Week 7

Here's a quick recap of class this week - don't forget we are OFF next Monday!  Enjoy your break!

DEVOTION

1 Corinthians 9:25-27

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

DEFINITION: runners; prize; games?

COMPARISON: runner in competition vs. life?  winner's crown vs. eternal crown?

CIRCUMSTANCE: what circumstances are needed for strict training?  In competition / life?

RELATIONSHIP: between aimlessness & competition?  striking a blow & making a slave?

TESTIMONY/AUTHORITY: other Scripture?  “To live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21)

Don't forget our Challenge B motto:  Our studies should also prepare us to reason clearly, speak eloquently, calculate accurately, and write persuasively so that we have the ability to make God known to others.

LATIN

We played a new game, Trashketball, to review 1st-5th declensions, rules for adjectives, and other points from lessons 1-7.

We also previewed Lesson 8 for this coming week, which covers adjectives of the 3rd declension (rules 77-78).  Some points to remember:

Adjectives are grouped into two main classes:

* Those which use the endings of the 1st & 2nd declensions.

* Those which use the endings of the 3rd declension.

All adjectives with -is, -e in the nominative singular are declined like graves, -e.

GRAVIS, -E heavy, severe, serious

MASCULINE

Singular

Nom. (subject)  -is  (gravis)

Gen. (possessive)  -is  (gravis)

Dat. (indirect obj.)  -ī (gravī)

Acc. (direct obj.) -em (gravem)

Abl. (obj. of prep.)  -ī (gravī)

Plural

Nom. (subject)  -ēs  (gravēs)

Gen. (possessive) -ium  (gravium)

Dat. (indirect obj.)  -ibus  (gravibus)

Acc. (direct obj.)  -ēs  (gravēs)

Abl. (obj. of prep.)  -ibus  (gravibus)

FEMININE

Singular

Nom. (subject)  -is  (gravis)

Gen. (possessive)  -is (gravis)

Dat. (indirect obj.)  -ī (gravī)

Acc. (direct obj.)  -em (gravem)

Abl. (obj. of prep.) -ī (gravī)

Plural

Nom. (subject)  -ēs  (gravēs)

Gen. (possessive)  -ium  (gravium)

Dat. (indirect obj.)  -ibus  (gravibus)

Acc. (direct obj.)  -ēs  (gravēs)

Abl. (obj. of prep.) -ibus  (gravibus)

NEUTER

Singular

Nom. (subject)  -e (grave)

Gen. (possessive)  -is (gravis)

Dat. (indirect obj.) -ī (gravī)

Acc. (direct obj.) -e (grave)

Abl. (obj. of prep.) -ī (gravī)

Plural

Nom. (subject)  -ia  (gravia)

Gen. (possessive) -ium  (gravium)

Dat. (indirect obj.)  -ibus  (gravibus)

Acc. (direct obj.)  -ia  (gravia)

Abl. (obj. of prep.) -ibus  (gravibus)

ASSIGNMENTS THIS WEEK:

• Read lesson 8
• Review 2 grammar rules (blue book - 77 & 78)
• Vocabulary: 3 new lists to DRILL DAILY; plus Master Review Vocab. No. 1, p. 91-98!
• 8 Exercises!
• Check answers and make corrections
• Attend study hall on Thursday (10:00-11:30) if you are able - we will not have study hall over fall break (Oct. 11).

MATH

We tried something new this week and students paired up to present their math problems and receive constructive feedback on how they did.  Don't forget to practice on Quizlet: multiplication tables & basic math facts.

ASTRONOMY

Students presented their research on Cassini and their timelines of space exploration.  It was fun to see how creative students were!  I also passed out the clip art for our remaining astronomers - students can affix these to their timelines at home.  

This week you are researching the English scientist and mathematician, Sir Isaac Newton.  He had one of the most brilliant minds the world has ever known. Legend has it that seeing an apple fall gave Newton the idea that the same force that keeps us bound to the Earth also controls the motion of planets and stars.

Newton's contributions to science include the universal law of gravitation, modern laws of optics, and the development of calculus, a field of mathematics. He is also famous for his book, Principia Mathematica, in which he presents three laws of motion, one of which relates an object's mass and acceleration to the force being applied on it.

Instead of an essay this week, you will be creating twenty notecards for your research.  Continue to use at least two sources.  Pages 179 & 180 in your guide explain how to make the notecards.  Why do you have to use notecards?  Here are some of the benefits:

* It prepares you for Challenge I when you use the format to write a formal research paper, and also in the formal debates that begin in Challenge I.

* Challenge I students who follow the notecard method report that actually writing their research paper was very simple.

* It allows students to combine their research with each other’s into a larger research paper outline.

* Students can learn to articulate points from notecards in an impromptu style. 

* The risk of plagiarizing is reduced when students learn to capture facts in summary form.

* Recording each fact on a separate card also allows for complete reorganization or 
regrouping of the facts to make the writing even more your own.

* It enables students to gather a very large amount of information for the Challenge I research paper in a manner that allows you to move and reorganize your facts into the most logical order with much less effort than a list or outline form.

* It is also great preparation for mock trial, where students research but then must take notes and organize their thoughts on the fly during the trial. 

You should also take some time this week to review the previous astronomers we have studied!

LOGIC

We touched base on the current assignment (lessons 19-22) and then played Bazinga to review all the lessons covered so far.  This week you need to finish all exercises for lessons 19-22 (on arguments, syllogisms, mood, figure - pp. 141-157), REREAD each lesson as you tackle the exercises, and continue to review vocabulary.

LTW

Students shared their essays on Little Britches, and we listened for parallelism as well as strong, precise, and active verbs.  Students did a great job on the essays - I continue to see improvement in making sure the subproofs are well-connected to the proofs.  A few students neglected to include parallelism - make sure you are completing the assigned workbook pages and reviewing the sample outline and checklist when you work on your essays so you don't miss important components.

Then we discussed Where the Red Fern Grows, a coming-of-age story about a boy in the Ozark Mountains of Oklahoma during the Great Depression who buys two coon dogs and learns to raccoon hunt with them.  This week, students will craft an issue and create an ANI chart with at least THIRTY items in each column!  

We discussed the invention tools we have to create ideas (e.g., considering the 5 common topics; picking three actors and three actions) and added "definition" to our repertoire:  

E.g., pick term to define:  IRON
Identify groups the term belongs to:  appliance, metal, to smooth
Select the group most helpful to issue:  metal
List other members of that group:  copper, gold, silver
List the unique characteristic:  strength
Write your own definition:  a metal that is strong and has magnetic properties
What’s the genus?  metal
What’s the species?  strong, magnetic

SAME PROCESS WITH BILLY (from Where the Red Fern Grows):
Term:  BILLY
Groups:  human, male, boy, son, character in book
Most helpful group:  boy character in book
Other members:  Ralph (Little Britches), Milo (The Phantom Tollbooth)
Unique characteristic?  
Write your own definition?
What’s the genus?  boy character
What’s the species?  (what's unique about Billy compared to Ralph or Milo?)

Finally, I distributed clip art for our novels for students to add to their timelines, too.

If you haven't started already, you should begin read The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom.  Most students find this book to take the longest to read - it's due by Week 10 (October 29).

CURRENT EVENTS

We again divided into two teams, and students took their research notecards and collectively built arguments on the affirmative or negative for our issue:

Should public school employees be armed in schools?

Each team made a more detailed outline of their strongest arguments, including an exordium and amplification, as well as three subproofs for each main proof.  Then we took turns presenting each point.  This week, students will research the issue:

Should the federal government require GMO labeling?

You will again find two articles - one in favor and one opposed.  Record the key evidence and ideas from each article onto a notecard, and watch for good examples to use as an exordium or for amplification.  Also find a Bible verse that applies to this issue.

Using the 5 Common Topics, we discussed what genetically modified organisms are and what the risks and consequences might be if GMO labeling is required or not.  The assignment this week is similar to last:

* Find one affirmative and one negative article

* Fill out a notecard for each article, recording key thoughts & ideas

* Form an AMPLIFICATION & EXORDIUM

* Find a BIBLE VERSE that relates to this issue

* Be prepared to explain your research and formulate (with your classmates) strong proofs and subproofs to support your position

POSTREMO

- Please make sure you are bringing your Bible to class each week!

- I will be sending you all progress reports when I return from our mission trip.

- RSVP for our next Challenge Social at Andrew M.'s house - an outdoor movie night (or, if the weather doesn't cooperate, an indoor game night!)

~ Love, Mrs. D.