Cleverly Changing Podcast

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Elle  0:09  

Elle and Miriam are two black homeschooling moms embarking on a self-defining journey. Listen in on conversations that will encourage you to be your authentic self while uplifting your spirit and motivating your inherent potential. They're defining what culture is for their families and want you to do the same. Bring your children along so they can meet the cleverly cultured kids. They're all for teaching the babies while they're young, adapting to the challenges of parenting, homeschooling, and being willing to learn the lessons that the children have to offer. It's all about uplifting one another and reclaiming your innate greatness.

Elle Cole  1:12  

It's now time for the word of the episode.

Elle Cole  1:17  

Keh means "to demonstrate" or "to teach" in Mende.

Elle Cole  1:36  

Hello, everybody. Welcome to another CleverlyChanging Podcast. I am one of your hosts I will call, and today we are talking about our second homeschool tip. Yes, we are getting back to the basics for those of you who are interested in learning more about homeschooling and teaching your children. Again, this podcast isn't just for homeschoolers but also for people who want to supplement their child's education. So today, we are talking about Tip number two, lesson plans. Now, if you're not a teacher, no worries. We are going to walk you through how to create a lesson plan and how to make it work for you. So first, I want to share that a lesson plan is important. If you want to organize and prepare information, it keeps you on track and focused. When creating a lesson plan, identify your subject, then research the concept your child needs to learn. So when I was homeschooling, I had to often reteach myself different subjects. So if it had been years since I had seen some of the math problems that I needed to teach to my kids. It wasn't a big worry. It just meant I had to utilize different resources so that I could refresh my memory. One of the tools I use to do that was YouTube, they have great tutorials where people will work out the problems, and you can practice. Also, if you are a bit hesitant about some subjects and you feel like, they are outside of my scope. No worries, you don't have to do it all personally. You can hire tutors, tap into your village, your resources, your support system, and even classes online. So there are multiple ways to ensure your child or children are getting a solid education.

Elle Cole  3:48  

for preschoolers, I feel like preschool and elementary school many of us can handle those areas fairly well on our own. And we should probably go back to thinking about the learning cells. And there are three learning styles I talked about last year. The first was auditory, the second visual, and the third kinesthetic or tactile. And when I was teaching my preschoolers, I often went to the library and got CDs or videos to reinforce those lessons. Kids learn so well through song. So even if you're not a singer, it doesn't mean that your kids don't have to have an opportunity to be exposed to new music, expose them, teach them, and sing with them, but you can also get CDs to sing along, especially if that's not your wheelhouse.

Elle Cole  4:53  

The other thing I encourage you to do is use apps like we are living in a wonderful day.

Elle Cole  5:00  

technology age where we have different resources at our disposal. And one of those resources is being able to type into apps. There are also educational programs like BrainPOP. I've always said that as one of my resources because it was one that I found easy to use. They often had supplemental resources to go along with it and even sample lesson plans. So that's why I highly recommend BrainPOP so much. There's also Khan Academy and many other resources. Visit the show notes page. And I will link to some of my favorite resources I use during my homeschooling.

Elle Cole  5:47  

For kinesthetic lessons, encourage your child to create a 3d model or take a field trip, so your child can see how the lesson appears in real life. A lot of kids, when you're using many different senses together, they're going to remember the information better. So you want them to be hands on to be able to look at different concepts from different perspectives. And that is what field trips can offer. So

Elle Cole  6:23  

I live in the DC, Maryland area, and we have a wealth of museums. The Smithsonian was just an area where we loved going to the different museums. They often offered classes and various resources. So wherever you live, there are definitely some educational resources in your area that you can take advantage of with your children.

Elle Cole  6:53  

So remember, when you are doing your lesson plans, I want to give you a few steps to keep in mind. So step one, research and write out the objectives. So research what your child should be learning. What does your state require? How much does your child already know? Then use all that information to write out the objective step to find out what your child needs to learn? So I just spoke about the need to look up the state requirements. So no, you don't have to ensure your children are at the same level as their peers. But keep in mind, if something were to happen, and you needed to put your child in school, you want to make sure that they're at least on par if they're going to be learning at

Elle Cole  7:54  

school or traditional school at some time. So you don't want to be so far removed that your child can't compete with other kids. Now with that said, don't use that as a crutch. If your child is already advanced and has already mastered areas in their grade level, by all means, move on, and teach them where they are. What I love about homeschooling the most is you're not competing against anyone. Your child is literally learning at his or her best ability, regardless of where anybody else is. So when you are teaching your child, keep that in mind. That is not what you love to do. How you learn best is really about the child, how they learn best and what their interests are.

