Toa's Homeschooling Goals

I have told Toa that this will be a painful, tortuous process....but that he won't feel it, because he is a zombie.

After protesting that he was NOT a zombie, he began to complain that I didn't have any spears or knives or swords or anything, so where was the pain? I told him that the pen was mightier than the sword. He wasn't impressed.

Here are Toa's goals for the upcoming school year.

Says he, "Why can't we just do regular stuff? Like two years ago?"

Reading goals.
"I just want something harder than last year."

Language:
"But I already speak the language! Why do I need to learn about English? I'm speaking English right now!"

Spelling:
"I just want to finish the book by the end of the year."

Writing:
"Can I only do that on Friday? Or how about Wednesday and Friday?"

Math:
"I don't even know what is in 4th grade math. What do you learn? Do you learn divisions? What is divisions?"

History, Geography, Social Studies:
"Where the first monkey lived."

Art:
"I want to draw, to be able to make, a paper monkey."

Music:
"I thought we were going to not do music. Do I have to do music? What about Sweetling's little piano book? Can I just do that?"

Bible:
"Can we just make it a mystery?"


Anything else?
"I think that's enough subjects for me!"

Oh, Science:
"Argh!"

Mommy's goals for Toa for the year.

Reading:
To become a stronger independent reader. To be able to have meaningful conversations about what he has read. To complete projects, such as diaromas, lap books. or timelines to help him think about and process the reading material utilizing other parts of the brain. To be able to recognize the main characters, the main problem, the key plot events, and the resolution of a story.

Language:
To begin to develop his understanding of the construction of language. To recognize complete and incomplete sentences. To pick out and understand the functions of some of the basic parts of speech.

Writing:
To make regular time for creative self expression through written language.

Math:
To review and practice the 1-5 multiplication tables and to introduce and learn the 6-9 tables. To review and master regrouping in addition and subtraction problems. To learn multiplication of two or three digit numbers with a single digit. To introduce division. To recognize simple fractions and to be able to add and subtract fractions with common denominators.

Logic and Reasoning:
To practice chess skills regularly and to learn the importance of wise chess openings. To practice solve word problems and logic puzzles.

History, Geography, Social Studies:
To have a basic understanding of the key events and central figures in modern American history. To understand what life was like through some of the times that helped form our modern nation. To learn tales of heroism through times of great evil or great hardship. To begin to understand why it is important to us to learn from history to help encourage us to stand up for justice for all people.

Art:
To experiment with differing medias and technique. To recognize the difference between abstract and realistic art and the many variations within each. To understand the effects of a constrained palette and understand what a monochromatic, analogous, and complementary color schemes are. To make use of a variety of lines, shapes, and forms. To understand the difference between a flat work, a relief, and a sculpture and to create pieces of art in each.

Music:
To learn the basics of sheet music including the staffs, the names of the notes on the scale, whole, half quarter notes, time signatures, and measures. To learn to read and play simple songs either on the recorder or on a keyboard.

Bible:
To have a basic understanding of the timeline and major events of the Old Testament and to understand how those books relate to one another. To continue to memorize and master memory verses in Awana.

Science:
To conduct experiments and complete hands on projects that help develop an understanding of the basic principles of physical science.

Monkeys:
Really? Because apparently no school year is complete without monkeys.