Dianna's Tips & Tricks .. and more

[Michael]

Re: Dianna's Tips & Tricks .. and more

I see this thread being "stickied" in the near future. I know I will want to refer back to it, for sure!

Stickied!

[Anita]

Re: Dianna's Tips & Tricks .. and more

I see this thread being "stickied" in the near future. I know I will want to refer back to it, for sure!

[GrammarGirl]

Re: Dianna's Tips & Tricks .. and more

After the first 40 lessons the teacher manual calls for another monstrous poster, this time with blossoms and bees. You can buy this poster if you wish or make your own. The teacher manual again has templates in the back to photocopy. The directions in the back say to color the blossoms and and bees in. I simply photocopied the templates onto colored cardstock. Voila. I wrote the numbers on the blossoms and bees. I glued my blossoms onto a separate sheet of paper, just so they kind of stood out. I laminated the pages. I wrote the facts onto the various bees and laminated them. Note: The bees are NOT laminated onto the blossom sheets, they are glued on as the facts are learned.

My plan is to keep these in 3-ring binder, not stick them on the wall.

Awesome suggestion about the binder. I did not even realize the 3rd grade book had templates for the bee/blossom charts which are used for review at the beginning of the year so I had drawn some freehand. (I'll make some like yours next year when younger DD is in 2nd grade.) My house was looking a little weird from the street view with all these charts taped to the picture window! They are now tucked away in a binder.

[Colomama]

Re: Dianna's Tips & Tricks .. and more



This is for Rod and Staff grade 2. For the first 40 lessons the teacher book says you need a posterboard with room for 10 boats to go sailing. I dislike posters, especially large ones. So I conververted this giant poster down to a file folder. Here's how:
I photocopied the template from the teacher book at 40% onto cardstock.
I cut out my wave pattern.
I cut out the one little boat and traced it 12 more times in blank space on the cardstock, keeping my boats close together.
I colored in the boats that I had traced with a black crayon.
I used clear packing tape to tape over my traced boats on both sides, hence why its nice if they're all in the same area.
I cut out my boats. They're black on one side and white on the other now and poor-girl laminated to boot!

For the actual ocean wave poster I simply used a blue file folder. By copying the original template at 40%, you will have room for the 10 required waves with a half a wave at the front and a half a wave at the other end. Simply trace your pattern across the bottom of your file folder. I used an exacto to cut just enough of each wave out for my boats to stick into. If you cut the entire row of waves out, you'll nearly cut the whole bottom of your file folder off. I added clouds and birds for looks.



After the first 40 lessons the teacher manual calls for another monstrous poster, this time with blossoms and bees. You can buy this poster if you wish or make your own. The teacher manual again has templates in the back to photocopy. The directions in the back say to color the blossoms and and bees in. I simply photocopied the templates onto colored cardstock. Voila. I wrote the numbers on the blossoms and bees. I glued my blossoms onto a separate sheet of paper, just so they kind of stood out. I laminated the pages. I wrote the facts onto the various bees and laminated them. Note: The bees are NOT laminated onto the blossom sheets, they are glued on as the facts are learned.

My plan is to keep these in 3-ring binder, not stick them on the wall.

Hope this helps some other families implement the rod and staff math curriculum. It seems dreadfully plain, all black and white with no color, and so repetitious that I didn't have very high of hopes teaching it. But, my son has absolutely rocked this curriculum! He gets it. He has success. Don't judge this curriculum by its plain old cover, it totally works and has great results.

[howiecram]

Re: Dianna's Tips & Tricks .. and more

Glad you got a picture of it, that is great!!!

[Colomama]

Re: Dianna's Tips & Tricks .. and more



Here's my rod and staff grade 1 flashcards in my cheapo dollar tree tool box

[Anita]

Re: Dianna's Tips & Tricks .. and more

I found great things at Dollar Tree ... an adjustable paper thermometer in their teacher section. Rod and staff 1 book 2 calls for the teacher to make this. I did last year. It looked real easy to make, it wasnt. Stitch a red ribbon to a white ribbon while it's already laced through your homemade thermometer. Aahh! Enter this $1 product. Ta-da. I have 2 more students to go through grade 1 yet. Let's just say I bought a few in case we break some.

YES! SCORE! Doing this ASAP. I'm the slacker who still hasn't made that darn thermometer. We haven't gotten there yet in RS, so I've just been putting it off.

Dollar Tree also has a three (or four?) pack of little paper clocks for teaching how to tell time. We love them. Everyone at the table gets one, we can all adjust our clocks when I call out a time, and if they get shredded, lost or broken, I'm out $0.25.

[Colomama]

Re: Dianna's Tips & Tricks .. and more

I found 2 great things at Dollar Tree this weekend, perfect for SC1 and SC2 users.
*a cheap black plastic tool box. It fits those monstrous rod and staff math cards beautifully. I cut some green cardstock the same size as dividers. Now they're all happily separated by dot cards, fact family 7, etc. At the front of the box I keep the current ones the lesson plan calls for. Note: I would never trust the latch on this cheapo unless I wanted to play 300 card math flashcard pickup. I simply ripped it off to prevent some foolish forgetfulness on my part.

Next, I found an adjustable paper thermometer in their teacher section. Rod and staff 1 book 2 calls for the teacher to make this. I did last year. It looked real easy to make, it wasnt. Stitch a red ribbon to a white ribbon while it's already laced through your homemade thermometer. Aahh! Enter this $1 product. Ta-da. I have 2 more students to go through grade 1 yet. Let's just say I bought a few in case we break some.

[DiannaKennedy]

Re: Dianna's Tips & Tricks .. and more

In case you have not seen this, our own Dianna offers great practical organizational tips here:

Tips & Tricks for Organizing Our Memoria Press Homeschool.

More ...

Here are Christine's Art Card Display and her ingenious SC teaching preps.


Did I miss any? Anyone have others to share?

You are the sweetest. Linking arms, we learn so much from each other. I'm off to read the SC teaching preps.

[cherylswope]

In case you have not seen this, our own Dianna offers great practical organizational tips here:

Tips & Tricks for Organizing Our Memoria Press Homeschool.

More ...

Here are Christine's Art Card Display and her ingenious SC teaching preps.


Did I miss any? Anyone have others to share?