Merry Christmas!

Dear Families,

I love your children and will miss them over the break. I'll think of them during my days away from Trinity and wonder about them and breathe a prayer for each of them.

We had a great last day except for one cloud. Riddock was ill and could not be with us. I saw him at church yesterday and want all his classmates to know he is well and happy. God answered our prayers.

We combined with the 4th/5th grade class and talked about Russian things. We tasted Borscht and pierogi. We played some games, took a grammar quiz, enjoyed pizza and wished each other a Very Merry Christmas. I hope the medals made it home. These were similar to the ones Charles II created when he defeated Peter the Great.

Mrs. Kelly, Diana's mom, was my helper and was very valuable. Many thanks! I can't tell you how appreciative I am of my Christmas gifts. Thank you!!!

Enjoy each other, hug each other, ponder our Savior's birth in a quiet moment and I will see you next year.

love,
Mrs. Tkach

ASSIGNMENTS:
Grammar: None! You might want to go over some of the reviews that I skip just to keep fresh.

Literature: Just before returning to class in January, read the first two chapters of The Jungle Book. Bring the book with you.

History: None!

Science: --go over the lab we did in class with your parents
--I've sent home a copy of the teacher pages that go with Rock Lab #9 and #10. If you desire to go over these labs and teach them to your student over the holiday, please do. They are basically a review of our study of Rocks and Minerals and guidelines for starting your own rock collection. As of Friday, we are finished with Rocks and Minerals in class at TCA. I'm very proud of my students. We will start a brand new unit on Erosion when we return in January.

Latin: None! You might want to play some games with your flashcards to keep the vocab fresh. We love to play "Stump Mrs. Tkach" for candy!

Bible: None! I would like my students to refresh their memory of Psalm 23. We may recite it at the winter ball in February!

NOTE: I'm very proud of the student's work on the science test and Latin quiz. As before, I want to offer the students the opportunity to earn 1/2 value back for each missed question. Attach a clean sheet to the front of the quiz and put the correct answers on it. If you made a 100, you can put any fact not covered on the quiz on the sheet and get extra credit! I haven't graded the grammar quiz but I thought it was really hard. (3rd grade) I'll get them scored and make decisions about what part will be counted.

Our Day and assignments for 12/12/08

Dear Families,

We had a whirlwind of a day. Many thanks to Mrs. Hatchell for helping me (even making a Diet Coke run to stop my headache!!!) We had a lot of time on the carpet reading books. That may be my favorite time. You have all done a great job reading to your children and it shows. When I worked in public schools, many times a child could not stay focused for more than a couple of minutes. Keep it up!

Bible was a time to look at a rough drawing of the temple and hear the chapter about Jesus getting angry but not sinning. We encouraged each other to do the same when we find ourselves angry. Our Latin test went well. Their little minds are so great with language. History is where we did our reading. I have a great book on Peter the Great that we will finish next time. I read them a scary fairy tale from Russia that they loved!

In science, we zipped through that test very quickly. They know their stuff! I squeezed in another lesson on sedimentary rocks because I want to finish rocks before the break. We'll start a unit on erosion when we return from the holiday. Literature is so much fun with this book. Look for the character comparison sheet that we did together in class and have your child review it with you. I'm very proud of them. We read through another play adapted from the book and played blindman's bluff (or buff?) outside. We even squeezed in a couple of pages from The Witch of Blackbird Pond.

We'll have a fun day Friday because we'll enjoy pizza with the rest of the school. Slow down and enjoy the excitement of your children this week.

love,
Mrs. Tkach

ASSIGNMENTS:
Grammar: 3rd: Go over reviews on page 126 in preparation for Friday's quiz
2nd: look over grammar review sheet to be ready for quiz

Literature:--finish reading the book

History: --finish reading ch. 17
--complete mapwork
--optional color page
--answer review questions OR produce a narration on ch. 17

Science: --go over our lab with parents

Latin:--NONE!

Bible:--PLEASE NOTE: Please find a quiet, uninterrupted time to read ch. 12 with your parent. Read it thoughtfully and prayerfully
--discuss any questions you have about this chapter with your parents

reflections and assignments for 12/9/08

Good Morning!

I hope that my not getting the blog up until Saturday won't affect your schooling. We had a great Friday. Mrs. Stokes was with us again--what a trooper! Thank you! (She and Riddock brought us pop rocks to enjoy while studying rocks in Science--what a treat!)

We mixed our schedule up a bit and gave grammar a bit of earlier attention. It wasn't any more fun but I do think the children were more attentive. Our book had a great science lab that we conducted. We applied two different forces to "sediments" and observed the results. Ask your scientist about it. (It involved using a 5 pound hammer!)

In Bible, we illustrated the story and have it up on our classroom wall. Please stop by to admire it. Latin is always fun when we have partners to work on flash cards with. We learned about farming then and now in History and read through a play of A Christmas Carol in lit. They love plays! We may do more along those lines next week.

Enjoy your children this weekend. I heard much excitement about this being Christmas Tree weekend. Ya'll have fun. See if you can look back through your student's Bible work and find their Christmas narrations to read again. They warmed my heart.

love to all. . .
Mrs. Tkach

ASSIGNMENT
Grammar
3rd--review lesson 48 on page 117--118
--complete ex. A and B and Review and Practice
--review lesson 49 on page 120
--complete ex. A (even numbers only)
--complete ex. B
NOTE: We will review Unit 2 in class Tuesday to prepare for a test on Friday.

2nd--read lesson 8 on page 140
--complete ex. A # 1 and 2
--complete ex. B # 1 and 2
--complete ex. C
--read lesson 9 on page 142
--discuss the exercises on page 143 orally with Mom
NOTE: We'll have a "mini" quiz as well on Friday. I'll provide a study guide Tues but it will be VERY simple.

Literature:
--do vocab exercise (these are for the remainder of the book because your reading is light for Tuesday)
--read through page 39
(I accidently sent home a sheet comparing character traits. I ran out of time to do that in class and wanted to save it for next time. There's nothing to do with it at home. Your child can bring it back or I will have more copies for Tues.)

History:
--finish narration of Scientific Farming
--read first half of ch. 17

Science:
--describe and discuss our lab with your family
--study the guide for Tuesday's quiz. We'll go over the study guide completely before taking the quiz.

Latin:
--complete page 49--51 (not derivatives)
--study for quiz. Be sure you have the prayer memorized

Bible:
--read chapter 10
--optional word search

"Our Day" and assignments for 12/5/08

Dear Families,

We had an action-packed day. Two of our students were hurt over the holiday and we prayed for their speedy recovery. Amelia hobbled around in a cast and Gamaliel is still a bit swollen from a blow to his chin that landed him in the ER. Ya'll be careful! Mrs. Stokes was our helper and was a great assistant. Many thanks!

In Bible we ate locusts with honey after discussing John the Baptist. In Latin many tried to recite the Doxology and did quite well. History was interesting as we watched a Magic School Bus video about motion and friction (thanks to Isaac Newton!) We also did a John Locke experiment after discussing some of his ideas on philosophy and politics. Your student will get to complete this experiment at home. We ended the day with another Newton experiment by dropping two different sized balls from a high point. It was interesting to note they arrived at the same time in spite of their differing mass. We discussed the scientific method and tossed around the idea of completing a class science project in the spring just to walk through the whole process that originated with 'our man'--Isaac Newton.

Grammar is still parked on pronouns and we are plodding through. Sarah suggested a play for the 4th/5th grade class in which we make grammatical errors for them to catch. Mmmm--we'll see. . . (It sure would liven up a dry subject!)

Literature was a big hit. Ask your student about literary genre'. They know. We discussed our books so far and decided what genre' they would each fall into. We're excited to be starting A Christmas Carol which is from the fantasy genre'. We took turns creating fantasy stories about our favorite toys and sharing them. Your children made me so proud!!! They came home in their folders. I LOVE this book and I hope it will be a treasure for years to come. We have some fun activities to do with it.

Your scientist should be able to explain the two types of igneous rocks and several details about them. We split into 3 groups and examined three samples and determined what kind of rock we had by using our lab manual. I always feel I'm pounding facts into their heads during science when they are already anxious to be going home. I hope they retain the knowledge. We may switch our schedule up a little to see if we can use our fresher brains on some of these subjects that usually are at low-interest times.

Enjoy two great days of learning. Remember we only have 3 class days until we break for Christmas. Let's finish 2008 strong, academically. Until next time. . .

love,
Mrs. Tkach

ASSIGNMENTS:

Grammar: 3rd: review lesson 46 on page 113
--complete exercise A, B, and C on page 114
--review lesson 47 on page 115
--complete exercise A, numbers 1 and 2
--complete Review and Practice
2nd: read Unit 3 Lesson 6
--complete Oral Drill with Mom
--complete exercise A
--read Unit 3 Lesson 7
--complete Oral Drill with Mom
--complete exercise A

Literature:
--look over vocabulary sheets
--pick one of the words not defined and use it to complete the "Helpful Hints" page
--look up and define the words not defined on the vocab sheet (put "see attached" beside the word you used for "Helpful Hints")
--read through page 25/discuss the different "moods" these pages put you in

History:
--mapwork
--optional color page
--produce two narrations on ch. 16. The first half on Newton is due Friday. The second part on Scientific Farming will not be due until next Tuesday.
--for the John Locke part of this chapter, read through the directions for the "Science Project: Examine John Locke's Philosophy". Have your student tell you about the sweetness part we did in class. Conduct the selflessness part at home and list the four acts you actually did on paper to share in class.

Science:
--review lab with parents
--be able to explain the differences in extrusive igneous rocks and intrusive igneous rocks
--NOTE: Your student will receive a study guide on Friday which we will go over in class. There will be a quiz on 12/9.

