Term One Evaluation ~ Munchkin

ENGLISH:

Reading ~
* A book list of all books read to Munchkin and books he has read independently will be included in his portfolio for the year.

Munchkin enjoys his online Reading Eggs program as well as his online Teach Your Monster to Read program.  He spends some time each school day working through the lessons. Munchkin is now working through the Reading Eggspress levels.

Writing ~

We still use, and LOVE, our Institute for Excellence in Writing Program

Teaching Writing: Structure and Style

In Term One, Munchkin wrote paragraphs on the following topics: Pigs, Rocks, The Ear, Growing a Garden, Clubs, Insects, and Christmas Tree Worm. All of Munchkin's paragraphs were non-fiction paragraphs as we are only focusing on unit one since he has just begun the writing program.

Spelling ~

We continue with Ozspeller lists that I source online.

Munchkin is working through the Year 1/Year 2 lists.

He has an oral quiz Monday through Thursday and a written test on Friday.

Handwriting ~
Targeting Handwriting Yr 3 

Grammar ~
Junior Analytical Grammar requires too much writing/reading for Munchkin to participate yet so he will do this program in a few years time.

Literature ~ 
"The Three Billy Goats Gruff" by Nick Bland
"Little Town on the Prairie" by Laura Ingalls Wilder
"These Happy Golden Years" by Laura Ingalls Wilder



MATHS:

Munchkin is working through the Haese Mathematics Year 3 textbook this year. This is a new curriculum for us this year and there have been some adjustments, but he is getting used to the new format and enjoying it more now.

Topics we covered this term in the Yr 3 textbook included:
Number, Addition, Subtraction and Shape - which were the first four chapters in the book.

Munchkin also enjoys the Mathseeds program online that is part of our Reading Eggs subscription. He works independently and I am continually impressed at the level of difficulty he has mastered on his own.



SCIENCE:

Munchkin listened in on the read alouds with the older boys. The list of books is the same.



HISTORY/GEOGRAPHY:

History for this year and next year focuses on Australian History. For Term 1 I focused primarily on Aboriginal studies and then read one chapter book that gave a good overview of Australian history from the arrival of the British to Federation. The titles of these books are listed below:

"My Mob: The Story of Aboriginal Family Life" by Alex Barlow & Marji Hill
"Sharing Our Cultures: The Story of Aboriginal Cultures" by Alex Barlow & Marji Hill

"The Upside-Down History of Down Under" by Alison Lloyd



PDHPE:

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CREATIVE ARTS:
Munchkin enjoyed watching several Art For Kids Hub YouTube videos and drawing the pictures.

SOCIAL:

Term One Social Events:

Weekly participation in our homeschool group (until COVID lockdown)

Weekly (minimum) trips to the library to return/check out books

Celebrated Monster's 13th birthday

Taronga Zoo Trip as a family

Term One Evaluation ~ Monkey

ENGLISH:

Reading ~

* You can see from my weekly reviews that we read LOTS of books, aloud and independent.

* A book list is included in Monkey's portfolio with a list of all books read each term.

Writing ~

We still use, and LOVE, our Institute for Excellence in Writing Program

Teaching Writing: Structure and Style

In Term One, Monkey wrote paragraphs on the following topics: The Three Billy Goats Gruff (narrative), Fungus Gnats (non-fiction), Bushrangers (non-fiction), Growing a Garden (non-fiction), Rodeos (non-fiction), Ned Kelly (non-fiction), Sea Pig (non-fiction)

Spelling ~ 

We continue with Ozspeller lists that I source online.

Monkey is working through the Year 6 lists.

He has an oral quiz Monday through Thursday and a written test on Friday.

Handwriting ~

Foundation Handwriting Yr 5

Grammar ~

We are taking a break from our grammar curriculum this year. Monkey is not ready for Analytical Grammar (the high school version) so we are just taking a little break for now.

