Cycle 1 Week 18

Sorry for running behind on getting the posts up for the last two weeks.  Here is a quick rundown of what we covered for week 18.

Geography

After tracing our world maps the girls traced around the map points for Mesoamerica.  We also sang our History Sentence for Mesoamerica.

History

I had a fun activity that I planned to go along with our History sentence on mound builders.  I was going to use a parachute activity to go along with the sentence which involved the girls gathering under the parachute/"mound".  I forget to bring in the parachute, however, so we colored our pictograms while we listened to the memory work. 

Timeline

We practiced this weeks hand motions.

Latin

We enjoyed a fun round of freeze dance to the memory work for second declension noun endings.

English

Each girl was excited to show off for the class as they each sang the helping verb song as a solo.  This was their idea.  I am so happy to see each of them feeling comfortable to share their knowledge in front of the whole class by singing a solo.  So fun to see their personalities come out through their performances :).

Science

I brought in a clay model of four parts of the ocean floor.  The girls had fun observing and interacting with the model as it was passed around. 

Math

We added the area of a triangle (repeated three times) to our math pokey.  We also sang all previous weeks as well leading up to it.

Fine Arts

In our study of El Greco we focused on some of his unnaturally stretched depictions of the figures he painted.  To demonstrate this concept with the girls I showed them a picture of a my little pony as well as a second one that my husband had stretched out on a computer and printed out.  The girls traced the stretched version onto a thin sheet of paper and colored in the new image.

Experiment

A)  We used a balloon and a simple balance to measure whether or not air has weight.

B)  We used a cup and a tub of water to observe and discuss atmospheric pressure and its affects.

Cycle 1 Week 17

Here is a list of the topics covered during our week  17 lessons:

Geography

The girls are working hard to get in more details with their world maps.  We used m&ms to locate our map points for South Africa. 

Timeline

We practiced our hand motions for this week.  These can be found under the file previously mentioned (by rafikipaka) on CC connected.

Math

We continue to add to our Math pokey with the Area of a square.  It its into the song nicely by repeating the memory work three times.

English

We practiced our Helping verbs song from the previous weeks.

Latin

We reviewed our latin pronunciations for Second declension single/plural noun endings.

Science

I brought in last weeks model of a volcano.  We talked the parts of a volcano and observed the flow of lava through these parts during an "eruption".

History

We colored our pictograms as we listened to the history sentence. 

Experiment

A)We built a bridge using books to demonstrate how rock bridges can seemingly defy gravity as one layers overlaps and supports the other.

B)We discussed and observed how water when combined with agitation can dissolve candy at different rates.  We also took the opportunity to expand the experiment and used our mouths as a means of agitation on the candy as well :).  The girls formed a hypothesis about which would dissolve the candy faster:  sitting in water, being shaken up in water and being shaken up in our mouths. 

Fine Arts 

We had a blast painting our masterpieces as they hung above our heads under tables.  We discussed and observed a few of Michelangelo's pieces and works.

Cycle 1 Week 16

Busy week and head is spinning!  I'm sure you all have been there!  Here is a quick rundown on the activities we covered in class last week:

Geography

The girls are tracing their continents and working on getting more intricate detail in.  We used pictures of words that rhyme with each of the bodies of water we studied in Africa. 
Cheesy = Zambezi
Crocodile=Nile
Gloria=Victoria
Ear=Zaire
Orange=Orange (it's an easy rhyme when it's the same word!)

The girls then placed the pictures over the body of water that each correlated with and we laughed at all the silly rhymes.  Each girl was able to bring home their pictures to use for review time if desired.

Math

We continued our math pokey by adding in the Area of a Rectanlge.  We reviewed the previous two weeks as well.  Fun times!

Science.

I brought in a small model of a volcano and we talk about the four types of volcanoes.  I simply used vinegar and baking soda with a little food coloring with the activity. 

Extinct=the model volcano with no igredients to erupt.
Dormant=The model volcano with one ingredient to erupt but nothing happens because the second ingredient hasn't been added.
Intermittent=We watched the volcano erupt and talked about the definition.
Active=We watched the volcano erupt again

English

We sang our helping verb song.  Some of the girls took the time to sing a solo or with a partner in front of the group.

Latin

We practiced the memory work with the CD and then  played freeze dance to the song as we listened and sang along a second time.

History

We listened to the memory work.  Talked about some key words we heard.  Then in teams of four used cardboard bricks to build an Aztec pyramid as we listened to the memory a couple of more times.

Timeline

We learned the hand motions for this week's cards.

Experiment

We made shell fossils.  These came home with the girls as well.

Fine Arts

We talked about Durer this week.  We carved designs onto wood and used them as stamps on cardstock to create are materpieces.

I hope you all have a blessed week!

Cycle 1 Week 15

We did end up losing parts or entire posts in the technical issue from last week.  Those will not be able to be retrieved.  I do have all the lessons written in my notes and I may have some of the pictures/videos.  If you are looking for a particular activity please let me know and I will try to send you the information. 

