Dissection and Pig Roast!

Hello Brave Parents!  You probably did not realize a year ago that you would be receiving information like this, but here we are!  :-)

The plans for the dissection and pig roast are coming along!  I visited the pig farm and it will be a huge pig.  Oh-it was stinky there!  I spent Saturday with Jason Ordway planning and digging on his property.  I can't take too much credit...He had already dug most of it.  Matt Davis has also been a huge help with logistics of the roast.  Please remember to thank these guys for all their help.  This will, indeed, be memorable experience.  I am exercising skills in the grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric stage as I learn what to do in this endeavor.  It is always a privilege to show our children that we are never to old to learn new things and take on new challenges!

The dissection will take place at the Ordway House this Saturday.  Please arrive around 4:30pm and we will begin dissection around 5pm.  This time works best to ensure the pig goes in the ground at the proper time.  This is around the dinner hour, so please be sure you have already eaten.  Bringing snacks to share with the class following the dissection would be appreciated.  

This is for ChA students (and parents, if interested) only.  This rule is due to (1) space available for viewing, and (2) level of maturity that I expect for such an event.
 
We will most likely be killing the pig at the Ordways right before dissection, and then it will bleed out.  Watching the slaughtering process of an animal can be very educational for the students to see, both with anatomy in mind, as well as appreciating where our food comes from.  In our society, we are very removed from the reality of death.  Your student is welcome to go inside Ann's house if he/she does not want to see that part.  In fact, if they are uncomfortable at anytime, they are free to step away and go inside the house.  We want this to be educational, not disturbing.  Researching about slaughtering ahead of time may help if this will be a 'first' for your student.  This can also be a great time to discuss animal sacrifices in the Bible as a family, and our appreciation for Christ as the perfect Lamb of God.

Please wear clothes that can get dirty.  Students may also want to bring a sketch journal and/or camera.

The preparation for the imu roast will follow the dissection.  It is encouraged that the students do some research about this method of cooking and the culture surrounding it.  Stickers will be awarded to any student who presents research on this topic.

Bringing a snack to share for after the dissection would be appreciated.  This is a first for me, so I am not sure how long it will last.   I also don't know what kind of appetite we will have afterwards. lol!

My boys and I plan to camp by the roast that night to protect it from wild animals.

The BGCC Luau will be Sunday at 4pm.  Many of you have volunteered to bring a dish-thank you!  I hope some of you will bless Ann and Jason by staying to help clean-up after the event.

Please let me know if you have any other questions/concerns.  We are really looking forward to this weekend!
Corey

Semester 2 Week 12 Recap!

Hello parents,

We had a great day in Challenge last week!  The Recap is below.  Please pay special attention to the info in bold.  It relates to final exams and final presentation night.  Let me know if you have any questions!

-Corey

Bible Study

We discussed God’s use of questions in the bible.  We discussed several passages and the use of questions in sharing the gospel with people.  An understanding and appreciation of the trivium can be so beneficial when studying scripture.  God uses the dialectic tool of asking questions many times throughout Bible.  I recommended Gregory Koukl’s book Tactics as a possible resource. 

Latin

We introduced “The Compounds of Sum” and “The Perfect System of Tenses” consisting of: Perfect, Pluperfect, and Future Perfect Tenses. The students participated in a latin vocabulary review game—Draw.

Research

The students drew the Neuron and the Neuromuscular Junction from memory.  We discussed the students’ research regarding the eye.  We introduced the ear.   The students seem to love the drawing portion.  Make sure your student is researching the various terms mentioned in the biology worksheet text.

Math

The students led the class in solving the various problems they had brought with them.  It is great to see the students leading their peers.  This is a very practical life skill.  

LTW

We reviewed the Elocution skills: Parallelism, Verbs, Antithesis, Simile.   The students seem to have a firm grasp on these skills.  Their outlines were great.  Most of the students had the assigned worksheets complete.  They need to have had the Bronze Bow read by next community day.  Their essays are also due by next week.  

