This year has brought a lot of cyber school changes that have proved difficult for many families. For example several online schools now require the children to attend live sessions with a certified teacher in addition to completing their lessons and assignments. The benefit of this is that the children get the chance to work with a teacher who can assist their understanding and check to make sure that they are grasping the material and making progress. This also gives the children a chance to work with the other students and make friends with their classmates. The big drawback however is that making this required rather than optional is creating a problem for families who do not do school work during those hours. I interviewed one mother who said that she works as a nurse and her schedule varies so much that it was a deciding factor in homeschooling her daughter. She felt that providing education at home would give her the flexibility she needed with work. However now that her daughter has to be online at certain times, she is no longer able to get the hours she needs at work or she has to hire a babysitter who may not be able to handle her daughter's lessons during class time. Another major issue is that most cyber school require in person assessments several times a year. I spoke with a family recently who said that they were told only two days before one of these assessments and they had to drive nearly three hours to the testing site. When they got there their child had to wait another two hours until it was his turn to do the assessment. These are just some of the major challenges that parents are facing this year. In light of these recent events the Home School Cyber School Alliance is working to provide an advocacy service where they will act as a neutral mediator between schools and parents to work through these solutions and find solutions that benefit all parties involved.
Whether you are a new student to cyber school education or an old pro there are a few things you need to do to prepare for the all important first day of school. First off make sure that you have a copy of your school's schedule including the start date, vacation days and exam information if it is available. These things can often be confusing as most cyber schools allow students to work ahead giving them access to lessons before school and during vacation times. This gives the appearance of a regular school day but you will not be allowed to enter attendance. Knowing ahead of time when exam dates are is an advantage for parents who need to arrange their schedules. Also you need to get to know your school's policies including attendance, etiquette and lesson completion. For example some school require that students work with a teacher online in addition to completing their daily plan, while others are more flexible in this area. Remember to take your time and work through each lesson. It may seem overwhelming at first but you can do it. If you get stuck you can contact your teachers for help or feel free to contact the Home School Cyber School Alliance. We offer professional online tutoring for both students and parents for only $5.00 per hour as opposed to the $20 to $50 that for profit companies charge. As a nonprofit our fees only go to help cover operating costs. We do this simply to benefit the students.
OK the school year is getting ready to start and many new families to the world of online education may be a tad bit overwhelmed, particularly if you are using public online schools. The amount of work your child is expected to accomplish each day can be a lot but it will really help your child to blossom academically. So here are some tips for success in each subject.
1. Make sure you are completing all of the lessons in your daily plan each day or you will fall behind.
2. If you are having trouble keeping up consider doing a couple hours of work on the weekends. You cannot add attendance but you can work on your child's lessons.
3. Start early to get ahead. Many families choose to start their child's lessons before the official start of school, again you cannot add attendance but getting a head start really helps for harder days, days that you are falling behind or to lesson the required work load.
4. Plan your subjects like a teacher. The K12 program is excellent at guiding you through each step but if you do your subject in a specific way your child will learn the routine and it will become easier as you go.
For example:
Math Class Third Grade
10 minute skill review (ie math facts, or practice from previous lesson)
30 minutes instructional period (the K12 online portion or an explanation and examples from you)
20 minutes independent study (this is the time for your child to work on her own, completing assignments, doing worksheets or practice exercises.)
Keep organized and stay calm. Take on one subject at a time and if yo or your child start to get overwhelmed, take a break. Physical activity or playtime is a great way to refresh. Think of it as recess. As always if you need help the staff at the Home School Cyber School Alliance offer low cost ($5 per hour or less!) tutoring to both students and parents!
http://homeschoolcyberschoolalliance.org
1. Make sure you are completing all of the lessons in your daily plan each day or you will fall behind.
2. If you are having trouble keeping up consider doing a couple hours of work on the weekends. You cannot add attendance but you can work on your child's lessons.
