Gear Up for Year 1

Are you looking for ideas for tutoring or building out the memory work for Cycle1?  Wondering how to approach Essentials this year, or prepare you student ahead of time?  Then here are some of my best posts for you to gear up for Cycle 1...

Three Keys to Tutoring Success

I know many Tutors are in the midst of Practicum's and planning for their coming year, so I thought I would share some things that have really made my planning and tutoring simple and joyful.  I am driven to do things the most efficient way.  I don't like to spend time I don't have or need to, on things that aren't necessary.  I like to major in the majors.  Call it a gift or a curse, it really depends.  When I'm tutoring, it's a gift.  So over the years, I have found a way to be an efficient tutor.  I consistently covered all my material - including weekly review, engaging all my students, and keeping my parents involved.  I can sum up for you what a tutor needs to do to be successful, maintain your focus where it needs to be, which is home (not C3 or Pinterest or scouring the Forum for hours each week).  There are three simple keys I've discovered that will help you to be a successful tutor.  Let me share them with you...

E-Book - Making Memory Work Memorable!

I have been asked a lot of questions over the years about how to make memory work meaningful, what my favorite ways are for reviewing the memory work at home, how I build out the memory work to make a Wonderful Wednesday, as well as lots of questions about tips for tutoring based on my five years of experience tutoring.  So, I decided to create a resource that addresses all those various questions!  This $1.00 e-Book download is geared towards Parents who are in the grammar stage of a classical education.  

Here is what's inside:

Teaching Probabilities

So teaching probabilities is "probably" one of the least comfortable subjects to teach, next to the tin whistle.  You "probably" aren't even sure why it's thrown in here during cycle 3's final six week segment of science.  After all, isn't this math and what in the world does it have to do with science anyway?  It's taken me this second time through the cycle to see the big picture of why this segment is in there, and then how to simplify this for the kids and myself!  I wish I had found a simplified explanation of how to teach this to kids (and the why) - from a non-math persons' perspective, when we went through cycle 3 the first time.  Well, here is an explanation for all those out there like me, that want a simplified non-math persons' perspective on teaching probabilities for cycle 3...

Teaching the Orchestra

Teaching the orchestra is not as hard as it may sound.  One of the best ways I've found to teach it as a tutor, is to make an orchestra board for the six week segment.  The board is also great to keep up at home with my own child during the week.  I am just getting ready to update my board for the current cycle, so I thought I'd share with you how I made it and what I put on my board, along with some additional teaching ideas for the classroom and at home.

Tackling the Tin Whistle!

No subject can strike fear into the hearts of Tutors and Moms around the country, like teaching the tin whistle!  =)  Truth be told, it definitely has not been my favorite subject to teach.  It's not that I don't like music - I do!  It's more because I considered music to be something I was not necessarily good at.  I never had formal instruction playing an instrument and I never learned to read sheet music - so obviously, I was never taught any music theory before CC either.  However, it has definitely gotten easier as the years have ticked by and I have learned to find great value in music theory and even in teaching the tin whistle.  Here are a few things that I hope will encourage you and be of help, as you tackle the tin whistle this year.

Year 3 Fun/Educational Resources!

I've pulled together a variety of ideas for how you can explore this year's United States Geography for this year!  It's definitely one of my favorite and more fun topics!

The ideas below, include hands on ways to learn such as; cookbooks, picture books, flashcards, puzzles, board games, electronic games, US coin collecting, brain teasers, scavenger hunts, mazes, drawing, coloring and some whacky, little known trivia!  Many of these items we already have and utilize at home and some are on my own wish list for this coming year!  Oh - and if you have a fun US resource your family enjoys that you want to share, put it in the comments section for everyone to see.  

Pronouns, pronouns and more pronouns

I have been looking at the daunting list of pronouns to remember this year.  It's nothing short of intimidating!  To help give a "clue" and create some visual association for the kids to remember the list by, I've made a pronoun helps visual clue sheet.   I hope it helps kick in that memory so they can remember which type of pronouns go to which!!   Ok - maybe this is for me and not my kid!  LOL

DOWNLOAD PDF HERE

Another really great resource for teaching the pronouns this year is Mine, All Mine by Ruth Heller.

