Core G.Early Middle Ages.Week 16 "A".Nov.9-13, 2015 (56th) King Arthur, Christianity begins, fall of Romans, Founding of Byzantine, rise of Russia a state

Core G.

Early Middle Ages.

Week 16 "A".

Nov.9-13, 2015

 (56th Week on Core G) 

King Arthur
 Christianity begins, fall of Romans, Founding of Byzantine, rise of Russia as a state

Hello Friends, one more week until our Thanksgiving week off from lessons.  Let's see--our big things from this week---well, last week Dd had a test in band, to figure out her "seat".  We got the results this week, and she got last place or last chair out of the beginner alto sax's.  You'd think that might be awful news, but she took it like a champ.  I always think we learn more through failure or "tough lessons" than we do from success.  She has only been playing for just over two months now, and is still figuring out what "tonguing" means---and I guess that has to do with where you place your tongue on the reed as you play?  This week she figured out how to play, "I'll Fly Away" by herself--by ear.  That is one of my **favorite** hymns, and it brings me such joy hearing her play it on the piano, and now on the sax!  I'm very pleased with how she is taking this news, and this will only inspire her to practice more often.  She already plans to "challenge" her fellow players in July, when they are allowed to try again.

We had two great 'lesson-days' on Monday and Tuesday, two semi-decent days on Wednesday and Thursday, but Friday was just bible and math b/c she had to pack her gear, and the van, to go with Pappa to the family farm in Indiana.  It takes at least seven hours to get there without traffic, accidents, or breaks...most likely eight or nine hours in practical terms.  This is opening weekend for deer hunting, and Dh is keen to provide our meat for the year.  It looked like we might get all our assignments done for the first bit of the week, but it didn't happen.  Part of the problem was that I got a migraine on Thursday and had to go to bed early.  

It snowed off and on Friday; which might be nice if we weren't still waiting for the company to finish closing up our pool for the winter!  We had to order a new cover....and it still hasn't come in, so here we wait!  I will enjoy the snow much more when that job is completed and we are out of danger of having our pool pipes bust due to the cold.

Agnes, Dd's new kitten, is doing well.  It is really neat to see Dd having to take care of her, and snuggle with her!  I can see how much love she has for that kitty!  The kitty is growing in leaps and bounds.  She is heavy to pick up now!  So glad she has a good appetite! 

We just have one last co-op day left, and then our schedule will be SO much easier.  It is very hard to get much done on our lessons after co-op!! More so than after band, for some reason.

King Arthur

Sonlight wanted us to read by Andrew Lang, but I also checked out the audio by Howard Pyle from our library.  I have to say, I am just about done with the SL book, and am listening to the audio with Dd.  The SL book (by Lang) gets the job done, but doesn't add any details or frills to the story; whereas the audio by Pyle is fantastic!  I am so glad I got that version, as it is so much the superior of the two versions.  Perhaps SL chose a more edited, more abbreviated version so the students could get through this story faster, but they are really missing so much that the Pyle version has.  We will be continuing to listen to the Pyle, probably all next week.  But, I feel like it is worth it.

This week Dd's reader was an "add-in"--not a Sonlight book--called Anna of Byzantium.  Dd is almost done with this book, though I scheduled it to take two weeks, but she has liked it SO much she has kept reading past each day's schedule.  She hasn't been this excited about a SL book in a while.  Here is what Rainbow Resource has to say about this book:  

This emotional story of Anna Comnena, a Byzantine princess who was betrayed by her family members and denied the throne, is a mix of history, mystery, and intrigue. Anna is trained and raised to be the empress, but instead spends most of her days exiled in various nunneries. Follow her as she develops as a woman and discovers who she really is and what is important in life. 212 pgs.

