Week 32: Pushing to the End

The hardest part about spring is always staying on task and getting the work done when everyone wants to go outside to play. Still we persisted and finished most of our work. Still didn't squeeze in any science, but I've resigned myself to doing it over the summer instead.

MATH

Jessie started a new math unit on triangles this week. It introduced isosceles and equilateral triangles. She calculated unknown angles and looked at triangle to determine if they were either isosceles or equilateral. Then there were triangles where one side had been extended out in a straight line. She did various calculations to determine the outside angle or use it to determine one of the angles in the triangle. The last workbook exercise was drawing triangles with a protractor. She finished the complete unit in the textbook and workbook and started the IP section on Friday.

Violet finished up with picture graphs in the IP this week and has started fractions in the textbook and workbook. So far she's looked at pictures and written fractions, matched up fractions to make one whole, and compare the sizes to determine the largest or the smallest or to put them in order. Overall it's been a very easy week for her in math.

Benny has finally finished up the workbook unit on addition and subtraction within 20 and moved onto the IP section on Friday. His Miquon pages for the week have both consisted of on large number in the center with several equations around it. He had to draw lines to equations which had the number in the center as their answer. I had a harder time making him use the blocks and not guess, but we worked through it together for a change.

LANGUAGE ARTS

The end is in sight for Jessie's LA this year. In spelling she completed lesson 14, so only 4 more to go. In grammar, she started on the final unit in the book. She did some work with the pronunciation guides in the dictionary (and complained every time she had to write the upside down e) and matched words to their definitions based on the context of the given sentence. She also worked with synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms this week. In CW, we began Poetry for Beginners. The schedule is supposed to be 12 weeks long, but we're going to combine some weeks and shorten it down. We ended up doing weeks 1 and 2 this week. We read and analyzed Birthdays by Enchanted Tulips and Benjamin Franklin by a different author. Most of the analysis was review. We talked about rhyme scheme, meter, stanzas, and identified sentences in the poems. She copied the poems one day for the imitation. Other days we played rhyming games and wrote the main ideas of each poem stanza. In literature, she finally finished Robinson Crusoe, but I've opted not to do any analysis of it since neither of us really like the book that much.

Violet had also started her last grammar unit. So far we've talked about making introductions, talking on the telephone, and how to give directions. In CW, she rewrote "The City Mouse and the Country Mouse". In literature, she's making steady progress through The Mystery of the Roman Ransom and based on the details in her narrations seems to be enjoying it thoroughly. In handwriting, she is continuing to copy out of the book. I had her redo a complete assignment early the week because she left out several words here and there, missed a complete sentence, and made several spelling errors. Her work for the remainder of the week hasn't been perfect, but it has been a big improvement.

Benny is working on wrapping up some review pages in Phonics Pathways with combinations of long and short vowel words. We're alternating with reading 2 Bob books (currently from the A2 series) as I want to give him time to feel comfortable before we add anything new. He's been doing his own handwriting using his drawing board or labeling pictures that he draws to give away, so I didn't worry about doing any formal handwriting this week.

HISTORY

This week in the NT, we started the ministry of Jesus. We've read about calling the disciples and various miracles (healing lepers, raising a woman's dead son, healing a centurion's servant, etc.) We also read the parable of the sower, a few smaller parables about the kingdom of Heaven, and about Jesus dining with Simon. Violet completed summaries and made a notebook page. Jessie continues to take notes for a later page.

This week in ancient Rome, we covered several heroes of the early Roman republic including, Horatius and his defense of the Tiber bridge, Mucius the left handed, Coriolanus, and Cincinnatus. Violet also read about Camilus. Jessie constructed one essay to cover the different heroes while Violet wrote individual narrations. Jessie also took about 6 pages from the Usborne Encyclopedia of the Ancient World and consolidated the information into a larger outline. Basically, I gave her the setup, and she filled in the details. It looked much nicer before she cut it into pieces to glue on her notebooking page. It covers the roles of men, women, children, and slaves in ancient Rome. All the heroes listed above were also added to their timelines.

LATIN / LOGIC

Jessie finished lesson 28 in LfC B. Violet is currently working on lesson 9 of LfC A. They are both close to finishing up their logic/critical thinking books for the year.

OTHER

Henry has been trying to go outside as much as possible all week. I've been taking him out when I hang the laundry. We go for walks down to my fil's shed every afternoon so he can sit on the tractor. Jessie usually watches him outside while I fix dinner. He's discovered Benny's legos and begun playing with those. He also takes great pleasure in finding new uses for things around the house as you can see below.