unschooling math Archives - How to Do Stuff With Ethan

Unschooling Journal November 10-16, 2019

carl376 — Sun, 17 Nov 2019 19:47:07 +0000

It was Remembrance Day long weekend and this is how Ethan spent his week.

He has taken a deeper interest in coding and has started learning Javascript, as well as continuing to learn about Python. Unschooling and SelfDesign allow him the freedom to explore new topics at his own pace. He can backtrack, jump ahead or deep dive into a topic.

Lately, he wants to spend his entire day coding. We try to balance the coding with other activities so that he’s not in front of the computer all day. However, we also try to provide enough time for him to really get into his coding projects and learning.

When asked why he likes coding, he said that he likes being able to create things. He feels like he’s making something of his own when coding.

November 10

There was laundry that needed folding and Ethan helped fold it. He originally wrote “???” for this photo because he didn’t know why we posted it.

after the weird clothes, I calculated the distance to the restraunt I am going today!

here is the lunch with a family we know.

here I am, eating cake and ice cream, at the “family we know’s” house.

November 11

today, I played the game of life!

see?

drawing a floating rubik’s cube.

another “drawing”.

coding in python! I made a big quiz.

here is all the code!

here is a follow the numbers game that I made in Python.

see? you draw lines, and if you pick the wrong dot, or miss, you have to start again!

reading in bed. ahhhh…

November 12

Ethan was sick today and spent the day in bed. He was better pretty quickly, though.

November 13

sick, sick, sick,sick, sick, sick,sick, sick, sick,sick, sick, sick,sick, sick, sick,sick, sick, sick,sick, sick, sick,sick, sick, sick,sick, sick, sick,sick, sick, sick,sick, sick, sick,sick, sick, sick,sick. here I am listning to “space case.”

November 14

assembling a periodic table puzzle before breakfast.

doing workshop, where I did NOT need to leave early, because I am sick, sick, sick,sick, sick, sick,sick.

here is my bar graph with the things I like. this was for the workshop. the skyscraper is just for comparison.

learning javascript in khan academy! yay~
for example, I learned how to draw shapes.

learning about e-cigarets and why they are bad.

doing math trying to find an extraneous solution.

teach! mom! time!

playing dodgeball with physics!

teaching time, while pretending to look at the face in the upper right hand side of the chalkboard.

this is a drawing of some cookies and milk using Javascript. it’s a project I made using the drawing lessons from khan academy.

here are the lessons on khan academy where you code!

cursive joke time!

coding time! making a frog???

coding time!(still)

November 15

starting the day with coding. learning how to use your mouse to control things on the screen. and how to code that into Javascript.

math, solving cube root equations.

teach!

history about copernicus and the discovery that the earth goes around the sun.

teaching some physics!
Dong Eun: When he learns these topics and teaches them to me, sometimes he goes back to the original lesson he learned from when he doesn’t get the right answer. He does this when he makes a mistake in his calculations. He reviews the specific part of the lesson to find out where he made a mistake. Although he doesn’t do other practice questions, he understands the concept being taught. He also really enjoys what he’s learning.

physics: some bouncing fruit.

some spanish practice.

some joke writing practice.

going out practice!

more coding about a big red button! just don’t click the button: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/345205498/

November 16

Ethan was asked to join the West Vancouver Youth Band’s Concert Strings and today was his first practice with them. He had been in Debut Strings for just over a year. Debut Strings helps kids develop the skills to join Concert Strings and they practice in a small room beside Concert Strings.

coding(again) and playing with balloons. how to code a balloon drawing into Javascript.

hamburger time!

Ethan wasn’t as busy since he was sick but still managed to squeeze a lot in, especially coding.

answers to Natasha by Ethan

ok, here are my answers to your questions. Did he make this[bar graph] for a Self Design workshop? His idea? Or suggested by someone? okay, so this was for the self-design workshop. 😉Why do you think Ethan does not do more practice questions? okay, so I think that, if you learn something, and do practice questions, it’s kinda like learning it again. that’s why I don’t like practice problems. also, if I forget, I can just re-learn it. BIG STEPS! How is this new role [in the concert strings group] feeling? I think it’s really interesting and fun! it makes me “sight read”, which means I can’t write anything down! Are you challenged? More inspired? How is this Concert Strings group different from the last one you were in?I am definitely challenged. the concert strings group does way more complex things then the Dayview strings concert.Maybe you can help me understand [the game of life’s] relevance and why you were so drawn to it? because the game of life is always changing every time! it’s really cool, and I think it is really fun! -What did you learn? well, I learned that there are a lot of stable formations, and if you disturb it, the stable group just collapses.-How does the Game of Life relate to other areas or topics you are learning about? hmm… well, it sorta relates to math I guess… umm…I’m not sure!

