Week Ten-Two To Go!

Hello Masters Families!
What a fun Tuesday we had this week. I hope you are all enjoying the opportunity to stay inside at home during this cold and rainy week. The girls and I have enjoyed learning over some hot tea this week, I actually love the cold weather. Carlyssa, we missed you greatly on Tuesday and hope your family recovers quickly. We will be praying for a speedy healing.
Thank you Addie, Elisabeth, and Mollie for the fascinating presentations this week. Addie, it was great to visit some challenging optical illusions. Jonathan and Mollie put forth great effort to figure them out! You did a good job presenting your information with strong volume and poise. Elizabeth, we enjoyed your humorous story this week. Great work on your eye contact and expression. Mollie, you did a wonderful job clearly communicating the message of Baalam and the donkey from the Bible. I think everyone enjoyed your visual aid/snacks as well. Excellent volume and eye contact. Well, this concludes our formal presentations for fall semester! I have seen considerable growth in all of the students with eye contact, confidence, volume, use of visual aids, articulation and poise. Thank you to all of the moms and students for your hard work this semester, enjoy the break!
In week 11 and 12 I really want all of the families have time to focus on reviewing the grammar for this semester. To encourage this review, each student was able to choose one subject to "Show What They Know" for Weeks 1-10 grammar. Then to offer a challenge, each student recieved an additional subject to practice. This is what I have planned for presentation/review time:
We will begin by sitting together and sharing one thing your family does at home to practice/drill your memory work. Hopefully this will stir up some inspiration and ideas for others to put into practice at home. Then, I will be asking the moms to help by playing a review game with the students while I individually allow each student to "show me what they know" in their subjects. I am planning to follow the same format that Mrs. Varnell will use in testing for Memory Master, Excellence and Power at the end of the year. This will hopefully benefit the students in two ways, motivation to bulk up their review at the end of the semester and give them experience proofing(testing) their memory work with the tutor in the same method used at the end of the year. Although Memory Master, Excellence, and Power are all optional goals in CC, hopefully this will be a great practice for those planning to go for it and it might show students who were not going to attempt it that they can achieve this goal, too.
These are the subjects for each student, the first one was their choice, the second one was chosen for them.
Mollie- History Sentences and Science
Hannah- Geography and English
Elizabeth- Science and History Sentences
Maddie- History Sentences and Science
Carlyssa- Please choose any 2 Subjects
Addie- Science and Geography
Kody- Timeline and Math
Ross- Geography and Math
Jonathan- History Sentences and Latin
Harrison- Timeline and English
This is how I will proof each subject:
Timeline: Recite from Creation through St. Francis of Assisi- if they get stumped I will give them the last card they recited and they can continue from that point.
History Sentences: I will use the prompt listed in the curriculum guide each week or listed in your Memory Master folder. For ex. "Tell me about Hinduism..."
Science: I will ask the science question for each week, it is recommended that the student repeats the question with the answer or answer in a complete sentence. The questions in science are as important as the answers.
Geography: I will use the guidelines presented by Mrs. Varnell in her post"Geography Clarification." Some locations can be pointed to and some must be labeled on a blank map.
Math: The student can write or recite the 1's-12's up to 12x12, 13's up to 13x13, 14's up to 14x14, and 15's up to 15x15, squares up to 15x15.
English: Quote the definition of a preposition and list the prepositions.
Latin: I will ask what is in bold in your curriculum guide or Memory Master folder. For example, "Latin 3rd Declension Noun Endings".
DRILL! DRILL! DRILL!

Memory Tips and Techniques for Week Ten:
History Timeline:Alfred the Great- fist up
Otto the I and the H.R.E. - 1 finger for first
East-West Schism- point East then West
Feudal System- Wag finger as you are telling someone to get to work
William the Conquerer- Hold up 3 fingers to represent a W and gallop along
Cathedrals in Europe- both arms above head in a poin to make a steeple
The Crusades- diagonal arm across body
St. Francis of Assisi- give to the poor
History Sentence: Heian- sign language h, weakened- let your "h" go limp as if you are growing weak, shoguns- make guns with both hands and shoot right-left-right in rapid succession, rule- pound the ground with your scepter, expel-umpire thumb over your shoulder, isolation- shrinking pose(look down), Commodore Matthew Perry- salute, trade- alternate giving and taking with hands, Meiji- sign language m, Japan, sign language j
Science- Sue Needs To Buy Berry Pie(Draw Sue)- Spines(Legs), Needles(Feet), Tendrils(Arms), Bracts(Dress layers), Bud Scales(Neck), Palmate(Wild Hair)
English- Through- Make a tunnel with left arm and go through with right hand, throughout- throw arms out, to- hold up 2 fingers, toward- step forward
Math- practice squares writing out up to 15x15, use the Audio CD song to help
Geography- Japan: A treasure hunt in Japan- Search for the key in Kyoto to unlock the treasure chest in Tokyo. Inside there is a token and a treasure map that will lead you to the top of Mt. Fuji, to the shores of the Pacific Ocean and to the Sea of Japan. Perhaps you will discover the greatest treasures of all are all around us and in Christ Jesus.
Latin- Drill using your chart and singing to "Here we Go Looby-Loo" There are 4 o's in Looby-Loo and that will remind you of 4th Declension.

Classical Cash Opportunities:
Tin Whistle Ten- Practice for ten minutes a day and have your mom write it down on your Learning Log.
Science- Color your parts of a plant sheet and draw Sue on the back.
Geography Map Drawing- Practice drawing the world map of the 7 continents and of Africa

I know this is alot of information! Please call or email me if you have any other questions. Have a wonderful week, I will see you on Tuesday for Week 11!!!

Blessings,
Mrs. Gaines