Week Nine - November is here

Hello Masters families,
Another energetic week has flown by and believe it or not the semester will soon be drawing to a close! Sam, we missed you this week but we know you had an exciting adventure and we can't wait to hear all about it.
REVIEW!!! REVIEW!!! REVIEW!!!
As we approach the end of the semester I like to focus on fast and furious review to drill, drill, drill all of our grammar. Try to take time this week to review subjects going back to week one. This can be done using a variety of methods - if your student is strong on most of the subjects you could do copywork sheets (day 1), binder drill sheets and map labeling (day 2 ), oral drill and testing using proof sheet(day 3). At the very back of your student's binder there is a "proof sheet" that parents can use to quiz their students on memory work. As your child recites the memory work in each subject area check off the boxes. I will model this method on Tuesday. This method of review really increases student speed and accuracy and it is how testing will be conducted at the end of the year with the tutor and director. I will also answer any questions you may have about Memory Power (1 subject), Memory Excellence (3 subjects or more), and Memory Master (all subjects - explained in your CC guide).
Another approach if your students is not as familiar with all of the grammar is taking 1-2 subjects (as many you and your student can endure) a day and review them thoroughly. I would select a strong subject and a less familiar subject together to maximize confidence and success. Use the proof sheet and check the weeks off as you go through the material. The next day add new subjects and review what you covered the day before. You will be amazed at their progress from one day to the next!!! All review should be a celebration of what your student has learned - for the parents and the students! Their brains are sponges and it is amazing to see what they have absorbed. DO NOT REVIEW TO THE POINT OF FRUSTRATION - HAVE FUN!
Another word of encouragement is to remember that you will have from Thanksgiving until January to strengthen any areas you decide you want your child to master. It is a wonderful time to break from new material and writing papers from Essentials. Play a lot of review games at home and strengthen semester 1 before diving into semester 2.

Presentations: Another fun week of "Put it all together" speeches kept all of our attention and kept us guessing. Carlyssa, we enjoyed your tennis star speech, great job with your costume and prop. Mollie, good job with your Priscilla Mullins speech your demonstration of stale bread was memorable. Caleb, your facts about George Washington were clearly presented and you showed great confidence. Shawn, you had a very clever presentation on love that was presented with great confidence and first person perspective. This was an awesome interpretation of the topic. Zachary, you demonstrated great confidence in your presentation on Martin Luther King Jr., good detail, eye contact and pace. I am looking forward to learning more about each student as you present your ALL ABOUT ME speeches with a poster as a visual aid. Remember that each student is to design and complete their posters independently.

Memory Tips and Techniques for Week Nine:
History Sentence: Tell me about the Age of Absolute Monarchs...
This week we labeled our world maps as we sang/listened to the Audio CD. Use this week as another opportunity to combine geography and history to connect your child's learning between subjects.
Between the 1500's-1700's, Henry VII of England (E on England), Louis XVI of France (F), Philip II of Spain (S), Peter the Great of Russia (R), and Frederick the Great of Prussia (P -located in Germany) ruled during the age of absolute monarchs.
History Timeline: Barbarian Invasion and Vikings (make a viking helmet with both hands and place on head), St. Jerome Completes the Vulgate (hand to chest then up and out), The Council of Chalcedon (use right hand to make the letter C and emphasize 3 times), End of the Western Roman Empire (slit neck), St. Benedict and Monasticism(use right hand and pass split down the middle of your body from forehead to waist), Justinian the Great (hit right fist in left hand), Mohammed and Islam (halo over head), Charles Martel, Pepin the Short and Charlemagne (squat on the word "Short")
Peg Dates: Destruction of Jerusalem 70 A.D. Constantine and the Edict of Milan 313A.D.
Science: This week we reviewed the parts of the sun and the names of the planets in our song to the tune of "Pop Goes The Weasel".
Core, Radiative Zone, Convective Zone, and Sunspots, Photosphere, Solar Flare, AND the Corona.... Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto - these are the planets! ALTERNATE ENDING (Neptune, No longer Pluto these are the planets)
I sent home a planet sticker mini-poster/diagram of the planets and different bodies in our solar system, I hope your child has fun at home completing these this week.
Math: 15's You may use the Audio CD to learn the 15's by skip counting, but then focus on the multiplication table to master the material. The 15's are usually easier to learn because every other one ends in a 5 or 0.
Latin: Pluperfect Tense Memory Hint "Pluperfect Tense - I'm a wearin' blue. BLUE rhymes with PLU - I'M A WEARIN' sounds like AMAVERAM. It is a stretch, but it works:)
Complete the chart I had the students place in their binders to review and practice with the audio CD and the hand motions.
Geography: Southwestern Asia - This week we labeled on the colored map and then labeled locations on the blank map. Parents of Cycle One students - this is a great opportunity to recall locations we learned last year in this region. Have fun with a trip down memory lane!
English: Interrogative Pronouns - We listened to the Audio CD and highlighted the Interrogative Pronouns on the Pronoun sheet in their binders.

Memory Marble Madness - There is no doubt that we will fill the Memory Marble jar to overflowing next Tuesday so I am planning a celebration on Week 11. We will also open the CC store for students to spend their hard earned cash!!! I already have the celebration planned and this time it will be a suprise! Way to go MASTERS!
PARENTS, PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT THIS WEEK TO REMIND YOUR CHILD THAT WE NEED TO ELIMINATE EXCESS COMMENTS, JOKING AND TALKING DURING CLASS TIME! THIS INCLUDES ELIMINATING DISTRACTING TOYS FROM THE CLASSROOM. We have a lot of fun and want to continue enjoying review games and celebrations, so eliminating extra distractions will help us maximize our learning. Thank you for the help in this area.
This is a normal time of the year for students to have developed strong friendships and with that comes extra talking:) I will be placing them around the table in assigned seats this week. However, they have a lot of opportunities to choose their seats during science, presentations, and review games - this is when they need to move themselves if they are tempted to talk or joke around. Encourage your child to sit next to someone that will help them learn and save the social time for lunch. We have been so blessed with each other this year just use this as an opportunity to remind them of our class motto:
MINIMUM TALKING+MAXIMUM PARTICIPATION=A SUCCESSFUL MASTERS CLASS

I hope you all have a great week and I can't wait to see all of you on Week 10! I hope to see all of the moms at Mom's Night Out Thursday, 7pm at Mimi's Cafe At Friendly Center.

Have a blessed week!
Mrs. Gaines