Preparing to embark on our Thanksgiving Lapbooks and Semester Review/Test

 

We are excited to begin our Thanksgiving Lapbooks, Historical Reading, and continue on with our math, grammar, writing, and reading as we begin to prepare for review the following two weeks after Thanksgiving.  Below is our semester review highlighting the most important things learned.

 

Fall 2009 Semester REVIEW & TEST

Hagia Sophia Christian Academy

Note:  Student is allowed to miss maximum of 2 words on each question for full credit.

HISTORY

1.  Ten Commandments – recite 
2. Greek and Roman Gods -recite 6
3. Who was the leader?
4. Who was his wife?
5. Where did they supposedly live?
6.  7 Wonders of the Ancient World – recite
7. Where are the Great Pyramids?
8. Where were the Hanging Gardens?
9. Where was Pharos Lighthouse?
10.  Split of the Roman Empire – recite
11.  Who was Attila?
12.  The fall of Rome – recite
13. Tell me about Hinduism – recite
14. How many castes are there (5)?
15. How many gods do they worship?
16. What is the main country for Hinduism?
17. What is their sacred river?
18. Tell me about Buddism –other half of recitation
19. Who started Buddhism?
20.  Tell me about the Age of Imperialism – recite
21. Who was Queen Victoria?
22. Who was Gandhi?
23.   Tell me about Confucius – recite
24. Which country did he live?
25.  Tell me about the Hein government – recite
26. What was the period of Isolation?
27. What religion does Japan believe?
28.  Tell me about Constantine – recite
29. What is the meaning of Byzantine?
30. What is Justinian’s Code?
31. Who is Basil II?
32. What were the Crusades?
33.  Tell me about the Muslim Empire – recite
34. Who was Muhammad?
35. Which son of Abraham did he come from?
36.  Tell me the Presidents in order

SCIENCE

1.  5 Kingdoms of living things:
2. Classifications of living things:
3. Some parts of an animal cell:
4. Some parts of a plant cell:
5. What are the invertebrate classifications?
6. 5 Groups of vertebrates:
7. How do animals reproduce?
8. What are some type of seed plants?
9. What are some parts of a plant?
10. What are some types kinds of leaves and leaf parts?
11. What are some parts of a flower?
12. What are the plant systems?

1. What is the difference between a solid, liquid, and gas?

1. What is a water cycle?

1. What are the continents and oceans?

1. What is an owl pellet?

1. Skip count 2

1. Skip count 3

1. Skip count 4

1. 5’s

1. 6’s

1. 7’s

1. 8’s

1. 9’s

1. 10’s

1. 11’s

1. 12’s

1. 13’s

1. 14’s

1. 15’s

1. Squares

1. Cubes

1. Meters and kilometers

GEOGRAPHY

1. Label  Fertile Crescent

1. Assyrian Empire

1. Hebrew Empire

1. Hittite Empire

1. Nile Delta

1. Roman Empire

1. Indus River

1. China

1. Eastern Asia

1. Japan

1. Byzantine Empire

1. Muslim Empire

GRAMMAR

1. What is a preposition?

1. Name all the prepositions:

1. What are 3 rules of a sentence?

1. How do you write the date?

1. What is a synonym and antonym and an example of each?

1. Kinds of sentences and punctuation (statement, question, command, exclamatory)

1. What is a noun?

1. What is a common noun and an example? 

1. Is it capitalized?

1. What is a proper noun and an example?

1. Is it capitalized?

1.  What is a pronoun and an example?

1. What is a verb and an example?

1.  When using the verb see, what are the two words used in past tense? 

1. When do you use saw? 

1. When do you use seen and what is the exception? 

1. What words must be used with saw and seen?

Poetry recitation:

1.             Caterpillar
2.  Work
3.  Mother Goose months
4.  Hearts are Like Doors

1.  What are the three tenses?
2. When do you use a and an?

1. Capitalization rules:

            First word

            I

            Names of people

            Days of week

            Months of year

            Cities

            States

            Countries

 Singular and                            Plural nouns

1.  One?                          
2.  more than one?
3.  Usually NOT end in s or es?   
4.  usually ends in s or es?
5. Ship, clown, cat?
6. ships, clowns, cats?
7. Exception:  some may end In s and mean only one:  glass          mess          class
8. Exception, may change word example tooth changes to teeth

