DEVOTION
Lesson 15 introduces the Perfect System (indicative active), which includes the perfect, pluperfect, and future perfect tenses. This is the last bit of material that was covered in Challenge A. The pace should slow down a bit when we reconvene in January!
To find the perfect active stem, you drop the ending -ī of the 3rd principal part (see p. 155). We went over Chart 2 in detail, and everyone realized how easy this chart is since nearly everything is identical across the conjugations! See rules 174, 177-179, 349 (PERFECT tense), as well as 175-176, 180-185, 350-351 (PLUPERFECT & FUTURE PERFECT tenses).
Verb Chart 2 will not be on the blue book, but you should know it cold by week 1 of second semester!
The class then worked through reading and translating exercise 159 together, and we were all pleasantly surprised how well everyone did and how natural it was to translate the Latin sentences into English!
ASTRONOMY
“Every song has a composer, every book has an author, every car has a maker, every painting has a painter, and every building has a builder. So it isn't irrational to take this simple logic a little further and say that nature must have had a Maker. It would be irrational to believe that it made itself.”
(Ray Comfort)
vs.
Hawking‘s answer to the question “Is there a God?” He said, “No, I think the universe was spontaneously created out of nothing, according to the laws of science.” After all, he argues, “If you accept, as I do, that the laws of nature are fixed, then it doesn't take long to ask: What role is there for God?”
Finally, we began learning a good (simpler) method for memorizing Appendices A & C for intermediate logic second semester. We'll finish this up next week.
MATH
- in general, you should include the elements of Essay #6 or 7 from LTW; but you may have to condense or cut some parts due to the time constraint
- you may choose either side of our issue to talk about
We wrapped up our day with a continued discussion on whether Hawthorne presents true heroes through the characters of Tanglewood Tales.
For our devotion today, we discussed Isaiah 53:
1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
We had a wonderful discussion about the prophecies in this passage that were fulfilled 450 years later!
BLUE BOOK EXAM
1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
We had a wonderful discussion about the prophecies in this passage that were fulfilled 450 years later!
BLUE BOOK EXAM
We reviewed material and discussed extensively what would likely be on the exam. Students should have been taking notes in their note-taking journals. I also detailed much of this in last week's blog post, so I won't repeat it here.
LATIN
Students now know everything they need to completely fill out Verb Chart 1. And after the upcoming week's material, you can completely fill out Verb Chart 2, as well!
To find the perfect active stem, you drop the ending -ī of the 3rd principal part (see p. 155). We went over Chart 2 in detail, and everyone realized how easy this chart is since nearly everything is identical across the conjugations! See rules 174, 177-179, 349 (PERFECT tense), as well as 175-176, 180-185, 350-351 (PLUPERFECT & FUTURE PERFECT tenses).
Verb Chart 2 will not be on the blue book, but you should know it cold by week 1 of second semester!
The class then worked through reading and translating exercise 159 together, and we were all pleasantly surprised how well everyone did and how natural it was to translate the Latin sentences into English!
ASTRONOMY
Students presented their papers on Stephen Hawking, and we had time to discuss his wife, faith, and work afterwards.
We compared and discussed these two quotes:
vs.
Hawking‘s answer to the question “Is there a God?” He said, “No, I think the universe was spontaneously created out of nothing, according to the laws of science.” After all, he argues, “If you accept, as I do, that the laws of nature are fixed, then it doesn't take long to ask: What role is there for God?”
We also learned that scientists recently discovered that it seems like a meteor came near the Earth in the Dead Sea area, wiping out a good-sized civilization and landscape about 3700 years ago. That is almost exactly when biblical scholars believe Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed by God.
Hawking was diagnosed with ALS at 21 years old and only given 2 years to live. But he lived 55 years longer! Students talked about how sad it was that God gave him all that extra time to repent and he never did; how gracious God was to give him those years and the brilliant mind he did, but Hawking used it to reject God.
We then considered the question: If you only had 2-3 minutes in an elevator with Hawking, how would you convince such an intelligent man that there is a God?
It was interesting to note that Billy Graham died just a few weeks before Hawking.
Don't forget: completed shoe boxes are due next Monday!
LOGIC
We discussed a few more "problem exercises" in lessons 30-32, and then I introduced lessons 33-36. These lessons involve informal fallacies, and much of it was familiar to students, thanks to The Fallacy Detective in Challenge A.
These lessons divide informal fallacies into 3 types: fallacies of distraction, ambiguity, and form. Lesson 36 then teaches how to detect these fallacies by asking 2 questions.
MATH
Thank you, Andrew W. and Addie, for being prepared and sharing a math problem.
Students do not need to bring a problem to discuss next week, but everyone should be prepared with their math assignment to present on January 7!
CURRENT EVENTS
We changed things up this week: rather than split the class in half and spend time organizing and writing arguments, students paired up and presented their side of the issue solo: Should the federal government increase the federal minimum wage. Great job! It was a lot of fun to hear everyone's speeches.
Your assignment this week is to prepare your elevator speech, which will be given after lunch next Monday. A few reminders:
- our issue is: Should religious holiday displays be allowed on government property?
- the speech must be 1-2 minutes long (do not go over 2 minutes!)
- the speech must be completely memorized
- in other words, you may not carry anything up to the stage when you present
- that being the case, when you practice your speech this week, also practice what you are going to do with your hands! (Hint: incorporate some hand gestures!)
- the Guide (p. 91) explains the elevator speech further
- in general, you should include the elements of Essay #6 or 7 from LTW; but you may have to condense or cut some parts due to the time constraint
- you may choose either side of our issue to talk about
- don't omit an exordium and refutation, however!
LTW
Students shared their issue and 3 favorite proofs. We then discussed what narratio is, why we need it, and how to write it. This week, students will sort their ANI chart and write an outline of their essay. Now they are to write their paper using the LTW #7 essay form, as well as complete worksheets on exordium, amplification, division, refutation & narratio.
At our blue book exam on Monday, students should bring their completed outline. We will review these Monday afternoon, and if students find they have extra time during the morning exams, they may work on drafting their essay from the outline. The essay will not be part of the assigned exam, however. The essay must be completed by January 7. Bring your essay that day because we will share in class.
We wrapped up our day with a continued discussion on whether Hawthorne presents true heroes through the characters of Tanglewood Tales.
POSTREMO
- Refer to your notes, my emails, and last week's blog post for guidance on the blue book exams. We will begin right at 8:30 a.m. next Monday. The exam will last at least the morning (8:30-12:00/12:30). In the afternoon, we will do our Shoe Box Activity, review week 15 assignments for over Christmas break, and have some fun!
- Don't forget to bring a healthy snack and a sweet treat next Monday! And a pen, pencil, and something quiet to do if you finish a section early (e.g., a book or your LTW outline).
- Our All-Challenge Christmas Potluck is Friday, Dec. 14!
- MOCK TRIAL DATES are April 24 (9:00-1:00) and May 1 (8:30-12:00).
- Don't forget to bring a healthy snack and a sweet treat next Monday! And a pen, pencil, and something quiet to do if you finish a section early (e.g., a book or your LTW outline).
- Our All-Challenge Christmas Potluck is Friday, Dec. 14!
- MOCK TRIAL DATES are April 24 (9:00-1:00) and May 1 (8:30-12:00).
~ Love, Mrs. D.
