Week 6

Lots of activity and fun in class yesterday - hope you enjoyed it, too!

DEVOTION

2 Timothy 3:12

In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

2 Corinthians 4:17

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

DEFINITION: what are the essential qualities of “persecution”; “light & momentary troubles”?

COMPARISON: persecution vs. eternal glory?

CIRCUMSTANCE: what makes persecution/trials “light and momentary”?

RELATIONSHIP: between a godly life and persecution?

TESTIMONY/AUTHORITY: Nigerian Christian teenager Leah Sharibu, kidnapped by the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram and held for over a year and a half because she is refusing to renounce Christ.

Please remember to pray for Leah Sharibu, our courageous and faithful sister in Christ!

LATIN

We played a new game, Bluff, to review 1st-5th declensions and Around the World to review vocabulary.  Lots of students are still quite shaky on this material - please work hard on memorizing the declensions and vocabulary!  Quizlet is a great resource for this! 

After all that work, we enjoyed some *amazing* Pineapple Fanta (a newfound favorite from Ethiopia) to celebrate!  ; )

We also previewed Lesson 7 for this coming week, which covers adjectives of the 1st & 2nd declension (rule 72).  Some points to remember:

• 5TH DECLENSION

rēs rēs

reī rērum

reī rēbus

rem rēs

rē rēbus

• Adjectives agree with their nouns in GENDER, NUMBER, and CASE.
• This is true for ATTRIBUTIVE adjectives (the deep river, the wet snow) and PREDICATE adjectives (linked to noun by linking verb - God is good; The law is bad.)
• Adjectives of QUANTITY generally PRECEDE their noun while adjectives of QUALITY generally FOLLOW their noun.

ASSIGNMENTS THIS WEEK:

• Read lesson 7
• Review 5 grammar rules (blue book)
• Vocabulary p. 73, 76, 78 - say, write, make flashcards - DRILL DAILY
• 11 Exercises!
• Check answers and make corrections
• Attend study hall on Thursday (10:00-11:30) if you are able

MATH

Thank you, Addie and Jake, for presenting in class.  Students also completed a Basic Math Facts drill of 49 problems (based on CC Foundations memory work).  No one got everything correct on this quiz, so keep practicing on Quizlet!  ; )

ASTRONOMY

Students shared their Kepler essay and poster of his Three Laws of Planetary Motion.  I made comments in students' note-taking journals, and each student also received a written assessment from a fellow classmate.  Everyone did well in explaining the laws in simple, layman's terms.  Some of the areas to work on include increasing eye contact, practicing presentations out loud 10 times before Monday, and using demonstratives like the poster effectively.

This week you are researching the Italian-French astronomer Giovanni Cassini.  Continue to use at least two sources, create a bibliography, and cite your work.  But you only have to write ONE paragraph!  In addition, you will create a timeline of space exploration (see the appendix for details on what you are required to include).  Be as creative as you want in making your timeline!

LOGIC

We wrapped up lessons 11-18 on the Square of Opposition.  I quizzed students on drawing the Square from a blank page, and everyone seemed to do well with it.  Then we took our review outside for some *active* quizzing as students deciphered instructions and raced to move along the "Square" and get to the correct location.

This week, we begin a new assignment - lessons 19-22.  We previewed these chapters, which address arguments, syllogisms, mood, and figure.  Read all four chapters first and make flashcards for the new vocabulary.  Drill the new vocabulary terms daily (and continue to periodically review vocabulary from lessons 1-18).  After reading all four lessons, go back to lesson 19, reread the chapter, and complete the exercises.  Over the next two weeks, you will continue this process of rereading and completing exercises for the remaining lessons, in addition to the daily vocabulary review.  Don't forget that all the vocabulary terms are on Quizlet!

LTW

Students paired up to review their outlines.  They checked form, work on smoothing out their amplifications, and made sure their proofs and subproofs logically connected.