Bible:

Veritas Bible Chronicles-Malachi,Job HS Kit

Veritas Press Chronicles Through Malachi:

Card 95: passed

Malachi Prophesies To The Jews

433 BC

Believer's Bible Commentary   [BELIEVERS BIBLE COMMENTARY -SS] [Hardcover]

Mar 31, 1995

by MacDonald, W.(Author) ; MacDonald, William(Author); Farstad, Arthur L.(Editor)

Malachi 4: Bible & Believer's Bible Commentary

Survey of the Bible

Survey of the Bible: pg 278

(summary on Malachi)

Card 96: in process

Trials of Job

(Dd is very excited about us really getting to know this book better; as she says it is one of her favorite books in the bible.)

The Inspirational Study Bible: Life Lessons from the Inspired Word of God New Ce

1995
Our Max Lucado Study Bible is very nice, whenever we start a new book it has a page dedicated to giving us a review of the book ahead.  Plus, in the margins he has many "Life Lessons" that go along with many of the chapters we read...sort of like a mini-sermon that relates to that specific chapter.

What the Bible Is All About: NIV Bible Handbook, Revised and Updated

Henrietta C. Mears

What The Bible Is All About:

pg's: 197-203

(About Job)

Job 1 & 2:

 read in bible and Believer's Bible Commentary

Adding in a new bible supplement:

Christian Studies Book IV Student

Christian Studies IV by Memoria Press

page 4 & 5

Music:

Alto Sax: 30 minutes each day 

and Choir: 25 minutes each day

Piano: 

a few days this week, 2 hours

History: 

BiblioPlan: Medieval, Renaissance & Reformation Companion (2 Book Set)

BiblioPlan Companion: In Process 

a Text for Medieval History

pg's: 31-40

Peril and Peace Vol. 1: Chronicles of the Ancient Church

Peril and Peace: In Process

We will be reading this for a while, doing a few sections each week.

pg's: 71-86

Trial and Triumph: Stories from Church History

Richard M. Hannula

Trial and Triumph:  In Process

We will be reading this for a while, doing a few sections each week.
Key People:

Polycarp-Witness in the Arena(69-155), 

Blandina-Martyr of Lyons (155-177), 

Constantine--Defender of the Church (272-337),

pg's:11 -30

Audio:

The Story of King Arthur and His Knights - unabridged audiobook on CD

Howard Pyle

BLACKSTONE AUDIOBOOKS / 2002 / COMPACT DISC

King Arthur by Howard Pyle

(we are liking this very much! I'm reading the SL book by Lang, but am preferring the Pyle version.)

Drive Through History: Vol 3

Bethlehem to Caesarea, Miracles, Messiah, and the Roman Empire

IN PROCESS

We are liking this very much.  It doesn't seem as jumpy as the one's we watched a few years ago.  I don't know if WE have changed, or if this one was just not as fast-paced!  

Timeline/ Book of Time:

Adding in our Science personalities:

Robert Grosseteste

Dietrich Von Freiberg

Roger Bacon

Nicolas of Cusa

Thomas Brandwardine

and I've fit in a little extra on the history figures too--anyone else love doing the timeline?!!!  

We were *suppose to do*: SOTW: Ch. 2, but didn't get to it this week.

Some History Highlights this week:
Dead Sea Scrolls, Essenes (Jewish ascetics who dedicated their lives to writing and preserving the sacred tests), Jews lived in communes so they could eat and sleep in commons.  Jews made copies of the sacred texts.  First Jewish Revolt, AD 70, Jews revolted against the Romans.  Josephus asked the Jews not to fight but they did--and were massacred--though some fled to Masada, and were killed there.  Bar Kokba built a temple on the top of the spot of the Jewish temple that Solomon built. Bar Kokba was fiercely against the Jews, and ruled with extremely strict rules.  He claimed that he was the Messiah (as in, God's son).  Many people believed him, that he was the Messiah, instead of believing in Jesus, who had died 130 years earlier.  In the Second Revolt Bar Kokba was killed--along with hundreds of thousands of Jews and Romans.  The Jews fled to hide in caves, hiding from the Romans.  St. Valentine
Apostles Creed
Mayans were enjoying their Classical Period at this time.
St. Augustine of Hippo

Audio:

Mystery of History (MOH), Vol.II, The Early Church and the Middle Ages:

Lessons 8-13

Key Points/People: Dead Sea Scrolls, Bar Kochba, 1st Jewish Revolt, 2nd Jewish Revolt, St. Valentine, Apostles Creed, Mayans 350-900 BC, St. Augustine of Hippo...

