Hello Masters families,
We had another wonderful week filled with celebration and review. I wanted to start with a very heartfelt thank you to the moms that were such a huge help on Tuesday. You were there to help in an endless list of ways. Thank you for help with reviewing and checking the memory work, testing students for memory excellence and power, helping with the end of the year performance(Math Sound Off), setting up and organizing the ice cream party, setting up and selling the CC store treats, classroom clean up and set up etc. etc. etc. I can't thank you enough for the support you have provided this year each week and at home. Thank you again, you have all blessed me so much and I have treasured the time we have had to grow together as a CC family.
This is my favorite time of year as the students, parents, tutors, and director all get to see the fruit of hours of hard work from a year of dedicated homeschooling. I am amazed at the glory of God's hands on these children as I watch them reveal how much they have learned this year. This week we were able to review the math multiplication tables 1's-15's, all of the math formulas, all of the Latin declensions, all of the English grammar, and a large portion of the geography/map labeling for this year. The students literally flew through the review! There is no question that their brains are trained to retain. Way to go moms and masters students. Next week we will continue to use as much time as possible drilling our memory work and covering as many subjects as possible to celebrate our learning.
END OF THE YEAR PROGRAM:
All of the students are doing a great job on the Math Sound Off. We had so much fun this week learning to march and chant...SOUND OFF! Please take a few minutes this week and next week to review your lines. Practice sitting and standing as you sound off. Remember that our "costumes" should be very simple. If you have access to camouflage clothing or accessories (hat, bandanna) this would be a great addition to our performance. If you do not, please let me know and I can help to locate something for you to wear on Monday night. PLEASE DO NOT GO TO ANY TROUBLE, THIS IS JUST FOR FUN. The students have also come up with the idea to use some face paint to put math symbols on their cheeks. This alone will be a great way to show our math spirit.
MEMORY TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR WEEK 23:
Presidents: Drill using the presidents song on the Audio Weekly CD.
History Sentence: We discussed the history behind the liberation of South America and then used the map of South America and a world map to point out Argentina, Chile, Venezuela, and Spain as we sang the sentence.
Geography: To help the students learn the countries of South America we listened to a geography song. I sent home a copy of the words with each student to practice this week. We will drill again next week using the same song. On the back of the words I also included a copy of how to draw North America and South America.
Math: The Distributive Law - practice saying and writing to master this math formula.
English: Linking Verb song
Science: We practiced chanting the answer to the question,"What are some kinds of clouds?"
Cumulonimbus, Cirrus, Stratus, Cumulus, Stratocumulus
C C S C S Classical Conversations Study Clouds in Science
We also studied the Latin roots for these science terms. cumulus (a heap) numbus ( a cloud ) cirrus ( a curl of hair) sternene/stratus ( to spread out ) altus ( high )
I look forward to our final week together in our Masters class. I am already missing seeing all of you each week. We should have a wonderful day. Remember we will be having class pictures, Math Sound Off practice, lots of review, and a pizza party at lunch! Have a blessed week.
Love,
Mrs. Gaines
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Week 22
Hello Masters families,
Another week has flown by and I can't believe we only have two more to go. What a wonderful year we have had together. I am so blessed each week to see how hard all of the students have worked at home, all of the work and dedication is flowing out every week. A very special thank you to the dedicated moms who are testing students each week as they work toward Memory Power, Excellence and Master. I couldn't do it without you.
Maddie, we missed you and hope to see you back next week :).
The end of the year program is quickly approaching! Please take some time this week to review the Math Sound Off lines your child has been assigned. Each week their stage presence is improving greatly and we are all looking forward to an exciting opening to our Math Sound Off next week. Two of our moms have military backgrounds and they are going to help us with a fun and exciting entrance to the stage. Thank you Lisa and Erin for any input you have to offer!
The last presentations for the year were this week and they were memorable. Thank you Mollie for your presentation on Aesop's fable the Fox and the Crow. You did a great job involving your audience and used your visual aids well to share your story. Good eye contact and volume. Elizabeth, thank you for your creative retelling and involving your audience. You used expression and the audience enjoyed participating. Excellent! Addie, thank you for your interpretation of the Tortoise and the Hare. Your poster was colorful, creative, and interactive. Your presentation was clearly planned and you used great volume and tempo. What a rewarding year of presentations, I hope you can take some time and reflect on how much each of you have learned and improved this year. I have seen a great improvement in beginning and ending with confidence, volume, expression, and use of time. Thank you moms for your dedication and support with your child's presentations. Incredible work masters students!
The next two weeks we will be using our presentation time to ramp up the review! This additional time should also allow for testing as needed. If your child is planning to test for Memory Power (1-2 subjects), Memory Excellence (3 or more subjects), or Memory Master, please let me know so we can schedule a time for them to show what they know.
MEMORY TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR WEEK 22:
Presidents: Polk to Garfield Sing the song to help memorize the presidents.
History Sentence: We discussed the British North American Act and used the map to point out Canada, Britain, and Quebec as we sang the history sentence.
