WEEK 15!!!!!

We had a special visitor Yesterday HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!! (I do not believe this was his final party :)

PARTY!!!! Yes December 9th at 4:00pm - 5:30pm we can all meet to go ICE SKATING!!!!  To get a group rate we need  20 people and we need to make it one payment.  So I propose that we meet at 3:45pm at DownTown Greensboro Ice Outside Ice Rink we can collect out money together and pay together to get the group rate of $6.00 per person (includes skate rental)  If you will be there, but cannot make it by 4:00pm, let me know and I will cover you cost and you can pay me back when you arrive.  (If you are late I do not know what the skate rental situation is as far as sizes, the lady I spoke to said they had plenty if we arrive at 4:00)  This event is open to all sibling and parents (yes Addie, Spencer can come:) and also to Challenge B as well :) Any questions, feel free to email me.


And now for our final breakdown of the year!

Algebra 1: We took the Mid Term! PHEW!! See your email for details.
Homework: Work up to lesson 64.

Rhetoric: Lots of great food and conversation!
Homework: Read Chapter 15 in both books (preferably closer to January :)  Know Cat Questions up to 45

Science:  Another round of great reports!!  And gruesome shark facts.
Homework: Research Marsupials, acquire biology book required for second semester, look forward to fun experiments Ms. Bonnie had in store. (Be thinking about pig vs. shark)

Geography:  Merry Christmas! I know they wanted a Wii, but I made them Geography Notebooks instead :) I think these will help them review over the break.
Homework: Review all to this point.  Set your timer for fifteen minutes a day, this is all it will take! Memorize Earth's diameter and circumference (see guide)

Writing: The final writing assignments were awesome!! I was looking forward to what everyone would come up with and I was not disappointed!!
Homework: Read Carry On Mr. Bowditch, acquire reading books for 2nd semester.

Latin:  In class we took the Latin Mid-Term...which they ROCKED!!!
Homework: Complete pages 1- 38 in book 4 LNST

It has truly been my honor and privilege to tutor your children this semester.  I hope everyone has a much blessed Thanksgiving and Christmas and look forward to all God has in store for the upcoming semester! See you on the 9th!

Students, you have permission to abuse the comment section of the blog to keep in touch over the break :)

Week 14...This time I mean it (See below...oops)

On a Christmas "Outing": Originally We were thinking of trying to do something with A and B together but it just may be too hard trying to coordinate so many schedules.  I have checked out Ice House and with 15 or more during the weekday we can get a rate of $5.  They have not contacted back concerning time, or music.  (I was thinking originally afternoon)  It is time now to weigh in opinions of parents.  We can A)Plan a party at Ice House and see if we make up fifteen, and invite B that can make it B)Downsize it and just do something at someones house (potluck luncheon) C) Count our last day as our holiday get-together.  Please let me know what you think.

On our last week (WOW next week)  The kids have picked a holiday theme, for example, Addie will dress like a candy cane, I might put a bow on top of my head, you get the idea.  Also, snack will be potluck (we may not need to pack lunch LOL)
Brandon: brownies
Jordan: drinks and cups
Hannah: cake or cookies
Addie: mystery pie
Berkley: bread
Jared: possibly chips (undetermined)
Ms. Bonnie........something not sweet :) Maybe a fruit or vegetable

What a fine looking group! (Hannah we missed you, leaving early...John took your place LOL)

During this season I would really like to encourage each of you to pray for another in our group.  This can be a tough year of parenting in general, not to mention home schooling.  Everything seems to change and adjusting can be hard.  For parents and students!  Let us remember each other in the hub bub of the holidays, and lift each other up before our Father in prayer :)

Away we go:

Algebra 1: Mid Term, next week...study.Mid Term, next week...study.Mid Term, next week...study.Mid Term, next week...study.Mid Term, next week...study.Mid Term, next week...study.Mid Term, next week...study.Mid Term, next week...study.Mid Term, next week...study.Mid Term, next week...study.Mid Term, next week...study.Mid Term, next week...study.Mid Term, next week...study. Get the idea??

Homework: I gave the kids permission to actually complete only lesson practices of the next four lessons and really put time in to make sure they understand the concepts that will be on next weeks mid term.  I have their emails and they have mine.  Any questions, they were highly encouraged to contact me and we could work it out together using email :)

Rhetoric: I love when everyone participates in discussion! Awesome! 

Homework: Read Chapter 14 in both books; fill out study sheets; Add Catechism questions #40-#42  Next week we will play around with the questions to make sure we are on task :)

Science: Great reports on fish!  And the fish faces were cute :)

Homework: It's shark week!!  I hear the Jaws music in the background now!

Geography: I started off with reading Max Lucado's You Are Special. Yes...really :)  But it did lead into a nice discussion about being more than a number.  Everyone had to sign the "Test Agreement". And then we took our Europe test..

Homework: NONE!  I told them to take a break, it's done.  Encouraged them to use the time to cement those Catechism questions and prepared for Latin Mid-Term.  We will play review games next week, and review over the winter break (Notebooks are coming!)

Writing: What I lovingly called our "writing mis-term" is now complete as well! They did such an awesome job, I was truly impressed!!

