Second Semester, Week 14

Ladies and gents, we are officially in our LAST WEEK of Challenge A. This is the time to FINISH STRONG! By this time next week you will be done with Blue Books!

This week you all did a fabulous job leading discussions and staying on task. We were able to work through the morning without a break, and as a reward we got to meet up with the mid-county Challenge classes at Menchie's!

Next Monday we will meet at my house and we'll all be ready to start by 9 AM. If all goes as planned we will have time to do a full frog dissection as well.

Here's a recap of how to study for each strand this week, and what to bring with you to class. Manage your time well and put in your very best efforts. Leave it all on the field!!!

Grammar (Latin): Make sure you can fill out the principal parts chart (Principal Parts Chart). Then practice conjugating each verb in the present (present, imperfect, future), and one verb in the perfect (perfect, pluperfect, future perfect - remember that the endings are the same for all 4 conjugations, hence the need to only conjugate one of your verbs). Practice conjugating on blank paper, organized in a way that is clear to you (and hopefully to your parents). I'll send a picture to google hangouts of what I came up with :). (Present/Perfect Verb Endings)

*Here is how I chose to write out the verb info this morning (you can organize yours differently of course):

Remember to also review your vocabulary as well!
Bonus - practice filling out our handy-dandy declension chart: (Declension Chart)

Exposition/Composition (LTW): You can use your Blue Book time to write your Bronze Bow essay using Essay six outline and checklist. You can reduce your exam day workload by writing your essay this week (or at least starting it) and bringing it to class. If you already have your essay written, I will have a fun little exercise for you to do during this time.

Cartography: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE drawing the entire world. Work on spacing, labeling, etc. You will have up to 2 hours for this on Monday.

Logic: Bring a problem and be ready to write out an observation/5CTs discussion.

Research: REVIEW DRAWING AND LABELING ALL BODY SYSTEMS. Over and over. You will be asked to draw a MINIMUM of three, but why not shoot for the stars??????

Rhetoric: Review all of the fallacies we have covered. Can you list them all? Can you define AT LEAST three? Could you write an example dialogue or comic strip illustrating AT LEAST one?

That's it! You know what you need to do...so get after it!

What to bring for our final class:

$8 for pizza lunch
Pencil/Eraser
Book or something quiet to do if you finish early
Bronze Bow Essay
Cartography Notebook with definitions (PRIZE!)
Research/Body Systems definitions (PRIZE!)

2nd Semester, Week 13

Oh, hello! Remember this blog? Sorry it dropped off so suddenly! I'm bringing it back for our last couple of weeks.

Grammar (Latin):

We may have gone a little overtime with latin this week! You all completed a vocabulary review puzzle, and then spent a few minutes writing down everything you could think of about VERBS. Pretty impressive. 

We discussed Pluperfect and Future Perfect tenses, and walked through 2 sentences from exercise 184, which you all thought were soooooooooo easy. Your homework this week should be a breeze, then! 

Key Latin Review for Blue Books:

Principal Parts Chart

Latin Verb Endings Chart

Noun Declension Chart! (Remember this?!?)

Exposition/Composition (LTW):

Heard three fabulous papers, briefly discussed The Bronze Bow (setting, favorite characters, generating an issue), and played an ANI chart game.

10 NOODLE REWARD: 

COMPLETE ANI CHART AND COMPLETE ALL INVENTION TOPICS (USE THE WORKSHEETS!)

Cartography:

You completed your final blank map assessment before the week 15 world map assessment. Remember to diligently practice drawing the entire world these last two weeks. Don't short change yourself and all the work you've put in this year by slacking off in the homestretch. 

NOODLE REWARD FOR COMPLETING GEOGRAPHY DICTIONARY. Also, there will be a prize on Week 15 for a finished geography dictionary!

Logic (Math): Really great math discussion today, led by Dylan and Chloe. Ethan and Emma are up next week!

Research: The assessment of the eye completed, but unfortunately we weren't able to have a discussion including definitions because no one brought them! I know you will all be prepared for this strand next week. 

Time to start reviewing those body system drawings! You'll want to have at least three of them memorized for week 15 (memorized = draw + label, NOT definitions), but strive to master as many as possible!

NEXT WEEK: We will be dissecting frogs!

Rhetoric: We discussed whole-to-part and either/or fallacies, then played a rousing round of "Truth or Fallacy".

FOR NEXT WEEK:

Next week, we are trying something new. Each of you students will lead a strand! You'll need to look at Week 14 in your Challenge guide and check the "In Community" section to see what you should prepare for. It'll mostly involve leading the class in review and discussion!

Grammar (Latin): Ethan

Expo/Comp (LTW): Dylan

Cartography: Me

Logic: Emma and Ethan lead math discussion using problems from home

Research: Chloe (after we do blank assessment of the ear)

Rhetoric: Emma

Get after it this week, everyone. You are awesome!