Geography: Canadian Waters - Great Bear Lake, Great Slave Lake, Hudson Bay, Baffin Bay and Labrador Sea We labeled the bodies of water on our maps and pointed out what provinces/territories of Canada bordered each of the locations. Here is a fun poem we used as well:
The Canadian Waters are filled with otters
You'll find brave ones in Great Bear's Lake
Few otters choose to labor on the Great Slave Lake
Most just play in the Hudson Bay
You can hear 'em laughin' in the Bay of Baffin
Or just swimming with glee in the Labrador Sea.
Latin: 4th Declension Sung to the tune of "Here We Go Looby-Loo" There are 4 o's in the words looby-loo, this should help you remember the tune.
English: Linking verbs - feel, become, remain, taste Sing the linking verb song in your take home folder to help memorize this list. The tune is to 'The Ants Go Marching One By One".
Math: The commutative law for addition and multiplication can be remembered by picturing someone driving (commuting) to work from a to b.
Science: What are some kinds of weather fronts?
Cold Warm Stationary Occluded To help remember this list you can use the first letter of each word to spell COWS. Another option is to associate each word with a motion:
Cold - pretend to be cold, shiver
Warm - pretend to warm up and fan yourself as if you are too warm
Stationary - freeze in one place, remain stationary
Occluded - hit your two fists together
Next week we will enjoy the reward for filling the Memory Marble jar for the last time this year!
After reviewing almost all of the science and history sentences for this year we piled the jar to the top with massive marbles. We will celebrate with an ice cream sundae party during lunch. Parents have your child eat their lunch first and then we will eat our fill of ice cream.
Classical Cash Opportunities:
We will open the CC store again for the students to spend their Classical cash. Next week will be the last day I will take up papers for cash. Any papers from either semester will be accepted.
This week's optional activities -
Science Sheet: Weather Recipe Sheet - cut and glue mini-books onto the correct squares
Learning Logs: Continue to record your drilling at home this week and cash in on your hard work! Don't forget to record your Math Sound Off practice.
Have a blessed week,
Mrs. Gaines
Another week has flown by and I can't believe we only have two more to go. What a wonderful year we have had together. I am so blessed each week to see how hard all of the students have worked at home, all of the work and dedication is flowing out every week. A very special thank you to the dedicated moms who are testing students each week as they work toward Memory Power, Excellence and Master. I couldn't do it without you.
Maddie, we missed you and hope to see you back next week :).
The end of the year program is quickly approaching! Please take some time this week to review the Math Sound Off lines your child has been assigned. Each week their stage presence is improving greatly and we are all looking forward to an exciting opening to our Math Sound Off next week. Two of our moms have military backgrounds and they are going to help us with a fun and exciting entrance to the stage. Thank you Lisa and Erin for any input you have to offer!
The last presentations for the year were this week and they were memorable. Thank you Mollie for your presentation on Aesop's fable the Fox and the Crow. You did a great job involving your audience and used your visual aids well to share your story. Good eye contact and volume. Elizabeth, thank you for your creative retelling and involving your audience. You used expression and the audience enjoyed participating. Excellent! Addie, thank you for your interpretation of the Tortoise and the Hare. Your poster was colorful, creative, and interactive. Your presentation was clearly planned and you used great volume and tempo. What a rewarding year of presentations, I hope you can take some time and reflect on how much each of you have learned and improved this year. I have seen a great improvement in beginning and ending with confidence, volume, expression, and use of time. Thank you moms for your dedication and support with your child's presentations. Incredible work masters students!
The next two weeks we will be using our presentation time to ramp up the review! This additional time should also allow for testing as needed. If your child is planning to test for Memory Power (1-2 subjects), Memory Excellence (3 or more subjects), or Memory Master, please let me know so we can schedule a time for them to show what they know.
MEMORY TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR WEEK 22:
Presidents: Polk to Garfield Sing the song to help memorize the presidents.
History Sentence: We discussed the British North American Act and used the map to point out Canada, Britain, and Quebec as we sang the history sentence.
Geography: Canadian Waters - Great Bear Lake, Great Slave Lake, Hudson Bay, Baffin Bay and Labrador Sea We labeled the bodies of water on our maps and pointed out what provinces/territories of Canada bordered each of the locations. Here is a fun poem we used as well:
The Canadian Waters are filled with otters
You'll find brave ones in Great Bear's Lake
Few otters choose to labor on the Great Slave Lake
Most just play in the Hudson Bay
You can hear 'em laughin' in the Bay of Baffin
Or just swimming with glee in the Labrador Sea.
Latin: 4th Declension Sung to the tune of "Here We Go Looby-Loo" There are 4 o's in the words looby-loo, this should help you remember the tune.
English: Linking verbs - feel, become, remain, taste Sing the linking verb song in your take home folder to help memorize this list. The tune is to 'The Ants Go Marching One By One".
Math: The commutative law for addition and multiplication can be remembered by picturing someone driving (commuting) to work from a to b.
Science: What are some kinds of weather fronts?
Cold Warm Stationary Occluded To help remember this list you can use the first letter of each word to spell COWS. Another option is to associate each word with a motion:
Cold - pretend to be cold, shiver
Warm - pretend to warm up and fan yourself as if you are too warm
Stationary - freeze in one place, remain stationary
Occluded - hit your two fists together
Next week we will enjoy the reward for filling the Memory Marble jar for the last time this year!