We discussed strong verbs and parallelism, which students will be including in their essays this week.  Verbs should be active (not passive) and precise - using strong verbs and avoiding "banned" verbs like say/said, see/look, go/went, came/come, and get/got.  Students practiced rewriting sentences to make them active and replacing weak verbs with powerful, precise ones.

Parallelism is a similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses.  We used parallelism in our last essays, but there it was mainly a series of words.  This time, students will craft more complex parallelism, using phrases, clauses, and sentences.  We discussed some examples from 1 Corinthians 13:

• 1 Cor. 13:11:  When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
• 1 Cor. 13:4-7:  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

This week, take your outline and write your essay using the Essay Template #4.  Don't forget your exordium and amplification.  Then you will edit your essay, paying particular attention to your verbs - make them strong, active, and powerful!  You also need to add parallelism to your essay (phrases, clauses, or sentences - not just individual words).  When you have revised and finalized your essay, highlight your strong verbs and parallelism and bring that to class on Monday.

Don't forget to finish reading Where the Red Fern Grows, too!  We will be discussing it on Monday, and you do not want to have the story ruined by spoilers if you don't finish in time!

Also...our book after Where the Red Fern Grows is The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom.  Most students find this book to take the longest to read.  It's also one of the best books you'll read, so start thinking and planning now for when you will get this done.  It's due by Week 10 (October 29).

CURRENT EVENTS

We did something new today - students took their research notecards and divided into two teams - one affirmative and one negative on our issue of whether tablets should replace textbooks in classrooms.  Each team made a basic outline of their strongest arguments:

- Introduction
- Proof 1
- Proof 2
- Proof 3
- Conclusion

Then we took turns presenting their points.  We will do this again next week with our new issue on gun control, but next time students will develop more robust introductions and conclusions, as well as three subproofs for each proof.  I really enjoyed our discussion to introduce gun control.  Students chose the issue:

Should public school employees be armed in schools?

You will again find two articles - make sure one presents arguments in favor of arming teachers/staff and one takes the negative view.  You will record the key evidence and ideas from each article onto a notecard.  Also find a Bible verse that applies to this issue.

Be on the look out for a good exordium and amplification, too, as you will need to develop one in class on Monday.

POSTREMO

- I asked students to assess themselves in the areas of preparation, participation, and presentation generally, as well as each of our six strands, and specifically to provide "a grow and a glow" for themselves in each of these 9 categories.  Please send me your thoughts this week (either text me your handwritten notes or email back the electronic document I sent earlier today).

- DON'T FORGET TO BRING YOUR TIMELINES NEXT WEEK!  (Actually, two!  The folder timeline we are building together, as well as your timeline of space exploration.)

- Teen Book Club is this Friday at Andrew W.'s house.  It sounds like a lot of our students will be there - we'd love to have you join us!  You can contact Mrs. W for more information.

- I'd like to plan a movie night to watch Where the Red Fern Grows.  Please let me know whether October 23 or 25 might work for you.  We will also plan a movie night for The Hiding Place in November.

- Our next community-wide Challenge Social is October 19 - movie night at Andrew M.'s house!  Watch for an evite soon!

~ Love, Mrs. D.

Week 5

Thank you, Mrs. W, for helping out Monday morning during our emergency vet visit!  I'm happy to say Annie is ok - looks like she pulled some muscles, but with medication she's recovering nicely.

DEVOTION

1 Peter 4:16

“Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.”

James 1:12

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

Students used the 5 Common Topics to discuss these verses.  For example:

DEFINITION:  What are the essential qualities of “suffering as a Christian” or the "crown of life"?

COMPARISON:  What is suffering compared to a trial or test?  The crown of life vs. glorifying God?

CIRCUMSTANCE:  If we are steadfast under trial, can we be certain to receive the crown of life?

RELATIONSHIP:  Can glorifying God and being ashamed co-exist?

