Sample Quarterly Report (8th Grade)

Quarterly Report  #3                                        2014-2015

THIS QUARTER COVERS:   Jan 31, 2015 to Apr 15, 2015   DATE SUBMITTED:   Apr 15, 2015

Child's Name NYC Student ID:  ___________________ (optional) DOB:  ____________         Grade Level:  8 Address:  ___________________________________

 

 

________ is progressing at a satisfactory level or above in all subject matter. He has had instruction in all subjects listed in Section 100.10 of the Regulations of the New York State Commissioner of Education and as outlined in ________’s Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP). The following table lists some of his many resources and experiences this quarter:

Holt Science & Technology: Physical Science (Holt, Rhinehart, & Winston - Harcourt Education Company, 2007) Units 3-5, Chapters 10-16 Saxon Math Algebra 1: An Incremental Development, 3rd edition (John H. Saxon, Jr. - Saxon Publishers Inc., 2003)  Lessons 41-75 Story of the World 4:  The Modern Age (Susan Wise Bauer, 2005)  Chapters 1-15 Where the Sidewalk Ends (Shel Silverstein, 1974) Classic Short Stories, http://www.classicshorts.com/author.html Weekly religious education classes, retreat, & Sacrament of Confirmation Field Trips/Outside Classes:   Washington D.C.  - 2 days of sightseeing and visiting local TV station. Department of Homeland Security (26 Federal Plaza, NY) - 5 hour class and presentation.   National Weather Service at Brookhaven National Lab (Upton, NY) - 2 hour class.   NY Hall of Science (Corona, NY) - free exploration.   Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY) - 2 hour class and tour.   UMake Lab (Massapequa, NY) - "Into to 3D modeling & 3D Printing" Community Service:  40+ hours of volunteer work for ___________ (fundraising, delivering supplies, etc. for animal shelters and rescues in Queens and Long Island)

_________ has covered at least 80% of the planned material for this quarter.  He has had no absences from  instruction this quarter and has exceeded the required hours of instruction (247.5).                              

__________________________________________

Parent Signature  

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Ok, so it's basically the same quarterly I've always used, but with a little extra detail. I've always said that my sample IHIP is just a general outline of what you "may or may not" be using this year. This new quarterly states what you've actually used and some great educational things you did. I still believe that no one at the district office cares about the awesome homeschooly things you do and that that they are there for the sole reason of checking off a box, but these quarterlies are great for your own records, portfolios, scrapbooks, etc.  And I think it looks pretty cool, too.

I am fully aware that it's not necessary (i.e. in the NY State Regulations) to include some of the information I've included in this new quarterly, but it's just a sample and it covers just about all the bases. It should satisfy even the strictest districts. Plus, it still only takes a few minutes to write up and it's still less than a page long. This is how I'll be doing mine from now on.

p.s. If you'd like to use this sample for grades 1-6, remember that the required hours of instruction are 225 per quarter, not 247.5.

p.p.s.  I create it in Google Documents using tables and shading, then save as a PDF.



  

Summer is Here

W's CAT-E results came back and he got 97 out of 100 correct, which put him in the 99th percentile.  He couldn't believe it and I'm so proud of him.  He fretted over this test all year, but I knew he'd do fine.  All he needed was the directions read to him.  He told me that this time around he felt more confident that he was answering properly since he was sure about what was being asked.  I wish I'd known that for the 5th grade test.  Now he can relax for another 2 years since the next test will be at the end of 9th grade.  All paperwork was sent in at the end of June and we already got the packet for the 2014-2015 school year.  I'm really looking forward to W's 8th grade.  I'm treating it as practice for high school.  I'll be keeping more detailed records and practicing writing a transcript and course descriptions.  I've been reading so much about it already.  My favorite resource so far has been the books and website of Lee Binz (The Homescholar).

In other news, J graduated from high school last week!  The beautiful ceremony was held in Lincoln Center.  She looked gorgeous and so does that (arts & regents endorsed) diploma.  It feels like only yesterday we were celebrating that she got into the school.  Have 4 years really gone by already?  Thank you, LaGuardia Arts, for everything.

A few days before graduation, she had her senior prom.  The venue was the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square.  She wore a light blue gown with silver stones and jewels on one side of the front.  She wore sparkly silver flats instead of heels (smart, imo), spent the day getting groomed with a mani-pedi, professional makeup, and got her hair done by none other than her sister (K) at the cosmetology school.  She, her date, and a few friends had a white stretch limo take them into Manhattan in style.

J has also been so busy dancing.  She is preparing for Nationals with her amazing new studio.  It's coming up soon and we can't wait.  She is also working with a big choreographer who has just gotten her another dance job with a gold record singer.  They'll be performing locally in August.

Now summer has really begun.  I plan on living fully every day and savoring every moment (I tend to rush summer to get to autumn - my favorite season).  By the end of summer, K will be working full-time in her dream profession and really starting her adult life.  And J will be getting ready to live in Manhattan for college.  I know it's only 20 minutes away, but it's a huge independent step.  And when did W get taller than me?  He's becoming more and more independent every day and in the blink of an eye, he will be off to college, too.  This, right now, really is the best time of my life, with my husband and children here every day.  I'm truly grateful and plan on making it count.

7TH GRADE IHIP SAMPLE

INDIVIDUAL HOME INSTRUCTION PLAN    
                                           
NAME OF CHILD:  ________________
DOB:  __  GRADE LEVEL:  7     SCHOOL YEAR: 2013-2014  NYC STUDENT ID#:  ___
ADDRESS:   ___________________________          DATE MAILED:   August  14, ____                                                            
                   
QUARTERLY REPORTS WILL BE MAILED ON: 11/15/__, 1/30/__, 4/15/__, 6/30/__


(Child's name) will be using various methods/tools for 7th-grade instruction in all the subjects specified in Sect. 100.10 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education. The corresponding subtopics may include and shall not be limited to:


Mathematics * Maintaining skills in fundamental operations* Factoring and products* Sets and simple sentences* Numeration systems* Using fractions and decimals* Ratio, proportion, and percent* Equalities and inequalities* Simple formulas and equations* Graphing an equation* Powers and roots of rational numbers* Polynomials* Metric and nonmetric geometry* Pythagorean Theorem* Scale drawing* Right-triangle trigonometry* Customary and metric measurement* Permutations* Probability statistics* Statistical terms* Mathematics of insurance, banking, and taxes