Literature ~

"The Three Billy Goats Gruff" by Nick Bland
"Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen
"Little Town on the Prairie" by Laura Ingalls Wilder
"These Happy Golden Years" by Laura Ingalls Wilder

MATHS:

Haese Mathematics Yr 5

We have switched our mathematics curriculum this year (in line with what Monster is doing) and I'm so glad we have. I'm also having Monkey review Yr 5 math. I wasn't confident last year that he had mastered enough of the concepts and his frustration levels were very high when he worked on math. I don't want him to follow in my footsteps and hate math and feel like he can "do" math, so a review was the right thing to do. Our AP (the woman from the Department of Education who oversees our homeschooling) totally supports my decision and had a quick discussion with Monkey when she visited in December last year, impressing upon him that it isn't about how fast he learns something, but about how well he learns it. With that said... we embarked on the new textbook and he did quite well.

He covered the following concepts during Term 1 while completing the first three chapters of the book: Whole Numbers, Multiplying and Dividing Whole Numbers, and Angles and Lines

SCIENCE:

Below is a list of the science related books we read:

"Wildlife Rescue: Koala Hospital" by Suzi Eszterhas
"Your Amazing Digestion: From Mouth Through Intestine" by Joanne Settel, PhD
"Salty and Sugary Snacks: The Incredibly Disgusting Story" by Adam Furgang

HISTORY:

We began a Bushrangers Unit Study. Below is the list of books we read aloud:

"Our Past: Bushrangers" by Charles Hope

"Bushrangers: A History of Australia's Outlaws" by Anna Purcell

"Bushrangers: Heroes, Victims or Villains" by Jill B. Bruce

"Bushrangers" by Stephen Gard

"Meet Ned Kelly" by Janeen Brian

"Ned Kelly and the Green Sash" by Mark Greenwood

"Wanted: Famous Outlaws ~ Ned Kelly" by Tim Cooke

"Captain Moonlite" by Jane Smith

"Ben Hall" by Jane Smith

"Frank Gardiner" by Jane Smith

"The Horse Who Bit a Bushranger" by Jackie French

Other History Books We Read:

"My Mob: The Story of Aboriginal Family Life" by Alex Barlow & Marji Hill
"Sharing Our Cultures: The Story of Aboriginal Cultures" by Alex Barlow & Marji Hill
"Awesome Aussie Dogs" by Australian Geographic
"Meet Marly" by Alice Pung
"Marly's Business" by Alice Pung
"Marly and the Goat" by Alice Pung
"Marly Walks on the Moon" by Alice Pung
"A Computer Called Katherine" by Suzanne Slade
"The Upside-Down History of Down Under" by Alison Lloyd

GEOGRAPHY:

Below is the list of books read aloud and/or independently through Term Two:
"A Focus on Urban Habitats" by Jane Hinchey
"New South Wales"
"Sydney" by William Day

CREATIVE ARTS:

Monkey spent LOTS of his free time during the term sketching and drawing.

PDHPE:

SOCIAL:

Term One Social Events:

Weekly participation in our homeschool group (until COVID lockdown)

Weekly (minimum) trips to the library to return/check out books

Celebrated Monster's 13th birthday

Taronga Zoo Trip as a family

Term One Evaluation ~ Monster

ENGLISH:

Reading ~
* You can see from my Weekly Review posts that we read (aloud and independently) a LOT.
* A book list is included in Monster's portfolio with all the books he reads each term.

Writing ~
We still use and LOVE the following curriculum
Institute for Excellence in Writing Program
Teaching Writing: Structure and Style

In Term One Monster wrote paragraphs on the following topics: The Three Billy Goats Gruff (narrative), Video Games (non-fiction), Australia and the Industrial Revolution (non-fiction), The Industrial Revolution: Life in the Cities (non-fiction), and Deep Ocean Life (non-fiction). He wrote less paragraphs this term because he also spent time writing thank you notes for his birthday gifts. Next term we will continue with more writing paragraphs and I hope to introduce a new unit.

Grammar ~
This year we are continuing with Analytical Grammar which is the next step up after Junior Analytical Grammar.  Term One he worked through units eleven and twelve: Participial Phrases and Gerunds.

Literature ~
"The Three Billy Goats Gruff" by Nick Bland
"The Call of the Wild" by Jack London
"Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen
"Little Town on the Prairie" by Laura Ingalls Wilder
"White Fang" by Jack London
"These Happy Golden Years" by Laura Ingalls Wilder


MATHS:

We completed chapters eighteen to twenty-one in our Year 9 Haese textbook covering the following topics: Simultaneous Equations, Proportion, Quadratic Equations and Non-Linear Graphs. Monster is now finished with his Yr 9 textbook and will begin the Year 10 Advanced math textbook next term.




