Lessons from National Geographic

Since starting RPM a year and a half ago, my way of teaching Philip has evolved and expanded.  In the beginning, I didn’t really know where to start.  Philip would have been in the fourth grade, but at his school, they did not have grade levels and he was still trying to identify coins and match digits 1-5 with the corresponding number of blocks.  I did not know what he knew.  I started by using my second grade daughter’s take-home papers from school.  I taught Philip about habitats and communities and had him complete fill-in-the-blank vocabulary sheets.  From my friend Susan, I learned about some good curriculum guides which I started one year below grade level and quickly got him caught up to grade level.  I used What Your Third Grader Needs to Know by E.D. Hirsch, Steck-Vaughn Focus on Science, and McGraw Hill U.S. History.  For the longest time I could not get Philip to answer simple math questions like “what comes after 21?” or “how do we write 16?”  Susan gave me a tip she learned from her son Michael who is 4 years older than Philip and also learned from Soma.  He told his mom, “Start at a high level and then bring it down if necessary.”  When I expressed my frustration with Philip’s inability to do math, she suggested I put a handful of coins on the table and ask him to show me the value.  I thought there was no way he would be able to.  That night I tried it and lo and behold, we had our math breakthrough as he pointed on the letterboard the correct amount to the penny.

As Philip moved beyond just answering academic questions to being able to answer open ended questions and give his opinions, I started trying to pick topics that were more relevant to what was going on in the moment like the Olympics or the Oscars.  Oftentimes when there was a day off from school, it would be a holiday like Columbus Day or Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  It gave me a reason to teach him about these historical figures and their significance.  I learned about the iPad app called Brain Pop from another blog of a parent called Emma’s Hope Book.  I began expanding on lessons with Brain Pop to fill in the gaps about interesting subjects related to what we were studying.  For example, Philip and I got into reading all sorts of biographies.  After reading a biography on Jonas Salk who developed the polio vaccine, we did Brain Pop lessons on vaccines and the immune system.  I was learning right alongside him.  It was fun! 

Another source of teaching has been through our church’s Stockade program.  Similar to Boy Scouts, Philip earns badges for achievements.  I help Philip do his achievements which range from learning how to take care of the environment, Biblical studies, going to Dad’s workplace, and knowing our rights and responsibilities as citizens.  Philip is so proud each time he gets a badge or a treat from the prizebox.    

  

Recently we have been making good use of the National Geographic subscription we got for Christmas from Philip’s grandparents.  Before Philip gets home from school, I preselect a few interesting pictures from the magazine that Philip will have the opportunity to write about, whether a story, poem, or essay.  After choosing the picture, I read him excerpts of the article related to the picture and do an academic lesson.  At the end he writes his piece about the photograph.  Today Philip chose this photo of flood zone squatters in Manila:

      

The corresponding article was entitled “Rising Seas.”  We talked about global warming and its causes, how sea levels rise, and the possible consequences.   We particularly looked at Miami, where we used to live, and how the rising sea levels has been posing a threat to Florida’s freshwater supply.  After Philip answered some questions on the reading, he wrote this poem based on the picture.

I Know a Plan

My family is poor.

I plan to venture to the States of America.

We live in slums overlooking the sea.

The sea releases each sort of debris.

It stinks.

Son to mean world

I rinse myself to wash away the torment of each day.

I wash away my past

like the rising tide swallowing our land.

I kiss this life goodbye.

I know a plan.

Dream to make haste to a kind, gentle world.

I leave now.

I won’t look back.

Stress

This past weekend began with a trip to the AMC sensory friendly showing of the movie Muppets Most Wanted.  Throughout the movie, I had sensed Philip was not as into this movie as some of the others.  I wasn’t sure why.  I myself didn’t find it too enjoyable because they had the volume turned down too low for me to hear comfortably with all the noise around me from the people watching.  I had to strain my ears to concentrate on what was being said in the film.  Philip also kept telling me he had to go to the bathroom which annoyed me.

 

When we got home I decided to have Philip practice typing by giving me his impressions of the movie.  In the past he has written a movie review, but this time he took his writing a different direction.  I asked Philip, “What did you think of the movie?”

Philip typed out his response with my support on his forearm giving backward resistance and resetting his arm to a neutral position with each letter.  The typing was much slower than his spelling on the letterboard as he would often miss his target key one key off and self-correct his mistakes.  I did not provide any verbal cuing except an occasional comment to think about the target letter before aiming after several missed hits. (Philip’s answers in bold)  

Philip typed:  I liked it.  I thought I pleaded less to our noise to tension in the theater.  I feel peoples tension a lot.  Under the duress of the territorial pull of the theater youth who do not have right to do fc or rpm.

(Philip explained the above statement a day later on his letterboard, "I am sensitive to peoples emotions and it sometimes overwhelms me."  So you can feel the emotion of the people in the theater?  "Yes.  They have tough lives.") 

I continued the initial conversation on the letterboard, Philip's primary mode of commnication, and asked Philip, “What is your experience at the sensory friendly films?”

I feel stressed bc I am sad kids cannot communicate.  

“Which movies do you prefer to go to then, regular showings (we had seen Lego movie at a regular showing over mid-winter break) or sensory friendly?”

Regular.

I then asked Philip if he wanted to write a movie review or do a lesson.  He spelled on his board, “I want you to teach me a lesson.”  “On what?” I asked.  “About facing fears,” he spelled.  I wasn’t sure how to come up with a lesson on that topic on the fly, so I resorted to my go-to, fall-back lesson planner, Brain Pop on my iPad.  I looked up the lessons in the health section and saw there was one on Stress.  That seems the closest in category so we watched the lesson together and Philip took the quiz and got 80%.

I planned to use the lesson as a springboard for typing practice.  I thought Philip might simply type answers to reiterate what was talked about in the lesson, but again, Philip had his own ideas.

At his desk with the iPad, I asked Philip, “What is a synonym for stress?”  Philip typed: autism.

“Name me some symptoms of stress.”  Philip typed: you utter nonsense too much, intermittent petulance, intense tantrums, urination too much

As Philip began to show irritation, I asked Philip what was the matter.  He spelled, I am tired from typing.

Later on I asked Philip if he wanted to continue our discussion on stress and whether he wanted to type or use his letterboard.  “Yes” he wanted to continue and with his “letterboard.”

Philip added the following symptoms of stress:  head banging, so pitiful whining, mouth objects.  I am tense about sounds.  I am petulant to accept help.  I am leaving in so far that nothing matters except escaping fear.  I am kind of mean to people by pulling their clothes.  

“What are some things that cause you stress?”

Not talking, tons of noise, typing on iPad.  When I have to get a haricut.  To sit still is so hard (in regards to haircuts).  I might get hurt.  Each day I am tore apart by tons of nots.  (“What do you mean by that?”) I cannot do a lot of things normal kids can do.  

“What are some things you want to do that normal kids do?”

I want to learn normally.  I want to play sometimes too.  Make friends.

“What things help deal with stress or make you feel better?”

Patience.  Meeting a goal to increase independence.  I am liking (my teacher’s) exercises to address learning.  Stories about people overcoming.  Not fearing the future.  The likes on facebook.  The notes from people reading my blog.  Each day mom talking to me.  Time to veryis (various) teachings about different topics to learn about the world.

      

 Our first sensory friendly film seen (Planes) from last summer