Language Arts {Bundling} :: First Attempts

If you are like me, I love getting a good deal! ...BOGO, 2-for-1, 50% off... Or, to use a hunting analogy, killing 2 birds with 1 stone. Well this portion of Year 4's work is quite a deal in my mind: bundling copywork, dictation and grammar into one small 10-minute time slot four days a week. 

After having read through the Language Arts section here, skimming through the ideas presented here, picking out pertinent info here (bullet points here!) and having watched this, I readied myself for the jump into Year 4's language arts package after Thanksgiving. But now after the break I feel as if I am again foggy on how to implement everything and am having to go back through the logistics of it all. So this week I am trying to get my bearings on, not only dictation as a new addition to our week's work, but also a few other things like a schedule adjustment, typing, latin, grammar, Plutarch, etc., etc.! So this post is kind of for me. It helps me think through things when I write them out.

As a starting point for dictation, I decided on using Hymns in Prose for Children by Mrs. Barbauld (edited by Sonya Shafer). I picked up this little gem at a conference one year to use for reading practice but you can order it here as well.

The beautiful manner in which it is written and the word choices made lend themselves to a great resource for language arts!

For this first term of Year 4 I plan to take Hymn One little by little (initially sentence-by-sentence) until I see Royal becoming more adept, at which time I will add more for him to work through.

But to start:

{Week 1}

Come, let us praise God, for He is exceeding great; let us bless God, for He is very good.

Day 1: 10 minutes

• Royal and I read through the sentence together. I asked him to look for words he may have trouble spelling. He identified "praise" and "exceeding" as possible stumbling blocks. I asked about "great", but he said he knew that one already.
• He studied "praise" and "exceeding" for a minute, then closed his eyes and spelled them for me aloud. I gave him the option of writing them in the air, but he chose the former.
• We looked again at the sentence and noticed capital letters, discussing the purpose for each. We also focused on punctuation, noting the location & reason for the use of each comma and introduced the word "semi-colon" and its function.
• I asked him to spell "praise" and "exceeding" again to check his memory. No problem there, which assured me he was seeing the word and storing it in his long-term memory bank.
• He began to copy the sentence in cursive.

Day 2: 10 minutes

• I asked Royal to spell "praise" and "exceeding". Without having looked at the words again, he spelled them correctly. {Score!}
• I took out another copy of our sentence and we discussed what a noun is. As this sentence uses "God" and "He", I also included what a pronoun is.
• He finished copying the sentence for copywork (and reviewed & changed his uppercase "G" from yesterday so as to do it correctly today, as he had forgotten).

Day 3: 10 minutes

• As the slips of paper are taped on the left side only, I flip them so they can't be viewed and ask Royal to go through the whole sentence and notice/label the points we have been discussing (underlining capital letters twice, circling punctuation, labeling the nouns and underscoring the two words he has focused on spelling this week).
• I then had him study by closing his eyes to see the passage, telling him that tomorrow I would be testing him for perfect reproduction of all we have talked about.

Day 4: 10 minutes

• I had Royal look over the sentence briefly, then explained again the purpose and goal of this exercise.
• I read phrase-by-phrase: Come, let us praise God, ... for He is exceeding great; ... let us bless God, ... for He is very good.
• When he started spelling "praise", he wrote "pris-", at which point I stuck a post-it over the word. He was disappointed, but immediately said, "Wait!" and closed his eyes to spell it aloud to me, then wrote the correct spelling over the post-it.
• He also started to misspell "great" and "very"; however, when he saw me coming with the post-it he erased the word right away and said, "No! No!" (while laughing) and then came up with the correct spellings on his own. :-) ... I guess this way is just as good as the post-it option since he is immediately erasing (hiding) the misspelled word, consequently wiping out the mistake and replacing it with the correct spelling. Fortunately he did know how to spell these words on his own, so I feel pretty good about his results.

{Keeping} :: My Commonplace

I actually finished Davy Crockett's Own Story, as written by himself a few weeks ago. I noticed it sitting by my bedside tonight with a bookmark still stuck a little past halfway. Remembering I do this to mark something I want to enter in my Commonplace, I decided I'd best take a look because I didn't remember if I ended up transcribing what important words Mr. Crockett penned. Turns out I hadn't!

So here it is, a modernized, frontier-style Davidic psalm, if you will... beautiful.

We were alone in the wilderness, but all things told me that God was there.

The thought renewed my strength and courage.