After reviewing almost all of the science and history sentences for this year we piled the jar to the top with massive marbles. We will celebrate with an ice cream sundae party during lunch. Parents have your child eat their lunch first and then we will eat our fill of ice cream.
Classical Cash Opportunities:
We will open the CC store again for the students to spend their Classical cash. Next week will be the last day I will take up papers for cash. Any papers from either semester will be accepted.
This week's optional activities -
Science Sheet: Weather Recipe Sheet - cut and glue mini-books onto the correct squares
Learning Logs: Continue to record your drilling at home this week and cash in on your hard work! Don't forget to record your Math Sound Off practice.
Have a blessed week,
Mrs. Gaines
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
We missed you this week Carlyssa!
Hi Carlyssa,
I just wanted to pass on the message that we all missed you this week and hope that your mom is feeling better. We will see you on week 22!
Blessings,
Mrs. Gaines
I just wanted to pass on the message that we all missed you this week and hope that your mom is feeling better. We will see you on week 22!
Blessings,
Mrs. Gaines
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Week 21 is Done!
Dear Masters families,
The end is drawing near and we are in countdown mode!!! Today was a very profitable day and the students listened and participated very well. We began with some awesome presentations focused on Aesop's fables. Hannah, thank you for the well prepared presentation you shared with us. The background information on Aesop's fables gave us insight as we heard a variety of stories today. You did an excellent job integrating the audience and using your props to retell the fable. Great action! Harrison, you did a fantastic job telling "The Crow and the Pitcher". You effectively used your prop to demonstrate the moral of the fable. Good job with your volume and expression. Jonathan and Ross as I said earlier today, "Great minds think alike!" We thoroughly enjoyed both of your presentations on the boy who cried wolf. You both memorized your story and made excellent eye contact while sharing it. A favorite fable for everyone. I am so pleased with the amazing progress all of you have made this year. We all enjoyed a truly masterful display of presentation skills today. Next week is our last week of presenters, I am looking forward to what each of you will present.
Weeks 23 and 24 presentation time will be dedicated to reviewing our memory work. This week we reviewed our timeline. Our review activity was to put all 20 weeks of the timeline cards in order. We used our spacious classroom to arrange them on the steps of the stage. Every student was dealt a pile of timeline cards and then they were off to the races. It was a challenging task that required 100% effort from all of the students, myself, and parents! I saw an extremely cooperative effort between the students and this equalled success in the end. Way to go masters! Next week I will add 40 memory marbles to the jar for all of your efforts in our timeline challenge.
Next week we will also work hard to earn enough memory marbles to fill our Memory Marble jar for the last time this year. My goal is that we will celebrate on Week 23 with an ice cream sundae feast during lunch! Parents, I will plan for them to eat their own lunches first and then we can let the feasting begin.
MEMORY TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR WEEK 21:
Presidents: Use the presidents song on the audio CD to memorize the U.S. presidents. In the CC curriculum guide there are abbreviations for each president's last name. You can use these by writing each abbreviation on an index card and writing the full name on the opposite side. Mix the cards up and have your child put them in the correct order. This is just an extension on singing the song.
History Sentence: We covered the history of the explorers, the Hudson Bay Company, and the maple leaf. Memorize by singing the song and referring to the history card "Explorers of the Northeast: Cartier, Champlain and Cabot" and pointing to the St. Lawrence River on the map.
Latin: Repeat. Say. Hear. Sing. Write.
Focus on correct pronunciations for Memory Testing. Fourth Declension is sung to the tune "Here We Go Looby-Loo". The memory tip is there are 4 o's in Looby-Loo so the tune for 4th declension is "Here We Go Looby-Loo".
English: A LINKING VERB makes an assertion by joining two words. Sing to the tune "The Ants Go Marching One By One". See the handout in your student's Take-Home folder for the entire song.
Science: What are the major circles around the earth? Using their bodies and the tune to "Head and Shoulders Knees and Toes" we associated the circles around the earth as follows:
Arctic Circle (Head)
Head and Shoulders
Tropic of Cancer (Shoulders)
Knees and Toes
E-quator (Waist)
Knees and Toes
Tropic of Capricorn (Knees)
Knees and Toes
Antarctic Circle(Toes)
Head and Shoulders
These are the major
Knees and Toes
circles around the ea-rth.
All for Jesus!
Geography: Canadian Provinces- Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Northwest Territories We located and labeled these locations on the maps. Here is a history sentence to connect to the geography:
The Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867 when the British colonies united as a single nation of four provinces. The original four CANADIAN PROVINCES were ONTARIO, QUEBEC, NOVA SCOTIA, and NEW BRUNSWICK. Additional provinces formed as they were separated from the NORTHWEST TERRITORIES.
Math: Associative Law for Addition: (a+b) + c = a + (b + c)
Associative Law for Multiplication: (a x b) x c = a x ( b x c )
Classical Cash Opportunities: We will open the store on Week 23 and 24. Any papers from this year may be completed and turned in for Classical Cash. The last week I will collect papers is on week 23.
