It’s hard to believe we only have six more weeks left of school. SIX MORE WEEKS! It’s even harder to imagine my baby, my boy, my Kenny, is completing his “first grade” year of school.
I’m a little weepy, so let me interrupt this blog post before it begins and tell you a short, but humorous story.
The kids and I were at a friends’ home a couple of weeks ago and Kenny ran up to me with a friend by his side and said, “Momma, what grade am I in?”
Figuring he knew full well what grade he was in, I assumed he was trying to prove a point to his friend, so I turned it on him – “Kenny, what grade do you think you’re in?”
His reply was interesting.
“I don’t know – I’m in Singapore 2B for Math, but sometimes I like to read Meredith’s books for Science, and I have first grade Spelling words, sooo…”
With an answer like that I felt I should tread lightly, so I told him we don’t really “do” grades, but if he were in public school he would be in first grade.
Nothing like the words of a child to remind me of one of the many reasons why I love to homeschool.
With homeschooling, I feel I am giving my kids a gift – and I am thankful for the freedom. My children can learn at the level right for them, maintain friendships and socialize with kids of all ages, and not feel burdened by unreasonable expectations or be allowed to become “lazy” if they can excel beyond their “grade” level.
Back to the post…
With the year winding down I have to say I have truly enjoyed watching Kenny grasp grammar concepts, master his Spelling, express himself through his daily Illustrate and Write assignments, and everything else that encompasses what I believe to be one of the most important subjects at his age, Language Arts!
We use Sonlight’s LA curriculum and for the most part, I follow it, but here and there I deviate to add variety; especially in the area of Spelling.
In a typical week of Sonlight’s LA, Spelling consists of Introducing the Words (Day 1), Writing the words Big! (Day 2), Writing the words Small (Day 3), and Mixing it up! (Day 4).
Earlier in the year, Kenny enjoyed writing his Spelling words BIG on the driveway, the blackboard, mine and his sisters’ backs, or on the bathroom mirror after I took a hot shower. He also enjoyed writing the words small with a fine-tipped pen on paper or scratching it into flour with a toothpick.
After Christmas I switched it up a bit noticing he needed more of a challenge.
Day 1: Introduce the Words and Copywork
Kenny still enjoys taking spelling online, so I enter his new Spelling Words into Spelling City every Monday morning and he gets on there and plays multiple games to review his new words.
Copywork is what it sounds like – Kenny copies a few sentences from a reader, a children’s poem, or in some cases, a book he really likes – pick any Dr. Seuss.
I write out the sentences on free, primary-lined notebooking pages and he copies below – making sure to follow all the grammar rules.
Kenny completed his handwriting book several weeks ago, so he is supposed to use his Copywork to practice good handwriting and word/letter spacing.
I think he does rather well for a lefty.
Day 2: Unscramble
Still using the primary-lined notebooking pages we use for Copywork, I “scramble” Kenny’s spelling words. Sometimes I use them all, but other times I only choose 7 or 8 so his efficient, “process of elimination” method doesn’t give him the final answers so easily.
Either way, he sorts it out faster each time.
Yes, this Momma left the “h” out in the unscramble for “cloth” – Kenny had a good time telling his Daddy he caught Momma’s mistake in Spelling today. Laying claim to perfection is certainly not something I’ll do anytime soon! *wink*
Whether he manages the task quickly or slowly, I hear him repeat the words, and their correct spelling, over and over until he figures them all out. It makes for a great review.
Day 3: Oral Quiz and/or Fill in the Blank
There are times he has his Spelling Words perfectly on Day 1 or Day 2, so I like to toss in an Oral Quiz on Day 3.
If he spells them all correctly, he’s done. If he struggles at all, I’ll create a quick “Fill in the Blank” worksheet for him. It gives him the extra practice he needs.
If his attitude has diminished I try to come up with funny sentences. Obviously on this day he was a very happy boy, because these sentences? *YAWN!*
Day 4: Spelling Quiz
Kenny likes to be tested on his knowledge, so on Day 4, he has a Spelling Quiz.
Mr. Allergy Eyes did quite well on last week’s Spelling Quiz.
Another week of Spelling Words nestled into his brain and tucked into his binder.
And another week of curriculum completed!
Don’t mind the stamps – I’ve let Kenny stamp his own curriculum page and needless to say 7 year olds are much more interested in STAMPING than in checking to see if the date is correct.
Then again, he didn’t fall far from the tree. It wasn’t 2 weeks ago that I realized we were still stamping the year 2009. Yep, January, February, March AND some of April – not a clue.
It’s fixed – here’s to hoping I do better next January!
OMSH/Heather L. Sanders is “Momma” to three kids, Emelie, Meredith and Kenny. When not homeschooling, Heather writes about life in the piney woods of Texas at Oh My Stinkin’ Heck.