(The most amazing part of today is hidden in the last paragraph.) Yesterday was amazing and I feel like I am pretty good at taking any story and making up questions on the fly, and it was really meaningful to teach Sam about his grandfather yesterday, but now I can see the value of having prepared lessons with the questions typed out ahead of time. To give myself a break today, and also to test to see if my not taking the time to come up with questions would reduce the number of times Sam got up (and I had to go retrieve him), I used a wonderful purchased lesson about flying cars.
First cool thing is that today he had very little trouble with "I" and "R" but really struggled a lot with "L". It was almost like he couldn't even see it.
He got up ten times during the hour-long lesson and I'm going to have to investigate to see if having the fan right on him the whole time is causing him to need a break from it. (I don't want a break from it, though ;) but I can try moving it to another spot.) My guess is that he's doing it because he's so excited to be spelling with me. He was SO happy during spelling today. It was right after lunch so he wasn't overly hungry.
I also experimented with not giving him pie after every word. Two times I worked fast and was able to squeeze two consecutive questions and answers out of him for one bite of pie.
He also told me that he was reading the answer to at least one of the questions from my sheet. So at least some of the questions in past lessons that I assumed were prior knowledge, he was actually reading! And maybe that's why I haven't needed to spell anything for him. BUT the fact that he is reading 10-point type from a paper that is not directly in front of him, in and of itself is HUGE! The fact that he is reading at all is huge! This will be clarified in the transcript below.
Spell: CONSTANTLY
Spell: ESTIMATED
Spell: REALITY
What are we talking about today?
FLYING CARS
What does the acronym GPS stand for?
GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM
In how many years might flying cars become a reality?
FIVE
[couch break]
Name one type of technology on this board (J-R) that was mentioned:
MOBILE PHONE
Spell: COLLISIONS
[couch break]
Spell: AIRCRAFT
Spell: SURFACES
What is the name of the first flying car model that we are talking about?
VAHANA
When will the Vahana deviate from the predetermined routes?
TO AVOID COLLISIONS
What does "swivelling" mean?
TURNING AROUND A POINT
What is another word for a "central point"?
HUB
[couch break]
What do we call a structure with curved surfaces designed to give
the most favorable ratio of drag to lift in flight?
AEROFOIL
Where on the Vahana are the rotors situated?
ON THE WINGS
On what plane do the aerofoils in the rotor rotate?
HORIZONTAL
[couch break]
Name another plane of movement.
VERTICAL
(pk) Spell a homonym for plane. [He loves these!!]
PLAIN
Spell: PRELIMINARY
[couch break]
Spell: SUCCESSFUL
Spell: DISMISSED
What does a PROTOTYPE refer to?
A FIRST OR PRELIMINARY VERSION OF A DEVICE OR VEHICLE
When did the first successful test flight of the Vahana take place?
JANUARY TWENTY EIGHTEEN
What term is used to describe an unattainable hope or scheme?
PIPE DREAM
How long ago did the first successful test flight take place? There are two possibilities based on how you count it so I'm just going to give you the one on this board (A-I).
EIGHT
How many seconds short of a minute did the test flight last?
SEVEN
Spell: INDEPENDENT
[couch break]
Spell: REQUIRED
Spell: ESSENTIALLY
[couch break]
What is the name of the model that we are discussing now?
VOLOCOPTER
(pk) What's another kind of 'copter?
HELICOPTER
Can you give me a synonym for "infamous"?
NOTORIOUS
How many rotors does this multi-copter have?
EIGHTEEN
What is the name for an unmanned aerial vehicle?
DRONE
[couch break]
What does the UAE stand for?
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Can you name another emirate that forms part of the UAE, other than Dubai, on the A-I board? I know this is a long shot but it wouldn't surprise me if you know this. It starts with A and you can just poke D if you don't know.
[HUGE grins!]
ABU DHABI
[Then he goes back to the A....]
OK, go ahead and spell the other one!
AJMAN
Sam, I am stunned. Did you read this from my paper or did you know it? Spell KNOW or READ since they start on the same board.
READ IT
Sam, you clever boy! This is so exciting! I didn't know you could read such small type. I'm trying to think of something else I can ask you but I'm drawing a blank, so I'll ask you the last question of the lesson. I'm turning my paper over but you might have already seen it or you already know this. Anyway, on which continent can the UAE be found?
ASIA
For the last bite of pie, since he's coming to visit tomorrow, spell the name of your nephew.
ELIJAH
[Now here is the everyday life result of having just finished reading Ido Kedar's Autismland and knowing your kid is in there and can understand everything and appreciates being spoken to like a person!]
Sam, you did so great! I am tired and haven't had lunch yet and I know you would love to go out. I have to do a bunch of stuff to get ready for our guests tomorrow but I PROMISE you that I will take you out sometime between now and bedtime. I know that you would love to help me with my chores, but you are helping me by entertaining yourself for a while. Thank you!
No comments:
Post a Comment