Learning Log: Please complete your Learning Log when you are drilling at home and preparing for your last presentation.
Science/Geography Sheet: Complete the side with the circles around the earth, there are clear directions for labeling the globe. The flip side features a map of Canada to help you study the geography for weeks 21 and 22. This map may be colored for extra cash.
Bach Fine Arts Sheet: Color the picture of Bach playing the harpsichord surrounded by some of his children. We started this in class so all you need to do is complete the task for cash.
MATH SOUND OFF: Please practice your lines for the "Math Sound Off" we will perform in the end of the year program. We are working on staging and strengthening our volume and projection each week in class. All of the students are doing a wonderful job. When you practice, be sure to record this on their Learning Log so they can be rewarded for the extra effort.
I look forward to the last few weeks we will share together. Have a wonderful week.
Blessings,
Mrs. Gaines
The end is drawing near and we are in countdown mode!!! Today was a very profitable day and the students listened and participated very well. We began with some awesome presentations focused on Aesop's fables. Hannah, thank you for the well prepared presentation you shared with us. The background information on Aesop's fables gave us insight as we heard a variety of stories today. You did an excellent job integrating the audience and using your props to retell the fable. Great action! Harrison, you did a fantastic job telling "The Crow and the Pitcher". You effectively used your prop to demonstrate the moral of the fable. Good job with your volume and expression. Jonathan and Ross as I said earlier today, "Great minds think alike!" We thoroughly enjoyed both of your presentations on the boy who cried wolf. You both memorized your story and made excellent eye contact while sharing it. A favorite fable for everyone. I am so pleased with the amazing progress all of you have made this year. We all enjoyed a truly masterful display of presentation skills today. Next week is our last week of presenters, I am looking forward to what each of you will present.
Weeks 23 and 24 presentation time will be dedicated to reviewing our memory work. This week we reviewed our timeline. Our review activity was to put all 20 weeks of the timeline cards in order. We used our spacious classroom to arrange them on the steps of the stage. Every student was dealt a pile of timeline cards and then they were off to the races. It was a challenging task that required 100% effort from all of the students, myself, and parents! I saw an extremely cooperative effort between the students and this equalled success in the end. Way to go masters! Next week I will add 40 memory marbles to the jar for all of your efforts in our timeline challenge.
Next week we will also work hard to earn enough memory marbles to fill our Memory Marble jar for the last time this year. My goal is that we will celebrate on Week 23 with an ice cream sundae feast during lunch! Parents, I will plan for them to eat their own lunches first and then we can let the feasting begin.
MEMORY TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR WEEK 21:
Presidents: Use the presidents song on the audio CD to memorize the U.S. presidents. In the CC curriculum guide there are abbreviations for each president's last name. You can use these by writing each abbreviation on an index card and writing the full name on the opposite side. Mix the cards up and have your child put them in the correct order. This is just an extension on singing the song.
History Sentence: We covered the history of the explorers, the Hudson Bay Company, and the maple leaf. Memorize by singing the song and referring to the history card "Explorers of the Northeast: Cartier, Champlain and Cabot" and pointing to the St. Lawrence River on the map.
Latin: Repeat. Say. Hear. Sing. Write.
Focus on correct pronunciations for Memory Testing. Fourth Declension is sung to the tune "Here We Go Looby-Loo". The memory tip is there are 4 o's in Looby-Loo so the tune for 4th declension is "Here We Go Looby-Loo".
English: A LINKING VERB makes an assertion by joining two words. Sing to the tune "The Ants Go Marching One By One". See the handout in your student's Take-Home folder for the entire song.
Science: What are the major circles around the earth? Using their bodies and the tune to "Head and Shoulders Knees and Toes" we associated the circles around the earth as follows:
Arctic Circle (Head)
Head and Shoulders
Tropic of Cancer (Shoulders)
Knees and Toes
E-quator (Waist)
Knees and Toes
Tropic of Capricorn (Knees)
Knees and Toes
Antarctic Circle(Toes)
Head and Shoulders
These are the major
Knees and Toes
circles around the ea-rth.
All for Jesus!
Geography: Canadian Provinces- Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Northwest Territories We located and labeled these locations on the maps. Here is a history sentence to connect to the geography:
The Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867 when the British colonies united as a single nation of four provinces. The original four CANADIAN PROVINCES were ONTARIO, QUEBEC, NOVA SCOTIA, and NEW BRUNSWICK. Additional provinces formed as they were separated from the NORTHWEST TERRITORIES.
Math: Associative Law for Addition: (a+b) + c = a + (b + c)
Associative Law for Multiplication: (a x b) x c = a x ( b x c )
Classical Cash Opportunities: We will open the store on Week 23 and 24. Any papers from this year may be completed and turned in for Classical Cash. The last week I will collect papers is on week 23.
Learning Log: Please complete your Learning Log when you are drilling at home and preparing for your last presentation.
Science/Geography Sheet: Complete the side with the circles around the earth, there are clear directions for labeling the globe. The flip side features a map of Canada to help you study the geography for weeks 21 and 22. This map may be colored for extra cash.
