OHDELA School Blog

Kindergarten is a great age for learning.

Hello OHDELA families and friends! The Kindergarten students are looking forward to a busy month of March!

 

This month in Language Arts, the students will be learning about the letters Yy, Zz, Uu, and Qq. Our friends Yodeling Yak, Zippy Zebra, Ugboo, and Quacky Quacker will be visiting in our virtual classroom to help the students learn the sounds that each letter makes and some words that begin with each letter. By the end of March, the Kindergarteners will know every letter and sound in the alphabet! The students will also be learning how to blend and build words that end in –ug, -un, and –ut. How many words can you think of that end in these sounds? The students will be exploring animals during this month, and reading stories including Red Eyed Tree Frog and Clever Tortoise.

 

Along with reading stories about animals, the students will be learning about habitats and building their own animal habitats in this month’s Science activities. After all of the students have sent in their animal habitat pictures, I will provide the link for you to check them out! They are looking great!

 

Did you know that there are many different things you can measure with besides a ruler and a tape measure? The students enjoying their Math activities this month! They are learning that they can measure with paperclips, pencils, crayons and different objects found around their houses!

 

In Social Studies, we just finished reviewing maps just in time for the students to make their own! They will have a chance to make their own map of their bedroom, their home, and a favorite playground! The map unit will end with the students having a chance to create their own edible map! Yum!

 

The Kindergarteners are learning so much and are excited that they are getting closer and closer to becoming first graders!

 

 

Katie Frank, Kindergarten Teacher at OHDELA

Ohio Graduation Test Preperations - Made easy

Dear Families,

The week for OGT testing is quickly approaching.  The OGT exams are mandated by the state of Ohio for all students in grade 10 to take.  Students need to pass all 5 of the OGT exams by the time they reach the end of the 12th grade in order to graduate.  These exams include Reading, Math, Writing, Science, and Social Studies.  OGT testing will be held from Monday, March 15th – Friday, March 19th.  If you are in grades 11 or 12 and have not yet passed one or more of your OGT exams, you will be required to attend testing.  If you have ANY questions or concerns about what exams you need to take, your testing location, or OGT prep classes, please contact your Academic Advisor right away. 

If you would like to know more about the OGT exams including what they are, how they will be administered, what types of questions you can expect to see, how long the tests take, and helpful tips you can use when taking these exams, please attend one of our Parent/Student Trainings.  These trainings will be held on Tuesdays at 8AM and 6PM, Wednesdays at 5PM, and Thursdays at 3PM and 7PM.  They will run from February 24th - March 11th.  You can access these training sessions by either clicking on the training session link found when entering the Parent Support & Resources Community Group found under the “Community Group” section of your “Online Courses” tab, OR by clicking on the link below:

TRAINING LINK
(You can only access this link 10 minutes before a training is to begin.)

A very helpful website students can use to access past OGT questions is found here.  This is a wonderful resource made to help students prepare for their OGT exams.  Please check it out if you get a chance! 

Here’s wishing all of you who are taking the OGT exams in March a successful testing experience.  Take care!

 

 

Homeschooling - It's a Wonderful Life!

I dreamed of our family having freedom to make our own choices. I dreamed of evenings free of useless homework and agonizing study for senseless tests. I dreamed of being able to go out into the world together to see and learn from fascinating historical places and museums. I dreamed of being able to read what we wanted to read when we wanted to read it - late at night, in the morning snuggled under a quilt, or while traveling. I thought about providing opportunities for Ethan to learn comfortably and joyfully in his own style and at his own pace. I also longed for him to be able to have more time with his dad, whose job as an airline pilot kept him away a lot and often gave him days off when Ethan was in school.

My mind was exploding with possibilities, and it was clear that the world was about to open wide to a new way of life. I thought I could probably provide a much better education than a school could - but I was to find that I could do a lot more than I realized. More to the point, my son could do a lot more than I realized!

We should and could have pulled out of school right away, but didn't yet realize that there was no reason to wait for the end of the school year. We later realized that learning obviously doesn't need to come in organized, systematic chunks of time - but at that time we were still intimidated by what we saw as the enormity of the undertaking. In the fall we enrolled in a new home study program with a local public school. It was a friendly program with supportive staff; but it didn't take long to realize that we really didn't need a school to help us figure out how to help a child learn what he needs.