Homework: A fun paper that integrates all subjects!!! There is no check sheet, it is a long or short as they would like, it simply follows these parameters. (FYI they will not be turning this one in)

IEW: This is a creative writing assignment with a few parameters:
SCIENCE: The characters of the story are one of the science groups we’ve studied so far (animals, insects, etc.)
GEOGRAPHY: The setting of the story is placed in a geographical location we’ve studied this semester (country, geographical landmark/feature, etc)
RHETORIC: The conflict/plot is for the characters to “debunk” one of the myths in either Don’t Check Your Brains at the Door or It Couldn’t Just Happen
LATIN: (this is purely for “fun”) - During the dialogue, at least one Latin word or phrase will be spoken (it can be random – let the kids have fun!) (if they are studying another language they may use that one)
MATH: (again – for “fun”) - Include one mathematical equation – it can be as simple as, “Hey dude!  There were 12 cookies on my plate & now there are only 9!  Who took the other 3?”

Latin: We went through mega review, very fast.  I sent home sheets and encouraged them to look over them more slowly during the week.  

Homework: Study for midterm! The sheets I sent home cover exactly what will be on the midterm, no more, no less ;)

Week 14

Flying by fast!!  Two more weeks to go!

I am planning a Christmas get together for Challenge A and Challenge B together.  Right now I am investigating the Ice House in Greensboro as a possible location.  I am also looking at the second week of December.  Will get details to you ASAIP...As Soon As I Plan :)

Thank you Jared for snack....DELICIOUS!  I will take care of snack next week.

Algebra 1:  In class we reviewed the quiz that revealed we needed to review it :)  I was able to get through the next three lessons.  I emphasized STUDYING for the MID TERM on week 15.  So far make sure we know lessons 35, 49, and 50.
Homework: The next four lessons (49-52) and STUDY FOR MIDTERM!! Please do not let this just pass you by!

Writing:  Well...we decided to try our hand at writing first off this morning.  It went well for the morning, but not so well for the afternoon.  We will not put rhetoric in the afternoon again :)  I really felt everyone had a great grasp on what essay writing is about.  We talked about the upcoming super-duper essay being alike their "mid-term" for this subject.  I am looking for little grammar mistakes and an understanding of the essay model.  I encouraged students to use the comment section of the blog to exchanged ideas.  I also introduced the final writing assignment (not due until week 15).  I did want to give them some time to brainstorm on this one.
Homework: Lesson 28...the Super Duper Essay!  If they do not turn in the Super Duper Essay, mom must sign to show she is aware of it.

Geography: We played a review game of Europe.
Homework: Fun Page on Europe next week!!  (Fun Page = draw from memory) I was very proud of the improvement I saw in class today. Also, do not forget Geography Terms.  We now go up to left bank

Science: Excellent reports of reptiles!!  This was the subject, we came back from lunch...but not sure we came back from lunch :)
Homework: Fish!  We are having a picture contest again and a good fishy face earns you bonus points.

Rhetoric:  Everyone joined in conversation easily and without prodding.....not that we stayed on topic.  We learned this subject is best approached first thing in the morning :)  Eventually we did get to the point and everyone did demonstrate that the reading was accomplished and understanding was there.
Homework: Read Chapter 13 in both books.  Please stay in the habit of filling out your study sheets. We are also adding Catechism Questions 37-39

Latin: We decided to take Latin outside for a change of pace and to keep us on track...and it worked!  We went through our quiz alike a worksheet.  I encouraged everyone to finish the parsing on their own.  We also completed an indirect object/direct object worksheet and played a vocabulary game.
Homework:  Study for "mid-Term happy Page on Week 15.  Workbook pages 141-156 Know your endings for next week :)

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions.  This is moving so fast, I do not want anyone left behind :)

Week 12

Three more weeks and counting!!  Hang in there moms and students, diligence will pay off :)

Thursday is a Moms Night Out for Westside Foundations Group.  The Challenge A moms have been invited.  If you are interested and want details you can contact Erin Varnell through the Foundation blog page.

If you are interested in helping to prepare food for the homeless for a dinner being hosted on the 14th, please email lmkharrell@gmail.com to sign up for a dish.  There are still many spots available!  (I am also forwarding an email, check your inbox!)

Brandon's brownies (alliteration!)  were delicious! Thank you Brandon.  Next week Jared has volunteered for snack.

Algebra 1: Most everyone turned in their quizzes.  If you did not turn it in, please do so next week!  We looked over lessons #45 - #48.  This is a nice easy week.  I suggested they may wish to do the lesson practice for the first three lessons and maybe review any problem areas that may need attention.
Homework: Lessons #45 - #48, start prepping for Mid- Term to be administered on Week 15

Rhetoric:  Class discussion was fantastic.  Everyone participated!  We did get off track here and there, but the topics the track led to were most certainly God led at times :) We also took a Catechism question quiz.
Homework: Read chapter 12 in both books.  Complete study guide sheets.  Add questions #34 - #36

Geography: THANK YOU DEBBIE!  I thoroughly enjoyed today's presentation on Germany!!  Debbie brought in her pictures from her families travels to Germany and they were wonderful.  Thank you again for taking the time to come to class and share!  We also completed a geography terms worksheet.
Homework: Add terms  up to knoll, continue studying Europe, we have two more weeks until we test.  REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!

Science: Loved todays reports.  Some of the facts made me giggle (i.e. moms will not allow these creatures inside the house)
Homework: Reptiles! Two sources, bibliography, and picture required as usual.