SCIENCE:

Below is a list of the science related books we read.
"Wildlife Rescue: Koala Hospital" by Suzi Eszterhas
"Your Amazing Digestion: From Mouth Through Intestine" by Joanne Settel, PhD
"Salty and Sugary Snacks: The Incredibly Disgusting Story" by Adam Furgang
"How High Can a Kangaroo Hop?" by Jackie French


HISTORY:

We read the following books as part of our Industrial Revolution unit study:
"The Industrial Revolution" by Nigel Smith
"The Industrial Revolution and Its Impacts on Australia" by Joseph Harding
"The Industrial Revolution" by Peter Hicks
"The Industrial Revolution" by Sean Connolly



Other History Books:
"Horrible Histories - Savage Stone Age" by Terry Deary
"Our Past: Bushrangers" by Charles Hope
"My Mob: The Story of Aboriginal Family Life" by Alex Barlow & Marji Hill
"Bushrangers: A History of Australia's Outlaws" by Anna Purcell
"Sharing Our Cultures: The Story of Aboriginal Cultures" by Alex Barlow & Marji Hill
"Horrible Histories - Awesome Egyptians" by Terry Deary
"Bushrangers: Heroes, Victims or Villains" by Jill B. Bruce
"Games: From Dice to Gaming"
"Meet Marly" by Alice Pung
"Horrible Histories - Groovy Greeks" by Terry Deary
"Bushrangers" by Stephen Gard
"Awesome Aussie Dogs" by Australian Geographic
"Meet Ned Kelly" by Janeen Brian
"Ned Kelly and the Green Sash" by Mark Greenwood
"Marly's Business" by Alice Pung
"Wanted: Famous Outlaws ~ Ned Kelly" by Tim Cooke
"Horrible Histories - Rotten Romans" by Terry Deary
"Horrible Histories - Ruthless Romans" by Terry Deary
"Marly and the Goat" by Alice Pung
"Marly Walks on the Moon" by Alice Pung
"A Computer Called Katherine" by Suzanne Slade
"Horrible Histories - Cut Throat Celts" by Terry Deary
"The Upside-Down History of Down Under" by Alison Lloyd
"Captain Moonlite" by Jane Smith
"The Horse Who Bit a Bushranger" by Jackie French
"Ben Hall" by Jane Smith
"Frank Gardiner" by Jane Smith


GEOGRAPHY:

Below is the list of books read aloud and/or independently through Term Two:
"A Focus on Urban Habitats" by Jane Hinchey
"New South Wales"
"Sydney" by William Day




ELECTIVE #1 ~ LATIN:

Monster continued to work through Visual Latin 2 and finished it about halfway through the term.
He then began working through Lingua Latina Familia Romana and Lingua Latina Exercitia Latina 1. This book and exercise book will take him through this school year and likely through next year as well. He works through these books independently and then I grade his work with the answer key.




ELECTIVE #2 ~ MARINE AND AQUACULTURE TECHNOLOGY:
"The Science of Oceans" by Fiona MacDonald
"Oceans in 30 Seconds" by Jen Green
"Deep Oceans" by Anna Claybourne

SOCIAL:

Term One Social Events:

Weekly participation in our homeschool group (until COVID lockdown)

Weekly (minimum) trips to the library to return/check out books

Celebrated Monster's 13th birthday

Taronga Zoo Trip as a family

Term One: Week Eleven ~ The Longest Term EVER

Eleven week terms are ALWAYS hard, but this one seemed like an eternity. But we made it and we are officially finished with Term 1. Our school holidays seem very anti-climactic without our usual library events and play dates, but we will make the holidays separate and different from the term in whatever way we can. While Monster finished up his Year 9 math textbook and a bit of Latin (his only written work for this final week) the other two boys enjoyed some natural learning and some down time.

 Munchkin has been absolutely begging to do some painting. So when the weather was sunny, I dug out our watercolour paints and our oil pastels and let him create to his heart's content.

Our PE and recess one day this week was to walk four laps around our block. Our block is HUGE so this is a substantial walk for the boys.  

We didn't find any wildlife to photograph so I settled for the clouds (above) and this silly photo of Munchkin with some leaves he found. 

The boys enjoyed playing Monopoly Deal one evening in lieu of read alouds. 