Vocabulary – use in a sentence

1.  Fashioned
2. Towering
3. Serpentine
4. Radiant
5. Streak
6. Bellow
7. Quake
8. Plead
9. Deftly

1.  Write your full name

1. Write your full birthday

1. Write your phone number

1. Write your mailing address

1.  How much is a penny worth?

1. How much is a nickel worth?

1. How much is a dime worth?

1. How much is a quarter worth?

1. How much is a half dollar worth?

1. Identify each coin.

1. Tell me something about how magnets work:

Show time on the clock:

1. 12:00
2. 1:30
3. 5:00
4. 7:30
5. 2:15
6. 8:45

 Timeline in order

1. Week 1  Creation …
2. Week 2   Minoan Culture…
3. Week 3   Famine in Egypt…
4. Week 4   The Exodus…
5. Week 5   Davidic Kingdom…
6. Week 6  Prophets of God…
7. Week 7  Architectual Advances in Rome…
8. Week 8   Crucifixion, Ressurection, and Ascension of Christ…
9. Week 9  Barbarian Invasion and Vikings…
10. Week 10  Alfred the Great…
11. Week 11  The Magna Carta…
12. Week 12  Gutenberg Prints the Bible …

1.  What was the code of Hammurabi?

1. What was the Trojan War?

1. Who was Homer?

1. Who was Pericles and what were the Peloponnesian Wars?

1. How did Pompeii burn?

1. What was the Edict of Milan?

1. What was the First Council of Nicea?

1. Who was St. Augustine?

1. What is the Vulgate?

1. What was the Council of Chalcedon?

1. Who were Charles Martel, Pepin the Short, and Charlemagne?

1. What were the Crusades about?

1. Who was St. Francis of Assisi?

1. What was the Magna Carta?

1. Who was Marco Polo?

Various Math Problems from samples of their work

1.   Mary Beth Write 1-100

1									10
21
									50
				65
		73
								99

168.

169.

170.

171.

172.

173.

174.

175.

176.

177.

178.

179.

180.

181.

182.

183.  What did you enjoy learning the most this semester?

184.  What did you like the most in history?

185.  What can help you to learn better?

186.  How can mom be a better teacher?

187.  What would you like to do the same for next semester?

188.  What would you like to do differently?

189.  Where would you like to go on a field trip?

190.  What has been your favorite story or book this semester?

Spanish:

191.  count to 10 in Spanish

192.  Azul

193.  rojo

194.  hermana

195.  perro

196.   buenos dias

197.  verde

198.  nino

199.  padre

200.  gato

Updating our semester progress…

The last few weeks…

We have been covering Japan, the Byzantine Empire, and are currently embarking upon the Muslim Empire as our weekly themes with corresponding history sentences to memory. 

During this time we have watched several educational videos, read historical fiction, and worked on geography to corresponds with the areas.  We are also working on putting the world history time line to memory through our Classical Conversations supplemental materials.

In grammar we are reviewing nouns and pronouns, and starting on verbs.  We also have several poems to memory for recitation as well as all the prepositions memorized and the definition of a preposition.

Literature reading includes Anna finishing up Alice in Wonderland unabridged edition and Mary Beth is on the first Reader of turn of the century children’s literature.  These are books they read instead of read alouds.

For Science, in addition to our weekly CC meetings of owl pellets,  disecting a flower, and nature walks, we have looked at the human body, circulation, and the sun.

We have read some wonderful books:  The Silk Road, parts of The Minstrel in the Tower, The Samauri’s Daughter and The Seven Brothers to name a few.

November 16-21, 2009

This weeks plan includes:

Penmanship

Map Work:  Mecca, Medina, Baghdad, Damascus, and Tours as well as review the last several weeks.

Story of the World:  Volume 2, CD 2

Writing:  various daily assignments and Anna doing IEW work in addition to various First Language Lessons.

Reviewing our World History Timeline up to this week.

