects that.
- Teaching Style
What is the teacher's style of teaching? Most of the time, we as mothers are the homeschool teachers; however, I have known fathers who were gifted teachers and excelled in some subjects that their wives struggled to teach. If that is the case, don't be afraid to let him teach. If you enjoy homeschooling but have no music talent, artistic ability, etc . . . use the opportunities available to you for your child to learn outside the home too.
When considering curriculum, ask yourself, "What kind of teacher am I?" Some curriculum such as Saxon, BJU Press, Abeka, Hartcourt, Calvert, etc . . . are very structured and planned out while other curriculums such as Sonlight and others allow for a less structured format. Video and internet based instruction requires a lot less planning and preparation and just moderate monitoring of the students. Each teacher should establish how she plans to teach the curriculum before considering which one to purchase.
- Learning Style
What is your child's learning style? If your child is very young, you may not have a clear picture of his learning style yet. Still, you do know him better than anyone else does. You know his likes and dislikes, his strength and weaknesses. So, be honest about your child. Pretending your child is perfect and will make an equally perfect student won't help him or you in the education and child-rearing process. Assess your children's strengths and weaknesses and look for curriculum that will address those needs. This also means that you may need more than one curriculum for your family. Each child is different and they may benefit from different curriculum. Curriculum choices should accentuate the positive and strengthen weak areas. Excelling in some areas should inspire the child to work harder in the difficult ones. What curriculum will best teach your child.
- Family Dynamic
Family dynamic plays an enormous role in how we plan our curriculum although, it seems to be overlooked oftentimes. My oldest son, Joshua, loves school and excells at reading, science, and math. He was reading at 4 years old and was ready to start school and really learn. Our family dynamic at that time, simply couldn't handle a structured homeschool program (or an unstructured one for that matter.) The twins, Bethany and Brittany, were newborns and Joy, who was 3 years old, and Hudson, who was just over a year old, were all in diapers. Homeschooling while trying to nurse two newborns and keep up with diaper changes for four children just wasn't going to happen. Having five children who were all four years old or under was our family dynamic and homeschooling had to be put on hold.
What is your family dynamic like? How can your curriculum choices fit into your family dynamic? Do you have older children who could help teach the younger ones? Do you have children who are close together and could be taught together? Do you have a crazy schedule that needs to be considered? Each homeschooling family is different and we all choose to educate our children at home for different reasons. These things must enter the equation when choosing a curriculum.
- Space & Budget
How much space do I have for my educational needs and what is my budget? There are too many options to choose from when looking at curriculum and they are just like anything else we buy, they range from reasonably priced to outrageous. Some curriculums require very little outside materials; you purchase the curriculum and everything you need to teach is included. Other curriculums require lots of manipulatives and extra books and teaching aids. These extra materials are fun, but if they aren't something you can budget for, they may not be the right choice for your family. Also, you should consider where you plan to do your homeschooling and how spread out the curriculum will need to be. Some families prefer video or internet based options because they are confined to one specific space.
Wow, that ended up being much longer than I anticipated. I do apologize. I have some preparations to do today so that I'll be ready for Monday morning. Later, I'll be posting about what curriculum we use and why I chose it and how it works for us.
Again, if you have a suggestion for a post or for naming the blog, leave a comment for me. Thanks.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
The Seiber Family!
Oh Yes, I almost forgot, just in case you don't know us . . . . Who We Are:
Because of my classroom experience and our unique situation of having 5 children in less than 5 years, we decided to homeschool them all together. I am by no means a homeschooling expert, but I've learned a lot about homeschooling these last few years. I am excited about sharing our Adventures in Homeschooling through this new venue. Of course, this is my first attempt at blogging and I'm looking for help. If you have a good title for the blog or suggestions for future topics, leave a comment for me!!
I am, first and foremost, a child of the most-High King, Jesus Christ; without Him I can do nothing. God has blessed me with a wonderful husband, Joey and given us opportunities to serve Him here, in Alaska, together. We have been blessed with five amazing children; Joshua is 8, Joy is 7, Hudson is 5, and Bethany and Brittany are 4. We never anticipated that many blessings.
I consider myself to be a displaced teacher because I am a certfied teacher, but I only taught in a traditional classroom for a little over a year. I love children and I love to teach, but I always knew I wanted to be at home with my kids. I just didn't think I would be staying home quite so soon after we got married. Joshua Samuel was born 10 months to the day after our wedding (and the other children quickly followed). I cried when I found out we were expecting. Don't get me wrong, I wanted children and I was thankful, but I love teaching so much and never expected to have to leave it after my first year in the classroom. I thought I was okay and coping well with the stay-at-home mommy plan until the back-to-school items appeared in the stores and I walked up and down the aisles in tears because I wasn't going back to school. Crazy? I know, but I love to teach.