TESTIMONY/AUTHORITY:  
- Jeremiah Thomas (16 year old student and right-to-life activist who recently died of cancer shortly after speaking with the governor of Texas about abolishing abortion; he had requested the conversation as his Make-a-Wish wish).  
- “I give you thanks, Creator and God, that you have given me this joy in thy creation, and I rejoice in the works of your hands. See I have now completed the work to which I was called. In it I have used all the talents you have lent to my spirit.” Kepler 1571-1630
- Other scripture?  “To live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21)

LATIN

We reviewed the summary of Henle lessons 1-6 (I emailed this to everyone before Monday), including the final 3 pages of information which should all be memorized by everyone now.  Then we worked through Exercise 67, parsing, diagramming and translating.  Everyone did a nice job.

This week, we're covering lessons 5 and 6 (5th declension and nouns with special meanings in the plural).  Hope to see you at LATIN STUDY HALL on Thursday from 10:00-11:30.

MATH

Thank you, Micah and Emily, for presenting in class.  Students also completed a multiplication drill of 108 problems.  We will continue to periodically quiz multiplication and basic math facts, so keep practicing on Quizlet!

ASTRONOMY

Students shared about their telescope drawings and research on Galileo.  People did well explaining somewhat complex ideas in lay terms - you will continue practicing this skill this week with your research on Johannes Kepler and his Three Laws of Planetary Motion.

Be sure to use at least two sources, include a bibliography and citations, and write a five-paragraph essay using the outline in the appendix (p. 177).  You will also prepare a poster board display that diagrams each of Kepler's three laws.  Practice explaining the laws in layman's terms, ten times out loud.  You will present your posters in class next Monday.

LOGIC

We are in the middle of lessons 11-18.  It looked like most students had read all eight lessons and completed the exercises for about 1-3 of those lessons.  Reread the lessons and have all exercises finished by Monday.  Continue to work on vocabulary daily (for lessons 1-18).  

We played a review game to build the SQUARE OF OPPOSITION, and everyone did well with that.  Make sure you study enough this week to uncover and identify any issues you might have with this foundational concept.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions!

LTW

Students shared their issue and strongest four points from their ANI charts on Monday.  Most people had at least 25 items per column - good improvement over The Phantom Tollbooth ANI charts!  For those of you who didn't quite make it - you will likely need to add to your ANI charts this week to have enough material to work with in sorting and drafting your outline.  Otherwise you risk having weak proofs and subproofs.  

It also appeared that almost no students completed the assigned worksheets from the LTW workbook.  :(  Make sure you are going through these steps somehow so you don't neglect including the necessary elements in your essay.  

For this week's outline (and next week's paper), we will use Essay Template #4.  This requires an exordium at the beginning and amplification at the end.  The LTW worksheets will walk you through this.  

EXORDIUM:

Opening:  attention-grabber/hook; makes the audience want to keep reading

Comes first in the essay, but is prepared last.

3 types: a question, a challenge, or a quote

AMPLIFICATION:

Closing:  explain who the issue matters to & why

It comes right after the restatement of the thesis and proofs

1. Identify the Audience (e.g., Edmund?  Other judges of Edmund’s decision - teacher, friends, Narnians?)

2. What/who do they care about?  (e.g., Edmund should care about his siblings, Narnians, God, parents)

3. Show how the issue affects the group / why do they care?  (e.g., Edmund’s decision caused trouble for his siblings and Narnia)

4. Finally, write/read the thesis and amplification together to make sure they logically connect.  

Be sure to bring your completed outline with exordium and amplification to class on Monday.  I encouraged students to compare their essays from last year to see whether their initial attempts at amplification improved over the course of the year.

CURRENT EVENTS

We had a good discussion about Obamacare and whether it is negatively affecting the medical profession and/or people's access to medical care.  Now we are moving on to technology in education.  This coming week you will research:

Should secondary schools replace textbooks with tablets?

Students defined "secondary schools" as including all students/coursework after elementary school and before college.  "Tablets" encompass all forms of electronic books (iPads, Kindles, laptops, etc.).

You will again find two articles, but this time one must be in the affirmative and one in the negative.  You will continue to record key points onto a single notecard for each article.

