3rd Grade Summer Slide Spelling Words Week 2

This week's list is inspired by the movie The Incredibles 2. Children tend to remember practically every word of dialogue from their favorite movies. So, I decided to take advantage of that fact and create a spelling list out of words from the film. My child found the assignment more exciting and was able to write more creative sentences using her new vocabulary. She even noticed that some of the words happened to be the names of characters in the movie and asked if the words should be capitalized.

As always, your child should learn to spell, alphabetize, and utilize the words in a sentence. Usually, I have my child complete a fill-in-the-blank assignment to test her comprehension of the vocabulary. This week I decided to help develop her narrative writing skills. Instead of fill-in-the-blank, she wrote a short narrative about the film she watched using her spelling words. Allow your child to alter the spelling word to fit their narrative. My daughter chose to capitalize void and freeze to use as character names. She did not choose to capitalize the word incredible, choosing instead to utilize the word as an adjective to describe the events in the film.

The Incredibles 2 Vocabulary List

1. super
2. hero
3. family
4. suit
5. stretch
6. elastic
7. freeze
8. crush
9. train
10. incredible
11. zone
12. destroy
13. helicopter
14. together
15. babysit
16. void
17. invent
18. power
19. Mr.
20. Mrs.

7th Grade Summer Reading List Month 1

My rising 7th grader tends to struggle with reading speed, vocabulary and writing. The best solution for this is to read more. Reading more, increases vocabulary and reading speed due to word recognition. Writing skills improve due to access to a greater vocabulary to express comprehension of the text.

My child is a rising 7th grader in a public school system. Needless to say, more attention was paid to the ability to pass 6th grade standardized testing than to actual education. This summer I decided to celebrate my child's freedom from AR (Accelerated Reader) and return to the love of reading. In the 7th grade, there will be 7 different classes, all requiring a fair amount of reading. In our particular district the workload is almost double that of the surrounding school districts. In short, my child needs to read more.

For the first month of summer we began with a science fiction / fantasy theme. My house rule is, book before the movie. All the best science fiction and fantasy books seem to have been turned into movies. I want my children to read before watching the movie to develop their imagination first before seeing what someone else produces from theirs.

A Wrinkle in Time 
- Madeleine L'Engle

This science fiction classic is usually read in the 6th grade. My school district is so focused on testing and AR that books like these never make the list. I chose this book for the genre, the subject of time travel, and the importance of family to the success of the protagonists.

My child is also a Doctor Who, Albert Einstein, and Stephen Hawking enthusiast. This novel provided for some very stimulating discussions that allowed me introduce history, science, and engineering assignments.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
- C.S.Lewis

I chose this fantasy novel as a transition from A Wrinkle in Time. The concept of time travel is replaced with a portal to another world. There are many discussions that can be held to consider if a portal to another world is a point of access to another time. How does time in this alternate world compare to time in the main setting? Are the characters different in Narnia simply because they are in a different place, or is this a different place in the same time? If one were to time travel what worlds would they expect to encounter?

There is also a continuity of certain aspects in both novels. The protagonists are all kids, siblings, and rely on each other to be successful. There are also christian themes in both novels that some parents may chose to touch on for reading assignments.

Follow The Red Housewife blog for more summer reading ideas and activities to accompany the readings.

7th Grade Summer Spelling List Week 1

Yes, even junior high school students need to have spelling tests. My rising 7th grader is given a new vocabulary list every week. He learns to spell, define, and create unique sentences. The goal is to reduce test anxiety, increase vocabulary, improve reading comprehension and writing skills. Follow my blog for weekly spelling words.

1. deprive
2. academy
3. appreciate
4. advice
5. tragedy
6. argued
7. gazelle
8. official
9. favorite
10. identity
11. controlled
12. inherit
13. evaluate
14. collision
15. technology
16. Argentina
17. nonessential
18. cross-examination
19. Connecticut
20. discourage
21. binoculars
22. shirked

You can also create lists based on the books your child is reading for the summer. This helps to gauge just how much of the material they understand.