The last couple of weeks have been frustrating on our Friday routine.  As many of you know we did end up closing early this past Friday.  We ere not able to complete all of our planned topics due to the change.  The Foundations tutors are discussing whether we will make up missed material or if we will simply focus on week 16 this coming Friday.  Here is a rundown of the topics that we were able to complete.

Geography

We located our map points using M&Ms.

Timeline

We learned a simplified version of the CC hand motions.

History

We talked about Prince Henry the Navigator conquering a city in Africa and the Portugese and the Ashanti working together to form the Slave Trade in Africa.  We acted this out by breaking up into groups of 3 and playing London Bridge while we listened to the memory work.  The two girls forming the "bridge" represented the Portugese and the Ashanti.  The girl walking under the bridge represented the Africans that they were trying to trap and sell for the slave trade.  At the end of the song the girls forming the bridge would drop their arms trying to trap the "Africans".   We repeated this three times so each girl was able to take part in the different roles.

English

We sang our Helping Verbs Song.  See previous weeks for video.

Latin

We used the same charts from weeks 3 and 4 to pratice our memory work.  The girls remembered it so well that several of them sang the memory work before I even turned on the music.  I love seeing our learning model at work!

Math

We had fun doing the Math Pokey again this week.  I did the same thing this week as last week and simply inserted this week's metric memory work in. (video available on week 14)  We used a pinkie for centimeters, an arm for meter and our whole body for kilometer. 

Science

The girls used clay to cover different sized cups turned upsidedown.   Once they finished we placed their mountains onto their respective continents.

Art

This week we studied Angelico.  We discussed his work on religious paintings and how he used gold paint to highlight or paint halos within his works.  We also viewed one of his paintings so that the girls could see his technique.  For our project the girls were instructed to draw a simple drawing with colored pencils.  I asked them to think about drawing a fish, flower, a person or something that they could later highlight some small part of with metallic paint.  The girls made some very beautiful pictures!  We ended up with a lot of flowers and butterflies and I believe we even had one mermaid.  If you did not pick up their paintings this past Friday they will be waiting for you this coming Friday.

Science Experiment

We were not able to complete out science experiment this week.  We were going to be working on creating fossils. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week!  I look forward to seeing each of your young ladies this coming Friday!

Cycle 1 Week 14

Sorry this is late.  Hope you are all having a wonderful week.  Here are the activities that we enjoyed this past Friday.

Geography

We studied Africa and it's map points.  We used dry erase markers to mark or traced the geographical features for the week.  We repeated the points several times both tracing and saying the names.

History

We listened to the memory work on the CD and then split into group of four.  Each group took a turn pretending to be Zimbabweans working as stone craftsmen building a wall (using cardboard buildings blocks).  The teams raced to build their wall before the History sentence was completed on the CD.

Science

I brought in  several samples of each type of rock this week.  The girls were able to pass them around and talk about the different features the they saw between the three types.  Their favorite seemed to be a rose quartz!  Then we practiced a song to help us remember the three types of rocks.  I couldn't help but set the memory work to We Will Rock You!

Math

 I introduced the girls to the Math Pokey this week.  This was as simple as it sounds.  We sung our linear measurements to the Hokey Pokey and had a fun time being goofy at the same time!

English

We practiced our helping verb song.  I was amazed at how much of the song they had mastered since last week. Here is a link of the song again:

Timeline

We continued to learn a simplified version of the hand motions for each card.  Due to copyright laws the videos I had linked for you on You Tube for the the hand motions are no longer public access. You can still link to the videos if you are a member of CC connected.  Simply log on and under the at home sharing tab select timeline  and search under "rafikipaka".  When you click on her upload you can open her document that has links to the different hand motions for each week through a protected area of You Tube.  These are still the official motions set forth by Classical Conversations for the new timeline.  These are the motions that I use a version of in the classroom as well.

Latin

Latin was the same as last week.  Love how the girls have mastered this!

Fine Arts

We studied Ghiberti this week.  We discussed his background and works and then worked on fashioning our own creations.  We drew simple designs on cardboard squares and then rolled out clay to place on the cardboard over our drawings.  Next, we covered the whole thing in aluminum foil and pressed around the design.  We painted the top in black paint and let them dry.  Once dry we use scrubby pads to rub the paint off of the tops of our designs creating creating our "bronze doors" just as Ghiberti created his masterpieces.

Experiment

We discussed ho scientists can use core samples to study our earth (honestly they use it outside the realm of our earth as well).  We used layered clay and straws to extract our own core samples.   We will be switching out one of this weeks science experiments with next weeks on Friday.


That's all for this week.  Please reach out with any questions!

Cycle 1, Week 11

Thank you to the moms that served within the classroom on Friday.  I had to leave early to be home with my family so that my husband could make it to a doctor appointment.  My husband, Josh, has a brake in his left foot and is on crutches and both of my children are sick as well.  Prayers are always appreciated.  Thank you to Natalie Price and Mrs. Crawford for being troopers and huge help within the classroom!  Jennifer Crawford thank you for taking the review time with the girls, gathering all my materials together and bringing everything home for me.  Heather Hoffman was so awesome as to take on the science experiment for me.  Thank you to Renee Wimberly as well for taking on the presentation time.  I was sad to have to miss out on the time with the girls but I was grateful for the opportunity to be at home to support my family.

