As a student I adored tests. I looked forward to showing off what I had learned. I still like to play trivia games and take quizzes online. Yes, I am one of those people. So why do I detest tests aimed at my children?
Our cyber school sent us the results of the testing the boys took part in this month. Both tested above their current grade levels. One of the annoying things about the test for EM was in the results I found out one of the tests was timed. Hmmm, a TIMED test for a 5 year old involving clicking the appropriate answers on the computer screen. They didn't tell you it was timed when the test started. I probably wouldn't have let him wander around the room while taking the test if I knew that! I want to know; were they trying to test his motor skills or his recognition of high-frequency words?
The school wants EM to take these same tests 3 more times this school year. JT is going to have to take Scantron at least one more time. We are in the process of having EM evaluated for giftedness through the school. If he ends up with a GIEP, I'm planning on asking that he be excused from the testing except one time a year. I think I have a pretty good argument since their reason for testing is to assure that the kids are keeping up for the PSSAs. If he's already testing above level, I think we are good to go.
Because of this, I was already at high irritation level when I received another package from the school. It contained the "Fourth Grade Calvert Math and Reading Test Additions". Inside: "To ensure that we continue to meet the state requirements, we have made a few adjustments to the Math and Reading Calvert curriculum. Beginning with Test #40 and continuing through Test #160, you will receive the mandatory Math and Reading tests that must completed (their typo, not mine) in addition to the ones you have already received from Calvert."
Argh!
I have been stewing for two days. Am I nuts to be annoyed by these extra test sheets? JT does fine on his tests. He doesn't like to write, so the extra reading tests are not going to make him happy. They are full of essay questions. I almost sent out an email while I was still clutching the offending test booklet in my hands. My wise husband saw me at the keyboard and suggested I wait to send it, or at least let him preview what I wanted to send. So I waited...and stewed some more. I know my IS is about due to call me. At least, I think she is. I haven't heard from her in 3 weeks.
So...can I be nice?
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Some Improvement
After the insanity of last week, this week was relatively peaceful. We put in several productive days for both boys. EM had a bit of a cold/cough most of the week, so he was not always a pleasant participant. JT enthusiastically completed a rough draft for a composition! However, the promise to do the final copy the next day should have been greeted with skepticism. He only wasted half a day resisting that one. I guess that could be counted as progress.
EM spent several hours in front of the laptop completing some testing for the cyber school. They employ the DORA/DOMA online assessments. This was NOT an enjoyable experience for either of us. Sitting still is really not in EM's skill set. As far as I can tell, the purpose of this testing is to determine if any early intervention is needed for the almighty PSSA tests. I am really wishing I had waited until the compulsory education age of 8 in PA to enroll EM in a formal school program. I could have happily educated him in my own way for the next 2 years. Instead, we will be jumping through the hoops. Lesson learned.
I have a few things I found/read this week that I want to share. First.... I found a wonderful book that is providing loads of fun activities. Exploratopia. In my opinion, this is a must buy book. We are currently working to mummify a hot dog thanks to this book!
I have added a blog to my following list: Art Projects for Kids , thanks to Annie from Learn at Every Turn for that one!
I also highly recommend the blog The Pioneer Woman. This post about socialization is a must read for any homeschoolers or even more for those who have doubts about homeschooling.
Tomorrow EM will spend the day with my dad as his teacher. Last year, JT went with him one day a week. This year the boys will alternate weeks to spend some time away from me and with their grandparents. It will not give me the free time I had last year, since I will still have one boy with me. It will offer me a chance to get that one on one time with the boys that is so hard to come by during our busy school days. I have promised that if the homebound boy helps me with the errands and grocery shopping in the morning, I will completely devote the rest of the day to an activity of their choice. Since JT's idea of a good time is laying on the couch reading together or watching a nature video, I think I should have fun tomorrow!
EM spent several hours in front of the laptop completing some testing for the cyber school. They employ the DORA/DOMA online assessments. This was NOT an enjoyable experience for either of us. Sitting still is really not in EM's skill set. As far as I can tell, the purpose of this testing is to determine if any early intervention is needed for the almighty PSSA tests. I am really wishing I had waited until the compulsory education age of 8 in PA to enroll EM in a formal school program. I could have happily educated him in my own way for the next 2 years. Instead, we will be jumping through the hoops. Lesson learned.
I have a few things I found/read this week that I want to share. First.... I found a wonderful book that is providing loads of fun activities. Exploratopia. In my opinion, this is a must buy book. We are currently working to mummify a hot dog thanks to this book!
I have added a blog to my following list: Art Projects for Kids , thanks to Annie from Learn at Every Turn for that one!
I also highly recommend the blog The Pioneer Woman. This post about socialization is a must read for any homeschoolers or even more for those who have doubts about homeschooling.
