Mostly Organized Chaos: 2011-2012 School Year in Review: Russell

(Note that I've copied and pasted as much of the information from Belle's review as possible - I've made all necessary changes, but legitimately, some of this stuff was identical for Belle and Russell!)

Official Homeschool Tracking Method -- Iowa law does not require students to attend school (including homeschool) until they are 6 years old on or before September 1 of the current school year. Thus, last year I was not required to record Russell's schooling in any formal way.

Math - He used the Math-U-See (MUS) curriculum, starting at the beginning of the alpha level (addition and subtraction with single digits) and working though beta (addition and subtraction for multiple digits) and lesson 15 (of 30) of gamma (multiplication for single and multiple digits). Before officially starting homeschool, I had worked with the kids a lot in math; specifically, Russell was proficient at skip counting up to 10s, and had a good grasp of single digit addition and subtraction. I decided to start at the beginning of the official curriculum though, to ensure that I wasn't missing any big concepts. In addition to the core emphasis of the curriculum, other important topics were covered including telling time, roman numerals, and conversions (tablespoons, teaspoons, cups, quarts, ounces, gallons, tons, yards, feet, etc.). For next year, I plan to have Russell finish the MUS gamma level and then start (and hopefully finish) delta. Russell and Belle started at the same level at the beginning of the school year, and ended 15 lessons apart (Russell 15 lessons behind Belle). Intellectually, Russell is absolutely capable of working at the same level as Belle, but his attention span, meaning ability to focus on one task for a lengthy amount of time, is much shorter than Belle's, though still very developmentally appropriate for his age. We have yet to encounter a subject (math or any other) that Russell actually doesn't understand, which is so encouraging. Note that at the end of each level Russell took the course exam and scored the following:

Alpha: 65/66 (completed October 21, 2011)
Beta: 27.5/30 (completed March 22, 2012)
Gama - mid-course exam; lessons 1-15: 33.5/34 (completed June 5,2012)

Writing & Grammar - We started the year using Write Shop Primary, book A. This is a curriculum that I stumbled upon early summer of last year, and we did some of the lessons during the summer in our "homeschool trial period". This curriculum is designed with 8 sections (or instructional days) per lesson, and focuses heavily on helping the student develop an interest and love for the written word. Russell really enjoyed our sessions together, but I quickly discovered that this curriculum is too teacher-intensive for our family at this stage in our lives. I needed to be sitting next to Russell for every.single.step of each lesson. Supposedly, the sessions are meant to completed in 10-15 minutes, but our sessions were lasting at least 20-30 minutes. At first, I tried breaking the lessons up into smaller pieces, but that meant we were progressing through the curriculum at a *very* slow speed, much slower than necessary for Russell's ability. Next, I tried picking and choosing which of the sessions seemed the most important/relevant, and skipping the others. That seemed to work, but still, there was no getting around the fact that I needed to sit next to Russell for every moment of the lesson without him being able to do any independent work. Even with the glaring realization that this wasn't working out for us, I was so hesitant to switch curriculum because of how much Russell was enjoying this subject! Finally, around January I discontinued use of Write Shop Primary, and switched Russell to the beginning of the first grade Scott Foresman curriculum, found here: http://www.sfreading.com/resources/ghb.html. He has now worked his way though pg. 91, and I've been so happy with his ability to complete some of this learning independently. Throughout this curriculum there are small writing assignments, many of which Russell worked on over the course of several lessons (first brainstorming ideas, then creating an outline/story web, writing a rough draft, editing, and finally writing or typing a final draft). Additionally, this curriculum touched on many grammar ideas including capitalization, punctuation, and parts of speech (verb, noun, pronoun). Next year I plan to have Russell continue with the Scott Foresman curriculum as his core, potentially adding in some Learning Language Arts Through Literature and maybe including him on some of the Write Shop Primary lessons that I work on with James. (Yes, I just said that I'm going to try Write Shop Primary with James... at least this time I'm going in to it realizing what it entails!)

Spelling - We used a free spelling word list from www.superteacherworksheets.com. The site provides grade appropriate spelling lists, with daily activities to help learn the spelling/meaning of the words. Russell would take a pre-test on Monday, spend Tuesday through Thursday working on a worksheet (i.e. a word find, unscrambling the words, cutting/pasting the words into alphabetical order, writing a sentence with the words, etc.), and take the post-test on Friday. Russell tries to spell most words phonetically, which works well for many simple words, but not so well after that. He is gradually improving his abilities, and I plan to continue teaching spelling in a similar fashion next year. The website we were using transitioned to a fee-based system, but fortunately I found a really similar set of spelling lists and worksheets here: www.freehomeschoolresources.info. I've already had to transition Belle to the new worksheets, so I'm confident this will be a good way to continue spelling with Russell next year as well.

Reading & Reading Comprehension - Russell did not use a formal curriculum this year, though he did do a lot of work using the online "Reading Eggspress" portion of www.readingeggs.com. Russell really enjoys any sort of screen time, so doing reading comprehension this way made it fun for him. I will have Russell continue on with Reading Eggspress in the coming school year. For "free reading", Russell read most of the Magic Tree House stories, and for family reading time we read through the first 5 books in the Chronicles of Narnia. Just recently I've been noticing that Russell hasn't actually progressed that much from where he was with his reading ability a year ago, so I'm going to make a point to really focus on this area in the upcoming year.