Latin:
--finish completing page 48
--finish making flashcards of Lesson 6 through 10. Be sure to include practical Latin terms. For vocab from lesson 8 on page 39, include English derivatives on the same side as the Latin word. Bring these to class on Friday.

Bible:
--answer review questions over lesson 8 (which we read in class)
--read chapter 9

reflections on Friday and reading for next time

Hello Families,

I'm on cloud nine!!! I have both my college boys home for the week. I'm busy spoiling them and cooking their favorite dishes. I have to share our internet connection as well so that's why I'm this late posting.

Many thanks to Kirsten's mom, Mrs. Stone, for being our helper on Friday. It was a hectic day and she was a big help. The feast was wonderful. Many, many thanks to all of you. The children looked great in their costumes! I hope you each have a wonderful Thanksgiving Thursday with your loved ones.

Here are the assignments for next time:

Grammar: NONE!

Literature: Bring A Christmas Carol to class on Tuesday 12/2. We'll begin reading in class.
--bring a favorite, non-electronic toy for a literature activity

History: Read chapter 16 in SOTW

Science: NONE!

Latin: NONE!

Bible: read chapter 7

reflections on today and assignments for 11/21/08

Hello!

We had a nice day of learning. We had a different cloud, though. Chloe was better and back with us but we missed Riddock. We prayed for you and hope to see you Friday. Mrs. Hatchell was a big help throughout the day--many thanks!

In Bible we discussed the story and illustrated it on black paper with chalk--hopefully these made it home for you to admire. In Latin, we are learning to count--only to five this week. I was stumped a few times today. I'll have to practice more!

We had science early and joined the 4th and 5th grade for this subject. We conducted a lab in which we acted out the process of producing igneous rocks. By the time our lava cooled at the end of the day, we got to eat it! It tasted alot like fudge!!! In history we made beaded head bands like the Wampanoag Indians wore. We also read several stories from Indian legends. Grammar included a new lesson on using commas and more review on knowing the difference in using pronouns that answer "Who?" and "Whom?" Your student picked one of the similes we found in the story and illustrated it. Have them share these with you.

Our Thanksgiving feast should be lots of fun. It will be at 12:30 until 1:45 on Friday. I hope your costumes are just as you want them. Remember, this is for fun and learning. Paper costumes are great! Here are the sign up assignments:
Stone and McNeal-----------turkey
Langehans------------------dressing
Hatchell--------------------corn
Wollwerth-------------------dessert and rolls
Stokes-----------------------tea
Avera-----------------------green beans

It has been suggested that you bring enough to feed about 15 because of parents and younger siblings. I know we will have a great time.

Have two great days of learning!
love,
Mrs. Tkach

ASSIGNMENTS:
Grammar:3rd--review lesson 42 on page 105
--complete ex. A on page 106 and Review and Practice on pg. 107
--review lesson 43 on page 107
--complete ex. A # 1--5
--complete ex. B

2nd--read Unit 2, Lesson 6
--complete "For You To Do"
--read Unit 2, Lesson 7
--complete "For You To Do"

Literature:
--read through Squanto again
--choose two of the following sentences, copy it, explain what it means in your own words and use your imagination to illustrate the meaning of the sentence
--repeat the process with your second sentence
1. Only six winters have passed, but so many things have changed.
2. Smith had learned much from dealing with other Indians in the summer land of Virgina.
3. Soon we were crossing the wide salt waters.
4. English ships often sailed toward the sunset.
5. Our memories of each other were like the taste of good water.
6. I will speak them again when my own feet climb the highest mountain and I walk the Road of Stars to greet them.
7. They gave him small water, biscuits and butter, pudding and cheese.
8. In the moons that followed, there was much work to be done.
9. I told them when it was the Moon of Hoeing.
The point of this exercise is to learn and appreciate some of these colorful sayings. There are no right or wrong answers. Put down what you think Squanto was trying communicate. (We discussed most of these in class.)

History:--finish reading chapter 15
--produce a narration on these two sections (be sure it is in your OWN words)

Science:--review lab at home with parents
Igneous Rock Recipe
2/3 cup evap milk
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 cups semisweet choc chips
1 1/2 cu gran sugar
2 T butter
2 cups min marshmallows
1 tsp vanilla
Combine sugar, milk, butter, and salt in saucepan. Bring to a full boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly for five minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in marsh, choc, and vanilla. Stir aggressively for one minute or until marshmallows are melted. Pour into baking pan and refrigerate for two hours or until you new fudge rock is cooled!

Latin:--complete pages 44 and 45 (so we won't have any latin homework over the holiday!)

Bible:--read chapter 5 and 6
--choose either to write a narration about the events in these two chapters or SERIOUSLY (nothing silly) illustrate in story-board (like a comic strip) form the sequence of events in these two chapters

Our Friday. . .and assignments for 11/18/08

Dear Families,

Is anyone besides me feeling the holiday stress already trying to creep in?!?!? You would have enjoyed Bible with our class today. The children shared their Christmas Story Narrations, written in their own words and from their hearts. We all agreed that we're ready for Christmas and can't wait!

We had a great day of learning. The only cloud was that our Chloe was still out. I heard from her Mom and she is fighting an illness. We prayed for her twice today and hope to see her Tuesday. Mrs. Debi Gant was our helper and is a HUGE help. Many, many thanks.

We listened to a couple GRIMM fairy tales. It was interesting to note the differences in these and the Disney versions we are use to. We reflected on THE THREE MUSKETEERS and bid them adieau. Grammar went well as we are cementing the proper use of pronouns in our minds. I told them how a lot of the upper grades are struggling with grammar and promised that if they would be diligent now, they would reap the benefits.

Ask you child to tell you about my Latin Twister game. We looked further at our rocks in science and have a small assignment for home. The Thanksgiving Feast is next Friday. Look for an e-mail from me by tomorrow letting you know how you can help with the food. I hope the costume assignments are going well.

Enjoy a breath of stillness before the holidays descend on us and spend some calm time with your child.

love,
Mrs. Tkach

ASSIGNMENTS:
Grammar:3rd--read lesson 39 on page 100
--complete ex. A & B
--complete ex. B in "Review and Practice"
--at parent's discretion complete lesson 40
--read lesson 41 VERY CAREFULLY
--complete ex. A,B, and C

2nd--read Unit 3 lesson 4
--complete "For You To Do" and "More Practice and Review"
--at parent's discretion do lesson 5 review--nothing to turn in

Literature:
--read Squanto's Journey (We'll read it through twice)
--locate one simile (remember it will compare two things using "like" or "as") write it down
--make a list of all the names Squanto uses to refer to God

History:
Note: I had an activity planned with the Prussian Flag that we ran out of time to do. If you want your child to complete it at home, here are the directions: 1. Color these parts yellow: the beak of the eagle, the letters FR on the breast of the eagle (for Frederick Rex), the scepter and the orb in the eagle's claws (the orb symbolizes the earth), and the spokes of the crown 2. Color the "cloth" portion of the crown red 3. The body of the eagle is black. (this is optional)
--read first section of ch. 15
--complete mapwork
--optional color page
--either write a narration on this section or answer review questions

Science:
--review lab with parents
--on the next page after Rock Lab #2 that we filled out today follow these instructions: Try to decide how your rock was made and what it went through to get to where it was found. Write your rock's life story on lab page #2.

Latin:
--If you did not finish in class, complete page 41
--make flash cards for the vocab words in lessons 6, 7, and 8. For 8, we need to memorize the derivatives as well. I suggest listing on them on the same side as the Latin word. Our next test will be 12/9/08

Bible:
--read chapter 4 in the New Testament part of our book

thoughts on today and assignments for 11/14/08

Hello Families,

As usual, I'm breathless after spending the day with your children. We missed Chloe and prayed for her today. Mrs. Stokes (Riddock's mom) was our helper. She didn't feel well but was a real trooper and helped out in so many ways. Many, many thanks!

We started our day with a discussion of Veteran's Day and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. None of the students knew what a veteran was. We chased a few rabbit trails in our discussion but ended by being aware that the freedoms we enjoy in the USA are enjoyed because many have served in the military to keep us free.

In Bible, Elizabeth visited our room and read to us about her husband, Zacharius, being struck dumb when he was told that they would have a son in their old age. We enjoyed this story by candlelight for "mood". In Latin, it was stump Mrs. Tkach, again. I'm doing pretty good--not many could stump me. We started Lesson 8 and looked at derivatives.

History was a great learning time. We looked at a book about Versailles that was full of pictures we enjoyed. Once again, we split up and learned facts about The Sun King and then quizzed each other over what we learned. Grammar was tough. We learned that some pronouns tell WHO, while others tell WHOM. These are two important lessons that will need some concentrated work at home.

In literature, we always enjoy the swords. We did a couple of thought questions where we examined scenes from the book and applied them to our own lives. It was light-hearted and fun to hear about secrets and telling lies! During science we took a walk and looked for different rock specimans. It was nice to be outdoors and to be scientist! We will look further at our rocks next week to see if we can tell which of the three major kinds of rocks they are.

We ended the day making masks that could be worn to a fancy ball at Versailles. I brought in a couple that belong to my daughters that were our models. I hope they arrived home in one piece.

Next week we will celebrate a Thanksgiving Feast on Friday with the 4th and 5th grade class. Half of my class should dress as an Indian and the other half as a pilgrim. Here are your students assigned roles:
Chloe--pilgrim Gamaliel--Indian
Amelia--pilgrim Woods--Indian
Riddock--pilgrim Sarah--Indian
Abby--pilgrim Kirsten--Indian

If you have an amazing costume that is the opposite of what you were assigned, contact one of your classmates to trade with you. Sound okay? Let me know.

