This week, I wrote another REALLY long article, this time about detonating a nuclear bomb on the moon. Also, I did a LOT of origami, especially Christmas origami. I created a calculus video about derivatives, and it was a lot of fun! These days, I am starting to write daily Haikus. I am doing a lot of violin practice these days, and I did violin class and swimming class. These days, I am really tired, because I am going jogging every day.
From Dong Eun: This week, Ethan wasn’t allowed to do any coding because he didn’t manage his time properly when using the computer. The deal we made with Ethan to do coding or using the computer for fun, Ethan had to go jogging at least one kilometer daily, practice violin for 30 minutes a day and try his best when it comes to his learning, especially for the subjects he’s not as interested in.
For example, he is supposed to practice Language Arts by reading and answering the comprehension questions from Science News. At first, he didn’t put in much effort but nowadays, he’s more conscientious and writes better answers to demonstrate his understanding of the material.
We found that he could easily code all day long or do other things that he enjoys without realizing how much time he’s spent doing it. He doesn’t want to eat or even get up until I tell him to, so we want him to be more disciplined when it comes to managing his time. The schedule and daily task list he started using has been a big help, in addition to losing computer privileges if he doesn’t keep to this allotted time.
As a result, Ethan really tried much harder this week, especially with jogging. He went every day and did at least three kilometers, following his own route. When using the computer, he stopped after an hour to take a break. He also practiced violin for 30 minutes every day.
Another area Ethan has shown improvement is in his writing. Ethan would learn about something interesting and would be inspired to write about that topic.
He conducted in-depth research into the topics he wanted to write about and then wrote with much more clarity and structure than he has previously done. He was highly motivated to share his thoughts through writing because the topics he chose were of great interest to him.
We were quite surprised, especially because Ethan was self-motivated and did all the research and writing on his own. We could see that he had the ability to write, but he just needed to find a way to do it in a way that works for him.
Ethan has also been enjoying the book club, the Page Tuners, which he’s been doing for over a month. Ethan and Esiana have been leading the group and the group has been meeting every Monday. Ethan and Esiana meet for 30 minutes before the start of each weekly meeting to plan and organize what they’ll do during the meeting. For example, they plan activities and games for the group after they finish discussing the book each week.
They first used a Google Doc to outline how the book club would be run, then they started using a Google Form to ask the group members what activities the group would like to do and what books they would like to read. Ethan and Esiana thought about ways to make the book club interesting and engaging for the other members, as well as incorporating technology to run the club and to make it more fun for everybody.
For example, during the meeting they use Zoom breakout rooms to do smaller group activities. When they chose the group’s name, they used the Zoom raise hand function to vote. It’s been interesting to see how Ethan has interacted with the other group members and how excited he is each week about the book club meetings.
I started because my LC suggested writing haikus, and it seemed fun, so i tried writing one, and it was fun!
Carl: Ethan’s Concert Strings group recorded a music video of themselves and then used YouTube to broadcast the concert. Normally, they would have a live concert but couldn’t this year because of Covid.
Hello Natasha!
How are you doing these days?
here are your answers to your questions.
Do you find jogging gives you energy and then makes you tired?
Haha, only sometimes. Like, on Thursdays, I go jog and I get a lot of energy, and then I get tired, because I had Nature School on the day before.
Do you think you will make more large origami?
Umm, maybe! It was fun to make a big origami, and it was very cool to see the result!
What webinar was this? How did you help the teacher? Tell me more…
The webinar was
“How to make funny poems” by Kenn Nisbitt.
We helped him get a few ideas, like, you had to type in the chat things that rhyme with “boat.”
I did Science News every day.
Good for you!! Who is doing the correcting? Mom? Dad?
Yeah, it was my dad.
So you put the parchment paper over the leaves?
Yes, I took a jar/glass, and covered it with glue. Then I stuck some leaves on the glue, and then cut a bit of parchment paper and stuck it on.
Thank you for recommending Kahoot! It is really fun, and a good way to do a quiz.
From Dong Eun:
Thank you for all the resources and responses to Ethan’s observations.
We always carefully read your responses and take time to look at the resources you suggest. Your responses and resources help us look at things in new ways to help Ethan develop his learning in deeper and broader ways.
The most challenging thing about Ethan’s learning has been getting Ethan interested in new things outside of what he would normally seek out on his own. But once he makes a connection between what he’s already interested in and something new, he is able to continue learning in his own way.
What I’m noticing as a parent is the importance of first, finding things that he will be interested in, and second, encouraging him to continue learning, even when the materials or topics are challenging so that he doesn’t feel discouraged and want to stop trying.