I had left my country, felt somewhat like an outcast, believed that I had been neglected and lost sight of:

but I was now conscious that there was still one watchful Eye over me;

no matter whether I dwelt in the populous cities, or threaded the pathless forest alone;

no matter whether I stood in the high places among men, or made my solitary lair in the untrodden wild,

that Eye was still upon me.

My very soul leaped joyfully at the thought;

I never felt so grateful in all my life;

I never loved my God so sincerely in all my life.

I felt that I still had a friend.

p269-270

{Exams} :: Term 3, Years 1 & 3

Here is a peek at our Third Term Exams. We actually finished mid-November, but have been busy with a flurry of fall friends & family activities so I am just now getting around to posting...

After taking the Ambleside Online suggestions as a basis for our exam questions, over the course of two days I sat at the computer while my 7-year-old and 9-year-old dictated their answers to me. This has proven the most efficient use of my time. I used to record them with an audio app, but then going back to re-listen and try to keep up with the typing proved a more difficult (and time-consuming) job.

I am so impressed with their progress in narration. It is amazing to see how far they have come and to compare the quality of narrations between my Year 1 and Year 3 students. Granted each child is different; however, I remember my oldest's Year 1 days, and his abilities have greatly improved.

Year 1, Term 3

Bible

First of all, I have to say I was rather stunned when my daughter failed to produce hardly anything of what we had read of the Bible. (!) Either I get an "F", her attention is lacking (quite possible!), or she is just having a hard time ingesting what we were reading.

For example,
1. Tell what happened at the tomb after Jesus died on the cross.
The mother of Jesus was very sad, but when she heard that Jesus had risen she was very happy.

2. Tell one story of Jesus after He rose from the dead.
???

Eek!!!

Writing/Penmanship

Copy “No storm stayed the ships.”

Tales

1. Tell one of Aesop’s fables.
2. Tell about ONE of these Just So stories: How the Alphabet was Made, The Crab that Played with the Sea, or The Cat that walked by Himself.

History

1. Tell a story about King Alfred: (1) how he learned to read (2) when he stayed with Denewulf & his wife in the country cottage (3) when he went to spy on the Danes in their camp 

I was actually pleasantly surprised when she recounted how King Alfred learned to read:

Once upon a time there was a little boy with his two big brothers and one day his mother was out reading and the boy saw his mother and he went over and looked at her book and it had so colorful pictures and she said whoever can read this book will get the prize and she loved the little boy the most and she hoped he would get it. And one day when the two big brothers were trying to read it, the little boy said let me see that so he took it and when he tried to read it he could read it better than the others so he got the book and his mother was really glad.

     2.   What do you know of Harald as a little boy in Norway?

Geography/Map Skills

1. Label as many countries in Europe as you can.
2. Name some things Paddle passed as he traveled through the Great Lakes OR trace Paddle’s journey on a map, from Canada to the Atlantic Ocean.

I wrote the names of the countries as she pointed them out.

Natural History & General Science

1. Describe one of your favorite times in nature you have had during our morning Nature Focus time and what you found.
2. Tell about all the new things we saw on our camping trip to Daingerfield State Park.
3. Identify these six birds. Choose one to imitate or tell a little about.

Math

Spanish

Look at these pictures and talk about what the children are doing. (Google “kids doing chores” in Images)

Artist/Picture Study

Choose one of Corot’s paintings we studied this term to describe in detail.

Free Reads

Tell about one of the wishes the children made in Five Children & It.

Draw a scene if you like.

She explains:

They wished for wings. They were so hungry when they had wings and they found this garden with lots of peaches so they got some and they ate them. 

But at sunset when their wish had gone away, the wings would turn to stone.

.....


Year 3, Term 3

Bible

1. Tell about Moses striking the rock with his staff OR about Baalam.
2. Tell the story of the 10 men Jesus healed of leprosy OR about the rich man asking Jesus how to gain eternal life.
3. Tell one story of Jesus after He rose from the dead.

Writing/Penmanship

Copy “Let the jungle listen to the things I have done.”

1. Print

2. Cursive

History

1. Tell about the Union Jack.
2. What do you know about how Canada was won?
3. Talk about the first experiences of the Separatists who came on the Mayflower to New England OR about Squanto.

