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...
Friday, October 6 - End of 1st Quarter
Monday, October 16 - Teacher Training Day. No school or homework.
Saturday, October 28 - Trunk or Treat, 5-8 p.m.
Monday, October 16 - Teacher Training Day. No school or homework.
Saturday, October 28 - Trunk or Treat, 5-8 p.m.
REMINDER: Keep sending in those Box Tops!
DISCIPLESHIP:
This month, we'll focus our study on the virtue of obedience. It is evident from God's word that obedience is a natural extension of our faith in his character. Obeying God, even when we don't understand why he is asking us to do something--or perhaps especially when we don't understand-- shows that we believe him to be completely trustworthy and loving. Abraham demonstrated his faith in God by obeying His commands to leave Ur and to sacrifice his son. Noah showed his faith in God by obeying his command to build an ark. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego demonstrated their faith by choosing to obey the commands of God rather than the commands of man and trusting that God could and would reward them for their obedience. Children have the opportunity to practice obedience through encounters with their parents, teachers, and other trusted authority figures. Yet they should also be taught to obey God above all others when the commands of men contradict the laws of the one true King.
MATH:
MATH:
- Understand product of fractions.
- Multiply a fraction by a fraction.
- Divide a proper fraction by a whole number.
READING:
- Engage in meaningful discussion about The Phantom Tollbooth.
- Learn about Colonial Boston prior to the Revolution through the reading of Johnny Tremain.
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:
- Write a creative narrative story by borrowing a conflict from a familiar story.
- Understand how to add conversation to compositions and to properly punctuate it.
- Assess mastery of vocabulary words.
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.
CONVERSATION: When using dialogue (conversations) in compositions, keep these things in mind:
1) Every time you change speakers, you must begin a new paragraph. Even if the speaker only says one word, such as, "No." This concept is confusing to students at first, because they want to know exactly how many paragraphs their papers must contain. Help them to understand that this paper will still have the three main paragraphs (background, setting, and characters; plot or conflict; and climax/resolution). Adding dialogue will likely add paragraphs to their paper. This is perfectly fine!
2) Be extra careful to avoid the use of the words say, says, or said, since these are banned. Refer to the list of strong verb replacements for say/said behind the "comp" tab in the binder. Parents may also help their kids brainstorm appropriate replacement words.
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.
CONVERSATION: When using dialogue (conversations) in compositions, keep these things in mind:
1) Every time you change speakers, you must begin a new paragraph. Even if the speaker only says one word, such as, "No." This concept is confusing to students at first, because they want to know exactly how many paragraphs their papers must contain. Help them to understand that this paper will still have the three main paragraphs (background, setting, and characters; plot or conflict; and climax/resolution). Adding dialogue will likely add paragraphs to their paper. This is perfectly fine!
2) Be extra careful to avoid the use of the words say, says, or said, since these are banned. Refer to the list of strong verb replacements for say/said behind the "comp" tab in the binder. Parents may also help their kids brainstorm appropriate replacement words.
SPELLING:
- Correctly spell words ending in ICE.
- Learn exceptions to the i-before-e generalization
GRAMMAR:
- Be able to name the 8 parts of speech.
- Know that a conjunction joins two words, phrases, or clauses in a sentence.
- Be able to identify and properly label conjunctions and interjections in a sentence.
- Be able to distinguish between some of the most common homonyms.
LATIN:
- Memorize the vocabulary words and the maxim for Ch8.
- Begin to memorize the neuter noun endings.
- Know the noun jobs and how they correspond to noun cases.
- Know that Jamestown, established in 1607, was the first permanent English settlement in North America.
- Understand how John Smith was instrumental in helping the colonists survive their first year in Jamestown.
- Know that tobacco was the cash crop that made settlement in America financially viable.
- Know that the Powhatan Indian tribe was already well established in the New World when the colonists arrived at Jamestown and understand their contribution to the development of the colony.
JOURNAL: For this week's journal assignment, students should write down their thoughts about John Smith's leadership style.
SCIENCE:
- Know the definitions of "angiosperm" and "pollination."
- Dissect a flower in order to better understand its parts and how they contribute to plant reproduction.
- Continue to memorize the photosynthesis equation, parts of a flower, and parts of a plant.
- Develop a heart of compassion for the peoples of the world who don't yet know Christ.
- Know the names and locations of the nations of the West Indies.
- Pray for the peoples of the West Indies who were impacted by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
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 West Indies this week. A hard copy of the map 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. Here is the memory work for Unit 2:
Photosynthesis equation:
Carbon Dioxide + Water + Energy from the sun = Carbohydrates + Oxygen
Photosynthesis equation:
Carbon Dioxide + Water + Energy from the sun = Carbohydrates + Oxygen
Parts of a flowering plant:
1. Root - It helps anchor the plant and absorb nutrients
2. Stem - Holds the plant up and serves as a transport system for the plant
3. Leaf - Absorbs sunlight and produces energy for the plant through chlorophyll.
4. Flower - The reproductive part of a plant
5. Seed - It contains the material necessary to grow a new plant.
Parts of a flower:
- Petals
- Sepals
- Pistil
- Stigma
- Style
- Ovary
- Ovules
- Stamen
- Anther
- Pollen
- Filament
The New Colossus Dramatic Reading
The New Colossus With Words