So Proud of My Nacho!!

This concludes Nacho's first week of traditional homeschooling for high school. I couldnt be more impressed with his effort and enthusiam for the curriculum we created!

This week he completed:
Algerba 1- Using Algebra 1 by K-12
Review of Variable Expressions ~ 100%
Working with Variables~ 100%
Translating Word Equations~ 80%
Replacement Sets~ 100%
Week in Review Quiz~ 100%

Language Arts- Using Language for the 21st Century (Prentice Hall) and worksheets from www.teachervision.fen.com
Proper Sentence Structure~ 98%
Subject and Predicate Agreements~ 100%
Writing a Paragraph in Steps~ 84%
Punctuation Review~ 100%
Writing a Presuasive Paragraph~ 90%

Physical Science- Using Physical Sciene (Holt)
Work and Power (Chapt 8, Sect 1) + Vocab~ 100%
What is A Machine (Chapt 8, Sect 2) + Vocab~ 100%
More Power to You- experiment~ 100%
Mechanical Advantage (worksheet)~ 100%

Social Studies- Using www.teachervision.fen.com
Learning how to Research a Topic~ not graded
The Blitz of London (worksheet)~ 28%
The Blitz of London (redo worksheet)~ 100% = 64%
Write a Research Paragraph about the Blitz~ 90%

Health- Using Health (Prentice Hall)
Quality of Life~ 60% (not complete sentences, wrong page set up)
Risk Factors~ 100%
Causes of Death in Young People~ 90% (incomplete answer but well written)

Begin reading Robinson Crusoe. Study guide from www.coreknowledge.com
Study Guide Chapter 1~ 80%
Study Guide Chapter 2~ 100%

Spanish 2- Using Primsleur's Spanish II and Spanish Verbs by Vivianne Bey
Lesson 1~ not graded
Lesson 2~ not graded
Present Tense Verb Conjegation~ 90%
Verbs (worksheet)~ 90%
Lesson 3~ not graded

Unlike previous years, this is high school. Nacho is suddenly required to write out his answers, using complete sentences. He is required to set up his answer pages by certain specification. He is being graded this time.

For those of you whom I speak with everyday, yes I have to sit at his desk with him and keep him on task. Four hours everyday of reading my own book, looking up every 15minutes. If I walk away for any reason, I lose him. LOL But with results like these, its totally worth it, dont you think?

Really Getting into a Grove

We have had such a great week so far! Day 3 of our new school year and the girls are still so excited about their new lessons and projects. I am sneaking off the blog this as they are doing an impromptu art project. (I will post the project and the pictures when they are done)

Lola is moving right along with OHVA. We have run into a few stumbling blocks. Her French isn't listed on her daily schedule. We ended up noticing yesterday that she hasn't even done any of it, only to log on today to find the program isnt working right. We then took our own Primsluers French CDs and listened to a few lessons all together. I plan to wait until her online school actually starts before I ask any questions. I could just be because she started their program so early.
I am however, so very proud of how well she is doing in math. Those summer time math drills really are paying off!
Coco seems to be working harder and faster this year compared to last. I hate to admit shes having a better start without Mimi here. We are both enjoying her Daily Drills book (Daily Learning Drills by Brighter Child) and I am getting much less resistance to writing sentences than ever before.
In the last two days we have done:
DD pages 50 and 233
Spelling- correcting sentences and a word scramble (made at www.theteacherscorner.net
Language Arts- textbook pages 18 and 19 and CC page 294 (types of sentences)
Explorers- we marked the journeys of Daniel Boone on our US map and worked on some vocabulary words using a grid worksheet I found on www.teacherspayteachers.com
(settlers, wilderness, pioneer, frontier, exploits, treaty)
Math- SS pages 7 and 8. We are still working on comparing numbers and place values
Science- We started working on our weekly worksheets I made from the textbook. I will be using the same text book and worksheets with another student starting next week so Coco will actually be a week ahead of him.
French- we have been working with the vocabulary worksheets I made and we have also been listening to the Primsluers CDs with Lola.
Reading- we are still reading Stuart Little but its not really holding her interest. I have found some great character worksheets on www.teacherspayteachers.com and those seem to hold more of her attention.

Fifi more interested in school this year as well. She is still transitioning from K to 1st grade but is grasping 90% of the work she is being giving.
Our main issue with Fifi is that she is worried about not having any friends. She has playmates from the neighborhood, but no other homeschooling friends in her grade or her age. We are working on setting up some new playdates and 8 more families joined our homeschooling group in the past week!
I will post tomorrow what she has been working on this week.

As a side note, I have found many many audio and ebooks both educational and reading for enjoyment. Lola is trying to read The Hobbit with the audio book reading along with her. (Its not working well lol) Nacho is reading Animal Farm by George Orwell as an ebook and it seems to be working better for him than it was as a paperback.... If are looking for anything specific let me know.

Dani

Coco's 4th Grade Reading List

My Coco is a reader. She usually reads at least a book a week and sometimes reads smaller books throughout.
Together, she and I made up a suggested reading list for 4th grade.
She will be expected to read everyday and write a paragraph in her reading journal about what she wrote. When she finishes a book, she gets a choice of 4 of the book reports I found on www.enchantedlearning.com We have made shoebox dioramas, hanger mobiles, posters... Her favorite (cause I just asked her) is making a tri-fold brochure advertising the book. She prints pictures relating to the book and attempts to sell it.

Here is Coco's Suggested Reading List for 4th Grade

Charlotte's Web by E.B White
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Mouse on a Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
Superfudge by Judy Blume
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
The Wayside Series by Louis Sachar
The Ramona Series by Beverly Cleary
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
Half Magic by Edward Eager
My Teacher is an Alien by Bruce Coville
A Llama in the Family by Johanna Hurwitz
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
The Borrowers by Mary Norton
The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp by Philip Pullman
Frindle by Andrew Clements

One of the things we like to do is have a group of our friends read the same books at the same time, so we can 1) discuss it together and 2) see the movie afterwards together. This worked out really well with Coraline for Coco and her friends and Inkheart for Lola and her friends.