Off to a great start to the year. After years of experience I knew easing us in would be more successful to positive attitudes and it was. We began with lighter loads and added on more as the week progressed. Initially as always my plans needed tweaking here and there, this book exchanged for that. To many lessons expected for this, and they wanted more in others such as more room for creative writing.
Mostly though I was thrilled with how Ignatius first and then Sebastian begged for more Independent Reading. It was thrilling to see their excitement as they dug deep in the books they read independently and how they excitedly came to tell me about what they’d read.
Genevieve is dedicated to working hard this term, and insisting we don’t get distracted and she has plans to work well into the afternoons.
Saxon as always takes time to come to term with a new pattern. Once he’d had a discussion with me regards ‘why do I need to do history? I don’t learn anything” and I’d had the familiar, it’s not only about learning information but how to think responses. He went away, settled on it and came back happy to give all the book selections a go. Typical.
As the weeks progressed we added more to the load. By end of Week 2 and then Week 3 the children became competitive as to who could ‘fill in the most boxes’ and lots of productive work began in earnest 🙂
Genevieve
Spelling – AAS 7, 3 lessons with Saxon. Doing well
Dictation – 3 Exercises. Impressed.
Creative Writing -Writing Club, wrote a Round Robin
Narration – Wrote about Space. Genevieve was rather enthused about all she learnt and chatted spontaneously and happily before she set off to write.
– Science, sulfur and carbon
Maths – 5 lessons, working hard.
World History – Read 9 chapters of History of the World Vol 3 – Bauer. Middle Ages.
Geography – Read 2 Chapters of Runkle, covered Space and Continents.
Science – World of Chemistry – 2 chapters, enjoying.
Nature – Story of the Platypus – 2 chapters. okay
Australian History – Manning & Hopper 2 chapters.
Geography Mapping – printed map of Africa, traced, wrote countries, most impressive
Australian History Novel – 2 chapters Rough Road South about gold rush time
Geography Novel – Stories of Famous Explorers by the Sea, read 2 Chapters
History Novel – Adam of the Road, read 4 chapters
Faith Novel – Trapp Family Singers 5 chapters
Free Read – 15 chapters Angels Command – Brian Jacques
Saxon
Creative Writing – Edited Ignatius & Rose’s ongoing story. Spent hours helping
-wrote the first chapter of his book “Jack’s Adventure”
-watched One Year Adventure Novel 4 Episodes. Has now decided this isn’t the right fit for him at this stage.
-Writing Club, wrote a Round Robin
Narrations – wrote about New Zealand bees and the prelude to the Federation, different Australian states fighting over who got the telegraph lines. Really impressed
Spelling – AAS 7, 3 lessons with Genevieve. Doing well
Dictation – 2 Exercises. Pleased with his focus.
Maths – 8 lessons. Decimals
Science – Paul Fleischer, Waves , Magnetism & Electricity. Read long chapter and then conducted experiements.
Logic – Read and discussed 4 chapters of Fallacy Detective with Ignatius and I. Really enjoyed it.
World History – Read 2 chapters of Ancient Civilizations.
-Listened to 2 chapters of SOTW 1.
Geography – Online, countries of Africa. states of Australia, and Oceania.
Faith Novel – St Pius X, 18 chapters, really enjoying.
Nature Novel – Junior Naturalist, read 4 chapters, wrote narration (see above)
Australian History Novel – The Singing Wire, read 3 chapters wrote narrations (see above)
Assigned Read – Lord of the Rings – Read 9 chapters!! Bringing this book to a conclusions, impressed!!!
-Fr Brown Mysteries, began didn’t like
– Redwall, 8 chapters
Read Aloud – listened to a chapter of Wind in the Willows with the younger ones.
Artwork- Drawing incredible portraits of sisters, and family.
Ignatius
Spelling – Began Level 5! Revised previous rules. Did 2 lessons.
Creative Writing – Worked with Rose on ongoing story. The hours they’ve put into it! A few hours over the past three weeks.