Mine, All Mine: A Book About Pronouns

By Ruth Heller / Putnam Juvenile

Mine, All Mine What's a pronoun? How do you use it? Do you say "These candies are for him and me"-or "he and I? In this addition to her acclaimed language series, using rhythmic verse and stunningly rich illustrations, Ruth Heller shows young readers how playful language can really be.

A FREE fun resource for teaching Pronouns in greater detail to your smaller ones is available FREE at Teacher's Pay Teachers:

Teachers Pay Teachers - Click to View

Latin - The Completed Set of Visual Helps!

I know lots of you have been waiting for the last half of the Latin visual helps (because I've gotten e-mails from you!) and they are finally completed!  When you click on the link to download it will give you all the Latin 1st Conjugation Endings for each Tense (a total of 6 sheets).

DOWNLOAD for FREE

Freebies - Medieval Times

I wanted to pass along several freebies that are out there relevant to Cycle 2.  Some of them do require that you "sign up" by giving your e-mail and creating a password but it's well worth it because you will get notifications each month regarding what is free for that month from them.  I peruse them each month to see if anything relevant and save them into files on my computer if it's for a Cycle other than the current one.

The first is on Currclick and it is HERE called Medieval Careers: Pages and Squires

Teachers Pay Teachers is a great website and they have several things that may be of interest:

        Medieval Times Unit Plan - Lesson #1 (Grade 4) HERE

        Medieval Times: Becoming a Knight HERE

A classical integration of Medieval Times with Math is HERE  Coordinate Drawing (Heraldry Coat of Arms)

There is a blog post that has a links to 7 FREE e-books on Medieval Times in PDF format HERE

There is a wordsearch HERE


For a nominal fee of .99 cents this is a worthwhile copywork download for Medieval Times HERE

Happy studying Medieval Times for Cycle 2!

Year 2 Latin - Free Downloads

Latin!  So i've been working on some ways to help with remembering the pronunciations for conjugating Latin verbs and I'm sharing, in case it helps anyone out there with their kiddos or class!  I am also posting the link again to my file folder match game for the Latin as well!

Update:  I have changed the first hand out to remain consistent with the following weeks pronunciation on mus.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FREE

Click here to download

FREE - Memory Mogul© Review Game for CC!!!

I made up a game for my class last year that we had a lot of fun playing!  I'm sharing it for all those Tutors out there and Parents, looking for something fun to do for review this year!  I called it Memory Mogul© and the object of the game is to beat the "Bank" (Tutor or Parent) or be the player with the most money after all the questions have been answered! The kids in my class really got into this game and chanted "Beat the bank, Beat the bank!!" each time a person answered a question correctly.  It can be played with or without a board.  I used the board at home for my Wonderful Wednesday's class but I didn't take it with me to Tutor - we just used the playing cards and money for class as that was easier for me.  

Memory Mogul©

A Memory Review Game for

Classical Conversations®

A fun way to review Memory Work for any Cycle of the Foundation’s Curriculum!

Object of the Game: Be the player with the most money left - beating the Bank (or Tutor)- when all the review questions have been answered. 

Game Pieces:

• Game Instructions
• Correct and Incorrect Answer cards (there are extras so you can switch out the game some)
• Optional - Memory Mogul Board (instruction separate and board itself is not included and must be assembled by you)
• Play Money free download for printing your own play money is at download for printing free play money  (you can buy play money at the dollar stores -which is what I did)
• CC Review Cards or Foundations Curriculum book (separately purchased from Classical Conversations® at www.classicalconversations.com)

Instructions:  Each player and the bank starts out with $150.00 dollars in play money (denominations can be whatever you decide but they do need $20, $10 and $5 denominations at least.  I made my break out as follows: (4) $20.00 (3) $10.00 (8) $5.00.  The Tutor or Parent picks the first player to go.  That player can pick a Memory subject and the Tutor or Parent asks the review question of their choosing in that subject category.  Based on whether the question was answered correctly or not, determines which card they pull out (incorrect answer –draws a pink card or correct answer-draws a green card).  Player then follows the instructions on the card after it has been read out loud to everyone.  (I recommend Tutor/Parent read and get the cards if you have younger kids because the board could be easily destroyed with lots of little hands or they may not be reading yet.)  

