Sunday, September 28, 2014

September 27, 2014

Monday my 19 year old daughter had her four wisdom teeth extracted.  She didn't require much care, but 12yo and I still didn't get much school done.

Sometimes I wonder about my sanity.  I've been frustrated over our inability to get to all subjects, so what did I do?  I added another study - The Hobbit.  The third and final movie will hit theaters December 17, and I have decided we should try and read it before then.  I have no idea how we'll find time for it.


Math
Key to Measurement booklet #2 - linear measurements.

Latin
Latin adjectives - singular and plural

Grammar
Word order in sentences.
Unity and coherence in a paragraph.
Chapter review

Spelling
WOR and WR
Silent final "e" rules (English words do not end in U or V.  Soft "c" and "g.")
Adding sufffixes
Indirect objects

Literature
cont'd Tales From the Odyssey

Geography
Saudi Arabia (MP)
Exploring Countries: Saudi Arabia



Holy Places: Mecca (Mandy Ross)


World History
29-30 History of the World (farming, first cities)
World History Detective - Mesolithic and Neolithic Stone Age

Christian Studies
8 David and Goliath

Core Knowledge
cont'd reading stories in the literature section 

Friday, September 19, 2014

September 19, 2014

There is a trend.  We skipped a day ... again.  This is not "end of the world" terrible but it could turn into a nasty habit.

Math
Weak.  We finished the first Key to Measurement booklet and did one lesson in Rod & Staff.

Latin
The new vocabulary was piling up, so we only did two lessons this week (11 & 12) which both covered 2nd declension neuter (um, i).   12yo spent most of the week reviewing vocabulary flash cards and memorizing the table blessing.  Today I had her remove the vocabulary words she knows well.

Grammar
11 Compound Subjects and Predicates
12 Simple and Compound Sentences
13 The Structure of a Paragraph
14 Avoiding Run-on Errors

Spelling
We finished lesson 17!  Spreading the lesson over two weeks works much better than trying to cover it in one week.  We pulled the single letter phonogram cards to cut down on the size of the stack.  I want to her spend more time on the tougher ones (ex: ough has six sounds).

Composition
12yo wrote a thank you note to the director for the summer youth program in our small community.

Literature
She started reading this to me:

And I restarted reading this to her:

Geography
Turkey.  We did the Memoria Press workbook.  While she labeled her map I read Turkey (Blastoff! Readers: Exploring Countries) to her. 

World History
DK's History of the World encyclopedia - reading through Chapter 2 "Early People" (40,000 - 5,000 BC)

American History
MIA

Classical Studies
6 Horatius and Mucius the Left-Handed
We started the Memoria Press guide for "Horatius at the Bridge."

Art
Still waiting for the shipment.

Music
MIA

Christian Studies
7 Jonathan Breaks the Oath; David
Saul is no longer supported by God as King.  The prophet Samuel is sent to Jesse of Bethlehem to find a new king (David).

Science
We did four lessons/activities last week, but we didn't finish the notebook assignment for the last two.  We only got around to doing one this week.  Why do I drag my feet on this stuff?  I'm a better "let's read the book" than a hands-on teacher.

Homemaking
Again, lacking in the "follow through" department.

Core Knowledge
Reading stories: It Could Always Be Worse, Jack and the Beanstalk, Medio Pollito, The Knee-High Man, The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Also reading sayings from What Your Fifth Grader Needs to Know.

Sunday, September 14, 2014

14 September 2014

We survived the first full week.

Monday through Wednesday we worked hard.  And then, I started to feel burn out.  Thursday I crashed ... sort of.  We had a couple of phone calls and I gave up and took 12yo shopping for fall/winter clothes.  Friday I got stuck on trying to find something that was missing and wasted a good hour.  Plus, I was trying to wash her new clothes before she left on a trip.  It wasn't as productive as I had hoped but we still had a fairly good day.

Saturday and Sunday 12yo attended a Maker Faire with her dad.

One thing driving our choices this year - Last Kid Homeschooling.  It is my last opportunity to use some of the curriculum on our shelves.

Math
Math fact fluency - continuing with Math Reflex.  We have switched from addition/subtraction facts to working with multiplication/division facts.