Enjoy learning this week and I will see you Friday as we bid farewell to our brave Musketeers!

love,
Mrs. Tkach

ASSIGNMENTS:
Grammar: 3rd: review lesson 37 carefully on page 96
--complete exercise A, B, and "Singular and Plural"
--review lesson 38 on page 98
--compelte ex. A and B and "Writing Sentences with Pronouns"

2nd: read lesson 2 of Unit 3 on page 128
--complete Oral Drill with Mom orally
--complete "For You To Do"
--read lesson 3 of Unit 3
--complete ex. B #2--5

Literature:--finish reading the book

History: read chapter 14
--mapwork
--optional color page
--choose an option: (1) answer review questions or (2) write a narration on ch. 14
--decorate another kind of Versailles mask and cut it out. Use what you have at home, markers, crayons, pencils, etc. We'll attach sticks in class next time as we share.

Science:--explain to your parents the three kinds of rocks and how they are made. Tell them how our sugar crystals tasted.

Latin:--review lesson 8
--complete page 40

Bible:--read ch. 2 and 3 on page 264--267
--write this beautiful Christmas story in your own words in a narration to read in class next week.

reflections on today and assignments for 11/11/08

Hello Parents,

We had a great day of learning. The foam swords were back so, once again, I was voted the best teacher ever!!! Mrs. Sanders was our assistant and helped so much. Many thanks.

We always have great discussions. Your children have deep thoughts and are anxious to share them. I hope they are as open with you as they are in class. Take time to listen to them. Behavior is improving and we are on our way to the next pizza party! Yeah!

I have a houseful of teenagers and they're anxious for their turn on the computer so I must be brief. Enjoy your children this weekend and I will see them on Tuesday!

love,
Mrs. Tkach

ASSIGNMENTS:
Grammar: 3rd: review lesson 34 on page 90
--complete ex B
--at parent's discretion, complete lesson 35
--review lesson 36, page 94
--complete ex A and B on page 95

2nd: read Unit 2, lesson 3
--complete ex A under "More Practice and Review"
--read Unit 2, lesson 4
--complete ex A under "More Practice and Review"
--read Unit 3, Lesson 1
--complete "For You To Do" #2--5

Literature:
--tell your parents about our discussion and comparison of Noah and D'Artagnan as regards their faith and perseverance
--read chapter 9, 10, 11

History:
--read chapter 13
--complete mapwork
--optional color page
--produce a narration on ch. 13

Science:
--tell your parents about our lab and what we are growing

Bible:
--finish reading Ps 119:89--end

Latin:
--review lesson 7
--complete page 37

thoughts on today and assignments for 11/7/08

Dear Families,

I feel breathless after a busy day. We had fun, learned, and were kind to one another. Many thanks to Amelia's mom, Mrs. Amy, for helping us. She was great!

Somehow I got us off on Bible lessons, so we won't start the New Testament until next week. We enjoyed sharing our favorite Bible stories today. We are pressing on in Latin and are continuing to learn more and more Latin nouns. This seems to be one of our favorite subjects. Grammar is . . .well. . . . .grammar. We concentrated on knowing when a word needs just a "s" for becoming plural and when it needs an " 's " to show possession.

History was interesting--we were all glad to be back studying European history even if it was about a civil war in England. We studied some fact cards that came out of the chapter and then quizzed each other on them. Mrs. Amy put these together and made copies. This can serve as a narration on this part of the chapter. Also, I included a couple of sheets for you to read when you have time. These are suggestions that come from the front of the SOTW Activity Guide that I use. Alot of it may not be applicable but there are some great hints for helping your child with the narrations.

Everyone loves The Three Musketeers! We learned some sword movements from an article on fencing that I brought in. See if your child can show you these three positions: 1. On Guard 2. lunge and 3. parry. I brought in some great foam swords for us to use throughout our study of this book. We discussed the events so far and made a rough picture sequence of some of the adventures in the first chapters. Also we completed a pre-reading activity sheet together.

Science finished our day as we applied "force" and changed a sedimentary rock into a metamorphic rock. Ask you scientist about it!

Enjoy learning with your students over the next two days.

love,
Mrs. Tkach

ASSIGNMENTS:
Grammar:--3rd
--review lesson 32 on page 86
--complete exercises A and B
--review lesson 33 on page 88
--complete exercises A and B

2nd
--read lesson 17 on page 158
--complete #1--5 of "For You To Do"
--complete #1--5 of "More Practice and Review"
--read lesson 18 on page 160
--complete Oral Drill orally with Mom
--read lesson 19 on page 162
--complete ex. A on pg. 163
--complete handout sheet

Literature:
--show parents fencing positions
--read ch. 5,6,7 and 8

History:
--mapwork
--optional color page
--use class info as your narration after quizzing your family on the facts we discussed in class
--read the rest of ch. 12

Science:
--go over the science handout sheet about testing rocks for hardness
--We will not be conducting Mineral Lab #6 in class. Feel free to do this one at home and bring it in to show the class if your student so desires.

Latin:
--review lesson 7
--complete page 36

Bible:
--read Psalm 119:1--88
--try keeping a tally of how many times the Psalmist talks about listening to God's Word (Note: statutes, precepts, commandments, law, judgements, etc. are all words that also refer to God's Word)

reflections on 10/31/08 and assignments for 11/4/08

Dear Families,

We had such a great day! Someone was praying for us and I want to find out who 'cause their prayers are the kind that get answered. We had Mrs. Kerry Cook assisting us which is awesome because she doesn't even have a child in our class. She was great--many thanks!

We wrapped up our study of the Old Testament with a healthy discussion. Latin proceeded smoothly and we are anxious to add the Doxology to our list of Latin prayers we've memorized. History was most interesting as we learned together about India. I've heard from several of you how hard the chapter on Japan and China was to do a narration on. I'm sorry for that. I've included another option for this chapter on India. Instead of a narration, there are review questions your student can opt to answer. I hope this helps homework run more smoothly.

We had a great time saying good-bye to Mr. Revere and I. We remembered some of our favorite parts, illustrated more chapters for our own book and talked about an important lesson. The one in Romans 8:28. We serve such an awesome God that He can take bad things that happen and bring good from them. We reflected on the bad voyage Sherry had to the New World and the hard time at the glue factory and how she ended up so much happier because these bad things had been a part of making her the free horse and friend of Mr. Paul Revere. Today as we illustrated, I read the the Wadsworth poem The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. I wanted them exposed to it and we will touch on it again later in history.

We had a great lesson on plurals in grammar and finished our testing of minerals in science. Your children were exposed to the process of identifying minerals and rocks. We weren't real precise, but they learned alot about the process. We finished the day by making rakhi bracelets made in India to bring good luck. Also, we went outside and played a game called kabbaddda that exercised your lungs! It is a village game also played in India. Lastly, we were exposed to the elaborate theatrical performances from this part of the world by watching a scene from The King and I. It's at the library to borrow in VHS form. I think they are all interested in finishing it.

We enjoyed our celebration pizza party and some treats brought in by classmates, Mrs. Nicole (or was that Minnie Mouse?) and Mrs. Fowler who stepped in at the end of the day and helped things run even smoother.

Love to all and enjoy this crisp weather!
Mrs. Tkach

ASSIGNMENTS:
Grammar--3rd--review lesson 31 on page 84
--complete ex A and B on page 85
--complete "Using Singular and Plural Nouns"

2nd--read lesson 16 of Unit 3
--write the answers to "Oral Drill"
--read through the sheet sent home and complete exercise A only

Literature: NOTE: The Three Musketeers, which is our next selection, was chosen to keep our students in touch with literature set all over the world. Sometimes these abridged versions have to slice out alot of the literary devices we'd love to expose our children to. It will be great for our children to hear this adventure but we will hit it fast. We have two great books waiting for us for the holidays. My plan is to just have you read at home; there won't be any exercises to do. We will be reading large portions, though. This should proceed fast because the reading level of this book is alot easier than the last. With all that said:
--read through page 35 of The Three Musketeers

History: --Choose on option: 1. produce a narration on ch. 11 or 2. answer review questions
--read "Charles Loses His Head" of chapter 12 (pg. 115--top of page 119)

Science:--review our lab with parents
--tell them about the tests we conducted on our minerals: color, streak, hardness, luster, crystal shape

Latin:--review lesson 6
--complete page 33

Bible:--choose an option: 1. complete homework sheet pg. 199 (use a KJV) or 2. write a narration on ch. 110

reflections on 10/28/08 and assignments for 10/31

Good Afternoon Families!

We had a good day in our temporary setting. The room was bigger and more kid friendly. Of course, this gets us a bit wound up and we spent time getting ourselves under control so that teaching and learning could happen. I guess Halloween week is a tough time for focusing.

We sailed into our new unit in Latin and started learning a new prayer. We did take time to show Mrs. Brenda Gudzan how well we know the Sanctus. She was quite impressed and very much appreciated for all her help. Our Bible "So What" was that we must follow God even when it is extremely hard as it must have been hard for the Jewish men to send off their heathen wives in our story. Mrs. Brenda and I agreed it was, once again, a lesson you spend your whole life learning.

I covered three lessons in grammar because they were so closely related. History had some good discussion about the tough laws that closed Japan down to Christianity and eventually from the whole world. We pretended to be the various factions in China and ended up as friends and benefitting our country. Ask your student about what they learned.

We were truly scientist in Science today. We experimented on rock samples and tested them for hardness using several tools I brought in. Once again, we are sad that Mr. Revere and I will wind down this week. We looked at a map of Boston and discussed all the places that are mentioned in our story. I think all my students know what a simile is--see if they can explain one to you.

We ended our day by making Chinese lanterns and solving some tough riddles that are often used to decorate lanterns. See if your child can remember one and fool you.

Enjoy the cool weather and your children and I'll see you Friday--still at the Presbyterian Church.

love,
Mrs. Tkach

ASSIGNMENTS:
Grammar 3rd: review lesson 27
--complete "Writing Proper Nouns"
--complete "Recognizing Common and Proper Nouns"
--review Lesson 28
--complete ex. A and B
--review Lesson 29
--complete "Using nouns to answer questions" and "Review and Practice"

2nd: (Oops! I will phone both parents with the assignment. I'm posting from the library and I left it at home! Sorry!)