Latin: Status Quo :) We went over indirect objects and direct objects.  I saw everyone's face go pale when I announced there would be a Geography Mid-Term which will cover Vocabulary, Declension Endings (1st and 2nd), Conjugation Endings (1st), Declining a Noun and Conjugating a Verb.  Since it made everyone feel a tad sick thinking about a test, we decided to call it happy pages, versus a test.  So there will be some Latin Happy Pages on Week 15 :)
Homework: Begin study for Happy Pages, Workbook pages 133-140  Next week there will be an open book quiz with parsing practice

Writing: Today I introduced the Essay.  This is the style of writing we will use throughout the 2nd semester.  Homework: WE MAY NEED PARENT ASSISTANCE WITH THIS WEEK.  Please review page 103 in your BBW Lessons to understand what an essay is.  I am not as concerned about how long our papers are this week as much as I want them to read through and understand what an essay is.  I asked them to read through the source text for Job and the two example essays.  Please review lessons 25/26/27 in your BBW Lessons and understand introduction, conclusion, finding sources, kinds of sources, bibliography, quotations, footnotes, lead-ins to insets, and clincher keys.  Once again, I am more concerned with the understanding of the essay and writing process than I am the actual essay this week.  (This changes next week)  For the actual essay they may choose the topic from either lesson 25, 26, or 27.  If they finish early they may start preparations for the super-duper essay which we will be writing next week.  (This will be between 15 to 21 paragraphs long! Everyone will be required to write the super-duper essay unless their mom says otherwise.....this could be your chance to get some extra chores done around the house....it's your call :) I am very excited about the final writing project...details to come next week!

Week 11: of Lemons and Lemmings

What a crazy and fun day!  I knew when I awoke to the rain exactly what kind of day it would be :)  Every now and again, they are great to have to break the levity of all the work.

FYI: Yes, the blue came out easily.....just a few extra shampoos

Next week, some have expressed interest in wearing their costumes.  Once again....this is all if they want to, they do not have to wear a costume unless they choose to :)

Thank you to Addie for bringing snacks this week.  I am so using the pretzels recipe for a treat feast I have on Friday.  Next week Brandon volunteered to bring brownies...YUM!

Each child received a letter concerning an upcoming opportunity to help feed a number of homeless families for Thanksgiving.  Please read this letter.  If you are interested, let Melissa or myself know and we will keep you in that loop.


And onto the day..........

Algebra 1: We spent the first part of the class making sure lesson 40 was to entirely cryptic to everyone.  I encouraged checking their work.  This is how we know, how we are doing.  I also sent home an open book quiz.  I encouraged them to do a little bit of it each day if they need to.
Homework: BRING BACK THE QUIZ! and Lessons #41 - #44

Rhetoric: Great discussion as always!  I encouraged them not to get behind on Catechism Questions.
Homework: Read Chapter 11 both books, complete the study guide.  Add questions #31 - #33 MATCHING QUIZ on these next week.

Science:  Another wonderful week of reports.  Everyone is researching their two sources.  Keep up the good work guys!
Homework: Amphibians with two sources and bibliography and illustration.

Writing: In class I read each of the papers and we tried to guess whose paper was whose. That was fun!  We spent the rest of the time working on our vocabulary with a riveting game of Apples to Apples.
Homework: Lesson 23.  This is the same format as last week concerning creative writing.  I did want them to write on Lesson 23's topic.  The freedom in this weeks assignment is a tad different.  While they all have to write about the days after Jesus' resurrection, they are allowed to change a few details.  They are allowed to make it modern times, change a few of the names.  They are not allowed to change the name Jesus :)

Geography:  We played a quick review game for Europe.  There is work to be done here.  I realize we have more time than the other continents for this, but that is because we need it.  Work diligently every day towards the goal on this one.
Homework:  For Europe, we will test on week 14 with week 15 being a massive review day.  Until then KNOW Europe.  Practice, practice, practice.  Review, review, review.  Do not forget those Geography Terms.  The game we play next week will concern those :)  We now go up to irrigated land.

Latin: In class we worked on the object of a preposition.
Homework: Pages #121 - #132.  Practice with our write on sheets daily.  For our "End of Semester" test I am expecting them to know Vocabulary words, Verb 1st Conjugation endings, 1st and 2nd Declension endings.  Parsing will come.  This first semester comes with a tremendous amount of grace with parsing.  We will delve heavily into Latin sentence structure with the beginning of Semester 2.  

Week 10

I know I did not just name this weeks post in double digits WOW!  Before you know it the holidays will be upon us :)

First, thank you Jordan for tasty treats today.  Oreo Cookies are a personal favorite :) Next week Addie has volunteered for snack.

Theme for Week 11: We all wear black.  Believe it or not this did not come out of any "goth".  It actually was born of what color everyone had in their closet.