LC response

Hello Ethan and family, I have a few more online course ideas to share. You can even pay for some of the courses with LRS funds. We have a free subscription for The Great Courses https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/ and diy.org may have some things of interest for Ethan. Also you could check out :Next Level Homeschool: courses are LRS friendly toohttps://nextlevelhomeschool.com/courses/ I am not sure if Ethan is that interested with natural history (especially these days), but this website came highly recommended. https://www.amnh.org/explore/ology I appreciated the overview you gave for the week. It helps me get a sense of what the focus is for Ethan these days and how he is spending most of his time. I also liked how you expressed the need to find balance between Ethan following his passions as well as making sure he gets plenty of activity and learning off of the computer. When asked why he likes coding, he said that he likes being able to create things. He feels like he’s making something of his own when coding. I am so glad you asked Ethan to reflect on and share why he is so drawn to coding right now. Ethan says he is a visual learner and he also used all sorts of visuals in his films to explain things. This bar graph informs me a lot about his passion and interests right now!!I wonder if he will do more of this and look at the bigger picture and be more self reflective. Its awesome! It sort of reminds me of the anchor painting in a way that it shares so much about what he is enjoying and pursuing right now. Maybe he will continue to do these sorts of bar graphs and see how they evolve and shift over time. Did he make this for a Self Design workshop? His idea? Or suggested by someone? here is my bar graph with the things I like. this was for the workshop. the skyscraper is just for comparison. teaching some physics!Dong Eun: When he learns these topics and teaches them to me, sometimes he goes back to the original lesson he learned from when he doesn’t get the right answer. He does this when he makes a mistake in his calculations. He reviews the specific part of the lesson to find out where he made a mistake. Although he doesn’t do other practice questions, he understands the concept being taught. He also really enjoys what he’s learning. Dong Eun thank you for taking time to observe and reflect upon Ethan’s teaching. You are his primary student so you see a lot. Please share more thoughts and observations anytime! Why do you think Ethan does not do more practice questions? Maybe doing a few would be a good way to solidify the learning and demonstrate that he can solve a variety of problems for the same concept. Perhaps if he takes a math or physics online course he will have to do more sets of problems. Who knows maybe he will enjoy it? Ethan was asked to join the West Vancouver Youth Band’s Concert Strings and today was his first practice with them. He had been in Debut Strings for just over a year. Debut Strings helps kids develop the skills to join Concert Strings and they practice in a small room beside Concert Strings. BIG STEPS! How is this new role feeling? Are you challenged? More inspired? How is this Concert Strings group different from the last on e you were in? Ethan you have an incredible Growth Mindset don’t you think? today, I played the game of life! John Conawayhttps://study.com/academy/lesson/conways-game-of-life-rules-instructions.html SO I had to look up the Game of Life, but I am still a bit confused. Maybe you can help me understand its relevance and why you were so drawn to it? -What did you learn? -How does the Game of Life relate to others areas or topics you are learning about? By the way I missed you usual intro in the video you posted, the “Hi I’m Ethan Kwan and today I am going to….” I love that each video begins this way, it is quite a signature and my friends who watch your videos with me here are often quoting you, “Hi, I am Ethan Kwan and…” They ask me every week what you posted and are up to this week. You have fans! I tell them to check our youtube channel for more. By the way I sneak peeked and saw you have some new ones posted already. If you feel like trying a different format for next week? Here are some questions you can answer in the Acronym for November: I posted it in next week 13 if you want to try some of the letters. No need to answer each question, just pick the ones that speak to you the most. N – What ‘n’-ature adventure(s) have you been on this week? Or did you have any experiences this week where you felt like you yourself or somebody else or something had to be perfect and if so how did you deal with the fact that ‘n’-obody’s/’n’-othing’s perfect? O – What did you ‘o’-bserve closely this week? Or did you do any ‘o’-rigami this week? Or did you learn about any ‘o’-ral traditions this week? Or did you learn or use any math ’o’-perations this week and if so which operation did you learn and how did you use it? Or were you ‘o’-pen to any new experiences this week and if so what? V – Have you watched any YouTube ‘v’-ideo tutorials and if so what did you learn about this week? Or have you ‘v’-iewed any documentaries or films and if so what did you learn about this week? Or have you done any ‘v’-olunteering this week? Or would you like to do any ‘v’-olunteering and if so where? E – How did you feel a connection to the ‘e’-arth this week? Or how have you ‘e’-xpressed your learning this week? Or did you ‘e’-xperiment with anything this week and if so how and what did you learn? Or what educational ‘e’-xperience(s) were you open to this week? M – Did you ‘m’-ake any music this week, like what? Or did you ‘m’-ake any art this week, like what? Or did you ‘m’-ake anything this week where you were creative with designing or building or innovating or inventing? Or did you ‘m’-ake anyone laugh this week and if so how? Or how did you use ‘m’ath this week? Or did you do anything to ‘m’-ake a difference this week to your community, your planet, your family, yourself, and if so what and how? Or did you develop any more ‘m’-indfulness or discover any more personal growth this week? Or did you study anything about ‘m’-arine life or ‘m’-atter and energy or ‘m’-icrobes or ‘m’-ythology or ‘m’-usic this week? B – Did you ask any ‘b’-ig questions this week and if so is there an answer and if so are you satisfied (or not) with the answer? Or did you ‘b’-ake or cook anything this week and if so what and how did it turn out and taste? Did you do any ‘b’-irdwatching this week and if so what did you see and what do you love about birds? Or are you interested to learn more about ‘b’-lack history in Canada or other countries? Or did you do any ‘b’-iking or ‘b’-oarding this week and if so what and where and how did it go? E – Did you engage in any ‘e’-ntrepreneurial ventures this week and if so which and how? Or did you use your sense of ‘e’-conomics this week in any way and if so how? Or did you use or learn anything about ‘e’-ngines (big or small) this week? R – Did you find any ways to ‘r’-educe or ‘r’-euse or ‘r’-ecycle or upcycle this week? Or have you learned anything new or different or deeper about ‘r’-elationships this week and with who and how have you put it into practice? Natasha

