September
3, 2004
Hello
Oklahoma Homeschool Readers (Oklahoma Edition):
I
hope your school year is off to a good start! Let me know
if you have any questions about homeschooling. I want to add
a Q&A section to my monthly newsletters. I will answer
as many questions as I can.
Guess
what? My book is done! It's the first in a series (Red Dirt
Adventures) entitled, "The Moundbuilders" (Title
will be changed - but this is it for now). It's about two
kids who go back in a time machine to learn about the Oklahoma
moundbuilders. Great for those of you who are studying Oklahoma
History as well as those who just like to read to their kids.
This will be part of my new Oklahoma History curriculum that
I am currently rewriting.
In
the meantime, I'm going to get back to work on my website
and continue rewriting my Oklahoma History curriculum. Here's
what's in the newsletter this month:
What's
in This Newsletter:
What's
New on the Oklahoma Homeschool Website:
I've
made a few changes to the President/Elections unit so if you
printed it before September, you might want to check out the
changes. http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/PresElec.html
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Oklahoma
News:
If
you live near Stillwater, OK, and are looking for service-oriented
projects for your elementary-age children, check out Homeschool
Heroes. They meet Friday mornings from 9 - 10am to visit a
retirement home the first Friday of every month. They do other
acts of service on other weeks. (Examples: cleaning up a local
park, making cookies for firemen or police officers, volunteering
at an animal shelter, having a book drive for the library,
and helping the community at large as well as individual families
within the community). Contact Info: Email gardneracademy@hotmail.com
or go to the yahoo group, Homeschool_Heroes to find out more!
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Reading
Activities and Resources:
1.
Book Adventures (http://www.bookadventure.com/).
Here is a wonderful, free resource to encourage your children
to read! Book Adventure is a FREE reading motivation program
for children in grades K-8. Children create their own book
lists from over 6,000 recommended titles, take multiple choice
quizzes on the books they've read offline, and earn points
and prizes for their literary successes.
2.
Reading Resources: Download, print out, and use the free,
School-Home Reading Kit: Kindergarten Activities: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/CompactforReading/tablek.html;
First Grade Activities: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/CompactforReading/table1.html;
Second Grade Activities: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/CompactforReading/table2.html;
and Third Grade Activites: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/CompactforReading/table3.html
3.
For more reading tips, check out Teaching Reading: http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/reading.html
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State
History Activity Suggestions
-
Use
the FREE Student as Achivist Lesson Plan to encourage
your child to learn about state history. They will create
a web page about their state using primary sources. (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/98/local/intro.html)
Grades 5-12
-
George
Washington Lesson Plan. Consists of three lessons examining
George Washington's leadership in the French and Indian
War, at the Federal Convention, and as chief executive.
They are based on primary source documents from George
Washington Papers, 1741-1799. The lessons are intended
for secondary students, grades 8-12. (http://memory.loc.gov/learn/lessons/gw/gwintro.html)
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Geography
Resources
Zoom
into Maps: offers hundreds of historical maps -- maps showing
European exploration of the Americas; migration, population,
& economic activity; the growth of roads, railways, canals,
river systems, telephone systems, telegraph routes, &
radio coverage; landforms, recreational, & wilderness
areas; troop movements, battle routes, & campsites during
major U.S. military conflicts; & more. The collection
features a 2003 map of U.S. congressional districts. (LOC)
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/maps/index.html
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High
School/College Resources
Check
out the First Gov.USA website for some helpful information
on preparing your child for college, financial aid, career
planning, and study abroad. http://www.students.gov/STUGOVWebApp/index.jsp
and http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/Students/student.html.
Student
Budget Calculator: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/DirectLoan/BudgetCalc/budget.html
Have
a great new school year!
Cindy
Downes
OKLAHOMA HOMESCHOOL
Website: http:www.oklahomahomeschool.com
Email: cindy@oklahomahomeschool.com
Have
you seen The Checklist? It's a record keeper, a planning guide,
and a K-12 Scope and Sequence created for Christian Home Educators:
http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/checklist.html
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the following:
- General
Edition (out of state or
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- Oklahoma
Edition: your name, email address, and city
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