Monday, September 26, 2011

What's up for school this week?

I did a lot of pre-planning over the summer.  I went a bit overboard, in fact.  I don't plan every school year down to the day, but that's the way it worked out this time.  I do know that things change, people get sick, afternoons get busy--so there are lots of blank spaces in the schedule.  But, allowing for that, each week is laid out.

So all I should have to do each week is open the book and go for it, right?

Well, I still like to know ahead what we're doing.  Looking through the week's work also gives me a chance to search (online or otherwise) for maps, pictures, animations, French games, or other ways to help present or reinforce the work.

A hymn we're singing:  Eternal Father Strong to Save.  Folk songs:  Come to the Fair.

Bible chapters we're reading:  1 Samuel 2 through 4; some verses from Ephesians; Psalm 44.

For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.
But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us. --Psalm 44:6,7

Memory work:  The first four commandments plus Luther's explanations; geography questions.  Choose a poem to work on.

Literature and shared books:  Continuing Great Expectations and Madam How and Lady Why, "The Coral Reef."  (The Ambleside Online site has study notes now for these MHLW chapters.)  Continue with Tennyson's poems.

Language arts:  Finishing a lesson on Carry On, Mr. Bowditch; starting a lesson on BambiSecond Look:  The Mr. Bowditch lesson ends with a writing assignment: write a brief report on the life of Nathaniel Bowditch.  This does not assume that you are reading the book; but Crayons is.  She says she would rather wait and finish the book first.  Suspicious moms might see that as just procrastinating on the assignment, but I agree it makes sense.  So I think I will give her another day or so to work on what she already has, and then start the Bambi lesson (most of the lessons start with dictation and grammar/mechanics).

French:  Keep working on what we have learned so far (numbers, -er verbs, greetings and personal questions, facts about Burundi, words containing the sound "oi"); continue with Mission Monde stories and workbook pages, and lessons from Usborne Beginner's French, because Crayons enjoys those.  We also have a new supplement:  two levels of  "L'art de lire" showed up, unused, at the thrift store, and I was very happy to pay what we figured was fair for them and bring them home.  (Because the thrift store wasn't quite sure what to do with them either.)

History:  Read lessons from Canada: A New Nation, about the Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark, steamboats, Napoleon, and the War of 1812.  Second Look:  After reading through the chapter, I think we will skip the details about the settlement of Vermont, Kentucky and Tennessee (no offense).  I just want to cover the general idea of Americans going west, and then about Napoleon selling off Louisiana (the book tells that as an interesting story).  I'm  not sure how far we'll get into the war--maybe next week. UPDATE: We snuck in a few pages as well from The Trail of the Conestoga.

Math:  Finish the January Business in the Pet Store.  Do half a page in Key to Fractions.  If there's time, do "The Breakfast Special" in Critical Thinking's Math Detective, which is a figure-it-out story about a family going out to breakfast and what combinations of menu items they could order.  Second Look:   "The Breakfast Special" involves probability, which is not something we've worked on much, but I don't think it should be a problem to say that the boy's chances of ordering pancakes and bacon were 1/6. UPDATE: I shouldn't have worried about that. I asked her another question from the exercise, about the boy's grandma who had only two menu choices. What were the chances then that she would order pancakes and bacon? Crayons responded, "50-50." Oh--I guess she has picked up a bit of probability!

Science:  Mr. Fixit is going to teach about how screws work. UPDATE: Crayons and Mr. Fixit did this at lunchtime, and I think they had fun with it. Anyway, Crayons ended up with a piece of scrap wood full of screws.

Nature study:  Plants in the daisy family.  Which kind of fits, since Thursday is Michaelmas.

Plutarch:  One lesson about Poplicola.

Art and music:  Continue with our Bernstein music set and with the art book we're using.

Fun and other things:  we may try a pioneer-style basket...which could be a Thanksgiving decoration.  It's supposed to be rainy this week, so we may not get outside much.  But Wednesday is our volunteer afternoon. 

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