Spring Semester Week 9 Seminar Recap & Notes

What a beautiful day!!!  Only 6 more weeks to go….can you believe it????

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 **THIS WILL START IN WEEK 5
***DANIEL WILL LEAD DISCUSSION IN WEEK 10
-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 10 )
   
Logic/Math
Just another few math terms today.

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.  The students are beginning to lead the discussions.  
Again,  we focused on "showing our work" - talking about "math sentences" and each individual step in solving/evaluating a problem.  We are also learning how to "show our work".

I previewed concepts of writing & solving equations, simplifying equations & division of terms.  The students took a quiz on math laws & properties.  

We played the N2K game individually & in teams.   We'll play this each week.

Possible quiz on math laws next week!

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
More on verbs today learning the Imperfect Indicative Tense.  This tense expresses action going on in PAST time (I was studying between 4 and 5 yesterday evening. vs I studied between 4 and 5 yesterday evening.)  We reviewed grammar rule #163 which models the endings for our new tense.  In a nutshell, we have our 1st conjugation "a" + our imperfect tense sign "ba" + our personal ending that gets added to our stem (i.e. laudabant - 3rd person plural imperfect indicative tense).  We modeled how to complete our homework exercises (115-119).

There is new vocabulary - so flashcards and decline in spiral notebooks.    New grammar rule (blue book) #163 - write flashcard.

We played racing games to review verb endings & charades to review vocab!

POINTS: Translate next "section" of The Giving Tree - 5 pts

****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 was our quiz on the ear.  I'll return those next week.  We drew the skin from memory, traded w/ a neighbor & graded.  I introduced the skeleton, we went over the definitions and labeled our drawing together in class.  I modeled & gave suggestions on how to draw the system.  THEY NEED TO DRAW IT LARGE ENOUGH TO SEE ALL THE DETAIL.  We referred back to our Foundations art - OILS in breaking down the drawing into circles, straight lines, dotes, angles & curved lines.

At home, students will need to define the new terms, and draw, draw, draw.  They need to be drawing the system every day - more than once a day and labeling it.  After the first few days of drawing, they need to "test" by drawing & labeling it from memory.   I showed them samples of what their "test" in 2 weeks should look like.  In addition to drawing the , students will need to continue to draw the ear in preparation for the quiz next week.  Try drawing from memory only as if testing to see what's missing.  Quiz on skin will be next week.

STUDENTS SHOULD BRING IN THEIR DRAWINGS TO CLASS.

POINT REWARD: Integration between 3 subjects - 5 points
What is hydrocephalus, craniosynostosis, Weaver syndrome & Gorham-Stout syndrome? - 5 points 

Suggestions for parents @ home:  Check students drawings daily.  "Test" by having them draw from memory several times, ensuring they have all elements & it is correctly labeled. 

Expo/Comp

In class we reviewed everyone's outline, checking for clear proofs & sub-proofs that are separate ideas and the support (NOT EXPLAIN) the main proof.  Everyone's outline needed a little work.  Feel free to email me the outline if you'd like an "extra set of eyes" or have questions of any kind.

At home the students will work through all editing/elocution worksheets (parallelism, subjects, verbs, similes) and construct their essay's from their outlines.

Suggestions for parents @ home:   Assist/review outline - revise to ensure main proofs are supported by sub-proofs.  Review all worksheets.  Have your child read the paper to you.  Are you persuaded??

Debate/Geography

I introduced the next section of Africa & the students drew the continent & areas/features for this week as well as previous learned areas.  We add the last area according the the "breakdown" next  week.  Quiz on Africa will be week 11.  I'll email out details this week.

We were able to get outside to play a game to review previous countries, capitals & even features.  Nice to release some energy.  Students took the geo terms quiz- I'll return next week.

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 each week (after they draw 8 which would be 2 per day for 4 days)  *****20 Points for each world map with everything they've learned so far labeled on the map (it doesn't have to all be from memory)

****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

Lizzy lead our Rhetoric discussion this week.   We read through the DCYB chapters & she came up with questions from the chapters for students (in teams) to answer.  She had a great catechism review game that we played outside.  Looks like students need to study up on those catechism questions!!

Suggestions for parents @ home:  Discuss chapter 30-32 in DCYB.  Check that student is answering questions for DCYB.  Drill all catechism questions (remember they must be able to state word for word).