Elle Cole  8:49  

So, our homeschool planner has a sample lesson plan for you. And what's interesting about this sample is if you look at our weekly lesson plan, there is an area that says stage one desired results. And it says objectives, standards, essential questions, factual knowledge, procedural knowledge, and conceptual knowledge. And I know that several of you have gotten the planner, and I want to break down what that all means. Because I feel like the language can be something that not all of us are used to. And I don't want anyone to get discouraged. Like, I don't even know what this is. So let me break it down for you just a little bit. So factual knowledge is where you assess what your child already knows.

Elle Cole  9:53  

So, I use for tools for assessment, Moby Max was one of the programs.

Elle Cole  10:00  

So low costs to free depending on, you know, what they're doing. When I used it, it was free, but I know things can change. And they had assessments IXL.com also does assessments for your child.

Elle Cole  10:17  

It is great to invest, and a program or software that will assess where your child is. Now keep in mind some children will have learning disabilities or learning challenges. 

Elle Cole  10:32  

it is important to know where your child is and what their capabilities are because sometimes, you may need to get additional resources for your child. If there are some learning challenges, some delays, or some other areas of concern, I encourage you to have your child tested, there is nothing to be ashamed of, there is every reason to go above and beyond to make sure your child is getting what he or she needs.

Elle Cole  11:06  

So when you're looking at factual knowledge, you're going through to make sure you know what your child knows the facts.

Elle Cole  11:18  

Next procedural knowledge that's really where they're applying the information that they've learned. Some kids are taking in things by memory, and they can recite everything to you. But they don't know how that's used in the real world. Or they may be unable to apply a certain formula and things like that. And you want to make sure that they're not just memorizing, they're also able to do and go the next step. When it comes to conceptual knowledge, that's where you're looking at the concepts that need to be learned. So that's when we go back to those state requirements. What are the general concepts that we have to teach our child, I'm going to give you some additional examples? So let's take the facts.

Elle Cole  12:17  

So for example, two times two is four. That's true, we all know that. That's a fact. So that would go under factual knowledge. Procedural knowledge is where you say two, plus two is four. So you can give your child two blocks are, and then add two more, or you can give them two balloons and then add two more. But the concept of adding putting two and two together will also make for is the application of that process being applied. So you want your kids understand that multiplication is just a quicker way to do addition. And so I just brought out those concepts that are being taught are the concept of addition. And multiplication

Elle Cole  13:19  

is also adding things together, which will increase. Overall, it will increase the sum. So that's what you want to make sure they understand in the process. And if they have questions, that's where you're putting the essential question. So as you're teaching your children, can you recognize what they are grasping and what they aren't? So, throughout that process, you want to make sure that you are writing questions that you're noting whether or not you have some areas of concern.

Elle Cole  13:58  

Okay, now in step three, where you lay out the information.

Elle Cole  14:06  

So in our weekly lesson plan in our planner, we have an area called performance task, pre-assessment, extensions, and considerations. And those words, again, aren't always words that we regularly use, but they're important. So performance tasks are the assignments you will give your kid pre-assessment. What is it that they already know? Will you give them a worksheet or assign other work for them to do online?

Elle Cole  14:43  

It doesn't always have to be math, either. You can use this with other subjects. And again, there will be a link to other resources on our show notes page, but extensions, how can you go further with this?

Elle Cole  15:00  

Lesson. So you can assign something in Khan Academy or a book. You can put additional math books there as well. So that would be, you know, an extensive resource that you're using. If you're using another, like an online program, you will also put that there. And considerations is for you to put areas where, you know, you have some concerns, some things have come up, and you're like, Hmm, let's consider, let's consider this, let's keep this in mind. And let me make a note of it. So you may need to be making assessments and writing notes about things that come to mind while teaching your child.

Elle Cole  15:57  

And step four is to organize the activities. So this is really where you're putting your activities, what you're going to have your kids do, and you're putting the materials you need. So don't just say, Oh, we're gonna do a project. What do you meet for those projects, what type of materials, and do you want to do it in advance so that if you're doing a science experiment, you want to make sure you have all of the resources and tools you need so that everything will be there, at your disposal and your child's disposal, because you don't want them to be missing something essential, and not be able to give that assignment 100%. The next thing number five is to practice and add challenging lessons. So I mentioned that you might have a child doing their work quickly. And you may notice, hmm, this material isn't challenging enough for my child. And so you may ask your friends, you may look in different books to see what supplemental resources you can add to ensure you are challenging your child. The next thing is you want to make sure that you're giving additional work to deepen that impression. Because sometimes, just because our child learns something once doesn't mean that it goes into their long-term memory. It will probably go into their short-term memory unless you reiterate that concept repeatedly over time. And so

Elle Cole  17:40  

keep that in mind that doing something once doesn't mean they have it forever. You often have to reiterate and bring up those concepts again. And if you see those concepts and other subjects, you know, give your child an opportunity to share how that parallels with what they're currently doing. Ask them to make sure those connections are being made. And lastly, Step six is to discuss and ask questions.

