HIstory - Week 2

Grades 1-4

The students heard the story of Cortez finding Mexico and conquering the Aztecs. They learned about Montezuma and the palace where he lived. We also talked about how the Aztecs worshipped false gods and when the Spaniards conquered the city, they tore down the temples and Catholic priests came and replaced them with churches. We touched on Pizarro and Coronado as well. The last part of class was spent making an Indian headdress.


Franciscans


The Franciscans spent the class learning fun facts about Cortez and the Aztecs. For homework they are to complete the worksheet in their notebook. Also, they need to do their book report for the week.

Religion Week 2

This week, we talked about the next line of the Creed, "The Father Almighty."  In 1st through 6th grade, we discussed all the good things that our Daddy's do for us, and how God the Father takes such good care of us.  He talked about how he knows everything about us because He created us, and also that He is perfect.  We did the worksheets together in class. 
Then we looked at the cursive worksheets that had the CCM memory work.  The fours marks of the Church were discussed.  The Church is One because we are the one true Faith.  The Church is Holy because the Holy Spirit keeps the Church pure.  We are Catholic, or universal, because the Church is for all people for all times.  And the Church is Apostolic because we are founded by the witnesses and first priests, the apostles.  1st through 4th grades then cut out pictures of a church with doors opening that had the words "One, Holy Catholic, and Apostolic."
5th and 6th grades did a seed mosaic craft after talking about Ember Days.  Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday of this week are days of fasting and/ or abstinence from meat as the Church prays for the "harvest" of priestly vocations and growth in the one true Faith.

Art~ Week 2

This week the students continued working on their triptychs inspried by the artist Van Eyck.

They worked with acrylic paint this week. They added bright, vibrant colors to their masterpieces.

We had interpretations of the Crucifixion.

Christmas inspired paintings.

Paintings about families.

Preschool & Kindergarten Art~ Week 2

Fall has arrived.
 Cooler weather is here.
         It's now apple picking season here!

So this week in art, the Angels (preschool) and the Benedictines (Kindergarten) were able to work with watercolors.

The kids painted an apple tree. They had fun creating the tree, grass, and sky. When their pictures were dry, we added little red pompoms to the painting to represent the apples.

The kids loved the added pompoms. Everyone loaded up their trees with apples and some had a few on the ground.

This was a wonderful project for the kids, since we will be visiting a real apple orchard in a few weeks!

Week 1 Kindergarten

The children did an awesome job in this class. For Language Arts we discussed great words 1: "Bed in Summer". We talked a little about what a poet does. We also wrote the letter A and practiced the sound. In History we talked about Christopher Columbus. He landed in America and I showed them where America is located on the map and also showed them all the different states focusing on Virginia. We also went over the 3 ships that sailed the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria. They made ships out of play-do. Mrs. Spiering directed us in music ( thankfully) and the song was beautiful, Maiden Mother, Meek and Mild. Geography coincided with History and again we went over North America also known as the United States and USA. Just to get them familiar with the different names. Math we did multiples of 1. They had a number page where they practiced writing the number 1 and I had them count off 1 by 1 in the class several times. In Religion we discussed the very important role of Peter and why God gave him the keys. They had a coloring page of St. Peter and I read them a short story about St. Peter. In Science we are discussing insects related to the alphabet so this week we talked about ants. They learned that ants can hear, taste, smell and feel with their antenna's. Great class, can't wait till next week!

Language Arts: Week 2

Grammar:

We reviewed the eight parts of speech from last week. Then we discussed this week's grammar memorization sentence. 

What is a noun?

A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea.

I talked to them about common nouns and proper nouns, and gave them a few examples of each. 

For homework:

Carmelites (1st-2nd grade): Come up with an example of a common and proper noun that go together (ex.- Common: church; Proper: St. John the Baptist Catholic Church) then draw a picture of it.

Dominicans (3rd-4th grade): Draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper. On one side, write Common at the top. On the other side, write Proper at the top. Come up with 3 examples of each (that go together. see example from Carmelite homework). Then choose one of the three to draw a  picture of.

Franciscans (5th-6th grade): In your notebook write:

One example of a proper noun is _________. 

_________ is an example of a proper noun because it names a specific _______. 

Write this three times using three different examples. Do not use the same ones I used in class. 

For example: 

One example of a proper noun is St. John the Baptist Catholic Church.

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church is an example of a proper noun because it names a specific church.

Great Works 1:

We learned one more motion for each line. 

1. Point to your eyes for "see"

2. Move your pointer finger and thumb up and down together like a beak moving to sign "bird"

3. Put your hand behind your ear for "hear"

4. Move your fingers like they're walking on the street.

Writing:
We played an "-ly" game to help the students come up with -ly words for their writing. I handed out an -ly word to each student and they had to say, "Come here, Johnny" in that way. For example, one child had the word "quietly" and had to quietly say, "Come here, Johnny". The kids did a great job with this! Then I introduced 4 new vocabulary words and talked about their meanings. Lastly, I read a short story about the Lost Colony and we made a Key Word Outline together.

