Sylvia Said:

Does anyone know where i can find a lesson plan for teaching phonology and speaking for numbers?

We Answered:

The best and most overlooked way to improve classroom education of any kind is to introduce the use of boardgames. I have taught for over ten years all over the world, and only when I use boardgames do students voluntarily insist on extending their classes for two, three, even four hours. Not only that but they then show the most rapid improvement.
Check out the following websites for some useful background info.

http://www.rpg.net/sites/edu/1-1.html

http://www.rpg.net/sites/edu/1-2.html

http://subscriptions.fasfind.com/wwwtool…

http://www.gama.org/uploads/nS/XX/nSXX7l…

Give it a try and you will be amazed. At least you will be helping to break the monopoly that the big textbook publishers have over the education industry.

Rachel Said:

Can the lesson below really get students to understand slope?

We Answered:

It sounds like a good lesson plan to me. I teach Grade 4, but I tutor Math up to grade 10. I often use the idea of stairs to teach slope. You need to make sure that they relate the rise/run to the stairs though.

Arthur Said:

what can I plan for a skeleton investigation?

We Answered:

These will give you some good information.

Skeleton

On average, an adult human has 206 bones (according to Gray's Anatomy, but the number can vary slightly from individual to individual), but a baby is born with approximately 270 bones.

http://www.eskeletons.org/

http://www.infovisual.info/03/011_en.htm…

http://www.infovisual.info/03/012_en.htm…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_skele…

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/61…

http://www.bio.psu.edu/people/faculty/st…

http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/biology/huma…

Darren Said:

Homeschooling ... just Monday - Friday, or do you count weekends?

We Answered:

Hi!

I am in SC also, and the requirement is 180 days, but the 4 1/2 hours is only required by two of the three options for homeschooling in this state. We use Option 3. You might want to research further, as Option 3 is the least restrictive requirement (Option 1 is through the local school district, and Option 2 and 3 are almost the same as far as requirements, except the 2nd option is through SCAIHS-the first alternative to Option 1. Later, Option 3 was added).

We personally do 180 days, Monday-Friday but we also do a lot of educational activities on weekends and I count them. Sometimes it results in us having more than the required 180 days (no harm there), and sometimes it helps us when we get ill or something so that we do not get behind. Besides, to us homeschooling is a lifestyle and not just something we do between 8 and 2 on Monday-Friday, and as such we should "count" all of those activities (for instance, visiting the Fire Museum or the Zoo).

If you want to contact me, you can via my profile. I would be glad to help you any way I can. My children are in grades 4 and 2, and I also have a four month old, and they have always been homeschooled. We made the decision to homeschool when my oldest was just a baby and I was glad to have all of the time to educate myself about the legal requirements, various methods, etc.

By the way, all you have to do is include those required subjects-it does not specify that you have to use a curriculum for those subjects. So, if you bake a cake for instance and it takes two hours, you could record it as math, science etc. Detail what was learned from the experience, take pictures for the portfolio (since pictures are tangible and the cake is not for future purposes).

I wish you the best!

Colleen Said:

Where can I find fun activities to use in my lesson plan?

We Answered:

Some places to look...

Merlot http://www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htm

NCTM http://www.nctm.org/resources/high.aspx

Math Forum http://mathforum.org/teachers/

good luck!