Literature:--review the vocab words
--finish reading the book (postscript, too)
--Answer in your own words: "Why were the Colonials successful in defeating the British troops?" (pg. 144--145)

History:--write a narration on ch. 10
--read ch. 11
--mapwork for ch.11
--optional color page for ch. 11

Science:--review our lab with your parents

Latin:--review lesson 6
--complete pg. 32

Bible:--read half of chapter 110
--answer questions 1--5 on sheet sent home
--bring Bible Story Book next time

assignments for Tuesday, 10/28/08

Dear Families,

Personally, I'm glad to be back to our regular schedule. Friday was a good day--not much fun, I'm afraid, but good. Any school day with TWO tests and rain can't be fun. Your students were troopers and I'm proud of them. Mrs. Stokes, Riddock's mom, was a great help and I appreciate her.

When we were finishing William Bradford everyone was to sad it was over. We're feeling the same way as we just have a short time left with Sherry in Mr. Revere and I. Next we'll go to France and read about The Three Musketeers.

We're leaving Esther having talked about the important lesson of doing what God wants us to and what is right even when it is very hard to do. I assured them it is a life-long struggle to apply that lesson to your life.

We're beginning a new study in Science about rocks and minerals. We are going to learn how to test rocks and determine what kind of sample they are.

A note about History. Last year, we skipped some of the chapters of SOTW to accommodate the length of the Trinity school year. This year we will touch on every chapter to be sure our students have a taste of what was going on all over the world during this time period. You will see that some chapters we will not go into as deep of a study as others.

We have some fun things planned as the holidays approach. Keep reading the newsletter for updates. Enjoy your children this weekend!

love,
Mrs. Tkach

ASSIGNMENTS:
Grammar:
3rd: --read and review lesson 26
--complete exercise A #1--5 on page 75
--complete exercise B
--complete Review and Practice

2nd: --read Lesson 9 in Unit 2
--complete "For You To Do" on page 85
--complete exercise B on page 85

Literature:
--define the vocabulary words
--read ch. 11

History:
--read ch. 10 in SOTW
--complete mapwork
--optional color page

Science:
--show and tell your parents about the rocks we used in Science

Latin:
--NO HOMEWORK!

Bible:
--read ch. 109
--make a list of 4 or 5 miracles God did while the Jews were captive in Babylon. We've been studying these and they are listed on the first page of the chapter.

reflections and assignments for 10/24/08

Whew!

Mrs. Stone and I are out of breath. We had a whirlwind of a school day. Many thanks to Mrs. Stone (Kirsten's mom) for helping out. We made pizza in science and compared it to the layers of our earth--then enjoyed eating it! One of our students fell in the pond at lunch but emerged un-scathed. What a good sport! Because this week has been a bit hectic with the make-up day, I took the liberty of bringing the movie, The Prince of Egypt, that we viewed between yesterday and today. I think all enjoyed it. Legos were required in science yesterday and they stayed and were enjoyed for two days as well. Back to serious school starting Friday!!!

Report cards will be distributed next week. Also, there are plans for a celebration of some kind after school on the 31st. Watch the Trinity Newsletter for more updates.

Enjoy two regular, learning days with your student and I will see you on Friday.

love,
Mrs. Tkach

ASSIGNMENTS:
Grammar for Both Grades: Study for Unit 1 test on Friday.

Literature:
--review vocabulary
--read chapter 10
--answer review questions

History:
--optional--finish making paper dolls (no need to return these, just enjoy them at home)
--mapwork
--optional color page
--read the rest of chapter 9
--produce a narration on the whole of chapter 9

Science:
--for any that didn't, please turn in your month-long weather journal
--go over our pizza lab with your parents

Latin:
--study for test on Friday

Bible:
--finish reading chapter 108

for Tuesday, 10/21/08

Hello,

I'm still struggling with internet difficulties so I'm at the library on-line. In your student's assignment folder is a handwritten note for what they need to do tonight for tomorrow. Also, second graders, could you bring your text book again tomorrow. We will do another review in class for our test on Friday.

love to all. . .
Mrs. Tkach

Assigments for 10/20/2008

I'm having internet problems. For Monday please have your student read the next chapter in Mr. Revere and I. Also, please read the next chapter in SOTW.

assignments for 10/17/08

Hello!

We had a productive day again today. We walked like Peter Stuyvesant, did an experiment to show air really does weigh something, made latin flashcards, made scrolls, and enjoyed some sunshine after days of rain. We are slowly progressing through The Witch of Blackbird Pond. If anyone needs stocking-stuffer ideas--your children LOVE playdough. We model with it while I read or why we wait our turn to walk on a peg leg.

Mrs. Hatchell was our assistant and helped so much. Chloe donated a podium for my use. It was so helpful! I think we should all be proud of our science quiz grades. I know I am. I sometimes mutter and complain about all the prep time in conducting the labs but then the quiz shows your children are "getting it". YEAH!

Encourage your students to be diligent the next two days at home with you and I'll see them Friday. Also, I think you are all aware that we will have school next Monday, October 20th to make up the storm day we lost in September.

love,
Mrs. Tkach

ASSIGNMENTS:
Grammar: 3rd--review lesson 20
--complete exercise A & B under "Using Apostrophes in Contractions"
--complete exercise A at the top of page 56
--at parent's discretion complete the review in Lesson 21
--review lesson 22 on page 58
--complete Practice With Capitalization. Note: You don't have to write the whole sentence, just the words that need to be capitalized.
--complete Review and Practice on page 60

2nd: --complete handout sheet
--read lesson 23 on page 54
--complete #1--4 on page 55
--read lesson 24 on page 56
--complete "More Practice and Review" on page 57
--read lesson 6 of unit 1
--complete "More Practice and Review" page 21 (Don't write the whole sentence)

Literature:--memorize Yankee Doodle lyrics by end of October
--go over vocab before reading
--read ch. 6 & 7
--answer review questions after reading

History:--put Manhattan Letter in your history section
--write a narration on "The Dutch in the New World"
--read all of ch. 7
--mapwork
--optional color pages

Science: --go over our labs with parents
--continue weather journal which will be due on Tuesday

Latin:--finish making flashcards from page 26 (verbs, nouns, and practical latin terms)
--study and complete page 27 (not derivatives)

Bible: --read chapter 107
--complete True/False sheet using your Bible

OOPS!

I've been meaning to say that if you want the supplies I asked you to buy to be stored at school, I have room for them now. I have Chloe's and Riddock's. Use one of the folders to put all the work from William Bradford into. This will open up the literature section of your big notebook and it should just have Mr. Revere and I work in it now. The William Bradford folder can be stored at home. Make sense?

See you Tuesday!

a recap of our day and assignments for 10/14

Hello!

We had another action-packed day. Bible discussion is always surprisingly deep. I wish all could hear your children's thoughts on our Bible talks. You should be very proud and touched by their simple honesty. I believe everyone officially has the Sanctus memorized except for me. Your children are gifted in their language abilities. Keep it up.

We read some great books about life in Plimouth Plantation. Now, for my surprise! We are so familiar with the information we read in SOTW that we produced a narration as a class. Mrs. Joy, who was my helper, was our scribe. We produced a summary and she copied it down for us. You will find it in your child's assignment folder. It can be put in their notebook as a summary instead of having to do one for homework. Gamaliel had already done a narration and read it to us. We used alot of his ideas for our class summary.

We had a brief, but important grammar lesson about showing possession or ownership by using apostrophe s ('s). The lesson was straightforward and I think everyone "got it".

After lunch, we had to have a heart-to-heart talk about play that is appropriate at Trinity. I called it "rough boy play" although, often girls like this play, too. It is perfectly fun and enjoyable but just not at Trinity. We cannot have slapping, hitting, swatting bottoms, etc-- even if it's just for fun. These have their place, just not at school.

I had so many activities I wanted to accomplish with our literature time. We did go out for a picnic like the British soldiers enjoyed. We played rounders and hopscotch and shot chickens. We ate turnips and talked about how this was all some people had to use for money. They were even used in betting on the horse races! We went outside and saw that a furlong is roughly the distance around the block of St Helena's sanctuary. Sherry would have raced around 12 times to equal the distance she ran in the race on Boston Commons. Lastly, Mrs. Joy weighed us and we converted our weight into stones--a unit for measuring weight in old England.

We joined the 4th and 5th graders and viewed a video about weather for a short while then finished off our day with our science quiz.

Slow down. . .enjoy your little ones. . .your middle ones. . .even your big ones. (I'm talking to myself!) I'll see you on Tuesday.

love,
Mrs. Tkach

ASSIGNMENTS:
Grammar:
3rd:--review lesson 19 on page 53
--complete exercise B
--complete "Review and Practice" on pg. 54

2nd:--complete handout sheet
--read and review Unit 1, Lesson 22
--complete "For You To Do" #1--7
--complete "More Practice and Review" orally with Mom

Literature:
--finish "Sons of Liberty" report
--review vocab then read ch. 5
--answer review questions

History:
--mapwork
--(optional) color page
--read "The Dutch in the New World"
--be sure and wear long pants next Tuesday

Science:
--continue weather journal

Latin:
--review as needed
--complete pg. 25

Bible:
--read the rest of ch. 106
--illustrate the Jews rebuilding the wall

assignments for 10/10/08

Good Morning,

I hope I'm early enough getting assignments out to not delay your school day. We had a busy day again yesterday. Science may have been my personal favorite. Of course, the sumo wrestling we did at the end of the day was pretty exciting. Ask you student all about it!

Your children are doing great and in my opinion are learning alot as well. Please keep me informed as to how things are going at home.

