Progress Report for an Eight-Year-Old and a Ten-Year-Old

July 17, 2003

Dr. Smith
PO Box 123
Anytown, MA

Dear Dr. Smith,

We are writing with Clyde's and Bonnie's end-year reports. We plan to continue homeschooling for the 2003-2004 year.

Sincerely,

Mr. & Ms. Jones

Clyde Jones [10 years old]

Clyde continues to be a ravenous reader. He reads to himself for a couple of hours every day and we still read to him as well. He gets a lot of enjoyment as well as information from books and magazines. We frequent the library, and a partial list of books Clyde has read alone or with us is attached.

Since January, he has been a member of the editorial board of a newspaper by and for kids. He writes articles for it, and makes decisions about content and layout. Clyde's spelling has improved as he writes more. He sat in on a meeting of a writers' group of kids ages eleven and up and is seriously considering joining them in the fall.

Clyde and his father are working their way through Elementary Algebra by Harold Jacobs.

Clyde met with a friend weekly to do science projects such as simple machines and flight kits from the Museum of Science. They also dissected owl pellets and explored the science of cooking amongst other things. Clyde also met weekly with a small group of kids to do "detective science."

Clyde took a great class at the Franklin Park Zoo that lasted the year. They covered a range of topics about the animals, the rainforest, and working in a zoo.

Since January Clyde has volunteered at Habitat in Belmont doing herp care. He has lived up beautifully to the responsibility and has enjoyed getting to know the animals and how to care for them.

In March, Clyde participated in the homeschoolers History/Geography Fair. His exhibit focused on Mexico. He was quite proud of the poster he made for it. The kids served homemade tortilla chips and salsa, played mariachi music, and helped other kids make gods' eyes. To prepare we read a lot about Mexico, Mexican history, including Aztecs and Mayans, and books about modern day Mexico. We were lucky enough to have a Mexican friend lend us some of her belongings to display in the exhibit. She told us many interesting stories about the different areas of Mexico.

Both kids have been trying to keep up their Spanish by reading books and watching Spanish language videos. We are keeping our eyes open for a good teacher.

Clyde continues to love to draw, and his drawings are becoming more sophisticated. He seems pleased with what he is able to produce.

A newfound love of Clyde's is the piano. He can read music and practices for hours daily. His fascination with the instrument is extending to learning about various composers and styles of music.

Clyde continues to be committed to karate. He is now a red belt, and is often used as an example of good form in class. He is very committed to this activity, practices at home, and focuses well in class.

A partial list of field trips is appended.

Partial list of books Clyde has read himself:

Be careful what you wish for...
The beast from the east
Beethoven
The cartoon history of the universe. -- Book - 1
The cartoon history of the universe. -- Book - 2
Cat (kat), n
Conan Doyle stories; six notable adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Garfield hangs out
The ghost next door
Ghosts?
Harry Cat's Pet Puppy
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Hatchet
The house on the cliff
The illustrated man
In search of the Far side
Is the cat dreaming your dream?
Johnny Tremain: a novel for old & young
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Manhattan is missing
Maps and mapmaking
Motorcycle
The mystery of sleep
The nonsense poems of Edward Lear
Number the stars
On the far side of the mountain
Penguin dreams and stranger things
The Proposal
The red badge of courage
The runaways
The secret of the old mill
Secret of the underground room
Sideways stories from Wayside School
Sleep and dreams
Sleep on it; a look at sleep and dreams
Sleeping & dreaming
Sweet dreams and monsters: a beginner's guide to dreams and nightmares and things that go bump under the bed
Theater of the night: what we do and do not know about dreams
The time machine
Wayside School is falling down
When the Tripods came
A Wrinkle in Time
You're not alone, Charlie Brown

Books we've read all together follow Bonnie's report.

Bonnie Jones [8 years old]

We read to Bonnie every day. Her own ability to read has reached a fluent level, though her comprehension outpaces her reading level. She still enjoys being read to, as well as listening to books on tape. We frequent the library, and a partial list of books we've read is attached.