Reader:

Anna of Byzantium

Anna of Byzantium by Tracy Barrett.  Dd has given this book very good reviews.  She is really liking this very much!!  She is reading way faster than I scheduled, and reading it during her free reading time.

Math:

Math U See: Algebra I:

passed test for 5,

6A, B, C, D (and some of H)

although she did all the pages, she still gets the graphing wrong some of the time.  So, we will do lesson 6 over again.

Science: 

(I have to admit, I had more pages assigned than we got accomplished this week, but we did our best.)

Exploring Creation with General Science Text Only

Apologia: General Science Text Book:

pg's 12-23

General Science Notebooking Journal

General Science Notebook:

pg's 16-21

Experiment 1.4

Completed: a drawing an eclipse

(I'll do a blog post on this alone)

khanacademy.org

Khan Academy:

watched video:

The Lungs and Pulmonary System: 20:32 minutes

Language Arts:

She has been working on her book, 3 hours this week

Literary Analysis:

For co-op class

2 hours

Busy Hands:

She made an omelet, and must have felt good about it b/c she took a picture of it!

Fun Book:

Hoot

Dec 27, 2005

by Carl Hiaasen

Hoot: Completed

she loves this movie too!  She watched it also.

not sure what else she read this week for fun.....I think the Anna of Byzantium was so good she read it a lot.

House:

Dh and I got a few things done this week: besides continuing to try to drain the pool and keep it clean of leaves!  We also bought a bunch of insulation to put in our attic above garage.

We *Finally* got my anniversary clock up!  This is the second thing we have got up so far!  

We got the curtain shelf back up above the master window.  I hung up some curtains in our room.  After 4 months, it is about time we get some curtains up!!!  The leaves are falling off all the trees around our house, and that made curtains suddenly important!

........

Core G Week 15 "C" Oct.2nd - Nov. 7, 2015 Beowulf links*Early Middle Ages

Core G 

Week 15 "C" 

Oct. 2nd - Nov. 7, 2015
Early Middle Ages
The Western World After the Fall of Rome
55th Week on this Core
Independent Study Week
(mom doing chores week!)

Looks like we have another reader!
Agnes under the covers and not concerned.

History:
We are in Unit 1 of BiblioPlan (BP)--"Early Christianity and the Rise of Islam", working on their Week 1 & Week 2.  We are combining BP with our Sonlight Core G, where we are on Week 15 of their schedule.

Independent Study Week:

After a fairly productive week, last week, I didn't feel so bad taking this week off of teaching and give Dd an independent study.  The weather was AMAZING and I tried to take advantage of this rare warm weather, in Michigan, in November!!!!  

Band: Alto Sax

We went to Dd's band and choir practice on Wednesday.  Dd has to do at least 2.5 hours each week of sax practice and choir practice.  She always makes sure she gets that, plus a little extra.  It is great to actually tell each week, by listening, how much progress she has made.

Our co-op:
The co-op on Thursday went well.  The kids in Dd's classes have been slowly opening up and being more friendly these past few weeks.  It was easy to say that we were not going to do the 'winter session' when Dd wasn't making new friends, but she keeps giving more and more favorable reviews of her days at the co-op.  I am trying desperately to decide if we want to stay overly social this winter, or take some time to chill at home and read.  Part of my conflict is that I am getting some good networking done by meeting some of the other hs'ing moms during the classes, and could really use some help finding out what this area has available for homeschoolers.  Also, I really need to meet up with some hs'ing mom's that can help guide/advise me on how to start working on transcripts!!  But, I also would love to feel like we were really jamming on our lessons, like we normally do each winter.  The fall has always been our 'co-op' and be social time, and therefore I have a lower expectation of what we will accomplish.  I guess I am leaning towards Dd not needing the co-op as much as I could socially gain by making new friends and connections---prayers appreciated.