Algebra 1: Made sure we had understanding of lesson #35.  Introduced lessons #36-#40.  Promised a quiz for next week, I could tell they really wanted one.  Jacob even asked for numerous problems!! I love when they are excited about math as well :) (Hey Jacob, "averages" is math!)
Homework:  Lessons #36 - #40

Rhetoric: Another day of great discussion.  We actually started with sharing our testimonies.  I loved hearing how each of them came to the decision for Christ.  What a great way to start the day! We played one versus the mob for Catechism question review.
Homework: Read Chapter 10 in both books and add questions #28 - #30

Science: Awesome reports on butterflies.  I enjoyed the change from insects :)
Homework: I know it's tempting to get a little lazy, but we have five more weeks...HANG IN.  Reports are on Owls or Birds of Prey.  2 Sources w/ picture

Writing: Research reports were great!  I know this lesson wasn't as clear, but they did an excellent job.  We went into detail about the Creative Lesson this week.  The writing process goes like this.  Outline to organize your thoughts.  The Roman Numerals are paragraphs.  The numerals are sentences in the paragraph.
Homework: Use pages 89 and 92 as your model.  If you do not use the Garden of Eden as your paper, please do take time to contemplate the beauty of our Creator and read through this once.  Remember this isn't necessarily a story.  We are describing something and our "source" is our head!
Here is the Outline we did in class:

Geography: While none will admit, there was a definite lack of oxygen in the room as I reminded them they need to review as we continue to add on. We played a massive review game of the whole Western Hemisphere.
Homework: Review, Review, Review some more.  Continue to study Europe and add features if you have not already.  Don't forget about Geography terms.  (Welcome to Challenge A:)

Latin: We spent the class reviewing how to decline nouns and conjugate verbs.
Homework: Pages 111-120 in their workbook.  Study Vocabulary.  Using the "wipe-off" sheets I have sent home practice writing noun endings, and blank back practice verb endings.  Also, practice declining a noun a day and conjugating a verb a day.

Week 9

A very productive day for Challenge A.  I believe if these children never hear the word quiz again, they will be very happy.

Thank you Berkeley for bringing in snack.  All teasing of Berkeley's older sister aside it was just right :)  Next week Jordan has snack and I will also be bringing in muffins.

The kids did decide they would like another theme day.  As long as it does not interfere with our studies, I have no problem with this.  Next week....your favorite sports team!

Algebra 1
We looked at the next four lessons.  I made very clear they need to have understanding of lesson #35.  Factoring needs to be understood now, it is only going to get harder.
Homework: Lessons #33 - #36

Rhetoric
I received an email concerning question #21."This will be amended for future Challenge A guides, but to make you aware, the answer for catechism question 21 needs to be tweaked.  We have (p. 61) What are proteins?  The smallest known living thing; proteins are long chains of amino acids. Proteins are not actually living things.  Another option is to say, “Proteins are long chains of amino acids found in living things.”"  Great conversation today!  We had fun learning how to pronounce alleles.
Homework: Chapter 9 in both books.  Add catechism questions #25 - #27

Science
Great reports on...blech...insects.  Addie and Berkeley brought some special guests presenters, the stinkbugs!
Homework: Butterflies or Moths (I vote butterfly, but they get to decide :) Remember 2 sources!

Geography
Ahhhh, relief! Another test is behind us.  This was the most intent I have seen them . I cannot wait to check them out this week.  Next week, mega review game.
Homework: We start on Europe! We have four weeks.  Remember, if you know anyone who would love to give us a presentation on a country they have visited or gone on a missions trip for, I very much welcome it.  Or if your student wants to put together a special report, they are welcome to present it to the class

Writing
I think I scared them a little when I reviewed some grammar.  I just wanted to make sure amidst all this writing, they remembered grammar was involved. I commended them for really grasping the story model.
Homework:This week is a research report.  They have the choice of doing lesson #19 or researching a topic of their choice.  The method is the same.  Three topics.  Take notes from at least 2 sources in reference to these topics.  Fuse their outline.  Then rough draft and so forth.

Latin
I handed out Quiz #2 and a SCARY MONSTER Vocabulary quiz.  They handled these well as I let them know it was open book.  I emphasized for this semester that they know their vocabulary and word endings.  The parsing will come.
Homework: Take home mid-term and workbook pages #97 - #110 Practice writing word endings on sheet in page protector (Use dry erase)

Week 8

WOW! Officially half way through!!  PJ Day was a lot of fun, and very laid back :)

Items of prayer: Please pray about our "room".  In the afternoon it gets very hot.  We are also having a problem with extra chatter in the hallway after other classes are out.  I am looking for ways to rectify this.

Thank you Hannah for bringing in some of the best doughnuts I have ever had.  Next week the Bradsher's will bring in snack.

On to the day!

Algebra 1: We had a quiz.  You should be able to find it in your students bag.  They all did quite well!
Homework:  Lessons #29 - #32 Don't forget to CHECK YOUR WORK!

Rhetoric: PJ Day made for very relaxed discussion (Either that or our mouths were filled with doughnut :) We brought out the buzz board for Catechism question review.
Homework: Chapter 8 in both books, fill out study guide, add questions #22 - #24 (Review questions #1 - #21)

Science: Today's reports made me cringe and question why God called me to this place.....j/k.  But I will say they made me go EWWWW! Good job on the research, though.  Excellent reports!
Homework: I have a hard time even typing this one....INSECTS! Double EWWWW!  2 Sources required

IEW/Writing: I LOVED the papers this week. What an awesome, superb (there's your duel adjective) job!! We reviewed exactly what the IEW method for writing is:  Outline, Rough Draft, Dress-up/Decorate, Final. We reviewed what dress-ups and decorations were.  Briefly we got into a dramatic opener.  There were a lot of handouts that went home this week.  If you are missing any, email me and I will get them to you.  I stressed the importance of budgeting our time on this one this week.  I suggested: Weds, outline and start rough draft Thurs. Rough Draft finished Fri., dress-up/decorate Monday: Finish dress-up decorate, LABEL PAPER (see below)
Homework: Strictly by the book this week.  Lesson #15, using the IEW method above.  You will label your final draft alike the sheet I sent home. Sentence Openers labeled in the margin on the left.  Dress-up's labeled in the margin on the right.  They do not need to underline words.  Please email me with any question you have on this one ;)

Geography: We practiced outlining the continents and encouraged them to practice this at home.  We have some fierce Geography rivalry going on...which we are actually having fun with :)  The rest of the hour we reviewed.  I am so sorry I did not get a picture of the Canada map :(
Homework: Test on South America next week.  This one is a lot smaller....how many features can you add this week??? Also, we may have a speaker next week.

Latin: We reviewed everything we have done to this point.  I encouraged them to keep practicing their vocabulary and noun/verb endings.  Next week we start declining and conjugating on a weekly basis again :)
Homework: pages 86- 96 in our workbooks, and prepare for a small quiz (no getting anxious about this quiz:)

Have a great week!!

Week 7

I want to thank everyone for all the prayers and support this week!  I am pleased to announce that the good Lord has blessed the Mahoney household with a lovely new to us mini-van.  Compared to what we have been driving we feel very spoiled.  Our God is good all the time :)

Thank you Jared for bringing in snacks this week.  Next Tuesday is PAJAMA DAY! Don't worry about getting dressed, just roll out of bed and come on in.  (Feel free to brush your teeth :)  I will be bringing a sweet breakfast treat, and Hannah has offered to bring in some "slumber party" snacks.  (participating in days like PJ day is always optional)

Algebra 1: We went over the next four lessons.  I  let them know there will be a quiz next week.
Homework: Lessons #25 - #28

Rhetoric: I believe everyone participated in discussion this morning and it was great!  Keep up the good work guys.
Homework: Chapter 7 in both books; add questions #19 - #21 (Don't forget I have a link here to help study them)

Science:  The students did an awesome job with Mollusks.  It was hard to pick a winner for the art "challenge", but this week Jared prevailed.
Homework: Arachnids! Ewwwwwwwwwww

Geography: Every time we test I just want to give these guys a big group hug!  They always looked so exhausted afterwards, like it takes every bit they have left.  I encouraged them that this was probably the hardest one we had and that South America would seem very easy afterwards.
Homework: Start in on South America, countries and capitals. DO NOT FORGET TO REVIEW! We will be playing a new review game this coming week.

Writing: Hannah gets a shout out here for her "hands-on" demonstration. I loved the creativity! I enjoyed that some of the kids even wrote their own story. We reviewed all the stylistic techniques to this point.  I finally introduced clinchers. We also added 6 decorations to our mix. (All of these can be found in your BBW books)
Homework: One more week or choice, next week back to the guide.  Your child can choose to A) Complete Lesson 14 using the Esther pictures. B)Choose the silly pictures that Ms. Bonnie pulled together. C) Create their own series of pictures, and use Ms. Bonnie's outline to create their story. No matter which option they choose, they can use the guidelines in lesson #14 to write their story.

Latin: We reviewed all of our vocabulary and worked on parsing sentences from English to Latin.  I parsed a sentence fragment from John 1.
Homework: Pages 71 - 85 in our workbooks.  I also challenged them to parse a sentence from the Bible using a Latin/English dictionary, or a reputable website (with mom or dad's permission of course)
For those that were feeling overwhelmed with Latin...I encouraged them to study study study the vocabulary words and memorize our endings for 1st, 2nd Declension and 1st Conjugation.  The rest will come with time :)


Enjoy your week! If you have any questions feel free to call or email.

Week 6

I cannot believe I just named this post week 6!! Where does the time go?!?!

I want to thank everyone for their prayers.  They are SO coveted right now.  I know God has a plan for the car situation and cannot wait to tell you His answer :) I am so grateful tonight for a God that is bigger then any car situation on this Earth. AMEN!

Thank you Brandon for bringing in snacks! Anyone want next week? A reminder that week 8 will be PJ Day!  (Thank God the car did not break down on that day LOL)

Algebra 1: We went over at a very accelerated pace.  Everyone seemed to grasp the concepts quite well.  I reminded them that on Fridays between the hours of 3pm and 4pm I am on site at the Kernersville campus for help or any questions.  They are also welcome to email or call with any questions :)
Homework: Lessons #20 - #24

Rhetoric: We were so involved with our conversation on carbon dating, that we never made it to the catechism questions game!  Not to fear, know those questions for next week!
Homework: Chapter 6 in both books (with study guide pages), add questions #16 - #18

Science: The pictures are so hard to choose between in our art contest!  I truly loved each of them for different reasons. Art contest continues on to next week, i imagine next week will be just as hard :)
Homework: Mollusks!  (please no shellfish in real life, Ms. Bonnie is allergic:)

Geography: These guys did an awesome job on their Canada quizzes.  They should be in their bags so check them out.  I tried to reassure them that this was probably the hardest test coming up and it gets easier as we go along.  We also played a game of "Who Wants to be a Hypothetical Millionaire?"
Homework:  To continue to study for our test next week.  Central America and company :)

Literature: Here is where we stray a bit from the guide this week.  First, you are more then welcome to just do lesson 13 in the BBW lesson OR your student can have a little more freedom this week.  Whichever path they choose, I forgot to copy off the checksheet for them.  If you could please provide them with a copy of page 49, that would be great.  The "freedom option" is to use the note outline I gave them and using their favorite novel (or series of novels) fill it out.  Now this is NOT a book report.  I do not want their opinion of the book.  I am looking for a theme and three examples from their book to support that theme.  We did a sample outline in class.  There is a lot of freedom to this one, so don't worry about if you are doing it right or wrong.  We have such a class of talented writers, I wanted to encourage them with some choice :)
Homework: Write 3 paragraphs from Note Outline or Lesson 13

Latin: We are all starting to really understand and it is exciting!!!  I encouraged everyone to really work on vocabulary this week.  It is a lot easier to parse when we know the meaning of the words :)
Homework: Complete pages 62 - 70 in our workbooks.  Drill, drill, then drill again the vocabulary.