I'll be brief because I have a ladies Bible Study at my church this morning. It nourishes my soul. I pray each of you Moms can find a way to take time for that. We will all be better teachers in our homeschools if we can make time to hear from God.

love to all,
Mrs. Tkach

ASSIGNMENTS:

Grammar:
3rd: --review lesson 17 on page 49 NOTE: Please review these lessons on quotations carefully. It seemed to be new and my class was anxious for lunch by the time we were going over it.
--complete #4--7 of "Practice with Quotations"
--complete Review and Practice on page 50
--review lesson 18 on page 50
--complete exercise A & B on page 52

2nd:--complete hand out sheet
--read Unit 1, Lesson 19 on page 46
--complete "For You To Do" # 1 and 2
--complete "More Practice and Review" #1,2, and 3
--read Unit 1, Lesson 21 on page 50
--complete "For You To Do" #1,2,and 3
--complete "More Practice and Review" with Mom orally

Literature:
--familiarize yourself with vocab to help your reading
--read ch 3 & 4 of Mr. Revere and I
--write a report on the Sons of Liberty. Answer questions like "Who were they?" "Why did they form?" "When did they exist?" "Where did they operate?"
2nd graders: at least a 3 sentence paragraph
3rd graders: at least a 5 sentence paragraph
These reports will be due 10/14/08, next Tuesday.

History:
--write a narration on "The First Tokugawa Ruler"
--design a Japanese Family Crest using the handout for information
--read ch. 6 "Strangers and Saints in the New World"
--EXTRA-CREDIT: write a haiku

Science:
--review our Air Lab with parents
--go over study guide to prepare for quiz on Friday
--continue weather journal

Latin:
--review pages 22 & 23
--complete page 24

Bible:
--You've already read the first half of ch. 106--review it for class discussion
--answer these questions in complete sentences:
1. Why did God cause His people to be captured by their enemies?
2. Do you think it is important to obey God completely or is "half-way" alright? Why?

reflections and assignments for 10/7/08

Dear Families,

We had a great day of learning. I love to see light bulbs going off. I saw several today. Even in boring, dry, old grammar. We had several volunteers in and out because of a meeting. They were all helpful and we appreciate all of them. We missed Amelia who was sick--we prayed for you!

I must apologize to parents about a mistake I made with our Bible assignment. I've already apologized to our children and been forgiven. Apparently, my pages stuck together when I was making lesson plans and I just skipped over Lesson 105. Sorry! We read it in class today and enjoyed it. Great discussion. Riddock asked, "If God knew Satan was going to tempt Adam and Eve, why did He ever create him?" He got me. But this was a great lead into how our finite, little minds can't comprehend our great God and there are just somethings that are too big for us to grasp. I told them that and got off the hot seat!

Latin is going well and they assure me they are enjoying the homework. Many have the Sanctus already completely memorized--ahead of time! We took turns acting out some of the verbs. Grammar was mostly about quotation marks and their proper use. It was a hard concept. Work with them in knowing the difference between a direct quote and an indirect quote. (Hint: on the homework sheet, there are no indirect quotes. They all need quotation marks!)

We enjoyed lunch on time for a change and came back up for two science labs. We condensed the water cycle into a bowl. I'm going to leave the project processing until next class and we should really see how water that is evaporated in no longer salty. We also did a lab that your children can show you in their book that illustrates the water cycle.

Literature was fun because we performed a play! I wrote a short script from chapter 1 and the students acted it out for Abby and me. Abby gave them two thumbs up! The book just gets better and many already liked it after only one chapter. I promise either the vocab gets easier or you just get used to it. It's a great read!

For history we were exposed to some literature selections suggested in SOTW. Ask your student about the tall tales from Japan that I read to them. We ended the day with a history project in which we made wish sticks to hang on a tree in your yard. We studied how the people of Japan were not Christian and in certain festivals hung these wish sticks in hopes that the wind would carry their wishes off to fulfillment. We were all glad that we have prayer instead of wish sticks!

Enjoy this beautiful fall weather and learning along side your children.

love,
Mrs. Tkach

ASSIGNMENTS:
Grammar:
3rd: --review lesson 16 page 47 and 48
--complete handout sheet page 7
--complete Exercise A and B
--BONUS/EXTRA CREDIT complete "Can You Do This"

2nd: -- complete handout sheet page 7
--read and review Lesson 18 in Unit 1 on page 44
--complete "For You To Do"
--complete "More Practice and Review" orally with Mom

Literature: --complete vocab exercise
--read ch. 2
--complete review activities

History: --write a narration on the first half of ch. 5 of SOTW
--complete mapwork
--(optional) color page
--read second half of ch. 5

Science:
--show your parents the cut-and-paste weather lab and explain the water cycle in your own words
--continue your weather journal (They looked great when I checked their progress today!)

Latin:
--review as needed
--complete page 21

Bible:
--read Psalms 126
--be prepared to discuss how happy the Israelites were to return home

Day's Recap and assignments for 10/3/08

Dear Families,

We had a packed day. Sometimes I'm my own worst enemy. There is so much I want to do in class and sometimes I'm stubborn and insist on doing it all. This was one of those days and poor Mrs. Hatchell (Chloe's mom) was my helper. She will rest well tonight!!! Thank you and God bless!

We wrapped up our study of Daniel by emphasizing his courage and faith. Many of us know people named Daniel because he was such a great Bible hero to be named after. However, we did talk about whether he was perfect or not and reminded ourselves that ALL have sinned and are in need of a Savior. We look forward to talking with him in heaven one day.

Latin was a huge success because candy was involved! The students got a chance to stump Mrs. Tkach. If they asked me a Latin question from any of the lessons we've studied and I couldn't answer it--they won a bag of skittles. They cleaned me out! I'll have to study before doing that activity again.

History was my favorite, as usual. We made a giant map on the floor of Henry Hudson's routes. We took turns sailing a Lego ship trailing some yarn to make a permanent visual of each of the routes. Ask your student why he claimed the New Amsterdam (present day New York) area for the Dutch instead of the English.

We covered two short, easy lessons in grammar and got out to lunch only a little late. When we returned we made pilgrim hats to enjoy our William Bradford celebration in. We had corn, pumpkin, turkey, and sunflower seeds--washed down with cherry juice. Let your child tell you about it. We will miss this great book but I teased them with how they'll enjoy our next one even more.

We conducted Water Cycle Lab #1 and watched water turn from solid to liquid to gas. We also saw it move from gas to liquid by cooling the steam over my boiling pan and seeing it condense on a cold cookie sheet. The page may be filled out a bit sloppy but I think they were able to see the process clearly.

Lastly we talked briefly about fool's gold and a gentleman that gave up promising explorations to retrieve loads of gold for England only to find out it was pyrite. Your child learned some of the tests to prove what is real gold and what is fake. See if they can tell you.

Enjoy your children and learning along side them. Please let me hear any concerns you have.

love,
Mrs. Tkach

ASSIGNMENTS:
Grammar:
3rd: -- review lesson 13 on pg. 42
--complete exercise A pg. 42
--complete exercise B & C for #7--12
--at parent's discretion, complete lesson 14 which is a review. No need to turn anything in.
--review lesson 15 on page 46
--complete Exercise A #7--12 on page 46
--complete exercise B and C

2nd:--review Unit 1, Lesson 14 on page 36
--go over "For You to Do" orally (nothing written)
--complete "More Practice and Review"
--review Unit 1, Lesson 16 on page 40
--complete "For You To Do"
--review lesson 1 in Unit 2 page 68
--complete exercise A pg. 69
--complete exercise B, #1--5

Literature:
--go over and familiarize your student with the vocabulary hand out for the first chapter of Mr. Revere and I
--read the first chapter (The reading level for this book is quite a bit higher than our last one. Probably all my students will need you to read to them at least at first.)
--complete review questions

History:
--put hand out in your history section after reviewing with a parent
--produce a narration on Henry Hudson's last days (what happened, why it happened, who was with him)
--do chapter 4 mapwork
--(optional) color pages
--read first half of ch. 5

Science:
--repair your lab instruments (some students took home supplies I provided for repairs)
--continue making weather observations each day
--bring in lab sheets from your weather journal for a progress check next time.
--go over what we did in class with parents (use Water Cycle Lab Sheet to tell them)

Latin:
--review Lesson 4 on page 18 & 19
--complete page 20

Bible:
--with a parent, read through handout entitled "Ezra Background"
--read first half of ch. 106 (through top right column on page 248)
--choose one of the following options:
1. complete Supplemental Exercise using a KJV of Ezra 9:10--15 OR
2. complete a narration on the reading

I forgot to mention your children reciting the 23rd Psalm. Several had it completely done. I was proud of everyone's effort. Mrs. Nicole joined us and was touched.

reflections and assignments for 9/30/08

Dear Families,

We had a productive Friday. We enjoyed our new world map that Trinity bought for us. We saw where the French explorers looked for the Northwest Passage. We further enjoyed William Bradford and all agree it is a great book. We even picked apart the recipe for the sheep cure and pretended to make some. We tried taking a grammar quiz which was just for the experience. Many have the Sanctus already memorized and I always get a few "So What's" at Bible time. We watched a funny science video about the water cycle and read some books about it as well.

Forgive me for rushing through the summary of our day. I've only just gotten home and I'm off early in the morning to see my Citadel Cadet. Your children were great today and always are anxious to learn. Also, we had the capable help of Riddock's mom, Mrs. Stokes. Thanks so much!

