Color Words Practice

Luke is working on learning his color words while reading some of our favorite books like Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do you See?  I also am going to have him work on this color words activity above.  You can print it out here, then have your child cut and glue the color word, write the color word, and color in the box to match.

Making Words File Folder

I can't wait to make this making words file folder that I found over at Teacher Bits and Bobs for Tyler, Cody, and Luke to practice their spelling.  Simply print out the forms here, and glue to a file folder.  The moveable letters are made using those super small post-its.  My boys will love the hands on aspect!

Curriculum 2011-2012

Here are a few of the items we will be using in our homeschooling efforts for the upcoming year:

Reading:

Luke decided he needed to be in all the pictures, so I appeased him : )  - Just know that the materials are not all for him - he is bright, but not yet reading novels!

Daily 5 and The Cafe-

I love the fact that the "sisters" researched solid based reading practices to develop their system, and I will be incorporating it into our reading curriculum.  The Daily 5 consists of :

1. Read to Self

2. Read to Others (to Mom, Dad, or Brothers)

3. Listen To Reading

4. Work on Writing

5. Word Work (See Spelling/Words Their Way Below)

For read to self books, the boys will self-select books from either our home library, the library, or purchase that we make from Amazon using our SwagBuck earnings.  The books will be at their independent level (books they can read on their own with no assistance.

Luke is 5 and in Kindergarten so he will be working on various emergent readers, some store bought, some I make, and some printed off the internet based on letters and sight words he is focusing on each week.

Cody and Tyler are 9 and 10 and in 4th and 5th grade respectively.  They both read at about the 5th -6th grade reading level, and will be reading novels they choose. 

For Read to Others Books, the boys will read books that are at their instructional level (where they may need help with a few words).  I will select these books based on skills they are currently working on.

Tyler and Cody will also work on novel studies together.

Listen to Reading will be books on our Nook, books that we have on cd, and books that we have mp3s of.  It will also include Mom read alouds.  The purpose of listening to reading is for them to hear a fluent reader, and what good reading sounds like.  It also allows them to access and understand books that they may not be able to decode yet.  For example, Luke is not yet reading, but he loves to listen to Magic Tree House books.  I ask him questions as we are reading to help build his comprehension.

Work on Writing will include them writing in their journals, and working on writing lessons.  I plan on using some Lucy Calkin ideas (still need to purchase that book) and a book on using Non-fiction as mentor texts that is also on my wish list.

Word Work - Will include various activities using their spelling words from Words Their Way.  I will have hands- on activities such as shaving cream writing, scrabble spelling, using magnetic letters, wikki stick, this magnetic writing toy, etc, as well as games included in the Words Their Way Curriculum.

Spelling:

As I stated before, we will be using Words Their Way for our Spelling Curriculm.  I like that you assess the student to see what level they are currently working at, and then move from there.  I have a link to the assessments here if you would like to try it with your child. 

I also was lucky enough to have studied with Dr. Bear, one of the book's authors, while working on my Master's Degree, so I am very familiar with the program.  If you ever have any questions about this program feel free to ask, and if I don't have the answer, I can always ask him!

We have the main book which gives lessons and ideas for all of the ages, but I also have the various levels so that I can just copy a week's worth of words rather than having to think them up on my own.  I do have some word sorts that I have made which are posted here, but it is less pressure on me each week to use these.  They are not necessary, I just chose to use them. 

Luke age 5, Kindergarten - Letter Name-Alphabetic Spellers

Cody and Tyler 9, 10 4th and 5th grade - will start in Syllables and Affixes Spellers and later on in the year will move to derivational relations spellers. (They are almost done with the Syllables and Affixes lessons).

(And ignore my messy corner there - trying to get ready for the upcoming year and BlogHer and I am in a bit of dissary!)

Math

For math we will be using the Balanced Math Program which involves the following components:

1. Computational Skills (Daily Math Review and Mental Math)

2. Problem Solving

3. Conceptual Understanding

4. Mastery of Math Facts

5. Formative Assessment

For the Daily Math Review, I will make these up using the skills that the boys are working on and need continued practice with.  I will also include past skills they have learned to make sure that they are retaining what they have learned.  This is a blank template of the math review page that you can print out and fill out by hand, or pre-type problems in before printing.  An example of a completed third grade math review is here.  I will be sharing the ones I use for the boys throughout the year, but the idea in the book is to include skills based on your own child's needs.

For mental math we will use a variety of math challenges and games such as: hundreds chart games, Number Ninjas, and Number Tile games.

For Conceptual Understanding, I will use lessons from the Mini-lessons for math practice books above.

Mastery of Math Facts will involve flash cards, games, and timed "Math Mad Minutes".

Formative Assessments - are basically just tests to see what the kiddos still need to learn to drive their instruction. These will be based on the daily math review and daily lessons.