7th Grade Summer Math Lesson 1

My eldest child is an incoming 7th grader. The amount of information he loses over the summer is immense. He also has a bit of test anxiety. He panics when he sees something he doesn't know on the test and it causes him to shut down for the remainder of the exam. When it comes to math, he is a natural, however, he requires more time to initially acquire the skill. I like to spend the summers reinforcing the lessons he learned at school so that he will return to school in the fall with enough confidence to excel on his exams. Entering 7th grade, he will be stressed about the number of class changes, keeping track of seven different assignments and books, and don't get me started on the locker combination. He doesn't need to feel like he's behind on something as simple as a review.

I provide him with two math assignments per day for 5 days. If I find that he needs more time on a skill, I will take the week to remain on that one lesson so that he can grasp the concept in his own time. the goal is to have your student stay in the habit of working math problems. Acceleration is not the goal, retention is. Give weekly or bi-weekly quizzes and exams to reduce test anxiety. Feel free to follow my blog to follow along with my summer lesson plan.

Lesson 1 Rounding Decimals

Round to the nearest whole number.

1. 41.803
2. 119.63
3. 20.05
4. 3.45
5. 79.531
6. 8.437
7. 29.37
8. 109.96

Round to the nearest tenth.

1. 33.335
2. 1.861
3. 99.96
4. 103.103
5. 16.031
6. 281.05
7. 8.741
8. 27.773

Round to the nearest hundredth.

1. 69.713
2. 5.569
3. 609.906
4. 247.898
5. 5.535
6. 67.1951
7. 14.0305
8. 6.9372

This last section was a bit challenging as it requires the student to pay closer attention to the function (x, /). It also requires them to memorize which way the decimal moves for both functions. Expect a few slip ups. Add more problems like these throughout the week to keep your student alert so these mistakes aren't made during test time.

Multiplying and Dividing by 10, 100, etc.

1. 4.81x100
2. 37.68/10
3. 0.46x1,000
4. 7.12/10,000
5. 5.4x10
6. 27,500/1,000
7. 4.395x100,000
8. 0.0075/100
9. 2.274x10
10. 90,000/100
11. 0.000618x1,000
12. 39.006/1,000
13. 16x100
14. 28.889/10,000
15. 36.89x10,000
16. 0.091/100
17. 0.0336x100,000
18. 1,672/100,000

3rd Grade Summer Slide Spelling Words Week 1

I have an incoming 3rd grader who needs to stay on top of what she learned in 2nd grade. Summer slide in general is a program that is aimed at preventing the academic regression that takes place over the summer. Many children don't have issues with forgetting what they learned the previous year and do well with the usual review that takes place the first month of the fall school quarter. My children are not a part of that group.

If your child needs to stay on the grind like mine, feel free to follow my blog to stay up to date on useful links and assignments to prevent the summer slide. Each week I will post a new spelling list like the one below. Your child should be able to read, spell, define and use each word in the list. Tailor the list to your child's needs. If your child is reading at least two books per week like my own, you can create a list of your own using the words in the books.

There are five lessons per list:

1. Write the spelling words 3 times each.
2. Alphabetize the words.
3. Define the words using a dictionary.
4. Create unique sentences using the words.
5. Fill in the blank using the words.

A weekly spelling test is optional. The goal is to expose your child to as much new vocabulary as you can before school this fall. This makes reading comprehension easier and reduces test anxiety and frustration during the school year. If test anxiety is an issue for your child, I would advise a weekly test. This will help your child develop a tolerance and a system of preparation for test taking.

Week 1- Short a/e sight/vocabulary words

1. high
2. every
3. near
4. west
5. dress
6. best
7. next
8. else
9. checked
10. grand
11. stand
12. punish
13. monarch
14. migrate
15. butterfly
16. nectar

As you can see, with the above list the main topic is butterflies. I recommend reinforcing this list with a child's non-fiction book on Monarch butterflies.

5 Reasons Black Women Wear Weaves That have Nothing To Do With White Women

1. We look great.

The most probable and rational reason we wear weaves is the same reason white women wear weaves. We look great. We saw a look we wanted to try and didn't want to wait to grow our hair out, or have to cut it to try it. We saw a color we wanted without the commitment. It doesn't matter how we reached the conclusion, once we've decided it was a good look we did it. Nope, nothing to do with wanting to be like white women.