The post Unschooling Journal November 10-16, 2019 appeared first on How to Do Stuff With Ethan.

pi vs tau video

carl376 — Fri, 11 Oct 2019 05:05:32 +0000

Here’s a video Ethan made about pi versus tau. No idea what tau is? Check out the video to find out.

The post pi vs tau video appeared first on How to Do Stuff With Ethan.

Unschooling Journal September 29-October 5, 2019

carl376 — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 06:05:45 +0000

This past week we ran into one of Ethan’s old classmates from elementary school while at the grocery store. The boy’s mother was quite interested in what Ethan is doing because she wasn’t aware that a self-directed learning option was available for children.

We hope that this unschooling blog provides some insight into one way of implementing unschooling and self-directed learning.

September 29

Ethan started a creative writing class today at the community centre. He wasn’t too interested in going but ended up really enjoying the class. They worked on developing a character today.

Enjoying playing with a leaf he found on the way home from the community centre.

Back at home and into origami for most of the day. He watched several videos by Jeremy Schafer and followed along to make the origami.

Each part of the star can collapse into each other to change the number of points it has.

September 30

Monday. Started it with some trigonometry from Khan Academy.

He then moved onto one-dimensional notion.

He added something about the Ming Dynasty to his history timeline.

He learned about NASA’s Fermi satellite and how it measured the speed of a pulsar.

He wrote about what he learned about Fermi in his notebook.

Cursive practice.

Spanish practice with Duolingo.

He did some typing practice that night, too.

He made an origami Kermit the Frog.

Ethan had violin class and taekwondo class today, too.

October 1

Ethan made an origami heart box.

He worked on his superfast pulsar video, which was inspired by what he learned the day before about NASA’s Fermi satellite.

He learned what a unit circle is.

He then taught Dong Eun what a unit circle is.

He learned about projectile motion.

He showed Dong Eun how to solve for time when you know a projectile’s velocity and distance travelled.

Violin practice.

He read a story on NASA’s website about a new exoplanet discovered by the Hubble Space Telescope. The exoplanet is odd because it’s football-shaped.

He wrote about the weird football-shaped exoplanet.

He did some typing practice.

He learned about mountain pine beetles from an article in Canadian Reader.

And he answered some multiple choice comprehension questions about the mountain pine beetles.

He practiced writing the letter q in cursive.

He published a post to his blog about the football-shaped planet.

Music notation homework.

