Thursday, December 10, 2009

Fall/Winter break: December 11 - Jan 11

Gathering Leaves

by Robert Frost

Spades take up leaves
No better than spoons,
And bags full of leaves
Are light as balloons.

I make a great noise
Of rustling all day
Like rabbit and deer
Running away.

But the mountains I raise
Elude my embrace,
Flowing over my arms
And into my face.

I may load and unload
Again and again
Till I fill the whole shed,
And what have I then?

Next to nothing for weight,
And since they grew duller
From contact with earth,
Next to nothing for color.

Next to nothing for use.
But a crop is a crop,
And who's to say where
The harvest shall stop?


Nothing Gold Can Stay

by Robert Frost

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold,
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Snowflakes

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Out of the bosom of the Air.
Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare,
Over the harvest-fields forsaken,
Silent and soft and slow
Descends the snow.

Even as our cloudy fancies take
Suddenly shape in some divine expression,
Even as the troubled heart doth make
In the white countenance confession,
The troubled sky reveals
The grief it feels

This is the poem of the air,
Slowly in silent syllables recorded;
This is the secret of despair,
Long in its cloudy bosom hoarded,
Now whispered and revealed
To wood and field.


I Heard the Bells on
Christmas Day

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.”

Have a beautiful Holiday, see you next year!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Week 14: Dec 7-11

Last week before break! We could use one right about now.

Religion & Bible

Reading

Writing

MaTh

Science
Main Metals and Alloys

Language/Spelling/Grammar

History & Geography
Russia and Prussia 1700-1800

*Frederick I is the first King of Prussia
*Prussia and Britain fight France, Russia and Austria in the Seven Years' War
*Catherine the Great: Tsarina of Russia

Assignment:
- time line




Art & Music Appreciation
community choir - performance is this week!

U.S. History

P.E.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Week 14

N is for . . .nail, net, nuts, nine, needle, nest
-hidden picture worksheet for N
-writing lower case m and h
-sticker book for N

Shapes
review new shapes

Opposites
full and empty

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Week 13

M is for . . . mitten, mushroom, music, marbles, money, mouse, milk
monkey, moon, mop, mailbox, and mask
-hidden picture worksheet for M
-writing lower case r and n
-sticker book for M

Shapes
building brick activity for sphere, cylinders, cubes and cuboids

Opposites
in front of and behind

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Week 13: Nov 30 - Dec 4

Religion & Bible

Reading

Writing

MaTh
review: multiplication, story problems in multiplication and division, money math

Science
Alloys, Iron and Steel. Everyday alloys: knives, forks & spoons are made from stainless steel/ some door handles are made from brass / bike frames are made from aluminum alloy which is strong but very light weight/ hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches are made from toughened steel and are practically unbreakable because of the added qualities of vanadium or chromium. If they were not toughened these items would splinter or shatter dangerously when used.

Language/Spelling/Grammar
spelling list: compound words. bedroom, grandparent, anyone, outside, sunshine, basketball, playground, doorbell, weekend, backyard, barefoot, wildlife, everybody, cannot yourself, downstairs, without. Review: February, Wednesday, calendar. Bonus: cupboard

History & Geography
Russia 1500-1725
*Ivan the terrible
*the Romanov dynasty
*Peter the Great
*Russia fights the Ottoman Empire
*Russia fights Sweden
*St. Petersburg becomes the new Russian capital

Assignments:
-time line
- view video clip about the life of Peter the Great

Art & Music Appreciation
Johann Sebastian Bach -Tuesday
community choir - Thursdays

U.S. History

P.E.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Week 12

L is for . . .lipstick, letter, lemon, ladder, leaf, ladybug,
lobster, lamp, lion, lollipop, lizard and lamb
-hidden picture worksheet for L
-writing lower case u and y
-sticker book page for L

Shapes
cuboids

Opposites
open and closed

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Week 12: Nov 23-27

Religion & Bible

Reading

Writing

MaTh
review

Science
Groups of Metals: Noble, Alkali, Alkaline Earth, Transition, Poor Metals

Language/Spelling/Grammar spelling list: "r"sound girl, bird, birthday, shirt, circle, worth, worm, world, turtle, turning, burned, curb, disturb, surf, learn, search, earned. Review: walker, forward, cloud. Bonus: certificate

