No More Reversals

E's zoology block is coming along nicely. Not as fast as I would have wanted; we got a bit stuck on the octopus, as it is his favorite. Part of me freaks out a bit that we are already to November and still on the block we began with back in August...no Old Testament, no geography, and we have not even covered birds and insects within zoology. Sigh. I had hoped to cover those and begin grade 5 topics in January.

 

Luckily the rest of me is a bit more sensible. Does it matter if we miss OT and geography? We missed OT in grade 3 as well. He will hear it in e's lessons next year, and perhaps absorb it better because it isn't aimed at him. That, after all, is how he learns best...

 

As far as geography, he's more interested in countries right now than states. Next year e has a Native Americans block, where the peoples are introduced not by tribe but by region. Peoples of the Ice and Snow, Peoples of the Forest, Peoples of the Swamp, Peoples of the Rain and Mist, Peoples of the Desert, etc. That could be a great time to connect the states and capitols to the regions for him.

 

Interesting to look back on this post from his Native block. Reversals are a thing of the past! So much changes in a year. It is okay to give children that time, as well as ourselves. Don't rush. We'll all get there.

Introduction to spider maps. This is my writing; we made it together and there was no point in having him copy it.

On to the amphibians. We were always fascinated by the frogs in Alaska. Northern Wood Frogs freeze solid during the long winter!

 

The frustration I wrote about a few months ago regarding E's art has vanished. He still worries that his drawing will not come out right, but it no longer paralyzes him. He's back to enjoying his crayons and pencils. Whew!

Spider map....

I gave him a YouTube clip to watch and a blank piece of paper. This is the paragraph he wrote, re-copied to (mostly) correct a few spelling errors:

Then he searched through a book for a picture of a frog skeleton and drew it.

 

This was one of those moments that keep me going! Rather than a few weeks, he whipped this out in a few days. Rather than writing as little as possible, he gave a full narrative! It is organized, complete, and neatly done. He did not balk at the corrections or writing a final draft.

 

Yes, I see the lack of capitalization... I also see the lack of reversals. He's come a long way.