First Grade, Second Trimester Report Card

It's officially the end of the school year, and it's time for me to take stock of what Jasper has accomplished.  My only real concern for him this semester was his reading fluency.  The curriculum was helping him to absorb phonics rules, but not making him more fluent. So we abandoned it. Instead, I simply asked him to read.  And write.  Often.  This book, The ABC's and All Their Tricks: The Complete Reference Book of Phonics and Spelling has been really useful to have by my side. For example, he read me the word "knife", and asked me why on earth it is spelled with a "k".  I was able to quickly explain that these words come from Old English words in which the "k" used to be pronounced, and was able to show him a list of other such words.  This really helps  to make English seem less frustratingly random. We also discovered "Read to the Dogs", a program many of the local libraries have embraced.  Trained therapy dogs and their generous owners give kids turns reading to a completely uncritical audience.  Jasper, a passionate animal lover, couldn't resist.  His fluency has improved dramatically.

For math, we used Singapore Math, but worked at a very slow pace.  Jasper finished all the curriculum for first grade and began second grade work.   I just felt that he needed more time to absorb the concepts, and there was no pressing need to push him.

We have never used curriculum for anything besides language arts and math, because  for everything else, it always seems much easier to do our learning in other ways.  Books and especially hands-on activities worked well for most subjects.

We were really out and about this trimester. It seems like way more than the last few trimesters, even when I take into account that they were shorter. His learning doesn't end over the summer, and that trimester is only 3 months, June-Aug.  The fall trimester is 4 months, Sept.- Dec., and this one is the longest, 5 months, from Jan- May.  Still, when I compare it to the spring trimester last year, we did a whole lot more.  

• 67 nature walks.  Really!  I think there are a lot of reasons for this.  We are learning our way around pretty well, and know where to go when we have spare time at our disposal all around town. And we are learning more now about how to make even a brief time in a natural area interesting for us. 
• 24 science learning opportunities.  This includes everything from lectures to hands-on experiments. 
• 15 art experiences.  This includes mostly hands-on activities, but also opportunities to see art and artists at work.
• 13 performing arts experiences.  This includes live music and theatre.
• 21 history experiences.  This includes everything from lectures to living history presentations.
• 20 phys ed events.  Jasper didn't take any classes this trimester, so these were mostly roller skating and yoga with homeschoolers.  This doesn't include hiking, or his crazy tree climbing  (which he insists should be an official sport).
• 48 social events.  Park days, indoor playgrounds, playdates, and carefree time with friends just being a kid.

I'm pleased to say that there is little doubt none of the local schools could match this, or that it would be as easy for them to draw on others who are experts in their fields to share their knowledge and enthusiasm with children.  Many of my son's learning opportunities were created by other homeschooling parents in the homeschool group we belong to.  I am so grateful for them!  We definitely have the feeling that we're not in this alone.

My son is enrolled in an Oregon distance learning program.  There are quite a few web academies in Oregon which provide a structured curriculum, but ours is one of the two that do not:  Fossil Distance Learning Program and Paisley Distance Learning Program. What they do provide is a stipend for educational expenses, for which there is a minimum of red tape I must wrestle with.  So far it has been well worth it.  I may educate my son any way I like, as long as we can document that he is making progress in reading, writing, math, science, and social studies.  Portfolios are required at the end of each of their semesters.  I find that working with Jasper to create portfolio pieces is really helpful to us, and gives us a sense of accomplishment.

For reading and math, I simply submitted copies of some worksheets that he had completed with his curriculum.  For writing, this semester I submitted a copy of a story that he wrote for a friend.  He drew illustrations and I asked him to write at least half the text on each page. The story was about the adventures of Charles the Bug.   Here are a couple pages:

"Charles will hide under the Lego scorpion."

"Uh oh!  The squid that lives in the cabinet is eating the centimouse!"

For science, since we spent so much time exploring in local natural areas, It seemed logical that he should draw pictures of local critters.  I asked him to write their names, and then dictate to me what he learned about them.  Here are a few of his drawings:

"The Pacific chorus frog is a native frog.  It is common.  They come in many different colors.  Behind their eyes is a black band.  They make music.  It is a big ribbit and they go on and on.  They live in trees.  They mate and lay eggs in ponds."

"The bullfrog was brought here by some crazy person who wanted people to know how good they are for eating.  He should have brought them to the bullfrog, not brought the bullfrog to them.  They are not native, they are invaders.  They eat native creatures including native frogs, turtles, salamanders, ducklings, and fish.  When the bullfrogs are young, they are eaten by the garter snake, but when they grow, they eat snakes."

"Pacific sideband snail.  They are found in the forest.  These snails are very pretty.  They are native.  They eat detritus.  The eggs can be found under logs and they are small and clear."

For social studies, we spent quite a lot of time learning about ancient Egypt.  I asked him to draw pictures of his favorites among the things he learned about, and dictate everything he could remember about them to me. He had so much to say that it would not all fit on one page. Here are two of his drawings.

"Akhenaten and Nefertiti.  The reason they invented the religion of the Aten is kind of a long story.  The power of the high priests had come to equal the pharaohs.  So Akhenaten and Nefertiti decided to change the religion, because if nobody believed in them, the temples wold be out of work.  They went to desert land.  They decided to build a new base.   A whole new city sprang up in a matter of years.  Amarna.  The pictures of the Aten do not show an animal or a man.  They show the sun disc with rays that have hands.  This religion only respected one god, not a whole pantheon.  Nefertiti's name means, 'the beautiful one has come.'  We have not found their mummies." 

"The weighing of the heart is the ancient Egyptian test for eternal life.  It's not like a math test where you will live afterwards for sure.  It determines life or death.  Annubis the jackal headed god of embalming guides the deceased to the weighing of the heart.  The heart is put on a scale and weighed against Ma'at's  feather of truth.  If it's heavier, you get  devoured by Ammut the devourer of souls, with a crocodile's head and a lion's body, terrifying to behold.  If your heart balances, you'll be allowed into the afterlife.  It would be heavier if you had been bad."

Over the summer, my fondest hope is that he will do lots and lots of reading.  There are so many outstanding learning opportunities to take advantage of in the area over the summer, that I know we will be very busy.  So far so good!