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

Week 2 Recap

Semester 2 Week 2 Recap:

Bible Devotion

 -We discussed the topic of angels in the Bible. 

-We compared the Bible’s description of angels to how they are pictured by artists in the past.  The Bible describes angels as having the appearance of men and no wings.  

-We looked at the description of the cherubim in Ezekiel chapters 1 and 10, which do have wings.  By comparing the description of the 4 faces of cherubim in chapters 1 and 10, you see that the face of a cherub is the face of an ox.  We discussed that the Devil, formerly known as Lucifer, was the anointed cherub that covered the throne of God.  It makes sense that the golden calf was worshipped in the past (see Exodus 32 and I Kings 12) since Satan desires is to “be like the most High” (Is.14:14) and receive the worship that is due only to God. 

Latin

  -Discussed and practiced the use of the interrogative particle -ne as we worked through several of the sentence translations in exercise 132.   

-**Remind your student to practice daily their vocabulary flash cards.

Research

  -Yet another week of excellent presentations!   

-The students presented their research on marsupials and we discussed the next topic: whales and dolphins.  

**One concern I had was that there was only one student who had a bibliography accompanying their research paper.  A bibliography page is expected with every research paper, since this is an important part of writing a research paper.  The student’s work will be considered incomplete without it, unless I receive a written note from the parent excusing their student from this task.  

Logic (Math)

  -We explored the mathematic constant, Pi (π).   Pi is found by dividing the circumference by the diameter of a circle.  We measured the circumference and diameter of various round objects in the room (clocks, stools, frisbees, containers) and divided C/D.  There were several calculations that came close the Pi, which is 3.14 (rounded to the nearest hundredth for the sake of sanity).    Using this calculation ∏=C/D, we where able to figure out the circumference (C=∏•D).   Since the diameter is the radius x 2, we derived the classic formula of C=2r∏.   

-Master Richardson presented a math problem that the group worked through together.  

-**I reminded the students to each bring a math problem each week and to be prepared to lead the class in working out the problem.  It is ok if the student is uncertain how to solve the problem...the point of the exercise is to lead the group in solving it by means of discussion.  Let me know if you are excusing your student from this task.

Exposition and Composition (Lost Tools of Writing)

   -The literary tool of Division was introduced, which is found under the Essay 5: Arrangement lesson in the LTW teacher’s book.  We used examples from The Secret Garden and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.   

-**I would recommend watching the lesson online to help your student better understand it.  

-**The Ch A Guide calls for an ANI chart with 30 items per column but only one student had fulfilled the assignment with most students’ ANI charts having between 15-20 items per column.  The student’s work will be considered incomplete with fewer than 30 items per column, unless I receive a written note from the parent excusing their student from this task.  After your student has filled their chart as much as they can, it is recommended that you, as their teacher, discuss the 5 Common Topics with your student in order to complete it.

Debate (Geography)

-The students practiced drawing the Middle East from memory.   We then discussed the next section of Asia to draw, which was mainly made up of the “-stans”.  I had provided the parents with several pages of information at the parent dinner several weeks ago.  In that packet of papers was a 5 wk breakdown of Asia.  I asked the students if they had seen this and none of them had, so you might want to provide a copy to your student so they have a clear understanding of what to do each week.  Asia is rather large, so the 5 wk breakdown chart definitely helps.  It is also what the students will be drawing in class each week.  

Rhetoric (ICJH)

-We discussed chapter 16 of ICJH.  There was meaningful conversation regarding what makes up a human.  We discussed that humans have a soul and spirit in addition to a body. (I Thes. 5:23). 
-We reviewed the catechism questions by playing a game whereby the students were split into two teams and when they gave the correct answer to the catechism question they were able to pick a lego piece or two out of a bin of legos.  At the end, whichever team had built the best lego creation won.  It was a lot of fun watching them build. 

Have a great week.  I look forward to having our full class back together.  Miss Chavez, Miss Lo, and Miss Morse, we missed you!   A BIG Thank you to Crystal for subbing!

-Corey 

Ch A Week 13 Suggestions for Snow Day

Hi all,

As you know, tomorrows class is canceled due to weather.  We will not make up the Ch A week 13 community day, so I have some suggestions to keep on track and begin preparing for the next week.  I will be available all day tomorrow by cell phone (360-619-2202) or email if you or your student has any questions. 

Logic (Math) Strand: continue to keep up on math lessons and use the snow day to catch up if you are behind (in between sledding and hot chocolate breaks:))

Grammar (Latin) Strand: continue to work on vocabulary flashcards and review the 1st conjugation rules.  We were going to work on exercise 116 as a class if you want to review. 

Research Strand: I know how hard all the students work on their research presentations, so you can record and video your student's presentation and send to all the other students and myself.  Also, you can begin researching the next topic:  Amphibians.

Rhetoric Strand: This would be a great opportunity to have a dialectic conversation with your student regarding Ch 12 in the book It Couldn't Just Happen.  Also, review catechism questions. 

 

Exposition/Composition Strand (LTW): Have your student read their persuasive essay to you since they should have completed them this week.  Make sure that they utilized Amplification and Parallelism of phrases and clauses.  The students will start their next Essay this week by making a new ANI chart based off of an issue they come up with from the book Amos Fortune, Free Man.  Remember, they are not adding any new information to the next essay.  While this will be Essay 5, we are not moving on in the book to the Essay 5 lessons.  We only go as far as Essay 6 in the LTW textbook in all of Ch A.  Students should look over the recommended review lessons (see wk.14—At Home assignments for LTW on pg.61)  This would be a great day to get caught up (or re-watch) the LTW videos with your student.  If you have difficulty finding these videos online, please let me know.  I was going to have a dialectic discussion with the students re: Amos Fortune, so you may want to do that at home.  Even if you haven't read it, you can still have a profitable discussion by asking your student questions using the 5 common topics as a guide.

Debate (Cartography) Strand:  Draw, Draw, Draw.  Make sure to continue drawing both Europe and the Western Hemisphere. Continue to practice the geo terms.

I hope you all have a great day tomorrow,

-Corey

Geo Game Today!