BLOG KEY
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...
Monday, September 4 – Labor Day, NO SCHOOL!
Wednesday, September 6 – Picture Day.
Wednesday, September 6 – Continents & Oceans TEST
Monday, September 11 – Latin QUIZ and Science TEST
Wednesday, September 13 – Math TEST
Wednesday, September 6 – Continents & Oceans TEST
Monday, September 11 – Latin QUIZ and Science TEST
Wednesday, September 13 – Math TEST
DISCIPLESHIP:
This month, we'll focus our study on the virtue of faith. Hebrews 11 tells us that without faith, it is impossible to please God, so it's imperative that we understand what faith is and how to trust our good, loving, heavenly Father in all aspects of our lives! We're already discovering a great deal about faith through our reading of George Muller. We'll also look at a number of biblical heroes of faith this month!
MATH:
MATH:
- Divide a 3-digit whole number by a 2-digit whole number where the quotient may be a 2-digit number.
- Divide a 4-digit whole number by a two-digit whole number.
- Review previously taught concepts to prepare for next week's test.
READING:
- Engage in meaningful discussion about The Phantom Tollbooth.
- Orally retell stories to demonstrate comprehension.
- Be inspired by the faith of George Muller.
ORAL NARRATION: After each chapter (or after a few pages), students should retell the passage to parents. Parents should then ask questions about the meaning of the passage and engage in Socratic discussion with their student.
COMPOSITION/VOCABULARY:
- Learn the definitions of the vocabulary words and be able to correctly use each word in a sentence.
- Understand that the main components of every narrative story include characters/setting, conflict/plot, and climax/resolution.
- Write a polished final draft of the Mayflower Mishap story.
COMPOSITION:
We’ll complete our Mayflower composition this week and begin learning about the components of narrative stories.
VOCABULARY:
1. Study the definitions and the parts of speech for each word.
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.
5. In a dictionary, look up the etymology for each word. If the word has Latin or Greek roots, write the root(s) on the back of the card. Then try to find 2-3 other words that are derived from the same root. Add these derivatives to your cards.
5. In a dictionary, look up the etymology for each word. If the word has Latin or Greek roots, write the root(s) on the back of the card. Then try to find 2-3 other words that are derived from the same root. Add these derivatives to your cards.
SPELLING:
- No spelling this week.
GRAMMAR:
- Review jingles.
- Know that a pronoun is a part of speech that takes the place of a noun.
- Know that there are three different kinds of pronouns: subjective, objective, and possessive.
- Be able to identify and properly label possessive and subjective pronouns in a sentence.
LATIN:
- Know how to make flash cards and use them to study for next week's test.
- Know all the vocabulary words and maxims for Ch1-4.
FLASH CARDS: This week, we'll make our first set of flash cards to help us study for next week's Latin test. Your student should have cards for both nouns and verbs. These can be two separate colors of cards, or you can just mark them with a colored highlighter in the upper, right-hand corner of the front side of the card to color code them. I will email you examples of what the cards should look like. Also make cards for the maxims.
- Know that Juan Ponce de Leon was the first European to discover Florida, the Bahama Channel, and the Gulf Stream.
- Know that de Leon colonized Puerto Rico and served as its first governor.
- Know that Ferdinand Magellan was the first man to prove that the world was round and that he found a "shortcut" through South America now known as the Straits of Magellan.
- Know that Giovanni Verrazano was the first European to discover New York and Narragansett bays and establish the French right to claim territory in North American.
JOURNAL: This week's assignment requires students to write a paragraph summarizing the discoveries of one of this week's explorers.
SCIENCE:
- Know that ecology is the study of relationships between plants, animals, and their environment.
- Complete a diorama demonstrating a biome or habitat.
- Write a paper describing the biome or habitat.
- Appreciate the intricacy, interdependence, and beauty of God's creation.
Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia
BIOME OR HABITAT DIORAMA PROJECT: Students need to choose a biome (grassland, ocean, rainforest, arctic, desert, etc.) or habitat (a smaller, more specific region of a biome, such as a coral reef in an ocean) and do some research about the types of plants and animals that live there. They need to create a diorama, which can be as simple as a shoebox with paper plants and animals taped or glued into it. You may either snap a picture and email it to me, or have your student bring it to school on Monday to share with the class. Students also need to write a 3-paragraph paper to accompany the diorama. I want students to marvel at the way that God created animals to be able to adapt to changes in their environment! Here is an outline of what the paper should include:
GEOGRAPHY:
BIOME OR HABITAT DIORAMA PROJECT: Students need to choose a biome (grassland, ocean, rainforest, arctic, desert, etc.) or habitat (a smaller, more specific region of a biome, such as a coral reef in an ocean) and do some research about the types of plants and animals that live there. They need to create a diorama, which can be as simple as a shoebox with paper plants and animals taped or glued into it. You may either snap a picture and email it to me, or have your student bring it to school on Monday to share with the class. Students also need to write a 3-paragraph paper to accompany the diorama. I want students to marvel at the way that God created animals to be able to adapt to changes in their environment! Here is an outline of what the paper should include:
- 1st paragraph - Describe the landscape: What kinds of plants are there? Are there mountains, plains, trees? Is the vegetation sparse or thick?
- 2nd paragraph - Describe the climate: Is it arid or wet? What is the average temperature? What is the average rainfall? Does it have seasonal changes, or is it essentially the same year-round?
- 3rd paragraph - Describe some of the animals that live there: How have they adapted to living there? How are they connected to each other (feed chain, symbiosis, etc.)?
GEOGRAPHY:
- 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 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 live 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):