Telling about how Canada was won (although he couldn't remember the Generals' names):

The British colonies in America didn’t like that there were French colonies on both sides of them so they decided to take over the French. They went up the St. Lawrence River into Canada and they came to a fort which was commanded by General M. and the British were commanded by General J. But the fort was heavily guarded, but General J saw a way to attack the British fort. It was a small pathway leading up to the wall on the back side which was not heavily guarded and the French thought that no one could get through there because it was such a tight squeeze. So as they were going up the pathway the French heard them moving in the bushes below the wall so they shot into the bushes and out came the angry British soldiers and a great battle began. And General J got shot in the wrist then he got shot a second time and then he got shot a third time in the chest and fell down with a groan and British troops immediately came to his side and said that they didn’t have anything to fix him up, and they said “but look sir the French troops are retreating. We have won!” And General J said “well, at least I lived to see this.” Then he died. But when England heard of the great victory that their soldiers had won, they rejoiced.

Tales

1. Tell your favorite story from The Jungle Book.
2. Tell about either John Henry or Joe Magarac.

Geography/Map Skills

1. Label as many countries in Europe as you can.
2. Talk about Marco Polo’s return trip to Italy.
3. Tell about three things or places in China you have learned.
   
   
   

To highlight one of Royal's responses, I absolutely loved his descriptive recounting of things he learned about China:

Cathay is a beautiful place with many creatures of many kinds and it is also the home of the great Khan. 

The Great Wall of China spreads for many miles over the mountains and it once was a fort that was all over China to protect themselves from the Mongolians. 

The Yellow River spreads 10 miles wide and there is even a bridge going across it that is wide enough for 10 horsemen to pass each other and the waters of this river are beautifully clear.

After he narrated this to me, he said, "Doesn't it sound like a commercial?" :-)

Natural History & General Science

1. From Secrets of the Woods, explain “tried to stalk a bear … but a kingfisher scared him.” OR tell all you can about Meeko the red squirrel.
2. Describe one of your favorite times in nature you have had during our morning Nature Focus time and what you found.
3. Tell about all the new things we saw on our camping trip to Daingerfield State Park.

Math

Spanish

Look at these pictures and talk about what the children are doing. (Google “kids doing chores” in Images)

Artist/Picture Study

1. Tell a little about Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot’s life.
2. Choose one of his paintings we studied this term to describe in detail.

Free Reads

Choose one of the following books you have read & draw a scene from the story; explain.

1. The Boy in the Alamo
2. Annie Oakley, Little Sure Shot
3. Quanah Parker, Great Chief of the Comanches
4. Stories of the Texas Rangers
5. Five Children and It
6. Amos Fortune, Free Man
   
   

   

   From Stories of the Texas Rangers

Especially interesting were some of the stories from Stories of the Texas Rangers, as this particular one took place where my husband and I grew up and the kids have visited a couple of times. This is Royal's narration:

Packsaddle Mountain

Captain Dan and his men heard reports of Indians raiding in that part of the country and the Indians were supposed to be Comanche. 

They started tracking down the Indians and then they saw them making camp on Packsaddle Mountain and so they snuck up on the Indians and started firing upon them. 

The Indians immediately grabbed their guns and started shooting back. 

And then they started to retreat and as one Indian was retreating one of Capt. Dan’s  men shot it and it fell down as dead as a doornail.

 But when they checked the dead Indian it still had its gun tightly grasped in its hand.

.....

TOGETHER:

Recitation

1. Psalm 139:1-6
2. The Arrow and the Song, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
3. Motto: I am, I can, I ought, I will
4. One of your memory verses from Sunday School

Singing

1.  The Bold Grenadier, Along the Road to Gundagai, OR Home on the Range

2.  Que linda manito

Now on to Years 2 and 4...

{Keeping} :: October's Firsts

As the calendar changed from September to October, the weather finally caught a clue that it really is autumn now! We are so happy to enjoy the changing seasons again. I just love fall. It is my favorite time of year. It is the primary season I truly missed when we lived in the jungle. I don't ever remember not enjoying autumnal changes before; however, after not having them for several years, I can honestly say that I am more thankful for the colorful beauty, the more filtered light and more pleasant temperatures that autumn brings.

HAPPY AUTUMN!

From my Calendar of Firsts this month:

1 - gayfeather blooms & cooler daytime temperatures (80s finally!)

15 - gayfeather blooms fading

       flaming sumac leaves turning red

       red mulberry leaves turning yellow & falling

22 thru 25 - received a grand total of 14.5" of rain!

And for some more firsts (some nature-related, some not), you can check out this post from a few days ago.

