How do FreeNode lessons work?
FreeNodes are instructor-led schooling lessons with a unique approach, granting you the freedom to independently teach using a personalized lesson plan. This autonomy enables you to tailor your lessons to suit students’ individual needs, learning styles, and interests.
To use a FreeNode, read the provided class outline & follow the formatting provided for each class. Make sure to touch on the Theocratic Connection in each class. Follow the outline closely so it is aligned with our main at-home curriculum.
How Do I Use the FreeNode?
Read this lesson plan before class to familiarize yourself with the ideas and concepts you’ll be teaching the students. You may print this page out if you need to use it as a reference point during live classes.
This lesson is a guide, but feel free to expand on the content or decrease/increase what you teach depending on the learning levels of the students in your class or the amount of time you have to cover the material.
Can I show videos in FN classes?
Yes, feel free to include additional material to supplement the class lesson material. Videos, Physical Objects, Games, Activities, etc. are okay to share in live classes.
Videos should have no advertisements or logos and should be viewed by you before showing them to the students to ensure no offensive or questionable content is included.
The video should make up only 1-3 minutes of the live class and should not take the place of instructor-led instruction. Videos should be supplementary only.
How do bookmarks work?
Bookmarks help you keep track of lessons you’re going to teach in future live classes. The bookmarks you see are for all your bookmarked lessons across all grades.
You can bookmark a lesson by visiting the lesson you want to bookmark and clicking the “bookmark” button in the bookmark section.
You can remove a single bookmark by visiting a lesson you’ve bookmarked and clicking the “bookmark” button again to unbookmark it.
You can clear all of your bookmarks by clicking the “clear all bookmarks” button. Be careful, this will erase all of your bookmarks.
Log in to save bookmarks.
Class Lesson Plan
Student Objectives:
- Take turns reading pages or paragraphs in the book to practice their reading skills.
- Identify who the main characters and settings of the story are.
- Understand the moral lessons presented in the book.
- Be able to summarize the story in their own words.
Coloring Page:
Video Links:
- Stages of Pig Growth:
- (Optional) Smart Pigs vs Kids:
Theocratic Connections:
Since this chapter explores Fern’s ability to be responsible, encourage students to consider the following article on responsibility after class:
Activity 1 – Reading Chapter 2: Wilbur (15 minutes):
Open the story in the Bookclub bookcase and have students take turns reading. Assign character roles if appropriate.
Activity 2 – Discussion (12 minutes):
Ask students the following questions:
- “Which characters were we introduced to in this chapter?”
- “How does Fern show her parents that she is responsible enough to care for Wilbur?”
- “Why do you think the Arables (Fern’s parents) moved Wilbur from a box near the stove, to a box in the woodshed, to a spot under the apple tree?”
- “How did Wilbur keep warm at night under the apple tree?”
- “Why did Mr. Arable (Fern’s father) want to sell Wilbur when turned 5 weeks old?”
- “Why did Uncle Homer agree to buy Wilbur?”
- “What do you think will happen in the next chapter?”
- “If you had to tell someone what chapter 2 was about, what would you say?”
- “What do you think will happen in the next chapter?”
Activity 3 – Watch: Stages of Pig Growth Video (3 minutes):
Show students this video for context. This will help them to better understand how fast Wilbur must’ve been growing.
Activity 4 – Watch and Discuss: Smart Pigs vs Kids Video (Optional):
If you have enough time watch and discuss the second video exploring how smart pigs are.
Assessment:
Assess student understanding of the story’s moral through participation in discussions, completion of reflection questions, and identification of key concepts presented.