Wednesday, November 2, 2022

FREE Science Journal: Plants Basic Needs

 Free Science Journal for K-2
Plants Needs
Want more free science journals? See all of my science freebies here!

Teaching kids about plants can be so much fun, especially when they actually get to grow something! In this unit, learners will learn about what plants need to live and do a FUN and SIMPLE experiment regrowing the top of a carrot!

Plants are something that most kids are naturally interested in. They can be seen inside and outside and almost anywhere they go, so it makes sense that they would be curious about them. Learning about plants needs at this stage is pretty simple - kids need to know the basics. Plants need water, air, and light!

This simple unit shows kids how these things all help plants grow from a seed into a flower or fruit, which makes more seeds. They will look at the life cycle of a sunflower as an example, learn about the different parts of a plant, and answer some simple questions.

Regrowing the top of a carrot is super simple. You'll just need a small container of water, and the top of  a carrot. We have done this many times and it always goes really well! After a few days, you'll notice the carrot's leaves start sprouting again at its top, and they will indeed grow into full leaves. They are delicious and safe to eat too! Just be sure to change the water daily. 

You could even take this experiment a step further by sprouting the top in water, then planting it into the soil. The carrot should grow leaves and small flowers - which will contain carrot seeds!

I do hope that this unit brings some learning and fun to your homeschool or class.
You can download it for free by clicking the link under the image below. All I ask is that when sharing this resource, you share the link to this blog, not the google link. Thank you!

Enjoy!
Download the FREE Plants Needs Science Unit 





Friday, October 28, 2022

Free french Journal For Beginner FSL

Free Daily 12-Month French Journal for Beginner or FSL Writers

 Want more free French resources? Check out my French freebies page here!

Have you ever tried to get your FSL learners to write in French but don't know where to start? How about starting simple with this fun French freebie!

This free download features my free French daily journal. It includes all the months of the year and all the days of the week (including Saturday and Sunday - great to send home for the weekend!)

Besides learning to write the date, learners will also be able to write about what they plan to do that day - through writing and/or drawing.

Additionally, it's a great way to teach kids how to speak about the weather in french. The weather section features small clipart that kids can colour in to show the weather that day. After they do that, they can read what it says out loud.

You can download this FREE journal below by clicking on the link under the image. All I ask is that when sharing this resource, you share the link to this blog post, not the google link! Thank you!

Download the FREE French Journal Here


Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Free Quebec History Mystery: Iroquoians in Quebec: Where Did they live around 1500


 

Welcome to another  History Mystery! If you want to see more, check out my free history resources page here!

If you're struggling to get your kids interested in Quebec history, I hear you! Whether you're a homeschooler or teacher, teaching the very specific history outlined by the Quebec Education Program is a requirement - but that doesn't mean it has to be boring or out of a textbook!

These History Mysteries are a series I began just a few weeks ago in order to help my own kids and others meet the requirements of social studies in Quebec. Stay tuned - there are more to come!

As a homeschooling mom, I have a definite interest in not only teaching my kids the true history of our province but in sharing what I know and have discovered with others. I decided to make these super easy and short history units for my own children and others to use in order to meet the requirements we need - without our kids hating history! I truly believe history is something to learn from - not to be delegated and memorized. History and social studies can teach us how to move forward in the future by learning from the past.

These short units focus on one single topic - in this unit it's all about where the Iroquoian nations lived around the year 1500. This covers several progressions of learning in the Quebec Education Program and will help your learners understand the concept without feeling overwhelmed or overworked. The unit can be done over one day or split into longer intervals, but only requires one paragraph of reading.



You can easily follow along by scanning the QR code with your phone or tablet, or by clicking on the included link. Then, your learners will answer some questions to show what they have learned, making it simple for you to include in their portfolios!

You can download this freebie below by clicking on the link under the image. I hope you and your learners enjoy and that it brings you some peace in your homeschool or classroom!


Download The Free History Mystery Unit Here!

Tuesday, October 18, 2022

Free Situational Math Problem for Elementary Cycle 3 Grades 5 and 6

Free Situational Math Problem For Elementary Cycle 3 (Grades 5 - 6)

 It's another situational math problem freebie! Want to see more? Check out my math freebie page here and click on the Problem Solving link!

