Have a Routine.

Routine is one of the keys to successful discipline.

As many are home schooling for the first time, you will have great success when you set a routine.  Everything will go smoother with a routine.

• It is good to have a routine or schedule.  It will help your day run smoother.

• Whether it is in a classroom or at home, children handle everything better if they know the routine (Bed time, reading time, homework time, etc.).

• Most children feel more comfortable with an established routine.

• When the routine has to be changed, it will go smoother if they are told in advance the routine will be changed.

• Children need to learn to handle last-minute changes but it is good to practice that in a controlled situation, not when you need it to happen now.

The Moon

The Moon     

Objective:  Children learn basic facts about the moon and its phases.
Preparation:

• Find drawings or pictures of the moon in its various phases from books, magazines, old calendars or internet.
• Black or blue construction paper: Cut in half lengthwise then fold in fourths like an accordion.
• Print the master for the moon phases.  Moon Phases  (There will enough for 4 books.)
• Cut the words for each child from the Moon Phases.
• Have the 2 circles ready for each child to cut. 
• Glue sticks.
• Scissors for each child.
• White crayons or pencils.
• Suggested books:

1.  Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle
2.  The Nightgown of the Sullen Moon by Nancy Willard
3.  So That’s How the Moon Changes Shape by Allan Fowler
4.  The Moon Book by Gail Gibbons
5.  Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
6.  All about the Moon by David A. Adler

Lesson: 
Read a book or books then discuss some of these points while showing pictures:

• The Moon is about one-quarter the size of Earth.
• It is 238,857 miles from Earth.
• Moons are natural satellites, or celestial bodies that orbit a planet. Some planets, like Jupiter, have several moons; Earth has only one.
• The Moon is like a ball of rock that orbits, or goes around the Earth.
• It takes 25 hours for the Moon to orbit Earth. Together the Moon and Earth orbit the Sun, which takes about 365 days.
• The moon is sometimes in the sky at night and in the daytime.  
• We see the Moon rise and set just like the Sun.
• The Moon reflects the light of the Sun.
• It takes 28 days to go through all the different phases.  These are some of the phases; new moon, crescent moon, quarter moon, and full moon.
• Scientists have launched space shuttles and satellites to help them learn more about space. In 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon.
• The Moon’s surface is rocky and dusty and full of craters made by rocks that crashed into the Moon. The surface has mountains and valleys.
• Scientists have not found evidence of plants or animals (or aliens) on the Moon. However, scientists believe there might have been water on the Moon.

Activity: Moon Phases Book  

1. Have the children cut the black lines of the circles and the word strips.
2. Have the children glue “Moon Phases” on the top left corner of the first page.
3. Have them glue “New Moon” to the bottom of the first page.
4. Have them trace the full circle with a white crayon above the words, “New Moon”. 
5. Have the children glue the word, “Crescent” at the bottom of the next page.
6. Then have them glue the crescent shape above the word, “Crescent”.
7. At the bottom of the next page glue the words, “Quarter Moon, then glue the semi-circle in the middle.
8. In the last page have them glue the words “Full Moon” at the bottom and the circle in the middle.
9. Fold like the book.  Read the book together.

The Sun

The Sun

Objective:  Help students discover how the light and heat from the sun affects life on the earth.

Preparation:

• Find pictures of the sun and solar system.

• Find a globe or a ball to use as a globe.
• Find a lamp without a shade.  (A lamp that shines in all directions like the sun.)
• Print out template on yellow paper or card stock or make your own sun shaped frame.  (1 for each child.) sun template
• Trace circles onto clear contact paper about 1 inch diameter larger than the circle in the center of sun frame.  (2 for each child.)
• Painters tape or masking tape.
• Yarn or string for hanging the Sun catcher.
• Tear or cut yellow, orange and red tissue paper into about one inch squares.
• Suggested book:  Sun Up, Sun Down by Gail Gibbons   

Lesson:

Read the book then discuss the sun while showing pictures.

Some discussion ideas:

• The sun is the closest star (fiery ball of gas) to Earth and is at the center of our solar system.
• Its gravity holds all planets and objects in the solar system in orbit.
• The sun’s diameter is about 109 times that of the Earth.
• The sun’s energy drives the weather, and climate.
• The sun supports all life on Earth helping plants and animals grow.
• The sun shines down on the Earth, giving warmth and light.
• The sun makes the seasons. As the earth makes one complete rotation around the sun every year, the seasons on the earth change — from winter to spring to summer to fall and back to winter again.
• Our Earth is about 93,000,000 miles from the sun. To give you an idea about how far that is, suppose we could build a highway and drive a car to the sun. Let’s drive 65 miles per hour. It would take over 160 YEARS to get there!

Demonstrate how the Sun and Earth work together:

• Locate your city, state or country on the globe. using the lamp as the Sun, slowly rotate the globe and showing students how the Earth rotates, resulting in day and night. 
• You can also demonstrate seasons by holding the lamp next to the globe and explaining how the earth is tilted on its axis. Rotate the globe around the lamp showing how the Northern Hemisphere is tilted more toward the Sun which causes the sun to rise higher in the sky and set later causing longer days. The rays of the sun hit the earth more directly causing hotter weather or Summer.  Winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the Earth is tilted away from the Sun.  The Sun rises low in the sky, and sets earlier causing shorter days. The rays of the sun strike the ground more indirectly causing colder weather.