If they answered incorrectly, they will be instructed to give up money in a stated sum to either; other players or the Bank.  If they answered correctly, they will be collecting money from either the Bank or the other players.  When they run out of money then they go “bankrupt” and are out.  Each answer and game card gets them closer to either bankruptcy or wealth!  The more they Master the Memory work the more likely they are to win - beating their neighbors and the Bank!  In the end, either the Student’s break the bank or the player with the most money wins!

Instructions without a Memory Mogul Board – Each student and the bank start out with the same amount of money as instructions above ($150).  Create 2 piles of cards for drawing after the questions are answered.  The green pile is for correctly answered questions and the pink pile is for incorrectly answered questions.  The Teacher/Tutor asks the question and the student draws from the correct pile and follows the instructions.  I use this method of play for Tutoring since I don’t have to bring a board.  Either way the game is fun and it works well!

FREE DOWNLOADS

Correct Answer Cards to Print

Incorrect Answer Cards to Print

Printable Rules and Assembly Instructions

School Year Planning - FREE Checklists and Pledge

I don't know about anyone else out there, but I seem to have kiddos that move a LOT!  They are not content to work alone at their school work, enjoy sitting still while we read for hours and only break for lunch-not giving the clock a glance!  If you have one of those kids, that's amazing and I envy you!

My kiddo's need to know exactly how many subjects they have to do, how much they have to recite, when lunch will be, how many pages they have to read, ask for snacks throughout the day, want to know when they can see a friend, talk more than they write and can't sit still for very long periods of time!  Does anyone else out there have one of these kiddos????  As a result, I have to make my classical homeschool a little bit interactive, hands on, creative, include movement, involve lots of outdoor time, imaginative play and I work hard at increasing their ability to sit longer, read longer, listen longer and write longer.  

I've found that a schedule helps with staying on task and focus.  If you have children with or without a diagnosis, a schedule can be a useful tool!  Once they know what they have to do it decreases that unknown and the anxiety they feel in not being able to estimate when they will be done (for those fidgety learners).  It makes the day seem like it will never end, when they don't have a checklist.  Once they do... now their day has a definitive end point and they can see how they're working towards that as they check off their list.  Here is a document that you can download and modify for your own child....

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD COPY TO MODIFY

I would laminate this and use a dry erase marker to check it off each day!

I also am providing a ticket system document (sample page is below) for anyone who might find them helpful to their children.  Some kids are check a box kids and some are more interested in tickets.  Use what works best for you kid.  I left them both in .docx format so you can modify them to suit your own child's school day and needs.

 CLICK TO DOWNLOAD LINK 

Another thing that I do each year is a School Pledge.  It's just a way to start off the year with setting the expectations for our school year to encourage good school habits and behaviors.  Here is the link to that document if you would like to download it and then you can add your own school name and child's name in the headers/footers and modify the body of the document to reflect your own homeschool's expectations and consequences.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD DOCUMENT

I hope these documents will be helpful to you as you continue to plan this summer for the 2013-2014 school year.

Math Laws Freebie

I'm working through my planning for the year.  Here is another FREEBIE for you to teach math laws!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD DOCUMENT

This document can be used a couple different ways.  You can print it out to use as a rebus for paired association to memorize the letters/formula.  This would be easy to use for Tutors working with Abecedarians too, for example.  The other way you can use them is to print them on white card stock and cut out the pieces to use as a puzzle and have your child put it back together in the right order (I'd laminate it for durability).

Free Year 2 Latin - Hands on Learning Folder Match Up (1st Conjugation Endings)

How then shall we study Latin?  Cycle 2 Hands on Learning Folder Match Up!!  FREE

CLICK HERE FOR FREE COPY

I am sharing with everyone a copy of what I have made for my daughter to be able to study this year's  Latin memory work.

All you need is a pair of scissors, two envelopes, a printer and a file folder!  Easy peasy!  You can make this interactive folder for your child to learn the 1st Conjugation Endings for Latin.

I used the same concept for last year's Latin and it can be made to be progressive with your child's learning level in the memory work.  I start out with the pieces cut in columns.  This way it only requires they first recognize the proper tense that the combination goes in and whether it's plural or singular.  Once they have mastered that and can consistently match it up this way, then I would cut the pieces to be individual, requiring your child to recognize the proper person and whether it's plural, singular and the tense it falls under.  Additionally, you can use the blank table from page 2 (above) to have them do their copywork on.  Just print an extra copy of this page and put a page protector over it or laminate it.  Then you can have them write in their copywork with a dry erase marker for the Latin when they're ready to progress to that level.