I am happy to be bringing you yet another great situational math problem - this time for the kiddos learning at a grade 5 or 6 level. This one is great to practice for the sixth-grade math exam (in Quebec) since it has quite a few steps to follow and quite a bit of information to sort through. 

As in my other problems, I have kept the math fairly simple so that your kiddos can focus on fulfilling the competencies and actually get the hang of solving one of these problems - without any tears or math anxiety (I hope!)

Solving a Situational Problem in a Homeschool Setting

I have written about this before, but will say it again: Take these problems slowly. Especially if your learner has never completed one before or they do not like math time!

Start out by reading over the problem together. Put out a fun snack for your learner and read the problem. Look at all of the included pages and charts and talk about what is on them. See if your learner can spot any sort of math equations or methods they will need to use (but if they cannot just yet, that is fine!)

Next, highlight things together that you will need to use to solve the problem. For example, on the first page, it indicates that 350 tickets were sold and shows a picture of a ticket costing $20. Highlight both of those bits of information.

If you think it will benefit your student, you can help them fill out the 'What I Know about the Problem' page. This will basically be all of the information you have highlighted together, and anything they may have already noticed or figured out to do. This is NOT necessary, but can be useful!

I do recommend you use the What I need to Do to Solve the Problem page! This is a great way to make a list of all of the steps your learner will take to solve the problem. In the solution key, I have provided a sample list you can review.

Finally, it will be time to solve the problem and check off everything you wrote on the 'What I Need to DO" page. 

If this is the first time you are solving a problem like this together, I highly recommend that you do these steps over the course of a few days. Eventually, you can work up to doing it in one session. 

The Problem

In this problem, students will be helping to calculate costs and plan a menu for a movie night fundraiser to benefit an animal shelter. They will need to use basic operations, fractions, percentages, and find the average.

Try to help your student really show their work. In the exams, this counts as a large part of their grade - larger than getting the correct answer!


Download the freebie below the image!

I do hope this helps you in your homeschool or classroom! You can download this freebie by clicking on the link under the image below. Enjoy learning!

**When sharing this freebie, please share this page - NOT the google drive link. Thank you!**


Click Here to Download Situational Problem for Cycle 3: A Dinner for the Dogs



Saturday, October 8, 2022

Free Writing Unit For Grades 1 and 2: Opinion, Narrative, and Informational!

 Free Guided Writing Unit for Grades K-2

Fictional narrative, personal narrative, opinion and informational prompts!

I have another new FREE series that I think you are going to love as much as I do! This one is all about WRITING! I have other writing freebies too (and more to come!) you can see them here!

Have you ever sat down with your child to write and it just doesn't happen? I have been there and I totally know how you feel! When I first started homeschooling my oldest kiddo I used a super strict curriculum and sort of just expected him to follow along - and yeah, that did NOT work out so well!

The truth about writing and kids is that we cannot expect them to just come out with a plethora of papers and ideas. Even if you have a kiddo with a vivid imagination, putting those ideas onto paper, especially when you put them on the spot, can be a challenge. Remember, elementary kids, are still just learning how to put their own thoughts and feelings forward verbally. Writing is a whole other ballgame!

What I have found can really help is to use what I call guided writing. What this does is give your child a simple outline to fill in so that they know what to write and, with your guidance, really can write an entire paragraph or short paper. Really!

Whether they actually put pen to paper and write it themselves or you write down what they dictate to you, this type of writing helps kids organize their thoughts and give them ideas on what they could write about. It also shows them what a certain type of paper should look like.

In this unit, I have included four different papers for your kiddo to write. You could use these throughout the next two years if your kiddo is in cycle 1 (grades 1-2) or you could use one per month or week - I do plan on releasing more! (for older grades too!)

These will also cover the English Language Arts competency (for my Quebec homeschoolers) that states "to write self-expressive, narrative, and information-based texts". In fact, it covers all of those! If you add in typing or reading these out loud on audio, you can also add in the competency of "represents their literacy in different media" Check and check!

Of course, even if you are not following the Quebec education system, you are free to use these in your classroom, homeschool, co-op, or class! I really hope that you do! And that your learners enjoy them!

This unit has the following inside:

  • Peronsal Narrative: The first things I did this morning
  • Fictional Narrative: If I could fly like a bird
  • Opinion Piece: I do / do not like bugs because...
  • Informational Piece: All About my Favourite Animal
It also includes some cover sheets you can use to make this into a notebook, and some extra writing pages for final drafts, or just for fun!
 

