Today at the elder kids' high school they announced the honor roll recipients and the "Students of the term" (which is the kids who got perfect 4.33 GPAs, because this school actually awards an A+ for a class grade percent above 98%). Christian and Libby were the only two students of the term, out of 300 students. Emma was a student of the term and a student of the semester every single term/semester through her freshman and sophomore years. (Once junior year hit she sometimes got, gasp, just plain old A's! Her cumulative GPA is still above 4.0.) Less than five months and she'll be away at university. I'm filled with wonder to have been a little part of it.
Back here at the homestead in homeschool, we do science twice a week. This year it's chemistry, and I'll tell you the truth it's tough to teach chemistry to an all-elementary crowd. I've never done chemistry terribly well. So last year (earth/space science) it was mostly reading and writing and drawing illustrations, and this year it has been mostly silly little experiments. When we complete one, the kids all have to work at their own grade level. They draw a picture of what we did, and answer some questions (and I expect their answers to reflect their abilities—simpler for Kyrie, most complex for Jackson). I do not require these writings of Macklin, I mean the kid is only in kindergarten.
But he does them anyway, every time. And they are precious. I've never seen a kid who yearns so hard to express himself in writing. The questions he answered today are:
1. What did we use?
2. What did we do?
3. What happened?
Here is what he wrote. I did not, and never have, give him any of these words or coach him on what to write. This is just what he does when we complete science for the day.
I shall transcribe. Note: he spelled tin "tit". It was only when he was rereading over my shoulder that he caught this and I'll let him change it, but for some reason I wanted to preserve this version. ;)
Wea did git u bit uv tit foyle and wea got sum wotr
(We did get a bit of tin foil and we got some water)
wea put sum wotr on the tit foyle
(We put some water on the tin foil)
wea got sum awcuhol on tit foyle
(We got some alcohol on tin foil)
the water split.
Things I love: he doesn't think "we" should have a long e, so he added another vowel afterward so it would make the wee sound. And I love his spelling of alcohol! He didn't capitalize and didn't even put spaces between words, but he did end with a period. Ace!
Next, his illustration of the experiment:
First pic: the tin foil. Second pic: The green-tinted water on the tin foil. Third pic: The water split!
I would scan in each and every one, but I know my raptures of them would be mine alone. I'll allow this one to stand in for the others. I just adore being a part of their learning process, I wouldn't want to miss this for anything.
2 comments:
Way to go professor Lee :) And way to go Mack!!! BTW, how is his head doing?
I like how you said you get to be a "little" part of their learning. Um, hello? I think you're a pretty HUGE part of it! :) Mack is sounding out words pretty darn well for a kindergartener! It is quite precious.
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