I intentionally did not make a label for the cover.  This way your child can make their own cover by drawing a picture, putting stickers or whatever they would like to make the Latin matching folder their own this year.  I think it adds an element of "buy in" to the whole idea of doing their Latin!

This is a favorite way to "teach" the Latin each year!  You can get a FREE copy of this document to print yourself and make.  All you have to do is click on the above link under the pink flower folder.

This will be included with the Year 2 - Weeks 1-24 Enrichment Teaching Plan which is ready to be released the end of this week!  Yay!!!

Great Free Classics for Kids -Kindle

I really do love classic children's literature.  What I love even more is FREE classic children's literature!    I decided to invest in a $99 Kindle to save time and money (on late fees at the Library!).  So, I thought I'd post some of my favorite Authors for you to consider reading with your kids this summer...

I love all the Arthur Scott Bailey books (some are written with Harry L Smith).  They are free for your Kindle from www.amazon.com use this link to get to them  here.  Stories like The Tale of Solomon Owl, The Tale of Master Meadow Mouse and The Tale of Henrietta Hen and so many more!  These are imaginative fun stories of various animal characters told with skillful creativity.  I think I have all his books downloaded onto my Kindle at this point!

I also love all the Thornton W. Burgess books!  They too are mostly free for your Kindle from www.amazon.com and you can use this link to get to them here.  Also in the spirit of animal tales spun fancily and fun with title such as The Adventure of Johnny Chuck, The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad and The Adventures of Prickly Porky and so many more!  These too I have all downloaded onto my Kindle.

The last nugget I'll leave you with is the free books by Clara Dillingham Pierson and F.C. Gordon.  They can also be had for free on www.amazon.com and you can use this link to get to them here.  They are in keeping with animal stories for kids that capture their imagination as well.  Four favorite titles are Among the Forest People, Among the Meadow People, Among the Night People and Among the Pond People.

Linking Verbs

Today my daughter and I were discussing how it would be easiest for her to remember the linking verbs, we decided that making a linking verb chain would be one fun way.   Here is her chain she made....

After we completed the chain, Sarah decided that making a video of the linking verbs song with her linking chain was the best way for her to learn it.  She really enjoys making videos (as do most kids these days).  We've used making videos and coming up with hand motions or word associations to learn various pieces of the memory work helpful.  I find that the more input she has on the process of how to go about memorizing the information, the easier it is for her to memorize it.

So today I introduced all the linking verbs via the "ants go marching in" song.  She sang it several times and then we began making the video.  Each time she would do a "take" and immediately want to watch herself on my iphone.  Then there might be something like a pause, missed word or other little error or thing she didn't like....so we'd remake it.  We did that over and over again.  By the time she made a video she liked and wanted to "keep" -she had the whole song memorized for the most part.  Sneaky fun to get her to memorize the memory work - all you need is a cell phone!

Justin's Delight Recipe!

Okay - so I have this friend who I adore and adore her children too.  She has three of them and they all love deserts.  Her sons are gluten free (as is mine) and of the two, one in particular, Justin, is always asking what I have to eat and wants to have things that are sweet in nature - which I almost never have.  So....with this New Year's Holiday party, I decided to make Justin a special treat.  I asked him what he likes and we discussed chocolate and peanut butter flavors might be a good combination....so I set out to see what I could come up with that would still be gluten free for him, dairy free for me, but still very sweet (and for me it had to be appealing to the eyes).  So - I made up this desert and I'm naming it after him - Justin's Delight!  He loved it (as did everyone at the Party -and I was pleasantly surprised how delicious it was - you would NOT have been able to tell it was gluten/dairy free)  Here it is......

Timeline - Using Timeline Boards to Teach

We use the Timeline Board that I came up with this year to learn and review our Timeline.  We learn the hand motions for the current week and read the timeline cards.  We then go to the board and I hand my daughter all the timeline cards for the current 3 weeks and have her go to the board and put them in the correct order on the board.  This is what it looks like....