Day 49

I guess this is the last day of Week 12!

We actually did a bit of testing today. It was a bit of a sobering experience. I am a "more or less" CMer *(see below) and so that is the context.

I found that Kieron remembered FAR better or at least was able to retrieve far better (those may be two slightly different things) what he had done more or less by rote memory than what he had read in living books, or had read to him.

Now, for context, I rarely ask for narrations. We discuss spontaneously but not after every reading. That's partly what I mean by "more or less". Charlotte Mason insisted on narration after every reading, and for the very reason that I have mentioned -- retention.

She thought the child should do the work of extracting things to remember from the text.... rather than operate by prepared questions and study sheets that would allow the child to soak in passively what needed to be known.

I shall have to reflect. I think also, perhaps, my questions were too broad and general, too much for a child that age. But I also think that he needs a way to "peg" general knowledge on to hooks for retrieval.

Anyway, besides the oral testing he did:

• A geometry test (interior and exterior angles, directions)
• a Renaissance quiz
• a quiz on matter and the four states

I read a bit more of Christ the King to him (finishing chapter 19) and I read him 2 chapters of Red Hugh, Prince of Donegal.

Oh ! and edited to add that the big project today was learning the basics of recorder-playing. I found an old recorder in a drawer and so Kieron and I looked up "how to's" and then he practiced for quite a while.

* "The reader will say with truth,--'I knew all this before and have always acted more or less on these principles'; and I can only point to the unusual results we obtain through adhering, not 'more or less,' but strictly to the principles and practices I have indicated. I suppose the difficulties are of the sort that Lister had to contend with; every surgeon knew that his instruments and appurtenances should be kept clean, but the saving of millions of lives has resulted from the adoption of the great surgeon's antiseptic treatment; that is, from the substitution of exact principles scrupulously applied, for the rather casual 'more or less' methods of earlier days." (see Ambleside Online, What is CM?)

Tomorrow starts Term 3!

Day 48

I did a bit of writing of the Term Exams for Year 7 (google doc form). I will probably be adding to it during the week.

Today was our light day. We finished reading about the Spanish Armada, read a bit more of Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and finished The Tale of Despereaux. It turned out that I liked this book very much indeed and so did Paddy and Kieron both. Such books are not all that common.

Kieron did a decimal and integer place value review at thatquiz.org. He had no trouble.

Paddy did some pages from Developing the Early Learner, and worked on subtraction with visuals from MCP Math A. Then he read a story from Little Angel Reader B on the tortoise and the hare.

He did a couple of games linked from Internet4Classrooms, too.
Aidan did Starfall.

Oh, and also the OT came and played several games with them. She is working on Brain Gym activities with them. We did Owl Movement and Pease Porridge Hot. Aidan caught a ball while on a balance board, and Paddy and I played catch with a ping pong ball. They also played a game where they climbed over a bench and then put their hands in a bag and had to guess what they had grabbed. I really ought to do more of this kind of thing with them; honestly, it tires me out just watching and smiling encouragingly ;-). Bad Mom.

This week I am going to spend some time thinking about the little ones -- I want to make some manipulatives for Aidan since he gets lots of mileage out of them. And think about this kind of creative movement, how to make it work.

Also, I want to plan what to read for the beginning of next term.

Kieron needs more hands-on activities, too. My default is to skimp on these things. I ought to at least introduce them.

Day 47

Light day today:

• Kieron did a couple of simple review tests for math --- perimeters and area, and exponents.
• We reviewed Latin grammar a bit -- it looks like he doesn't thoroughly understand this so I will have to figure out how to give him a chance to practice it.
• He read a section on the Reformation and answered some vocabulary match-up questions.

Morning Reading:

• We read a lot of Despereaux. The pace has picked up and Paddy was extremely interested in it.

I found some study guides which I am going to list here, not because I particularly think I am going to use them, but because I like to read through them after I've read a book to see what the "guiders" come up with. I sort of like literature guides, but am very wary of loading a bunch of educational baggage onto the slender swift thoroughbred that is a good book. This one SEEMS quite good though you never know for sure until it's all wrapped up at the end. Even Clare, who's usually quite severe, liked the author's way of writing. It's certainly fun to read out loud; I particularly like saying Roscuro's dialogue.

• Kate de Camilio (author)
• Candlewick Guide (pdf) (teacher's guide)
  
• Another Candlewick study guide (reader's guide)
• a teacher's lesson plan series for 2nd graders