Our Plans For 2011 - Not Back To School Sharing

Following are our plans for all 3 kiddos. I'm very flexible on our plans though, nothing is set in stone. If something isn't working we change it around, move on or forget it altogether (for now at least).

This year I will have Bambino Academy in full swing, with C turning 3 mid year. He is also getting a double whammy of fun this year. His very lovely Grandma has decided to have 'Grandma's Garage Kindy' (because they will have everything set up in her garage and she is early childhood trained YAY!!) day with C and his cousin L (who is 9 months older than him) on most Monday's throughout the year. Hopefully I will have some photo's of those days to share too.

B is technically doing 4th grade and K is doing 1st, although please know I really dispise the use of grades and labelling the kids in that way. I know it is easier but it is very rarely accurate, all kids are different and are generally at various levels across the subject areas and not always working at their grade level. For the most part they will each have their own Math and Language areas to work on, but we combine everything else.

For example with History, K simply listens in and only completes what she chooses (I do not require her to narrate or produce written work). However B will generally narrate and complete a notebooking/lapbooking piece.

You will also notice that I mention "EC Days" under our subject areas. Our 'registered school' runs special days for the children (4 or 5 per term) where they do loads of extra curricular activities. We also have a very active support network that runs weekly classes and activities and those are also listed under the appropriate subject areas.

So without further ado here are plans for the year ahead.

2011 Plans and Goals

C:  2.5 – 3.5 years

Montessori Inspired Activities to cover:
•    Practical Life
•    Sensory
•    Math
•    Language
•    Culture
•    Science

Themed Based Letter of the Week Style Activities:

•    C is for Caterpillar for example

Overall aims and goals for this year:

Math:

•    Rote count to 20
•    1:1 counting to 10
•    Recognise numbers 1 – 10
•    Exposure to simple addition
•    Introduction & exposure to the elements of a calendar, including weather, days of the week, months of the year, seasons
•    Exposure to Australian money
•    Exposure to clocks, o’clock time and half past

Language:

•    Memorise 8 Nursery Rhymes
•    Learn basic colours (red, blue, green, yellow, black, white, pink, orange, purple, brown - he knows several already)
•    Learn basic shapes (square, triangle, circle, rectangle, star, oval, diamond, heart - knows the majority already)
•    Recognise his name
•    Exposure to letters and letter sounds
•    Make books and stories together

Science & Social Studies:

Covered via themed based letter of the week activities, sitting in on the bigger kids fun & life in general

K: 1st Grade

Language Arts

Phonics:

•    ETC (complete) Primers and Book 1 (will move ahead as she is ready to)
•    Montessori Pink Series Works
•    Progressive Phonics? This will depend on how she goes with what we already have.
•    Bob Books, moving into Fitzroy Readers
•    Happy Phonics? Considering this as I have heard good things, not sure I need to invest in more phonics stuff though.
•    Software on hand
•    Finish Initial Sound Crafts & Activities

Sight Words:

•    On Track Reading Sight Word Program and Readers (Australian)

Penmanship:

•    Handwriting Without Tears

Spelling:

•    All About Spelling Level 1 (begin in later half of the year)

Writing:

•    Connect The Thoughts Creative Writing Program
•    Writing With Ease (will consider for 2nd half of year)
•    Copywork
•    Use of Writing Centre (post coming) – Poetry, Letters, Notes, Cards, Scrapbooking

Grammar:

•    First Language Lessons (will consider for 2nd half of year)

Math:

•    Mathletics Online
•    Math U See Primer/Alpha
•    Montessori Math Activities

Science:

•    EC Days Science Classes
Pandia Press REAL Science – Earth & Space (am trying this out with their free trial download)

•    Weather & Seasons 
•    Water Cycle
•    Earth’s Interior and Surface
•    Minerals
•    Rocks & Rock Cycle
•    Erosion & Soil
•    The Earth/Moon
•    The Solar System
•    The Planets
•    Stars, Comets, Meteroids & Asteroids

History:

•    The Ancients, Story of the World as spine. Still considering Pandia Press History Odyssey. Supplement with living books and activities

Geography:

•    Introduction to Continents & World Geography
•    World Wide Wanderings – Countries of Europe

Social Studies:

•    Aboriginal Unit (mini unit)
•    Valentines Day – read alouds & crafts
•    St Patricks Day – read alouds & crafts
•    Easter – read alouds, crafts & activities
•    ANZAC Day – read alouds
•    Christmas – read alouds, crafts & activities

The Arts:

•    Classes with home school group Art Teacher
•    Art Lessons & Crafts as they relate to unit studies
•    Art Appreciation/History & Artists study as they relate to unit studies
•    EC Days Art Classes
•    EC Days Dance & Drama Classes

Music:

•    Children’s Music Journey Keyboard Lessons
•    EC Days Music/Singing Classes

Sport:

•    EC Sport Classes
•    LHEN Sports (swimming)
Private Dance Classes

Languages Other Than English

Spanish – weekly group lessons, revision at home using
•    Spanish for Children, McGraw Hill
•    Digital Dialects Games
Japanese – weekly group lessons, (trialling in term 1)

Main educational aims and goals for this year:

•    Reading simple readers fluently
•    Complete Level 2 of On Track Reading Sight Word Program
•    Build confidence to independent writing, regardless of spelling ability
•    Complete single digit addition and subtraction problems with ease

B: 4th  Grade

Language Arts

Phonics:

•    Fitzroy Readers
•    Software on hand
•    Reading, free time and read aloud during school

Sight Words:

•    Finish Off Fry’s 1000 Sight Word List

Reading:

•    Drawn Into The Heart Of Reading – Comprehension Program

Penmanship:

•    Handwriting Without Tears Cursive

Spelling:

•    All About Spelling Finish Level 1→Level 2 (possibly begin Level 3)

Writing:

•    Connect The Thoughts Creative Writing Program
•    Writing With Ease
•    Copywork
•    Use of Writing Centre  – Poetry, Letters, Notes, Cards, Scrapbooking

Grammar:

•    First Language Lessons 1,2,3 depending on ease of levels

Math:

•    Mathletics Online (Grade 4)
•    Math U See Beta/Gamma (we have just gone back to MUS so is slightly behind, but breezing through the work, will be finished Beta by Easter)
•    Montessori Math Activities
•    Times Attack Online Game
•    Other games where appropriate

Science:

•    EC Days Science Classes
Pandia Press REAL Science – Earth & Space  (trying with their free trial download)
•    Weather & Seasons
•    Water Cycle
•    Earth’s Interior and Surface
•    Minerals
•    Rocks & Rock Cycle
•    Erosion & Soil
•    The Earth/Moon
•    The Solar System
•    The Planets
•    Stars, Comets, Meteroids & Asteroids

History:

•    The Ancients, Story of the World as spine. Still considering Pandia Press History Odyessy. Supplement with living books, activities, notebooking and a timeline

Geography:

•    Introduction to Continents & World Geography
•    World Wide Wanderings – Countries of Europe

Social Studies:

•    Aboriginal Unit (mini unit)
•    Valentines Day – read alouds and crafts
•    St Patricks Day – read alouds and crafts
•    Easter – read alouds, crafts & activities
•    ANZAC Day – read alouds
•    Christmas – read alouds, crafts & activities

The Arts:

•    Classes with home school group Art Teacher
•    Art Lessons & Crafts as they relate to unit studies
•    Art Appreciation/History & Artists study as they relate to unit studies
•    EC Days Art Classes
•    EC Days Dance & Drama Classes

Music:

•    Children’s Music Journey Keyboard Lessons
•    EC Days Music/Singing Classes

Sport:

•    EC Days Sport Classes
•    LHEN Sports

Languages Other Than English:

Spanish – weekly group lessons, revision at home using
•    Spanish for Children, McGraw Hill
•    Digital Dialects Games
Japanese – weekly group lessons, (trialling this term)

Technology/Multimedia:

•    Across all subject areas as appropriate, digital camera and claymation work
•    Activities from Internet for Kids
•    Activities from Multimedia Projects

Main educational aims and goals for this year:

•    Proficient and Confident in reading at a standard 4th grade level
•    Writing paragraphs of at least 5 – 6 sentences (from scratch) with ease (regardless of spelling)
•    Addition & Subtraction to 7 places
•    Multiplication Facts to 144