{Mixed Bag} :: What We've Been up to Lately

I have completely fallen off the blog-wagon the past few weeks. I think it has been a combination of variables: new friends, the addition of piano lessons alongside the addition of hosting our friends once a week for Spanish co-op, volleyball season and then buckling down to get a bathroom remodeled and functioning before the holidays. Oh, and then me just trying to read more for my own personal growth and enjoyment. (This is a habit I am trying to re-instill.) It seems that since my kids have entered the world, my reading habits dropped off the face of the earth for several years. Eek. Embarrassing, but true.

We are just finishing up Term 3 of Years 1 and 3 and will do Exams next week, so I will list a few of the things we've been doing these past few weeks and hopefully get back into a better routine of including a post here and there on a weekly basis or so. I am always so impressed with some of you ladies who manage to do so much with your family and find time to share everything you are doing!


September

:: After twisting Alice's arm to try volleyball, she ended up loving it from the start. It was a lot of fun and brought back quite a few memories and emotions from when I used to play "back in the day". 

:: Family camping trip down river. We felt like Lewis & Clark for the one mile we ventured downstream to our camping spot ;-) 

 It really was fun packing our things on the boat and roughing it for a night of primitive camping. We even had a copperhead scare right before bed. Thankfully Royal saw the snake and knew what it was. He came a-screaming "Copperhead! Copperhead!" Dad, fortunately, had brought his weapon of choice just in case and took care of things right quickly. Besides that, we enjoyed hearing coyotes howling in the distance as we lay in our tent trying to get to sleep. 

It was somewhat creepy, but since they were across the river, I felt a little better. I really don't know how frontiersmen and pioneers lived like this day in and day out. I am thankful for an insulated house with running water and modern conveniences for sure! I do have to say, though, it was amazing watching the full moon rise that night, as well as the sunrise the next morning. Beautiful.

:: Birth of a Monarch!

















October
:: Some cool nature observations just outside our doors at home ... 

a yellow-bellied sapsucker:

a little brown skink:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  & a green frog of some sort:

:: Handicrafting in preparation for Christmas gifting

:: Another camping adventure, this time a trip with truck and trailer to a state park in northeast Texas. A gorgeous place. We got to see loblolly and short leaf pine trees, red maples, sweetgums, sassafras, eastern redcedars, bald cypress, boxelders, smooth sumacs, ferns, beauty berries, eastern gray squirrels, a downy woodpecker and massive caterpillars that kept falling from the treetops (found out later they turn into Imperial Moths)  ... most things we don't see just 4 hours away! Amazing.

:: bathroom tiling & grouting

:: and most recently a Little House in the Big Woods production to perform for family members. This was all Royal's idea. He went through the first part of the book and picked out the parts he wanted to include, typed them up and I printed them out. He recruited our friends to join in so as to have lots of characters: Pa, Ma, Mary, Laura, Jack the dog & Uncle Henry - both played by Almanzo :-) - and a wolf! A baby doll was used for Baby Carrie.

So, besides our regularly scheduled lessons, we have been enjoying life and living fully in it!

Thanks for stopping by for a visit :-)

{Science} with A Drop of Water

We have continued with our water studies this term and conducted a few more experiments last week, which (again) were lots of fun! 

We read the sections on "Soap Bubbles" and "Bubble Shapes", then got some materials together for a little experimentation. After watching a youtube video here on making bubble shapes, and after reading Soap Bubble and Bubble Frame experiment notes in the back of the book, we got to work.

We connected straws to play-doh corners at first (to make our cube), but then the play-doh got slimy and didn't keep a firm grip on the straws. After that we decided to use pipe cleaners twisted together at the ends to form a cube. This worked fairly well, although the cube was a little lopsided. However, we did manage to get a shape to form in the middle. It wasn't the 3-D bubble cube like in the book or on the video. It was just a flat square ... but still cool!

We then attempted to bounce bubbles with our gloved hands. The kids had a ton of fun doing this, although I should have taken it outside. At least it wasn't a dirty mess.

After reading about how to rest a bubble on the mouth of a jar in order to drop a pin through it, we couldn't resist trying this out. We wet the pin with bubble solution and dropped it through the bubble. The bubble didn't pop! And quite by accident (as our hands were already so covered with solution) we discovered that even our fingers could pass straight through the bubble without it popping:

How cool is that?!?

After all this experimenting and excitement, Royal mentions how maybe we should start a science journal and write down our findings. ... And after blinking and pinching myself, I said: "Ok, good idea!"

Alice dictated to me her notes, then she copied them from the white board.

This addition to our Year 3 studies has been so much fun!

... and apparently inspiring as well ...

:-)