English  * Improving reading skills* Literary terms* Novels, short stories, plays* Myths, legends, ballads* Types of poetry* Biography and autobiography* Planning and producing dramatizations* Speech activities* Listening skills* Refining dictionary skills* Spelling* Parts of speech* Person, number, gender of nouns and pronouns* Punctuation of conversation* Clauses and phrases* Compound sentences* Writing descriptions, reports, journals, and letters* Note taking and outlining* Extending reference skills: atlases, directories, encyclopedias, periodicals, on-line information services, CD-ROMs, and other electronic reference material* Library organization

History and Geography  * Lands and peoples of the Eastern Hemisphere* Prehistoric peoples* Greek, Roman, and Middle Eastern civilizations* The Middle Ages* Renaissance and Reformation* Scientific Revolution* Age of Reason (Enlightenment)* Industrial Age * Yesterday and today around the world: Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Pacific* World trade and resources* Contemporary problems and issues* Environment* World geography* Advanced map and globe skills

Science  * Atoms &*Molecules *Metric System *Air *Atmosphere *Water *Hydrosphere * Earth & Lithosphere *Weather & Prediction *Physics of Motion *Newton’s Laws *Gravity *Electromagnetic Force *Magnetism *Elements *Radioactivity *Waves & Sound *Light * Intro to Astrophysics

Health  * Good grooming and posture* Dental health* Healthy habits and lifestyles* Exercise and fitness* Effects of stimulants and narcotics* Functions of the body* Circulation and respiration* Germ theory* Sexually transmitted diseases* Family life* Toxins and antitoxins* Antibiotics* Immunization* Chemotherapy* Genetic disorders* Personal and public safety* Accident prevention* Personality development* Substance abuse

Visual Arts/ Phys. Ed/ Practical Arts/ Music/ Etc.  * Computer Programming courses (Java, Python, C++) * (Artistic Pursuits) Elements of Art & Creativity (Ellis) * Consumer Math (banking, budgeting, investing), * Library Skills *  Basketball * Parkour (navigation acrobatics) * Scouting * Vegetable gardening * Film-making * Typing * Public Speaking * Piano Lessons


Instruction methods/tools/resources may include and shall not be limited to:  reference materials (atlas, dictionaries, globe, maps, encyclopedias, non-fiction books, videos, the internet), workbooks, worksheets, hands-on activities, experiments, science lab, projects, newspapers, magazines, frequent field trips, group activities, classic & contemporary literature, research, journal/narrative/essay/poetry writing, games, creative and critical thinking, predicting & forecasting, gathering facts, music CDs, CD ROMs, abundant art supplies, various outside classes (e.g.  technology, science, history, art, & sports), free play, conversations, and real life.

Primary instruction to ____ will be provided by _____ and ______, his parents.  Supplemental instruction will be provided by others, as necessary.

Winding Down the Year

Our last field trip with our wonderful homeschool group was back to Highline Park for a class about native plants.  It was a rainy day, but the Highline was still beautiful and the kids had fun.  We walked almost the whole southern length of the park, stopping to sit at all the underpasses for discussions.  We had 7 or 8 kids (ages 9-13) and they all got booklets describing many of the native plants found all along the Highline.  Looking for and learning about new things is way more fun when you're running around in the rain, lol.  After the class a bunch of us found some (dry) tables and chairs and had a nice picnic lunch together.

Sitting under an archway for a lesson

W went home with one of his best homeschool friends for a sleepover and then headed back to the city with them to hang out at another friend's house.  So what do three 11 year-old boys do when they have the whole day to themselves?  They make movies!

This week we headed into Manhattan again for an all-day acting and improv class for homeschoolers.  W loved it.  The instructor was great with them.  They did a lot of creative stuff in small groups and presented it to the rest of the class.  W met some new homeschooled kids and had such a great time.

It's been a helluva year with the trips and classes we got to be a part of.  We've been to so many places we'd never been to before and seen familiar ones in a brand new light.  I'm so grateful for all of it.

And speaking of grateful, we just got the amazing opportunity to get W officially evaluated for dyslexia.  I hadn't gotten it done sooner because every place and doctor I've called said a basic eval would be at least $1500 and a full one at least $3000.  So, I have just been teaching him as if he does have dyslexia.  Whatever I'm doing seems to be working pretty well, but to know exactly what he has would mean I can tailor things more to his specific issues.  Anyway, we signed up for a full evaluation at the Albert Einstein Medical Center here in NYC.  He will have a complete battery of tests (including an IQ test) done at their cognitive Neurophysiology lab.  We get a full report with clinical feedback and recommendations signed by a psychologist.  If he does have dyslexia, he gets to participate in their brain imaging study (over 3 more visits).  I'm super excited to finally get a diagnostic report and he's looking forward to it because they'll be paying him about $50 a day for his participation.  I pay nothing.

Here's a picture of some of the books we're using for 6th grade in September.  I still have to order Saxon Math and I think I want to try Artistic Pursuits with him.  Day camp starts on Monday already (!) so our academics are officially over.  I have a 6th grade bridge workbook for him to do and I really would like him to do some reading every day, but I'll take anything I can get.  In a month or so, Target and Staples will be having  their big back-to-school sales and I will not miss it this year.  We need so many supplies.

Some of the books for 6th grade

W took the 5th grade CAT-E test on Monday.  Now we're just waiting for the results and I'll mail all our paperwork before the 30th.  I already have the 4th quarterly, annual assessment, and letter of intent all printed up and ready to go.  I even have his 6th grade IHIP completed, but I'll wait til August to send that.


W's show choir recital/concert is Saturday night.  He's doing 2 shows.  The first one starts at 5:30pm and the second one at about 7:15pm.  There will also be kids playing instruments and vocal soloists who take private lessons there.  I think an art presentation as well.  He's so excited to sing in a show!

Friday night is J's big dance recital.  She is in 8 group numbers, the musical theater demo, the closing number, and leading her new baby classes in 2 numbers each (one she has to be on stage with them, the other 3 from the orchestra pit).  As usual, it will be hectic and crazy, but it's what J lives for.  I love it, too, but I'm looking forward to the after party!

