An Horse Essay + { Freebie }

Yesterday I decided that Chloe { Miss 8 } should start getting serious about writing.  She doesn't normally do a lot, and when she does, she often leaves out capital letters and full stops.  So it always put me off from going to the next formal step.  However, this week I got tired of waiting.  Yes, yes, I did.  So I pulled out an outline and got her to dictate / narrate to me what she knew from each point of the outline { well most of it anyway }.  I just wrote it down and today she copied it out for herself.

It turned into 3 pages.

Yep, her VERY FIRST full on essay DRAFT is 3 pages.

 Now that's saying something for the humble outline~!!

She also added a couple of pictures for presentation.

If you'd like a FREE outlining / essay pack for Horses just click below:

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Spider Day Pack { Freebie }

Today I made a little Spider Day Pack.

This is designed to be a FACTUAL project.

After I did all the computer work for it, I then printed it out, cut it down where it needed to be cut, and assembled it - so that it was ready to go for project time.  So technically it's not finished as in - a child has not completed the pack, but it's all put together ready for their little thoughts and color.

{ 1 }

I put the Spider questions on the left and the Spider Facts on the right.  I taped them side by side with some clear tape.  This made a book base. 

{ 2 }

Then I closed the book up and added the title page to the front.  Here is the title page:

{ 3 }

I cut and assembled the double sided Can, Have, Are flip book.  I cut to separate the three parts. Then I ran a strip of double sided tape on the back of the foldable and added that on the inside spine of the project.

Just an extra photo of what it all looks like:

{ 4 }

On the very back of the book base I added the last worksheet.

And voila~!!  We have a Spider Day Pack that can pretty much go with any little Spider story or research project.

If you'd like a FREE copy just click on through ANY picture sample.

All I need now is to find a little Spider story or encyclopedia entry on spiders to read to the girlies and then we can fill in our project book. :o)

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How I Teach Spelling to a 4 year old

Formal spelling doesn't generally begin until Grade 2, but what do you do with a child who is 4 years old and WANTS to do spelling just like her big sisters?

Yep, you oblige.

1.  I select a multiple phonogram { ea } to work on.
2.  I select 5 words in which to study this sound.
3.  I write these 5 words out in a list on a scrap piece of paper.
4.  I have her then read the sound and the words{ sound out the word }.
5.  I have her copy out the words in an exercise book.
6.  I then have her underline the multiple phonogram in the words.
7.  Then we make the words on our magnetic board with the letter tiles that I made { concept from All About Spelling - before I got to see them in real life - so it just goes to show you that you don't always need to purchase or see items in real life to get the gist of something that will work. }  I've done some show and tell on these tiles before HERE.

So, can we see some show and tell on it?

Sure.

{ The book work }

{ The tile work }

The alphabet sits up top.

I keep the vowels in red, the consonants in white, and qu in the same color as the multiple phonograms, to help remind the girls that it has more than one letter when in use.

Multiple phonograms are in a gakky green.  See / ea / on the board.  All the others are in a little baggie so the board isn't conjested.  The digraphs are in blue, prefixes in purple, suffixes in dark green, hopefully you'll get to see them sometime.

So she just cycles through making the words.

I did originally make several copies of each letter / phonogram set, but it was too cumbersome to use and locate the desired sounds.  So I minimised it along the same lines as All About Spelling, and voila, much more usable.

Additionally, the child can continue on and make more words with the same sound.

And there you have it.  Spelling for a 4 year old.  You don't even need a workbook, or a curriculum for it either.  You just need a good word list to go with your selected phonogram, and a tile set { totally optional, but heaps more fun and interesting at that age }.

If you'd like a FREE tile set just click HERE.

Just print, laminate, cut, and adhere a magnet on the back.  I used one that has one side magnet and one side sticky on the magnet so that it could stick on without any problem.  I bought a roll of the stuff from a local office supply store. { Officeworks }

The file is designed to make 4 sets at a time.  Great for classroom use, or multiple children in the family.

Just a couple more examples for fun:

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Art Cards 2

This week I have a second set of Art Cards for you all.

{ Raphael }

{ Albrect Durer }

{ Johannes Vemeer }

 

{ Edgar Degas / Claude Monet }

Just click on any set to go and get them.

Don't forget to pick up the first set as well.

This week I am linking up with:



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Counting Beyond 100 { freebie }

As you all know, Miss Hannah Banana has taken a keen interest in the maths department and is now jumping beyond 100.  So I made these little counting worksheets for her to get a visual and short practice on.