Bonnie understands how to read charts and graphs, how to use many different forms of measurement, and simple fractions. She understands how numbers progress through the hundreds. She is very confident in handling money, and can easily do sums in her head.

Bonnie's handwriting is also improving as she gains confidence with both upper case and lower case letters.

Bonnie was part of a small group of kids that met weekly to do various projects together. They explored weaving, sewing, beading, cooking, clay, nature walks, etc.

Bonnie loves nature, and has a strong interest in and love of animals. This winter and spring she took a class at Habitat, which focused the first semester on birds, and the second on scents.

Bonnie also participated in the homeschoolers History/Geography Fair. She and Clyde did a joint exhibit on Mexico.

Bonnie is continuing to study Spanish through the use of books, tapes and videos.

Bonnie started piano lessons and is learning quickly how to read music. We all enjoyed her recital last June.

She was an enthusiastic participant in a dance class this year. The recital was a real production and she was quite professional with her commitment to it.

Bonnie likes to play games on the computer, which reinforce reading and math skills.

Some books we've read this year:

Afternoon of the elves
Angela weaves a dream
Animal architecture
Beethoven lives upstairs
Blue moon soup: a family cookbook
The boxcar children
The boy and the samurai
The children's book of heroes
The children of Lir
Crazy eights and other card games
Curious George goes to a chocolate factory
The duck
A duckling is born
Ducks
En la granja
A family in Mexico
Five children and It
A fly went by
Frédéric Chopin
The furry news: how to make a newspaper
Fuzzy the duckling
George Washington's socks
Getting elected: the diary of a campaign
The ghost in the noonday sun
Hallelujah Handel!
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone
The hidden staircase
How science works: 100 ways parents and kids can share the secrets of science
How to talk to your cat
I am really a princess
It's so amazing! / a book about eggs, sperm, birth, babies, and families
Jimmy's boa and the big splash birthday bash
The kids' multicultural cookbook: food & fun around the world
Latin American and Caribbean crafts
Life story
Lilly's purple plastic purse
Little Bo: the story of Bonnie Boadicea
The Little Red Hen makes a pizza
Luba and the wren
Macbeth
The man who made parks: the story of parkbuilder Frederick Law Olmsted.
Mary Veronica's egg
Matilda the moocher
McMummy
Mexico
Mexico
A midsummer night's dream
Misty of Chincoteague
Mr. Potter's pet
My goose Betsy
Nate the Great and the boring beach bag
Nate the Great and the fishy prize
Nate the Great and the lost list
Number the stars
One-eyed cat
Operation ghost
A person from Britain whose head was the shape of a mitten and other limericks
Pinocchio
Presidential elections
The princess and the goblin
The reluctant dragon
Riddle road: puzzles in poems and pictures
Ride a purple pelican
Rocks and fossils
Rocks and minerals
Rocks, fossils & gems
Rumplestiltskin and other tales
Secret of the Old Clock (Nancy Drew)
The skirt
The story of Harriet Beecher Stowe
The summer of Stanley
Sylvia Long's Mother Goose
Tales from Shakespeare: seven plays
A taste of Mexico
Tumbleweed
Voting and elections
The weaver's gift
The whipping boy
William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
World encyclopedia of cats
You gotta try this!: absolutely irresistible science
The young journalist's book: how to write and produce your own newspaper

Some places we've gone, things we've done and seen:

Puddlejump play-Five Children and It
May Day celebration
MFA-Van Gogh
MFA-Egypt
Camping at Otter River State Park
Valentine's Party
History/Geography Fair
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Bug walk with entomologist
Dino Man
Fossil workshop
Comic book workshops
Beekeeper presentation
Wolf Hollow
Harry Potter party
Cable workshop
Plastics Museum
Animal tracking
African Open House at the MCZ
Workshop with writer from The Globe
Fruitlands film
Big Apple Circus

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