A Short Reading Lesson

 Learning how to read is important, but the lessons do not have to be complicated. Some reading lessons can consist of the child being read to. Some lessons can consist of the child reading. Some lessons can include phonics. Some lessons can include games. 

Variety in lessons keeps them from getting boring. Consistency in reading to and with the child is more important than following the same lesson structure every time.

Children who are learning to read can be taught phonemic awareness by sounding out words. There are two ways to do this. Children can sound out words by decoding them or reading them. They can also sound out words orally. We frequently play games that involve sounding out words. 

 

In this short video, we demonstrate a short reading lesson. 

First, we practice sounding out words. 

Second, we practice letter familiarity. 

Third, we discuss the pictures. 

Fourth, we look at the words. 

A more in-depth reading lesson would include a phonics lesson, recitation of the sounds and words in the lesson, and copy work in addition to the above steps. 

The child's voice in these videos belongs to my child who turned five in August. 

Like and Subscribe! 

Links of Interest: 

McGuffey's First Reader: https://archive.org/details/mcguffeysfirstec00mcgu2 

Flashcards and Letter Tiles: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Learn-to-Read-Level-1-Template-5923913 

My Blog: https://atouchofbeautylife.blogspot.com/ 

My TpT Storefront: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Wisdom-Through-Nature

CLEPS and Direct Credit Resources

 So, a few days ago I mentioned that I have discovered a few resources for CLEP exams. 

CLEP exams can cover most of the material taken in the first semester or two in college, saving money and allowing you to get into the "fun" courses sooner.  At the moment, CLEP exams cost around $85/exam plus proctoring. CLEP exams can be taken from home using remote proctoring. 

According to the website, about 2900 colleges accept some or all of the CLEP exams. Before starting your CLEP journey, speak with the admission office at your college or perspective college so you know how many credits you can CLEP and which classes are accepted. 

There are a plethora of free resources to learn the material on the CLEP tests. One example is a full college algebra course on YouTube.

Khan Academy has numerous videos appropriate for the college-level. They have arts and humanities, mathematics, social sciences, science, economics, and computing videos and courses. They also have social skills and career development help. 

Saylor Academy has free resources that can be used to study for CLEPS, or if your school recognizes Saylor Academy's direct credit, you can get credit for very low cost. Saylor has arts, humanities, business, science, social science, and mathematics courses. 

Alphabet Awareness

 

In order for children to learn how to read, children must be aware of the sounds that the letters represent. To increase alphabet awareness, teachers and parents should increase child awareness of letters. 

*Point out the letter on a page when reading

*Use flashcards or word tiles to help the child recognize the letters

*Practice primary letter sounds, not just the letter names

 

Written words use symbols, the alphabet, to represent sound. In English, each letter can have multiple sounds. Understanding primary sounds of the letters is a first step in reading that even young learners can master. 

 

Like and Subscribe!

 

Links of Interest: 

 McGuffey's Speller: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/15456/15456-pdf.pdf 

Flashcards and Letter Tiles: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Learn-to-Read-Level-1-Template-5923913

My Blog: https://atouchofbeautylife.blogspot.com/ 

My TpT Storefront: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Wisdom-Through-Nature

New YouTube Phonics and Reading Series

Phonics is a foundational step to reading and speech. With an emphasis on sight words and reading early, phonics is sometimes neglected inadvertently or deliberately. 

I am teaching my five-year-old how to read. And, before I actually started - I was secretly terrified that I would fail him. But, after hours of research, I decided to use older books to teach him to read. 

After much debate and comparison of programs, I decided that the more simple my program for reading, the better. I wanted to make sure that he would be ready. I also wanted to make sure that my method of teaching would not be depended on a single methodology, book, or font. 

Many people will tell you that an app will teach your child to read. A program. A book. These might help, but I wager that reading is not a one-size fits all endeavor. Some children will learn faster than others. For some children, 100 Easy Lessons will be perfect. For other children, it might be a disaster. This new series will have step-by-step lessons designed to teach children and adults how to read using free materials and resources.

Phonics is an important foundational part of reading. In this video, I introduce Word Mastery by Florence Akin as an independent or supplementary phonics program. In subsequent videos, we will learn how to read using McGuffey's Readers and Akin's Word Mastery. 

 

Like and Subscribe! 

 

Links of Interest: Memoria Press: Reading and Phonics Set: https://www.memoriapress.com/curricul... Florence Akin's Word Mastery Course: https://play.google.com/books/reader?... 

McGuffey's Primer: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/14642... 

E. Louise Smythe's Primary Reader: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/... 

My Blog: https://atouchofbeautylife.blogspot.com/ 

My TpT Storefront: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/S...

My husband told me to slow my roll...

 It is just a fact that I am a planner. I love to sequence curricula. I love to gather information and coordinate plans. I am very good at this sort of work. And, I am also very good at implementing. 

My children are very eager little sponges who want to homeschool every single day. 

I am not exaggerating. 