2. We're protecting our natural hair.

Relaxed and heat treated hair is especially fragile. It becomes more fragile during the summer months when the sun acts like a heat dryer and the chlorine acts as a hair bleach. Having our hair protected under a braided weave eliminates the heat damage our hair suffers which reduces breakage and hair loss. No white people, that doesn't mean our hair does not grow. It means it grows better when its being protected. Still nothing to do with white women.

3. We're eclectic.

I may be emo the first week of June and pop star on the third week of June. I have a range of personality quirks that need to be individually expressed. Its humanly impossible to do so with my own hair. Weaves make that possible. Nope, still not trying to be white. Just trying to express myself artistically.

4. We're pressed for time.

The twist out/braid out method takes time to achieve. So does straightening. Between work, philanthropy, children, a husband and two large dogs, I don't have time to do my hair daily. I'm often too exhausted to remember to put on my bonnet at night. A weave makes my life easier by saving time. Surprise, surprise, still not trying to be white.

5. We're hiding a mishap.

Sometimes the stylist cuts my hair too short when all I asked for was a dust or a trim. Other times, she got the color wrong. Or maybe I left the flat iron on or the relaxer in too long. Maybe I need more time to pull off the Big Chop. Any of the above will result in me needing an immediate cover-up until I can once again be presentable in a way that makes me comfortable. You guessed it, nothing to do with white women.

So why this persistent assumption that black women wear weaves solely to assimilate to whiteness? The evidence often presented by white people and black hoteps alike is that black women don't have blond hair or straight hair. But this is categorically false. It has been proven numerous times that dark skinned black women have been known to have all hair textures and eye colors. Yet, still this false stereotype persists.

Are we even going to address the fact that white women themselves learned about weaves from black women? Show me a white female celebrity, and I'll show you a celebrity with a weave. Is anyone going to accuse them of trying to be black? No? Didn't think so. When we do it, we're assimilating. When they do it, it's fashionable.

I'll leave you with this one freebie. The only time a black woman wears a weave to assimilate to white standards is when we are applying and interviewing for a job, or are facing a judge. The reason is because we have learned that Keisha with the purple braids won't get the job but Keisha with the 14" yaki straight center part will. We know that Tenesha with a fro will be charged with a felony but Tenesha with an 18" wet and wavy blond ombre will be charged with a misdemeanor. So congratulations white women, there is one instance when black women will wear a weave to be more like you, survival.

Election Day Tips

Today, Californians are voting in their 2018 Gubernatorial election. A large number of voters have chosen to vote by mail. For those who are still heading to the polls today, here are some tips to consider.

1. Unopposed candidates shouldn't get your vote by default.

Incumbents in certain offices tend to run unopposed. County District Attorney, Tax assessor, and County Property Assessor are a few positions that tend to have no challengers. This doesn't mean that the candidate should automatically inherit your vote. You have two options when faced with this scenario. You can write in a candidate's name or you can not make a selection at all. If you choose to write in a candidates name, first research the position to see if there happens to be a challenger who entered the race late. Writing in this candidate's name will reduce the percentage of the total vote that the incumbent or unopposed candidate earns. That can send a message to the candidate that may inspire a change. The other option is to abstain. This has the same effect and will also cause the candidate to re-evaluate their course of action while in office. This also sparks the drive of another potential candidate come the next voting term. The likelihood of the incumbent running unopposed more than once will be greatly decreased.

2. Your political party doesn't define you.

Choose the candidate with the best resume. Be clear and focused on what policies and qualities you need from the candidates to best represent you, your district, city, county, and state.

3. Research the candidates.

Campaign ads and commercials are methodically planned PR productions. Don't base your opinion of a candidate on them. Take the time to investigate them, their voting trends, their professional and educational backgrounds and their public statements. Race and political party affiliation is irrelevant. Be wary of a client that depends on name dropping, party representation, or race to help sway your vote.

4. Read the voter guide as a time saver.

When it comes to propositions, the wording can be misleading. You think you're voting for something that accomplishes one goal but it turns out to be something completely different. Read the pros and cons and take note of the organizations and individuals supporting or opposing the ballot measures.

When it comes to voting, you want to make informed decisions not emotional ones. Research, investigate, make the best choice possible and abstain if necessary.

Happy voting!