Munchkin got given a special job to do for daddy. He was to smash all the hard drives before they went to the e-waste recycling box. Sadly our e-waste drop off point is closed for the next little while, but when they re-open, we'll be ready with a box full of stuff. 

Friends of ours gifted us with a trampoline that they no longer want. Daddy and Monster picked it up and they put it together once they got it home. 

 The trampoline is small(ish) so the boys have to jump on it one at a time.

Thankfully it is small enough and lightweight enough, that when the boys have had their fun and their exercise, it stores easily in the backyard. 

While the boys jumped on the trampoline I did some yard work and found this little creature in the process. 

Munchkin and I enjoyed some card games together this week... 

 My photography has taken a back burner during the lock down...

But in between some rainstorms... 

 I got outside and had some fun!

Another games evening... this time Monopoly! 

Finally, Monkey decided that it was finally time to release his "pet" cricket back into the wild. 

It was a fun project for Monkey and I hope that the cricket lives and long and happy life back in the wild. 

Independent reading for Monkey... 

Munchkin is tearing through our collection of Zac Power books again... 

 Read aloud selections for Monkey and Monster... unit study books for both of them.

 And finally, Munchkin is reading this set of books. They are really too easy for him, and I've been suggesting that he read them so we can pass them on to a friend.

Term One: Week Ten ~ Full Lockdown Begins, Incursions, and Wrapping Up a Week Early

Full lock down began in the state of NSW this week. This means we can only leave the house for the following activities: work or education that cannot be done from home, food supplies, medicine or medical attention, or exercise. Thus we shall see how my blog and the photos I include, change to suit the changes in our world.

Munchkin has been asking for more sensory play activities so early in the week I pulled our the Magic Sand kits once he had finished all his written work. He enjoyed playing and the mess was more or less contained. 

My lone photo of anyone doing book work... Monkey and Munchkin hard at work together at the dining table. Both of them were working on their handwriting page for the day. 

We can't go on excursions... so imagine the excitement when an excellent experience happened right next door. This is the tree in front of our next door neighbour's house. It has been very dead for quite a long time... 

Tuesday afternoon two council men arrived with a chainsaw and the wood chipping machine and got to work... 

They cut down all the branches and fed them into the chipper one at a time... 

 Once all the branches were done they got started on the stump... cutting it as close to the ground as they possibly could. 

One afternoon I took the boys for a walk around our block for a full hour. In that time we clocked six laps, which worked out to about 3.5 km (which is just over 2 miles). 

On Tuesday the clouds and the rain rolled in, and they stuck around until lunchtime on Saturday. I am definitely used to the sunny weather now and periods of extended rain are difficult for me. 

Thursday two different council men came to grind up the tree stump. This was much noisier, much dustier, and not nearly as exciting as the tree cutting that occurred on Tuesday. 

The boys have been enjoying several long games of Monopoly together... 

Munchkin and I enjoyed a few games of Otrio before his bedtime Thursday night... 

Friday afternoon we went up to the local park which has a HUGE playing field... with the idea of walking some laps around or across it.  On the way there we found these weird plants growing... they smelled kind of gross too... we have no idea what they are!! 

 Left Photo: A close up of the stinky, unknown plants!

Right Photo: What the boys believe to be a moulting of a Huntsman spider. There was much discussion about it MUST be a moult and not a dead spider because the legs are straight. If it was a dead spider the legs would be all folded up.

You always know there has been quite a bit of rain when the mushroom and other fungus start to grow abundantly. 

Under the new government restrictions we are still allowed to use the playing field for exercise purposes (providing we stay 1.5m away from any other people there) but the playground equipment is off limits!! 

 Munchkin is really enjoying this series by Jackie French. It is part of the Premier's Reading Challenge and he has read the books multiple times already.

As part of his Marine and Aquaculture Technology class, Monster is studying the Deep Ocean! This book was fascinating and very well written - we both enjoyed it a lot! 

 More independent reading for Munchkin...

 Bushranger read alouds for Monkey...

We finished another book in the Little House on the Prairie series... only one more book to go and then I will start the huge biography about Laura and Almanzo that my mum gifted me with when she visited last year! 

 Munchkin is also enjoying reading a series of Zac Power books that were given to us by a friend. He reads these repeatedly as well...