History - We started this subject area without a good plan. In the beginning I was reading from the book This Country of Ours, by H.E. Marshall (found here: http://www.heritage-history.com/www/heritage-books.php?author=marshall&book=country&story=_front). As the year progressed I decided that we needed a more formal history curriculum, so around February we switched to the Story of the World, vol. 1 Ancient Times. Admittedly, it was not a good transition (going from US history to ancient history really confused the kids), but after everyone adjusted to the new time period and curriculum, the kids really thrived! Through the SOTW curriculum, each topic is presented by reading aloud a portion of the text (many times the student guide includes coloring pages, so the kids would work on their coloring while I read) and asking the kids to narrate back to me what they heard. Additionally, there are excellently written review questions for each topic, along with mapwork and other suggested projects and hands-on-activities. All the kids loved history after we started using SOTW, so for the foreseeable future, we'll continue studying history using this format! (Note: the SOTW curriculum exist in four volumes - and it is suggested that you cycle through the volumes so that the kids will be exposed to the same information several times during their student years.) We ended the year at volume one, chapter 10, so next year we should complete volume one and potentially start volume two. Also, the kids memorized all of the US presidents, in order, by listening to a song (over and over and over again), see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofOeB_RCDhE&feature=related. Next year I hope to have them memorize other types of US history facts through song as well.

Science - We started this subject during the summer with a lapbook I put together myself on the subject of “What is Science”. The kids really enjoyed creating the lapbook, but I knew I didn't have the time to design my own curriculum for each subject, so I decided to go with a lapbooking curriculum designed by Hands of a Child (HOAC). Each subject had various hands-on projects or experiments, plus lots of cutting, pasting, and coloring. At the beginning of the school year I choose the topics, but I let the kids pick the final two. Ideally, we would have gotten through twice as many topics, so I'm slightly disappointed in that respect; yet, the kids enjoyed this subject so much that I'm calling it a success overall. (For some reason I've decided to switch up the curriculum we are using for science next year... hopefully if it doesn't go well I will remember how much the kids enjoyed the subject this year and make the switch back to lapbooking.) At the end of each subject I created a test for the kids to complete - it is probably worth noting that I had *many* people comment on how difficult my tests are, but admittedly, my expectations are very high for my kiddos! Here are the topics we studied, along with Russell 's test results:

Heat & Temperature - score 17/25 = 68%
Seeds & Plants - too low of a score to even record!
Trees - score 21/25 = 84%
Dinosaurs - score 21/22 = 95%
Volcanoes - score 25/25 = 100%

Spanish - We tried various approaches for learning Spanish this year, but nothing lasted long term. Notably, we watched the "Salsa" video series (found here: http://www.gpb.org/salsa) for several weeks. Russell (and all the kids) really enjoyed watching the videos, but because we were not doing any official instruction to coincide with the videos, he did not really learn anything of substance. Next year I'm bumping Spanish up to a higher level of importance and we will be doing the "Escucha Y Hablamos Espanol" curriculum - ideally with the Salsa videos to complement the curriculum.

Sign Language - We did no real instruction in this area. We often watch shows from the Signing Times series and Russell has gained lots of knowledge about signs from these shows. Ideally, we will start formal instruction in this area in the years to come, to both strengthen and expand on the exposure the kids already have in this subject area.

AWANA/copy work - Before the year started I selected important bible verses and typed them up on lined paper to have the kids use for copy work. At the start of the year they did this twice a week, plus we did a bible lesson 3 times a week using a lapbook from "Hands of a Child" (HOAC). Although this format for bible study was working well, in early October we got an invitation to join another homeschool family at a weekly bible study program called AWANA. Only James was able to attend the first week, and it was immediately obvious that this program was something that would be valuable for the kids, as well as lots of fun (think music, dance, arts and crafts, recreation, and more -- all with a focus on biblical living). So, the following week Belle and Russell joined James, and the three kids participated on a regular basis for the remainder of the school year. Russell was considered a "Sparkie" in the program, and each week he had a short story to read and one or two bible verses to memorize. To aid in the memorization, I used those bible verses for his copy work. After we began AWANA I used the Sparkie handbook as Russell's bible study, and dropped the HOAC curriculum. The only drawback to AWANA is that it happens at 6pm on Thursday evenings, which means we have one more night a week of running. I'm a "home body" to the core, so 99% of the time Dave did the AWANA night duties, while I got a night at home. We will continue AWANA this coming year (even Ellie may join the "big kids"?!?) as our bible study. In addition, I want to make it a priority to read a bible passage to the kids on a regular basis, something I did only (very) infrequently this past year.

