Weekly Report 9/18/09

We haven't had a weekly report for a couple of weeks because, well, we haven't. We've been gone, we've been busy, blah blah blah. You know how it goes.

So this will be a mash up of about 3 weeks.

Thalia

Science co-op has started, and is okay so far. It really forces her to get the work done, no matter what else is happening. She tends to scoff at much of the current work as incredibly easy, but that's typical at the beginning of a new class -- with kids coming from such different backgrounds the book and instructor need to make sure everyone has the same foundation. Thalia's comments so far have been that everyone else forgot to write their names on the papers they handed in (she had figured it out on her own, but, oh, homeschool students, sometimes you can be so clueless in a classroom situation) and that the people who wrote the book they're using really, really, really don't believe in global warming. So, in addition to learning about Physical Science she's getting exposure to different ways of thinking and viewing the world.

Math continues to be Jacob's Algebra. She reads it on her own, does the work, I check it. At some point I'm going to have to actually teach this stuff, but apparently we haven't reached that point yet (she's in Chapter 2, for the record). She's done some work in other algebra programs before, so this is review, although she notes that the approach and emphasis are different in Jacob's.

Writing this week has centered on Thank You notes. Analytical Grammar review weeks also provide some writing practice, as well as grammar review.

History is going slowly but surely. We read Story of the World together with Annabeth, discuss it and work on maps that pertain to the area we're reading about. Then Thalia reads and summarizes a section of National Geographic Almanac of World History.

Latin hasn't happened for a couple of weeks. And we need to find a decent middle school Spanish program.

Drama class has been a lot of fun. Piano is challenging, dance is hectic.

Annabeth


We continue to work through RightStart D, having reached that dreaded place where the 3s and 7s were scrambled when they printed the book (it was an early printing; I'm throwing it out when Annabeth finishes it, as it's too annoying to use ever again). Annabeth clearly grasps division, so it's mostly a matter of practice, practice, practice until those errors-due-to-sloppiness fade away.

First Language Lessons 4 is surprisingly engaging. It's the same material as in level 3, but more depth and detail. We already know most of the chants so far (such as chanting that adjectives tell WHAT kind WHICH one HOW many and WHOSE, all the while sliding our shoulders side-to-side and giving a "pop" when we hit the strong beats of the chant). She has memorized an Edna St. Vincent Millay poem, "Afternoon on a Hill", for which we spontaneously made up goofy motions. Our grammar lessons are very physical.

We've started back into Latin for Children, in which we are at lesson 10, adjectives. Hey, what a coincidence! We're doing adjectives in grammar, too! Oh, that reminds me, last week First Language Lessons had a lesson on conjugations ... of course, we've slogged through acres of conjugations in Latin, so the idea of conjugations in English wasn't exactly Big News. As a matter of fact, Annabeth was translating the First Language Lessons lesson into Latin as she went along, and then noting, "this is really a lot easier in English." So, yes, the idea of teaching Latin to help your kids with English really works.

History is done with Thalia. Annabeth is learning more from the corresponding literature selections, but the readings in Story of the World help tie all the bits and books together into a coherent picture.

Drama class! Piano! Dance! More dance! Much running around! The weather is gorgeous and the days are full of things to do and explore!