Bach Fine Arts Sheet: Color the picture of Bach playing the harpsichord surrounded by some of his children. We started this in class so all you need to do is complete the task for cash.
MATH SOUND OFF: Please practice your lines for the "Math Sound Off" we will perform in the end of the year program. We are working on staging and strengthening our volume and projection each week in class. All of the students are doing a wonderful job. When you practice, be sure to record this on their Learning Log so they can be rewarded for the extra effort.
I look forward to the last few weeks we will share together. Have a wonderful week.
Blessings,
Mrs. Gaines
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Week 20
Hello Masters families,
Only four more weeks to go and we are celebrating reaching some awesome goals. On Tuesday we completed the entire timeline and finished the last of the helping verbs! What an exciting year we are having. The energy and enthusiasm was high and we charged through all of our new grammar and "Geography Jeopardy" review. Each week as we are reviewing specific subject areas and I will be trying to give tips to help with any difficult memory work in each subject. At our home we are working hard to master this material and we run into bumps in the road every week, so if we share the same struggles it would be great to share the solutions. If you have any ideas or suggestions for what you are doing at home to master certain facts, please share it during our review time.
Next week our review focus will be TIMELINE. Please bring your trouble spots, we may be able to work through them as a class to help and encourage one another.
Please remember all of our families in prayer as we work toward the end of the year and celebrate all we have learned together this year. I pray that they know they can do all things through Christ who strengthens them, Philippians 4:13.
Thank you Elisabeth, Maddie and Addie for your well prepared presentations. I love to see their growing confidence each week as all of the students are becoming "veteran" presenters. Elizabeth you inspired all of us to get out the gardening tools and start the plantings of spring! You clearly showed us organized steps and exhibited good volume and eye contact. Maddie, your expository speech on Korean martial arts fascinated all of us. You demonstrated with great skill and effectively used your visual aid. You also handled the questions with poise and confidence. Addie, we were all intrigued by the book Zorgamazoo. The excerpt you shared with us was very poetic. I am sure you have encouraged others to try this book. You showed a good tempo and volume. Excellent work presenters!
MEMORY TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR WEEK 20:
History Timeline:
Wright Brothers and Other Inventors: Extend your arms out to either side as if airplane wings.
The Great World War: Hold your hands out to either side of your body for "great". Make a circle over your head for "World War".
Roaring Twenties: Do a fun dance step like the Charleston.
The Great Depression: Press both hands down and look sad"depressed".
World War II, the Biggest War: Make a circle with your arms above your head for "World War" then hold 2 fingers in front of you for "II". Hands out to either side of you even greater than for the Great World War - as far as your arms can reach.
The Cold War, Korea, and Vietnam: Hug yourself while shivering.
The Space Race: Put hands together and arms upward like a rocket shooting upward or pretend to take a space walk.
Modern American: Touch your shoulders with each hand as if saying"I am Modern America" or pretend to make cell phone call or play your video games.
History Sentence: We learned about and discussed the history of the Mexican Revolution. Have fun with this sentence sing and dance a little as you memorize it.
Latin: 3rd declension noun endings- Remember the tune is to "BINGO" because there are three consonants B, N, and G in his name-0. I also shared that you can remember the singular starts with various because Bingo could be any one of various breeds of dogs. The plural begins with "ACE" because he was an ace #1 award winning dog. We are using whatever works at our house, so if this helps you go for it!
English: Shall, will, can are the last of the helping verbs! YEAH! Continue to memorize the helping verbs and the linking verbs by singing the songs in your take-home folder.
Math: 1 inch = 2.54 centimeters Sing to the tune of "She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain"
One inch equals two point five four centimeters, yes it does!
One inch equals two point five four centimeters, yes it does!
One inch equals 2.54, one inch equals 2.54, one inch equals 2.54 centimeters, YES IT DOES!
Geography: Mesoamerica - Here is a History/Geography sentence to help you learn the locations this week.
Sites of the Mesoamerican civilizations still exist today. MEXICO CITY (known by the Aztecs as Tecochtilan) near LAKE TEXCOCO and the city of OAXACA were once controlled by the AZTECS. On the Yucatan Peninsula, ancient Mayan Temple ruins are found at CHICHEN ITZA and MAYAPAN.
Science: We learned the Latin and Greek roots for the parts of the atmosphere and I introduced a couple of methods to memorize the material. There were many groans when I introduced the tune for this memory song(The Barney theme song), but without question it works! I still know it from 3 years ago so here it is if it helps you :).
What are the parts of atmosphere?
I love you, you love me
Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere
we're a happy family
Thermosphere and Exosphere, now we all are done.
with a great big hug and a kiss from me to you
These are the parts of the atmosphere.
don't you say you love me too!
OR
We also learned to point to parts of our body to memorize the layers of the atmosphere and tie them to their Latin and Greek roots.