Following is what we covered in class this past Friday:

Geography

We started our time drawing our blob maps at whatever level the girls felt comfortable working within.  See previous post for a discussion on strategies for this area.

Next, we located our map points for the Byzantine Empire repeating names several times to aid in retention.  We completed this with a little quiz to see who was able to remember the new names we learned.

History

We colored our word pictures as we listened to the history song on the CD and as we practiced by singing along.

Timeline

We practiced the hand motions as seen in this video ;).

Latin

We looked at the new pictorial explanations for the Latin pronunciations and sang along with the CD.

Math

We played "Follow the Leader" as we sang the memory work.  We did several rounds.  Some of the actions that were chosen were, marching, hopping, crawling like a baby and singing in a baby voice and spinning in circles.

Science

We talked about the parts of a flower and completed a flower diagram similar to the ones from the previous week's experiment.  We also sang the memory work to the tune of Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.

English

We practiced the new motions for this week as seen in this video.  We also practiced all previous weeks.

Fine Arts

We reviewed all previous theory learned. Next, we learned about rests.  I introduced quarter, half and whole rests.  We learned the difference between the notation and the number of beats each receives.  Finally we practiced our hand positions on the whistle and practiced playing Mary Had a Little Lamb. I gave each girl the opportunity to play on her own or with me if she chose.

Experiment

We revisited an experiment that we had skipped earlier in the semester in order to take advantage of good weather for one of the Nature Hikes.  We discussed water pollution.  It is a simple experiment but does not actually work if you follow the intructions in the book.  This was a great opportunity to discuss how even a tiny drop of pollution can be extremely difficult to wash away and that it has a great affect on our waterways.  A great extension opportunity is to relate this lesson to sin and God's love.  The pollution from the experiment is like sin in our lives.  Like the pollution no matter how much we try to get rid of it we are not able to wash it away.  It is only with God's grace and love that our sin can be forgiven and erased.

I look forward too seeing each of the girls next week for our last class of the semester.  Stay healthy!

Week 10

This semester has flown by.  It seems crazy to think that Thanksgiving is soon upon us and that we will be finishing up our first semester in two weeks.  Here is a synopsis of what we covered in class on Friday.

Geography

We drew/traced our blob maps onto a sheet of paper.  The girls are doing this at their own individual levels.  Some are tracing, some color in the continents, some are looking at the map and drawing freehand, some are beginning to add in names of the continents. 

Next, we located our map points for Japan using skittles.  After that we stood up and went on a tour of Japan.  We did this similar to Going on a Bear Hunt but we weren't "hunting" for anything.  Instead, I mentioned something briefly about navigating the geography of each area and we circled around the table pretending to be or be in that type of transportation.  Pacific Ocean - rowed our boats, Tokyo- Rode on a train (largest train system in the world), Kyoto- Road a bike (widely used form of transportation in the area), Mt Fuji - climbed the mountain (I did not discuss it being a volcano), Sea of Japan- pretended to be fish (talked about fishing being an important trade).

History

We colored the word pictures as we listened to the history memory work from the CD several times.

Latin

We sang along with the CD as we looked at the picture pronunciation pages.

English

We learned all the motions for this weeks prepositions as seen in this video.  Then we practiced all previous weeks together.

Math

This activity did not go as well as previous times.  We practiced saying our squares up to 15 x 15 while looking at the numbers on the board.  Next, we lined up and each girls got to choose their method of travel as the went from one square to another down a path.  I had cut each number out a placed them on a square page to further the idea that these were all called squares.  I think we will go back to the dancing scarves or the parachute next.  They seemed to participate more and get more excited about the process with those.

Timeline

We practiced a simplified set of hand motions as seen in this video. 

Science

We sang the memory work to The Farmer in the Dell again.  I also added in hand motions.  I promise I will get a video for this week and last week up tonight.  Another one of our tutors had set the song to Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.  I liked her version and thought that the same hand motions could easily be used with that song as well. 

Fine Arts

We reviewed all previous theory.  We also introduced the idea of a scale.  I demonstrated how to play and scale and had the girls attempt it as well.  The big struggle for them is adding in the right hands.  It takes a lot of coordination to have both hands on the whistle.  We revisited playing with our left hands and practiced Mary Had a Little Lamb again.

Science Experiment

We talked about the parts of a flower using terminology from the upcoming science memory work from week 11.  We observed and dissected a flower while piecing together a picture diagram as we went along.  To further this activity you could have the girls label each part.  This would be a great way to practice science, art, spelling, and handwriting all into one activity.  This may be the last time that I pull out the glue bottles in class as well.  Lots of paper towels died in the process of this activity and it seems "Dot, Dot, not a lot" sounds more like "pour, pour we need some more" when it comes to glue and the girls!

That's our adventure from last week.  I would love to hear some of the activities that you incorporate at home in your classical adventures.