Social Studies

Luke age 5 Kindergarten - Community, Family, All About Me Units
Cody age 9 - 4th Grade - State History - We live in Nevada, so that means all about Nevada
Tyler age 10 - 5th Grade - US History

We will use a mix of resources - a few novels that follow the time period, internet, encyclopedia, research, etc.  Especially with Tyler and Cody, I want them to work on self-learning and researching skills.

Science

Will also be a mix of resources, but this will be my main text and go to resource for the units we work on.

Handwriting
Almost completely forgot this!  So I am using some OLD pics of Cody with our choice of Handwriting Without Tears.  We have used this for years and we all love it!  The boys love using the chalkboard to "wet, dry, try".

I am writing this post as part of the Not Back To School Hop.  If you would like to share your curriculum plans, be sure to hop along!  I would love to see what others are using!

A Fun Way To Practice Spelling or Sight Words

I picked this up at the dollar store the other day, and we have already put it into use!

You can print out any of these must know words here (Kindergarten - fifth grade links are given), or have your child use their spelling words or words they need to practice spelling correctly. Have your child choose a word from their list, then practice writing the word.

Words With Friends - Making Learning Fun

My hubby and I have been addicted to the Words With Friends app on our iphones for awhile now, but recently Tyler and Cody have been begging to play too.  After some careful thought and consideration, I realized it would be an excellent learning activity, so my hubby and I let them each start a game of their own using our iphones.  The game is similar to scrabble and allows them to practice spelling, critical thinking, and addition skills.  They are loving it, and so is mom because I know they are really learning! :)

What apps are you loving for your homeschoolers?

4th Grade Spelling Lists

If you are looking for an inexpensive way to teach your fourth grader how to spell, you may want to check out the 4th grade spelling lists here.  In addition to the 30 spelling units, there are also hangman and abc order games to practice each lesson.

Personal Dictionary

This personal dictionary is a great way to assist your child in their quest to master the art of spelling. The booklet features a variety of  spelling and language arts reference materials for students in grades 3 to 8. The personal dictionary also includes a page for each letter of the alphabet which allows your child the opportunity to record assigned spelling words or those words which simply prove to be troublesome. Also within the booklet, you will find an alphabetized list of 1000 high-frequency spelling words, commonly found in 3rd through 9th grade texts. There are also vocabulary sections devoted to commonly used, and misspelled spelling words in mathematics (counting numbers through one hundred, ordinal numbers through one hundred, & mathematical operation terminology), geography (continents, oceans, countries, 50 states, and major U.S. cities), as well as calendar terminology (days, months, seasons, and noted holidays).
    

Scrabble Kitchen Magnets

We bought some Scrabble pieces at a garage sale and I had planned on just using them on the table for spelling practice, but I decided to place some magnetic tape on the back and let the boys play with them on the fridge.  They were a hit!  They actually begged to practice their spelling words!

The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash Lesson Plan

Reading

Introduce the book The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash. Point out that there are sometimes only a few words on the pages, so the child will have to pay close attention to the illustrations. 

While reading the story, ask child what is happening and why each event occurred. For example: Why did the farmer crash into the haystack? Why were the pigs on the bus? Why were they eating the lunches? Is the book fiction or nonfiction? How do they know?

  

After reading  the story, list some of the events in the story on a white board or piece of paper. For example: The children threw corn. The chicken got excited and laid an egg. The farmer's wife was screaming. Ask child what caused these events. (e.g., They ran out of eggs. Jimmy's boa scared the chickens. The boa was in the laundry.) Add these causes to the board or chart paper before the events. 

Introduce the vocabulary term cause and effect. Explain that a cause is what makes something happen, and label the first column causes. Explain that each cause has an effect, or what happened, and label the second column effects.

Give the child a blank paper and have child fold it in half and label  one side "cause" and the other side "effect." Ask the child to pick any event from the story and draw its cause and effect.

Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash Cause and Effect Flowchart
Students complete a flowchart with cause and effect from the story.

After  you read The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash, put the event boxes in the order that they are told in the story. Click and drag the event boxes to the numbered positions in the snake.
Boa constrictor comprehension story with questions.
Students read a short nonfiction story about boa constrictors and answer several questions.

Spelling/Vocabulary

The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash Spelling Words

The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash Crossword Puzzle 

Farm Animal Word Find

Writing

The Day Jimmys Boa Ate the Wash Writing Prompt

Why do you think the snake caused problems on the bus.  Explain the reasons here in.My Writing Space.

Draw pieces of laundry and clothing, such as towels, tops, and dresses, on construction paper. Retell the story by writing on one side of the cut-outs.

 

 

Science

Natural History Notebooks: Boa Constrictors
Information and images of boa constrictors.  Use what you learn to write a book about snakes with this page.

If you are interested in purchasing The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash please consider supporting Homeschool Parent by purchasing from the following Amazon link, thank you!

Make Your Own Word Search

Here is a great program for making your own word search.  Use it to study vocabulary words, spelling words, or create one to match a book your child is reading.  We have even created one using the names of the people in our family.

