Methinks that Something Indeed Be Rotten In the State of Denmark...

From my perspective, the most important part of this story is that I did not get to sleep until 5:00 this morning. But I get ahead of myself...

Yesterday was drama class with the home school kids--we're re-interpreting the myth of Perseus and Medusa. Many important life lessons to be learned via a trot across the boards: the supporting cast member can oft be a rewarding role...when individuals come together to create, the whole is often greater than the sum of its parts...if your mom has just married your uncle two brief months after your dad's untimely death, maybe cut the crazy schtick long enough to send your girl friend a card and a bouquet of violets...

Scene: car ride to drama class. Mother explaining to son the younger that he needs to stick to the script and not spend quite so much time ad-libbing because it disrupts the rhythm of his scenes, and, in certain circles, is known as "hogging the stage."

mother:
Quit the ad-libbing. Stick to the script. Nobody likes a stage hog. Yadda yadda.

son:
But I want to make people LAUGH! [eyes tear up]

mother:
I get that! But you're best bet is still to STICK TO THE SCRIPT. Use a funny voice! Do something funny with your body. Look, the Oracle of Delphi is a GREAT PART. You're spooky! You tell the FUTURE because you sit in a cloud of hypnotizing gas all day long! People think the GODS talk through YOU! This is really. good. stuff!

son:
[to himself] I SHOULD be able to do something with hypnotizing gas...[looks at his older brother, waits a beat, mutters] hmmmph, you'd think HE'D be able to tell the future...



In keeping with this foray into the dramatic, as a family, we watched The Reduced Shakespeare Company's The Complete Works of William Shakespeare last evening--because, really, what better way to instruct on the magic of dramatic theatre (pronounced: THEE-uh-tah) than via the Bard, himself?

The upshot being that Ben laughed so much...and with such...tectonic force...that I think he made himself nauseous. (Now in theatrical release: You'll LAUGH! You'll CRY! You'll...BLOOOOUH! BLOUUOOGH-BLUH-BLUHHHHHHH!). Later that night, (BLUHHH!) the husband and I heard him moaning volubly (stoicism apparently being THE ONE RECESSIVE GENE NOT DANGLING PRODIGIOUSLY FROM OUR COLLECTIVE FAMILY TREE).

So I'm gonna 'workshop' this next scene with you. I, a mere mortal woman, am with my children ALL DAY. And then, because they by the grace of God actually seem to require LESS SLEEP than I, am also with them ALL NIGHT. I love and adore my children. But sometimes? At the end of the day? I just. don't. have. words. left. Any. I like to think of this not so much as complete mental and physical exhaustion, or, as it might justifiably be called in some lesser social circles, sheer orneriness...so much as SATISFACTION IN A JOB WELL DONE.

Energy and for that matter, compassion, were apparently at ebb tide. Because I greeted the sound of moaning misery emanating at 2:30 in the morning from the boys' room with an incredibly dismissive, "Gohd! He'll be fine!" This aimed at the husband, who was fussing about as if SOMEBODY should get up and check on the child. I mean: what can you do? You can't vomit FOR the kid, right? And I was just finding out how Fermina Daza and Florentino Ariza first meet, after looking longingly at Love in the Time of Cholera on my nightstand for the last three months...

Anyway--OF COURSE--these words, in a just world to be inscribed on my headstone once I pass on, were of course immediately followed by the distinctive peripatetic patter of the eldest son dashing to the bathroom before erupting with what I now like to think of as "THE SPLOOSH HEARD ROUND THE WORLD."

"Wow!" I told him, honestly impressed. "Not only did you make it to the toilet--you threw your retainers in the sink first before you got sick. You're awesome!"

And thus, another day ends. Adieu! Adieu!

Curtain close.

4th Iteration of Email to Gov. Spitzer: Getting Close to Done

I am a native Long Islander with two sons--an 11 year old dually-diagnosed with PDD-NOS (autistic spectrum disorder) and anxiety, and an 8 year old dually- diagnosed with ADHD and an autoimmune disorder called Hyper IgE Syndrome. I also happen to be a straight-A graduate student at Long Island University's School of Education, four classes short of a degree in elementary and special education.