**If you look at Week 14 & 15, you will see that the Essay for The Bronze Bow does not reach the ‘finished final essay’ stage during Challenge A weekly work.  HOWEVER, the blue book exam assignment for LTW will be:  “Please provide your final essay for The Bronze Bow.”  On exam day (5/11) students could choose to bring their outline and handwrite their essay that day.  However, I HIGHLY recommend that they finish their essay prior to the exam, and bring the final copy with them, and we will attach it to the blue book.  This will allow more time for their geography drawing, as well as the prize auction following blue book exams.

Geography

The students drew Australia and New Zealand from memory.  We discussed this weeks geography assignment: Oceania.   We are at the point where the students need to be drawing the world throughout the week in preparation for the blue book examination, where they will be drawing the entire world from memory and labeling it.  We had a different spin on dictionary for geo terms that went quite well. 

**Parents will be responsible from providing the desired drawing medium for the blue book exam.  Possible options would include a large poster board, a beach ball, etc.  This will be something to keep, therefore your laminated board is not recommended.  The reason I am leaving it up to the parents is because I want to give you and your student the opportunity to choose the size and shape of your “canvas”.  

Rhetoric

We discussed 2 chapters from the Fallacy Detective.   Lesson 17: Loaded Question.   Lesson 19: Part-to-Whole (aka fallacy of Composition).  If you haven’t been discussing these with your student, I would recommend doing so.  It is a lot of fun to see them come up with fallacies on their own.  We also played the jeopardy game for catechism review that got, lets just say, PHYSICAL!  They are doing an excellent job on catechism questions. 

**The students were divided into teams for the ChA portion of BGCC final presentation night which is on 5/11.  Each team needs to coordinate a time to meet together and plan their 1 minute portion in which 2 of them will act out a fallacy and the other team member will name/define the fallacy.  Let me know if you have any questions.

Semester 2 Week 11 Recap!

LTW

—The students shared their “Issue” associated with their ANI chart for this next essay using Crispin: the Cross of Lead.   Several students hadn't finished the book yet.  Remember to check on your student’s progress each week to ensure they are completing all the tasks assigned in the Ch A Guide for the given week.  (Unless, you have determined a different standard for them to meet that week.)

—We reviewed various Arrangement skills learned thus far.  They practiced coming up with Exordiums based off of their Issues.  We compared and contrasted the skills of Division and Refutation. 

Geography

—The students drew the entire continent of Africa from memory.  

—The students competed in teams building geography puzzles. They had to build three puzzles and were timed.  The team with the fasted combined times for all three puzzles won.

—We then reviewed the geography terms with a rousing game of bingo.  

Rhetoric

—We discussed the assigned reading from the Fallacy Detective:

Ch.15: Circular Reasoning

       Ch. 16: Equivocation

—We ended the strand with a game of Jeopardy to review the catechism questions.

Latin

—We introduced the various forms of the latin verb “Sum”, including the present tense (sum), imperfect tense (eram), and future tense (ero).

—We reviewed the latin vocabulary by playing a team game.  We brought our Pie Face game, which actually is exactly what it sounds like.  You turn the handle and eventually it throws whip cream in the face of the lucky contestant.  The boys, Master Cole and Master Richardson, started it off.  They were each on a different team and whichever team got the answer correct, the boy from the other team had to turn the handle risking getting “whipped” in the face.  Several other students also participated (only those that wanted to). 

Research

—The students drew the brain from memory.

—We discussed neurons and the neuromuscular junction.  Several students did not research the assigned topic.  Since the name of the strand is “research”, they did not complete the weekly task.  Please check with your student to make sure they are completing the assigned tasks unless you excuse them and then please send a note so I know the situation.

Math

—The students presented the problems they had brought to class and led a class discussion in how to solve the problems.  

—We introduced some new concepts from this coming weeks Saxon 8/7 Math text. 

I hope you all enjoy the week off as we celebrate Christ’s Resurrection!

Early Release Tomorrow and pics!