Bring the notecards, articles, and Bible verse(s) you find to class.  This week you also must write an exordium and an amplification for this issue (either side).  Be prepared to share in class on Monday!

POSTREMO

- Latin study hall is this Thursday from 10:00-11:30 at the Castle Pines library - and parents please come, too, for a Logic bootcamp.  You won't regret it!

- Our next Challenge Social is October 19.  Watch for an Evite soon.

~ Love, Mrs. D.

Week 4

Week 4 is in the books...read on for what's next!

DEVOTION

We considered and discussed the verses I posted in last week's blog - and how we can create a safe, encouraging, and productive environment to share ideas and learn and grow together.  I enjoyed our day yesterday and thought everyone did a pretty good job working towards meeting this need.  I asked students to journal something from our discussion.  We came back to that after lunch and students shared what they had written.  Not everyone had written something, however.  Parents and students have a great opportunity this week to look at your journals together, talk about how you want it used and what the parent expectations are, and how you can better participate in this aspect of class. 

Proverbs 18:4 “A person’s words can be life-giving water; words of true wisdom are as refreshing as a bubbling brook.”

Proverbs 15:4 “Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”

Proverbs 16:24 “Kind words are like honey–sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-6 "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.  It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth."

LATIN

Students were quizzed today on the 1st-3rd + sum declensions, as well as some of the gender rules.  I will send out the results to each family separately.  Many students have a lot of work left to get this information down.  It's review from last year (and Foundations), so please be diligent in learning it quickly.  

We're moving onto lesson 4 this week:  

4th Declension:     portus, portūs (harbor)
Nom.   -us   -ūs 
Gen.   -ūs   -uum
Dat.   -uī   -ibus
Acc.   -um  -ūs
Abl.   -ū   -ibus

Rule 66 - 4th declension nouns are MASCULINE except:
- manus, -ūs (f., hand)
- domus, domūs (f., house)
- cornū, -ūs (n., horn)
- genū, -ūs (n., knee)
+ a few others

The Preposition "in"
“in” takes the accusative or ablative, depending on its use:

If MOVEMENT or MOTION is expressed = acc.
He came into the forest. They made an attack against / upon / on the enemy.

If no idea of movement or motion is expressed = abl.
He is on the hill. He is in the forest. 

LATIN STUDY HALL is on Thursday from 10:00-11:30.

MATH

Thank you, Faith and Ellie., for presenting in class.  Everyone should continue to prepare a new problem for discussion each week using the 5 CTs chart to organize your thoughts.  We will try the Basic Math Facts test again next week, so practice your multiplication drills, conversions, and math laws on Quizlet this week!

ASTRONOMY

We listened to some very creative interviews of Copernicus!  This week, you are researching Galileo.  It sounds like there is some confusion over what exactly the guide is asking you to do this week, so here you go:

- Research Galileo Galilei, including his background, faith, and many inventions.  Focus especially on his improvements to the telescope.

- Prepare a drawing of the lens design of a Galilean Telescope.  Label all of the parts and be prepared to explain how it works.

- Write an essay using the basic format in the 5-paragraph burger handout. For example: 
I.  Introduction
II.  Galileo's background/faith
III.  His many inventions, focusing especially on his improvements to the telescope (and briefly explain how a refracting telescope works)
IV.  A paragraph on any other aspect of your research on Galileo that interests you
V.  Conclusion

- Write a bibliography for your essay.  Also insert citations throughout your essay (using a short form of your sources from the bibliography).  Remember: At this point it is better to over-cite than under-cite.  So far we have had quite a few problems as a class in being able to identify which source a fact in an essay came from.  So err on the side of citing too much for now!

- IMPORTANT LAST STEPS:  (1) edit and revise your rough draft with your parent's input, (2) have your parent grade your final draft, and (3) practice presenting your essay/interview out loud ten times.

