Week 6

We have finished our first quarter already and we all finished well.  Congratulations!  Thank you so much for the participation of everyone including the parents during our time together.  It makes it extra special to see everyone participating in class and having fun learning.  Thank you so much for the enthusiasm and the extra pair of hands during class.  I really appreciate everyone's help during class.

Presentation was really exciting today... and to see the parents asking a lot of questions make it more exciting for the children and me. Thank you!  Next week is demonstration. Demonstrate how to do something, make something, fix something, or use something. Use visual aids or actual items. Let the audience participate if possible. These are the students who will be doing their presentation next week (Week 1) - Elle, Nolan, Ruthie and Seth. Have fun preparing. So, that means the presenter for Week 2  will be Caroline, Cosmo, Dawn, Jason and Nick.

Thank you Mr. Herson for the experiment on dizziness and concentration.  The more we learn about the human body, the more we realize how complex our body systems are and we really have an awesome God who fearfully and wonderfully created us. Starting next week, we will be doing the My Body project. Be sure the kids bring their coloring supplies and scissors. Thank you.

New Grammar
Timeline: Song - CC CD
We sang through the song and did the hand motions taught during the opening ceremony. It is exciting to see that the kids are getting better and better with Timeline. Keep on!  Since Mayans of Mesoamerica is in this week's timeline, allow me to share photos of a Mayan ruin and a Mayan village we visited in Costa Maya, Mexico last year (Sep, 2013).

 

 



History: Song - CC CD
I explained a little bit about the sentence and how much it was purchased for and that there are more pioneers aside from those mentioned in the sentence.  We sang through the song a lot and did the following hand motions:
 purchase - right palm-up flattened O-hand takes money from left palm-up flat hand and offers it forth as if purchasing something.
 France - right F-hand turn inward
 westward - right W-hand moves across the body toward the left
 Lewis and Clark - left palm-down hand shields eyes while looking right to left and then right index finger points northwest
 Davy Crockett - right C-hand begins at the left side of neck and comes around
*Interestingly enough I cannot find anything in the library about Davy Crockett.  But I found one online and here is it.

Science: Song - NoGreaterJoy
I told the kids that when I was a student I love the digestive system because what goes in must come out. I went over the whole of the digestive system with them - from the time the food goes in the mouth and how nutrients are absorb and the time it comes out.  Also told them that the liver is an accessory organ as is the gall bladder and pancreas (I went over the liver with them but not the other two).  The handouts I gave you should help and make it easy for them to master the function of the digestive system including the accessory organs. It was so funny I totally forgot to teach them the hand motions, but we sang through the song a lot.

Math: Song - CC CD
We skip counted the 11's and 12's.  This seems an easy one for everybody, but keep on practicing.  Have fun.

English: Song - NoGreaterJoy
We worked on the verb "do" and was able to review the verb "be." We are only in the 2nd week of the irregular verbs and we have more than half of the year to do something like this. Any suggestion on how I am going to make English really interesting from here on?  I have a few and I am very open to any suggestions... Thank you!

Latin: Song - NoGreaterJoy
We started the first of the three series of Latin nouns.  I know Latin is a little bit challenging because it is a foreign language, it will get better. I am hoping that the sign language is helping and we'll be pleasantly surprised when we can actually sign the whole of John 1:1-7 in the end.  Keep on! Here are the hand motions for this week:
 verbum - right G-hand touch the side of the left index finger 
 Deum/Deus/Deo - right B-hand (palm facing the left) in front of your face and goes down
 principio - left flat hand with fingers together except the middle and index fingers while the right index fingers twist at the base of the left middle fingers
 omnia/omnes - both palm flat hands, right palm starts on top of left palm and goes around until it taps the left palm
 nihil - both hands in sort of a flat "okay" sign and shake outwards twice.
 * I am not sure how well I described the hand motions... if you need clarifications with any of them, see me anytime during the lunch hour or you can ask the kids to sign it for you.

Geography: Song - CC CD
Trace, point and say the five states.  We went through 30 states already so far, do review the states and capitals individually so that when you ask them the states they don't have to sing through the whole song before they can answer.  I know I am guilty of this too... we really have to work hard on this. If you have an Ipad, there is a nice app that has states, capitals, flags, locations and seals and it is free - US States, Capitals, Flags, Locations and Seals Quiz. This is an online game that has different levels of difficulty that might help.  I tried it and it is fun... Enjoy!

Fine Arts
We did our final project a combinations of all the drawing lessons we learned.  Just a quick reminder, please bring one of the best work of your children next week for the artwork display during our Christmas party. Next week starts tin whistle, so please bring your tin whistles. Start practicing your scale if possible. Thank you!

Book Recommendation
Here are some of the books I've found in the local library:
The Louisiana Purchase: the deal of the century that doubled the nation by David Schaffer
What's the Deal? Jefferson, Napoleon and the Louisiana Purchase by Rhoda Blumberg
The Lewis and Clark Expedition by John Perritano
Lewis and Clark Explorers of the American West by Steven Kroll (for younger kids)
You Wouldn't want to Explore with Lewis and Clark! An Epic Journey You'd Rather Not Make by Jacqueline Morley 
Our Body Digestive System by Cheryl Jakab
The Digestive System by Darlene Stille
What Happens to a Hamburger? by Paul Showers (for younger kids)

              


Have a wonderful rest of the week.  Take a moment and have fun.

Miss Zabrina

P.S. The Middletown Free Library (Delaware County) have a free lecture series presented by the Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation coming Nov 6, Thursday (What We Wear) and Nov. 13, Friday (Breadbasket of the World) both from 2p-3p. Dawn and David went to the one this past Thursday on Colonial Food, they have hands on activities and according to David, it was presented well.  Dawn even met the Pipers. Check out this site and call to register.