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Tuesday, October 1, 2024

Homeschool Update: September 2024

All Grades

Latin

We reached Lesson 60 in Keep Going with Latin, which we started over the summer. Once a week, the girls created their own English sentences to translate into Latin. 

Poetry

E. memorized "Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost and began to memorize "Merry are the Bells." C. memorized "A Song of Sherwood" by Alfred Noyes. M. worked on "The Highwayman" by Alfred Noyes, but has not yet finished memorizing it. 

Catechism

M., C., and E. memorized assigned questions and answers from the first two lessons in the New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism. 

Art

The works of art we studied this month were: 

  • The Blue Vase by Paul Cezanne 
  • Roma by Anne Whitney 
  • Wisconsin Landscape by John Steuart Curry 
  • Plate No. 85, American Robin—Turdus migratorius by John James Audubon

Music

M., C., and E. have been watching Orchestra!, the 1991 documentary miniseries with Dudley Moore. They are also learning a four-part arrangement (with dad) of Skye Boat Song on recorder. 


5th Grade (M., girl, age 10)

Social Studies

M. completed the first 8 chapters in the first book of the Medieval & Early Modern World series from Oxford University Press. She wrote paragraphs comparing the Romans to the Germanic people and explaining the impact of viking invasions on Alfred, King of Wessex and Hugh Capet.  She watched supplemental videos from The Great Courses.

Science 

M. watched videos on the history of computers and finished the Arduino unit on programming. 


English 

M. made progress in Editor in Chief, Sentence Diagramming Level 2, Easy Grammar, and Vocabulary from Classical Roots B. She also wrote an explanation of Otzi the ice man using guidelines from Write Source 2000.


Math

M. has done one challenging word problem each day, as well as 30 minutes of Khan Academy. She is 63% done with Algebra I. She did not pass her most recent bridge in Life of Fred: Pre-algebra 0 with Physics and is in the process of correcting her answers and making a second attempt. 


Field Trips

M. went to the National Museum of Health and Medicine for a forensics class, and to the National Cryptologic Museum for a class on cryptoanalysis. A docent at the Cryptologic Museum was impressed with her and spent an extra hour with her after the tour. 

 

3rd Grade (C., girl, age 9)


Social Studies

C. read about Teddy Roosevelt, The Boxer Rebellion, The San Francisco Earthquake, Marie Curie, the Panama Canal, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, and the Titanic. She wrote one narration each week. 


Science 

C. read the first two chapters in The Book of Birds and completed the accompanying workbook pages. She did all of the first lesson in Student Guide for Electronic Snap Circuits and the first two sections of the second lesson. 


English

C. made progress in Sentence Diagramming Level 2, Daily Grams, and Vocabulary from Classical Roots 6. 


Math 

C. worked on division in Singapore Primary Mathematics 4B and did four chapters in Life of Fred: Honey. She is still working her way through  Khan Academy Sixth Grade Math. 


1st Grade (E., girl, age 6)


Social Studies

E. listened to the first four chapters of Story of Civilization Volume 3. She read A Medieval Monk


Science

Our first four topics covered by books in the Let's Read and Find Out series were: the sun and moon, the human body (bones, heart, blood, skin, and lungs), spiders, ants, and cockroaches, and trees and leaves. E. wrote narrations about the heart  and about the sun. 


English

E. made progress in Sentence Diagramming Beginning and Easy Grammar Workbook 34. 


Math

E. worked on fractions and time in Singapore Primary Mathematics 2B. She did the first four chapters in Life of Fred: Apples and has completed more than 60% of 4th grade Khan Academy. 


Pre-K (R., boy, age 4 & A., girl, age 4)

R. and A. joined in on the Let's Read and Find Out About Science read-alouds.

R. has read over 200 easy readers total. A. has read Rag and Dad and Sam

Read-at-Home Mom Report: September 2024 Wrap-Up

September Favorites 



  • Shadows: Visible & Invisible by Catholic Teen Books
    This is another excellent collection from the Catholic Teen Books team, this time about Hallowtide. This is one of my favorite parts of the liturgical year, and I love that the stories all drive home the true Catholic meaning of Halloween.  

  • Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor
    I loved this novel, which I read with the Close Reads podcast. It's a melancholy book, but also very funny in many ways. I will definitely want to re-read at some point. 

  • Wake of Malice by Eleanor Bourg Nicholson 
    Another amazing Catholic novel from Chrism Press. This one is a historical mystery with some supernatural/horror elements handled with Catholic sensibilities. The dialogue is amazing in this one, and I loved the Irish setting. 

  • To Be Where You Are (Mitford Years Book 14) by Jan Karon 
    I was putting off reading this because I didn't want the series to end, but then the author announced she's writing another book, so it was safe to read this one. It was excellent. Now I'm just sad that John McDonough, the audiobook narrator, passed away, because no one else will ever be the voice of these characters for me.


Read-Aloud Books

  • The Well-Wishers (Tales of Magic Book 6) by Edward Eager (4 stars)


Series and Sequels 

  • Making a Play (The Field Party Book 5) by Abbi Glines (3 stars)
  • Game Changer (The Field Party Book 6) by Abbi Glines (3 stars)
  • One Happy Summer (Falling for Summer Book 6) by Becky Monson (5 stars)
  • Nothing Better Than You (Better than the Movies Book 1.6) by Lynn Painter (5 stars)
  • A World of Curiosities (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache Book 18) by Louise Penny (3 stars)
  • Make A Wish For Me (Beany Malone Book 6) by Lenora Mattingly Weber (3 stars)
  • Storybook Romance (The Heart of Main Street, #4) by Lissa Manley (4 stars)
  • Easy as Pie (Sweater Weather Book 5) by Carina Taylor (2 stars)
  • A Not So Fictional Fall (Sweater Weather Book 6) by Savannah Scott (3 stars)
  • On the Shelf (The Men of Engine 17 Book 2) by Ash Keller (4 stars)
  • The Sequel (The Book Series Book 2) by Jean Hanff Korelitz (4 stars)
  • But He's My Grumpy Neighbor (But He's a Carter Brother Book 1) by Annah Conwell (3 stars)


Stand-Alone Books

  • Waiting for Christmas by Lynn Austin (4 stars)
  • The Rancher Next Door by Betsy St. Amant (4 stars)
  • The Christmas Tree Farm by Melody Carlson (4 stars)
  • Ring Out, Bow Bells! by Cynthia Harnett (4 stars)
  • The Holiday Cottage by Sarah Morgan (4 stars) 


Family Reading Lists


M. (girl, 10 years, 10 months old)

  • Knights Besieged by Nancy Faulkner
  • Knight Crusader by Ronald Welch 

C. (girl, 9 years old)

  • Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders by Henry Castor
  • The Boxer Rebellion by Irving Werstein 
  • Shaken Days by Marion Garthwaite 
  • The Story of Madame Curie by Alice Thorne
  • The Panama Canal by by Robert Bernard Considine
  • The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire by Elaine Landau
  • War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
  • August the Fourth by Penelope Farmer 

E. (girl, 6 years, 11 months old)

  • Redwall by Brian Jacques
  • Mischievous Meg by Astrid Lindgren

R. (boy, 4 years, 6 months)

  • Amazing Sharks 
  • When an Animal Grows
  • Hidden Animals
  • Hattie Be Quiet, Hattie Be Good
  • Biscuit 

A. (girl, 4 years, 6 months)

  • Dad and Sam 

Twins' read-alouds:

  • Bedtime for Frances
  • A Baby Sister for Frances 
  • Five Minutes Peace
  • Make Way for Ducklings
  • Curious George Gets a Medal
  • Goodnight Moon 
  • No Roses for Harry 
  • Millions of Cats
  • The Red Carpet 

My husband 

  • Crossbows and Crucifixes by Henry Garnett
  • Ring Out Bow Bells by Cynthia Harnett 
  • The Well-Wishers by Edward Eager