Schools, as we observed in both the public and private ones we experienced, are well intentioned but tend to have ideas that I've since found to be limiting and unfortunate. They put far too much focus on teaching and trying to orchestrate the learning process; while they have far too little respect for the child's natural ability to learn, his curiosity for all kinds of knowledge, his personal learning style, or his own internal knowledge of how he learns best. They're limited by the educational traditions they've inherited in which children are not seen as independently capable and naturally curious learners but as empty vessels that need to be methodically coaxed, controlled, and filled with a predetermined body of facts. They're also trying to provide the same education to rooms full of children at the same time, and are therefore a lot more limited in what they can provide for individuals.  Read more here...

Learning can be done anywhere! Regardless if you choose to do traditional homeschooling or choose an online option like OHDELA, who provides your curriculum and help you teach it, the possiblities are limitless.

 This excerpt was from Lillian Jones and family

A chapter from the book See, I Told Me So!, a compilation of homeschoolers' stories edited by Tammy Cardwell

 

OHDELA: Online Learning Timeline Starts in Kindergarten

Happy February OHDELA friends and families! The Kindergarteners have been very busy this first week of February!

In Language Arts, the students have been learning short e and how to blend and build words using the short e sound. Later on this month, they will be learning the letters Vv and Jj, and also will be practicing blending and building words that end in the –et and
–eg sounds. Some of the stories we will be reading this month include Swing High, Swing Low, What a Treasure, Everybody Works, and Zara’s Hats.

Did you know that your student can draw a picture to solve a math problem? How about pretend to have a garage sale to learn the value of a penny, nickel and dime? The Kindergarteners will be doing these math activities (and more!) throughout this month!

February is a busy month for the students in Science.  This week, the students are learning about different science careers such as Meteorologists and Botanists. In our online virtual classroom, I also taught them about some careers that are not so popular, such as a snake milker, a fortune cookie writer, and the students’ favorite: a breath odor evaluator! The students also had a chance to share what they would like to be when they became adults…one of them wants to be a penguin trainer!

At the end of this month, the students will be completing a timeline activity in Social Studies where they will be talking to their parents and looking at pictures about their lives so far. It is an exciting time for me as a teacher, because I get to see pictures of the students from the time they were babies to pictures of them in the present time!! This is such an exiting time in Kindergarten…..the school year is half over and the parents are excited about their students learning so much! Stay tuned for more Kindergarten news next month! Katie Frank, Kindergarten Teacher at OHDELA

Career Day At An E-School?

E-School First Graders Learn About Different Careers

In many traditional schools, it is not uncommon to have representatives from various professions come in and speak to students during career week.  When the Ohio Distance and Electronic Learning Academy, a tuition-free, virtual K-12 school, began to hold career week last year, it was my challenge, as a teacher at an e-school, to provide that same opportunity for my students.  So, I arranged to have three speakers come in on three separate days to talk to my students about their profession.  It was a big hit; enjoyed by speakers and students alike!  It proved that even in this unique educational environment, students can benefit from speakers just as they would in a traditional school.   

This year, I decided to do it again, and career week was once again a success!  During our online class sessions this week, my students were able to learn about three different careers from three different people.  Two of them joined us via telephone, and one was able to log right into class with us!  On Tuesday, our speaker was Miss Gambone, who works as a Project Manager for the IRS.  Wednesday’s speaker was Mrs. Denning, a Pharmacist.  We rounded out the week on Thursday with Mrs. Starkey, a Public Relations Counselor.  At the end of each session, the students were given the opportunity to ask questions.  They asked some great questions, impressing both myself and the speakers.  All in all, it was a wonderful week of learning about careers!

~Miss Simers, First Grade Teacher at OHDELA

Online Learning in your town.

Taking Academics on the Road to a Town Near You!

The Ohio Distance and Electronic Learning Academy (OHDELA) is a tuition free online public school serving children in grades kindergarten through twelfth grade.  Our students learn from the comfort and safety of their own home, without the peer pressures of public school.  We allow our students to learn at their own pace and encourage them to excel in the areas they enjoy.    

Have you wanted to find other OHDELA families that live in your town or region of Ohio but just don’t know how to go about doing that?  Well then you are not alone. The OHDELA Recovery and Title 1 Team created Academic Fun Days as a way for students and parent educators a chance to meet other OHDELA families in their area of Ohio.