Chatting with a friend he plays with at the playground. They email each other after playing together.

He published his pulsar video to his YouTube channel.

We read Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library. We’ve been reading this at night when we get the chance.

He drew this diagram while I was reading.

Some of his favourite books.

Here’s a link to the video about the cannonball pulsar on his YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/Bc7LyKSCgL0

October 2

Ethan had nature school today. Here’s what his teacher, Mink, wrote about the day:

Our crew kicked off the day by journeying to a large field downhill of the sign in spot to play a very special game. We were greeted there by none other than the great wizard Dumbledor himself, who welcomed us all to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Scott took the mic from there, and explained a super fun game called “forest quidditch” that involves several different types of balls and 4 teams! Afterwards, our instructors performed some knife safety skits which were simultaneously hilarious and harrowing. Many lessons were learned the hard way through these skits, and in the end we are all glad that Mikaela is still alive.

After knife skits, all of the groups went in different directions in search of good places to practice their carving skills. Mink’s group headed into the first and focused on carving their bow-drill kits. A few kids even finished their kits and started to use them! They enjoyed having a potential new group member with them. At the end of the day, they headed back out to the field for a very captivating game of “Icky Stick.”

A new optical illusion drawing.

October 3

Learning about trigonometry with right triangles.

Typing practice. He’s trying to increase accuracy.

He put labels on the keys he’s learned to type.

He learned about the physics behind horizontally launched projectiles.

He then explained what he learned.

He practiced componentwise operations on Elements of Mathematics.

He read a story and answered questions about healthy eating from Canadian Reader.

He practiced writng the letter z in cursive.

October 4

Dong Eun had a dream about some lotto numbers so we were going to buy a ticket. Ethan wanted to calculate the percentage chance of winning.

Ethan studied calculus and learned about secant lines and average rate of change from Khan Academy.

And then he explained what he learned to Dong Eun.

He studied physics and learned about projectile at an angle from Khan Academy.

And again, he explained what he learned.

More typing practice today.

He learned about how the universe will eventually end and summarized what he learned.

He learned about something in astronomy called deep time.

Typing practice. He now knows several more keys. Notice how long the space bar is.

He began working on a video about the end of the universe.

October 5

In the morning, Ethan had his symphony class and his second swimming lesson of the week. He said that the extra swimming lesson has helped his progress in the class.

Ethan made a video about the end of the universe. He summarized things that he learned from other sources to create this video: https://youtu.be/NIfED8shNug

And that was Ethan’s week!

Ethan’s Responses to week 5 LC questions

Are you keeping all of these[ideas] in one notebook?

yes, actually! I usually keep them in my main notebook. the one that I write my stories, and what I did for the day!.

Do you refer to it before you make videos?

not exactly, but I keep the notebook close sometimes, so I can refer back to it. so, I usually learn about the subject, then I sometimes teach it to my mom, then, once, I made a transcript, because I didn’t remember what to say. then, usually, I decide what format to make my video in, (like drawing, drawing on the computer, making a slideshow, or Powtoon.) then, I make the video!

Do you use this journal as a place to brainstorm and plan out your instructional videos as well?

not really, I kind of go right at it, then if I get it wrong, I check my notebook. but, most of my space-science videos are from the notebook that I already talked about!

What is it about Jeremy Shafer that you so enjoy, Ethan?

oh, yeah. well, he is silly, and a good teacher because he goes slow in the instructional videos! he loves origami too!

Does he do things in his Youtubes that you would try to emulate?

yes, maybe plan out what I am going to do and say before I record my video(like my transcript I use a lot- oh wait, that was only once.).

What are your Halloween plans?

my Halloween plans? well, my costume is gonna be something related to space, or math, so I have no idea. (yet!)

Where do your new ideas come from?

mostly from fun things(like things that are fun in math, and science, and other things)(for example, when I watch a video and I see something cool, I learn more, then I just do it), and my writing mainly comes from NASA.

What are you curious about?

well, mostly about things that are fun to do, like for example space, because of all the things that are being discovered every day (like a live video)!

How have you used questions to learn more about something?

well… not really, technically when I have a question, I will look it up on google or something…(I can’t think of a time I used a question to learn more, so I need some help.)(my mom just said that she is gonna ask more questions from now on)

How could you share your idea with others?

well, I would share it as a blog or something on youtube! (I don’t tell my friends because I have too many things to talk about, so I just tell them to go to my youtube channel.)