History & Geography
Ideas in Europe 1600-1800
*Kepler studies the movement of the planets
*Galileo proves that the Earth travels around the Sun
*Newton discovers the laws of gravity
*the Life of Voltaire
*the Life of Rousseau
*Thomas Paine writes The Rights of Man
*Dangerous ideas
*Advances in Medicine
*Carl Linnaeus gave each plant it's latin name and published detailed studies,dividing them into types or species

Assignments:
- time line of important dates
- illustrate some important inventions
-list the important men and what they were known for in this unit

Art & Music Appreciation
Free drawing Tuesday
community choir - Thursdays

U.S. History

P.E.


Short week! Happy Thanksgiving . . . what are you most thankful for?
Take time to reflect on God's goodness. He is good all of the time.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Week 11

K is for . . .koala, kiss, ketchup, kite, kitten, and key
-hidden picture worksheet for K
-writing lower case b and p
-sticker book for K

Shapes
cubes

Opposites
top and botton

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Week 11: Nov 16-20

Religion & Bible

Reading
The Man in the Iron Mask

Writing

MaTh
money math

Science
Metals: properties of metals / flame tests / reactivity series. Experiment: how metals conduct electricity. Needed: 3 pieces of insulated copper wire (each 8 inches long), 6 volt lantern battery, 3.5 volt bulb and holder. Using one wire, twist one end around a battery terminal and the other around on of the bulb holder's terminals. With a second wire, twist one end around the remaining terminal of the bulb holder. Twist one end of the third wire around the remaining battery terminal. (Use tape to hold the wires in place.) Carry the device around your home touching the free wire end to different objects. If the bulb lights up, electricity is flowing. Metal conducts electricity. *NEVER* use an electrical outlet for this experiment. It is extremely dangerous!

Language/Spelling/Grammar
spelling list: days and months January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Review: couldn't, wasn't, doesn't. Bonus: calendar

History & Geography
France 1640-1720
*France and the Sun King: Louis XIV
*Louis' mother rules for him
*Rebellion in Paris
*Louis XIV takes control of France
*France fights wars against other countries in Europe
*The palace at Versailles

Assignments:
- time line of important dates
- visit the palace at Versailles via the internet


Art & Music Appreciation
free drawing Tuesday
community choir - Thursdays

U.S. History

P.E.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Week 10

J is for . . .jam, jaguar, jack- in- the- box, jump rope, jet and jacks
-hidden picture worksheet for J
-writing lower case g and q
-sticker book for J

Shapes
cylinders

Opposites
over and under

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Week 10: Nov 9-13

Religion & Bible

Reading

Writing
copy work

MaTh
working with money

Science
The Periodic Table: Periods, Groups, behaviors, relative atomic mass, groups with names, different version

Language/Spelling/Grammar
Spelling list "aw" & "or" sound: law, washington, caught, taught, talk, walker, forward, horse, force, shorter, north, south, mouth, house, cloud, how, crowded. Review: edges, bridge, jeans. Bonus: daughter

History & Geography
The Netherlands 1550-1700
*The Rise of the Dutch: the revolt begins
*The Republic of the United Netherlands is created
*The Republic of the United Netherlands is recognized by Spain
*William of Orange is ruler of the Netherlands and King of England

Assignments:
- time line of important dates
- illustrate some of the important Dutch inventions during this time period
Art & Music Appreciation
community choir - Thursdays
study Dutch artist Jan Vermeer
U.S. History

P.E.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Week 9

I is for . . .insects, igloo, invitation, ink, ivy and ice cream
-hidden picture worksheet for I
-writing lower case c and a
-sticker book for I

Shapes
Spheres

Opposites
above and below

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Week 9: Nov 2-6

Religion & Bible
Personal devotions, family devotions

Reading about Rembrandt

Writing copy work

MaTh
working with money

Science:
Elements in the Earth; Oxygen, Silicon, Aluminum, Iron, Calcium / Mineral formation / Mineral groups: silicates, carbonates, halides, sulfides, phosphates, oxides.

