Week 13 - Sweet Science!

Hello Masters families,
Welcome back! I hope you are all adjusting back into your school and activities schedule this week and easing back into the pace of Foundations and Essentials. We enjoyed an unusual schedule on week 13 with an extra sweet and special focus on science and our new art schedule. Next week we will settle into a regular schedule during class and I am sure the students will be ready to focus during class and make the most of our awesome 3 hours we share together each week. Thank you for sharing your children with me each week. I will try to make the most of our time together and I can already see that the students are working hard at home with their memory work. I expect we will see amazing end-of-the-year accomplishments.

Parents, please continue to ask a lot of questions about the end-of-the-year testing and program.
Here is a short recap of the memory goals for the kids:

Memory Power- 1 or 2 subjects, Memory Excellence - 3 or more subjects, Memory Master - all subjects (Timeline, History Sentences, Latin, English, Science, Math, Geography)

A guideline for testing and assessing what subjects your child will be ready to test for are:
Proof 1 (Week 21) Test through week 20/21 with a parent -3 or fewer misses per subject
Proof 2 (Week 22) Other tester test through week 21/22 - grandparent, neighbor, other mom from CC - 2 or fewer misses per subject
Proof 3 (Week 23) Tutor test through week 22/23 (all material for all subjects - if week 23/24 needs to be perfected the next week that is no problem, we will just share that with Mrs. Varnell and she will include this in final Director testing) Average miss of 1 per subject maximum means that your child will go forward and test with Mrs. Varnell for Memory Master!

****Please do not feel any pressure to study ahead, just focus on the weeks that we have covered in class and have your child learn them very well! Your student will be a memory expert by the end of the semester and those last few weeks will naturally fall into place. Our family has done this for years and it is a gradual, natural process because it is the way God created us to learn. ****

****Final Testing for Memory Power or Excellence can be tested by any other parent in the CC program or by me. ONLY MEMORY MASTER STUDENTS NEED TO TEST DIRECTLY WITH THE TUTOR AND MRS. VARNELL. If you are a parent willing to test students just let me know it would be a huge help.****

Presentations: All students will be focusing on the same subject areas each week for presentations. Weeks 14 and 15 will be on a timeline card of your choice. Continue to stress the presentation techniques outlined on your child's Learning Log to help them prepare. (3 second rule, pronouncing words well, volume/expression, organization, eye contact, use of time, and visual aids) We placed a handout in the front of their binder with the groups and topics for each week listed. On the back side of this handout please use the sheets provided (I included 3 per student) to help your child prepare and practice their presentations.

Week 14 presenters: Caleb, Carlyssa, Hannah, Harrison, Jonathan

Memory Tips and Techniques for Week 13:
History Timeline: John Calvin and the Institutes (stroke beard), Cortez, DeSoto, De Leon, and Coronado: the Spanish explorers (hand over eyes look out), The Council of Trent (make a T with fingers from each hand and do a semi-circle in front of your body), John Knox, the Scottish Explorer (knock in the air), Explorers of the Northeast: Cartier, Champlain and Cabot (point to the Northeast), Raleigh Settles Roanoke (take hat off of head and bow down), Jamestown is Founded in Virginia (place stake in the ground), The Mayflower Lands at Plymouth (right hand in the air sails down to left hand/Plymouth Rock)
PEG DATES DRILL SHEET WILL BE PROVIDED NEXT WEEK FOR ALL STUDENTS!!!
History Sentences: Tell me about the Industrial Revolution... We discussed the importance and significance of each invention. Drill using Audio CD.
Latin: Each student received new charts to aid in drilling their Latin this semester. We are repeating the same conjugations as last semester. Use hand motions, Audio CD, charts, and memory tips to master the material. PRESENT TENSE - God is AMO-present (omnipresent)
English : Use the Grammar Song provided by Mrs. Varnell to master the definition for Adverbs - add the following part - "and modify verbs, adjectives, or another adverb."
Science : What are the states of matter? solid (hand in fist on top of other hand), liquid pretend to drink), gas (wave the air in front of you), plasma (take hands and wiggle fingers)
Math: Area of a Rectangle = Length X Width
A drill sheet was included in your student's binder to practice this formula.
Geography: Northern Europe - We labeled the following countries with the first letter of each.
Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Netherlands
Map Drawing Exercises: I included new map drawing exercises in each student's binder to help with their cartography skills. Include this as time allows in your homeschool. It will aid in preparing your child for Challenge A.

Have a wonderful week. Students, don't forget to record your Memory Drilling and Presentation preparation on your Learning Log. We will open the store on Week 16!!!

Have a blessed week!
Mrs. Gaines