What are the different ways you could share your ideas?

well, (a) I could share it as a blog post, (b) I could upload a video, (c) I could write

about the subject,(d)talk about it to people, (e)make a viral video, or (f)scream it out the window(needs more work).

When did you try something new this week? How did that go?

well, this week, I tried different things with dry ice, and that was fun because there are so many things to do! thanks for the inspiration!

When did you try something hard this week? How did that go?

these days, I learned how to shoot a projectile at a slope, and learning how to calculate the distance up the slope it landed!(this was hard because there are so many things to do and remember the ways to do it!)but, that was fun, because I learned how to do something new!

Tell [me] about a time you made a mistake …

well, there is the Arduino number keypad coding, and I made a mistake in the coding! so, if you make a mistake in the code, the whole thing “malfunctions”, and it shows an error message!

When was a time when you learned from a mistake you made?

that one about the Arduino, I learned that you should always follow the instructions, and you may make mistakes while following the instructions! (so don’t worry if you make a mistake)(must fix it after though)

What is the number keypad for? (Arduino)

the number keypad was just for connecting it to the computer, and it will type out a number!

Does Ethan get frustrated? How does he handle these more difficult emotions these days?

Carl and Dong Eun answering…

No, it doesn’t seem like he gets frustrated these days. He seems to handle most situations really well. Since he chooses the situations he wants to be a part of, he doesn’t need to deal with many challenging or frustrating situations compared to kids who are in a classroom.

When he goes to his classes, those are mostly fun and engaging. He goes to the school playground almost every day after the kids get out of school to play with his friends and does things he enjoys.

The only time he gets annoyed is when we ask him questions while he’s focused on doing something and he doesn’t feel like answering. Or when he’s tired he can get frustrated.

Overall, he handles his emotions quite well. This Tuesday, he will be starting a new mindfulness class so that might help him learn new tools for dealing with his emotions.

LC Response

I am glad to hear you are sharing Ethan’s educational story with people you meet and through your blog.

I too find that a lot of parents have no idea that there is government subsidized distance learning opportunities for k-12 learners in BC. it is actually quite progressive.

What do you think Self Design or the BC Ministry should or could do to better inform the public of the choices that they have in education.?

I heard this interview and story on CBC quirks and quarks.

I am interested to hear Ethan’s thoughts on this new technology?

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks/oct-5-2019-is-red-meat-bad-deflecting-asteroids-politics-making-us-sick-and-more-1.5307212/nasa-is-testing-a-plan-to-deflect-killer-asteroids-by-crashing-into-one-1.5307218

After watching his two incredible videos this week on the End of the Universe and pulsars…I am wondering if Ethan could do research and on anything in space what is he most interested in? Last year it seems like black holes really captivated him.

What are Ethan’s big questions about the universe?

I know his goal is to work at NASA, but does he have a field or focus which he feels drawn to in Space exploration at this time?

What are his dreams he wants to fulfill at NASA?

I will write more tomorrow…sorry I sent the completed email by accident

The post Unschooling Journal September 29-October 5, 2019 appeared first on How to Do Stuff With Ethan.

what is a limit? (with silly part at the end!) [VIDEO]

carl376 — Mon, 09 Sep 2019 18:02:00 +0000

This video is about limits; what are they?

The post what is a limit? (with silly part at the end!) [VIDEO] appeared first on How to Do Stuff With Ethan.

Unschooling Journal August 25-31, 2019

carl376 — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 05:54:17 +0000

First week of SelfDesign started this week so Ethan is enjoying the last days of summer weather and also started getting ready for the new school year.

August 25

We started our week with a camping trip up to Alice Lake.

We thought about buying a hatchet but didn’t. I asked Ethan if he knew how to split wood with a knife and so he showed me how. He learned how to at Soaring Eagle Nature School. It took a while but it worked! A bigger knife would probably make it easier but it worked and I was really impressed that he knew how to do this.

Fire going. Dinner being cooked.

August 26

We spent the next day playing at Alice Lake.

August 27

Back home and officially back to work for Ethan. We talked about planning out a long-term strategy to help Ethan work towards his goal of working at NASA. So Ethan did some research into what educational requirements he would need, such as earning a PhD in astronomy. Cool.

He also did some research into how to get into MIT so he could study science and math.

In order to get into those American universities, Ethan will need to take the SATs. So he found an SAT practice program on Khan Academy. He knows he’ll need to work on his writing skills, as well as continuing to develop his math and science knowledge.

