General:
Act – Activity
Ch – Chapter
Ex – Exercise
L – Lesson
p – Page(s)
Math:
HIG – Home Instructor’s Guide
TB – Textbook
WB – Workbook
FP – Facts Practice (A, B, C, etc. denotes which sheet to use)
Science:
SG – Student Guide
USE – Usborne Encyclopedia of Science
COMING SOON...
Wednesday, August 16 – Spirit Day! Students may wear Fortis spirit shirts with uniform bottoms.
Wednesday, August 30 – Pizza Day! Students may wear Fortis spirit shirts with uniform bottoms.
Wednesday, September 6– Picture Day.
Wednesday, September 6– Picture Day.
MATH:
- Solve multi-step word problems
- Review previously learned concepts for next week's test
READING:
- Learn about the voyage of Columbus.
NARRATION: Students should retell a portion of this week's reading assignment. Choose a passage of reasonable length (2-3 days of Pedro's journal entries, for example), and have your student orally retell what happened. Then engage in a dialogue with your child about the passage.
COMPOSITION/VOCABULARY:
- Learn the definitions of the vocabulary words and be able to correctly use each word in a sentence.
- Write a polished final draft of the Lost Colony paper.
- Learn how to incorporate who/which clauses into compositions.
- Learn how to incorporate 5-senses descriptions into compositions.
- Begin new composition on the Mayflower.
COMPOSITION:
We’ll begin our second composition this week, about the Mayflower.
VOCABULARY:
1. Study the definitions and the parts of speech for each word. Students might also want to study the etymology of the words to help further enrich their vocabulary.
2. On the front of the card—especially if your child is a visual or kinesthetic learner— (s)he should color the picture that represents the word, if possible.
3. On the reverse side of the card, students should fill in the blank with the word and read the sentence. Then, (s)he should write an original sentence with the word that is significantly different from the sentence given. You might have to help your child with this part. If he or she struggles, use a dictionary to find a sample sentence.
4. If possible, students should write at least one synonym and one antonym for each word, using a thesaurus if necessary.
SPELLING:
- Assess mastery of words with the short u sound spelled "a."
- Learn how to spell words with the sound of /k/ spelled "ch."
GRAMMAR:
- Know what a subject and a predicate (and a simple subject/simple predicate) are and be able to identify them in a sentence.
- Understand that nouns can have more than one "job."
- Know that nouns are either common or proper and singular or plural.
- Recognize an adverb exception in a sentence.
- Assess mastery of previously taught grammar concepts.
HISTORY:
- Know that Columbus serendipitously discovered the New World, which he thought was the Indies.
- Know why Amerigo Vespucci was credited with the discovery of the Americas.
JOURNAL: This week's assignment encourages students to think about what it would be like to set sail into uncharted waters. Encourage your student to explore all of the emotions that a sailor would face.
SCIENCE:
- Know that scientists have categorized all earthly life forms into five major divisions: kingdom, phyla, class, order, family, genus, species.
- Begin to memorize the five kingdoms and their basic characteristics (see notes under memory work).
- Learn what a solar eclipse is, and marvel at the wonder of God's creation!
- Develop a heart of compassion for the peoples of the world who don't yet know Christ.
- Know the names and locations of the world’s seven continents and five oceans.
MEMORY WORK:
Scripture: We'll spend the year working on our scripture memorization of Matthew 5:1-16 (KJV). Our intent with scripture memory is for students to hide God’s word deep in their hearts so that they can call upon it for comfort, reassurance, and strength in times of trouble. With that in mind, we will not be testing over the scripture this year, but we will be reciting it together as a school every morning during assembly time. Here is a link to an article that explains why we prefer to have our students memorize the King James Version.
Geography: We'll continue working on the continents and oceans this week. A hard copy of the maps can be found behind the "memory" tab in your child's binder. Additional maps, as well as MP3s of the songs, are available at this link:
History: The bulk of our history memory work for the year will involve memorizing the entire 13-minute history timeline song. Here is a link to the motions for the timeline song. Because the song is entirely new to most students at Fortis, we don’t want to overwhelm kids with too much other memory work. We will, however, also memorize a portion of the Declaration of Independence (bolded portion only).
Science: Students have science memory work that corresponds to each unit in the book. This memory work will be included on the test at the end of each unit. For unit one, students need to know the classifications of living organisms and the five kingdoms of life and their basic characteristics:
Classification of Life:
1. Kingdom
2. Phylum
3. Class
4. Order
5. Family
6. Genus
7. Species
Classification of Life:
1. Kingdom
2. Phylum
3. Class
4. Order
5. Family
6. Genus
7. Species
Five kingdoms and their basic characteristics:
1. Monerans - Microscopic organisms that have a simple, single cell. (Example: bacteria)
2. Protists - A variety of complex, but mainly single-celled organisms. (Example: algae)
3. Fungi - Organisms that absorb food and reproduce by making spores. (Example: molds, mushrooms)
4. Plants - Living things that have many cells and most carry out photosynthesis Example: trees)
5. Animals - Organisms made up of many cells that love by eating food. (Example: humans)
Poetry: Here are a couple of songs to help make memorization of our first quarter poem, “From Every Stormy Wind," easier (be aware that the lyrics may not match the poem exactly):
1. Monerans - Microscopic organisms that have a simple, single cell. (Example: bacteria)
2. Protists - A variety of complex, but mainly single-celled organisms. (Example: algae)
3. Fungi - Organisms that absorb food and reproduce by making spores. (Example: molds, mushrooms)
4. Plants - Living things that have many cells and most carry out photosynthesis Example: trees)
5. Animals - Organisms made up of many cells that love by eating food. (Example: humans)
Poetry: Here are a couple of songs to help make memorization of our first quarter poem, “From Every Stormy Wind," easier (be aware that the lyrics may not match the poem exactly):