3. Start early to get ahead. Many families choose to start their child's lessons before the official start of school, again you cannot add attendance but getting a head start really helps for harder days, days that you are falling behind or to lesson the required work load.
4. Plan your subjects like a teacher. The K12 program is excellent at guiding you through each step but if you do your subject in a specific way your child will learn the routine and it will become easier as you go.
For example:
Math Class Third Grade
10 minute skill review (ie math facts, or practice from previous lesson)
30 minutes instructional period (the K12 online portion or an explanation and examples from you)
20 minutes independent study (this is the time for your child to work on her own, completing assignments, doing worksheets or practice exercises.)
Keep organized and stay calm. Take on one subject at a time and if yo or your child start to get overwhelmed, take a break. Physical activity or playtime is a great way to refresh. Think of it as recess. As always if you need help the staff at the Home School Cyber School Alliance offer low cost ($5 per hour or less!) tutoring to both students and parents!
http://homeschoolcyberschoolalliance.org
As the start of the new school year approaches, it is time to start planning your child's schedule. Remember that homeschooling offers great flexibility but if you have chosen a cyber school option your child may have scheduled classes online with a teacher. Also many cyber schools require that the students log on by a certain time each day. Make sure your schedule meets these requirements and be prepared to adjust as necessary once school begins. Some tips for a successful school schedule include being consistent, planning around your families needs and taking your child's needs into consideration. If your child hates math but loves art, schedule them back to back so your child can be rewarded with a topic he or she enjoys. Don't forget recess. A break for physical activity can do wonderous for subjects later in the day. Also keep organized as this will help you more than you know. If you need any help setting up your schedule please visit http:/homeschoolcyberschoolalliance.org. We will be happy to assist you!
Hello parents! Many of you may be considering homeschooling for your children but are unsure of how to get started. Well did you know that cyber school is a home school option with many great benefits? Most cyber schools are FREE online public schools. That's right, FREE. Plus your materials are included, most students even get a free computer to use and internet reimbursement checks! If you are interested in this option you can research free online schools in your state or contact the Home School Cyber School Alliance and one of our workers will give you information on the schools in your area, their reviews and even set you up with the numbers you need to get started. Cyber schooling is a great option for many families. You will still be in charge of your child's education but you will have a licensed teacher to help you along the way, provide online classes and the hassle of dealing with local schools for testing and curriculum approval is eliminated. So what about socialization, support in subjects not covered, or tutoring? Well the good news is that the Home School Cyber School Alliance offers many free and low cost services that can help you fill in these gaps as well. For more information or assistance in finding a free online school please visit http://homeschoolcyberschoolalliance.org today.
Today marks the anniversary of the call for Richard Nixon to be impeached following the Watergate scandal. This lesson is intended for high school students. The video clearing explains the Watergate break in and the political scandal that came shortly after. Highlights are on Richard Nixon's involvement and the views of the American public following the incident.
As the executive director of the Home School Cyber School Alliance I have found that there are many reasons why parents select homeschooling options for their children. Some of the most common reasons include a fear of bullying or school violence, disappointment with their child's current school, public school's inability to fully understand children with exceptional needs, worry about their child's emotional or behavioral development, fear that their child is falling behind in classes or a desire to put the family's personal faith as a guiding factor for education. There are many more reasons why parents select homeschooling but I would like to discuss the benefits of homeschooling and to present a couple of videos so that parents may understand what their child will gain in a home school environment. One of the major benefits is academic improvement. Children who are home schooled are on average two grade levels above their peers. The main reason for this is that the child receives one on one attention during their lessons. Parents are able to tell when their children are struggling and then work to facilitate their children's understanding of the material. Children can also work at their own pace in a home school environment. This allows children who are behind grade level the time and opportunity to catch up with their peers without the pressure of deadlines or added work. Children who are advanced are also at an advantage because they are able to extend their lessons to a level that is challenging and exciting without being bored or feeling frustrated that their class does not follow the same pace. Another great benefit is the connection to family. Children who learn from their parents have a stronger emotional bond and studies show that their emotional and behavioral development flourishes as a result. Plus home school schedules are flexible allowing time for family when work schedules do not accompany a traditional school day. There are even more advantages to homeschooling. But don't take my word for it. Check out these videos and as always feel free to contact the Home School Cyber School Alliance with any questions.
Simplifying Common Fractions Grades 3 and 4
This lesson is on simplifying or reducing common fractions.
This is a 3rd and 4th grade level exercise.
To
simplify a fraction you need to figure out the greatest number that can be
divided into both the numerator and the denominator equally.
Many children have trouble understanding that a
simplified fraction represents the same amount as the original fraction. To
illustrate this, it is often helpful to see the fraction as shaded parts.
Let’s look at an example…
This fraction shows that 4/8 of a circle is shaded.
Have your student count the number of parts shown in the circle. The total
number of parts including both the shaded and blank areas is the denominator of
the fraction. Then have your student count the number of shaded parts. The
shaded area is the numerator.
Now let’s look at simplifying the fraction. If we
divide both the numerator and the denominator by the number 2, we get the
fraction 2/4. This is shown below.
4/2=2 and 8/2=4
If we look
at the fraction for 2/4 we can see that the same amount of the circle is
shaded.
This fraction can be simplified further by dividing
both the numerator and the denominator by 2.
This gives
us the fraction 1/2. Again show your student that the same amount of the
fraction is shaded.
Simplifying using the
greatest common factor:
Factors are the numbers that multiply to get
another number. For example the natural factors of 6 are...1, 2, 3 and 6.
To
simplify a fraction we want to find the greatest common factor. This
will be the largest number that is a factor of both the numerator and the
denominator. So for the fraction 6/12, the greatest common factor is 6.
Therefore
6/12 can be simplified as 1/2.
Factoring numbers:
Sometimes
it is necessary to “factor” the numbers to find the greatest common factor. To
factor a number, write down all of the factors that can be used to make that
number. Sometimes it is necessary to take one factor at a time and break them
down into smaller parts.
For
example, to factor the number 42 we can begin by writing down 1 and 42 because
all numbers have themselves and 1 as factors. Then because 42 is an even number
we can divide by 2, which will give us the factors 2 and 21.
Now look
at the newfound factors and determine if they can be factored. The number 2 is
as small as it can get but 21 can be factored into 3, 7.
This means
that the numbers 3 and 7 are also factors of 42.
Now check
to see if these numbers can be broken down any further. 14 can be divided by 7,
which is already in the factor list and 6 can be factored to 2 and 3 which are
also in the list. So if written in numerical order, the factors of 42 are 1, 2,
3, 6, 7, 14, 21 and 42.
So if you
are trying to simplify a fraction like 12/42, you would factor 12 the same way
and then look for the greatest common factor between the two numbers. The
natural factors of 12 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 12. The greatest common factor for
both 12 and 42 is the number 6.
So to
simply 12/42 you would divide both the numerator and the denominator by 6. You
then get the simplified fraction 2/7.
Discuss
with your student the idea behind simplifying. Basically we want them to
understand that simplifying means to find the simplest or easiest answer. This
helps people to understand what portion a fraction truly represents. After all
1/2 is easier to understand than 16/32. You can even show that a large fraction
such as 16/32 can be reduced by dividing by the highest number. In this case
the highest number is 16.
Reducing larger numbers as an example can show
students why simplifying fractions is necessary and commonly asked for. You can
take this lesson further by discussing the reasoning of simplification and
having your students’ share their thoughts. Many students benefit from hand on
lessons such as making fractions out of construction paper or by using
commercial math manipulatives.
For your convenience here is a practice worksheet on
simplifying fractions. Remember the Home School Cyber School Alliance offers
free and low cost tutoring.
For more information visit
www.homeschoolcyberschoolalliance.org
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