August 28

During the camping trip, Ethan asked if combining the carbon monoxide from the van’s exhaust and the carbon dioxide that humans exhale would create a new compound. He was very curious about this so when he got home he did some research and found out that there is in fact, a compound made up of those two things. This led him to learn about how to write electron configurations.

He learned about the photoelectric effect on Khan Academy as part of his learning about electron configuration. He also made a couple of videos to demonstrate his knowledge.

Here’s the new daily task list.

We spent the evening out at the beach with Ethan’s friend Eldon. Ethan, Eldon and Eldon’s dad Simon went kayaking.

Ethan’s summary of his day to make it easier for me to write up these posts 🙂

August 29

this is all Ethan’s work(for today)

so, first, I did this fifth root thingy

then I made a video about it.

then I learned about a mole(not the one that wrecks gardens)

then I wead(read) the magicians nephew by C.S.lewis

then some scrach coding…

here is the project!

then I entered for a contest to name the new mars 2020 rover!

then I learned more about moles, even though this shows ram

then I made a video about the mole! go check it out!

now I’m going to jhon lawson park, even though Im climbing a tree

getting down…ERR!

then I wrote “da random post”

August 30

again,Ethan wrote this post

hi! so, first, some math

violin time!

more khan academy, but science!

two vids about atoms and stuff!

me climbing a tree. can you see me?

then finally, a piece of writing about a black hole.

August 31

Ethan did some practice with solving square roots without a calculator.

We went to the library and on the way home, Ethan played at the playground. Like always, if he doesn’t know anyone, he’ll find kids to play with very quickly.

He made a video about how to calculate cube roots without a calculator.

Ethan made a lot of videos this past week! He also learned about what it would take to prepare for the SAT. He seems pretty motivated to learn more and push himself. Let’s see how the rest of this school year goes.

LC short response

It’s a good thing I did a bit of research on the SAT because they have made some changes in the types of questions they ask.

I was going to suggest studying analogies, but apparently they have been removed. Some of the math questions have changed as well. I guess the 2016 version is the most recent version of the test.

https://blog.prepscholar.com/sat-analogies-and-comparisons-why-removed-what-replaced-them

Vocabulary is still an important component, it is just asked in different types of questions.

I took the SAT before it had an essay component.

I think essay writing is an important skill to practice.

I checked out the Khan Academy SAT test prep and it looks very good. So it is a great place to start for sure.

I suggest reading some articles and having Ethan do more analytical written responses to them or argue a position.

When I was in Grade 6 I scored high on a standardized test and was asked to take the SAT early as part of a talent scouting.It looks like John Hopkins University is still doing it. So it is possible for Ethan to take the exam early if he wanted to. I think he is an excellent candidate, especially in math and with a little bit of test prep.

https://cty.jhu.edu/talent/testing/

The SAT is a timed paper-and-pencil-based reading, writing, and math assessment with optional essay that’s used globally as a predictor of college and career readiness. It is open to Talent Search students in grades 7-8*. The SAT is a good choice for students who seek early exposure to the SAT and want to potentially qualify for CTY’s Study of Exceptional Talent, which provides resources and support to exceptionally bright students. Registering for the SAT through MyCTY ensures that scores are reported by College Board directly to CTY.

When were you thinking of having him take the exam?

I think in order to best develop critical reading skills is to ask lots of open ended questions and engage in discussion about pieces of writing/text. In addition to discussing it , writing about it also develops these skills:

Critical reading is a more ACTIVE way of reading. It is a deeper and more complex engagement with a text. Critical reading is a process of analyzing, interpreting and, sometimes, evaluating. When we read critically, we use our critical thinking skills to QUESTION both the text and our own reading of it.

The skills that we need in order to be able to think critically are varied and include observation, analysis, interpretation, reflection, evaluation, inference, explanation, problem solving, and decision making.

The benefits of critical reading is given below:

Helps to organize main ideas from a given topic. Helps to understand more difficult reading assignment and to obtain a better understanding for what was read. Helps to make opinions and assumptions based on what is read. Helps base judgement on evidence.

Here is an article on how to develop critical reading skills. I think we will have ongoing conversations about this: http://www.edu-nova.com/articles/critical-reading-skills/

I am not responding in full to this observing for learning as I am working on the Learning Plans this week. I am really excited to see that Ethan is starting to do more of his own reporting. This is fantastic and looking forward to reading more of his thoughts and reflections.