Enjoy your children, work hard on your studies, and I'll see you Tuesday!

love,
Mrs. Tkach

ASSIGNMENTS:
Grammar:
3rd Grade:--review lesson #12 on page 39
--complete exercise A, B, and C on page 40 & 41

2nd Grade:--complete handout sheet
--review Unit 1, Lesson 13 on page 34
--complete "For You To Do"
--go over "More Practice and Review" orally with parent (nothing to turn in)

Literature:
--be prepared to recite the 23rd Psalm at next class period. (Your might want to bring in a copy of the version you'll be reciting from for me to hold while you're reciting.)
--read ch. 13 & 14
--do review questions

History:
--produce a narration of "The French of the New World"
--make a mask (You received a handout about the Natives in Canada making masks. Using it and the example I had in class, design your own colorful mask on the cardboard you received. Be imaginative and have fun! I included a stick you can tape to the back so you can hold your mask in front of you face.)
--read the rest of ch. 4 in SOTW

Science:
--please continue to keep you weather journal current. I plan to bring some supplies next week for your child to bring home. These are in case some of their instruments need some repair.
--I will probably have them bring in their journal for a check in the next week or so. They'll receive a grade on their progress.

Latin:
--review practical Latin on pg. 6,10, and 14
--review vocab on pg. 7, 11, 15
--practice the Sanctus
--complete page 17

Bible:
--finish word search
--read second half of ch. 104
--Think about if you were Daniel. Write down how you would feel, what you would be thinking, and what you would pray.

assignments for 9/26/08

Hello Families!

I hope you have had time to enjoy the beautiful weather Beaufort County has had the last few days. It fit in perfectly with our science lesson today. Your children learned why we have seasons. Ask them. (It's because God tilted the earth the right amount of degrees back during creation!)

We had a treat, in that one of Trinity's Board members was our helper today. Mary Sanders jumped right in and was my "right hand". Many thanks!

Your children had a day full of learning, I believe. Bible and Latin sailed smoothly. They promise me that they are using Latin at home. Encourage this. I ran into Riddock at a local restaurant and he recited the Sanctus for me. History was all about Jamestown and my students were so interested. We read a Pocahantas book and discussed which parts of the story are fact and which parts are legend. We tasted some foods (sunflower seeds, dried cherries, and hominy) that the Native Americans introduced to the settlers. We went out and played quoit. This is a game played in Jamestown that is very similar to our horseshoe game. Ask you student about the differences. (The weight of the ring, the wax, etc.)

Grammar is progressing on schedule--we discussed commands and exclamations today. Our literature selection is dove-tailing perfectly with our history lessons. It is easy for us to make connections between the two subjects. Today Sarah even connected our Bible lessons about Nebuchadnezzar with the history and literature discussion. Our hero, William, was disappointed in King James in the book. We discussed what we should and should not use to judge people. We read in the Bible in Luke 18 about the Pharisee and the tax collector and how you cannot judge by appearance. Jesus taught that the humble tax collector left church right with God and not the proud Pharisee.

Encourage your children this week to work diligently at their studies. We reflected on William Brewster's words to William Bradford on page 129. This is the time their young minds are made ready for whatever work God has designed and planned especially for them.

love to all my students. . .
Mrs. Tkach

p.s. Please contact me with any concerns you have. I want to hear from you.

ASSIGNMENTS:
Grammar:
3rd Grade: --review lesson 11 on page 37
--complete exercise A page 38 (we did exercise B in class)
--complete Review and Practice on page 39
2nd Grade: --complete handout sheet comparing commands and exclamations
--review Unit 1, Lesson 12 on page 32
--complete "More Practice and Review" on page 33

Literature:
--be polishing up memory work (Ps 23)
--read ch. 11 and 12
--do review questions
--discuss the cure at the top of page 143 with a family member. Speculate about what it means.

History:
--complete crossword puzzle
--use the reading you've done in SOTW and our class discussions to produce a narration on "King Jame's Town". NOTE: Narrations, for my younger students, can be submitted in the parent's handwriting. Let them narrate to you what they've learned about the topic. Later in the year, they can recopy what you've written down for them. Even later in the year, they will be producing narrations by themselves. This process is describe in detail in Susan Baur's book, The Well-Trained Mind. I encourage each of you to read that book. Much of how Trinity operates is based on it.
--read "The French of the New World" in Chapter 4 of SOTW

Science:
--continue generating your month-long weather journal
--NOTE: My plan had been to conduct Weather Lab #6. It became apparent to me as I showed the lab to the students that we were not grasping the concept or my lab was not adequate to show them how the tilt of the earth causes seasons. This is why their page for Weather Lab #6 is not complete. I decided that if they understood what rotation meant and that the earth rotates once per day and what orbit meant and that the earth orbits the sun once in a year, we had a successful science lab. They do know the tilt causes the seasons, I just don't think my experiment SHOWED them why this is true. I think I will leave that to the 4th/5th grade teachers. We'll study the water cycle beginning next week.

Latin:
--review vocab on page 15
--practice prayer on page 15
--complete page 16
(The cd that accompanies this course is invaluable. If you plan for your child to continue studying Latin, it might be worth the $5 investment.)

Bible:
--read the first half of ch. 104 (pg. 242 through the first paragraph on pg. 243)
--write down a "So What?" What did you learn and how can you apply this lesson to YOUR life.

A Great Day! (and assignments for 9/23/08)

Dear Families,

I think I know one of the reasons Jesus loved children so much while on Earth. They are amazing in their innocence. My class yearns to know "who's bad and who's good?" "Was King James right or wrong?" "I think I'm beginning to not like Queen Elizabeth so much." Amidst our walk on earth when the questions are hard to know and answer, isn't it comforting to know we serve a God that DOES know. He knows the right decision to make, the good choice to choose, the best path for our lives. Your children are awesome!

We discussed how King James could yearn to have God's word in the hands of the common people on one hand and yet outlaw Puritan Churches on the other. We mentioned King David and Abraham capable of being both bad and good and applied the lesson to our own lives. I told them they would have to struggle their whole lives at times to fight the urge to do wrong and choose instead to do things God's way. Great discussion!

Bible and Latin went well. I've tarried on Lesson 2 a while because I wanted them to memorize those rules. They've assured me it's gotten boring and they are ready to move on. I really think there fresh young minds do absorb language study faster than mine so we'll move on:)

We are all enjoying our literature selection. We tasted authentic pease porridge (only 1 day old instead of 9!) Have your student tell about how it was cooked and used in England in the 1600s. We shared some with the 4th/5th class and were given the opportunity to recite the 23rd Psalm. We were a bit shy in front of the crowd and I had no volunteers. When we returned to our room, several tried and overall did well.

We went out with our science journals and made an observation about water and observed the water again an hour later. I was quite impressed with the science entries you made at home.

We ended the day by making "Guy dolls". Please have your student explain the history behind these and how they are used even today. I believe I sent home a handout explaining the celebrations in England if any want to further act them out with your child.

I'm off to North Carolina to celebrate with my good friend, Mrs. Stephanie Fowler, the wedding of her son. I hope you each have a happy and fulfilling weekend.

love,
Mrs. Tkach

ASSIGNMENTS:

Grammar:
3rd Grade: --review lesson 9 on pg. 33
--Do practice with asking pg. 34 #6--10
--complete exercise B pg. 34
--complete review and practice pg. 34 &35
--review lesson 10 pg. 35
--complete exercise A #6-10 pg. 36
--complete exercise B on pg. 36
--complete review and practice pg. 36

2nd Grade:--review Unit 1 Lesson 4 pg. 16
--complete "For You To Do" pg. 16
--complete "More Practice and Review" pg. 17
--review Unit 1 Lesson 9 pg. 26
--complete "For You To Do" pg. 26 & 27
--complete "More Practice and Review" pg. 27

Literature:
--work on memorizing Psalm 23 by end of Sept
--read ch. 9& 10
--answer review questions
--get parents permision to bring to school and show a treasure you might give if you had to say good-bye to a friend

History:
--mapwork
--color page (optional)
--show and explain your "guy doll" to your family
--write a narration on "James and His Enemies"
--read the rest of ch. 3

Science:
--read through science handout
--get ready to start your month of weather observing on Monday

Latin:
--review all parts of lesson 1 and 2
--complete "Write and Learn" on pg. 13

Bible:
--read the last part of ch. 103
--write a narration about the events in this section. Try to include a "So What?"

Latin and Bible assignments for 9/19

Whoops, I logged off too soon.

Latin:
--review Consonant Sound section on pg. 10
--review vocab for lesson 1 & 2
--complete Lesson 2 Questions on pg. 12
--complete Speaking Latin section on bottom of page 12 through top of page 13

Bible:
--discuss your "SO WHAT?" with your family (This means think about how you can apply a Bible passage to your own life) Remember mine from class was: I'm not going to brag or take credit for my great kids. I plan to give God all the credit and glory for giving me such great children. What is your "SO WHAT?" from lesson 102
--draw a picture of what Nebuchadnezzal looked like in the field. There's a fairly detailed description in lesson 102
--read pg. 239--241 2nd paragraph. This is the first half of ch. 103

reflections on our day and assignments for 9/19

Dear Families,

My youngest, Arianna, is ill so this will be short and sweet. We had a VERY busy day. Great lessons in Bible (ask about our SO WHAT) and Latin. We're struggling through memorizing those rules in Lesson 2 about dipthongs and soft or hard consonants. Then the projests started! We painted Scottish tartans to wear as kilts. (These weren't dry by departure time so they'll come home next time.) We experimented with making ink as William Bradford had to and writing with a quill. Lastly, we made weather vanes.

Mrs. Beth unexpectedly became our helper and she was worked hard! Many thanks.