What are the parts of the atmosphere? atmos in greek means vapor
Troposphere - point to your toes and turn them in - tropos in Greek means turning
Stratosphere - cover your knees with your hands - stratum in Latin means a covering
Mesosphere - point to your waist, the middle of your body - mesos in Greek means middle
Thermosphere - point to your head/hot head - thermos in Greek means heat
Exosphere - take your hat off (outerwear) - exo- is the greek prefix meaning outer
Review root word Sphere - Sphaira is the Greek root and Sphaer is the latin root meaning ball or around the globe
Classical Cash Opportunities:
Science - Color and return the science sheet for cash.
Fine Arts - Finish coloring and return the Classical musician sheet on Handel.
Learning Logs - As Memory Master, Excellence, and Power are approaching be sure to record all of the memory drilling you are working on at home it will add up quickly.
Math Sound Off- Practice your lines and record it on your log for extra cash.
I will be opening the CC store for business on week 21 so prepare for fun! See you next week!
Blessings,
Mrs. Gaines
Only four more weeks to go and we are celebrating reaching some awesome goals. On Tuesday we completed the entire timeline and finished the last of the helping verbs! What an exciting year we are having. The energy and enthusiasm was high and we charged through all of our new grammar and "Geography Jeopardy" review. Each week as we are reviewing specific subject areas and I will be trying to give tips to help with any difficult memory work in each subject. At our home we are working hard to master this material and we run into bumps in the road every week, so if we share the same struggles it would be great to share the solutions. If you have any ideas or suggestions for what you are doing at home to master certain facts, please share it during our review time.
Next week our review focus will be TIMELINE. Please bring your trouble spots, we may be able to work through them as a class to help and encourage one another.
Please remember all of our families in prayer as we work toward the end of the year and celebrate all we have learned together this year. I pray that they know they can do all things through Christ who strengthens them, Philippians 4:13.
Thank you Elisabeth, Maddie and Addie for your well prepared presentations. I love to see their growing confidence each week as all of the students are becoming "veteran" presenters. Elizabeth you inspired all of us to get out the gardening tools and start the plantings of spring! You clearly showed us organized steps and exhibited good volume and eye contact. Maddie, your expository speech on Korean martial arts fascinated all of us. You demonstrated with great skill and effectively used your visual aid. You also handled the questions with poise and confidence. Addie, we were all intrigued by the book Zorgamazoo. The excerpt you shared with us was very poetic. I am sure you have encouraged others to try this book. You showed a good tempo and volume. Excellent work presenters!
MEMORY TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR WEEK 20:
History Timeline:
Wright Brothers and Other Inventors: Extend your arms out to either side as if airplane wings.
The Great World War: Hold your hands out to either side of your body for "great". Make a circle over your head for "World War".
Roaring Twenties: Do a fun dance step like the Charleston.
The Great Depression: Press both hands down and look sad"depressed".
World War II, the Biggest War: Make a circle with your arms above your head for "World War" then hold 2 fingers in front of you for "II". Hands out to either side of you even greater than for the Great World War - as far as your arms can reach.
The Cold War, Korea, and Vietnam: Hug yourself while shivering.
The Space Race: Put hands together and arms upward like a rocket shooting upward or pretend to take a space walk.
Modern American: Touch your shoulders with each hand as if saying"I am Modern America" or pretend to make cell phone call or play your video games.
History Sentence: We learned about and discussed the history of the Mexican Revolution. Have fun with this sentence sing and dance a little as you memorize it.
Latin: 3rd declension noun endings- Remember the tune is to "BINGO" because there are three consonants B, N, and G in his name-0. I also shared that you can remember the singular starts with various because Bingo could be any one of various breeds of dogs. The plural begins with "ACE" because he was an ace #1 award winning dog. We are using whatever works at our house, so if this helps you go for it!
English: Shall, will, can are the last of the helping verbs! YEAH! Continue to memorize the helping verbs and the linking verbs by singing the songs in your take-home folder.
Math: 1 inch = 2.54 centimeters Sing to the tune of "She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain"
One inch equals two point five four centimeters, yes it does!
One inch equals two point five four centimeters, yes it does!
One inch equals 2.54, one inch equals 2.54, one inch equals 2.54 centimeters, YES IT DOES!
Geography: Mesoamerica - Here is a History/Geography sentence to help you learn the locations this week.
Sites of the Mesoamerican civilizations still exist today. MEXICO CITY (known by the Aztecs as Tecochtilan) near LAKE TEXCOCO and the city of OAXACA were once controlled by the AZTECS. On the Yucatan Peninsula, ancient Mayan Temple ruins are found at CHICHEN ITZA and MAYAPAN.
Science: We learned the Latin and Greek roots for the parts of the atmosphere and I introduced a couple of methods to memorize the material. There were many groans when I introduced the tune for this memory song(The Barney theme song), but without question it works! I still know it from 3 years ago so here it is if it helps you :).
What are the parts of atmosphere?
I love you, you love me
Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere
we're a happy family
Thermosphere and Exosphere, now we all are done.
with a great big hug and a kiss from me to you
These are the parts of the atmosphere.
don't you say you love me too!
OR
We also learned to point to parts of our body to memorize the layers of the atmosphere and tie them to their Latin and Greek roots.