We’re always checking in with him to see what he’s done each day and to review what he’s accomplished. This normally means Ethan showing us what he was most excited about, most motivated to do, or most proud of doing each day.
Every day, we can see that by following his interests and expanding his learning, his mood and energy are positively affected. Ethan is happy and excited pretty much every single day and this in turn, makes our entire home a happy and bright place.
This has been made possible by your support, especially when we’re unsure of the path to follow or what to do as parents. Thank you for being there for us.
Happy New Year and all the best for 2021.
Hello Ethan,
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year 2021!!
Your next weekly reflection is not due until January 10th so enjoy some time off from posting these.
Coming up next I will be asking about your spring plans and the FSA’s start January 18th too. I will be sending an email with all these upcoming dates in the new year.
This week, I wrote another REALLY long article, this time about detonating a nuclear bomb on the moon. Also, I did a LOT of origami, especially Christmas origami. I created a calculus video about derivatives, and it was a lot of fun!
I am so happy to read that you are doing all sorts of projects which you are excited about and are having so much fun with! Did you ever think writing really long articles would be so much fun? It is exciting to see how we can grow and expand our skills in ways we did not even imagine.
These days, I am starting to write daily Haikus. I am doing a lot of violin practice these days, and I did violin class and swimming class. These days, I am really tired, because I am going jogging every day.
Do you find jogging gives you energy and then makes you tired?
Dong Eun:
Thank you so much for taking the time to write and fill me in on the changes and adjustments Ethan has had to make. It gives me a clearer picture when I hear another point of view as well.
This week, Ethan wasn’t allowed to do any coding because he didn’t manage his time properly when using the computer. The deal we made with Ethan to do coding or using the computer for fun, Ethan had to go jogging at least one kilometer daily, practice violin for 30 minutes a day and try his best when it comes to his learning, especially for the subjects he’s not as interested in.
For example, he is supposed to practice Language Arts by reading and answering the comprehension questions from Science News. At first, he didn’t put in much effort but nowadays, he’s more conscientious and writes better answers to demonstrate his understanding of the material.
I see that his attention and effort is improving on these. I like how he is reading and writing about a variety of topics too.
We found that he could easily code all day long or do other things that he enjoys without realizing how much time he’s spent doing it. He doesn’t want to eat or even get up until I tell him to, so we want him to be more disciplined when it comes to managing his time.
I can see how coding could really suck him into quite a bit of computer time. It is great that you have agreements to help him regulate this.
The schedule and daily task list he started using has been a big help, in addition to losing computer privileges if he doesn’t keep to this allotted time.
As a result, Ethan really tried much harder this week, especially with jogging. He went every day and did at least three kilometers, following his own route. When using the computer, he stopped after an hour to take a break. He also practiced violin for 30 minutes every day.
Another area Ethan has shown improvement is in his writing. Ethan would learn about something interesting and would be inspired to write about that topic.
He conducted in-depth research into the topics he wanted to write about and then wrote with much more clarity and structure than he has previously done. He was highly motivated to share his thoughts through writing because the topics he chose were of great interest to him.
Motivation and interest are the keys to learning I think. I am glad to see him writing much more as this was an area of concern you had expressed in the fall.
We were quite surprised, especially because Ethan was self-motivated and did all the research and writing on his own. We could see that he had the ability to write, but he just needed to find a way to do it in a way that works for him.
That was your hope and it seems like it is happening!!
Ethan has also been enjoying the book club, the Page Tuners, which he’s been doing for over a month. Ethan and Esiana have been leading the group and the group has been meeting every Monday. Ethan and Esiana meet for 30 minutes before the start of each weekly meeting to plan and organize what they’ll do during the meeting. For example, they plan activities and games for the group after they finish discussing the book each week.
This is such an inspiring story of self organizing Self Design learners. My other learner Eleeza is also in the Page Turners and she enjoys it so much. She says she looks forward to every Monday! So Ethan your planning and hard work is paying off in very engaged participants. I told you you were a great teacher! Now you get to collaborate with others your age and create a wonderful learning experience for everyone. Amazing!
They first used a Google Doc to outline how the book club would be run, then they started using a Google Form to ask the group members what activities the group would like to do and what books they would like to read. Ethan and Esiana thought about ways to make the book club interesting and engaging for the other members, as well as incorporating technology to run the club and to make it more fun for everybody.
Hey Ethan have you ever used Kahoot? It is a really fun way to do interactive trivia…you can create your own questions etc. Maybe I have already suggested it? https://kahoot.com/
For example, during the meeting they use Zoom breakout rooms to do smaller group activities. When they chose the group’s name, they used the Zoom raise hand function to vote. It’s been interesting to see how Ethan has interacted with the other group members and how excited he is each week about the book club meetings.