Have a great couple of days and pray for my Arianna if you think of her.

love,
Mrs. Tkach

ASSIGNMENTS:

Grammar:
3rd grade:
--review lesson 7 on page 29 & 30
--complete exercises A & B under "Working With Sentences"
--Do "Can You Do This?"
--at parents discretion, complete lesson 8 which is a review (no need to turn anything in to me)
2nd grade:
--review lesson 11 on pg. 30
--complete handout sheet (about diagraming)
--complete "For You to Do" on pg. 31
--complete exercise B on pg. 31
--review unit 2, lesson 24 on pg. 114
--complete #2--5 under "For You to Do" on pg. 115

Literature:
--continue memorizing Psalm 23
--look up Puritans in a child-friendly encyclopedia. Write down a small paragraph explaining who the Puritans were
--read ch. 7 & 8
--do review questions on these chapters

History:
--review and report to your parent/teacher what we discussed about Mary, Queen of Scots.
--produce a narration on The Queen Without a Country, ILLUSTRATE
--read ch. 3, James and His Enemies

Science:
--explain and demonstrate weather vane to family
--read through "Keeping a Science Journal" paragraph on handout
--skim through seasonal suggestions in handout
--pick one of the suggestions or make up one of your own and make your first science journal entry. Only 3 requirements for the entry: 1. date 2. weather 3. who you went with. (The one spiral I put on the supply list is for this purpose. I tried to send home one to those students who brought back their supplies to me. We are now in our final room assignment, so if anyone else wants to bring in their supplies, I have a shelf to keep them on now. Also, there is no need for the students to haul the big notebook back and forth each time. Just put the returned papers in it when they get home.)
--bring you science journal to class next time and volunteers can share

A final comment. We have a loving, kind, and VERY chatty group of students. I'm trying a new reward system. We put marbles in a glass when I observe positive behavior and remove some if we're too talkative. When the glass is full, we'll have a party. I was a bit lax today but I'm going to tighten up from here on out. We're losing too much valuable class time. Warn them for me.

correction!

I meant continue memorizing the 23rd Psalm!

Our Day in Retrospect & Assignments for 9/16/08

Hello Dear Families,

I'm a happy Mama tonight! I made a flying run to Charleston after class and picked up my Citadel Cadet and get to enjoy him being home for the weekend. Most all my blogs end with me urging you to enjoy your children. It seems about a month and a half ago this young man was at my knee playing and being read to and learning and growing. Blink too fast and your young ones will be out from under your roof and you'll understand my encouragements to slow down and enjoy!

We had another full day of learning. Mrs. Brenda Gudzan was our helper and we enjoyed her kind ways so much. Thank you, Mrs. Brenda! Ask your student if they remember the "jelly roll" she showed us how to do.

We're having fun talking about the familiar story of Daniel and doing the puzzles about his story. I love how ready my students are to share their work with each other. Latin is progressing well, I think. I've decided to spend three class periods on chapter two since there are alot of rules to remember. Try to encourage your students to use their Latin in everyday life. "Salvete!" "Oremus", "Dear Deus", etc.

We read The Boy Who Held Back the Sea and Katje, the Windmill Cat (recommended in SOTW) during history and The Magic School Bus In a Hurricane during science (recommended in our science curriculum). We discussed William the Silent and decided he's our newest hero. We branched off into a discussion of the roots of Protestantism. Your sweet children are anxious, as all children are, to know who's the bad guys and who's the good guys. I tread carefully when these questions come up. I never want to trespass onto your place in guiding your children. The tendancy is to categorize Catholics as bad. I cautioned them against this. We were able to talk about the clear teaching of scripture concerning who Christians are and the dangers of adding other "works" to the Gospel in order to become one. See if you can draw them out on this subject and use our history lesson as a springboard to teach them about your faith.

In History we also discussed the dikes of The Netherlands and the use of the windmills to pump the water out into the sea. We made dikes in a large pan from playdough and talked about the battle for The Netherlands. We sure love playdough!

Kirsten saved me from a mistake I made on the science assignment. I actually needed the fat pencils today but posted the need for next Tuesday. She had four that she donated, I had two and two children were content to use skinny ones. Thank you Kirsten! I will replace your 4 pencils by next class period. I hope our wind guages made it home safely.

We had a full, fun busy day. I'm going to cut off my ramblings so I can administer a back rub before Joe falls asleep!

ASSIGNMENTS:

Grammar:
3rd grade: --review lesson 5 on pgs 25 & 26
--complete exercise A on pg. 26
--review lesson 6 on pg. 27--28
--complete exercises A, B, & C
2nd grade:--review Unit 1, Lesson 3 on pg. 14
--complete exercise A on pg. 15, only #1,2, & 3
--complete exercise B on pg. 15, only #1 & 2
--review Unit 1 Lesson 8 on pg. 24
--complete exercise A & B

Literature:
--We talked at length about empathy. We see it often in William Bradford. I have challenged your child to look for someone that is hard for them to have empathy for and then choose to show kindness to that person this week. (Most assured me it was sibling! :)
--continue memorizing the Lord's Supper
--read ch. 5 & 6 pgs. 65--91
--answer review questions

History:
--produce a narration on "The Dutch Revolt"
--do mapwork
--read "The Queen Without a Country" part of ch. 2
--optional color pages

Science:
--At the end of the day, I handed a paper to your child about the Beaufort Scale for measuring wind speed. Review it carefully with your child since we didn't have time to in class. Also, help them make their wind guages function. You have to adjust them so that the plate can spin freely. Also, I'm not sure they understood my explanation about counting the number of times the black cup came around in a 30 second time period, then multiplying that by 2 to arrive at how many revolutions per minute the wind is blowing. Spend some time clarifying and enjoying their guages. We got one really spinning fast in front of a fan in our class.

Latin:
--review the dipthongs and translations in lesson 2
--review Magistra and Salvete
--review Oremus and the 1st two lines of the prayer on pg. 11
--do review and translation on pg. 12

Bible:
--complete "Daniel's Furry Friend"
--read ch. 102 on pages 237--239 which is from Daniel 4

love and prayers. . .
Mrs. Tkach

Reflections on today & Assignments due 9/12/08

WHEW!!! We had a whirlwind of a day. I fell even more in love with your children today. At this rate, I'll have to move them all in with me after the first of the year! :)

The Board of Trinity is still working some kinks out of our room assignments. I arrived to a room that needed some prep so we got off to a chaotic start. We stopped and prayed and God came along side us, settled us (mostly me) down and we ended up with a very productive and busy day.

Many thanks to Terry Beach who helped us and was worked hard as our assistant. Last week, we had Beth Langehans helping, yet, I forgot to thank her. Thank you!

Here's the plan I'm trying for turning in your home assignments. All the work I assign, once it is finished, needs to be put into your student's assignment folder. When they enter our classroom the next class day, they will remove everything and turn all the completed assignments into the basket provided. They will then leave their empty folder beside the basket. As we proceed through the day, any work we do in class will be put into their folder along with homework pages to complete and graded homework that I am returning. When they arrive home, you can go through their folder with them and place any class work and returned homework into the appropriate section of their big binder and take note of the homework pages to be completed. Hope that makes sense. We'll give it a try and adjust as needed. NOTE: please be sure a name is on EVERY page turned in. Also, unless otherwise noted, science assignments will not be turned in. Just complete them in the book and leave them there.

Your children will soon know that History is my favorite subject to teach. I love the idea of you teaching and reading with them at home and then us coming together to bring the lessons alive in class. We were busy about this today! After discussing the Spanish explorations and quests for gold in South America, we went outside and tried to "taste" what being a native Indian slave was like. We panned for gold in a flowing river, we dug for gold in sand with sticks, and we crushed quartz in hopes of finding veins of gold dust. It was exciting! Ask your kids to tell you about it and hopefully some gold nuggets made it home for you to see.

As I'm learning more about the Classical model and putting it into practice with your students, I will be reading to them alot. I love to expose them to the literature that is suggested in Story of the World. I plan to keep you informed of the books your children listened to while they were with me. Here are the ones for 9/9/08:Rain Player (SOTW recommended), Montezma and the Fall of the Aztecs, and for science: Hurricanes, On the Same Day in March.

Assignments due 9/12/08:

Grammar:
Third Grade:
--review Lesson 4
--finish Exercise A that we started in class (some may have finished)
--complete Exercise B using Exercise A
--complete Review and Practice on page 25
Second Grade:
--review lesson 1 on pg. 10 with parent
--complete "Finding Sentences" on pg. 11
--review lesson 2 on pg. 12
--complete "For You To Do" at the bottom of pg. 12
--complete "More Practice and Review" on pg. 13

Literature:
--continue working on memorizing Psalm 23
--read ch. 3 and 4 (Pgs. 39--64)
--answer review questions

History:
--produce a narration on "The Riches of Spain" and illustrate it
--read the part of ch. 2 called "The Dutch Revolt"

Science: (I hope the rain guages made it home safely!:)
--review the sheets about predicting rain with your student and put them in their science notebook near the page explaining making the rain guages
--Use the sheet (top half of a page) that explains keeping a record of rainfall using their rain guages to help your child measure rainfall this week. Finish filling out their lab sheet #2 with them.
--bring one kindergarten-size, fat, new pencil in next week.

Latin:
--finish page 9

Bible:
--read ch. 101 on page 235--237 (this is taken from Daniel 3)
--draw a picture of the events in this chapter or write a short paragraph (3 sentences or so) telling what happened

I encourage you to enjoy the above science assignment with your child. If you're laying on your back examining clouds with your son or daughter, let it evolve into a time to just listen to them and notice how their thoughts meander. My preacher reminded us again this week of how much Christ loved children. Slow down and enjoy them!

love,
Mrs. Tkach
--

thoughts on today & assignments for next time

Dear Families,

We had a great first day! I enjoyed being with your children and they seemed to enjoy our class as well. We made new friends, cemented existing friendships, learned and proved I'll have to be on my toes to keep ahead of these students!

A few housekeeping items: 1. Trinity will follow the public schools as regarding closing because of the storm. 2. We will have a room change by next week. This is why all the supplies your poor kids hauled in were sent back home. My plan had been to label their items and store the supplies at school. I decided that the chances of them getting lost in the move was too great so I just had them bring them back home. We'll just need their books ( including the science notebook) and their assignment folder on Friday. Please use the dividers you purchased and label a section in their biggest notebook for the following classes: Bible, Latin, Grammar, History, Science, and Literature. As we complete work in class, we will just put it into the assignment folder along with any homework pages to be done. When you and your child are going through the folder after each class, you can help them place the work behind the appropriate divider. Make sense?