Tomorrow EM will spend the day with my dad as his teacher. Last year, JT went with him one day a week. This year the boys will alternate weeks to spend some time away from me and with their grandparents. It will not give me the free time I had last year, since I will still have one boy with me. It will offer me a chance to get that one on one time with the boys that is so hard to come by during our busy school days. I have promised that if the homebound boy helps me with the errands and grocery shopping in the morning, I will completely devote the rest of the day to an activity of their choice. Since JT's idea of a good time is laying on the couch reading together or watching a nature video, I think I should have fun tomorrow!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Mowing in the Dark
Things got a bit crazy around here this week. My husband and I are going out of town this weekend for a parent's getaway. Of course that means nothing would run as planned.
It all started over the weekend. Our cat had not been eating well for about a week. I took him to the vet and he needed emergency surgery for a stomach blockage. I had little time for getting ahead on housework, but did manage to plan a week of school. Monday, even though it was a holiday, we had a bit of school work, knowing things would be busy later.
Tuesday morning, JT had an allergy shot appointment. He had a major reaction, which culminated in him being given the Epipen and staying in the office for 2 hours. Not much schooling THAT day.
Wednesday we did manage to put in a full school day! We also were able to check out our protozoa we have been growing from a kit we purchased. The boys fought a bit over who should be looking in the microscope. I have now added one of these to my wish list for the classroom.
Today was a day where nothing seemed to go smoothly. We started late. JT did spend a good deal of time working on his Life of Fred book, completing 3 chapters. EM spent some time with me reviewing time telling on analog clocks using one of the center activities we put together.
Then the trouble began. Composition. I dread even mentioning it to JT. As soon as I say something about the need to write...he sets his face with his most defiant look and glares at me. I gave him a choice between finishing the final draft of last week's composition or beginning one for this week. He sat there for a good 45 minutes before he realized he wouldn't win this one. My husband discovered last week during a similar stale-mate, that the best way to make him act seems to be to remove the actual paper from the room and make him come to us and ask to start it when he is ready. In the meantime, he sits at his desk and stares into space. No amount of logic can budge this child. Explaining that if he really wants to be a biologist when he grows up, he will need some writing skills, seems futile when he's 8. (Not that I haven't tried it!) Threatening, pleading and yelling are all worthless. You just have to walk away and wait.
That was when I had to run the cat to the vet because he decided to remove his own stitches.
All of this ended with me riding the mower in a nearly pitch dark back yard.
Next week will be smoother. Right?
It all started over the weekend. Our cat had not been eating well for about a week. I took him to the vet and he needed emergency surgery for a stomach blockage. I had little time for getting ahead on housework, but did manage to plan a week of school. Monday, even though it was a holiday, we had a bit of school work, knowing things would be busy later.
Tuesday morning, JT had an allergy shot appointment. He had a major reaction, which culminated in him being given the Epipen and staying in the office for 2 hours. Not much schooling THAT day.
Wednesday we did manage to put in a full school day! We also were able to check out our protozoa we have been growing from a kit we purchased. The boys fought a bit over who should be looking in the microscope. I have now added one of these to my wish list for the classroom.
Today was a day where nothing seemed to go smoothly. We started late. JT did spend a good deal of time working on his Life of Fred book, completing 3 chapters. EM spent some time with me reviewing time telling on analog clocks using one of the center activities we put together.
Then the trouble began. Composition. I dread even mentioning it to JT. As soon as I say something about the need to write...he sets his face with his most defiant look and glares at me. I gave him a choice between finishing the final draft of last week's composition or beginning one for this week. He sat there for a good 45 minutes before he realized he wouldn't win this one. My husband discovered last week during a similar stale-mate, that the best way to make him act seems to be to remove the actual paper from the room and make him come to us and ask to start it when he is ready. In the meantime, he sits at his desk and stares into space. No amount of logic can budge this child. Explaining that if he really wants to be a biologist when he grows up, he will need some writing skills, seems futile when he's 8. (Not that I haven't tried it!) Threatening, pleading and yelling are all worthless. You just have to walk away and wait.
That was when I had to run the cat to the vet because he decided to remove his own stitches.
All of this ended with me riding the mower in a nearly pitch dark back yard.
Next week will be smoother. Right?
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Keeping it Simple
We seem to have established a good rhythm for this week. I am far more relaxed this year than I was last year at this time. My evenings are being sacrificed to planning more often than I would like, but as the school year progresses, I'm hoping to find a better method for prep work. It does feel nice to have a routine again. Over the summer, we would slip from one day to the next. I think we were all a little tired of the lack of structure.
Our current game plan is: everyone up by 8am and finished with breakfast by 8:30. We have school time from 8 until about 11:30. When I need to work individually with one of the boys, the other one moves into the library and uses the table there for independent work. After lunch and recess time, we come back to the classroom to complete any unfinished seat work. Then we move on to the shared lessons in history, science or art. We usually wrap up by 2pm. If we have somewhere to be (piano, violin or library) we quit by 1pm.