4 math assignments and work on memorizing the cubes

Review CC memory work daily

Various educational videos:  Economics for Kids, The History of Toys and Games, School House Rocks (election version), Picturing the Presidents, How the Earth was Made, The Plague, and a History of Britain.

Science:  Bill Nye Planets, and Wetlands

Brain Pop:  Changing States of Matter, Solids, Liquids, Gasses, Weather, and Water Cycles

Brain Pop:  Homer, Black death, Magna Carta, and Queen Elizabeth I

Read Alouds for this week:  Finish the Minstrel in the Tower, The Arabs in the Golden Age, Eleanor, Theodore Roosevelt, and Marco Polo.

Reading:  Anna is starting Rufus M. and Mary Beth is reading 3 stories in the first reader from the Baldwin Project.

Vocabulary words, Anna’s cello practice, music lessons, Anna’s music theory, Prims, gymnastics, CC school day in groups, a Thanksgiving potluck at CC and , tin whistle practice, are also part of our week.

For personal learning, I am listening to lectures on the Philosophy of Thomas Aquinas from Boston College.

I would also like to recommend two great resources:

1.  The Fallacy Detective    http://www.fallacydetective.com/    I am currently reviewing this and can’t wait to share it as we study it as a family!

The Fallacy Detective

Thirty-Eight Lessons on How to Recognize Bad Reasoning

by Nathaniel Bluedorn and Hans Bluedorn

• 2009 Edition: More Fallacies, More Cartoons
• Sample Lesson (PDF)

What is a fallacy? A fallacy is an error in logic – a place where someone has made a mistake in his thinking.

“A cloud is 90% water. A watermelon is 90% water. Therefore, since a plane can fly through a cloud, a plane can fly through a watermelon.”

2.  A Journey Through Learning Lap Books and Unit Studies  http://www.ajourneythroughlearning.com/

This is a fun hands on way to make learning fun.  We are making a lapbook for Thanksgiving next week.

He is enough, even when we can’t see.

Below is one of my favorite verses.  No, not because of 4:13 which is taken out of context so many times.  I tend to have emotional responses for Scripture being taken out of context.  My blood pressure rises, literally.  However, to be content even when things are difficult is a great attainment.  Not that we do this on our own strength,  it is given to us when our focus is on One greater than ourselves.

Philippians  4:12-13, NIV. “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

I am praying to be content in our present circumstances as we await direction in ministry as the times seem to be getting even leaner.  I am also praying to be content in what the girls are learning and enjoy the process while being flexible.  I tend to feel we are getting behind, but who is to say we are behind except myself?

Anna and I had a lovely night at the symphony, “The Music of Italy”.  The conductor had such a poignant manner of describing each piece that it brought an even greater awareness of music in history.  The orchestra played pieces by Rossini, Marcello, Respighi, and Mendelssohn.  Anna is required to attend seven musical venues with her enrollment in the Barthelmes Conservatory.  We are very excited that she was awarded a talent scholarship to study cello.  We are still responsible to raise 20% of the $4,000. scholarship.  Thus far, $350. has come in, another $410. is still needed.  If you feel inclined to donate, it is a tax-deductible donation made out to Barthelmes Conservatory.

Working today on this weeks plan, I hope to accomplish all.  Yet, knowing making great strides is also very rewarding.  Ideally, our week is to look like this:

Theme:  China

Map work:  Eastern Asia and review

Read alouds:  4 books on China:  Happy New Year, The Dragon’s Robe, Lion’s ance, and Moon Lady.  We read a few last week.

Bible:  DK Children’s Illustrated  Bible:   Esau and Jacob, Jacob’s Ladder, Jacob and Rachel, and Jacob’s Wedding.

Timeline:  Barbarian Invasion and Vikings, St. Jerome completes the Vulgate, The Council of Chalcedon, End of the Western Roman Empire, St. Benedict and Monasticism, Justinian the Great, Mohammed and Islam, and Charles Martel, Pepin the Short, and Charlemagne.  It looks as if I will be learning much too, which actually makes it fun!

Writing & Grammar:  Penmanship and writing from Writing with Ease and more Grammar and recitation of poetry from First Language Lessons.  Anna to also work on additional ancient history-based writing lessons.