Sent from my iPhoneHello,
Tomorrow we will skip Devotions and get started on Challenge right at 8:30am. The day will wrap up around 2:30/2:45pm so that we can clean up and be out the door but 3:00pm. Thank you!
-Corey and Kelly
PS. So sorry we didn't get the recap out from last week. It was a great day! Let us know if you had any questions from last week. Here are some pics from our Geo exercise and math demonstration of Pythagorean theorem. Ask you student if they remember how to use the theorem to test if something truly has a square corner. This is a trick fixer-uppers use. :-)

Semester 2 Week 9 Recap!

Bible Study

—We read the latter part of Ephesians 6 and began to discuss “the armor of God”.  We will continue this topic next week, so reading Ephesians 6 as a family may be a great way to have some dialectic discussions at home.

LTW

—The students shared the Refutation portion of their Arrangement outlines.  

—We introduced Simile and discussed how to create similes in a 3 step process. 

—In LTW, there is an emphasis on a simile being made up of two different kinds of things with a similar quality.  The students already knew that a simile was a comparison using “like” or “as”.  The fact that there needs to be “different kinds” in order for the comparison to be defined as a simile was new to the students.  

**Example 1: The robin was as loud as a freight train.  This IS a simile because a robin and a freight train are different kinds of things.  

**Example 2: The robin sang like a nightingale.  This would NOT be a simile because a robin and a nightingale are the same kind of thing.  

—The students should have their paper done by next week and the appropriate worksheets should also be completed.  

—Remind your student to read Crispin: Cross of Lead  this week and be ready to discuss the book in community on Thursday.

Geography

—Students practiced drawing the various contents of the world that they have learned up to this point.  All in all, they are doing very well.  It appears that most of the students still struggle with the eastern half of the USA.  Remind them to be drawing all of the areas, not just what is assigned that week.

—We discussed this weeks geography terms.  It seems like they are getting rusty with Geo Terms.  Please remind them to keep up with those.  Pictures are available on CC Connected.

Rhetoric

—We discussed this weeks Fallacy Detective Chapters 10: Faulty Appeal to Authority and Chapter 11: Appeal to the People.  These discussions are so enjoyable.

—I encouraged the students to search out logical fallacies this week to bring to class to discuss. Opinion columns in newspapers are good places to find fallacies. Also, political speeches may be good fodder for a discussion.  They will earn stickers if they bring these in.

Latin

—We introduced the future tense endings for the third conjugation verbs.  We then practice translating various latin words with various tenses.   

—We completed the seminar with an exciting team game.  I would call out a latin or english word and the students would search the board (the dry erase board was filled with various latin and english words) and whichever student circled the word first received a point for their team.   The students really seemed to like it.  It even got a bit physical.  Miss Chavez was putting on a clinic in how to properly box out an opponent in basketball. 

Research

—The students drew the Integumentary System from memory.  They shared their research regarding the skeletal system. 

—We had a discussion about the brain.  We had a thought provoking discussion about the mind vs the brain and the biblical ramifications of this.  

Math

—The students’ math problems that they brought to class were written on the board and the students rolled a dice to see who would go first.  They had to pick a problem that was not their own and then lead a class discussion to solve the problem.   This highlights the process of asking good questions.  They did a great job.

Here are a few ways your student can earn extra stickers:

—Bring in fallacies that they come across during the week.

—Bring in a math problem to share with the class.

—Memorize the books of the Bible.  Only a couple students have taken advantage of this.  There is a song on the Foundations CD to help with this.

—Present something that they have researched during the week during Research strand.

—During class, demonstrate integrating the the strands.  For example: during Research, mention a Latin derivative, or during Geography, highlight something that appears mathematical, etc.  There are so many opportunities for this!

It was another great week.  Miss Lo and Miss Forrester, you were missed.  Details regarding the pig dissection and pig roast will be coming soon!  We look forward to seeing everyone on Thursday!

-Corey

Semester 2 Week 8 Recap!