LOGIC

We finished up lessons 6-10.  Continue to work on vocabulary daily (now from lessons 1-18).  You have eight lessons to complete this week and next (lessons 11-18 on the SQUARE OF OPPOSITION!), and this is some important and foundational stuff!  So stay on top of it and do you best this week to get at least the following done before next Monday:

- read all lessons, 11-18
- make flashcards for all new vocabulary and review vocab daily
- reread lessons 11-12 and complete all exercises

After that, you will reread a lesson and complete all the exercises for lessons 13-18.  Please let me know if you have any questions as you go along.  Parents, we'll meet this week during Latin study hall and I'll give you an introduction and overview to these lessons.

LTW

Nice job on your Phantom Tollbooth essays.  I know the first few essays will seem dry and boring at times, since you know how to do more than the assigned essay format entails, but trust the process, stick to what is assigned, and enjoy the break - you'll be doing more with each subsequent book!

This week, create your issue for Little Britches and fill out your ANI chart with at least 25 items per column.  Complete the assigned worksheets to help you with this process.  The tool you'll add this week to generate ideas is COMPARISON - both as similarities and also degree/kind.  The worksheets will walk you through this.

Bring your completed ANI chart to class, with at least 25 items in each column!

CURRENT EVENTS

We had a great discussion about school vouchers!  This coming week you will research federal healthcare (it might not seem as interesting at first glance, but this issue likely has a lot of real-world intersections for your own family!).  Talk to your parents about their experiences and thoughts on Obamacare, and research this specific issue is:

Is Obamacare negatively affecting the medical profession and people's access to medical care?

You will again find two articles (any side), but instead of completing the CE form for each article, you will record your key thoughts and ideas about each article onto a separate 3" x 5" note card.  You can still use the CE form to help you decide what information to include on the note card.  Don't forget to find a relevant Bible verse!  Bring your two articles, two note cards, and Bible verse to class and be prepared to discuss your articles.

POSTREMO

- Parents: PLEASE CHECK YOUR STUDENT'S NOTE-TAKING JOURNAL!  Let them know (and me, if possible) what your in-class expectations for the journals are (I am asking students to take time to journal regularly, but this is proving to be a struggle for several students).

- Latin study hall is this Thursday from 10:00-11:30 at the Castle Pines library - and parents please come, too, for a Logic bootcamp.  You won't regret it!

- I still need dates of any special activities students have outside of class that we could support them in (athletic events, plays, music performances, etc.).  

- Cul-de-Sac Kickball BBQ is THIS Saturday, September 15.  Be sure to RSVP!

~ Love, Mrs. D.

Week 3

It was a nice change of scenery today meeting at our house - thank you everyone for working around Labor Day and busy schedules this week!

LATIN

Students will complete lesson 3 this coming week.  Here is where we are in the semester and what you should be able to WRITE EASILY FROM MEMORY at this point:

1st Declension:

Nom.   -a   -ae 

Gen.   -ae   -ārum

Dat.   -ae   -īs

Acc.   -am   -ās

Abl.   -ā   -īs

2nd Declension:

Nom.   -us    -ī   (or -um/-a)

Gen.   -ī -ōrum

Dat.   -ō   -īs

Acc.   -um   -ōs   (or -um/-a)

Abl.   -ō   -īs

3rd Declension: 

All three forms (lex, pars, flumen) AND be able to explain when you use which of these forms.  (See rules 57-61 in the blue book.)

You should also be able to identify whether a noun is in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd declension, and know all vocabulary through page 55 of the purple book.  

Don't forget LATIN STUDY HALL is on Thursday from 10:00-11:30!

MATH

Thank you, Andrew M., for presenting in class.  You did a very nice job of leading a discussion about a difficult math concept through asking questions of your classmates.  Everyone should come prepared with a problem to present to the class each week, using the 5 Common Topics chart to outline.  Going through the process of organizing your thoughts on the chart is helping to equip you for leading seminar strands yourself in the upper challenge classes, so don't skip this step by thinking you aren't going to be called on or just using an old problem you prepared previously!

