August 15th, 2008

Wow, I survived week two!!
Fifi: We practiced our "spelling words" using foam letters and a site word list.
Her words are:
at an and all ant
bat bar big bag bug
cat cart can car
Then she wrote them out on her raised line paper.
She also participated in Coco and Mimi's Science lesson. She is learning alot about recycling!
We watched the Signing Time video #2 today a few times LOL. We also played Memory with the ASL alphabet cards I printed off the internet.

Coco and Mimi
Math- Counting by 3s and Practice Math Facts
We practiced our new cheer of the threes table. We also did another worksheet of addition with regrouping. I am hoping that Monday I can move on to subtraction.
Science: Worksheet and Writing 5 Sentences
We did a recycling worksheet from the Comprehensive Curriculum book I was fawning all over yesterday. We also had to write out sentences about how we can reduce, reuse and recycle. I had wanted to use those sentences for Language Arts but no such luck. The girls will be rewriting them Monday so I can use them then. We also played Recycled Bowling to fill in the time I needed to give the outside dog a bath.
We said "See ya Later" to Eddie as he went back home with Mimi. He had gotten a nasty cut in our yard from his new run (and I mean NASTY) and Mimi's mom talked her husband into letting the dog come home. I gave him a bath, cleaned the wound and applied antibacterial ointment to it. I had to shave part of his fur too (Hes a chow/sheppard mix) In many ways I am sad he got hurt but grateful to have our yard back. One less dog to feed, bath and care for. We can pretend the girls learned first aid for dogs, but mostly they learned not to touch the dogs cut and to stay out of my light while I am cleaning an open gaping wound...
Social Studies- Read Alaska Book, set up Alaska fun fact sheet with flag
Alaska Hello USA by Lerner. We talked about the animals in Alaska, the seasons and the Native Americans. We did another worksheet about Eskimos (I love that book!) We also looked up the state song online and watched it.
Reading – Coco is on page 25 and Mimi is on page 9. They both promised to read over the weekend.
Spelling- I did not give them a spelling test. We are starting lesson 2 next week. Coco knows all of her words. Mimi does not. Mimi will be starting different words than Coco next Monday.
Language Arts- Coco wrote a story called A Day With Pinky. It is about spending the day with her Webkinz pet. She wants to finish writing it all weekend and said I could post it online Sunday. I suggested to Mimi's mom that she do the same or similar project but it is up to her.
I have had to beat my head into this giant wall, I didn't want to give up teaching Mimi but her level difference is so different from Coco's. I have conceded to give her second grade work, (yes I rewrote her curriculum) and keep her here part time. Its up to her mother to make sure she meets her hours and testing requirements. I am not signing her notification as her teacher but as an aide. Her mother had to sign it. I did submit my curriculum though. If her mother doesn't follow her part, it is again, not my problem.
Foreign Language- Animals and Nature
(Kids Pocket Guide to Signing by Flodin)
We finally started the animals but Mimi and Coco both pointed out the we don't know any verbs to make the sentences make sense. So we watched a few of the Signing Time videos, a youtube video and, I printed off a worksheet on play time.

Lola
Ohio History- Iroquois Indian Fact Game
(www.bigorrin.org/iroquois_kids.htm)
Math– Identifying Place Values
(www.aaamath.com)
Social Studies- Read a Book about Alaska and fill out Alaska info card
Lola read the book with us and filled in her info card with more details than the little girls. She also watched the video of the state song and wrote a paragraph about Alaska including the info about its purchase, territorihood, evacuation and statehood. I was actually very impressed with her paper. I corrected her spelling and when it is done, I will post it here (Sunday)
Reading- Read 1 hour, Comprehension Test
(I wrote)
Lola knows this book backwards and forwards. Her creative writing project for this weekend is to write what she thinks would happen if she were in the same situation as the main character. For those of you who don't remember, she is reading Homecoming by Cynthia Voight. In the story the four children wake up in a car to find out there mother never came back. They then have to walk 120 miles to Bridgeport CT to their aunts house. They have $3 and the oldest child is 14. I read this book when I was 11 and again when I was 14. Lola loves it as much as I do.
Spelling-Spelling Test
Lola knows her words, she got 100%.
Language Arts- Subjects and Predicates
(Text book page L10 – L12)
(Workbook page 5)
Foreign Language- Practice Words

Lola is also trying to convince me that playing Roller Coaster Tycoon is school-like work LOL. She has to manage her money, figure out how to build a roller coaster correctly and manage her park safety standards... She made a pretty convincing argument. So I have to run now so she can play for an hour.