J's summer will be all dance once again.  She is doing a 9-week theater jazz & tap workshop and 3 days a week at her studio for contemporary, lyrical, pilates, turns & technique... and more theater jazz & tap.  She'll certainly be keeping busy, but she will get to sleep late and even it all out with lots of beach and pool parties.

Here's to a fabulous summer!

2 Field Trips

We went back to the Paley Center of Media (the old Museum of Television & Radio) on Monday for a great class.  It was called "The Fine Art of Persuasion" and it was all about advertising.  We watched and discussed different commercials - from different decades.  We learned about target audiences, how ads are the reason most TV shows are on at all, tricks of the trade, exaggeration, what companies what to convey, etc.  I learned a lot.  The adults enjoyed it as much as the kids did.  And the kids were so into it - all the kids had their hands raised constantly to ask and answer question.  After the class, I heard the instructor tell the trip coordinator that these were probably the smartest kids she's ever seen.

On Tuesday we did a guided tour of a local supermarket.  I love these kinds of trips.  It makes you pay more attention to what's going on in the normally boring places you regularly go to.  We were brought to almost every food section and the kids got a baggie of stuff to eat from each of them.  Topics included:  organics, artificial colors & flavors, locally-grown produce, types of bread/grains, MyPlate (which replaced the food pyramid), unit pricing, understanding ingredient labels, and healthy living.  I think W got a lot out of it.  Both of the trips this week were for 5th-8th grade.  I'm really happy there are so many trips and classes for this age group.

J's school is performing Guys & Dolls next month.  If you'll be in the city for any of the show dates, I encourage all of you to experience this.  It's Broadway quality and only $20/adults and $10/students - you can order them right on the website.  Other than that, J's doing really well again this year.  She still loves it more than anything.  At the dance studio, they're in the throes of new choreography for the 2012 competition season. There will also be plenty of workshops, conventions, and outside classes this year, too.  K is enjoying college and doing great and she's still in training at her new job.  Her birthday is next week - on Thanksgiving!    W is still going very strong with karate.  Three days a week doesn't seem enough for him.  I have every Friday off in December so all month he can do 4x/week if he wants.

Academics

We'll be staying with fractions now for a while.  First we're reviewing the basics.  He gets it and seems to like fractions (he's probably just glad to be away from all those multiplication and division drills, lol).  I'm using a lot of different tools:  online videos and games, workbooks, manipulatives, using fractions throughout our day, and we took out the big blackboard.  I don't want it to get boring.  Spelling Skills was another 20 words along with categorization and "if-then" exercises.  In the bridge book he did a page on synonyms and using a thesaurus and common abbreviations.  And we read about fruits and vegetables in Science Lab in a Supermarket which  went nicely with our supermarket field trip.  He he did a written narration with this.  We started reading The Landing of the Pilgrims (w/a narration).  W did more independent reading as well.  We mailed the first quarterly report out this week - same format since 2005.

It's Almost Autumn!

Camp and dance and work.  Same stuff.  Sorry we're not being that interesting lately, lol.

J's physical therapy is now at the end of its 3rd week and J's knee is feeling pretty good.  She has no more pain during dance, but she's still afraid to do any grande plies.  She's been good about doing her exercises at home, too.

She's going to try and get those summer reading books done before summer is actually over.

I'm going to try and get to Target and Staples and see if there's any back-to-school sale stuff left.  I never made it there in July when I should have went.

I've added more field trips to our fall schedule.  I'm so excited to get to places we haven't visited yet.  Expect lots of photos in the fall.

J turned 15 last week.  She had a big co-ed sleepover at my mom's house.  15 kids.  I'm still exhausted, lol.

K starts college classes in 10 days.  Damn.  She was just 3 years old in her princess dress asking me what preschool would be like.

W has 10 more days of camp.  Then we can really start getting ready for the new year.  We're changing things up a little this year.  He's going to love what's in store.

IHIP is going out this week.  I'm using my regular old worldbook format.  Keepin' it simple.

Planning

Summer is going so fast.  It's already the end of July.  J started her summer reading for high school and chose The Outsiders to read first.  She's still not much into reading, so thankfully that book seems fairly lightweight - and it's on the list.  The next book she's going to read is called The Glass Castle.  That one is mandatory and a project will be due.  We're getting ready for her dance challenge next weekend.  Then she starts working on a performance for a fundraiser that's in August, and then she starts on her new dance solo for the upcoming season.  This year she chose "lyrical" and she was lucky enough to get an excellent choreographer who is flying in from California for only 3 days.  J will have a total of 5 hours over 2 days working with him.  She's so excited.

Camp is still going strong for W.  He gets to be active and busy all day with lots of other kids - and he's wiped out tired by 9pm.  I'm glad he's on a good bedtime schedule now.  Once school starts for both girls he'll have to start getting up early anyway.  I'll be driving J and B to the train and then K to school.  I figure it might be better to get an earlier academic start with W, too - that means more of the afternoon free to play and go places!  I plan on being more active in the homeschool groups this year and I want to get lots more Manhattan time in.  There's still so much out there we haven't experienced yet.  W doesn't know how he's going to like homeschooling without J, but I plan on making this year extra special for him.

I'm trying to figure out which IHIP I should send in next month.  I have my general, all-encompassing one I always use and I have my Ambleside Online -specific one.  It doesn't really matter, although I may need more of a quarterly with the latter.  Ugh.  Not sure what to do.

J's Series Finale

It's that time of year again for the annual assessments to be mailed in.  Yes, I still use the same format that's in my sidebar from 2005.  The highlights are fun to add, because I go back to September in my blog and make a note of most of our classes, activities, and trips.  Having it all here makes things so easy.  J's assessment was hard to write.  Where I normally put "J will begin ____ grade in September __", I put that J will begin 9th grade at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and the Performing Arts in September 2010.  Wow.  That was the last bit of homeschool paperwork I will write up for her.  I didn't have to put that.  I've always liked to, just to make sure the district and I are on the same page with what's going on.  This time, though, it was more for a sense of closure.