Welcome!

I wanted to take a moment to welcome a new student to class! Her name is Berkley.  She visited Tuesday and will be joining us from here on out. WELCOME BERKLEY!

Week 5

Awesome!  It's the only word I have for today.  We had a guest for mots of the day and she fit right in.  We had some wonderful conversations and really got into some of our topics.  We did joke about our class motto becoming, "but I digress" :)

The Christies have picked up snack for next week. Thank you!

And away we go....

Algebra 1: I did remind everyone to please take their weekly tests from here on out.  Everyone seems to be keeping up and we are moving at about a perfect pace.
Homework: Lessons 17 - 20

Rhetoric: Everyone is  keeping up well with the study sheets and catechism questions.  Most excellent!  I am encouraging someone other then I to start our morning prayer.
Homework: Read Chapter 5 in both books; add questions 16-18 We will be playing a game with questions next week

Science: I cannot recall when I learned so much about herbs. All the reports were done very well.  I did encourage them to go a  little further with their pictures.  The next two weeks we will have a "picture" contest.
Homework: Trees!  At least two sources with bibliography and picture.

Geography: Thank you Hannah for inviting our guest!!  She used to live in different parts of Canada and did an AWESOME job sharing what the culture was like for Eskimos living in that region.  Special reports help bring Geography alive.  We took our test on Canada and the terms.  They have the opportunity to earn up to 10,000 points.  Yes, you read that correctly :)
Homework: This week we begin Central America and add new terms from your guide.  REVIEW, REVIEW and REVIEW.  We are not done with the US or Canada.  It will come back on the end of year test.

Literature: We read our papers and played a new version of "Apples to Apples" using strong verbs and adverbs.  I introduced 6 sentence openers and how to strengthen verbs.  We also reviewed all our stylistic techniques we have worked with to this point.
Homework: Lesson 12 as is with check sheet attached.

Latin: We covered a LOT!  Be patient here, it WILL come. I sent home a "review" packet of what we have done thus far.  This packet includes an introduction to parsing sentences at the end.  I also sent home sheets on nouns and verbs for Level 3 and 4 of Latin's Not So Tough.  I highly suggested they purchase a Latin/English Dictionary.  This can help with deciding which declension/conjugation to put the noun/verb into.  (Especially if they will be doing Latin up through the other Challenge programs)  I have laid down the gauntlet!  Who can beat me in memorizing our Latin endings!!  There are lots of "extra" sheets coming home the next few weeks.  These should help fill in the gap for some of these questions.
Homework: Come up with at least one silly sentence in Latin and diagram it in English!  Complete pages 47-61 in our workbook.  Review vocabulary....there may be a worksheet with it next week.

Have a blessed week!

Week 4

It was nice to have the whole campus today!

Addie has volunteered for snack for week 5.  If anyone would like week 6, let me know.  I believe we may have two students out of town that week?

Algebra 1/2: No surprise tests or quizzes...just good 'ol math fun :)  They need to be taking one test per week and checking them to make sure they are on track.
Homework:  Lessons 13 - 16

Rhetoric: Another day of great discussion.  I have started opening up with a warm-up question and that seems to get the ball rolling.  We also used the buzz board to practice our catechism questions.
Homework:  Read Chapter 4 in both books.  Add questions 10 - 12

Science: Great research on wildflowers!  I did encourage them to use non-internet sources.
Homework: This week we research Herbs

Geography: I handed back the quizzes from last week.  They all did such a wonderful job for the first time out.  We spent the class reviewing the US from "scratch".  A couple things on Geography: If anyone has traveled and/or knows someone who has that would like to do a presentation for the class, please invite them to do so.  Or, if a student would like to put together a presentation on a country that just interests them, that is welcomed as well.  We also used the buzz board today to review terms.
Homework: TEST next Tuesday on Canada....no outline :)  Features help with points.  Terms will also help with points.  I might even hand out points just for smiling through the test :) Add terms cave, cavern, channel, chasm, cinder, cone, cliff

IEW:  I loved this weeks papers!  We certainly have a talented group of young writers here.  We reviewed when and how to use commas and started in on lesson 8.
Homework: Complete lesson 8. (I did give some creative liberty to change names or objects to make the story their own)

Latin: We reviewed how to classify verbs.  I gave each person a handout pertaining to sentence patterns.
Homework:  Quiz next week.  Know your vocab up to page 42.  Also, know your 1st Conjugation endings, and 1st and 2nd Declension Endings.  We will play a game of beat Ms. Bonnie!  Pages 35 - 46 to be completed in your workbooks.

I hope everyone enjoys this lovely weather we are having.