Flexibility is key in my mind. I have ideas for how I think our class will run but I reserve the "right" to say, "That didn't work at all. Let's do it this way." Also, let me have input from you. If a plan I have is a hardship for your student, let me know and we'll see if an adjustment can be made.

I'm proud of my students. I worked them hard today! They were up to the challenge. Some other classes did some game playing for the first day but we dove right in (with a little simon says and stretching thrown in for fun). I taught them a few terms from my childhood. Ask them what a side-straddle-hop is. Also, we did calisthenics!

Before I launch into the assignments, let me mention my plan with integrating Grade 2 and Grade 3 grammar. Because Trinity strives to set the bar high in academics, I will be teaching the 3rd grade curriculum in class. The 2nd graders will benefit from listening and participating in this work. Under the assignments for grammar, I will split the assignments into 2nd grade and 3rd grade. The 3rd graders will follow up our classroom lessons with the matching assignments. I've gone through the second grade book and matched up the similar lesson from that book. If a topic we cover in class is not presented at all in the second grade book, I've just chosen a lesson for that assignment. Make sense? I toyed with the idea of just having everyone buy a 3rd grade book. However, there is too much valuable, foundational information in the 2nd grade book to skip it. Let's see how this plan runs. . .

Assignments:

Bible:
--read Chapter 100, Daniel. This is on pages 232 through 235 in our Children's Story Bible. It is based on Daniel 1 and 2.
--be prepared to discuss this reading in class next week. See if you can notice something new in this very familiar story.

Latin:
--review pages 6 and 7. (I am not covering the derivatives at this point)
--complete all activities on page 8. (At first, try answering the questions without looking back into the lesson)

Literature:
--finish reading ch. 1 of William Bradford: Pilgrim Boy
--on a sheet of paper, write a simple definition of: haste (pg. 14), settle (pg. 18), high back (pg. 18, ewe lamb (pg. 21)
--answer questions on chapter 1 review sheet
--on another sheet of paper, write a simple definition of: moor (pg. 26), rushes (pg. 27), bleat (pg. 28)
--read chapter 2
--answer questions on ch. 2 review sheet

History:
--color pages were sent home. These are optional--there is no need to turn them in.
--read the first section of Chapter 1 in Story of the World, "Holy Roman Empire"
--produce a narration on this section. I modeled in class what I'm looking for in a narration. It is perfectly acceptable for you to write down what your child dictates that they learned from the reading. Then they can copy what you have written down. This is the model presented in The Well-Trained Mind. If your child is ready, they can simply produce their narration independently. Second-graders--2 or 3 sentences; third-graders--4 or 5. These will get longer and "beefier" as we progress into the year.
--read the second part of chapter 1 "The Riches of Spain"
--do the word search (I hope these made it home. If not, I'll send them home Friday)

Science:
--re-read the page entitled: "Weather Changes" at the front of your book
--explain our experiment or lab to your parent. Answer questions 1, 2, and 3 at the bottom of the second page of our lab sheets
--bring a clear, plastic 2-liter bottle to class on Friday

Grammar:
3rd graders: --review Lesson 2 on page 20
--finish exercise A that we began in class (pg. 21)
--complete exercise B (pg. 21)
--review Lesson 3
--complete exercise A, B, & C on pgs. 22-23
--extra-credit, optional challenge: "Can You Do This" on pg. 21 & 23
2nd graders: --read and review Unit 6, Lesson 11 at home (pg. 320)
--on a sheet of paper, do exercise A & B on pg. 321
--read and review Unit 6, Lesson 1 (pg. 300)
--do exercise B--ODD numbers only (pg. 301)
--read and review Unit 6, Lesson 2 (pg. 302)
--do exercise A--ODD numbers only (pg. 303)

Whew! We'll get our rhythm down and these blogs won't be so daunting to read through. Remember, it is a priviledge to school our children ourselves. I know, as I'm sure many of you do, moms that ache to do what we do. Breathe deep, ask God to help and guide you, and plunge in and learn along side your children.

Until Friday. . .
love and prayers,
Mrs. Tkach

p.s. Please feel free to e-mail me or call me with anything you are unclear on.

what to bring the first day of school

--a smile
--all the things on our supply list (see previous blog)
--grammar book
--latin book
--Story of the World (if an older sibling doesn't need it--please don't buy another copy just for our class)
--a lunch that doesn't need heating in the microwave
--a patient and indulgent attitude for a old, new teacher!

You'll receive our first literature book, William Bradford, on Tuesday along with the student science pages.

I'm excited and eager to get started! Pray for me as I finish up planning. I'll be praying for each of my students.

love,
Mrs. Tkach

2nd & 3rd grade supply list for 08--09 school year

Hello Dear Students!

I'm really getting excited about starting school with each of you. I hope you are as well and I hope you've been reading alot over the summer.

Here is our class' supply list.

1 2-inch 3-ring binder
2 pkgs wide-ruled loose-leaf paper
8 solid color folders
1 1-inch 3-ring binder
1 sturdy assignment folder
1 pkg. 4 x 6 inch index cards
1 pkg. of dividers
1 spiral notebook (80 pages or so)
1 pkg. of fine-point washable markers

We have many items (pencils, glue, colored pencils, scissors, glue sticks, rulers) that were donated to our class from last year.

As best as I can tell, this is all we'll need. Enjoy the rest of your summer. I'm going to pray for each of you before I go to bed tonight. Remember-- read, read, read!

love,
Mrs. Tkach

p.s. Feel free to email me, I'd love to hear from you!

summer reading

Hello to all rising 2nd and 3rd graders!

I hope your summer has already been restful, relaxing and fun.

Concerning summer reads required by Trinity for our grades, we've chosen to do this. Please read often and read quality books on your reading level. Every once in a while choose a book that's a little easy but fun. This will increase your fluency. There are no required books. I would also like to suggest that you visit the public library and participate in their summer reading program. They are always fun and inspirational.

Enjoy your summer and do lots of reading! I look forward to hearing about your favorite books when we start school in September.


love,
Mrs. Tkach

End of Year Presentation

Hi!

I know I said I would post the script and instructions here on the blog. I chose, instead, to send an email with the information. Hopefully, you've all seen it by now.

See you Tuesday!
Mrs. Tkach

thoughts on 5/13 and last assignments of the year!

Dear Families,

We had a whirlwind of a day. Helpers were plentiful--thanks to Mrs. Jennifer (Kitty's mom), Hayden (Kitty's baby sister), Mr. Michael (Wood's dad) and Mrs. Beth (Wood's mom).

The kids are beating me at incorporating Latin into our talks. This would be fun at home. "I want to wear the rufus shoes." "Look! I see duo, viridis, infans lacerta crawling up the screen!"

At history time, we saw a video on "The Lost Colony of Roanoke" that was quite informative. Mr. Michael pointed out that he and Woods had actually been there. Mrs. Jennifer and I commented on how much WE learned from it. It was a History Channel production and did a great job of showing how life was for the very first settlers to the new world. We moved into a discussion of the current SOTW chapter and John Cabot. We read a little from a biography on him, yet it was a bit dry, so we moved swiftly into grammar.

Everyone was so anxious to share their stories! They were awesome! Of the four types of writing presented in Shurley, this was by far our favorite. We had fun listening and then rated them on a spectrum of 100% true stories to 100% pretend. Some of the students are going to continue to build on their stories. Yeah!

We did a simple science experiment about water currents in the deep and their effect on plankton. This involved a hike over to the Episcopal church. Look for the Science Speculation sheets and be sure they get into the science section of their big notebooks.

Literature discussion time was heated! Similes were abundant in Chanticleer, but I stand by my teaching that there were no metaphors!!! My students challenged me and we discussed and talked. I've just gotten off the phone with an expert--Mrs. Fowler--and I am vindicated! One example we considered was "His comb was redder than fine coral and turreted like a castle wall". She called this personification, which is a writing element that we will encounter in later grades. The only phrase that might be considered a metaphor in this book is "Woe is me". Mrs. Fowler said if you really push the technical definition that this phrase could be considered a metaphor. Look on page 280 in the teaching text for further discussion with your student. Tell them I said, "Nanny nannay-moo moo!"

We ended our day with reading part of our last literature selection.

Please look at this blog site again later today or tomorrow. I plan to post my vision of what we will do at the end-of-year presentation next week. I shared some of this with the children yesterday.

love,
Mrs. Tkach

HISTORY:
--narration on ch. 41
--map and color page for ch. 41
--read ch. 42
--(I included color page and map for ch. 42. These don't need to be turned into me but I thought you might want to complete your notebooks by having them. We may do a narraton in class next week on ch. 42)

LITERATURE:
--finish reading A Midsummer's Night Dream

GRAMMAR:
--using my example from class and reference 61 on pg. 48, produce a descriptive paragraph. The teaching script on page 349 will be of help to you parents as you guide your students in this exercise.

SCIENCE:
--read 209 through 216
--produce a narration on this reading
--I apologize. I'm a bit lost on which words I've assigned. If some of these were assigned last week, just move on to the new ones that you haven't done. Enter planula (pg. 189), pinacoderm (pg. 203),ostia (pg. 204),osculum (pg.204) spicules (pg. 205),planarians (pg. 213), mimcry (pg.213) in your science spirals
--study the last 26 words we've entered--that will be starting with mantle. We won't have a test but we'll have fun playing around-the-world.

BIBLE:
--read chapter 99 which is taken from II Kings 24 and 25; II Chronicles 36; Jeremiah 37-40; Lamentations 1; Psalms 137