Typing - We started out the year using http://www.typing-lessons.org/ as a typing instruction guide. Russell really enjoyed typing and often asked to do extra typing instruction during his free time. He completed all the lessons in March at which time he was awarded with his own email address. (Just like for Belle's email account, I control the password, thereby preventing him from accessing it without my explicit permission... but none-the-less, it is his very "own"!) Russell really enjoys composing and typing emails, and I trust that he will be excited to answer his 2 1/2 month old emails when we start school back up! For next year I may have him breeze through the instruction levels once again, and after we'll continue practice via emails and typing up his writing compositions.

Piano/Music - Russell started lessons at the beginning of the year! The teacher we found is amazing and both Belle and Russell really thrive under her instruction. Russell has made amazing progress through the lesson books and is already doing regular finger practice exercises in addition to his normal song practice. Like Belle, Russell is working his way though the Alfred's Premier Piano Course instruction books. He completed the Lesson level 1A book and is through pg. 28 in the Lesson 1B book. He has worked through exercise #13 in Finger Power, Level One by John W. Schaum. Additionally, several times a month Russell worked on note memorization at the websites www.musictechteacher.com/musicquizzes and www.musicards.net. Again, similar to Belle, Russell often struggles with instant note identification, and often has trouble identifying where his hands go on a new piece. Early next school year I plan to focus on having him memorize this basic information. Once that memorization has taken place it should remove some of the frustration that currently occurs at the beginning of each practice session. Russell has great potential with his piano playing abilities, so in addition to having him continue making progress, I hope that he will also continue to enjoy playing!

Co-op/Small group - Before diving into homeschooling I did lots of research on the local homeschooling community. I was pleased to find a local Christian based group, Christian Homeschool Alliance/Education of Dubuque (CHAD). The group has co-op classes that meet two Fridays a month for the duration of the regular school year. We joined the co-op starting in September and my goal for participation with this group was not education-based, but rather to allow my kids to build communication skills, develop homeschool friendships, and expose them to an extra social activity. The kids thoroughly enjoyed co-op days, and Russell especially appreciated the interaction with other similar aged boys. Unfortunately, I struggled with Russell all year long in the discipline area, and these struggles often came to a boiling point on co-op days. Consequently, Russell spent a sizable amount of time sitting in a corner (sometimes of his own choosing), instead of participating in class. In January, three of the mothers from CHAD plus myself started to meet as a "small group" on the off weeks of CHAD. Our "small" group consists of 4 moms and 18 kids, so "small" is sort-of an amusing name! Again, this group provided a great opportunity for the kids to socialize with other homeschooled kids, and I was really grateful for these friendships, as it helped with my transition into the homeschooling world. Although final decisions still have not been made, I anticipate we will continue our involvement with our small group in the coming school year, but (contrasting with my post just a few days ago), I now anticipate that we will take a break from the official co-op classes. Right now I'm leaning in this direction for multiple reasons, with the two largest factors being: 1. Russell's discipline issues (which we will be working on diligently) and 2. I'm feeling like I've taken on too much for the coming year, and temporarily dropping my leadership role/involvement with the co-op would really help lighten my load. Fall classes start up again in the near future, so Dave and I will need to make final decisions soon.

Extra Curricular Activities:

Piano (detailed above)
Karate w/Papa - Every Tuesday night my Dad came over and in exchange for dinner he taught the kids (mostly Belle and Russell) karate. I think Russell learned a lot this year, though the length of the lessons always tested his attention-span. Ideally, we will continue with lessons this coming year but with a set time-limit, in hopes of increasing attentiveness during the lesson.
Church Choir - Every Wednesday night James, Russell, and Belle participated in our church's "Cherub Choir" for kids ages 3-3rd grade. About once a month they have a performance during worship service on Sundays. Russell has really made quite the connection with one of the directors, George, and consequentially, he always looked forward to practice so that he could see George. Unfortunately, Russell's behavior during practice was not always ideal, so again, we will be working on discipline and obedience issues with him during the coming year.
AWANA (detailed above)
Soccer - during the Fall and Spring Russell was involved with the DBQ soccer club. He had practice followed by a game each Saturday morning for 6 weeks (both semesters). Right now, even after just completing summer t-ball, Russell says soccer is his favorite sport, so we plan to keep him involved in this activity during the coming year.
4H - Once a month on Monday evenings. The organization is designed to teach and promote environmental friendliness and outdoor living. The group is composed primarily of farm kids from the surrounding community. Each meeting they spend their time on a short environmental lesson with accompanying arts and crafts projects. The kids had the option of getting involved with the local fair (via showing arts and crafts or animals). We opted not to participate in fair activities this year, though I think this would be a great opportunity to practice public speaking and presentation, and consequentially, I anticipate the kids will get involved next year. (Next year James can join Belle and Russell at 4H meetings!)

Whew! So, although there are many similarities (and some subjects that I flat out copied and pasted from Belle's year-end synopsis!), I think that I've captured the essence of Russell's year. Belle and Russell are so similar in some ways, and yet totally different kids in other respects. I love that they are so obviously siblings (by both looks and actions), yet they each are so unique and have their individual strengths and weaknesses. It is apparent to me that Belle's kind-loving heart will be one of her biggest attributes in life, while Russell's determination and resolve will take him far. I hope they are able to share their better qualities and help each other grow past their weaknesses as they get older. Man, I love these kiddos!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures of Russell from the past year: