Summary for Week

I'm reconstructing since I missed logging Thursday for some reason. Wednesday was a Not-Day because we had to go into town for Aidan's regular labs, and then run errands and shop while we were there.

Anyway, the details of yesterday seem to be lost in the mists of time already, so I will just have to say that we did do some studying.... though I don't remember precisely what. But that was Day 33.

In general, this academic week was quite spotty and minimal. We haven't really gotten back our momentum since coming back from our travels around the turn of the month. After doing this logging thing for several years I am aware that we always have a slump in October. Reassuring -- I guess! Basically, my attention span lasts for just about six weeks and then I'm thoroughly bored with the whole thing and ready to throw it all in and change to a new method. If I just live with that and put in a bit of variety I can usually get back on track before too long. That is why I like an Ambleside-type focus with a LOT of subjects and books, so I can pull in some of the neglected ones to help with my boredom problem.

So that wraps up Week 8. I'm still averaging BARELY more than 4 days a week.

Day 32

Morning Time:

2 chapters of The Blood Red Gauntlet
a couple more sections on John Calvin and the effects of the Reformation, from Christ the King

Together:

Math -- on angles and geography
Greek -- a bit of vocabulary -- he did great.
Latin -- an exercise on Verum aut Falsum
Logic -- Square of Opposition

Kieron's Independent:

Math -- measuring angles with protractor
The Boy Scientist -- start chapter 2 on Galileo
Book of Discovery -- Science in Ancient Greece

Paddy

Math -- counting by tens, some adding -- about 4 pages of his book
Reading -- another section of the LMR Primer
Catholic National Reader -- Primer -- lesson IV

Aidan

Matching numbers to squares
Finding numbers in a hundreds' square
counting objects (up to 41, with a little help!)

Plans for Week 8 -- Year 7

This week I'm going to try something different.... putting my plans on here so that at the end of the week I can just sum up what we did and what we didn't do, and what my plan adjustments are.

Math:

We are up to Unit 5 at MEP Year 7. It is about Angles (pdf). The pdf link takes you to the Teaching Notes on the unit, which I have been liking. They give some background history on the topic in question, which makes it at least theoretically possible for me to hook it into our history.

So far, this seems so easy for Kieron that I have been wondering if Year 7 in the UK is comparable to Grade 6 in the US. Does Year 1 begin in Kindergarten? If you know, please comment; I won't be too tragic, because I did feel that Kieron needed some solid review this year and also a more "humane" math that was more exploratory and less "complete these 25 problems".

Preparation: Print out the workbook pages, look over them. Look over the teacher's note.
Extensions, Supplements:
Drills at thatquiz.org (review of decimals, graphs, algebraic equations -- practice on angles)

Latin:

We are progressing through the second unit in Latin is Fun. There is some more on third-declension grammar, and then a series of exercises. At the rate we are going it looks like we shall be at the end of Unit II in 2 more weeks. At the end is a sort of cartoon dialogue, which looks like it will be fun for Kieron.

Preparation: Write out a chart for nominative and accusative singular and plural, for the first, second and third declensions. (or have Kieron do it).

Logic

(Introductory Logic) Lesson Eight -Nine -- square of opposition.
So far Kieron hasn't had any trouble grasping any of these lessons. We only do it once or twice a week, which makes it easy, and start every lesson (well, almost every) by reviewing the last lesson. I shall have to think of ways to apply it sometime. ...in composition, perhaps??

Possible Extension:
He has expressed interest in those verbal logic puzzles you can find from different sources, where you have to put possibilities into a chart to exclude them, etc. So if I can find some of those, it would be a nice change of pace. Note to self: Look in closet, and online. Also look at Building Thinking SKills for figural puzzles.

Composition:

Copywork -- choose from things that come up -- poetry, perhaps.
Try the short-answer narration intensive I did with Sean... type out some questions for Book of Discovery, OR use the Chemistry book or Core Knowledge 5.
OR do review from last week.

Here are the plans for Week 8 (pdf) of history integrated with science, literature etc (see the gifs on the left)

Day 30

Morning Time

• Chapter of The Blood Red Gauntlet
• Another section of The Tempest

(littlies were restless)

Year 7 (Kieron)

• Latin, page 30-31 -- grammar (third declension accusative) and more vocabulary matches.
• Greek -- review of vocabulary
• Math -- lesson 4.2 -- dealing with money -- we did this as mental math.
• Oral quiz on science concepts and vocabulary --- matter, elements, atoms, etc.
• Free Reading: Starting The Jungle Book.

Year 1a (Paddy)

• reading/religion: (we are working slowly through the Living My Religion primer) -- pages 16-17
• Word Mastery -- "silent E", and some review drill on phonics.
• Math -- plus-2s. He knows them pretty well and can do them in his head.