Challenge A Semester 2 Wk 8 Recap

It was Open House day and we had several visitors in and out throughout the day.  This can be distracting for the students, but they handled it flawlessly.   They all represent their families and our community so well with their high level of maturity.   

Progress reports were handed out today.  If you have any questions/concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me.  These evaluations are tough to assess.  I can only go off of what I see in class.  You are their teacher and you know truly how they are doing day to day.  I hope the feedback is helpful.

Thanks, Corey

RECAP:

Latin:

—We discussed 3RD CONJUGATION VERBS today, which have ‘ere’ in the 2nd principal part.  The only difference between this ending and that of the 2nd Conjugation in NO MACRON over the first ‘e’ in the infinitive.  We looked at the present and imperfect tense of 3rd. Conjugation and noticed the variations in vowels.   We looked at exercises 156,157, 161.

—We played a vocab game in which students had to race to the board, which was covered in English words, to find the translation and circle it before the other team.  It was really fun and they showed that they are improving in their latin vocabulary.

Research:

—Students drew and labeled the heart from memory.  They are all doing FANTASTIC with these drawings.  Hopefully you, as the parent, are grading these when they get home.  You should be impressed.   

—Hopefully, you are also having a dialectic discussion with your student each week about what he/she is researching for each body system.  In class, each student may or may not get enough time to discuss their research in full.  They all seem very interested in learning about the body.

—I presented a Dermatology Slide Show to the students showing various skin conditions and diseases that I see at work.  (I had fun grossing them out!)   It is helpful for them to see that medical terms for conditions/diseases can be broken down quite simply to discover their meaning.  Latin awareness is crucial to the medical field, as well as math.  I enjoy demonstrating this in case they pursue that field of study someday.

Math:

—Students presented problems to the class.  I really appreciate their willingness to do this.  Please remind your students to bring a problem each week if they are not doing so.

—We discussed functions and how to graph them.  I made up a problem and asked the students if they could figure out a function for it.  I couldn’t figure it out myself but Miss Lo figured it out.  It was amazing.  I was very impressed. I gave them a number pattern whereby the numbers were increasing by 3 (1,4,7,10,…).  I had asked the students if there was a function that we could use to figure out what the 50th number in the sequence would be.  Miss Lo came up with the function of: y= x + [2(x-1)].   Awesome!

LTW:

—Refutation was introduced today. 

—The students were VERY talkative with this exercise, which makes for a great LTW day!

—The importance of completing ANI Charts fully was discussed.  I did see improvement in that this week.  I think Refutation is a wake-up call for completing ANI’s thoroughly.  It takes the full brainstorming process to arrive at quality proofs.   Both sides need to be thoroughly brainstormed.  Some students are choosing their side prematurely and not coming up with enough opposition ideas.  In persuasive writing, they are developing the skill of refuting the oppositions to their view which means they need to fully consider the oppositions.   

Geography:

—students drew Africa weeks 1 and 2 from memory.  They are all doing a great job with Africa so far.   Remember, these drawings in class can serve as their “weekly quiz”.  It is recommended that you, as the teacher, are grading these each week.  They are doing very well with their drawings.  The small countries below Mali are tough for most of them right now.  That is an area that still needs practice.

—Remind they to keep up their skills of the rest of the world.  This is all accumulating to being able to draw the whole world.  We don’t want them getting rusty on the Western Hemisphere.

—We played our travel game again.  This is a great form of practice and they seem to enjoy the challenge.  This could easily be an ‘at home’ game for you to play with your student.   

Rhetoric:

—The Fallacy Detective is such a great platform for discussion.  The time flies by when we are discussing the fallacies.  They all seem quite engage with this!

—We discussed the following fallacies this week:  Genetic Fallacy and Tu Quoque.  

Have a great weekend!

Semester 2 Week 7 Recap!

Hello!  We had a great week in Challenge A.  There were some visitors this week that are checking out the ChA program.  I was proud to show off these students and all that they are learning.  In both Rhetoric and Research, the new material has been a welcomed change.  We had lively discussions during both of those strands.  We missed Miss Chavez and Miss Lo this week and hope they get well soon. Its not same without them.