Elle Cole  18:14  

One of the best things about homeschooling is that you're giving your child a foundation for the love of learning. So let your child be inquisitive. It is no problem with questions, questions should be encouraged and celebrated it. So write down the questions and really make this whole experience fun.

Elle Cole  18:49  

So I want to go back kind of a little bit and explain performance tasks. Your performance tasks are your assignments. Your extensions are the way to bridge things with other subjects. pre-assessment is maybe giving a quiz to test your child's knowledge considerations. Is your child advanced and this area? Does your child need help? Are there areas of struggle?

Elle Cole  19:24  

One of the things that I noticed with my kids is that they didn't like

Elle Cole  19:30  

worksheets. And when I thought about my whole school experience, it revolved around worksheets and projects. And that wasn't my kids. So I had to learn how to rethink how I would assess their knowledge outside of worksheets. And what I ended up doing. We did some things through learning through play. And we would I would give them a quiz, but it wasn't a paper

Elle Cole  20:00  

quiz, we would talk it out by playing games sometimes, like if they were doing math and we were doing multiplication, I would take it outside in the backyard, and we would kick the soccer ball around while we threw out multiplication facts. So you have to bring in your creativity. This is a time for you to shine and for you to let your child thrive.

Elle Cole  20:25  

So, I also wanted to share that when you write out your lesson plans, remember

Elle Cole  20:35  

that you need to

Elle Cole  20:41  

be creative. And I know I'm talking about creativity, but I want to link things together. And what's coming to my mind right now is if you're cooking banana bread, and your recipe calls for two cups of all-purpose flour, then have your child add the cups of flour and count them as they add ingredients. Again, the key is just to be creative. You can use these lessons with washing clothes if your child is learning their colors, you can sort close with your kids, and often, you can incorporate things around the house that you have to do with your kids and teach them. There are just so many lessons around that you can work into your homeschool.

Elle Cole  21:32  

Next, talk to your child about what you're teaching, and discuss with them, especially the older kids, because you want to make sure that you're constantly building that connection with your child so that they understand that you're always willing to make time for them. I feel like as kids get older, especially in the teenage years, sometimes we just say oh, they're self-sufficient, and we pull away. But really, that's when our kids really need that heart-to-heart more than any other time because adolescence is so confusing. They're going through so many hormonal changes. And they just need to know that they're loved. And they need to be held and hugged and

Elle Cole  22:22  

just loved one, just like you did when they were toddlers, there are older, but it's that same person who is inside. Don't forget that.

Elle Cole  22:37  

And we talked a lot about creativity. But there are some unique ways that you can be teaching your child. Look on Pinterest, look on other forums, look in homeschool Facebook groups, other people are doing it. And so you don't have to reinvent the wheel. If you have friends or neighbors who are teachers, ask them, and they will let you know nobody is trying to hoard information from you. So be willing to ask if you need help. It is okay. None of us know everything. And all of us need help sometimes.

Elle Cole  23:21  

And I just want to say if you have questions about creating a lesson plan, don't hesitate to reach out to us. I will again put a sample lesson plan in the show notes. And I will share our planner that you can purchase we have a whole homeschool kit available for you to check out for you and your family. And I know that you can do this. So there are hundreds of 1000s of homeschoolers who have taught their children all the way through 12th grade who have gone on to succeed in life. So if you desire to homeschool for a long time, you can do it, and you don't have to do it alone. So I hope that you have found encouragement in this podcast. And I just I wish you the best for you and your family. All right. Bye now. And remember, if you want to see the show notes page, go to cleverlychanging.com Also, if you're interested in our homeschool kit, that is at cleverlychanging.com/shop You can follow us on Instagram at CleverlyChanging and at CleverlyChanging podcast on we are on YouTube as well at CleverlyChanging So connect with us get to know us we are here

Elle Cole  25:00  

For you as a resources resource, and if you want to be on the podcast, feel free to reach out. The easiest way is to go to

Elle Cole  25:10  

cleverlychanging.com, and you can see how to reach out to us and become a guest or send me an email at contact@cleverlychanging.com All right, I hope and I look forward to connecting with you all next week.

Elle Cole  25:31  

Bye for now