I am so happy to hear Ethan had a fantastic summer. I did too! Here are a few pics from my trip to Slovenia

My favorite bridge sculpture in Slovenia, three blocks from my father’s house and a view of the castle from the city center.

Panorama from the top of the highest peak in Slovenia

Have a great weekend,

Natasha

Our summer and thoughts for this school year

Hi Natasha!

As mentioned in my email, we’re excited about the upcoming year and have thought about helping Ethan work towards his long-term goal of working at NASA. We’ve done some research into what he would need to study for university but would love some guidance on how he can prepare to take the SAT.

We’ve found SAT test prep on Khan Academy so Ethan will be using that. We’ve also looked up book lists and would like to continuously introduce those books to Ethan.

The biggest questions we have are:

What can we do to plan and help Ethan reach his goal? Even if he doesn’t actually achieve it, we still want to encourage him and offer any support we can.
We know that critical reading skills will be necessary. How can we help him develop those skills?

The idea is that we want to be a little more strategic and purposeful with Ethan’s learning. He obviously loves to learn and is highly self-motivated so we want to take advantage of that and see what happens.

Anyway…

Summer was good. Ethan took swimming lessons twice a week in July and August. He was able to pass level 8 so he was very happy about that.

He mostly kept up with jogging in the morning. Combined with swimming twice a week, we noticed how much faster he could swim and that his endurance was much better than before.

He did a lot of reading. One of his favourites was the Philosophy Files and his absolute favourite was Wild Robot. He must have read Wild Robot at least 5 or 6 times and he listened to the audiobook over and over, too.

We went camping a number of times at local campgrounds in Squamish and Porteau Cove but only for 1 or 2 nights. We’re going again for a night on Sept. 2 to celebrate Ethan’s birthday. He’s invited a few friends to come up for the day for his birthday party. He’s really excited and counting down the days.

But back to the upcoming school year…

Ethan is currently enrolled in the following activities:

Taekwondo twice a week
Swimming twice a week
Violin class once a week
Symphony class once a week
Nature school once a week

We put him in two swimming classes because we want him to get as much physical activity as possible. He grew about almost an inch over the summer and we think most of that was due to swimming.

We’ll probably go to public skating sessions whenever possible and may also do some skiing in the winter.

But for now, we’re all looking forward to the upcoming SelfDesign year and really helping Ethan propel his learning even further.

Thanks.

The post Unschooling Journal August 25-31, 2019 appeared first on How to Do Stuff With Ethan.

what is a mole? (not the creature, the number)

Ethan Kwan — Fri, 30 Aug 2019 04:00:44 +0000

This video is about moles!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd4OYKus_7Q

The post what is a mole? (not the creature, the number) appeared first on How to Do Stuff With Ethan.

Unschooling Journal – June 16-22, 2019

carl376 — Sun, 23 Jun 2019 07:46:53 +0000

This week is almost the last week of all activities for Ethan. It’s also the week that we had friends from Washington, DC visiting us. Here’s how it all went.

June 16

Father’s Day today! We had my parents over for brunch. Ethan made a card for my dad.
Ethan wanted a 9×9 cube and we ordered one for him because he accomplished something. But he recently got in trouble for not keeping his room and things tidy so he’s not allowed to have the cube, yet.
He needs to keep his room and things neat and tidy for three months before he can have the cube. So he spent most of the day finishing up cleaning his room.
The awesome card he made me.
He actually did it! He cleaned up everything and got rid of a bunch of junk and old stuff he had just stuffed everywhere. So proud of him.
He’s not allowed to use the computer until he keeps things neat and tidy but we let him use it today to practice math on the Elements of Mathematics site.
We paid for a course and we only have access to it for 3 months so that’s why we’re letting him use the computer.

June 17

Ethan’s been working on getting his new elements cards ready.
Enjoyed some tennis outside.
Gift to his mom.

June 18

Looking about ready to put the elements on the cards.
Doing some music notation homework.

June 19

Working on algebra. He loves things that are challenging and take some thinking.
Heading out to play with friends.

June 20

Stuff he’s been watching and reading.
Annual carnival at Hollyburn Elementary.

June 21

New periodic table of the elements.
Studying music.
A transforming star.

June 22

Menu for friends from DC who were coming over.
Solving the Rubik’s Cube.
Room clean. Excited about friends coming over.
Dena, Avalon and Charles finally made it.

What an awesome week, especially with our good friends from Washington, DC here to visit Vancouver.