Math:  Assignments from Singapore Math and practice skip counting ( we still don’t have all our CC work memorized in this subject)

Science:  DK interactive CD on the human body and the Kingfisher Book of the Human Body

History:  working on our history sentence (on Confucius) and coloring two more presidents and reviewing them in order so we don’t forget.

Other Videos:  Ancient India, Ben Franklin, Springs, and possibly Ancient China again.

Reading:  Anna is reading the unabridged Alice in Wonderland and is to read two chapters, Mary Beth will finish the Primer book on the Baldwin Project ( late 1800’s and early 1900’s) and move to the First Reader.  Stories will be:  The Three Little Pigs, Little Tuppens, and Little Spider’s Fish Web.

The girls will be at gymnastics, Anna will practice Cello and have 2 lessons, and will have Prims at church.  We will meet with our community on Friday and the girls will each have their own class, fine arts, science, music, recess, and lunch.

Story of the World in the car along with reviewing CC work. 

This is our plan.  I would love to add latin too.  That may just wait until next year though.  We are learning the noun declensions in our CC work but haven’t gotten them down yet.

We still have yet to implement spelling.  This is something I am conscience of and am working on currently.  I would also like to introduce a vocabulary word each week and give a prize each time they use it in the week , like a jelly bean or chocolate chip.  I just haven’t got this in the plan yet.

He is enough even when we can’t see.  He is enough when we do not have answers to questions.  His Word is enough even when we think we hear Him speaking to us and it ends up to be our own desires.  He is enough when miracles are needed.  I will be content is every situation.  Not necessarily to be there, but resting in an unseen God when I can not see beyond my toes.  He has been faithful since the beginning of time. 

May he use my finite mind and make me even more grateful for the small blessing  we see each day:  the free parking meter, the blessing of being able to review a book we have been wanting to use in home school and then share it with those on Facebook ad in our community, the blessings of tickets, the coupons from manufacturers for free organic food, the free coupon class to learn how to save at Whole Foods (we saved $50. this week off of $150.), the little lessons my girls learn and that they teach me, the blessing of health, the eye doctor exam with an email of encouragement and a notice of no charge, of wonderful library resources, of fall leaves, of learning, of becoming, of living and being stretched more than I anticipated.  He is enough, even when we can’t see.

Highlights of a Monday in Homeschool

What were the highlights of our day in Rogero Classical Academy today?

Although we started out on a somewhat late note today, it has ended rather well.  Mary Beth had decided to be late when school had officially begun.  This was after she had an hour of free play and reminders at 30, 10 and 5 minute intervals to get ready.  We have been trying to break the whining habit without breaking her spirit.  She had the wonderful opportunity to write “I will not be late for school today” ten times and I am thinking she has decided not be late again.  Time will tell.

Highlights of our day:

We finished an incredible book:  “The Librarian who Measured the Earth” by Kathryn Lasky.  I would highly recommend it.  It is very educational and informative even for mom and dad.  It is also a wonderful opportunity to get the map out.  I see the pegs of information starting to appear.  The book mentions Alexandria, Egypt and the girls identified Pharos lighthouse there.

We also read two books about China.  One book was where God supplied for a missionary.  They really enjoyed seeing God meet the needs as we are in a similar situation awaiting for another pastorate.  The other was about the Chinese New Year.

We watched Ancient Civilizations for Children:  China and they pointed out the Yellow River and Long River on the video that we had learned last week in geography.  We also learned last week why the Yellow River is called yellow.

Math was another assignment, grammar was learning when to use was and were and the special rule for were as well as reviewing nouns and two poems we are reciting.  We read Proverbs 23, and talked about getting drunk from the context as that is what they remembered most.  We also read 2 pages about Isaac and Rebekka from the DK Children’s Illustrated Bible and talked about Rebekka having a nose ring!  We also did our penmanship.  Writing today was writing our address and reviewing proper nouns that are capitalized as in city and state.  We also learned what a zip code was.  The girls took turns reading to the dog today!

While out, we finished listening to Story of the World, disk 4, volume one, reviewed our timeline and weekly memory work for CC.  We went to gymnastics and the library.

