Week 3 -Grades 4-6

Thank you to everyone who has pulled through for the 4-6 grade class!! It is definitely a work-in-progress, but we will get there!!  I would like to formally notify everyone that Mrs. Clark has decided that the co-op is one too many things on her plate and will not be returning to teach.  I will be the main teacher.  Your children have been wonderful to teach!!! Thank you!

A few points first off: Please make or purchase dividers for the binder.  We made a red construction paper divider in class. It is simple and easy. This would definitely work.  Please label the dividers: History, English, Latin, Science, Religion,and Art.  We have placed Geography handouts at the end of history and Poetry will be placed in with English.  If you wish to subdivide that is fine, but not necessary.  Hopefully this will help us to save time. Speaking of time, we ran out again!! Mea Culpa!!

Your children will have handouts from History.  The one labeled Ancient Mesopotamia should be cut out to glue onto the half a piece of construction paper and then three-hole punched.  The bottom pictures and words will be glued onto the "Words to Know" page.  They should have an example of each of these already completed. ( If you have any questions, please call me at 667-2983.)  Further you have a handout for today's ziggurat. (I will be posting an additional picture displaying the final product.) The instructions are simple and can easily be completed without parental assistance AS LONG AS you make certain that only the dotted lines are cut!!! I went over the manner in which the page should be cut and folded with them at the end of class (rushed!!)
Instructions: Cut out the entire rectangle to be able to paste onto a piece of construction paper. Fold the construction paper in half so as to hold the rectangle in it. Fold ziggurat rectangle in half (along line labeled fold) and then CAREFULLY cut only the dotted lines.  Open up the folded ziggurat paper so that it forms an L.  Push in the middle area which was cut and then fold along lines labeled "fold" to form a step.  Cut out the ziggurat (temple).  Glue the ziggurat temple to the front of the step(so that it sits above the words explaining a ziggurat). Next, join the center crease of the rectangle to the center crease of the construction paper. Use a glue stick to glue one half of the rectangle down(not including your step!!). Once it is secure then bend the rectangle down, in half, and put glue on the remaining half with a glue stick. Then simply close the folded construction paper down.  Lift up the construction paper and you have your pop-up ziggurat! FUN!

IN CLASS: History: we covered the rule of Hammurabi with a focus on the importance of a codified law in the development of society.  We also discussed how Babylon, a city-state, basically usurped Sumer into itself.  This was the rise of the Babylonian Empire.  We read from the Founders of Freedom and The Old World and America.  I also brought in other texts, one showed a slab which had the Code of Hammurabi written in cuneiform.

We then began our lesson from Intermediate Language Lessons.  The students should have a story of at least four sentences written for you to see.  (Please have them complete this at home if they did not have time to finish.)

We discussed our Latin by completing the lessons from the workbook.  I would recommend that parents purchase the workbook as it leads to a more complete understanding of the Latin in the reader.  I will make some copies, mostly for the multiple siblings who cannot totally share a workbook! (Nor do I expect them to do so!) The students should be comfortable with the idea of First Noun Declension ending in A such as puellA, or feminA.  They should be able to use a simple sentence telling you the meaning of these words.

Science was the most anticpated with the use of microscopes! Do not worry if your student did not have a chance!! We will continue to have the microscopes set up so that all will have an opportunity!! Thank you to those who have continued to supply our class with their donated microscopes.  We also went over the classification of a dog and lion. The classification was written out on sketchbook paper.  (If you wish to work with your student at home, or he/she did not finish, this chart is located in the back of your teacher's edition of CCM.)  This is sort of a practice run for us to do the same on a posterboard!  I figured it might ease anxiety for all those type A's.

We did not have Religion this week.  Hopefully you can do this at home.

We have a greatly varied skill set level within our class, so please speak with your student to see if he/she is comfortable with the required tasks.  In class, we may need to move to another subject even though some students may not have completed the task. This has been a source of visible stress for some students. Please ensure that your student understands the need to proceed and realizes he/she can continue the work at home. Please speak to your students about raising hands and being polite to the rest of class by not talking to their neighbors during class time.  This is especially necessary as we have 13:5 boy to girl ratio, assuming my count is correct. Hopefully with week 4, we will proceed into smooth waters with no more changes to the class setup.  I believe this will help to settle the class as well.  THANKS!!