Mystery Word Game

This short video shows you how to play Mystery Word with your child. The purpose of this game is to help your child learn spelling patterns in words by making smaller words out of a larger word. In this video they  use an eight letter word, but you may start with a six or seven letter word if you choose.




Third Grade "Mystery Word" Game from Wes Thorp on Vimeo.

Portable Word Wall

Words Their Way Spelling Assessments

We absolutely love Words Their Way for spelling (although I am a bit biased having taken one of my literacy classes with Dr. Bear). If you are thinking about using this program, you might want to give your kiddos these inventories to see what level they are at.

Primary Inventories (For Kindergarten to 3rd grade)Directions for Administering the Spelling Inventory
Primary Spelling Inventory
Elementary Inventories (1st grade and above)Directions for Administering the Spelling Inventory
Elementary Spelling Inventory

Upper-Level Inventories (upper elmentary and above)Directions for Administering the Spelling Inventory
Upper-Level Spelling Inventory

Post-It Note Name

As Luke and I sat at the dining room table, coloring and chatting, we worked a little on his name.

I wrote each letter of his name on one Post-It Note. Then I put them at the top of a piece of construction paper.I said, “Luke, here are the letters of your name--L, U, K, E. Let's say the letters together. L-U-K-E.”Then I mixed up the letters and said, “Oh no! Now your letters are all mixed up. Let's put them back in the correct order.”

To see how he did click here. You can also use this technique to review spelling words.

Spelling Task Cards

Looking for a fun way to practice spelling words?


spelling task cards -

Word Build

Build a word build center for your child. Use foam letters (available at WalMart) or magnetic letters and pictures pasted to construction paper or index cards. You can use any clip art you like or cut from worksheets like this one. Then have your child spell each word. Type the word out on the card for beginning spellers.

Scrabble Spelling

Looking for a fun way for your child to practice their spelling words? Have your child use the scrabble pieces here to spell the words on their spelling list. See how many points they can get.

Spelling Sites

Whether your child is ready to enter the national spelling bee, or struggles to spell, here are a few great spelling websites for you to check out:

• Get the 28 Rules of Spelling - Free!
  
• Scripps National Spelling Bee - Free resources, study suggestions, spelling word lists that include parts of speech, language origins, pronunciations, definitions, and sentences for thousands of words.
• 
  2009 Spell It! - The official study resource of the Scripps National Spelling Bee from Merriam-Webster.
• Free Homeschool Spelling Course - 30-lesson homeschool spelling course for students in grades 6- 8. includes printable spelling rules and step-by-step lessons.
• 
  Free Spelling Worksheets - Free spelling worksheets for elementary grade and remedial students including spelling rules like "silent e", consonant blends, plurals, suffixes, prefixes and even word search games to reinforce spelling.
• Spelling Hangman - This classic kids game helps hone spelling in a fun and engaging way.
• Word Safari Game - Practice spelling while playing a fun online video game.
• Alphabet Soup Spelling Game - Try this arcade style game that will challenge your spelling skills.
• Spelling Games - Play and learn with these games based on the Dolch Sight Words list.
• Catch the Spelling - Players use the arrows on their computer keyboard to move "the catcher" to catch falling letters in the correct order to spell out a designated word. Younger children and non-readers will need parental help.
• Scrabble, Boggle, and UpWords - These terrific board games from Hasbro improve spelling skills. Click on the link to play the games online for free.
• Funbrain: Spell Check - Need a little drill and practice work? This site offers an easy and hard spelling test. There are 20 sets of 4 words offered in each test. The Spell Check game is designed for 4th grade through Middle School. Younger children may find the Spellaroo version of the game on this site a little less difficult.

Construct a Word

Learning to read is a big job, kind of like building a house. Children need certain skills to form the foundation. This activity is a fun way to practice several of them. Children select single letters and endings to form words (like b and -ed for bed). The online tool knows how many words can be formed with each ending, so children are challenged to keep going until they get them all. As they build words, children are exposed to rhyming sounds and can learn about the different sounds letters and blends make. These skills are essential, not only for reading but also for writing and spelling.

Here’s What to Do:

In this online activity, children first select one of nine word endings. They then begin making words by choosing beginnings, including single letters of the alphabet and letter blends like cl-. When children form a word, they get the satisfaction of seeing it deposited into the word bank. Cha-ching! When they’re done, be sure to have them click on the Word Bank so they can print out their list.

More Ideas to Try:

• When traveling on vacation or a field trip, play “Rhyme Time.” Take turns selecting something you see along the way and see how many rhyming words you can think of. What starts with cow could become how, now, and bow. Wow!

• Use the word bank list to create a book. Children can do it the old-fashioned way and simply draw a picture to go with each word. Or they can go high-tech, find images on the Internet, and create a digital book using PowerPoint.

• Set a word goal. How many words can children place in their own personal word banks? Could they reach 25, 50, or 100? When they reach their goal, be sure to celebrate in some word-worthy way, such as a trip to the library or bookstore.

Alphabetical Order

Is your child learning how to put words in abc order? Have them practice their skills with this fun game.