This Week in Learning: February 27th, 2015

Despite my best intentions it’s been three weeks since I’ve recorded any of our learning notes.  The length of time and my patchy notes mean that the following is only a partial of all we’ve learnt.


My logistical issue of finding time to work with the older children was solved by PC’s suggestion of focusing on the teens 2 days a week, where the glitch now lies is my self-discipline of sticking to the plan. Two weeks in the last three saw interruptions and both times these fell on the Wednesdays. I had a choice; let the lessons go for the day or try to fit the plans into the other days. Whilst the first option was tempting, as Wednesday is the only day I’ve set aside for Geography, I realised I needed to choose option 2 at least for Geography, which we did.

Reading  

• Jelly Bean has transitioned to the next stage in her reading:)  Not only did she read a pile of books but she insisted that she wanted to do her Faith, Science and History separately to the younger boys and discovered that she could read independently after all!!:):)  Major transition!
• Jack Jack continued reading Hey Jack and he also Zac Power and is really enjoying them.
• Jem is steadily moving through Level 1 and doing well. Was rather excited to notice him in Church the other week sounding out words in the bulletin

Literature
Michelangelo read:

• Horrible Science Evil Inventions

Princess read:

• Little Women – Louisa May Alcott
• Horrible Histories The Gorgeous Georgians

Jelly Bean read:

• Fantastic Mr Fox – Roald Dahl
• Mrs Pepperpot and the Blueberries – Alf Proysen
• Ghost Horse – George Edward Stanley
• Magic Tree House: Ghost Town at Sundown
• Magic Tree House: Sunset of the Sabertooth
• Magic School Bus Inside the Earth
• Amelia Bedelia Bookworm
• Calling Doctor Amelia Bedelia
• Thank You Amelia Bedelia
• Mother Rabbit’s Son Tom – Dick Gackenbach
• It’s Not Easy Being a Bunny
• Put Me in the Zoo – Robert Lopshire
• Madeline in London – Ludwig Bemelmans
• Madeline – Ludwig Bemelmans

Jack Jack read:

• Hey Jack: The New Friend
• Hey Jack The Top Team
• Hey Jack The Bumpy Ride
• Hey Jack The Lost Reindeer
• Zac Power Test Drive

Spelling/Dictation

• Michelangelo is implementing the spelling strategies learnt and we’re seeing a big improvement:):)
• Using an extremely difficult work list with Princess which is a stretch for her.  She is most determined to get the words correct and works hard on improving where necessary.

Handwriting

• JB enthusiastic about learning cursive, lovely hand
• JJ diligent and mostly neat though not necessarily enthused
• Jem happily traces letters
• Princess copying Bible passages and psalms into cursive

Grammar/Writing

• Still happy with old texts, Let’s Make English Live and English Today for JB and JJ, Covering a mix of oral and written lesson. Basic grammar, composition structure, manners and speech. Really feel they are giving a good grounding and children are happy with the approach

Faith

• Reading through Children’s Bible with the younger children, though switched to New Testament at the beginning of Lent.
• JB is now independently reading Child’s Life of Jesus and I’m reading it to the boys
• Michelangelo moving quickly through Introduction to Catholicism and finished the first Beginning Apologetics, still loving the apologetics books

Maths

• All children working diligently on their online Maths
• Princess’ main focus has been maths
• Michelangelo learnt how to compact numbers for scientific notation

• Reading through National Geographic for Kids magazines to the younger children
• JB began reading the magazines independently:)
• Princess has been researching extreme weather, began with volcanoes, finds it fascinating
• Michelangelo learning about: nano technology in stain glass windows,
• Suns’ power
• Modern jet fighter planes

Geography
Deep connections with mapping, love when that happens:)

• Filling in mega and smaller maps of Australia; drawing state borders, labeling states and capitals. Marking the towns and cities of their many relatives who are far flung throughout Australia

History

• Reading Australian History with the younger children, using Our Sunburnt Country as the spine and adding in picture and chapter books.   JB is also reading through the Australian Pictorial Studies (Australian history in cartoon, see above pic).
• Thus far we have covered Aboriginal life prior to European settlement and the Discovery of Australian by Europeans; Jansz, Hartog, Tasman, Dampier and James Cook
• Michelangelo studying French Revolutions, began reading Song of the Scaffold. Tale of 14 Carmelite nuns who were killed in the French Revolution

• Aboriginal Picture Books

Bittangabee Tribe – Beryl Cruse
Dirrangun – Bronwyn Bancroft
You and Me Murrawee – Kerri Hashmi
You and Me: Our Place – Leonie Norrington

We’re big fans of Percy Trezise:):)
The Peopling of Australia – Percy Trezise
Land of the Dingo People – Percy Trezise – Love!
Land of the Emu People – Percy Trezise – Love!
Land of the Brolga People – Percy Trezise – Love!
Land of the Snake People – Percy Trezise – Love!
Gidja – Percy Trezise
The Cave Painters – Percy Trezise
The Quinkins – Percy Trezise
The Magic Firesticks – Percy Trezise
The Giant Devil Dingo – Dick Roughsey

Non-Fiction Living Book
Nanbaree – Isobel read parts