The post Unschooling Journal – June 16-22, 2019 appeared first on How to Do Stuff With Ethan.

Unschooling Journal June 2-8, 2019

carl376 — Sun, 09 Jun 2019 08:03:36 +0000

Here’s what happened with Ethan during the first week of June 2019. As another year of unschooling is winding down, we’re constantly amazed at the things Ethan has learned and is doing. We hope you can be inspired by what Ethan is doing and take the leap into unschooling, if you’re thinking about it.

June 2

Working on the 8×8 while waiting to go for a walk at the beach.
Found a furry friend outside. We wondered if it would be a moth or butterfly. Ethan asked if it shouldn’t be called a “mothapiller.”
We ran into Kal and the boys played together. Great timing with the low tide.
Ethan found a live clam.
He saw a seagull drop a clam to smash it and then eat it. Not the one in the photo but just before this shot was taken 🙂
The boys played together outside after lunch, too.
Ethan wanted to sew and make a blanket and pillow for one of his first teddy bears, Boob.
He found some instructions online and followed them to make the blanket and pillow.
He worked on it for at least a couple of hours, patiently sewing.
Almost done! Just need some stuffing for the pillow.

June 3

Continuing work on the world history timeline.
Learning about some historical events.
Made an origami Captain America shield.
Made a video about simplifying cube root expressions.
Made a card for arsenic.
Wrote about the big thing that tore a hole in the Milky Way.
Learned about the word viral.

June 4

Today’s sea glass haul. We also bring back anything interesting or unique and throw away any trash we might find washed up.
Ethan was learning more about music composition and notation.
These new markers arrived. They’re for Ethan’s big history timeline project and anything else, of course.
Back to the music.
Other than going jogging this morning, Ethan was sitting at home so we went out and played some tennis. Later on, we rode the bike and scooter to the community centre for Ethan’s taekwondo class and violin lesson. The violin lesson was an hour today and Ethan was really happy about that.
Back to reading Roald Dahl. Always fun to read. We have several classic novels that he’s also been reading. He has been re-reading The Secret Garden lately.

June 5

Last day of nature school until September so it was potluck day. Dong Eun made this awesome brownie cake.
Final circle time. Everyone said their name, nature name and their most memorable day from the year. Next to Ethan is Scott, Ethan’s teacher this year.
Blake sharing thoughts about his group. All the other teachers did the same thing.
Peter being funny before we got to eat.
Scott, like all the other Soaring Eagle Nature School teachers, is an incredibly passionate, dedicated and sincere person.
Scott’s note to Ethan, reflecting on this past school year.
Back at home, Ethan worked on the pillow and blanket for Boob.
Dong Eun helped shred the cotton batting.
Ethan stuffed the pillow and sewed it up.
Done!

June 6

Ethan made Dong Eun’s ice coffee this morning.
He learned about solving the area of a trapezoid on a coordinate plane.
We rode to the community centre for Ethan’s swimming lesson and stopped at the library on the way home.
We learned about the Elements of Mathematics website from Ethan’s LC. Ethan took the aptitude test and really enjoyed how math is taught is a totally different way. We signed up for the first course so we’ll see how Ethan likes it.
Got some dry ice again with our SPUD order.

June 7

Violin practice.
Doing some work in Elements of Mathematics.
Ethan used his new markers to add to his world history timeline.
He made a fun video about nitrogen.
Added some doodles related to what he wrote on the timeline.
Taekwondo belt test!
Confident!
Showing off his kicks while Master Kook watched.
He broke the board on his first attempt.
And the reward for getting his red belt, which was his choice.

June 8

Visited the library after today’s symphony class.
It’s Ethan’s grandma’s 70th birthday so we made her a cake. Actually, Ethan did almost all the work.
Whipping the cream.
And completing the cake!
We needed a walk after dinner and all the cake.
Sand flea.
A unique bone.

And that was Ethan’s week of unschooling!

The post Unschooling Journal June 2-8, 2019 appeared first on How to Do Stuff With Ethan.

Simplifying Cube Root Expressions [VIDEO]

carl376 — Mon, 03 Jun 2019 21:39:27 +0000

Ethan let us film him talking about simplifying cube root expressions.

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solving high index roots(forth roots,fifth roots,sixth roots) [VIDEO]

carl376 — Sun, 02 Jun 2019 02:06:15 +0000

solving high index roots

The post solving high index roots(forth roots,fifth roots,sixth roots) [VIDEO] appeared first on How to Do Stuff With Ethan.