I remember when I was first considering homeschooling.  At 8 years old, my daughter started to hate to be taught anything, became indifferent to anything new, and 4 teachers told me she had ADHD.  She was in a great gifted school and had tons of friends, but was not the same kid she used to be.  Where was her bubbly personality?  Her enthusiasm?  Her zest for life?

Gone. 

Homeschooling gave me my daughter back.  She started becoming her old self in only a matter of a few months.  I knew it was the right thing to do.  She taught me so much in our 5 years at home.  I learned to see life through her eyes.  Life (all of a sudden) became fun and exciting again and full of incredible things to experience.  And we tried to experience it all.   I will treasure every moment of it.

This new chapter in J's life is something she's more than ready for.  She's spent over 5 years becoming someone who is confident, independent, and ready to take on any challenge.  Since she was 3, her passion has been dance.  It's what she eats, sleeps, and breathes.  Acceptance to a high school where she can live her passion is the ideal finale to these incredible years of homeschooling.  She is living her dream and I can't ask for anything more.

I've Gone and Done It

I created a new IHIP. After 5 years of using the info from the worldbook site, I created an IHIP based on a more specific breakdown of what we will actually be using. I figured, since now we do use a curriculum that we love, the IHIP doesn't need to be so general. I would still recommend the general format to anyone who isn't sure what they may use or who just wants something easy that's in compliance. I'm just in the mood to try something new. It will be for 4th grade for W starting in September and is based on Ambleside Online Year 3 for 2010-2011. I've always kept an outline like this for my own records, along with a calendar listing what we actually accomplished each day. It won't be as easy to just copy and paste with this one, but it may give you ideas on how to create a more tailored outline for yourself. I've kept the overall format the same, but I'm listing specific books and programs from the AO3 curriculum. So in a sense, I did do a copy and paste - just from a different website. The outline for Health is kept from worldbook.com.  It is also still all on 1 page. I streamlined the methods/tools paragraph (at the end) to fit us better as well. From the beginning, I've always been firm on doing what's easy for me, as far as the homeschool correspondence. Matching up my own outlines and learning logs with what I send to the district is, in fact, easier.


I've left the general 4th-grade IHIP in the sidebar. I've added a general 8th-grade IHIP as well, since 7th & 8th grade reporting are a bit different than what's required for 1st-6th grades. I've added my new AO-based IHIP into the sidebar. The rest of the paperwork stays the same for now. I'm still sending the same quarterlies, annuals, and LOIs. The new AO-specific IHIP is still detailed enough to allow for the rest of the paperwork to be minimal - which is how I like it.

Sample IHIP (AO Specific) 4th-grade

INDIVIDUAL HOME INSTRUCTION PLAN


NAME OF CHILD:   W
DOB: ______   GRADE LEVEL: 4   SCHOOL YEAR: 2010-2011

ADDRESS: _____________   DATE MAILED: ___________


QUARTERLY REPORTS WILL BE MAILED ON: 11/15/10, 1/30/11, 4/15/11, 6/30/11

W will be using various methods/tools for 4th-grade instruction in all the subjects specified in Sect. 100.10 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education. The corresponding subtopics may include and shall not be limited to:

ARITHMETIC
Teaching Textbooks 5 (Sabouri) & Life of Fred Fractions (Schmidt)

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Writing, Phonics, Spelling, Grammar: Transcribe favorite lines from the Shakespeare play and scheduled poetry we are reading. Two perfectly written lines every week (in cursive). Written narration chosen from literature (1-2 per week, may be in cursive or manuscript). Draw a narration chosen from literature. Start Dictation, work up to one paragraph by end of year. Writing Strands 3 (Marks): two pgs weekly. Online typing tutorials. Simply Grammar (Andreola)
Poetry: William Blake, Sara Teasdale, Hilda Conkling, & Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 1 or 2 poems per day, discussed and may be used as copywork.
Literature Read-Alouds and Independent Reads: Tales from Shakespeare (Lamb), American Tall Tales (Stoutenburg), The Heroes (Kingsley), The Princess & the Goblin (MacDonald), Children of the New Forest (Marryat), The Jungle Book (Kipling), A Little Princess (Burnett), The Water Babies (Kingsley), At the Back of the North Wind (MacDonald), Men of Iron (Pyle), Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland (Carroll), Through the Looking Glass (Carroll), The Bears of Blue River (Major), Swallows and Amazons (Ransome), Unknown to History: Captivity of Mary of Scotland (Yonge), Caddie Woodlawn (Brink), On the Banks of Plum Creek (Wilder), The Little White Horse (Goudge), The Saturdays (Enright), English Fairy Tales - and more (Jacobs), King of the Wind (Henry), The Four Story Mistake (Enright), Then There Were Five (Enright), The Wheel on the School (De Jong)
Foreign Language: Greek Alphabet, Sign Language

SOCIAL STUDIES
World & American History: Our Island Story (Marshall), This Country of Ours (Marshall), A Child’s History of the World (Hillyer). All history readings will be narrated. We will also correspond history readings with a timeline or century book and map.
Biographies: DaVinci (Landmark), Bard of Avon: the Story of William Shakespeare (Vennema & Stanley), Squanto (Ziner) or Landing of the Pilgrims (Daugherty)
Geography: A study of Marco Polo

SCIENCE
Natural History and Science: Handbook of Nature Study (Comstock), Secrets of the Woods (Long), Science Lab in a Supermarket (Friedhoffer), The Story of Inventions (McHugh) or All About Famous Inventors & Their Inventions (Pratt) or War Inventions (Gibson). We will do various science experiments and go on weekly nature walks, keeping a Nature Notebook. The Nature Study schedule is as follows: Summer/Fall Term - reptiles. Winter Term - flowerless plants/crops. Spring Term - fish and amphibians

HEALTH/SAFETY
Personal and mental hygiene, Dental health, The body and its functions, Skeletal and muscular systems, Care and proper use of the body, Principles of digestion, Basic food groups, Good nutrition habits, Diseases, Safety, Substance abuse

