Concept Maps

  My teens in Co-op create concept maps.  Concept Maps promote higher levels of thinking.  The kids need to know the vocabulary before they can categorize or groups of like ideas or terms.  Here is the website, ihmc, free concept mapping software for Windows, OSX, iPad, and Linux.  Here are the downloads.  I start the kids with cards; they work in groups to create maps.  Here is a sample Jamboard concept map.  Here are instructions for Google Docs and here for Google Drawings.  Below are,several examples.  I start with simple concept maps, often giving kids sets of vocabulary cards to sort.  Take a look.

Sing or Rap!

 Do you rap or sing to learn?  My Co-op Biology class is going to rap the Cell Theory Rap, as an introduction to Cells.  My Chemistry kids rap the lyrics to Michael Offut’s song, Mendeleev.  Here are some Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling songs.  Here are some Math songs.  My suggestion is to let your kids research a specific topic, say in History.  Brit Lit is immersed in Anglo Saxon History and might like a song about The Year of Three Kings, the Battle of Hastings 1066.  Challenge your child to locate a few song versions and review them.  Is the tune catchy or more of an ear worm?  Does it help to remember the grammar rule, math fact, or  significant event in  history?  Songs and raps are great tools to serve as mnemonics.  Try this tip!

Family Science and Art: Leaves

  You can combine some art and science with leaves.  Start by collecting a variety of leaves, especially a variety of colors.  Here are instructions from Scientific American explaining how to crush the leaves to extract pigment for Paper Chromatography.  (Below are several images from Co-op of the kids doing paper chromatography.)  Your family may like paper chromatography.  Younger kids will like leaf rubbings.  Try using chalk, pastels, and crayons.  Dick Blick, a popular art company, has a Curtain of Leaves Monoprint to use for inspiration.  While you have out the paint your family could experiment with Tempera Paint Pours.  Our family uses art for Christmas presents, even making humble notecards.  One more art idea: Paper Clay Leaves.  Use the lesson for inspiration.  You are pressing real leaves into clay and painting the clay.  Here are instructions to make paper clay.  Good luck.  The only time I tried making paper from scratch was a disaster.  Instead, make up different homemade clays.  Try embossing each clay with leaves.  Bonus points for distinctive dyes for the clay leaves.  Our family embossed shark teeth in Skulpey clay in the photo below.  Your whole family can spend Friday afternoon gathering leaves, making prints, embossing leaves, and creating rubbings.  Set aside the best products for presents.

All Saints Day Countdown!

 The blog, A Beautiful Mess just posted instructions for a Halloween Countdown Calendar.  Wouldn’t this be a fun way to count down to All Saint’s Day?  Instead of Halloween crafts, kids could do Saints’ crafts, like these from Catholic Icing.  Candy treats can be inspired by these All Saints Guessing Jars, such as a caramel for Our Lady of Mount Caramel.  Wow!  Think of all the anticipation surrounding All Saints Day!  Your kids could make sock dolls like the ones I made below.

Google Sheets for Data

On Tuesday, my husband, Rob, is going to give a lesson on spreadsheets.  I’ll record his lesson, upload the video to YouTube, and post it to the blog for reference.  The kids are loading data from the Apple Mummies lab into a Google spreadsheet.  (The photo with some of the data is below.)  I plan to have the kids collect data from osmosis and enzyme labs next month to summarize in spreadsheets.  My husband, Rob, feels strongly that the kids should be able to manipulate and manage data.  Google Sheets is another free tool to add a bit of tech into your lessons.

 

Lab Reports

 I teach a number of kids, some of whom have learning differences.  One trick I use is to help them write lab reports using Google Slides, such as this guide.  The teen can type and edit his or her report right in Slides.

Teach Lit

 Brit Lit uses British Literature by James Stobaugh.  I like the time-lines in the textbook.  I think a little understanding of the Anglo-Saxon culture and history helps.  I made this document available to the kids to help them create timelines.  There are examples below.  The kids are working on some follow-up discussion questions.  (There is a picture of the email with the questions assigned.). The Anglo-Saxon period was marked by repeated invasions from Jutes, Angles, Saxons, Frisians, Vikings, and Normans, all after several centuries of Roman rule.  One kids compared the situation in Afghanistan to the Anglo-Saxon period.  My chief goal is to get the kids thinking about the time period and its impact on literature.  Take a look at the time-lines and questions.