What are the parts of the atmosphere? atmos in greek means vapor
Troposphere - point to your toes and turn them in - tropos in Greek means turning
Stratosphere - cover your knees with your hands - stratum in Latin means a covering
Mesosphere - point to your waist, the middle of your body - mesos in Greek means middle
Thermosphere - point to your head/hot head - thermos in Greek means heat
Exosphere - take your hat off (outerwear) - exo- is the greek prefix meaning outer
Review root word Sphere - Sphaira is the Greek root and Sphaer is the latin root meaning ball or around the globe
Classical Cash Opportunities:
Science - Color and return the science sheet for cash.
Fine Arts - Finish coloring and return the Classical musician sheet on Handel.
Learning Logs - As Memory Master, Excellence, and Power are approaching be sure to record all of the memory drilling you are working on at home it will add up quickly.
Math Sound Off- Practice your lines and record it on your log for extra cash.
I will be opening the CC store for business on week 21 so prepare for fun! See you next week!
Blessings,
Mrs. Gaines
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Week 19
Hello Masters families,
We had a comfortable day yesterday, but accomplished alot! We started with a fun whole group fine arts program by learning the parts of the orchestra. The masters were strong "violins" during the "Orchestra Song". We followed with some fun and creative presentations. Hannah began with a demonstration of how to make butter in pioneer times. You did a good job of communicating the steps and involved your audience effectively. Mollie, your story about the "House of a Thousand Terrors" was fascinating and clearly reminded us of the sacrifice Jesus Christ paid for all of our sins. You showed strong preparation and retold the story with good tempo and expression. Ross, we enjoyed your presentation that reminded us of Dr. Seuss' birthday. I feel encouraged to pull out our Seuss books this week. We enjoyed your visual aids and how effectively you articulated the words to the story and exercised pauses and expression to share the story with us. Carlyssa, you were very creative in your method of narrating Aesop's fable of "The Fox and the Grapes". You involved your audience to add entertainment to your fable and you taught us all an important lesson. Don't give up on your goals and belittle that which seems beyond your reach. I love seeing the improvement on all of your presentation skills. You have all gained confidence and strengthened your volume and poise.
For the next two weeks there are several topics to choose from. You may recite a poem or retell an Aesop's fable. If you choose either of these topics, focus on reviewing the delivery skills you have learned about this year: confidence, eye contact, volume, articulation, poise, expression, gestures and tempo. You can also choose to prepare an expository speech with a visual aid. Prepare a keyword outline to present instead of reading your speech word for word. Practice using your visual aid when giving your presentation.
HOW DO WE MAKE THE MOST OF OUR MEMORY WORK THIS YEAR????
Even if you are not planning to do any memory testing at the end of the year, we all want to get the greatest benefit from our 24 weeks of dedication. In our class we will be tackling this by doing a focused review each week on 1 or 2 subjects.
MEMORY WORK FOCUS FOR WEEK 20 IS GEOGRAPHY AND ENGLISH!!!! Next week our review will be concentrated on our geography labeling and identifying locations. We will also have a few english grammar questions thrown in. With geography, refer to the FOUNDATIONS BLOG PAGE to find out what locations will have to label for memory testing. I will use these guidelines in class next week to review. Practice by asking the student to name locations you point to and then you say the location and have your child identify where they are. Both methods will be used in testing for the end of the year and in review next week.
MEMORY TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR WEEK 19:
History Timeline: ONLY ONE MORE WEEK OF TIMELINE!!!
Reconstructing the South: Demonstrate the act of building blocks with your hands.
Black Leadership: Place hand behind your back (as you did with slavery) then "emerge" your hands from behind you and raise them above your head in triumph.
The Age of Industry: Hold up your forefinger on both hands and swirl them in a spiral. This demonstrates the smokestacks in the picture.
The Battle of Little Big Horn: Take your two forefingers and make horns.
Cowboys and the West: Pretend to spin and throw a lasso with your right hand.
The Spanish-American War: Make an "S" in air on "Spanish" then place your hand over your heart on "American".
A President Named Teddy: Clutch your hands/arms to your chest as if hugging your teddy bear.
Immigration to America: Holding up your arm to signify holding up the Statue of Liberty's torch.
History Sentence: We discussed the history of the Anasazi, their geographic location and adobe villages. SING and SAY
Latin: 3rd Declension- BINGO 3 consonants in the word BINGO reminds us of third declension.
SING. WRITE. SAY.
Science: What are the ocean zones? PHOTIC, BATHYL, ABYSSAL
We learned the Latin and Greek roots for these scientific terms to help us understand and apply them. Photos (greek)- light Bathys(greek)- Deep/Depths of the sea
a-(latin) without Byssus(latin)- bottom
Geography: New England, Middle, and Southern colonies We located and identified which colonies were in which section of the colonies.
English - should, could, would Sing the Helping verb song to practice.
Math: Sing the conversion 5280 feet = 1 mile to the tune "For He's A Jolly Good Fellow".
MATH SOUND OFF:
The end of the year is approaching and that means we need to memorize the Math Sound Off lines. I know in my house we have not devoted any time to memorizing these, but suprisingly with a quick glance, all of the students are able to quote their lines pretty well. This tells me that they will not need alot of time to master them. We will continue to practice each week through the rest of the semester, so if you have a few extra minutes, encourage them to read over their lines and the result will be great.