Because of my classroom experience and our unique situation of having 5 children in less than 5 years, we decided to homeschool them all together. I am by no means a homeschooling expert, but I've learned a lot about homeschooling these last few years. I am excited about sharing our Adventures in Homeschooling through this new venue. Of course, this is my first attempt at blogging and I'm looking for help. If you have a good title for the blog or suggestions for future topics, leave a comment for me!!
Getting Ready for School
We are excitedly preparing for the 2011-2012 school year. This year, we decided to begin our school year early and we will begin Monday, August 1st. The kids are counting down the days. I am so thankful for their enthusiasm, it makes teaching such a joy.
This year, our school dynamic will change considerably with the addition of the three youngest children to the schedule. For the past three years I have taught all five children as a group for Bible, music, and story time, then allowed the younger children to go and play while the older children finished their school time. This year, I will be teaching all five children together for some subjects, teaching the 2nd and 3rd graders together for a few subjects, and teaching the preschoolers and kindergartener for their subjects. This new schedule means a lot more planning and organization and a longer school day; however, I think the joy of having all five children learning together will be worth the extra effort.
In preparation for this year's schedule, I have organized the individual core subjects for each grade-level. I have prepared file folders for each grade by sorting all of our core material into daily folders. Core subjects include: Phonics, Reading, Language, and Math. Each grade level will have 1 folder per day. In preparation for each week of school, I can pull the folders needed for each grade level and organize what we'll be doing for the week. I can plan how to best teach the curriculum and what materials I'll need for each day. I then decide what we'll do each day as a class of 5 and what we'll do one-on-one and as groups (older children and younger children).
I have found in the past that the more planning and preparation I can accomplish before the beginning of school, the more smoothly the year will progress. In the past, I have set aside reproducible activities and materials to print or purchase with the intention of preparing them when I needed them. Somehow, I rarely found the time once the school year began. Although it takes a lot more preparation in the summer months, I now copy all of my reproducibles and print off my e-books and file them before the school year begins. Then, it is easy to go to the files and pull the worksheets I need each day.
This year, I've done a lot of updating in our classroom in preparation for school. As our class has grown, we have slowly taken over the dining room. This year, I have tried to minimize the amount of materials stored in the classroom so that the room feels more open and we have more space for activities not just sitting at our desks. My favorite update is what you don't see in the room. I have painted two walls in our classroom with magnetic primer (which we covered with regular paint so you can't tell it's magnetic at all). These magnetic walls are such a treat. I have two pocket charts that have magnetic backing so we can use those on the walls. I also have lots of small cut-outs and cut-out buddies from Carson-Dellosa that we can use for lots of fun educational games.
All of our curriculum orders arrived this week so I've been busily sorting through it all, finding a place to store it, and seeing what can be integrated into the first few week's lesson plans.
This year, our school dynamic will change considerably with the addition of the three youngest children to the schedule. For the past three years I have taught all five children as a group for Bible, music, and story time, then allowed the younger children to go and play while the older children finished their school time. This year, I will be teaching all five children together for some subjects, teaching the 2nd and 3rd graders together for a few subjects, and teaching the preschoolers and kindergartener for their subjects. This new schedule means a lot more planning and organization and a longer school day; however, I think the joy of having all five children learning together will be worth the extra effort.
In preparation for this year's schedule, I have organized the individual core subjects for each grade-level. I have prepared file folders for each grade by sorting all of our core material into daily folders. Core subjects include: Phonics, Reading, Language, and Math. Each grade level will have 1 folder per day. In preparation for each week of school, I can pull the folders needed for each grade level and organize what we'll be doing for the week. I can plan how to best teach the curriculum and what materials I'll need for each day. I then decide what we'll do each day as a class of 5 and what we'll do one-on-one and as groups (older children and younger children).
I have found in the past that the more planning and preparation I can accomplish before the beginning of school, the more smoothly the year will progress. In the past, I have set aside reproducible activities and materials to print or purchase with the intention of preparing them when I needed them. Somehow, I rarely found the time once the school year began. Although it takes a lot more preparation in the summer months, I now copy all of my reproducibles and print off my e-books and file them before the school year begins. Then, it is easy to go to the files and pull the worksheets I need each day.
This year, I've done a lot of updating in our classroom in preparation for school. As our class has grown, we have slowly taken over the dining room. This year, I have tried to minimize the amount of materials stored in the classroom so that the room feels more open and we have more space for activities not just sitting at our desks. My favorite update is what you don't see in the room. I have painted two walls in our classroom with magnetic primer (which we covered with regular paint so you can't tell it's magnetic at all). These magnetic walls are such a treat. I have two pocket charts that have magnetic backing so we can use those on the walls. I also have lots of small cut-outs and cut-out buddies from Carson-Dellosa that we can use for lots of fun educational games.
All of our curriculum orders arrived this week so I've been busily sorting through it all, finding a place to store it, and seeing what can be integrated into the first few week's lesson plans.
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