-Writing Club, wrote a Round Robin
Narrations – Wrote 2 long narrations on St Ignatius.
Dictation – 2 exercises. a work in progress
English – using a Marist Year 6. Worked on there and their, have and has & learn and teach. Really proud of him.
Copywork – 2 sessions, seeing improvement.
Logic – Read and discussed 4 chapters of Fallacy Detective, loved it. I was concerned Ignatius may not be ready for Logic, but he certainly is.
Maths – 9 lessons of maths
World History – Read 1 chapter of Ancient Civilizations, Mesopotamia & Egypt.
-Listened to 2 chapters of SOTW 1.
Science – World of Chemistry by Tiner, read 2 chapters, really enjoying it, telling me all about it. Even reading it on the weekend as he likes it.
Faith Novel – St Ignatius Vision book, really enjoying his story , was most enthused about it. 5 chapters
Nature – Thunderbolt the Falcon by CK Thompson, read 2 chapters. says it’s okay
Geography Novel – Discovery of New Worlds by Synge, read 2 chapters (he thinks, new to kindle so not sure)
Music Bio – Chopin by Opal Wheeler, really enjoyed. Read two long chapters
Art – Drawing, how to draw books. Drawing with pencil, lots.
Read Aloud – 4 chapters of Wind in the Willows
Assigned Read – Mattimeo, 55 chapters!! Really enjoying. Devoting hours to reading. Finished!!
Sebastian
Spelling – 1 lesson
Dictation – 3 lessons, worked hard, proud of him.
Copywork – 3 sessions, well done
Narration – wrote solid narration about Bass and Flinders.
– wrote a huge narration about Van Gogh! Impressive
– wrote a huge narration on William Tell
Maths – 20 lessons of maths!! Decimals
Maths Reading – Number Stories of Long Ago, 1 chapter, base 10.
– Read 2 chapters Life of Fred Decimals – really enjoying.
Australian History – Bass and Flinders – Roland Harvey – Learnt lots
World History – Read 1 chapter of Ancient Civilizations, Mesopotamia & Egypt
-Listened to 2 chapters of SOTW 1.
Science – What Plants Eat Animals – wasn’t that interested. We won’t continue with it
– Read about Bats & Elephants. Let’s Find Science books. enjoyed
Geography – mapping on computer, Africa and Australia
Geography – Other Children Series, read about children in Amsterdam & Copenhagen
– Paris, London, plus 2 more
Nature Novel – Jeemuluk the Noisy Scrub bird. Really enjoyed was eager to tell me all about it
– Opo the happy dolphin – Julia Graham, enjoyed
– Kookaburras x 2 Australian Golden books read
– Koala Australian Golden books read + another
Faith Novel – More Once Upon a Time saints – read 15 chapters. really enjoyed the saints stories.
Geography Novel – Where the River Begins – Thomas Locker. Easy picture book. More fun
Australian History Novel – Seams of Gold – 2 chapters began.
Artist Reading – Van Gogh, really engrossed. (wrote narration see above_
Art – Drawing, how to draw books
Assigned Read – The Story of Harry, a World War Two Evacuee – Andrew Donkin. Enjoyed, new information but felt sad
Free Read – Boxcar Children – Mountain Top Mystery – read whole book!
Read Aloud – 4 chapters of Wind in the Willows
Siena
Reading – Read Catholic Reader a couple of times to Mum & Little Red Hen
Copywork – 3 sessions, well done
Maths Reading – Number Stories of Long Ago, 1 chapter, base 10.
– mathsonline 6 lessons
Typing – 7 sessions, program online
Australian History – Caroline Chisolm, really interested. listened to most of a long book.
Geography mapping – traced map of Australia, wrote state names
– online mapping Australia
Art – Drawing, how to draw books, lots of portrait drawings too
Drama – ‘Produced’ a play of Red Riding Hood, involved us all and we rehearsed several times.
Read Aloud – 4 chapters of Wind in the Willows