I truly hope that you enjoy using this unit and that your learners do too! I especially hope it makes your teaching/homeschooling just a little bit easier!

You can download this freebie below using the link under the picture. Just be sure when sharing to share the link to this blog and not to google drive. Thank you!



Free Science Curriculum: My Body for Grades 1-2

Free Science Unit Human Body Systems
For Grades k-2 (elementary cycle 1)

 Have you seen all of my other free science journals? You can check them out here!

I am happy to bring another easy-to-use and free science journal to my science journal collection! Following the Quebec Education Program's learning progression, these journals are made especially for Quebec learners, but can be used by anyone, anywhere! 

They are simple introductions to concepts that are written with the younger age levels of grades k-2 in mind. My hope with these is that they will not only help you fill up your homeschool portfolio every year, but that they will introduce your child to concepts and gets them excited to learn more about them however you choose - through videos, books, or other units. These units cover the bases so that you know your child is on par with the basics required in public school.


This unit is all about the human body and covers the first progression for Living Things in elementary cycle 1 (grades 1-2), which is:

 "Describes the functions of certain parts of the anatomy (e.g. limbs, head, heart, stomach)"

So in this unit, I have included some simple diagrams and explanations about different systems of the body and how they work - since I do consider your kiddos already know what their limbs and head are ;)

Like most concepts taught in cycle 1, it goes into more detail in later grades. The science concepts taught in cycle 1 are meant to introduce students to the simple ideas that make the world around them work. In fact, the only science competency required to teach during these first 2 years is "to explore the world of science and technology" - how fun!


I have, of course, also included some easy and fun worksheets to show what your child has learned that can be put into their portfolio. Some sheets are simple drawing or matching options, while others require some writing or dictation. You can choose to do just one of them or to do them all and stretch the unit out over a few days or weeks. Whatever your learning goals for your child(ren) and whatever their level of learning, it's simple to make these units work for your homeschool.

This journal is the twelfth science unit I have made for cycle 1 elementary. There are 6 more progressions to cover after this which will probably be condensed into 4 more journals for a total of 16. This means that if you use 8 per year you will cover ALL of the progressions for cycle 1. Since these units are short and to the point, that's not difficult to fit in.

I hope this unit helps you in your homeschool or class! You can download the free journal below by clicking on the link under the image. All I ask is that if you wish to share this resource, you share the link to this blog, not the google link directly. Thank you!

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Free Situational Math Problem for Elementary Cycle 2 Grades 3 to 4

 Free Situational Math Problem for Elementary Cycle Two (Grades 3 to 4)

Have you seen my other situational problems? You can find them here on my math freebies page under 'problem-solving' There are problems for all elementary cycles!

Another situational problem is here!

Does that make you feel happy or anxious? How about your learners - do they like solving these longer math problems or do they bring on tears? My hope is that with these simpler problems I am creating, we can all find a happy balance! Your kids will still be familiar with situational problems and how to solve them, but they won't feel overwhelmed by the size of the problem.

If your learner is still feeling frustrated, I recommend taking it slow. On day one, read the problem together and talk about what needs to be done. On day two, write down what needs to be done. Day three, write down some ways you can both brainstorm to solve it. Don't be afraid to really help your child - they are not meant to solve these along at this age. Maybe they'd also like to colour in the catalogue. Day four, begin to solve. Day five, finish it up and review. 

And CELEBRATE! 

GO out for a treat or do something they would like to do - solving a situational problem is quite an accomplishment at this age!


In this situational problem, learners will need to help Tim design his new bedroom. They will plan the layout of his room following certain rules and need to stay within a budget using the furniture catalogue included. 

An example is given of how this problem could be solved on the problem page (as in the image above). I have also included an answer guide - although every kid's answer might be different. That's the fun part of solving a problem like this - it is kind of open-ended. I have also included a checklist that you can use to be sure your kids did everything the problem asked.


Outline pages are also included in this situational problem. Students can use these to write down what they know about the problem, as well as write ideas about how they can solve the problem. Although these pages are usually not required in exams with situational problems, they can come in handy!

The best part, of course, is that this problem is FREE! You can download it under the image below. All I ask is that when sharing this resource you share the link to this blog page and not the direct download link. Thank you!

Enjoy learning!


Download the free situational math problem here!