Corey

RECAP:

Bible Study

-We had a discussion about the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, using the 5 Common Topics.  

LTW

-The students read their essays from The Door in the Wall.  They sure have learned a lot since the beginning of the year.  

-We introduced a new Invention topic: the topic of Circumstance.  

Geography

-The students drew from memory the first section of Africa.   We then discussed the next section that they will be adding this week.  

-We played a travel game where the teams were given a starting location and ending destination and they had to list all the countries (or states) that they would have to travel through on their journey.  Example: They started in Maine, USA and had to go to Uruguay or starting in Estonia and traveling to Mali in Africa. 

-We reviewed the new Geo Terms for this week.

Rhetoric

-We discussed the fallacies of Red Herring, Special Pleading, and Ad Hominen in chapters 5-7 of the Fallacy Detective.  The students really seemed to enjoy this new topic.   

-I will apologize in advance for helping to arm them with this rhetorical skill. You probably have already encountered your student pointing out the fallacious nature of something you have said. 

-We reviewed our catechism questions by playing Jeopardy.  Students need to keep working on memorizing the catechism questions.

Latin

-We introduced Reflexive Pronouns in Latin.  Since the genitive case of the reflexive pronoun is sui, it opened up a dialectic discussion regarding an english derivative—suicide.  This then led to discussing different “___cides”: Homocide—killing of a man (homo means “man” in latin), pesticide, herbicide, infanticide, genocide (gens means “tribe” in latin).  Discussing derivatives is a great way to help the students.  Its great seeing the wheel turning in the students eyes as they ponder these things. 

-We worked through some English to Latin translations in Exercise 153.  

Research

-The students drew, from memory, the digestive system. They all did an excellent job.  They seem quite interested in learning about God’s creation—the human body.  

-We had a conversation regarding the circulatory system and several students shared some of their research into different diseases: Strokes and Supraventricular Tachycardia.  We broke down the term ‘supraventricular tachycardia’ to show that the student can begin knowing what these diseases are by knowing latin.

Math

-Several students presented math problems and led the class in solving the problems.  We introduced several new skills that are in the upcoming week’s lessons. 

Practicum 2017

Registration for practicum is now open.  Camp spots fill up quickly!  Brody is going to be a teen helper this year and hopes his classmates join him!   -Kelly

Semester 2 Week 6 Recap!

Bible Study

-We reviewed some of the bible terms discussed thus far: Justification, Propitiation, Salvation, Redemption, and the Jehovah compound names.  

Latin

-We introduced the latin third person pronouns.  Declining them seems a bit daunting until you see the pattern in the endings.  They come in masculine, feminine, and neuter forms but the plural endings are similar to the adjectives: masculine—2nd declension endings, feminine—1st declension endings, neuter—2nd declension neuter endings.  If you remember that they start with the letter “e” then you have all of the plural 3rd person pronouns down.  

-Remember, A pronoun agrees with the word to which it refers, in gender and number. Its case depends on its use in its own clause.  (Grammar Rule #479).

-The students translated 2 long sentences from exercise 152.  It’s great to see them work together.  

Research

-The students drew the Respiratory System from memory.  They all did a great job and everyone got a sticker for it.  

-We discussed the Digestive System and several students shared some diseases they had researched regarding the Digestive System, including: Celiac Sprue, GERD, Erythema Multiforme, and others.  We discussed how difficult it is to figure out the various causes of abdominal pain and some different exam findings that helps zero in on the cause. 

-We introduced the Cardiovascular System using Latin (Circa, Atrium, Ventriculus), Math (Circumference), Mechanics (valves), and Construction (discussion of water pumps and sump pumps) to help elucidate the purpose and function of the heart.  Its great integrating different categories of knowledge to gain further understanding—dialectic discussions in action!

Math

-The students took turns leading the class in solving problems that they brought.  This is a valuable skill to lead others in solving problems.  They are getting better every week.  

-We introduced several new math skills from Lessons 81, 83, 84.

