Spring Semester Week 1 Seminar Recap & Notes

Well we are back in the swing of things again.  We had a rowdy, but wonderful 1st day back!!

REMINDERS FOR SPRING SEMESTER:
-Students will be leading rhetoric discussions.  I will email out ahead of time when you child will lead so they can prepare
-Students will begin to track their own points (with your supervision).  They will need to keep a detailed "log" and turn that in to me at the end of the year (wk 14) for the awards.
-Students will also "teach" LTW cannons as we begin review

Here's the recap  (PLEASE SEE THE GUIDE FOR HOMEWORK DUE FOR SPRING SEMINAR - WEEK 2 )
   
Logic/Math
Only 1 new term this week - think the kids were relieved!

Each week we will continue to review previous week's concepts through dialectic discussion with the problems the students bring in.  In each problem we work we will ask the same questions (based on the common topics) - see previous blog for detail on questions.

We did a little mental math & covered the concepts of scientific notation & volume.

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
Today we covered Lesson 6.  We encountered some nouns listed in the nominative plural & learned about special plural nouns.  You can still tell that they are 2nd declension when you decline (or can look in the Latin dictionary).  I will email some comments posted on the forum to you to provide further explanation.  Students went to the board and parsed & translated the 1st sentences in most of the exercises to get a good understanding as to what to do at home.

They will make flashcards for the new vocabulary and decline those in their spiral notebook (flashcard only for verbs).  Assignment is exercises #75-80.

****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 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 marsupials.  I love that many of the students read from note cards today!!!!  Much better eye contact!!  Continue to have them practice their presentation skills at home - especially eye contact and "voice volume".  Work towards reading from note cards this semester and possibly memorization!  

Continue to look for interesting, unknown facts about the topic and put those IEW tools to work.  Again, they should develop a good paragraph with interesting facts - min 5-7.  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 for will be bats so look ahead for topics & sources.

Here are some possible helpful websites:

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/ 
http://bats4kids.org/ 
http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/bats/facts/ 
http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/bats/index.htm 
http://www.ourendangeredworld.com/species/birds-bats/ 
http://batcon.org/index.php/all-about-bats/species-profiles.html 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxLW9SP-nmY 

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

Today we reviewed our 5 Common Topics & Cannons of Writing.  Working in invention, we learned a new tool to get ideas from our ANI chart - Definition.  We practiced with the term: "dog" and worked through workbook pages   to learn how to define our term.  We created a class issue and chose a term (secret garden) from the issue and worked through the definition worksheet again.  I modeled how to get ideas for the ANI chart from the definition worksheet & our end definition.  The kids took notes on tips for completing the worksheet.  (I will forward a "Definition Tips" document to you).

We only had time for 1/2 the class to read their papers, so the other 1/2 will read next week (I'll collect their papers then).

At home, students will come up with a should question and then convert to an issue.  Then they will complete the definition worksheet pgs.27-28.  They will also complete all the invention worksheets we've covered/learned so far (5 common topics, comparison, circumstance - if you need me to re-email those worksheets, please let me know).  After completion of those, they will complete an ANI chart with 30 items in each column.

Suggestions for parents @ home:    Assist/guide student with their invention worksheets.  Assist & guide with completion of ANI chart - check for 30 items in each column.  Review sorting & basic essay II -teacher guide p 99-103. 

Debate/Geography

Today we started Asia.  I will be forwarding a "tips" document for learning the "stans".  We drew the continent of Asia, then focused on locating items in Southwest Asia.

We played bingo to review geography terms.

Students should bring in maps that they've drawn.  They'll show the class their best map.  **BRING IN 1 WORLD MAP DRAWING

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

20 points for each map that contains all areas learned with all the detail (countries, capitals & features - IF YOUR CHILD COMPLETED THIS PLEASE HAVE THEM BRING INTO CLASS

****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 and/or countries & capitals (it is suggested that they make flashcards for review).

Rhetoric

To review ICJH, students broke up into 2 man teams to explain the marvels of the human skin, lungs, heart, blood stream & eyes.  Elijah & Daniel came up with a quite theatrical way to explain the wonders of the heart….check it out

We read over DCYB and discussed the related bible verses.  

In the 2nd semester students will begin to lead class discussions for ICJH & DCYB, so begin talking about & practicing that at home.

We learned the next 3 catechism cards and played a game to review. 

Suggestions for parents @ home:  Discuss chapter 16 in each book.  Check that student is filling out study guide for ICJH & answering questions for DCYB.  Drill catechism questions 1-48 (remember they must be able to state word for word).