Learning Notes Weeks 3-4, Term 1, 2011

We’ve settled into a solid pattern the last fortnight, and I’m very happy with the steady progress. 

Spelling Wisdom I’ve slipped a little by allowing some sloppiness, and this is really not a program for sloppiness.  The three boys need more solid work, they are still getting too many words incorrect and I believe I may have found ‘the key.’  Today I wrote out all the words for Malachi on the blackboard, leaving space below for him to write.  I made him really study the words, also as we went I made him think about each word and its spelling.  I believe the key may be getting him to train his mind.  Far fewer mistakes this way:)

Genevieve is astounding me with her ability since we switched to the Faith and Freedom reader.  She is breezing through 2 stories daily.  At this rate she will be ready for book 1 by Term 2!!!  The best news is her attitude towards reading is positive and keen:)  A big switch.

Saxon is also rather keen to learn his sounds.  We’re generally spending 5-10 min daily at the blackboard revising sounds and introducing a couple of new ones.  He already knows 9 sounds! 

Family Read Aloud
Cottage at Bantry Bay – Hilda Van Stockum
Finished reading:)

Mariah 

Still reading; Rose of Rocky Ridge (little House Book)

The Tunnel – Eric Williams
Redwall – Brian Jacques

Xavier 

High Rhulain by Brian Jacques 

Our entire collection of 3 Investigators.

The Tunnel – Eric Williams

Dominic 

The Wooden Horse – Eric Williams

The Tunnel – Eric Williams

Saint Louise De Marillac –  Prince Emmanuel De Broglie 
The Song of Nagasaki – Paul Glynn
Cross Upon Cross, Life of Pope Pius IX – Rev Francis B Thornton

Poky Little Puppy

Little Cottontail

Who’s Making That Noise – Nadine Walter, Anne Velghe

Sam Who Was Swallowed by a shark – Phyllis Root

The Caterpillar that Roared – Michael Lawrence

Nathan’s fishing Trip – Lulu Delacre

Let’s Go Home Little bear – Martin Waddell

I Love you Because You’re You – Liza Baker

Henny penny

Tawny Scrawny Lion

franklin in the Dark – paulette Bourgeois

Snow Bear – Pier Harper

snow Bears – Martin Waddell
The Scarecrow’s Hat – Ken Brown

Steady progress.  I need to watch Xavier as he tends to rush, he also needs further drawing out in his vocabulary and sentences.  

Note to self:  spend time with X when he is working on Grammar.

Xavier and Dominic’s writing could make me despair, but I shall never give up!! However I need to closely watch the letter formation of the younger three to ensure they don’t fall into sloppy ways.

Teens have been researching and working on a 5 part essay for Sister, topic; First Hundred Years in Australia, choose a figure or group.  Chiara chose Fr Therry, Xavier – Bishop Polding and Dominic male Convicts.  Thus far they have worked on; Outline, Thesis Statement and Introduction paragraph. 

Chiara works with diligence, but I would like the boys to not leave their work till the last minute!  Dominic could research more and Xavier struggles to gather his thoughts and then get them onto paper.

M&M continue with stories with a View, short and sweet;)  M&M started All Things Fun and Fascinating for Writing Club this week.  They were to concentrate on taking three key words out of each sentence, using abbreviation symbols too.  Then they had to be able to re-tell the passage from their key words.  I was uncertain as to their ability at first, but after a few sentences Malachi got the hang of it and by the end of the passage Mariah was fine.  I was most impressed.

Dominic and Xavier continue with Live Mocha.

Malachi’s St Joseph’s Confirmation Book arrived, we are reading and discussing the Catechism questions.  Genevieve is making great progress with ‘My Jesus and I’ – Aloysius Heeg.  She retains the majority of each lesson and has a good understanding.

Children continue to use F&L, and Didache.  

Dominic is finding the Introduction to Catholicism easier going and continues to think deeply and ask searching questions. This series gives such solid foundation, last week we heard some rather erroneous teachings regards conscience, due to her previously read chapters in  Our Moral Life in Christ, Chiara understood the errors very clearly.

Mariah making steady progress on her Viking lapbook.  it is looking rather impressive.

Boys making steady progress with SOTW4. 

Chiara focused on the Depression through to the beginning of WW2 in Australia.

The teens made wonderful progress with their Computer Triage. Computer lingo such as;  PC, DDR and DDR2 rams, LED fans, motherboards, hardrives, graphic cards, megabytes, gigabytes, kilobytes,  terrabytes, CPU chips have all became common words in our family vocabulary.  They have 8 computer ‘cast offs’ and have managed to rebuild 2 for the Rs, and are using other parts to upgrade their own computers.  A huge learning curve, one they certainly will never forget:)

Malachi, Mariah and Genevieve continue to enjoy experiments and are faithfully writing them up.

M&M continue to diligently read through Wonderland of Nature and fill in the Discovery sheets.  They as well as G have been successful each week to take a short walk outside and find insects in our surrounds to draw.

To be honest I don’t quite feel like I have my ‘finger on the pulse’ here yet.  Mostly because the M&Ms are doing their maths online and usually independently.  I need to find more time to sit with them whilst they work, I also think they aren’t doing quite as much as they are meant too.

Dominic is really struggling, he has missed understanding some basics cincepts and it is now causing major problems.  He needs some remedial work badly, can we ever rectify this?  He is once again falling behind.