LTW

-I evaluated everyone’s arrangement outline for proper layout and content.  They seem to be doing a good job of grasping the concepts.  Remember to check over their work each week to see that they have completed all the tasks delineated in the Ch A guide.  They were suppose to complete various worksheets on Sorting, Exordium, Division, and Amplification, along with the outline.  

-They need to have several other worksheets and their finished paper done prior to the next community day.  

-They also should read the book Gathering of Days prior to the next community day.  This week off should give them plenty of time to read the book again.

Geography

-The students drew the entire map of Asia from memory.  It’s a tall task and one that deserves praise.  I recommend asking your student to show you their drawing and allow them to show off their skills a bit. 

-We introduced the map of Africa and broke it down into 4 weeks.  Hopefully, you all got the email I sent with the 4 week breakdown of Africa.  If not, either let me know and I can resend the email or you can download it from CC connected file sharing.    We had a great discussion regarding the continent of Africa including: its geographic peculiarities, its various natural resources, its tumultuous past, and its relationship to other continents both physically and historically.  We reviewed the students’ knowledge of Africa based in their foundation’s history sentences and time cards. 

Rhetoric

-We discussed the last chapter of ICJH (chapter 20).  It’s bitter sweet finishing the book.  There has been some great discussions throughout the previous community days, but I think everyone is looking forward to starting the Fallacy Detective.  

-The students should read chapters 6 and 7 by next community day, where we will discuss the chapters.  If they have extra time, it would be worthwhile reading the first 5 chapters but it is not required. 

-We played our first game of Catechism Jeopardy with the chart that the Glanzers graciously provided for us.  Thank you Jean Marie and Emily (and anyone else who helped)!

It was great.  There were only a few bumps and bruises obtained during the game.  You should ask your student about the game.  It was full of laughter.  It was hilarious to Master Brody and Miss Lo struggling over who got the spoon.  Master Brody was dragging Miss Lo along the ground.  She was as determined then as she was in the arm wrestling competition!  

All in all, another great week!  I hope you are having a restful week off!

—Corey  

Semester 2 Week 5 Recap!

Hello!  It was so great to see some of you at the Banquet last night!  What a special evening!  I am so grateful to Angie and everyone who helped put it together.

Here is our Recap:  

Bible Study

—We discussed the tetragrammaton (YHWH or JHVH), the meaning of God’s name, and the seven Jehovah-compound names found in the OT: 

Jehovah-jireh

Jehovah-ropheka

Jehovah-Nisei

Jehovah-shalom

Jehovah-Rash

Jehovah-tsidkenu

Jehovah-shammah  

—We discussed the meaning of the various names and read the corresponding bible passages. 

LTW

—The students shared their Issue and ANI charts and worked on sorting them.  

—We reviewed the Arrangement skills learned thus far: Sorting, Exordium, Amplification, Division.  

—Students were advised to schedule time with their parent(s) this week to go over their ANI charts.  The students expressed that they still need help when they are sorting.  It looks like they are doing fine with grouping them, but coming up with a proof for the grouping is still difficult for them and requires dialogue with their teachers.  In order to sort, they need lots of items on their ANI chart.  Several students had very few items on their ANI Charts.

Geography

—Students practiced drawing Asia from memory.  

—We played a team game where they were given a starting point and ending point and had to write down the directions on how to get there linking the countries (e.g. traveling from Jerusalem to Cambodia or Mt. Everest to Sri Lanka). It seemed to be a great way to point out areas of weakness in their understanding and reinforce what they do know.  This was very fun and they did a great job.  The kids were challenged, but seemed to enjoy it.  We will play this again!

Rhetoric

—We discussed chapter 19 of It Couldn’t Just Happen.  There is only one chapter left before the students start The Fallacy Detective.  

Latin

—We introduced first and second person pronouns and worked through part of Exercise 148.  —The students were reminded to continue to practice their vocabulary.  

Research

—We had a great discussion about the Respiratory System and several students had researched some diseases associated with the Respiratory System.  

