Week 5-Comets and Cash

Hello Masters families,
What an exciting week of learning! The science project definitely created a buzz of enthusiasm that lasted throughout the day. The students also enjoyed spending their cash on well deserved prizes. I love to see the excitement that learning can create!

We followed our science morning with very well prepared presentations exhibiting strength in voice control. Zachary, you began with a clear 3 second pause and followed with interesting accounts of the book you shared with us. Good eye contact! Mollie, you presented a well organized report on your favorite series of books. You captured the audience's attention with your questioning and you revealed strong voice control from beginning to end. Keep up the good work! Sam, we really enjoyed your presentation and the details you shared with us. You had a strong introduction and exhibited good eye contact. Excellent! Shawn, your presentation on your favorite series of books was also engaging. You began with a clear introduction and well organized details. Awesome!
I look forward to the creativity and wealth of information we will gather from the demonstration presentations over the next two weeks. The skill to focus on is showing confidence. This can be achieved by presenting with authority and organized steps. Involve the audience by asking them at the conclusion if there are any questions that you can answer. Have fun with this topic and remember to mark your preparation on your Learning Log for Classical Cash!

Presenters for week 6: Hannah, Harrison, Jonathan, Caleb, and Carlyssa

Memory tips and techniques for Week 5:
History Timeline: We recited the timeline from Creation to Phonecian Civilization and the Alphabet and then dug into Week 5.
Davidic Kingdom (point forward), Solomon's Reign(point to your brain), Israel Divides Into Two Kingdoms (slice with a chop), Homer and Greek Mythology (Hit a home run), The Olympics (runner arm), Founding of Rome (pat several times at different heights), Greece colonized, Democracy Begins (use hand to form columns), Israel and Judah Fall (bend arm at elbow and make it fall down)
Peg Dates for Week 5: Trojan War 1250 B.C. Davidic Kingdom 1011-971 B.C.

I have been very pleased to see the hard work the students are putting in on these Peg Dates. We are also working on them at home and I felt it would be beneficial to provide a drill sheet for the students working on this to practice writing the dates and the events. Each student placed this drill sheet behind their timeline sheet in their binders. The title of the sheet is "Foundations Program - Timeline Card Peg Dates Drill Sheet". Hopefully this tool will make drilling the dates a lot easier. Use the front to write the dates and use the back to write in the major events from the timeline. Keep up the hard work!

History Sentence: Tell me about the Hundred Years' War :
During the 100 Years' War( flash 10 2 times, clap)
Joan of Arc( draw your sword from scabbard with left hand)
and King Charles the VII (draw your sword from scabbard with right hand)
led the French (use right hand as a ball to represent France on the map)
to defeat England (use left hand flattened to represent England on the map)
at the Battle of Orleans. (In time to the music, France punches England off the map)
In the late 1340's, rats
carrying the plague(scurrying fingers and rat face exposed)
killed (slit neck)
one out of three
Europeans. (hold up 1 finger and then three fingers.)

Geography/History Maps European Mountains
Students should practice labeling their maps with the same markings as indicated on the colored map provided by Mrs. Varnell. Mountains are labeled using a triangle and Mountain Ranges are labeled by a dashed line - - - - -. One hint I gave the students is to label Mt. Blanc as a clear triangle and The Matterhorn as a colored-in triangle, this will help them differentiate between the two. Continue to practice labeling all of the locations for weeks 1-5 as you are drilling at home. Parents call out the heading for each week and have the students recite the list while labeling... European Waters, European Countries, European Rivers, European Cities, European Mountains.

Geography Drawing: Continue to practice tracing the continents and the outline of Europe. These are in the GEOGRAPHY section of your student's binder. Practice the CONTINENT OUTLINE MAP as well as the EUROPE TRACING PAGE #1. Continue to work on this at home as time allows. This provides great preparation for Challenge A and cements the shapes of the continents and countries in their minds.

Science: How do animals react to environmental change? Adapt (put on a coat), Migrate (walk in place), Hibernate (go to sleep) A coloring sheet was included in your student's binder to illustrate these concepts.

Latin: Today we introduced 1st Conjugation - Future Tense with the CC audio CD and the drill sheet that we added to the Latin section of their binders. We continue to cover the Latin hand motions as well.

English: We introduced the Objective Pronouns with the Grammar Song provided by Mrs. Varnell and we wrote the pronouns on the Helpful Pronoun Sheet in their binders. Continue to recite/sing and write the pronouns each week.

Math: We wrote the times tables for 9's and 10's on their white boards from 9x1-9x15 and 10x1 to 10x15. The students worked diligently and earned Massive Memory Marbles for their efforts.

Memory Marbles: Without question we should reach the top of the Memory Marble Jar by next week. Opportunities to help the class reach this goal are included in the front pocket of their binders: A science handout on "How do animals react to environmental change?" and an art drawing sheet to practice perspective and OILS drawing were given out this week as OPTIONAL activities to do at home. Students are also welcome to add detail and color to their perspective art projects. I will add Memory marbles for these if they are turned in completed. Only complete these as your time allows at home. I will collect them on any week, they do not have to be completed the week I hand them out. They serve as great time fillers in our home or great on the go school work when we go to doctor's appointments, etc.

Thank you for another blessed and rewarding time with your children. I enjoy and look forward every Tuesday with you. Continue to drill and practice at home. We added the Week 5 copywork sheet in the back of your child's binder. Use these as an additional method of study, especially for those days where they can study independently and show you what they know.

Have a blessed week!
Mrs. Gaines