So cool! Plus they are using all sorts of technology from Google and Zoom to run these online groups. They are joining right along with millions that have had to move their work and schooling online.
Anyway… Thanks for all your support again this year and Happy Holidays!!
BIG origami reindeer. We made small reindeer for christmas decorations, but they turned out tiny, and so we decided to make a HUGE one.
I really like the huge reindeer. Do you think you will make more large origami? I wonder what you could use them for, but I think it really shows off the details well.
I was able to copy your photos for once into my google doc, usually they won’t transfer from the platform. I choose a few highlights to comment on.
I wrote down my schedule for every day of the week. This is really easy to know what I have to do, and I write it, so I can’t forget.
Your schedule is looking good, clear and organized! I am surprised to see my name on your schedule. You really read my comments and suggestions! This challenges me to keep suggesting good resources and asking questions to deepen your learning.
I learned about Uzbekistan, which is a mouthful. It sure is!
Your map and notes are looking great. I would be curious to see what sorts of questions or curiosity arrises out of your research. You collect a lot of facts. I wonder if there are some more open ended questions (not easy answers) that might arise as you learn about different countries.
I listened to a webinar about creating funny poems, and it was fun, because we helped the teacher make a funny poem.
- What webinar was this? How did you help the teacher? Tell me more…
I did Science News every day.
Good for you!! Who is doing the correcting? Mom? Dad? You are paying much more attention to capitalization and basic grammar. Way to go!!
This was about how to learn, and what the best way to learn is.
It is a bit hard for me to read this one. Do you have any “take aways” or “gems” to share about the best ways to learn? What resonated and rang true for you and the way you learn?
This was a creative project about augmented reality, where 1 had to research one thing, and write a paragraph or two about it.
- That sounds like good practice. Always helpful to learn how to research, find key information and share it with others in writing. I like your diagram too!
Here is the candle holder!
- So you put the parchment paper over the leaves? I am going to make something like this for mother’s day craft I think with my little students. It really glows beautifully!
I made an owl bookmark at nature school. The paint was just dye that my teacher at natureschool brought. I made this with mostly stop cuts using my knife. A stop cut is just a cut straight down, and if you cut anything else, it will stop at the stop cut. This is a pretty neat bookmark.
I wrote an article about nuking the moon, because I found a video about nuking the moon. I had to research this, and type this for at least 3 hours! See it here: https://www.howtodostuffwithethan.com/what-would-happen-if-we-nuke-the-moon/
I read your article on your blog, Just so you know it is posted twice there. You may want to edit one version out. I love your sense of humor in the piece, but I have to admit that detonating a nuclear bomb on the moon is such a horrifying thought to me it is hard to get me to laugh. I really do appreciate how you clearly outline the differences in the explosion based on the lack of atmosphere!
- I learned about derivatives and calculus.
I taught mom about secant lines and derivatives.
I think i need a few lessons on this too!!
- I even made a video about this!
Here is my video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq0Bsxq-Its
- Nice layout on this video!! Thank you for the warning and what I need to know to understand the video. As you know I do not know all of the basics needed here, but your video looks great, I love the chalk font you used and the clear graphics.
- Maybe you want to start your own Khan Academy type tutorials. Or maybe organize your lessons as part of your website?
Here is my plan for the video. Your great planning came across in a very well made video.
I have finished up to 1982 (I still have a long long LONNNNNG way to go ) and will continue up to maybe 2020. And THEN I will make a video.
Well you don’t have to do a full history, you could focus on the early years and then decide how long of a timeline you want to do.
I made a page where I write a haiku a day, except on weekends. See it here: https://bit.ly/3nDioOS
I started because my LC suggested writing haikus, and it seemed fun, so i tried writing one, and it was fun!- Oh I am so happy you are enjoying the Haiku’s.
- I have another learner who introduced me to these:
- A clerihew (/ˈklɛrɪhjuː/) is a whimsical, four-line biographical poem invented by Edmund Clerihew Bentley. The first line is the name of the poem’s subject, usually a famous person put in an absurd light, or revealing something unknown or spurious about them. The rhyme scheme is AABB, and the rhymes are often forced.
- If you are feeling inspired to try other forms of poetry here are a bunch in alphabetical order, with examples and definitions:
- https://www.literacyideas.com/latest/2018/3/1/7-poetry-forms-every-teacher-should-be-teaching-and-why-they-should-be-teaching-them
- https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/children/2019/oct/different-types-of-poetry-for-kids.html
- This one for older students and adults, but has even more options
- http://www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/acrostic.html
I hope to hear more about beat frequency…I am curious to hear what you are learning.
All the best and excited to hear from you in the new year.
Natasha
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