Week 13 Summary

Scripture of the day: Psalm 8:1 – "O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name above the earth!  You have set your glory above the heavens."

Thank you all for the yummy feast we had today, and it was great to see all the families here to help celebrate.

We have only 2 weeks left of the semester. Woohoo!!  Keep up the hard work; we are almost done.  Next week we will be having an Open House for the Challenge programs on campus, so please forward on to anyone that might be interested in visiting.  Open House hours: 9-12 and 12:30-3:30pm.  Any questions, please let me know.

Also for our Last Class on Dec. 3^rd, we will be having a celebration time for all the Challenge classes on campus. In the morning, Challenge B will be doing their Blue Book exam and finish up the last of our work, then we will be having a luncheon together with the Challenge A class and a gift exchange. I will send our more info next week about what to bring, etc.  

A review of what we did this week and what to look forward to next week…

Math –Introduced exponents and roots, and reviewed fractions, reciprocals, and reviewed solving equations with variables. Also reviewed mental math work through drills and a game.

Latin  -  We continued our study of 1^st conjugation verbs this week.  Also we continued our review of vocabulary – a favorite game is Pictionary.  I sent home a practice test to help them see where they are at. It is a master review of their vocabulary.  This is a good time to watch again the Latin Tour Guide DVDs to help with reviewing all we have studied this semester. Homework:  Lesson 9 –1^st conjugation of verbs– Have them read the lesson and do the assigned exercises, make vocabulary cards for new words and fill in their Latin notebook – vocabulary, special rules (boxes from lesson text), and examples of 1^st conjugation verbs. Next week, I will be sending home a comprehensive Latin exam covering everything from Lesson 1 through Lesson 9 (nouns, adjectives, 1^st conj. Verbs and vocabulary) for them to take during the week off.  Please remind the girls to bring their Latin Notebooks, Latin books and homework exercises to class each week.

Literature – Great job on the papers this week!! Homework: Read The Phantom Tollbooth. There are 20 chapters, so if they read 4-5 chapters/day they will finish by next week.  Have the girls look ahead to the writing assignment so they know what is expected of them the following class session.

Logic  - We reviewed the Square of Opposition and syllogism form/mood. The girls are doing very well with this. We have been working with changing everyday arguments into syllogisms.  HOMEWORK: Finish exercises 26-30 and review all vocabulary up to this point.  We are one week behind in the guide.  Have them Read Lessons 30-32 and begin the corresponding exercises. Please encourage your students to watch the Nance videos – Lessons 15&16.  

Science Fair Projects– We reviewed Science Fair projects and hypothesises. The girls need to write everything in their SF notebook. We reviewed how to set up their notebook and the deliverables chart.  We are also going through the process in class with a SF experiment we are doing together. We are half way through the data collection and will finish up next time. HOMEWORK:  If their research plan is signed off by you the teacher, they may begin their experiment process.  Remember www.sciencebuddies.com has a lot of great info about the process.  Next week we will talk about putting together our board and what is expected on it. They will be finishing up their SF project over the Christmas break, and will need to have them completed when we begin again in January.

Current Events – This week we had a very lively discussion about raising the driving age to 18 yrs. The girls came prepared to discuss and debate their side. They all did a superb job!  

HOMEWORK:  Topic: Income inequality

Premise: The US government should increase the federal minimum wage to $15/hour.

The girls were each assigned to one side of the argument.  Please have them find 2 articles for their side. The girls should write 1-2 paragraphs and be prepared to present their findings as we will debate/discuss the premise.   

Next week I will be sending home info about the Blue Book exam and what to expect on it, so they can spend some time preparing for it. The Blue Book exam will showcase all that the girls have learned this semester.

**Remember -- CC Connected has many great videos on all Challenge subjects to help us as parents as we teach our students.  It is a great resource and it has been very helpful for me as I teach my student, so please don't overlook what is there. 

 

Have a great week.

Mrs. Jennifer