For homework:
Study your vocabulary words. We will be having a vocabulary quiz on Monday. For those absent,  our 4 new words this week were Frivolous, Appalled, Endeavor, and Resolve.
Write a paragraph using your Key Word Outline. Follow the checklist just like last week.

Science: Week 2

Topic: Elements, Molecules, and Compounds

        After reviewing Week 1's Q & A, we looked at our helium atom from last week. I also drew them a hydrogen atom and a lithium atom, and told them that these different kinds of atoms are called elements.  The children noticed that within an atom, there are the same number of protons and electrons. This led to our discussion about the characteristics of protons and electrons, and that an atom stays neutral when there are the same amount. I also explained to them that "like" charges repel each other, but opposite charges attract each other. After learning that an atom prefers to stay neutral and balanced, I demonstrated what happens to a negatively charged balloon. To get it charged, I rubbed it on my toddlers head. Then I held it over pieces of paper, and all the paper jumped onto the balloon. I explained to the kids that the balloon picked up electrons from my child's head, and that those extra electrons were attracted to the protons in the paper. The attraction was strong enough that the paper could overcome gravity and hop onto the balloon. The kids were very impressed to see the little bits of paper jump onto the balloon!
         We then moved on to molecules, and I told them that two or more elements can combine to make a molecule. As an example, I drew the formula H2 on the board and told them it means two hydrogen atoms, which makes a hydrogen molecule. We also did this with O2 (oxygen molecule) and N2 (nitrogen molecule). But what if different elements combine? That's what we call a compound molecule. I used H2O (water) and CO2 (carbon dioxide) as examples of compounds.
         Lastly, I talked about how atoms have to follow certain "rules" when they combine to make a molecule or compound. The rules have to do with how many bonds are formed between atoms and what shape the resulting molecule is. I drew pictures of a hydrogen molecule, oxygen molecule, nitrogen molecule, water molecule, and carbon dioxide molecule. Then came the fun part: the kids re-created my drawings using gum drops and toothpicks. The gumdrops were the atoms, and the toothpicks were the bonds between atoms.

This was a lot of information for the kids digest, but they did a great job! See you next week. :)

Week 2--Preschool Angels

JMJ

Well, this week was MUCH better than last week.  I felt terrible about leaving my binder with ALL the printouts for the day at home, but Jodi was an amazing teacher while I was gone retrieving it.  

They found their name mats and worked on matching colors.  They all have a different colored star on their name cards, mats, and on the board, so they can match the color if they are having trouble identifying their name.  It is a young class, so name recognition may take a while.  :)  They went over the letter B, coloring some in their letter books and going through the B grab bag.  You can talk to your child about bags, bunnies, bandannas, bowls, buttons, beads, and bucking broncos.  Can you think of anything else around your house that starts with the letter B?

We sang a little color song about the color BLUE because it starts with B.  We went around to see who in class was wearing blue, and then found objects around the room that were "wearing" blue.  It was fun and the kids did an amazing job of identifying many different blue things.  

We talked about St. Helen and how she found the true cross.  We decorated silver crosses and talked a little bit about how special a cross is.  We also built a cross out of waffle blocks.  None of them wanted to color in class, but I sent a coloring page of St. Helen home with them.  

We joined the K class for music and went over the first verse of Mother Mary, Meek and Mild.  I don't know if any of them will be singing it at home, but we went over it many times and several of them seemed to catch on.  

There should be a coloring page with two saints on it St. Anne for A and St. Bernadette for B.  If you cut the large rectangle around the saint, then you can fold it around and staple it so it will stand up, like this:  http://www.catholicicing.com/abc-saints/

We will be doing one or two of these per week and these guys don't seem to be big on coloring in class, so it will most likely go home with you untouched.  If you are able to do cut it out and stand it up, I think the little ones might be more interested in them.  

You should have also taken home a book for #1 and #2.  We did not have time to work on these in class, but they are yours to utilize this week.  We will hopefully be going over #3 next week.  

Thank you all for your patience as we work the kinks out of the schedule and curriculum.  I had a great time today and I hope your preschooler did, too!  

Week 1 - History

The 1st-4th have history together, which was a lot of fun! I started with a name game to help us get to know one another. I then split the class up into teams and tested their knowledge about Christopher Columbus. I simply asked multiple choice questions about him, and as a team they agreed on an answer. I was impressed at how much they knew - and the teams tied!


I then pulled out the world map so that we could trace the big voyage.


Finally, we reviewed the history sentence for CCM and talked just a tad about Vasco da Gama and Magellan.


5th-6th:
Doug gave each student a folder for them to keep and each week he will have handouts for them. He has a note to parents in it that gives a description of the class. PLEASE LOOK AT THE FOLDER AND READ THE FIRST COUPLE PAGES.