Many Blessings,
Bonnie Joy

A Wonderful Resource for IEW

I did not know if many of you ...well....knew ;)

IEW has an excellent resource for those who have purchased their materials.   They have free downloads here.  Some of the supplemental material I will be using comes from this resource.

Have fun with this one!

Week 3

It just keeps getting better and better!  Our God is so good!  Thank you again for the opportunity to work with your children :)

We did decide, for Challenge A, October 5th would be PJ day.  Also, thank you to Hannah for bringing in some snacks!  I will be bringing in snacks next week.  After that do we have a volunteer?

Algebra 1: True to my word, we had a math quiz today.  Check their bags...it should be in there! Everyone did well.  This was just a quick check to make sure we are good to move on.  I did recommend that they practice the key concepts found in lessons #6 and #12.  I noticed our books do not provide extra problems.  There are a lot of great websites out there on which to find problems to work.  Here is one worksheet. Here is another great one! Working these both would give them some excellent practice, but not required.
Homework: Lessons #9 - #12

Rhetoric: Great Discussions on both books today!  Make sure we are not forgetting to learn our Catechism questions.  We will be bringing out the "buzz board" next week and playing some Jeopardy!  Make sure to bring your bibles to class next week.  (*on the study guide, it is OK to "combine" sections of we have more sections in the book then on our guide)
Homework: Read Chapter 3 It Just Couldn't Happen and fill out study guide, Read Chapter 3 Don't Check Your Brains, Add Catechism questions 7-9

Science: We learned the good, the bad, and the ugly side of Fungi.  Thank you Addie for the wonderful bread (which accidentally ended up being my lunch....with some cookies:)
Homework: Wildflowers!! At least two sources, with picture and bibliography

Geography: I am just going to say....everyone survived LOL  We had our official first Geography test today. With much grace I let them fill in the USA outline.  I have a point system in place which will be on their papers when they get them back.  Mom, it is up to you which "grade" you assign it. I also surprised them with a Geography Term quiz.  I believe surprise was the correct verb here.  Let's not forget to keep up with those guys :)  OK we introduced Canada on our map from the guide....we didn't like it.  Click here for a map they can use!
Homework: Practice drawing Canada (This will be tested by handing them a blank piece of paper.) Know your provinces and capitals.  Add Terms: breakers, brink, brook, canal, canyon, cape

Writing: This is where we went a tad off guide :)  After reading papers I added a little lesson on the four structures of sentences (Simple, Compound, Complex, Compound-Complex) I thought this might help with how many commas might be needed.  The papers I read this week had a lot of talent!! I was very impressed and encouraged everyone to grade themselves at a level C.  We did introduce todays lesson (the story model) as well.  We did introduce the new dress-ups.  We also banned some verbs!
Homework: A 3 paragraph paper is due this coming week...but our source story does NOT have to come from the BBW book.  I did encourage everyone to read the story from Lesson #7.  I didn't want them to miss out on anything God might have for them.  We are doing the "work" from Lesson #7  As far as their outline (using the story model for reference) and paper, they could use whatever story perked their interest.  And yes, we used Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type for an example :)

Latin: This is the week I told them we actually start Latin.  Up until now we have been learning vocabulary and how to decline and conjugate.  Now we are putting it all together into sentences!
Homework: Pages 27-34 in their books.  (They can use notebook paper for this if you do not wish them to write in their books)  Memorize 1st conjugation verb chart. Conjugate the 5 verbs I gave them for 1st Conjugation.
** I am throwing down the Latin gauntlet!! I am myself memorizing the 1st and 2nd Declension noun endings, and 1st conjugation verb endings.  I will be putting together a quiz and challenging the kids to beat my score!

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to call or email me.  For everyone this first year of Challenge is such a time of transition.  God will always guide us as parents when to be firm and when the need for grace. He has each of these "blessings" futures in His most capable hands and He knows exactly what they will need!  (You too mom :)

Many Blessings,
Bonnie Joy

Week 2

Another wonderful day at Westside Chapel for Challenge :)  With the rain clouds rolling in and Challenge A having the MOST comfortable room with couches, fighting off the after lunch food coma was warfae at times.  I do believe we made it through with flying colors.

Our weekly recap.......

Algebra 1:  We welcomed a potential new student and enjoyed seeing our class grow a bit.  All the children were very patient with me this morning, as apparently the function that allows my brain and mouth to coordinate......malfunctioned.  If this left anyone slightly confused, please, please, please feel free to contact me and I will be more then happy to help.  This weeks assignments lessons 5-8 (Mostly more review).  I did promise a small quiz next week, I could tell that's what they really wanted. I also let them know on Fridays, I will be available at the Kernersville location from 2pm to 3pm to help with any questions.

Rhetoric: My ability to form sentences came back to me (Praise the Lord!) and rhetoric went quite well.  We discussed Chapter 1 of both Don't Check Your Brains and It Just Couldn't Happen.  We reviewed our Catechism questions and let them know at about 10-15 questions we will start playing Jeopardy!  I emphasized that this hour will be discussion time and encouraged them to start engaging more.  I also encouraged them to not get behind in Catechism questions.
Homework: Read It Just Couldn't Happen chapter 2 and fill out study guide; read chapter 2 Don't Check Your Brains, be prepared to discuss both. Add Catechism Questions 4-6.