I began home schooling both children last year after my younger son (whose diagnoses, according to research appearing in peer-reviewed scientific journals, is prone to both bullying [ADHD] and long-bone breakage [Hyper IgE]) was physically attacked two days consecutively by another student. These attacks ultimately resulted in bruising around the neck and the small of the back.

While the school's nurse called me both days to report what had transpired, the elementary school's principal would not return my concerned phone calls until days after I had subsequently placed a phone call with the superintendant of the P-M School District. Even after I explained to the school secretary that I would not be sending my children back to school until I had a verbal guarantee on my child's physical safety, the principal initially continued to ignore my calls. When she ultimately deigned to call, the principal opened our conversation by stating that she "could not GUARANTEE that my child would always be safe."

I am not paraphrasing that last quote.

At this point, my crisis of confidence in the public system was enough to overcome any concerns I might have had about home schooling. I will add: since we've begun home schooling, my older son has made great strides toward overcoming his severe math anxiety and my younger son has graduated to reading chapter books independently. What is more, both children are learning how to overcome the executive-functioning deficits that accompany their respective disabilities--due in large part to the extra one-on-one attention they are receiving.

This year, as home schoolers, both of my children were receiving social skills classes in their respective public schools, in accordance with their IEPs. Now, however, this service is about to abruptly end, due to a new, extremely-narrow interpretation of the federal IDEA legislation from the Board of Regents and NYS Ed. Dept. This new interpretation states that IDEA funds can only be used on public and privately schooled students, not on home schooled students.

My feeling is that the public school system, as it now exists, is not capable of providing my children with the level of care, attention and pedagogical scrutiny they require.

I am not a zealot. I am a concerned parent, who at great personal and financial sacrifice, is trying to provide her two exceptional children with the tools needed to become life-long learners and independent, creative problem-solvers capable of living their lives to the fullest their capabilities allow. I am of the belief that the state simply cannot provide services to all of the children who, with the recent rise in accurate disability-diagnostics, deserve them--not without making sweeping changes to how it collects and spends its funds.

This act by the NYS Ed. Dept. (revoking services to home schooled IEP kids) feels like a slap in the face for families whose financial and emotional resources are already spread thin to breaking. I would like to see Mr. Spitzer introduce legislation to protect the rights of special- education home-schooled students here in New York.

With regards to special education services received by home schoolers, this could be done in two ways:

1. By revising the current interpretation of the 2004 IDEA legislation (IDEA does not STATE that New York CANNOT provide services to home schoolers, it simply does not address home schoolers in New York at all, because New York does not legally identify home schooled children as "privately schooled," as is the case in many other states, including California). This option would require no further legal action on the state's part.

2. Alternatively, Mr. Spitzer could introduce legislation (that, given the political clout of the teacher's union, may or may not pass, but would at least open a forum for discussion on the topic) legally identifying home schooled children in New York as "privately schooled."

Personally? I'm hoping for option number 2!

Thank you for your time.
Andrea Sz

Picture #1: Home schooled kids at a "Wagons West" presentation at Stony Brook's Long Island Museum that gave students a "first-hand," "hands-on" lesson on the rigors endured by 19th century American pioneers.

Picture #2: Drama class with other home schoolers--reinterpretation of the myth of "Perseus and Medusa."

Picture #3: "What Have I Read Lately?" class with other home schoolers.

Why I Home School...Well, One of the Reasons...

Been quiet, right? But here's a very worthwhile Wall Street Journal article on the fickle financial forces of special ed., and, right behind it, a very complete thesis on the pros and cons of neurodiversity as presented by my all-time fave indie mag, Brain, Child.

The WSJ article, in particular, was interesting because it specifically dealt with the school district of Greece, New York--the school system that was in the news last year when a 17 year old autistic boy named Jason McElwain scored 20 points in the last four minutes of a varsity basketball game. McElwain had been the team's equipment manager. Team members had begged that the student get an opportunity to play in an actual game before he graduated--success beyond anyone's wildest dreams ensued. At the time, the media presented the event as an inclusion success story.

But here's the seamy underbelly of the mainstreaming philosophy:

Special-education budgets plummeted, too. Between the 1998-99 and 2004-05 school years, Greece reduced its spending on programs for disabled students by 26%, to $13.1 million from $17.6 million. Spending on special education dropped to 8% from 15% of total expenditures.

Upset at what they describe as the district's increasing refusal to provide services, a group of parents began meeting and comparing notes. They suspected that the district was effectively mainstreaming by simply capping the number of students eligible for services. Some children who were classified as special-education students were declassified and placed in regular classrooms with little or no additional help.

This kind of info...it's like Christmas coming early, ain't it?

Born in Babylonia: He Gave his Life to Tourism...

A synopsis of our recent King Tut experience--as lifted near-verbatim from a note to a friend...

We stayed at the Loew's Philadelphia at 12th and Market (least expensive hotel with a King Tut Package, pool for the boys, and decent accessibility). Really cool-beautiful design: all streamlined and art-deco modernist. NICE!

But:

My dad has arthritis/joint-deterioration/swelling issues. He walks with the help of a cane but can't stand for extended periods and really can't *walk* all that far. Oh. And would BURN SLOWLY IN THE ETERNAL FIRES OF HELL before he sat down in a wheelchair...

Add to this:

My mom--who, when not *worrying* about my dad--spends her time either yelling at him or stridently begging the holy family for the strength to continue...

James--who doesn't walk down blocks so much as ROCKET down them...whether he knows where he's going or no...

and Ben--who likes to examine EVERY particle of every THING he passes. And perhaps construct a spontaneous ode in iambic pentameter to the more interesting images. But only after deep, deep consideration...and perhaps a voluble argument with his brother...who HEY! Seems to have run completely around the block and so is back with us!

So, for eating, we just ate at the sports bar across the street the first night (after sampling cocktails and listening to some light jazz at the bar attached to our hotel [SoleFood]). Note: we could not EAT at SoleFood because Ben would have had a heart attack and preached on the evils of over-fishing, man-created ecological imbalance and, in particular, the plight of (shrimp-eating) whale sharks...

The next morning, however, we ate at the Reading Terminal at the breakfast-y diner-ish landmarkish place whose name currently escapes me. Best sausage and bacon I've had in a loooooooooooooong time. And buttermilk pancakes. No scrapple. We walked around a bit inside before heading back to the hotel, checking out, and driving over to the Franklin Institute.

I got a pretty good look at the region of the city we were staying in because I DROVE THROUGH a good portion of it. Some of it twice. I was trying to make a left onto 12th (parking garage) while heading east on Market--but EVERY TIME I wanted to turn left...there would be a sign saying "NO TURNS". "What is it with this place?" thought I. Do you have to drive into Jersey to make a left hand turn?

But no. Those signs meant no RIGHT HAND TURNS...the wrong way...onto the one-way streets...

Ah, the perils of literalism...in my defense, my mom (next to me in the car at this point) was JUST as confused as I was...


Most memorable part of the Tut Exhibit: calling James name in an EXTREMELY CROWDED room and receiving no immediate reply. Repeatedly calling the full name of "the spare". Still, no answer. Pushing through people, beginning to worry...and finally spying what looked SUSPICIOUSLY TO ME like BUNNY EARS gamboling about behind a bust of Nefertiti. He'd squeezed into the space between the glass case and the wall. Thought the goers-by would appreciate a moment of humor in the midst of all the 'really old stuff'...

After that, I held the boy's hand. Isis, goddess of motherhood, would have been proud. We went through the exhibit more quickly than the rest of the family--yes... But, on the plus side, at no time during the subsequent afternoon did I develop a stuttering eye-tic. And, too, I was almost rendered incontinent with love when this same child ultimately went into the gift shop and asked to buy a small Egyptian head-dress to wear as part of his Halloween costume for this year. He does learn and appreciate. In his way...

James' Syllabus for the Year

JAMES’S SYLLABUS FOR THE YEAR

August
• Writing:
o Grade 3 Writing Curriculum Week by Week Lessons-Scholastic
• Social Studies:
o Rivers of the World (Core Knowledge)
o Looking at a Map Legend (Core Knowledge)
• Reading:
o Poetry Selections
o Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears (Picture Book)—Leo and Diane Dillon
o Anansi, The Spider (Picture Book)--Gerald McDermott
o Beautiful Blackbird (Picture Book)—Ashley Bryan
o Uncle Remus: Brer Rabbit—Julius Lester
o “Rivers” Kids Discover Magazine
o Minn of the Mississippi—Holling Clancy Holling
• Math:
o Unit I,—Math U SEE (Beta)
• Geography:
o Rivers, especially The Nile—www.worldatlas.com
• Science:
o Ecology, World We’re In (Core 339-344)
• Field Trip: King Tut Exhibit, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Movie: Raiders of the Lost Ark


September
• Writing:
o Grade 3 Writing Curriculum Week by Week Lessons-Scholastic
• Social Studies:
o Bill & Pete Go Down the Nile
o I Wonder Why Pyramids Were Built
o Mummies Made in Egypt—Aliki
• Reading:
o Festival of Freedom: Story of Passover—Maida Silverman
o Moses in the Bulrushes—W. Hutton
o Hundredth Name(Picture Book)--Oppenheim
o Yussel’s Prayer(Picture Book)--Cohen
o Tales of the Old Testament (Audio)—read by Jim Weiss
• Math:
o Unit II, Lessons 7-14—Math U SEE (Beta)
• Geography:
o Middle East—www.worldatlas.com

• Science
o Scientific Method—habits of the scientific mind (shell lesson plan)
o Brain and Nervous System (Core Knowledge)
o The Brain: What it is, What it Does—Bruun & Bruun
o Hands-On Science Mysteries—James Robert Taris and Louis James Taris
• Movie: Fiddler on the Roof
• Field Trip: The Cloisters Museum


October
• Writing:
o Grade 3 Writing Curriculum Week by Week Lessons-Scholastic
• Social Studies:
o Ancient Greece—Core Knowledge: 92-98
• Reading:
o Greek Myths for Young Children—Marcia Williams
o Trojan Horse: How the Greeks Won the War—Marcia Williams
o Wings—Jane Yolen
o Athens vs. Sparta—Nov/Dec 96 Calliope Magazine
• Math:
o Unit III—Math U SEE (Beta)
• Geography:
o Ancient World Rome/Greece—www.worldatlas.com
• Science:
o Understanding the Metric System-- http://edhelper.com/metric_system.htm
o Skeletal & Muscular System (Core Knowledge)
o Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris
• Movie: Jason and the Argonauts
• Field Trip: Greek and Roman Galleries, Metropolitan Museum of Art

November
• Writing:
o Grade 3 Writing Curriculum Week by Week Lessons-Scholastic

• Social Studies:
o Ancient Rome—Core Knowledge: 88-114
• Reading:
o Myths from Ancient Greece & Rome—Core Knowledge: 47-56
o Classic Myths to Read Aloud—William Russell
o Pompeii: Kids Discover Magazine
o Pompeii: Buried Alive—Edith Kunhardt
o The First Thanksgiving—Jean Craighead George
o Squanto and the First Thanksgiving—Joyce Kessel
o Comets, Asteroids, and Meteors—Dennis Fradin
o Our Solar System—Seymour Simon
o Space---Ian Ridpath
• Math:
o Unit IV—Math U SEE (Beta)

• Science:
o Astronomy as it relates to the myths: Stars: A New Way to See Them—H. A. Rey
o Astronomy: Core Knowledge (320-333)
o Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris
• Field Trip: Socrates Sculpture Park, Long Island City


December
• Writing:
o Grade 3 Writing Curriculum Week by Week Lessons-Scholastic
• Social Studies:
o Early Explorers in North America (130-139)
• Reading:
o The Apple and the Arrow: The Legend of William Tell—Buff
o People of the Breaking Day—Marcia Sewall
o Christopher Columbus: From Vision to Voyage—George Ancona\
o Exploration & Conquest: The Americas after Columbus: 1500-1620
• Math:
o Review & Final—Math U SEE (Beta)
• Geography:
o Europe—www.worldatlas.com
• Science:
o Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris
o Sound and Hearing—Core 315-318
• Miracle at 34 th St.
• Field Trip: New York City at Christmastime

January
• Writing:
o Grade 3 Writing Curriculum Week by Week Lessons-Scholastic
• Social Studies:
o English Colonies in N. America/American Indians (Core)
• Reading:
o The Story of William Penn—Aliki
o The Pilgrims of Plimouth—Marcia Sewall
o If You Lived in Colonial Times—Ann McGovern
o If You Sailed on the Mayflower—Ann McGovern
• Math:
o Unit I,—Math U SEE (Gamma)
• Geography:
o North America—www.worldatlas.com
• Science:
o Light & Vision (Core)
o Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris


February
• Writing:
o Grade 3 Writing Curriculum Week by Week Lessons-Scholastic
• Social Studies
o The Vikings: Raiders & Traders (Core)
• Reading:
o The People Could Fly—Virginia Hamilton
o Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Man Who Changed Things—Carol Greene
o A Picture Book of Rosa Parks—David Adler
o The Story of Ruby Bridges—Robert Coles
o Mythology: Gods, Heroes & Tricksters from Scandinavia (Core)
• Math:
o Unit II—Math U SEE (Gamma)
• Geography:
o United States—www.worldatlas.com
• Science:
o Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris

• Movie: Raisin in the Sun
• Field Trip: Studio Museum in Harlem

March
• Writing:
o Grade 3 Writing Curriculum Week by Week Lessons-Scholastic
• Social Studies
o American History—Core (120-129)
• Reading:
o Mexican Folktales From the Border—Riley Aiken
o Iroquois Stories: Heroes & Heroines, Monsters & Magic—Joseph Bruchac
o Learning About Literature—Core (58)
o Sayings & Phrases—59-62
• Math:
o Unit III—Math U SEE (Gamma)
• Geography:
o South America—www.worldatlas.com
• Science:
o Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris
• Field Trip: Met—Art of the Spanish Americas

April
• Writing:
o Grade 3 Writing Curriculum Week by Week Lessons-Scholastic
• Reading:
o Klara’s New World—Jeanette Winter
o The Lotus Seed—Sherry Garland
o Molly’s Pilgrim—Barbara Cohen
o Peppe, The Lamplighter—Elisa Bartone
o Silver at Night—Susan Bartoletti
• Math:
o Unit IV—Math U SEE (Gamma)
• Geography:
o World—www.worldatlas.com
• Science:
o Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris
• Field Trip: Lower East Side Tenement Museum
• Movie: Avalon
• Movie: I Remember Mama

May
• Writing:
o Grade 3 Writing Curriculum Week by Week Lessons-Scholastic
• Social Studies:
o Civilizations in Asia—Core (2nd Grade) 97-112
• Reading:
o The Arabian Nights—Brian Alderson
o Ali Baba & the Forty Thieves—Walter McVitty
o Just So Stories (selections)—Rudyard Kipling
• Math:
o Review and Finale—Math U SEE (Gamma)
• Geography:
o Asia—www.worldatlas.com
• Science:
o Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris
• Field Trip: International Center of Photography
• Movie: Stolen Childhoods

June
• Writing:
o Grade 3 Writing Curriculum Week by Week Lessons-Scholastic
• Social Studies:
o Review
• Reading:
o Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces, Messes…--Kathleen Krull
o Round Buildings, Square Buildings and Buildings that Wriggle Like Fish—Philip Isaacson
o Tar Beach—Faith Ringgold
o Faith Ringgold—Robin Montana Turner
o John Muir: Man of the Wild Places—Carol Greene
• Math:
o Review, if necessary
• Geography:
o review—www.worldatlas.com
• Science:
o Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris
o What were your favorite experiments from this year? Why?
• Movie: Miracle Worker
• Field Trip: Fun day in New York/Central Park.

Quiet, Right? Look here!

Ben contributes money saved from tooth fairy and lemonade stands to Riverhead Foundation affiliated with Atlantis Marine World. Total contribution (given in Boy Scout popcorn can in cold, hard cash) exceeds $60.

BEN’S SYLLABUS FOR THE YEAR
(Created by his mom with help from E. D. Hirsch's Core Knowledge series and Books to Build On.)

August
• Writing Theme:
Years from now: what will I remember from my experiences this summer?
• Social Studies:

• Deserts

• Plants and Animals of the Deserts (Core Knowledge: 75-81)

• Reading:

• Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters (Picture Book)—John Steptoe

• Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears (Picture Book)—Leo and Diane Dillon

• Anansi, The Spider (Picture Book)--Gerald McDermott

• Abiyoyo (Picture Book)—Pete Seeger

• Beautiful Blackbird (Picture Book)—Ashley Bryan

• The People Who Could Fly: American Black Folktales—Virginia Hamilton

• Math:

• Unit I, Lessons 1-6—Math U SEE (Gamma)

• Geography:

• Africa—www.worldatlas.com

• Field Trip: King Tut Exhibit, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Movie: Raiders of the Lost Ark


September
• Writing Theme:

• Why do you think that God is important?

• Language Arts

• Nonfiction Passages with Graphic Organizers—Scholastic

• Follow Directions & Learn--Scholastic

• Social Studies:

• “Judaism & Christianity”—Core Knowledge, 83-90

• How Do You Spell God? (Nonfiction)—Marc Gellman &Thomas Hartman (The God Squad)

• Reading:

• Buddha (Picture Book)—Susan Roth

• Parables(Picture Book)—Tomie DePaola

• Hundredth Name(Picture Book)--Oppenheim

• Yussel’s Prayer(Picture Book)--Cohen

• Tales of the Old Testament (Audio)—read by Jim Weiss

• Math:

• Unit II, Lessons 7-14—Math U SEE (Gamma)

• Geography:

• SW Asia—www.worldatlas.com

• Science

• Scientific Method—habits of the scientific mind (shell lesson plan)

• Galileo (biography)—Leonard Everett Fisher

• Hands-On Science Mysteries—James Robert Taris and Louis James Taris

• Movie: Jesus Christ, Superstar
• Field Trip: The Cloisters Museum


October
• Writing Theme:

• What is beauty? Why do I find things beautiful?

• Language Arts

• Nonfiction Passages with Graphic Organizers—Scholastic

• Follow Directions & Learn--Scholastic

• Social Studies:

• Ancient Greece—Core Knowledge: 92-98

• Reading:

• Myths & Stories—Core Knowledge: 25-45

• Children’s Homer—Padraic Colum

• Athens vs. Sparta—Nov/Dec 96 Calliope Magazine

• Math:

• Unit III, Lessons 15-20—Math U SEE (Gamma)

• Geography:

• Ancient World Rome/Greece—www.worldatlas.com

• Science:

• Understanding the Metric System-- http://edhelper.com/metric_system.htm

• Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris

• Art:

• “Classical Art”—Core Knowledge (172-174)

• Movie: Jason and the Argonauts
• Field Trip: Greek and Roman Galleries, Metropolitan Museum of Art

November
• Writing Theme:

• What is heroism?

• Language Arts

• Nonfiction Passages with Graphic Organizers—Scholastic

• Follow Directions & Learn--Scholastic

• Social Studies:

• Ancient Rome—Core Knowledge: 100-105

• Reading:

• Myths & Stories—Core Knowledge: 25-45

• Classic Myths to Read Aloud—William Russell

• Great Lives: Medicine (biography)—Rob Curtis

• Math:

• Unit IV, Lessons 21-30—Math U SEE (Gamma)

• Science:

• Astronomy as it relates to the myths: Stars: A New Way to See Them—H. A. Rey

• Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris

• Art:

• “Medieval” Art—Core Knowledge (176-180)

• Movie: Spartacus
• Movie: Camelot
• Field Trip: Socrates Sculpture Park, Long Island City


December
• Writing Theme:

• Which is more helpful to mankind: science or religion?