I have been able to incorporate the 'fun' stuff more often this year. It has almost been a necessity with both boys schooling at the same time. This week we were reading about the origins of writing in "Story of the World". A few years back, I had picked up a set of stamps and book called "Fun with Hieroglyphs". This was a big hit! The boys spent a whole afternoon working on notes to one another. JT wrote a short story about a crocodile using the stamps.
At another point this week, JT suddenly said, "Can you find me a diagram of the inside of a tornado?" I helped him find one online. He then proceeded (completely unprovoked) to make his own diagram, look up information in two books and write a short report on Tornadoes. Yet another of my goals being met! "Provide opportunities and direction for the boys to explore their own interests."
We are keeping up with our Calvert material as well. JT is working his way through a bit of review before he takes the Lesson 40 math test. I promised him when he takes that test, he can spend a week working on the Life of Fred fractions book. I think we will follow a 2 week of Calvert/ 1 week Life of Fred routine until the Calvert material has been completed. Then we will continue with Life of Fred and a Pre-Algebra workbook that I ordered. JT also finished reading the abridged version of "Robinson Crusoe" in a couple days. The Calvert material expected him to spread it out over about 50 lessons, so I will have him complete the reading section of the first 3 tests now.
EM has surprised me with what he knows. He is not as outgoing as JT when it comes to showing his ability. He pulled off a 100% on his spelling pretest. He also zips through the reading material set for the first 20 lessons. I need to look ahead and find a good place to start for him. For now, I am reading books I borrowed from the library with him during our reading time. I also learned something interesting about his math skills. He does much better with addition of larger numbers. Ask him what 4 + 5 is and he has to think for a bit. 40 + 50...he answers quickly. Interesting. I also found that he has a hard time with flashcard math, but does terrific with dice. Good thing I bought that tub of 90 dice from Lakeshore Learning. :-)
One more thing I found this week. If you are at all interested in incorporating Bible study into your child's homeschooling, I found a great site! ABC, I Believe has free Bible lessons for younger children with fun activities that you can work into many different subjects. I especially like the worksheets that you can print. The first four lessons are completely free, if you want to purchase all 26, it is $12.95. We used the first lesson and the boys had fun following the "ant trail" to the clues.
In the end, this has been a good start to our year. I am feeling positive and enjoying finding things that benefit both of the boys' learning.
Our current game plan is: everyone up by 8am and finished with breakfast by 8:30. We have school time from 8 until about 11:30. When I need to work individually with one of the boys, the other one moves into the library and uses the table there for independent work. After lunch and recess time, we come back to the classroom to complete any unfinished seat work. Then we move on to the shared lessons in history, science or art. We usually wrap up by 2pm. If we have somewhere to be (piano, violin or library) we quit by 1pm.
I have been able to incorporate the 'fun' stuff more often this year. It has almost been a necessity with both boys schooling at the same time. This week we were reading about the origins of writing in "Story of the World". A few years back, I had picked up a set of stamps and book called "Fun with Hieroglyphs". This was a big hit! The boys spent a whole afternoon working on notes to one another. JT wrote a short story about a crocodile using the stamps.
At another point this week, JT suddenly said, "Can you find me a diagram of the inside of a tornado?" I helped him find one online. He then proceeded (completely unprovoked) to make his own diagram, look up information in two books and write a short report on Tornadoes. Yet another of my goals being met! "Provide opportunities and direction for the boys to explore their own interests."
We are keeping up with our Calvert material as well. JT is working his way through a bit of review before he takes the Lesson 40 math test. I promised him when he takes that test, he can spend a week working on the Life of Fred fractions book. I think we will follow a 2 week of Calvert/ 1 week Life of Fred routine until the Calvert material has been completed. Then we will continue with Life of Fred and a Pre-Algebra workbook that I ordered. JT also finished reading the abridged version of "Robinson Crusoe" in a couple days. The Calvert material expected him to spread it out over about 50 lessons, so I will have him complete the reading section of the first 3 tests now.
EM has surprised me with what he knows. He is not as outgoing as JT when it comes to showing his ability. He pulled off a 100% on his spelling pretest. He also zips through the reading material set for the first 20 lessons. I need to look ahead and find a good place to start for him. For now, I am reading books I borrowed from the library with him during our reading time. I also learned something interesting about his math skills. He does much better with addition of larger numbers. Ask him what 4 + 5 is and he has to think for a bit. 40 + 50...he answers quickly. Interesting. I also found that he has a hard time with flashcard math, but does terrific with dice. Good thing I bought that tub of 90 dice from Lakeshore Learning. :-)
One more thing I found this week. If you are at all interested in incorporating Bible study into your child's homeschooling, I found a great site! ABC, I Believe has free Bible lessons for younger children with fun activities that you can work into many different subjects. I especially like the worksheets that you can print. The first four lessons are completely free, if you want to purchase all 26, it is $12.95. We used the first lesson and the boys had fun following the "ant trail" to the clues.
In the end, this has been a good start to our year. I am feeling positive and enjoying finding things that benefit both of the boys' learning.
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