Basically there are 5 printable pages { in each separate pack }.  Designed to be done over a course of 5 days per pack. The first worksheet in each set has all the numbers and 4 animals hidden underneath.  I'll use this first page to count each day with her before she tackles the worksheet component.  Then at the end of the week she can color in the animals from the first page.  Well, that's the plan at the moment, so far, so good.  As the pack progresses through I have taken out numbers for the child to insert the numbers that should be there.

{ A completed worksheet by Hannah }

Day 2

{ Sample from 101 -125 }

{ Sample from 126 -150 }

 Just click on the sample pictures to go and download them for FREE.

They're separate files, so you'll need to click on both of them.

As a treat - I'll be adding some MORE ART CARDS soon too, so look for those in the next week or so as well.

Today I am linking up with:



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Art Cards - { freebie }

Yesterday I started my little collection of Art Cards and thought that I'd do a little more show and tell since I now have a few more in the set.

I've printed, laminated, and cut them out.  They look really nice in real life.

{ Renoir }

{ Rembrandt }

{ A mix of 4 different artists }

{ Vincent Van Gogh }

If you'd like a FREE copy click HERE.

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Copywork & Dictation with an Aesop Freebie

     Since I'm wanting to get rather serious about copywork and dictation I'm starting to look around and gather materials.  In addition it's been quite some time since I posted a freebie here on the blog so I thought that I would endeavor to supply one.  Worked out well, two birds with one stone and all.  Freebie down the page.

     While I've got you here though, can I ask you some questions?  Like, do you use dictation in your homeschool?  Does the child read or copy the passage before you use it for the dictation?  Or do you dictate it before the child has seen it?  Do you stop mid way to have the child correct any mistakes?  Do you correct it after the dictation is finished?  How often do you use dictation in a week?  Daily?  How much dictation do you use?  I'll be using it for 6 & 8 year olds.  Should I just make it one sentence per school year?

     Oh - by the way, I have been desperately wanting to ask you all WHERE do you all get your copywork and dictation materials from?  I'd like to have a little variety if I can.  Please let me know.    Am I really going to have scour all the material myself?  Are you sure there aren't some cut shorts that I can use?  What can you tell me about copywork and dictation overall?  What type of ratio should I have in regards to different styles of writing to use?  Should 50% be from novels, 30% from Aesop, 70% from the Bible.  What's your ratio?  How do YOU do it?

     I have some solid ideas but I want to have them guided and assisted by people who are already walking the path.  I've been traveling the net tonight and my trusty bookshelf too, but I'm always open to additional insights. 

So far my Language Arts courses are reshaping up as follows:

Spelling

     Websters 

     Spelling Rules with examples

     Rod and Staff - spelling by Sound and Structure

Grammar

     Rod and Staff

Reading

     Grade appropriate readers

Writing

     Dictation x 2 times a week

     Copywork x 3 times a week

     Writing Strands x 2 times a week

     Penmanship { perhaps this can be included in the dictation and copywork }

Oral Narrations

* * * * * * *

At any rate, thanks for reading and here's a little piece that I prettied up.  Aesop is a pretty handy guy to have around the homeschool.  :o)

 I've listed 10 different things that one can use the material for.  If you think of any others please let me know so that I can add them too.

Please help a girl out with ideas and need to know information on copywork and dictation.

Today I am linking up with:

Thanks so much.

Diagramming { freebie }

Today I have a diagramming freebie download.

I made them for Chloe for fun, but I thought you might be able to use them too.

Diagram: article, subject, verb, adjective.

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Cowboy Multiple Phonogram Games + { freebie }

Wow, 3 freebies in a row.  Don't forget to go and check out my last couple of posts.

But before we get there though I just want to do a quick little show and tell with my latest offering.

A Cowboy Multiple Phonogram Games pack.

I am particularly fond of the Spalding method as are quite a number of very well to do spelling curriculums that are available these days.  They've discovered the same thing that I've known for nearly 20 years.  Phonics and rules work.

It even has recording worksheets as well.  Feel free to use them anyway that works for your student.  Please know that I tweak them to suit my individual children.  Miss 3 currently only writes out her sounds as she travels around the board.  Miss 7 writes the sound on one side and her word with that sound on the other side.  Ideally it is designed for the child to write a word and underline the phonogram sound in the word.  Just use them according to the ability of your student/s.

Two recording sheets per page.

{ For your FREE sample just click the worksheet below. }

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