Science: Today we shared our reports on protista! Some students had two reports, which was awesome, but not needed.  Sorry is there was any confusion.  Hopefully, in the future, this blog will be a great forum to ask such questions and bring some clarity.  They did a fantastic job on these!
Homework: Report on Fungi.  At least two sources, with bibliography and picture.  There is much freedom here on whether they would like to be general about fungi or more specific.  (This may have been what caused the confusion last week)

IEW/BB Writing: In class we practiced more outlining and telling a story from our outline.  We listened to everyone's stories and tried to find who/which clauses and "ly" words.  We tackled about a few more dress-ups; the dreaded "because" clause and a quality adjective.  If because falls at the beginning of a sentence, there must be a comma and the rest of the sentence.  We also banned 5 words from our writing (good, bad, big, little and cool).
Homework: Lesson 5.  Pick one source.  Use the 2 paragraph outline and write two paragraphs.  Attach the checklist to your final copy to turn in.  (Two of them were left behind :)

Geography:  I think this is the subject that overwhelms most of them.  Here is where it is at.  First, I always defer to you the parent.  If you have told them it needs to be "this much", then so be it.  Here is what we will be doing in class.  Today I tested them on states and capitals.  I gave them a blank USA and had them fill in what they knew.  (This went home with them)  We then introduced the features and got to know our atlases.  Next week, I will test them on the states and capitals.  (It will probably be the outline of the US with/without states depending on how they did today)  If they do not know their capitals and states, the class will still move on, but this will be something they need to keep at until mastered, for the end of the year.  As far as features goes....I told them each time they need to find all of the features.  I encouraged them to get to know about 5 of them really well while we are studying that section of the world.  They will not be tested on them at the end of the year.  This is something that is done daily.  Set a timer for 15-20 minutes at a time; maybe once in the morning, then again in the afternoon. Daily practice is what will help the most. 
Homework: Add the terms bay, bayou, beach, bluff, bog, and branch to our "dictionary".  Add features to the maps we started today.  Study daily US states and capitals.

Latin: We reviewed first declension noun endings and introduced 2nd declension.  I encouraged them to memorize those noun endings quickly.  It would definitely make life easier.  We discussed the 5 cases of nouns, in the hopes of gaining some understanding of where the endings come from.  Memory words were breezed through pretty fast.  We will have a "matching" type quiz on them next week.
Homework: Complete pages 16 - 26 in your books, Decline the 2nd declension nouns I assigned, memorize 2nd declension noun endings, memorize vocabulary words

It is always my pleasure and joy to tutoring your children!  I hope this finds everyone off and ready to go for week #2.  Please, let me know how I can be of most support to you :)

Week 1

Our first day of Challenge...WOW!!! It was such a joy and treasure getting to know your children today.  Thank you again for such a great opportunity and honor:)  It is always beautiful to see how God weaves a class together and to see how each person complements the group as a whole.   What  a neat experience!

 

Away we go.......

 

Rhetoric: Our time in rhetoric today was spent getting to know each other and going over the "rules".  We took prayer requests and encouraged each of them to pray for our class as a whole, and for the individual prayers requests. Homework is to read chapter one of Don't Check Your Brains and read chapter one of It Just Couldn't Happen.  You need to copy off pages 63 and 64 in your guide each week to fill out for It Just Couldn't Happen.  They also need to know Catechism Questions #1 - #3 found on page 60 of the guide.

 

Bible Based Writing: Today in class we reviewed how to make a keyword outline, and discussed how dress-ups make a paper look better.  We also talked about the writing process of planning, rough draft, and final.  Homework is Lessons #3 in our BBW book. Whether the paper is typed or handwritten is totally up to you, and I would like to see the checklist stapled to the final draft.  I did tell the children, if they were told not to write in their books, not a problem.  I will always make copies :)

 

Geography: In class we talked about different ways we could practice drawing our maps.  (tracing paper, graph paper, free hand, making shapes...alike cloud watching, folding our paper into sections) I handed out Geography terms notebooks.  Each week we will add terms to our "dictionary".  This week we did the terms together.  They can be found on pages 90 - 93 of the guide.  They need an example for each term as well as the definition. This week we need to practice drawing the United States and know our capitals.  (If this seems daunting, set your timer each day.  Literally 15 minutes here and 15 there...it WILL add up :) Also, I printed out a map onto graph paper.  Then they could use that copy onto another piece of graph paper.  If you would like the PDF to do this, just let me know:)

 

Science: Today we talked about how to fuse our notes into one outline.  I also handed out a "cheat sheet" for a bibliography.  Homework this week is to research Protista: protozoa and algae to be precise.  Sketch a picture, and write a short report on just the facts.  A bibliography is a must.  I encouraged them to use non-internet sources when possible.  I also gave them some freedom here to get a little creative.  They are allowed to be general or specific, whichever interests them. 

 

Latin: I think it entertained them when I agreed Latin was indeed a dead language..but I did emphasize still USEFUL!  We went over the Latin alphabet, consonants, and diphthongs.  We talked about Nouns; the fives cases, 3 genders, and 5 declensions.  This week only focusing in on the first declension.  We briefly went through the vocabulary word up to page 15.  Homework in Latin is to complete pages 1 through 15.  Memorize the vocabulary words.  (They can make their own flash cards) Memorize the 1st declension noun chart.  I also gave them a worksheet to decline 3 nouns. 

 

The first week is A LOT of information.  Please, if you have any questions at all, email me or give me a call. I am more then happy to answer any and all questions.  I hope this week is the beginning of a wonderful school year for both you and your child!