Week 13 - Let the Learning Continue!

Hello Masters families,

Thank you for a great start to second semester. All of the students warmed up to the new semester quickly by sharing with their friends about study tips and Christmas fun in our impromptu presentations! Next week we will begin our presentation rotation of even and odd weeks.
Even Weeks: Elizabeth, Addie, Carlyssa, Maddie, Kody (Weeks 14, 16, 18, 20, 22)
Odd Weeks: Jonathan, Harrison, Hannah, Mollie, Ross (Weeks 15, 17, 19, 21, 23)
The suggested presentation topic for weeks 14 and 15 is to present a 2-3 minute demonstration of how to do something. Have fun with this one, visual aids are encouraged! The communication skill to focus on this week is keeping your POISE even if your presentation does not go exactly as you practiced. I look forward to learning a lot.

Memory Tips and Techniques:
History Sentence: Tell me about the Kush - Here are the key words we incorporated motions with to help remember the sentence. GOLD(point to ring finger) NILE RIVER(use hand to make a flowing river) 2000BC (2 fingers) 350 AD ( 3 fingers, 5 fingers) TRADED(make give and take motion with hands) GOLD(point to ring finger) IRON(make a strong muscle) SALT(shake some salt) DESERT(wipe sands from hands)
Timeline: John Calvin (beard) The Spanish Explorers(look out over the land with one hand over eyes) The Council of Trent(make a T with fngers and semicircle in formt of body) John Knox(knocking motion) Explorers of the Northeast (point to the northeast) Raleigh(bow forward while taking your hat off your head) Jamestown(put stake in ground) The Mayflower(right hand-boat sails down and lands on left hand-Plymouth)
Geography- Locate, Trace on map key, and Label on blank map
History sentence for geography- Reaching nearly to the ATLANTIC OCEAN, the Ancient Songhai Empire expanded beyond the SENEGAL RIVER and NIGER RIVER and north into the WESTERN SAHARA DESERT.
Math: Area of a RECTANGLE=Length X Width
Latin: Noun Cases CLAP/SLAP Chant
Science: We reviewed Latin and Greek roots for our science terms to deepen our understanding of the science question for this week. What are some parts of the earth? core, mantle, crust, hydrosphere, biosphere, atmosphere Ask your student if they can teach you some of the roots that they learned about this week.
English: This semester we are learning the definition and lists of helping verbs and linking verbs. In your student's Take-Home folder I provided a handout with a song to help them memorize the helping verbs and the linking verbs. We will be drilling the complete songs every week for mastery.

MATH SOUND OFF:
This semester we are going to begin preparing for our end of the year program. Our part of the end of the year program will focus on math facts for upper elementary students. Math Sound Off will easily teach our Masters level students a large body of math grammar above and beyond the CC curriculum guide. The purpose of Math Sound Off is to "teach and practice the grammar of math by oral repetition." I have included a script in your student's Take-Home folder that I would like for them to practice during the week. I will give them a new part of the script every other week. Simply have them recite their line several times each day, but also practice by reading the entire script. There are certain lines that the WHOLE class will recite together and also if someone is absent the whole class can chime in on their line. As each week progresses, our speed should increase as well. All of the students were enthusiastic and recited clearly and with confidence. The weekly presentations are really bearing fruit. Thank you for your support in this challenge, I am hoping it will be a fun addition to our weekly grammar.

Classical Cash Opportunities:
Learning Logs: Remember to fill out your log as you prepare your presentation, practice your geaography map labeling/drawing, and for memory work drilling. Please record if your student practiced their MATH SOUND OFF lines, this will lead to additional cash!

Giotto Poem: Memorize and recite the Giotto poem on your art handout for extra cash! Just in case the handout did not make it home, here is the poem:
You ought to know Giotto, who started tending sheep
And ended up awaking frozen figures from their sleep.
By mixing up tempera paint from berries, bugs and yolks,
He covered walls and panels with bright and glossy strokes.
He took the still, flat, Gothic forms from paintings of the day
And gave them softened, life-like lines that blew people away.
HAVE FUN!!!

Mrs. Gaines