MUSIC/VISUAL ARTS
Art:  Picture Studies focusing on 1 artist per 12 wk. term and reading his life story from biographies found at the local library. . We will be studying: Term 1 - Albrecht Durer (Italian Renaissance). Term 2 - Caravaggio (Italian Baroque). Term 3 - not sure yet. Drawing from nature and narrating tales with drawings. Drawing with Children by Mona Brooks
Music Appreciation:  Listen to 1 composer (specifically) per term and reading his life story from biographies found at the local library. We will be studying: Term 1 - Beethoven (Classical/Romantic). Term 2 - Vivaldi (Baroque). Term 3 - Chopin (Romantic)

Instruction methods/tools may include and shall not be limited to: reference materials (atlas, dictionary, thesaurus, globe, maps, videos, the internet), hands-on activities, projects, newspapers, magazines, frequent field trips, group classes, activities, & workshops, research, games, creative thinking, predicting/forecasting, gathering facts, CD ROMs, abundant art/craft supplies (clay, paints, crayons, pencils, sketch pads, chalk, charcoal, pastels, animation software, building materials, etc.), free play, structured sports, conversations, and real life.

Primary instruction to W will be provided by ______________________, his parents. Supplemental instruction will be provided by others, as necessary.

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I borrowed some of the wording from another AO mom's lesson plan.  I like the way she describes what they do.  You can find her blog post HERE.  And here's a few words about this specific AO-based IHIP.

Sample IHIP 8th Grade

INDIVIDUAL HOME INSTRUCTION PLAN



NAME OF CHILD: ____________

NYC Student ID: (optional)   DOB: ______  GRADE LEVEL: ___   SCHOOL YEAR: __________

ADDRESS: ___________________________

DATE SUBMITTED: _________________



QUARTERLY REPORTS WILL BE MAILED ON: 11/15/__, 1/30/__, 4/15/__, 6/30/__

_____ will be using various methods/tools for 8th-grade instruction in all the subjects specified in Section 100.10 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education. The corresponding subtopics may include and shall not be limited to:

Mathematics

* Maintaining skills in fundamental operations* Factoring and products* Sets and simple sentences* Numeration systems* Using fractions and decimals* Ratio, proportion, and percent* Equalities and inequalities* Simple formulas and equations* Graphing an equation* Powers and roots of rational numbers* Polynomials* Metric and nonmetric geometry* Pythagorean Theorem* Scale drawing* Right-triangle trigonometry* Customary and metric measurement* Permutations* Probability statistics* Statistical terms* Mathematics of insurance, banking, and taxes

English

* Independent reading, * Literal, inferential, and evaluative reading skills, * Literary terms, * Novel, short story, narrative poetry, * Nonfiction, * Biographies of great Americans, * American poets and storytellers, * Creative dramatics, * Listening and speech activities, * Advanced dictionary work, * Extended vocabulary, * Figures of speech* Spelling* Infinitive, participle, gerund, predicate nominative, predicate adjective, direct and indirect object* Kinds of sentences and their parts* Functions of sentence elements* Writing simple business letters* Report-writing skills* Improving skills in using basic reference sources* Inductive and deductive reasoning

History and Geography

* Our African, Asian, and European backgrounds* Exploration and discovery* Growth and development of the United States- Colonial life* Struggle for independence* U. S. Constitution and Bill of Rights- Westward movement in America* American Civil War* Reconstruction* U. S. as a world power * Meaning of democracy* Our American culture* U. S. political system* U. S. economic system* U. S. government* U. S. geography* Advanced map and globe skills

Science

* Scientific method* Scientific nomenclature* Scientific measurement* Ecology and environment* Conservation* Composition of the earth* Ocean, atmosphere* Weather* Water and its uses* Weathering and erosion* Recycling of resources* Magnetism and electricity* Heat and light* Forces in liquids and gases* Wave, mechanical, electrical, and nuclear energy* The earth's movement* Newton's three laws of motion* Machines* The atom* Periodic table of elements* Compounds and mixtures* Chemical changes* Astronomy* The universe and Milky Way* Space and space travel

Health

* Grooming* Functions of the body* The body's utilization of food* Types and functions of foods* Environmental hazards* Community sanitation and health * Health care services* Sexually transmitted diseases* Accident prevention, safety, and first aid* Mental hygiene* Substance abuse

Music/Visual Arts/Phys. Ed./Practical Arts

* Wide exposure to all forms of music* In-depth studies of composers and artists* Private vocal lessons* Arts and crafts* Art technique* Structured group dance lessons (tap, jazz, lyrical) 8+ hrs. per week* Free play indoors and outdoors* Practical arts* Library skills* Sewing* Knitting* Cooking* Banking* Budgeting* Running a household* Entrepreneurship


Instruction methods/tools/resources may include and shall not be limited to: reference materials (atlas, dictionaries, globe, maps, encyclopedias, non-fiction books, videos, the internet), workbooks, worksheets, hands-on activities, experiments, science lab, projects, newspapers, magazines, frequent field trips, group activities, classic/contemporary literature, research, journal/narrative/essay/poetry writing, games, creative thinking, predicting/forecasting, gathering facts, written peer correspondence (pen pals), music CDs, CD ROMs, piano keyboard, abundant art supplies (clay, paint, crayons, pencils, sketchpads, felt, chalk, charcoal, pastels, etc.), structured group dance classes and competitions, free play, conversations, and real life.

Primary instruction to _____ will be provided by ________________, her parents. Supplemental instruction will be provided by others, as necessary.

Blasting Back into AO

School vacation is keeping all my kids very busy.  K went back yesterday, J's Catholic school friends go back Monday.   K went to the beach after school (it was 90 degrees!) and J went to an early premiere of Glee in Manhattan with her friend last night.  I finally caught up with all of last season's episodes and I can't wait for the new season (next week, yay).  She said it was fun - a glee club from NJ came to sing for them.

3rd quarterlies are going out next week.  No testing this year - J's done and W will do his in 5th grade.