• Language Arts

• Nonfiction Passages with Graphic Organizers—Scholastic

• Follow Directions & Learn--Scholastic

• Social Studies:

• The Enlightenment—Core Knowledge: 106-109

• Reading:

• The Universe for the Beginner—Patrick Moore

• Quotes: Descartes, Hobbes, Jefferson, B. Franklin, Newton, Galileo

• Math:

• Review & Final—Math U SEE (Gamma)

• Geography:

• Europe—www.worldatlas.com

• Science:

• Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris

• Art:

• “Renaissance” and “Neoclassical” Art—Core Knowledge (180-190)

• Movie: 1776
• Field Trip: New York City at Christmastime

January
• Writing Theme:

• When is it right to go to war to create change?

• Language Arts

• Nonfiction Passages with Graphic Organizers—Scholastic

• Follow Directions & Learn--Scholastic

• Social Studies:

• French Revolution & Romanticism—Core Knowledge: 111-120

• Reading:

• The French Revolution—Adrian Gilbert

• Math:

• Unit I,—Math U SEE (Delta)

• Geography:

• North America—www.worldatlas.com

• Science:

• Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris

• Art:

• “Romantic” and “Rococo” Art—Core Knowledge

• Movie: Tale of Two Cities
• Field Trip: Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum

February
• Writing Theme:

• In an ideal society, how should workers be treated?

• Language Arts

• Nonfiction Passages with Graphic Organizers—Scholastic

• Follow Directions & Learn--Scholastic

• Social Studies:

• Industrialism, Capitalism, Socialism—Core Knowledge: 122-130

• Reading:

• Marie Curie: Brave Scientist—Keith Brandt

• Read aloud: 1984

• W E B Du Bois and Racial Relations—Seamus Cavan

• Math:

• Unit II—Math U SEE (Delta)

• Geography:

• United States—www.worldatlas.com

• Science:

• Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris

• Art:

• “Realism”—Core Knowledge

• Movie: Raisin in the Sun
• Movie: On the Waterfront
• Field Trip: Studio Museum in Harlem

March
• Language Arts

• Nonfiction Passages with Graphic Organizers—Scholastic

• Follow Directions & Learn--Scholastic

• Social Studies:

• Latin American Independence—Core Knowledge: 132-141

• Reading:

• Jose De San Martin, Latin America’s Quiet Hero—Jose Fernandez

• Spanish South America—May/June Calliope Magazine

• Living in South America—Chantal Henry Biabaud

• Simon Bolivar: Latin American Liberator—Frank de Varona

• Math:

• Unit III, Lessons 15-20—Math U SEE (Gamma)

• Geography:

• South America—www.worldatlas.com

• Science:

• Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris

• Art:

• “Latin Artists”

• Movie: Evita
• Field Trip: Met—Art of the Spanish Americas

April
• Writing Theme:

• What do you think the experience was for immigrants?

• Language Arts

• Nonfiction Passages with Graphic Organizers—Scholastic

• Follow Directions & Learn--Scholastic

• Social Studies:

• Immigration to the US—Core Knowledge: 142-148

• Reading:

• Immigrant Kids—Russell Freedman

• Math:

• Unit IV—Math U SEE (Delta)

• Geography:

• World—www.worldatlas.com

• Science:

• Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris

• Field Trip: Lower East Side Tenement Museum
• Movie: Avalon
• Movie: I Remember Mama

May
• Writing Theme:

• How did photography affect politics and law?