Normally we only use Rod & Staff Math.  This year we are combining R&S Math 6, Key to Measurement, and the Great Courses lectures "Mastering the Fundamentals of Mathematics."  We started out working with Key to Measurement.  Honestly, I'm nervous because we are moving through the first booklet so slowly.  The upside is the math has been more hands-on than in the past.

Latin
Latina Christiana I - we've moved quickly through the first 10 lessons since they should have been review.  We tried the DVD's for the first few lessons and they took too long.  We're focusing on learning the new vocabulary and doing the written work in the student book.   Looking forward to Lively Latin Big Book I as soon as possible.

Grammar
Rod & Staff English 6.  Doing both the exercises and the worksheets.  Reading through the writing lessons but using IEW for composition.  Four lessons per week.

Spelling
Picking up where we left off in Logic of English Foundations.  Slowly working through lesson 17 and reviewing the phonograms after a few months off.

Composition
Continuing with Student Writing Intensive A (SWI A).  Really not sure where to go with writing since she is older and increasingly creative.  I really like IEW but I wonder if I should have her in SWI B instead.

Literature
No concrete plan.

Geography
We've been re-reading Geography I (Memoria Press) before we watch CNN Student News.  We are in the Middle East and ready to cover countries we haven't read about before.  Turkey here we come!

World History
I am super pleased that 12yo finally seems ready for K12's The Human Odyssey: Prehistory Through the Middle Ages.  Yes, we are still stuck in ancients.  We are combining HO with World History Detective and DK's History of the World encyclopedia.  Working nicely although WHD is a bit challenging at this point.

American History
I'm looking for a good way to review what we've already covered before we continue in A History of US.  A timeline?

Classical Studies
We've been re-reading stories from Famous Men of Rome when we do Latin. After this week we should be able to return to a once-a-week schedule.  I'm hoping to also start using the Memoria Press study guide for the poem "Horatius at the Bridge."

Art
Home Arts Studio is the plan for the year.  Still waiting for the art supplies to come in.  One item is back ordered.   Until then, we are reading through the art sections in the Core Knowledge series.

Music
Not there yet.

Christian Studies
Another subject that we didn't squeeze in this week.  12yo gets enough religious instruction at church, so this is purely cultural literacy.

Science
Finally working through lessons in Science in the Beginning!  Awesome book.  I'm so pleased with it.  We are doing all three levels of activities since dd is older.  We are currently working on the first day of creation - light.

Homemaking
Home Economics for Homeschoolers - another set of wonderful books that sat on my shelves gathering dust.

Core Knowledge
Reading through What Your First Grader Needs to Know.  Just filling some gaps.

Friday, September 5, 2014

September 5, 2014

Monday and Tuesday 12yo dd had a sleepover at her oldest sister's house.

Wednesday through Friday our schedule was 9am - 3pm.  People, I am whipped by 3pm.

Wednesday was tough.  12yo had a hard time staying awake.  We have always had school on my bed.  I decided it was time to get off the comfy bed.  The past two days we have spent our time going back and forth between the dining room table and the couch.

I made one more change to help her stay awake.  After a subject or two, I sent her on an errand or to do a chore (ex: unload the dishwasher, take the compost outside, water the plants, scoop the poop in the chicken coop, check the mail, etc.).  She has been more alert and easier to get along with during school.

Current Events - CNN Student News
Math - Math Reflex, Key to Measurement book 1
Latin - LCI Review 1, lessons 6 & 7 (first declension, agreement of subject and verb)
Grammar - Rod & Staff English 6 lessons 5-7 (subjects and predicates, sentences and clauses, four types of sentences)
Spelling - seeing what she knows from a "frequently used words" list
Geography - review.  Reread a section on the Middle East.  Put together a puzzle of Africa and the Middle East.
World History - World History Detective #1, K12's The Human Odyssey "Introduction" - telling time.
Classical Studies - Famous Men of Rome - reread "Romulus"  (she is sick of hearing that story.  Lol!)
Christian Studies II - Lesson 6 "Samuel and Saul"
Home Economics for Home Schoolers Level One - Lesson 1 "Nutrition"
Core Knowledge - reading through What Your First Grader Needs to Know.  We've read the fables and are currently reading through the stories.