During the 2009-2010 school year, the OHDELA Recovery and Title 1 Team has held Academic Fun Days in Cleveland, Cambridge, Columbus and Akron, Ohio.  An upcoming Academic Fun Day will be held on March 5th at the  Maumee Public Library in Toledo for information on this event or to register please contact Cindy Kisamore, Heather Cox, or Catherine Kline.

Academic Fun Days are designed for students in grades kindergarten through ninth grade.  Throughout the day there is ample time for students and parent educators to mingle with each other.  Students take part in small group activities in Language Arts and Mathematics taught by the OHDELA Recovery and Title 1 Teachers.  Private tutoring sessions are held after the small group activities for those students who wish to work one-on-one with an OHDELA teacher on a concept they are struggling with.  The day concludes with participants socializing while eating yummy pizza.  OHDELA loves to not only fill your mind with knowledge but we also like feeding your stomachs as well!

So if you are tired of your student complaining that they want more friends or as a parent you want an opportunity to mingle with other OHDELA parents why not come to the next OHDELA Academic Fun Day! Continue checking your OHDELA email for more announcements about upcoming Academic Fun Days in a town near you! 

Online Education, Possible For Kindergarten?

Have you ever wondered how Kindergarten works in an online learning environment like OHDELA? I have been asked many times how it is even possible…well let me tell you, it is possible! Kindergarten is very unique compared to the rest of the grades here at Ohio Distance and Electronic Learning Academy (OHDELA).  Much of our curriculum is hand-on, with your student being able to learn by doing!  As your student’s teacher, you will have the rewarding experience of seeing your student learn and grow throughout the school year. You will be amazed with how much your student learns throughout the year here at OHDELA, and it will be all because of you (with the help of the OHDELA Kindergarten teacher’s guidance and support!) So, what have the Kindergarteners been up to this month? Tons of learning! In Language Arts, the students have been learning the letters L, H, W and X---did you know that you can teach your student the sound that X makes by opening a can of pop!? The students have also been reading wonderful stories such as Snowmen at Night and The Gingerbread Man.   Does your student know how to count by 2’s, 5’s and 10’s? Does your student know which numbers are even and odd? Have you ever tried teaching your student to do this by making a life-size number line? That’s what our students are doing in Math! They are having a great time while learning! In the world of Science and Social Studies, the students are learning about living and non-living by being science detectives and keeping a journal of everything that is living and non-living! The students are also learning to use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast different animal communities, such as the desert and the farm.   Kindergarten offers such a wide variety of activities for you to engage in with your student.  Your student will have a great time and not even know that he is learning the necessary foundation skills needed for the rest of his life! Stay tuned for more Kindergarten news next month! Katie Frank, Kindergarten Teacher at OHDELA

Changing your mindset with online education.

This article is about a family at OHDELA, and the struggles of making the change both in mindset and in transition from public school to homeschooling online. 

After countless parent teacher conferences with their public school and nothing being resolved, this particular family decided it was time for a change.  They heard about OHDELA from a distant family member who had a child enrolled in the program.  They hopped online and requested information about OHDELA.  They were very excited to receive the information packet and learn more about OHDELA.

They were under the assumption, like many people, that homeschooling online would be painstakingly difficult, not to mention that they were not qualified to teach their child, as they themselves had a hard time getting a "C" in certain classes when they were in school.  "How can I accomplish everything I already have to do and teach class", they thought to themselves. For this reason, they had never looked into the option of online schools in Ohio before.

Once the packet arrived, and they read through it, they found out that they were not alone.  They found that they did not have to figure out what to teach, or even how to teach it.  Their children would learn from licensed teachers, just like in the public school.  They were pleased to read that the children at OHDELA get a more individualized education and they encourage students to work at their own pace. So they called the number and enrolled their child in OHDELA. They recalled that "the enrollment staff was great to work with, very informative, and able to answer all the questions that we had. They even contacted the school for me and got my child's transcripts."

After a week or so, they started to doubt their decision to switch.  Their public school teacher had not called again and scheduled another parent teacher conference, so maybe things were better.  Plus, they had not yet received anything  for Ohio homeschooling online, so maybe they should stay in public school.  A few days later, everything started to arrive.  The first day they received three boxes. The next day, two more arrived and they started to get nervous and overwhelmed.  "What if I can not do this," the mom thought. Then she remembered something a friend had told her and she had heard a million times over the years.  If you always do what you have always done you will always get what you always got.  "Change is always scary," she thought, and with that she unpacked the boxes and set up her sons learning area. 