As far as the writing goes, I have worked more on the table of contents and written 1 and a half lessons.  The lessons are meant to be short and have review, so that parents will not have to spend more than 10 minutes a day on an etiquette lesson.

Our Buick had the battery jumped and the girls did not like their vegetable burgers … but we have a car and food!We also found out that the church in Colorado we had interviewed for asked someone else to come and preach.  We are somewhat sad but still looking ahead and hoping for another interview somewhere soon. 

We are also praying for a wonderful man, Bob Hallquist, who came to be an interim as we left the pastorate of Vineyard Assembly of God.  He is currenly in critical condition and not expected to live much longer.  Would you pray for his wife Dorris and their family?

Rogero family’s educational curriculum

 

 

What do we use to home school? 

This is a topic of discussion among many families who are looking at the option of homeschooling.  There are many methods, and many fine curriculums.  I have provided many links to some of our favorites for perusal.  Our essentials are as follows:

Classical Conversations is our 24 weeks of memory work for the year.  It includes geography by empires, locating them on maps, skip counting and other math equations for memorization, a history sentence to learn each week, world history timeline, latin, science memorization and all of the presidents in order.  We meet once a week with our community to review the new weeks memory work and have fine arts and science project together as well as lunch, recess and extra music class.

Story of the World – We listen to the audio version to study world history written from a child’s perspective.

Bill Nye the Science Guy – We check several of these out each week from the library.

Writing with Ease – is our writing using a classical method and quality literature.

First Language Lessons – is our grammar from a classical standpoint

Wipe off daily penmanship of the letters and numbers.  Anna is currently learning cursive.  Mary Beth is still working on letter formations.

Read- Alouds - These vary throughout the year.

The girls listen to unabridged audio books from the library at night.

Bible  is woven throughout in world history discussion and the use of  DK Illustrated Children’s Bible.  Some stories correspond with our world history timeline cards.

We also do occasional lap books, many books from the library, Ancient Civilizations for Children DVD’s from the library, various field trips, and coloring a page on each of the presidents.

Spelling – Writing Road to Reading and Spelling City

Brain Pop and Brain Pop Jr.  www.brainpop.com

Singapore Math - we do three to four lessons a week.

Reading - Readers from the Baldwin Project online from the late 1800’s.  The girls also have books they read at night.

The girls also attend weekly gymnastics, Prims at church, music at classical conversations, and Anna has cello and music theory class twice a week.

These are our essentials.  Or core subjects daily are reading, writing, math, grammar, and review Classical Conversations work.  We do not always get them all done daily.  Time in the car is wonderful for audio stories and reviewing CC work as well.

Hello World!

Today is our ten year anniversary.  A celebration and a beginning for the next ten to come.  The purpose of this blog is two fold; one to be an accountable touchpoint for my progress in writng an etiquette book for those educating in the classical model, and second to hopefully be an inspiration to any others who are educating at home or hope to be in the future.

First, a goal of mine for years has been to write a book.  I have started many.  I have written children’s books that have never gotten published, started books on prayer and life coaching, and there they sit… somewhere.  I did have my master’s thesis published on the “Queens of King Ahasuerus” (Xerxes), a search for the real Esther from the Biblical book. 

It has not been since recently that I have really honed in on the need for a book to help others.  Being an etiquette coach, homeschooling mother, and Classical Conversations tutor, my extra time to devote to having classes has dissapated to some extent since my husband is writing his doctoral project.  I have held regular classes back to back when we lived on Martha’s Vineyard. 

Alas, I have felt the need to write the book in a classical model to educate children (and parents as a help) in the graces of manners to help build and train leaders to make an impact on our world.  Education is a great goal, but education alone is not enough.  It is the character development of using manners that will open and pave the way for leaders to make sgnificant impact.  It takes training in critical thought, manners, and a solid footing of a relationship with the unseen God that will not only bring hapiness and fulfillment, but purpose to those who desperately need one in a culture full of lack of self-discipline and gratification without responsibility.

Secondly, I hope to serve as an inspiration to some.  As I am still a learner in the classical model of home education, I relish being taught myself.  Therefore lies my hope to be an inspiration.