We're jumping back into AO with both feet.  He was satisfied with the break we took from it, but he's ready for it again.  I'm glad.  I know it was a major factor in helping him overcome his reading block - all that great literature can cure anything.  Dyslexia doesn't really go away, but the progress he's made just since the beginning of the school year is remarkable.  And I know AO is the reason why W has such a sharp memory now.  It requires (and thus, creates) such good listening skills, and that spills into great narration skills, which is supposed to create great writing/composition skills.  Now that W is 9, we'll be starting some written narrations in a month or so.  We plan on keeping the AO schedule the same as we did before (pretty much).  We also incorporated a few more workbooks on our hiatus, and we're keeping those.  So, for example, today's schedule (for W) looks like this:

• 1 AO Reading (me reading aloud 1 chapter of An Island Story, w/narration).  We use an atlas during the reading and then add people, events, and dates to our timeline.  It's fun.
• 1 or 2 chapters (me reading aloud) of a Free Reading book (we're continuing with Abraham Lincoln by d'Aulaire.  No narrations with the free readings)
• Finishing up the rest of Times Tales (Part 2 - 1 page of multiplication and review of division)
• I read a poem out loud (from a Year of Poems), we discuss it, and he does some of it as copywork
• A page or 2 from Learn at Home Grade 4.
• W reads 1 chapter of Tree in the Trail aloud then narrates back. (we used an atlas with this book, too)
• 1 page of the Maps/Geography workbook. 
• Another readloud from me if we feel like it (Understood Betsy)

It is now Term 3 of AmblesideOnline and we will be learning about garden flowers & weeds in Nature Study, Maurice Ravel in Composer Study, and Claude Monet in Artist Study. Monet is one of W's favorites. He picked "The Waterlily Pond" to do a reinterpretation of a few years ago at a homeschool art class. We visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art a few months later and saw that painting right up close. My 6-year-old yelling out, "Look Ma! There's the Monet!" brought on a few stares our way, lol.

J is plugging away with her academics as well (see post on March 9th).  Things are smoothly sailing along here.  W has a couple of homeschool group trips coming up and we're planning on hitting some museums soon.  We're ready for the Met again, actually.  Now that the weather is really beautiful, I just wanna get out a LOT.   I'll have my camera ready!

Audition #2

J had her second high school dance audition this morning. This one was at Laguardia School of the Arts. This is the school that the movie "Fame" was based on in 1980 - and again in 2009 (but the newer movie makes it more of a fictitious setting in NYC). It's extrememly prestigious, full of famous alum (Al Pacino and Jennifer Aniston went there and tons of others), and it's extrememly competitive. Over 10,000 kids try out and their acceptance rate is about 8%.  For dancers it's about 4%.

We woke up at 5:30am and were out of the house by 6:45am. We got there in about 15 minutes since B drove us right to the door. We waited briefly on an incredibly long line and then went in. Right away I saw the sign that said parents to the right, students to the left. Aaaak. I wasn't ready to say goodbye yet. Did she have her paperwork? Her snacks? Her water? Her ballet shoes? It didn't matter anymore. She blew me a kiss, waved goodbye and I told her to break a leg (then I re-thought that remark, lol). The parents (all of whom were feeling the effects of the abrupt send-off) took several escalators to the 5th-floor cafeteria, where we could have coffee, muffins, bagels, a welcoming speech from the parent coordinator, a Q& A session, and just...wait.

I brought a book, but ended up in excited conversations with several other parents. We all discussed the schools, the auditions, and the craziness of it all. A mom with a violin student from the upper east side was weighing her other schooling options. A mom and dad with a viola student had an older son already in the school, but were still nervous. They raved about the music program and said their son never stops talking about how great it is. A drama student's mom was also from Queens (like me) and looked so anxious as this was her only child. A friend of mine was also there. Her daughter was going for dance as well. We chatted for a long time and then turned to see the fine arts students (carrying huge portfolios) who just ended their auditions meet up with their parents. We saw the instrumentalists (carrying their instrument cases) also come in. It seemed that dance and drama took the longest time. My eyes were glued to the doorway. I couldn't wait to see her and hear all about it.

Finally, after over 2 hours, I saw J. She looked so calm, but as she got closer to me, her smile widened and she handed me the paper which said she has a callback audition in 2 weeks. WOW! J said about 6 kids got a callback sheet (out of the 25 in her group). Although it is possible to still make it into the school without a callback, the majority of those not called-back will not be accepted. If you watch So You Think You Can Dance auditions, I'm calling this the "Yes to choreography". She will take a more intense ballet class, a more intense modern class, perform her 1-minute solo piece, and be intensely judged. She can't wait. There isn't a bit of nervousness or anxiety in her at all. She's just loving the whole experience.

As we walked to the subway I looked around in awe. It's amazing enough that we are coming out of the Fame school - to top it off, right around the corner we were in front of

• The Juilliard School
• Lincoln Center
• Columbus Circle
• The Plaza Hotel and
• Central Park

It was a gorgeously warm autumn day. The entire area was just breathtaking. I feel so grateful to live in this city of endless opportunities. There is NOTHING like NYC.

High School

Dh, J, and I went on a couple of high school open houses this week. J liked one, loved the other and now knows what her mainstream first choice will be. My mom came along as well - she's awesome, and I love having her input (she just notices things that I don't). J will be going to high school. If not a performing arts school, then one of the focused high schools - maybe where K goes, maybe not. I do want to say that the NYC homeschool guidance counselor is terrific. She mailed us everything we need (and even filled it out for us) and when I expressed a bit of nervousness on the phone, she said not to worry and that she'll be with me every step of the way. Very impressed. Auditions start in 2 weeks.

Back to Life, Back to Reality

After the week away, we have our week of relaxing, lol. Well, the kids never seem to relax. W is still going to the playground every day. He hangs with friends, rides his bike, and plays basketball. We got a little bit of academics done this week. Both of us want to finish the Year 1 schedule before September so we can start Year 2. The rest of the summer will be just the readings/narrations, some foreign language, artist and composer study, and timeline stuff - just because W thinks it's fun. Oh and probably math, too. He can't keep away from math. It all still remains child-led and relaxed - he wouldn't have it any other way. His newest thing is grabbing a book, finding a comfy spot, and reading! He's enjoying The Magic Treehouse series and Diary of a Wimpy Kid now. Cool beans!

K is back at work. She still loves it and takes it very seriously. She's never late and always stays late to help clean. She's saving most of her money - for a car. I'm incredibly proud of her diligence - and generosity! She's so happy to buy things for her siblings. It's nice that she has the means now to indulge her own high standards of taste, lol. Mani-pedis, designer bags, clothes, shoes, etc. All of a sudden she's being more cautious, more selective, and has more self-control. It's amazing what your own money does for you, lol.