The first day was upon them.  Both the child and mom were nervous, excited and anxious to get started. As they logged into the leaning system, once again they began to feel overwhelmed, frustrated and ready to give in.  After class the mom called the teacher.  The teacher at OHDELA listened as she explained her concerns and assured her that like all changes, once you develop a routine, things would go more smoothly.  She told her that her child deserves to reach his full potential and that no one knows her child better than she does. That together they would build an educational experience that goes far beyond traditional school. The teacher reminded her that learning can be humbling, rewarding, and everything in between, and that if she or her child feels frustrated, they can take a break!

Your OHDELA teacher is there to help you in every way, from questions about your curriculum, to ideas about how to set up a daily schedule that works for your family based on your personal circumstances, to methods for managing multiple children simultaneously.  Your teacher will reach out to you to determine the best way to conference with you and your child(ren) on a regular basis.

This mom took her teacher's advice and pushed thru the first couple of weeks of unfamiliarity.  It was a difficult struggle, and she was overwhelmed many times, but she knew that she could always call their teacher for help.   As time went on, she and her son were able to develop the routine that she and the teacher had discussed, and they were starting to get more familiar with how to get around in the online learning system. Today, this family has been with OHDELA for a number of years and continues to share their experience with friends.  This family's testimonial tells of both the trials and tribulations of a student and parents who are proud to say that they were able to overcome the challenges of the change and create a positive educational experience.

This is only one of the many testimonial stories we receive at OHDELA, but perhaps one of the most helpful for anyone who is considering homeschooling their child(ren). An online education is not always easy, but in the end, it can be one of the best decisions you ever make for both your child and yourself. You can learn more about k-12 online homeschooling in Ohio, Colorado, and Pennsylvania by going to http://www.mydela.com

Why choose ohio home schooling?

Parents choose homeschooling for many different reasons. Some families want to build up their family ties; homeschooling offers both parents and students freedom, safety reasons, peer pressure, and discontentment with the school system are just a few. Online schools provide a unique education that is custom to your child's desires and learning style.

Families benefit from the quality time they devote to each other. Parents believe that homeschooling reinforces the family and permits the children to formulate their own personal decisions and choices without the influence of peer pressure.

Homeschooling in Ohio permits the parents to adapt and customize the curriculum according to the child’s learning capabilities and interest. Children needing extra time to spend developing their math skills will be provided with that time, by cutting the period of time spent on subjects that the child is progressing well on so that he/she can have ample time to spend in his weak area, and/or more time to learn more about what they enjoy learning.

In addition, parents can also construct the curriculum to meet the child’s personal learning style; some children learn best through hearing, others through reading, and others are hands-on learners. It is only in homeschooling that children can go into and investigate subject matters in such a manner that they learn best, and who knows better than the parent?

Homeschooling benefits are only as restricted as to the parents’ own imagination and creativity. As the child’s parent, nobody is more familiar with what informative interests your child holds and only in a homeschool and as a teaching parent can you can find out and establish the time required to be used on any subject for your kids to complete and accomplish with the understanding and support that they truly deserve.

If you are looking for a tuition-free, Ohio online education for grades k-12 then look no further.  OHDELA offers an education as unique as your child. You can learn more about this opportunity at http://www.ohdela.com/requestinformation/

Online learning with PSP! Increases Math Skills, and Motivation.

Playstation Portables Increasing Math Skills and Motivation in the Online Classroom!

OHDELA second and third grade students involved in the Math Recovery Program are piloting PSPs (Playstation Portables) as a way to increase math skills.  Students who qualify receive a PSP along with a math chip that has a vast amount of games and short movies focusing on various math skills. 

The response from families and students has been incredible! Students love playing the math games! In fact, one OHDELA mom recently told me she purchased another game for her daughter to use as a reward for her to play on the PSP, and the student would rather play the math games!  OHDELA parents are also relieved that this new approach to learning is one that is stress free for them! They are finding students are more willing to spend the 20 minutes every other day playing the PSP which makes learning fun for everyone involved!

I have noticed an increase in student motivation within the online classroom as well.  In order for students to receive a PSP they need to have consistent Wimba attendance.  Thirty-five students received a PSP in October and another round of systems is set to go out after the winter break to students who have increased their rate of attendance.