Activity: Help the children make a sun catcher.  Let them do as much as they are able:

• Cut out the sun and the circle in the center.
• Cut out the contact or self-laminating paper circles.
• Peel off the backing of one of the contact paper circles and tape onto table sticky side up with painters tape or masking tape.
• Stick frame onto the contact paper.
• Stick overlapping pieces of tissue paper on the contact paper.
• When completely filled with tissue paper, stick another circle of contact paper to the top, then remove tape.
• Use a hole punch or the end of a pencil to make a hole in the paper frame and thread a piece of yarn through and tie the ends together so that the sun catcher can be hung.

• 
  

  Stick frame onto the contact paper.

  

  Stick overlapping pieces of tissue paper on the contact paper.

   

  

  

  When completely filled with tissue paper stick another circle of contact paper to the top, then remove tape.

   

  

Lesson Plan Ideas for the Tt sound!

Letter T

Objective: To teach children to recognize the Tt sound.   More phonics ideas with our Lesson Plans. http://www.phonicsbyspelling.com/

 Preparation: 

• Have Phonics By Spelling books and music. (Optional)   http://www.phonicsbyspelling.com/
• Locate a clock that has the ticking sound.
• Collect some pictures with the Tt sound as the beginning sound and letter.  Have other pictures, too.
• Make the Tent book to do with children.  reader tent
• Have some smiley face stickers.
• Copy the Jump Rope Jingle, “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear” .
• Have their name cards.
• Consider teaching the two TH sounds soon.

Lesson:

If you have the Phonics By Spelling books, listen to 10 songs in Phonics By Spelling books including Tt, TH, and TH.  Touch each letter, picture, and spelling.  Enjoy the chants.

Replay the “Tt Ticking Clock” song.  Let each child listen to the ticking of a clock.   Say the sound together as a class.

Read the Jump Rope Jingle, “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear”.   Read the poem again and have the children stand and do the actions with the poem.

• Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,
• Touch the ground. 
• Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,
• Turn around. 
• Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,
• Show your shoe. 
• Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,
• That will do.
• Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,
• Run upstairs. 
• Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,
• Say your prayers. 
• Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,
• Blow out the light. 
• Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,
• Say goodnight.

Show pictures of things that have the Tt sound at the beginning, and some other pictures.   “Which pictures have the “Ticking Clock” sound?”  Write some words on sticky notes, and put on the wall card, the letter Tt, or a word wall. (to, ten, tent. etc.  –ed; tapped)

Take the children’s name cards and see who has a Tt in their name.  Talk about the TH sound if any of the children have it in their name.

Activities:

Make the Tent book with the children.  Have them put stickers on each page to go with the number on that page.  Read the book together.  Have them find the word “tent” on each page.  Show how “tent” has a “t” at the beginning and at the end.  Have them read the book to their family.

Lesson Plan Ideas for the Dd Sound

Letter Dd Sound

Objective:  Help children recognize the Dd sound and learn to write the letter Dd.

Preparation:

• We have great phonics pictures and songs for all 44 sounds to purchase on our website. http://www.phonicsbyspelling.com/
• Have a drum to make the “Drumming Drum” sound. (A toy drum works fine.)
• Collect some pictures with Dd sound at the beginning and other pictures.
• Decide on a worksheet or use this word family worksheet. word family dad words
• Copy the Nursery Rhyme, “Hey, Diddle, Diddle”.
• Have the children’s name cards.
• Have paint, paper, and paint shirts for finger painting.

Lesson:

Listen to some of the Phonics By Spelling songs including Dd.

Talk about the Dd sound.  Play a drum and have them make the Dd sound.  (Dd makes the sound of a drum.) Have them keep their chin closed and only their tongue moves in their mouth.  (Having the children hold their fist under their chin will help keep them from adding an “UH” to the consonants.)  You can have them hold their fist under their chin to help keep it closed.)

Read the Nursery Rhyme, “Hey Diddle, Diddle”:

• Hey, diddle, diddle!
•       The cat and the fiddle,
• The cow jumped over the moon;
•       The little dog laughed
•       To see such a sport,
• And the dish ran away with the spoon.

Which words in the Nursery Rhyme have the “Drumming Drum” sound?  Do you hear the sound at the end of any of the words?

Show pictures and decide if the pictures has the Dd sound in it.

Activities:

• Do a worksheet.  If you use the worksheet on the blog.  Have the child rewrite the word, then draw a picture of the word.
• Review how to form the letters by finger painting.  Have each put on a paint shirt.  Have them write their name on the paper with a crayon.  Have them pick one hand to be in the paint and one hand to hold the paper.  (It is nice to have trays to put the paper on for painting, then it is easy to take the tray to the sink for clean up.)  Have them spread the paint on the paper.  Demonstrate how to make a letter with a finger in the paint.  Have them draw the letter.  When your finished let them make a picture in the paint.  It works good to put foam soap on their hands and have them rub them while they are waiting to wash their hand.  It is good to have an adult helping them wash their hands and taking off the paint shirts.  (It is fun to cut the painting into a shape such as cutting a pumpkin out of orange.)
• A follow up lesson might be to talk about Dairy food and make a Milk Shake.
• More phonics ideas from Phonics By Spelling.   http://www.phonicsbyspelling.com/