J has had nonstop hang-out requests since she's been home. She was at one friend's house all day Monday swimming in her pool. Wednesday she was with another friend at the park and her house. Friday she and another friend slept over another girl's house and went to Splish Splash (water park) the next day. Today she's at my mom's house in Long Island, meeting up with another friend who will be coming over there to spend the day. Tuesday and Thursday J had summer dance intensive classes and I strongly suggested staying home and relaxing during the day so she could be well-rested. Next week Wednesday will be included too - this is another dance intensive, plus the new studio performance tap team she's on. She and W will be doing something new during the day starting the first week of August. I'm not going to say what it is yet since I'm not sure about the details - but it's an incredibly opportunity...

Work is going very well for me. I'm now 100% sales - no more collections or retention, which I've been doing for the last 3 years. It was scary to make such a big change, but now that I've got the hang of it, it's really FUN. Let's hope it stays that way, lol.

I received a call the other morning from a "summer-help" person at the Office of Homeschooling. She asked if I would please send in a copy of J's CAT results. This is new. I usually just write a line on the annual stating she took the test and scored above the 33rd %ile. So, I'm sending in a copy. Thankfully, the Seton folks emailed me a PDF and I can make as many copies as I like. Well, all things considered, the state is pretty good at leaving us alone - this isn't a big deal. Soon I'll mail in the IHIPs and Metrocard forms.

Life, Curriculum, and other Miscellany

It's Friday. The week just flew by...again. K is done with school next week - just 2 regents exams the following week. I can't believe summer is already here.

J took her standardized test last week. Now we're just waiting for the results. Then I'll send in the paperwork and it starts all over again. I'm sure she did well on the test. I just don't believe a test like that can even attempt to show what my kid knows. It's all bs and no one really cares how well they do anyway. I tell J that it's just a formality we have to endure so the people in the office can add another checkmark to her file. She doesn't worry about it. And for that I'm glad.

W and I went to the Queens County Farm Museum this morning. We went with the homeschool group and W loved it. We went on a hayride, visited and learned about all the farm animals, made some butter, and planted radish seeds (that we took home and W fully intends to see these actually grow into radishes). A mother duck just hatched about 10 ducklings yesterday and they were jumping out of the tree "crook" where the nest was, hit the ground (unharmed, oddly enough) and formed a group by their mother while waiting for the others to arrive. They were so adorable, yellow, and fuzzy. I love that farm - especially since it's only 10 minutes from my house! Thanks G for a great trip.

This evening W had an award ceremony for cub scouts. He earned a camping badge, a fishing badge, and a few other ones. It was so nice. They had a slideshow going of all the activities and places they went throughout the year and dinner for everyone. W enjoyed hanging with his friends and getting his badges. This is a great pack/troop of kids. 2 are becoming Eagle scouts this year.

J has been out with a friend all day. They hung out at the house, then at the park, then stopped at the school to see another friend's graduation ceremony, then over to the mall. I wonder if I had all that energy at 12 years old, lol. Tomorrow J is performing at a piano recital - she was asked to dance her musical theater solo. A mom of a girl J dances with teaches piano, voice, and flute and asked 5 dancers (her dd's friends) to do their solos. J is excited to have been asked and is looking forward to it.

I'm waiting for the last shipment of books for AO Yr2. I got a bunch on paperbackswap for free last month and the rest on amazon. Some used, some new. I think I've spent about $140 total so far. He wants the new Teaching Textbooks Math 3. It's supposed to come out in the fall. I almost would prefer the cheap workbook route we've been using. I find elementary math very easy to teach. Does he really need a $100+ program? I mean, not only are 3rd (and 4th to 8th) grade math concepts pretty cut-and-dry, but that kind of math is EVERYWHERE and can be learned completely in context. So, I'm still mulling that one over. We were also thinking about continuing with the Live Mocha Spanish and the Outdoor Hour Challenges (at handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com) for our nature study. These are FREE to use and W likes them a lot.

J decided she wants TT-PreAlgebra, some classic literature, to do the nature studies with W and me, and a writing program. So I looked at various things with her and she seemed to like Writing Strands. Other things she's thinking about include labwork at the science center, classes at history and art museums, and continuing being the assistant teacher to her "babies" at the dance studio. She wants to be fully prepared for high school if she's accepted.

Both kids have chosen their own curriculum. They have interests, have things they enjoy, things they want to learn, and I facilitate as best I can. They both told me straight out they prefer a schedule and it is my job to research with them what looks good. They each spend less than 2 hours each morning on the academic seatwork, but endless hours exploring their world and pursuing their interests. Throw in the abundant myriad of classes, trips, and outings we do throughout the year in this incredible cultural mecca that is New York City and how can any other education compare?

Disney Earth

I took the kids to see Disney Earth with the homeschool group yesterday. I love movies like that. Even back in the 70s when The Wonderful World of Disney used to show a short clip of animals in nature with that cowboy narrator on Sunday evenings. This movie was very cute. It was also sad, watching how the circle of life can be cruel. The footage taken was incredible and we got a glimpse at the end to see the cameramen in action. J was glad her friend L came, so they sat together, and W had a couple friends there he sat with as well.

I mailed out their 3rd quarterly reports last week and I'll just assume it was received. I also ordered J's CAT-E, the test she'll be taking next month. J has been going over lots of 7th grade math over the weeks to make sure she's ready. W is moving along well with his AO Yr1. I found 2 old CIMS 2nd grade math workbooks that J's 2nd-grade teacher let her have when the school completely changed the math curriculum. We have Part 1 and Part 2. W loves them best of all now. They're plain, no color, very to-the-point, and have these exercises that seem to get through to him. Not something I would look at from the cover and say, "hey that looks great!". We're almost through the first book after just starting a few weeks ago with it. So, I am convinced now that I shouldn't judge a book by its cover, heh heh. I don't know if these books are available anymore, but I'd like to seek out the higher levels for him.

NY Homeschool Paperwork - Easier Than You Think!