—We introduced the digestive system, which, of course, led to some laughter and fun discussion.

—Remember, this strand is all about research, so students should be researching the various body systems, especially the listed terms, and hopefully learning about some diseases associated with the body system being studied.  They may need help finding quality sources for their research.  Remember, later in Debate, if their source is not a quality source they will lose their argument.   Wikipedia is not considered a quality source.  

Math

—The entire strand was spent having students present the problems they had brought to class.   They are improving in their ability to lead the class in a discussion.  I appreciate that students are bringing problems.  It’s great to see in action!  

Have a great week!

-Corey

Semester 2 Week 4 Recap!

SEMESTER 2 WEEK 4 RECAP:

It was so nice to have Miss Lo back!  Miss Chavez, you were missed!

Today Patricia Richey presented a special opportunity to our students called TeenPact (teenpact.com).  If you want more info, contact Angie and she can explain more about it.

Bible Devotions

We discussed the significance of numbers in the Bible.  We looked at several numbers: 1, 3, 6, 7, 12, 40.  We determined from reading passages that 6 is the number of man, 7 is the number of completion, 12 is the number of Israel, 40 is the number of judgment, etc.

Latin

Today was a review.  There was no new information covered.  We conjugated some 2nd conjugation verbs in various tenses: present, imperfect, and future.  The students seemed a bit rusty on their latin vocabulary, so you may want to check in on them that they are reviewing their latin flashcards.

Research

Today was our last day of research presentations.  The students have done a great job in their presentations and have grown considerably from Day 1.  We are so proud of them!

 

We also introduced the Respiratory System today.  The new expectation is that students will fill out the assigned pages in their Biology Student Workbooks and research the various terms associated with the Respiratory System.  They should be drawing in their Nature Sketch Book that they have been filling up so far in research. They should define the various terms but they don’t have to memorize the definitions.  I recommended that they try to learn about a disease dealing with the system they are researching. Possible examples for this week may include lung cancer, emphysema, asthma, pneumonia, or interstitial lung disease.  This could be a lot of fun for the students.  They will draw from memory the Respiratory System at the next community day.  Email me if you have any questions about the changes to the Research strand.  

Math

Several students presented a math problem in class today.  I am trying to help them grasp the idea of leading the class in solving the problem rather than having them solve the problem for the class.  This is a new skill that will take practice.  I really appreciated their willingness to attempt it today as well as last week.  They should be asking the students questions like, “What do you see?”, “What are we solving for?” “What are the units being used?”, etc.   

We briefly discussed some new material from their upcoming lessons in Saxon 8/7.  

LTW

The students read their introductions from their papers.  They seem to be grasping the concepts in LTW.  Antithesis and Division were the main concepts that I was listening for and they did very well.

We discussed the book The Door in the Wall.  The students admitted that they didn’t remember as much about this book, so they should re-read the book this week.  They also need to complete an ANI chart with at least 30 items in each column.  This is the expectation so if you as their teacher have different expectations then please notify me.  We reviewed the 5 common topics, specifically comparison.

Geography

The students continue to expand their knowledge of Asia.  They drew, from memory, a considerable part of Asia.  They did peer reviews on their drawings.  Make sure they continue to draw daily.  Next week, they will have to draw all of Asia from memory.   

I have been a bit under the weather and sleep deprived lately, so I took brief nap for the second half of Geo and Kelly led the geo terms game.  They are doing a great job with their geo terms.   I got a solid 15-20 minute nap and apparently there is a picture to prove it.  lol!  :-)

Rhetoric

We discussed chapter 18 of ICJH.  It concerned the prophecies surrounding the Messiah.  Afterward, I recommended that the students read Isaiah 53 this week.  

We played a game for catechism review using a deck of cards.  Whichever team ended up with the best hand won.  A full house beat a flush.   I bet you didn’t know that they would walk away from Challenge with poker skills, did you?  We are almost done with new catechism questions.  Soon we will be playing jeopardy.   

Have a great week!  Contact me if you have any questions!

-Corey