• Language Arts

• Nonfiction Passages with Graphic Organizers—Scholastic

• Follow Directions & Learn--Scholastic

• Social Studies:

• Industrialization & Urbanization—Core Knowledge: 92-98

• Reading:

• Read aloud: Hard Times—Charles Dickens

• Kids at Work: Lewis Hine and the Crusade Against Child Labor—Russell Freedman

• Math:

• Review and Finale—Math U SEE (Delta)

• Geography:

• US Features & Urban Centers—www.worldatlas.com

• Science:

• Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris

• Art:

• “Photography of Urbanization and Industrialization”—selections

• Field Trip: International Center of Photography
• Movie: Stolen Childhoods

June
• Writing Theme:

• Hope: Why should we feel hopeful about the future?

• Language Arts

• Nonfiction Passages with Graphic Organizers—Scholastic

• Follow Directions & Learn--Scholastic

• Social Studies:

• Reform—Core Knowledge

• Reading:

• Story of Booker T. Washington—Patricia McKissack

• The Story of the Haymarket Riot—Charnon Simon

• Math:

• Review, if necessary

• Geography:

• World—www.worldatlas.com

• Science:

• Hands-on Science Mysteries—Taris & Taris

• What were your favorite experiments from this year? Why?

• Movie: Miracle Worker
• Field Trip: Fun day in New York/Central Park.

Note to Self: Research Requirements for Creating a 503c Not-for-Profit...

For those who empathized over Phil the Tiger Shark's mysterious disappearance--you may be happy to discover that he is once again a part of our merry household...a cleaner Phil, a Phil that arrived in a box in the mail...from Ohio...with a packing slip and bubble wrap...

My point is: Phil is among us, again. Though mum's the word on whatever happened in Nashville...what happens to tiger sharks apparently stays with tiger sharks. Or sumthin...

Around the same time as this most-felicitous reappearance, we were over at the home of a particularly crafty friend who had MADE HER OWN LEMONADE STAND OUT OF A BROKEN PICNIC TABLE. She lives on the perfect street for such a commercial endeavor and an hour later, at one thin quarter per cup, the boys were collectively $14 dollars in the green.

Now, Ben had already decided that his share of the libation-booty would be donated to The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation. (This after we discussed the importance of GRASS ROOTS FUNDRAISING and where best an eleven year old boy might make a difference to creatures of the sea.) What was interesting, though, was how many of the other boys ultimately agreed to donate to Ben's pet project as well...social skills be damned! You have to respect the passion and knowledge my son brings to the table when he is interested in something (ten years later, I am beginning to see the positive side to all of that passionate emotion and energy that toddler of mine possessed!). All the children involved had seen Ben running down Maple Avenue behind every car that passed, shouting:

"Do you care about the health of our oceans?!? Do you want your grandchildren to be able to see dolphins someday or are you willing to see dolphins GO THE WAY OF THE DODO?!? Do you UNDERSTAND THAT YOUR HEALTH IS CONNECTED TO THE HEALTH OF OUR OCEANS??????? THEN DON'T BE A DODO!!! BUY SOME LEMONADE!!!"

You could see it on the faces of his business partners: THAT is a kind of lunacy that I cannot duplicate, but can RESPECT!

The only financial holdout was James, his own brother, who wanted to put his $2 towards a launching Poke-ball.

"Dodo! Dodo! Dodo!" Ben hissed periodically for the rest of the evening...


Cue: our dinner table, a couple of evenings later.

"I want to make more money for the Riverhead Foundation," my son told me excitedly. "After dinner, can we build our own lemonade stand?"

"Exhausting as that sounds," I answered brightly, "no!"

(If it weren't so irritating, I would be daily touched by my children's near bottomless well of belief in my many abilities...)

But then the wheels started turning. "What about this?" I asked. "You've been working on creating a storybook of your pictures of Phil and Hamtoro. What if we had ten turned into books through iPhoto (the little books are only about $5 apiece) and we try to SELL THEM as a fundraiser? And then, we could send the profits from your books to The Riverhead Foundation (which would require some math)! AND! We could count this as part of your school requirements for art, science and technology!"

I will do just about ANYTHING to avoid manual labor...