All our homeschool paperwork was received and is in compliance. Now I sit back and wait for the kids' Metrocards to arrive in the mail. I sent it regular mail - I refuse to spend extra money on certified or receipt-requested - and they did receive it (which somehow surprised me, lol). I sent the kids' 2008-2009 LOIs in with the 2007-2008 4th quarterlies and annual assessments, but they informed me they didn't have them. I felt like "here we go again" with missing paperwork, but I spoke with Mr. Director of Homeschooling and we straightened everything out. I have to say, for many reasons, I do like him the best so far.

Our homeschool correspondence is still the same exact stuff we sent in 2005. There are links to it in the sidebar. Our letter of intent is comprised of 2 sentences and is in a business-letter format. The 1-page IHIP is a copy-and-paste from the worldbook.com course of study, with an extra paragraph I created for a little more detail. The IHIP takes about 7 minutes to update the copy-and-paste to the next grade and change some dates. Because there is so much detail in our IHIP, our quarterly reports can be pretty minimal. Ours contains about 4 sentences explaining that we're moving along fine. I send the same exact quarterly 4x a year with a slight date change on each. Each quarterly takes about 1 minute to update. Our annual assessment is very similar to our quarterlies. I add several sentences describing some the year's highlights to make it more narrative-ish. This takes about 5 minutes (unless you get stuck thinking about which highlights you want to include, lol). On a testing year, I'll add another sentence to the annual assessment stating my child took so-and-so test on such-and-such date and enclose a copy of the result page. I used to just put a sentence that she scored above the 33rd %ile, but the NYC district is now asking for more. Most of my paperwork was created on the advice and suggestions of the amazing homeschoolers at NY-HEN. I love that group and would encourage all new homeschoolers to join.

This year J will be in 7th grade, so it's a testing year for her. We order the CAT-E from the link in the sidebar. It's about $25. The CAT-E goes up to 12th grade. Many homeschoolers like to use the PASS test. The highest grade for this one is 8th grade (link to ordering it is in the sidebar). We do use a certified teacher to administer the test - but I know some NY districts are okay with parents administering it themselves. Once J finishes the test, we send it back to the testing company and we get her scores within 2 weeks. It's very easy.

I will never understand why some NY homeschoolers choose to send pages and pages of information that pretty much will go unread. The districts honestly do not care. All they want to do is check off paperwork that's in compliance. You're honestly not impressing anyone with a description of all the cool stuff you did or plan to do. Really. For myself, I need everything to be simple, minimal, and streamlined. Our total homeschool correspondence takes less than 20 minutes to write up and costs about $3 in postage to mail PER YEAR. And it's always been in compliance. We're in our 4th year of paperwork now. No one should be afraid of it, no matter how many big, scary words "Section 100.10 of the Regulations of the New York State Commissioner of Education" uses, lol.

Here's to a wonderful new homeschool year!!!

The kids went to their circus class again this morning. There are 6 kids in the class and we were the only ones there for about 20 minutes, which was cool since it was like a private lesson for them. Today they learned new leaps, falls, jumps, acrobatics, and some TRAPEZE! Omg. It was great seeing them today. J's face was one big smile throughout the whole class and W was constantly happy-dancing between his turns. W learned better cartwheels and roundoffs and J learned how to do a front handspring. B met us there after 15 minutes so he got to watch almost the whole class today. He probably won't get to do that again. He had an early doc appt and took the day off work. Here are some pics from today:







I emailed my quarterly reports yesterday. Mr. Harrington, the new NYC homeschool coordinator, emailed back saying no more emails (or faxes) will be accepted. Sigh. New guy, new rules. So then I emailed back saying, OK, I'll snail-mail it, but please be sure to email me verification that it was received. So then he calls me. He is a very very nice man and apologetically stated that there are just too many hs'ers to send quarterly responses too, but he will send one if I really need it. Actually, it's fine with me. I only need a response to the IHIP and at the end of the year. I understand the office is disorganized and he is picking up the pieces of what was left behind. He seemed adamant about not requiring anything of us that isn't in the regulations. This is good, since it could possibly mean he won't be nitpicky about wording and will most likely stay off our backs. So I'll be mailing everything - regular mail. Yep, I said it. I refuse to spend more than the 41 cents it takes to mail a letter. If they don't receive something (or conveniently "lose" stuff like they have in the past) I'll just resend it. I am so not sweating this. Oh, and I did receive letters of IHIP compliance today in the mail for both kids.

J and I spent the day running around for last minute shopping for this weekend. Her workshop includes being in a music video. Friday night is all the workshop classes and Saturday morning/afternoon is casting and creating the video. Their doing a jazz, tap, and hip-hop number for it - all with different clothes. Then right after that is the competition. J's in 7 numbers for this one. It's the most she's ever done. Today we bought black gore boots, foot undeez, capri jazz pants, $70 worth of M.A.C. makeup, sneakers, shorts, hair spray, bobby pins, hair ties, and margarita mix (oh wait, that one's for me). Tomorrow I'm getting a hair cut, the girls are getting mani-pedis, we're all finishing packing and doing the big once-over for all the costumes, shoes, and accessories. EEEEK! I can't believe it's comp time again!

All 3 kids seemed to have allergies up this week. Not sure if it's the change in weather or what. They're sniffly and scratchy. W described how he feels: "It feels like a big, fat toad is in my throat and there's an earthquake of snots. It's like a hundred gnomes are paddling a boat the wrong way". Ok, then.

J's 2 copywork poems today were from John Smith and Christina Rossetti. W wrote out a couple of sentences and started on some more cursive writing. I'm in the camp of cursive not being as important as schools think it is, but he asked and is excited to learn it. I say, as long as he can just sign his name, that's enough. But today he went through the whole lowercase alphabet and practiced a few cursive sentences. J's math involved several steps to figure the least to greatest order of a mix of fractions, improper fractions, and decimals. W did more addition using a number line.

I have to commend the Homeschool Coordinator, Ms. Henrietta Becoat. I faxed her Metrocards forms on October 2nd and I had both cards in my mailbox on October 4th. Now THAT'S impressive. So, I'll just assume all the paperwork I sent in June is in compliance. I guess no news really is good news.

Check out this article from the Fraser Institute!!