This site will function as a communication tool for our Challenge A Class. Weekly recap of class, helpful tips and other noteworthy items will be posted for our families. Please contact Mrs. Collins at sandtcollins@fuse.net with questions or for more information.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Week 9 Seminar Recap & Notes

Week 9

Here's the recap.....  (PLEASE SEE THE GUIDE FOR HOMEWORK DUE FOR WEEK 10 )

Challenge (Sweet treat reward)
   1.  Find what catechism question gives an example of a possible defense mechanism where an animal is designed to look like something else.
   2.  Show integration between 3 subjects you encounter this week (be specific).
    
Logic/Math
Again, new math terms.  Keep drilling!

We continue to review previous week's concepts through dialectic discussion.  In each problem we worked we asked the same questions (based on the common topics):

Observation - What do you see? (i.e. whole numbers, exponents, multiplication, solve, equation etc)
Definition - What does .... mean?  What is...? (i.e. solve, evaluate, reduce, fraction, exponent etc)
Circumstance - Can any parts be written in different way? (i.e. 54 (5 to the 4th power) same as 5x5x5x5)
Relationship - What do we need to know to answer the problem? (i.e. when dividing fractions, you multiply using the reciprocal)
Authority - What math law(s) are we using to answer? (i.e. identity law)
What is the answer?
Can we work the problem in a different way?

The students brought in problems to share - and again we dialectically discussed each one then worked to answer it. They continue to improve in their observation and concentrating on how to solve the problem versus the answer itself.

I quickly previewed concepts of triangular & rectangular area, graphs and proportions (using cross multiplication).

POINTS: Bring in a math problem from their homework to explain to the class -  5 points.

Be sure the students bring in the completed lessons you assign to class (even if they are not doing Saxon).

**Students should bring in a problem from their math lesson to share (can be one they struggled with; one they think will stump the class or anything they found interesting & would like to share & explain)  This will help them be rhetorical!!

Grammar/Latin
In class we went over questions from last week's homework.

Before we previewed this week's homework, we talked about expletives and look at some sentences for examples.   I will email out a document.  Hint: If sentence begins with sunt or est it will usually be translated "there are" or "there is".  The new vocab is on p 42 & 44.   Remember they will make a flashcard for all new vocab as well as grammar rules (blue book) & decline the new vocab in the spiral notebook under 3rd declension.  We practiced declining pars (3rd declension i-stem).

We played a game where I gave a sentence structure & pattern and they had to come up with that sentence & translate into Latin.  They did great!!

****It is important that the students parse/label each sentence so that they can clearly identify the parts of speech in order to translate it properly.  I reminded students of this again today.  I will be awarding candy for those who do!!! :)

Suggestions for parents @ home:  Make sure you and your student preview the next week's lesson as stated in the guide so that they are prepared to discuss it in class. Drill student on vocabulary & grammar rules.  Check daily assignments (or have students check).  Continue to have students focus on memorizing endings for the declensions - sing the songs & work those charts, as well as memorize vocab & rules.  It's a good idea to write the endings out - like copying mastery charts in Essentials.

Research
Today the students presented on insects.  Once again - quite interesting.  Continue to have them practice their presentation skills at home.  Continue to look for interesting, unknown facts about the topic and put those IEW tools to work.  Again, they should develop a good paragraph.  The skills we are working on are research as well as good presentation skills.  **They can bring in a "sample/example" of the topic.

Our next topic will be butterflies/moths
 so look ahead for topics & sources.

Here are some possible helpful websites:


₁http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moth 
₂http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/butterfly 
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy/term/125 
http://www.lepidopterology.com/ 
http://bugguide.net/node/view/57 
http://www.icr.org/index.php?module=home&f_keyword_all=butterfly&action=submitsearch&section= 0&f_search_type=icr&f_constraint=both&f_context_all=any&f_context_exact=any&f_context_any=any &f_context_without=any 

POINTS:  Find Latin word for butterfly, state it's declension & gender & decline word.  5 points

Suggestions for parents @ home:  Help students locate sources from Internet or library.  Assist in editing rough draft; listen & provide feedback for oral report (eye contact, etc). & check drawing.  Have them practice reading their report for you or even the whole family!

Expo/Comp
In class we discussed verbs and their importance in our writing.  We looked at sentences with passive/active, vague/action; cliche/literal verbs.  Although sometimes appropriate to use, we usually want to avoid this in our writing (they do not give us "clarity" in our writing).

We also took an "in-depth" look at our outlines.  Several students volunteered to share their main proofs and their supporting proofs.  We found that in some - our main proof needed a different (more general) label and/or our supporting ideas were the same as our main proof just worded differently.  Using the example "I liked the book"; my subproofs could be 1. mysteries are my favorite stories, 2. it kept me interested with twists & turns and 3. it brought about emotion.   These would all be "reason" to support that I liked the book.  I wouldn't use "because I enjoyed it" - that is the same thing as "i liked it".   In reviewing the outlines, examine the main proofs & supporting proofs to make sure they are not 1 in the same.  Please email me if you have any questions or need additional help.  Making the "labels" (that are our proofs) for our sorted ANI items can be really tricky.  (Also check the ANI to make sure items listed are not the same thing just worded differently, but are separate "reasons".)

This week the students will write their draft (using & according to their outline; complete wkbk p 33-29 & then edit their essay.  There is a student checklist on p 213 - AGAIN, please feel free to modify for those IEW techniques.  ***This week they will have exordium added to the beginning of their essay and their thesis (& proofs) will have parallelism.  See sample essay on p.40.  They will still be writing 1st reason, 2nd reason & 3rd reason; the "was that" in proofs & "because in conclusion.

They will bring in their papers along with their outlines to class next week.

READ NUMBER THE STARS.

Suggestions for parents @ home:  Review student workbook pages.  Assess outline for proofs & subproofs.  Watch DVD 4 Lesson 7 to prepare for next week's lesson.  

Debate/Geography
The students took their South America quizzes.  I'll return those next week.

We traced an outline of eastern Europe and filled in the countries.  Another Challenge A director created a document of breaking down Europe into 6 weeks.  It seemed logical & workable to me so I will be following that in class, but feel free to break up the material any way you choose.  (She starts with Southeastern Europe, Eastern Europe, Central Europe, Southern Europe, Western Europe, then Nordic Countries).  I will email that out.

Students should bring in maps that they've drawn.  They'll show the class their best map.

DRAW FOR POINTS!!! Students will earn 5 points for each map drawn this week (after they draw 8 which would be 2 per day for 4 days)  Bring to class your best map!!

****Remember that at the end of the year we will be drawing the world - states, countries features - everything from memory.  Students need to continue to draw areas they've been tested on.   (They can draw on the large laminated maps I gave them at the beginning of the year).  The more they draw the better they'll get - the more they will be able to remember.

Suggestions for parents @ home:  Drill student on provinces & capitals as well as geography terms.  Check daily drawings for accuracy & labeling.  Be sure students continue to draw previous geographic areas - adding them to new areas.  Continue to drill previous states & capitals.

Rhetoric
This week the students broke into team "girls" & team "boys.  Each team had 60 seconds to answer questions from ICJH chapter 8.   We read over DCYB and discussed the related bible verses.  

We raced to write catechism question answers with each teammate writing 1 word, then next teammate wrote 2nd word etc.  Tie between the girls and boys!  Study up on those questions.

Suggestions for parents @ home:  Discuss chapter 9 in each book.  Check that student is filling out study guide for ICJH & answering questions for DCYB.  Drill catechism questions (remember they must be able to state word for word).

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