Classical Cash:
Science: Color and complete the "Deep Blue Sea" sheet from our science experiments for alot of cash.
Science: Volcano handout can also be colored and completed.
Learning Logs: As you practice drilling and map drawing(South America) and labeling each week record on your logs for cash. Also record all of the steps in your presentation preparations and get rewarded.
Have a great week,
Blessings,
Mrs. Gaines
We had a comfortable day yesterday, but accomplished alot! We started with a fun whole group fine arts program by learning the parts of the orchestra. The masters were strong "violins" during the "Orchestra Song". We followed with some fun and creative presentations. Hannah began with a demonstration of how to make butter in pioneer times. You did a good job of communicating the steps and involved your audience effectively. Mollie, your story about the "House of a Thousand Terrors" was fascinating and clearly reminded us of the sacrifice Jesus Christ paid for all of our sins. You showed strong preparation and retold the story with good tempo and expression. Ross, we enjoyed your presentation that reminded us of Dr. Seuss' birthday. I feel encouraged to pull out our Seuss books this week. We enjoyed your visual aids and how effectively you articulated the words to the story and exercised pauses and expression to share the story with us. Carlyssa, you were very creative in your method of narrating Aesop's fable of "The Fox and the Grapes". You involved your audience to add entertainment to your fable and you taught us all an important lesson. Don't give up on your goals and belittle that which seems beyond your reach. I love seeing the improvement on all of your presentation skills. You have all gained confidence and strengthened your volume and poise.
For the next two weeks there are several topics to choose from. You may recite a poem or retell an Aesop's fable. If you choose either of these topics, focus on reviewing the delivery skills you have learned about this year: confidence, eye contact, volume, articulation, poise, expression, gestures and tempo. You can also choose to prepare an expository speech with a visual aid. Prepare a keyword outline to present instead of reading your speech word for word. Practice using your visual aid when giving your presentation.
HOW DO WE MAKE THE MOST OF OUR MEMORY WORK THIS YEAR????
Even if you are not planning to do any memory testing at the end of the year, we all want to get the greatest benefit from our 24 weeks of dedication. In our class we will be tackling this by doing a focused review each week on 1 or 2 subjects.
MEMORY WORK FOCUS FOR WEEK 20 IS GEOGRAPHY AND ENGLISH!!!! Next week our review will be concentrated on our geography labeling and identifying locations. We will also have a few english grammar questions thrown in. With geography, refer to the FOUNDATIONS BLOG PAGE to find out what locations will have to label for memory testing. I will use these guidelines in class next week to review. Practice by asking the student to name locations you point to and then you say the location and have your child identify where they are. Both methods will be used in testing for the end of the year and in review next week.
MEMORY TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR WEEK 19:
History Timeline: ONLY ONE MORE WEEK OF TIMELINE!!!
Reconstructing the South: Demonstrate the act of building blocks with your hands.
Black Leadership: Place hand behind your back (as you did with slavery) then "emerge" your hands from behind you and raise them above your head in triumph.
The Age of Industry: Hold up your forefinger on both hands and swirl them in a spiral. This demonstrates the smokestacks in the picture.
The Battle of Little Big Horn: Take your two forefingers and make horns.
Cowboys and the West: Pretend to spin and throw a lasso with your right hand.
The Spanish-American War: Make an "S" in air on "Spanish" then place your hand over your heart on "American".
A President Named Teddy: Clutch your hands/arms to your chest as if hugging your teddy bear.
Immigration to America: Holding up your arm to signify holding up the Statue of Liberty's torch.
History Sentence: We discussed the history of the Anasazi, their geographic location and adobe villages. SING and SAY
Latin: 3rd Declension- BINGO 3 consonants in the word BINGO reminds us of third declension.
SING. WRITE. SAY.
Science: What are the ocean zones? PHOTIC, BATHYL, ABYSSAL
We learned the Latin and Greek roots for these scientific terms to help us understand and apply them. Photos (greek)- light Bathys(greek)- Deep/Depths of the sea
a-(latin) without Byssus(latin)- bottom
Geography: New England, Middle, and Southern colonies We located and identified which colonies were in which section of the colonies.
English - should, could, would Sing the Helping verb song to practice.
Math: Sing the conversion 5280 feet = 1 mile to the tune "For He's A Jolly Good Fellow".
MATH SOUND OFF:
The end of the year is approaching and that means we need to memorize the Math Sound Off lines. I know in my house we have not devoted any time to memorizing these, but suprisingly with a quick glance, all of the students are able to quote their lines pretty well. This tells me that they will not need alot of time to master them. We will continue to practice each week through the rest of the semester, so if you have a few extra minutes, encourage them to read over their lines and the result will be great.
Classical Cash:
Science: Color and complete the "Deep Blue Sea" sheet from our science experiments for alot of cash.
Science: Volcano handout can also be colored and completed.
Learning Logs: As you practice drilling and map drawing(South America) and labeling each week record on your logs for cash. Also record all of the steps in your presentation preparations and get rewarded.
Have a great week,
Blessings,
Mrs. Gaines
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