I am not kidding. 

They LOVE to learn (right now). And, they love the attention it gets them. LO is beginning to read by himself. He has even read his siblings a story. Their eagerness combined with my almost neurotic need to plan has created numerous excel sheets filled with possibilities of lessons for them. 

I plan to continue using Schola Rosa as my main curriculum because it is working wonderfully. But my children are devouring books and stories and lessons. They want more. So, I am looking at every resource I can to fill their excess time with good literature. 

As a result of my planning, I asked a priest what age my son should begin memorizing the Mass parts for future serving. And, that's when my husband told me to slow my roll on the five-year-old. He said he was afraid I was already looking at college programs for him. And, honestly, if you look at my master plan - I kinda was. 

Okay, I wasn't really looking at colleges, but I was definitely looking at what classes I could prepare my children to CLEP. So, basically the same thing. 

So, anyways, if anyone is looking for free High School resources that end in CLEPS, I have ideas.

School Schedule

I believe that many parents who are choosing to homeschool wonder how to schedule, how to keep records, and how to time their days.  Though I am just a novice homeschool parent, I have been a teacher for years.  I am going to try to share what works and what doesn't in this blog.  

My student information: 

LO, boy, 5 years old, K-1 (Schola Rosa has their K-6 program broken into K-1, 2-3, and 4-6 levels). 

MT, girl, 3 years old, PreK

CP, boy, 1 years old, Nursery

The tricky part here will be to educate the school age child while managing the other two children.  My plan is to include the 3 year old in as much learning as she is willing to participate in while having the baby set up to play with activities (sensory, crafts, blocks,etc).  My hope is that the 3 year old will float between learning and playing.  

It might be because I have managed classrooms with multiple levels, or it might be because I was homeschooled myself, but I am not afraid of teaching with toddler's underfoot.  Nor am I concerned about teaching multiple levels later.  We will see if my tone changes in a few weeks. 

For the actual subjects, my children have been learning Spanish since birth, so this will continue. We will be following the Schola Rosa subjects: Art, Classically Catholic Memory (Recitation in other school programs), History, Language Arts, Latin, Mathematics, Reading, Religion, Science, and Virtue.  We will be using Under the Home for additional enrichment, as desired.  

The bulk of school will be in the mornings.  Our family does have a reading time in the evening where mommy and daddy will read a few books to the children before family rosary.  I plan to use that evening time to read for pleasure books whenever possible.

Our daily schedule looks like this:

*Morning Gathering - Prayers, Calendar, Weather, Memory Work

*Phonics Block 1: Pre-K Phonics - Alphabet awareness, Letter sounds, Handwriting practice

*Latin, Religion, and Virtue - Latin, Bible, Religion, Virtue 

*Snack Break - Outside picnic when weather permits

*Nature Study - Directed nature study, Geography lessons, Free play, Gardening

*Mathematics - Counting, Facts drill, Lesson from Ray's Arithmetic series, Abacus practice, Chapter from Life of Fred, Notebooking

*History - History lessons and activities, Mapwork, Interactive notebooking

*Phonics Block 2: Phonics lessons from Word Mastery, Reading lessons from McGuffey

*Science - Science lessons, activities, and videos

*Wiggle Break! Exercise or play outside

*Language Arts - Picture Study, Narrations and Illustrations, Poetry, Prose, and Read aloud

*Languages - Spanish lessons and videos

*Enrichment - Art, music, crafts, projects, library, adventures

We keep lessons short. No more than 20 minutes on any subject. We take breaks when and if we need. If something does not work in a lesson, we reschedule it or omit it. When the younger children are fussy, we pause. 

Our school days can vary in time from an hour to four hours. It depends on attention spans, including mine, our week as a whole, and what needs to be done. We are usually done by lunch at the latest. Once the little ones take a nap, my oldest decides if he wants to stay and read or if he wants to nap. 

 So far it is working nicely. 

School Philosophy

This is the first year that one of my own children will be in need of more "formal" schooling.  My first born is turning five, and like all five-year-olds, it is time to start learning.  Of course, we have been learning since birth through play and books.  This will just be more intentional. 

My education philosophy follows a progression:

-birth to around 7 years old: Montessori type learning, learn through playing, learn through exploring, learn through doing important activities of life

-5 years old to around 12 years old: Charlotte Mason type learning, learn through books, learn through exploration and observation, learn through experiences

-12 +: Classical liberal arts learning, learn through Great Books, learn through experimentation, learn through discussion. 

Now, I do not adhere to Montessori or Charlotte Mason completely.  I am also quite fond of Classical systems with recitation.  

To accomplish my goals, I have chosen to follow Schola Rosa for the bulk of the subjects.  Schola Rosa is a Classical Catholic curriculum that offers a hands-on approach to learning that is affordable and adaptable.  To supplement in areas of interest, I will be using Under the Home for carefully curated lessons that my children will enjoy, especially for extra coloring and literature lessons.  I will be using the science books from Memoria Press.