Language/Spelling/Grammar
Spelling list: contractions don't, won't, doesn't, wouldn't, couldn't, shouldn't, she's, they've, you'll, let's, aren't, I'd, wasn't, they're, isn't, he'll Review: clothes, cloth, choose Bonus: mustn't

History & Geography
The Habsburgs 1500-1918
*Charles V rules a vast Habsburg Empire
*the Habsburg Empire is divided in two
*The Thirty Years' War
*The War of the Spanish Succession
*Maria Theresa rules the Habsburg Empire
*The last Habsburg emperor gives up his throne

Assignments:
- time line of important dates


Art & Music Appreciation
study Rembrandt- Tuesday
community choir - Thursdays

U.S. History

P.E.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Week 8

H is for . . . hammer, hot dog, heart, hippo, hay, hamburger
-hidden picture worksheet for H
-write lower case o and d
-sticker book for H

Shapes
games with shapes

Opposites
up and down

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Week 8: Oct 26-30

Religion & Bible
personal devotions, family devotions

Reading
Johann Sebastian Bach

Writing
journaling

MaTh
memorizing multiplication tables; story problems

Science
The Elements: metals, non metals and semi metals (metaloids) conductors and semiconductors Experiment: finding out how well an object conducts heat. Needed: several long objects such as a metal spoon, a wooden spoon, and a plastic ruler. Smear a little cold butter near the end of each object and place the objects in a mug with warm water. As the heat travels up the object, it melts the butter. On which object does the butter melt the fastest? That object is the better conductor.


Language/Spelling/Grammar
spelling list: "j" sound age, page, edges, magic, gentle, bridge, judge, danger, large, joy, jelly, jump, jogging, jeans, join, job, gym. Review: city, any, fancy. Bonus: giraffe


History & Geography
England 1600-1700
Kings, Cavaliers and Roundheads
*James I is King
*Charles I is King
*The English Civil War
*Parliament rules England (The Commonwealth)
*Oliver Cromwell is Lord Protector of England
*Charles II is king
*The Great Plague of London
*The Great Fire of London

Assignments:
- time line of important dates
- illustrate the great fire destroying London and wiping out the plague


Art & Music Appreciation
community choir - Thursdays
Studying the artist Van Dyck

U.S. History

P.E.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Week 7

G is for . . .garden, gift, goldfish, gold, gopher, goose, gate
gorilla, grapes, grapefruit and goat
-hidden picture worksheet for G
-writing lower case j and t
-sticker book page for G

Shapes
worksheet for circle, square, rectangle and triangle review

Opposites
in and out

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Week 7: Oct 19-23

Religion & Bible

personal devotions

family devotions

Reading

biography of Queen Elizabeth

Shakespeare's Hamlet for kids

Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain

Writing

journaling

MaTh

memorizing multiplication tables

working story problems

Science

How Gases Behave

Terms to know:

diffusion

pressure

volume

Experiment: Balloon pump, balloon

1. When you pump the handle, the volume of the pump's chamber is decreased so the air pressure inside it is increased.

2. Air shoots out of the nozzle, into the balloon

3. A valve in the pump prevents air from being sucked back out of the balloon.

4. Pressure inside the balloon increases so it stretches and expands. Its volume increases.

Language/Spelling/Grammar

Spelling list: Th, Ch, Sh

those

they

tooth

cloth

clothes

cheat

chatter

choose

choices

shelter

mashed

shine

share

shouting

sheets

bushes

crash

Review: unless, lettuce, puzzle

Bonus: themselves

History & Geography

Elizabethan England 1550-1600

* Elizabeth becomes queen

* The first Poor Law is passed

* Life of William Shakespeare

* Sir Frances Drake sails around the world

* The Spanish Armada is defeated

* plots and treachery

Assignments:

- time line of important dates

- assigned reading of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing and Hamlet

Queen Elizabeth's biography

Art & Music Appreciation

Life and work of Michelangelo - Tuesday

community choir - Thursdays

U.S. History

P.E.