ASTRONOMY

The geocentric models were fun to see (and taste!).  Students also used their essays to have a discussion about Ptolemy.  It was interesting to hear to the different facts people uncovered.  A few important points to note:

- ASSESSMENT OF CLASSMATES:  Our assessments of one another should always be kind, encouraging, and true.  We are not out to trap one another, trip someone up, or make accusations.  Please remember:

Proverbs 18:4 “A person’s words can be life-giving water; words of true wisdom are as refreshing as a bubbling brook.”

Proverbs 15:4 “Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”

Proverbs 16:24 “Kind words are like honey–sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-6 (ESV) "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.  It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth."

- BIBLIOGRAPHY:  Make sure you have one!  Additionally, each citation in your bibliography should be written with a hanging indentation (or negative indentation).  The first line of a given citation is flush with the left margin; the second and subsequent lines are indented a half-inch.  This is true for MLA and APA citations.  Here is an example:

Eze, Michael O. Intellectual History in Contemporary South Africa. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010.

Fairbairn, Donald. Life in the Trinity: An Introduction to Theology with the Help of the Church Fathers. Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2009.

Giles, Kevin. "An Extended Review of One God in Three Persons: Unity of Essence, Distinction of Persons, Implications for Life." Priscilla Papers 30, no. 1 (Winter 2016): 21-30.

- CITATIONS:  Last week, some students struggled to tell us where some of their information came from.  If you are utilizing the notecard method, this should not be an issue!  Every fact you find is written on a separate notecard that has the source number on it.  But many students continued to struggle this week.  Along those lines...

- CITE MORE!:  It seems that most students have not been including any citations within the body of their essay.  They might have a bibliography, but they have not attributed individual sentences to their sources.  You should do this not only to avoid plagiarism (when you quote an author or substantially use their idea), but also to give your statements credibility.  I encourage you to OVER-CITE next time and see what you think.  (Depending on how you choose to capture your "interview" of Copernicus, you might be citing more in your week 5 essay than week 4.)

To cite within the text, you will use the short form of the citation from your bibliography.  The handout I gave you on the first day of class (bibliography charts) will show you what the short form looks like.

As always, be sure to use at least two sources in your research.  Try to arrange your interview questions for Copernicus into three different groups, and then use the 5 PARAGRAPH BURGER ESSAY format to organize your questions under those three groups.

- IMPORTANT LAST STEPS:  Don't forget to (1) edit and revise your rough draft, (2) have your parent grade your final draft, and (3) practice presenting your essay/interview out loud ten times.

LOGIC

We played review games for the vocab in lesson 6-10.  Most students have quite a bit of work ahead to memorize all these terms.

This week you will complete whatever you have left in lessons 6-10, plus all the associated exercises.  Don't forget to reread the lesson before you begin work on the assignment!

LTW

This week you will use your outline to write your essay, following the Essay #2 model.  You also need to add parallelism to your paper.  There are assigned workbook pages to walk you through this.

You must also be finished reading our next novel, Little Britches, by Monday.  Bring the novel and your essay to class!

CURRENT EVENTS

We had a great discussion about parental rights, medical decisions, and the government’s power.  This coming week we are focused on education, and students brainstormed ideas about arming teachers in schools, mandating special education (ILC) programs in all public schools, how to evaluate teachers (and whether to tie their raise or salary to their students’ text scores), and prayer in schools.  The issue students devised is:

Should the government provide tuition vouchers for families to spend on their children’s education at any school of their choice, whether public, private, or religious?

You will again find two articles (any side) and complete a CE form for each article.  Also bring a relevant Bible verse, and be prepared to discuss your articles in class.  Always be watching to detect any improper bias in a given article.

POSTREMO

- Parents: PLEASE CHECK YOUR STUDENT'S NOTE-TAKING JOURNAL!  

- Latin study hall is this Thursday from 10:00-11:30 at the Castle Pines library!

- I still need dates of any special activities students have outside of class that we could support them in (athletic events, plays, music performances, etc.).  

- Cul-de-Sac Kickball BBQ on Saturday, September 15.  Watch for the Evite!

~ Love, Mrs. D.