The class has a reading and writing assignment as well. He has provided him with his personal books. They will be switching books each week, so it is VERY IMPORTANT THAT THEY BRING THE BOOKS WITH THEM TO CLASS EACH WEEK.


He wants the class to be educational and enjoyable, but he also takes it very seriously and hopes you do as well!!

Week 1 - Religion

Religion class for all grades will be split into 3 different parts. During the first part, we will study the Apostles Creed. For week 1, we discussed the first line  - the meaning of the word "believe" and we also talked about the attributes of God.  Each class was given a worksheet to complete. The Franciscans will need to finish their worksheet at home to be discussed next week.


The second part of class we will review the CCM religion. I gave the students a handout in cursive, which reviewed the religion sentences for this week. Each class discussed the definition of the church, as well as all the big vocabulary words on the handout!


During the third part of the class, we will talk about whatever feast day we are acknowledging. A handout was given to the younger folks about the 7 Sorrows of Mary. They were given a chance to color it. The Franciscans completed an activity for the feast day.

Art~ Week 1

This week in art we talked about Jan Van Eyck. He was a famous artists from the late Renaissance time period. He is one of the most significant Northern Renaissance painters of the 15th century. Van Eyck was a devout Catholic and his artwork shows his love for his faith.

The Man in a Turban

He painted both secular and religious paintings. He painted commissioned portraits, donor portraits (often with the donor kneeling before the Blessed Virgin Mary), and small and large altar pieces. At one time he was thought to have been the creator of oil paints, but we now know he was not. He did master the use of oil paints. His innovative use and manipulation of oil paints helped grow his reputation as a talented artist. 

He was a well paid artists, so he had the ability to use his artistic talent freely. 

The Ghent Altarpiece

He often painted single panels, diptychs, triptychs, or polyptychs.

Dresden Triptych

The Blessed Virgin Mary was often a subject of his paintings. She was often seated, wearing a jeweled crown, and holding a playful baby Jesus. 

He usually would give Mary three roles....

Mother of Christ

The Personification of the Ecclesia Triumphans

Queen of Heaven

Madonna and the Chancellor Rolin

Madonna in the Church

So in class today, the students worked on creating a triptych! We took poster board and divided into three panels. One large middle panel with two small panels on each side. The students thought about the subject of their painting and began drawing.

Next week, the students will paint their drawings.

Here are two links for more information about Jan Van Eyck geared for children.
Jan Van Eyck: A Children's Biography  ~ This gives some wonderful information!
Art Smarts 4 Kids

Preschool & Kindergarten Art~ Week 1

This week at co-op, the little ones were learning about the explorer of the New World, Christopher Columbus! So I decided to do a fun art project inspired by Christopher Columbus' ships...the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.

We created the ships!

Supplies Needed
Blue, White, and Brown Paint
Construction Paper
White Sails
Paint Brushes
and their hands!

They had fun covering their hands in brown paint. It looked like they had snuck into the chocolate syrup!

The kids added white puffy clouds and blue water for their ships to sail in.

Language Arts: Week 1

Grammar:
What are the eight parts of speech?

I taught the kids a mnemonic saying to help them remember the 8 parts of speech.
"I've taken a nap in my cap". I know... it's a bit far fetched. But the stranger it is, the easier it is to remember, right? :) Here's how it goes.
I'
Ve
taken a
N
A
P
in my
C
A
P
(Interjection, Verb, Noun, Adverb, Pronoun, Conjunction, Adjective, Preposition)

I told them to imagine an Irishman (but now I realize that I meant Scottish!) who accidentally fell asleep in his cap.
"I've taken a nap in me cap!"

We then made an "8 Parts of Speech Cheer" by taking the first syllable of each part, and alternated a stomping action with a clapping action. So it went like this, "In, Verb, Noun, Ad, Pro, Con, Adj, Prep". I told them to practice this at home. I also passed out a poem about the eight parts of speech. If your child memorizes this, they will always know what each part of speech does! :)

Great Words:
I did not have time to go over the Great Words II with the Franciscans. Hopefully next week!
For the Carmelites and Dominicans, we did one simple motion for each to help us remember the poem.
In winter I get up at night (shiver like you're cold)
And dress by yellow candle-light. (hold your finger up to be a candle. Blow it out after you say the line)
In summer quite the other way (wave yourself like you're hot)
I have to go to bed by day. (Put your head down on folded hands like you're going to sleep)

Writing:
I read a short story about Christopher Columbus to the Franciscans. We then worked together on making a Key Word Outline. For homework, they must write a paragraph using their key word outline. I gave them a checklist so that they know what is expected in the paragraph. They also wrote down 8 vocabulary words. We did not have time to go over them, so I suggested that they look up the definitions in a dictionary at home. They will get extra credit if these vocabulary words are used in their paragraph (so that might motivate them to look the words up).
St. Francis de Sales, patron of writers, ora pro nobis!