Prayer Request:
We are looking at used cars now--we really need to find two different cars that can drive on lots of snow, snow, snow---we are in Michigan, where we get enormous amounts of snow for around 6 months!  We could use prayers on that working out to a fairly inexpensive situation for us---both our current cars are only one wheel drive--I'm not sure if it is "rear wheel drive" or "front wheel drive", but it is the one that is not ideal for snow and ice!  Prayers certainly appreciated.

Transcript idea:

One good tip I got from a mom in the nursery with me was to write down how many HOURS Dd does her classes/activities for her future transcripts.  I hadn't thought of that yet, and am grateful for the suggestion.


CHURCH UPDATE:
Lastly, we did return to the church we went to last Sunday!  And again it was really lovely!  This week they had a couple of missionaries in from South Africa---and the husband gave an awesome sermon on Jesus' miracles with the five loaves of bread and two fishes.  I will never think the same about that story; as he gave so many ways to consider it.  Really thought provoking! This church is really small, just 15 or so minutes from our house, out in the boonies, and just like the little church on the hill that Dh grew up going to (and that I've visited countless times!).  It was just so LOVING and 'homey'.  The best thing, or one of the best things, was that so many people went out of their way to come over and say hello to us--and not in an awkward way, in a 'SO glad to see you, way!  The little church that we had been going to the past few months; the one that is at least 30 minutes away (you have to think about getting to church in the snow, so it really does matter how far you can logistically plan to go on a super snowy Sunday!), is having our church over next Sunday night for a music special!  Isn't that lovely!  Our two favorite churches are getting together for a special!!!  

Dd's Independent Study week:

Kingfisher History Encyclopedia (revised)

Item #: 003618

Kingfisher History:

 assignments for week 15 completed

Favorite Poems Old and New

Favorite Poems Old and New:

assignments for week 15 completed 

BP Medieval History Hands-On Maps Advanced

BP Map: BiblioPlan Advanced Maps

Week 2 map 

History Reader:

Beowulf: A New Telling

Beowulf by Robert Nye: Completed
This version of Beowulf is intended for younger readers.  I thought this would be a good version for Dd's age. Here is what Rainbow Resource says about this version:
Author Robert Nye's interpretation of the Anglo-Saxon epic in straightforward, understandable language for young readers. He has taken the original poem, and has retold it in a more familiar story format. 103 pgs.

and we watched quite a few youtube's on Beowulf:

YOUTUBE.COM
These are some of the video's we watched, from Jenny Sawyer, that were very educational--though short--but very safe for any viewers! She has a lot to watch, but they are short--I'm not going to link every-single-one, but once there you can see her whole listing.
Beowulf: The characters:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMZvBjDDs9w

Beowulf : The Plot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apxmtii18hk

Beowulf: The Plot, part two:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEMjGv5_VBc

Beowulf summary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgK_sunbD6E

(not from Jenny Sawyer, but a 1988 tv movie (animated):
animated version of Beowulf:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKjcoFZmKuA

Review/Questions:

The Silver Branch  by Rosemary Sutcliff:

questions, found online, thanks to Kendra finding this link on some Rosemary Sutcliff books!

http://hillsideeducation.com/storefront/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/sutcliff-series.pdf

Science:

Khan Academy:
(but, you can see these on you-tube too)
Layers of the Heart
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_LiAEjuIIc

Thermo-regulation in the Circulatory System

Matter, Elements, and Atoms

Introduction to the Atom

and drew (on paper) the structure of an atom

Exploring the History of Medicine

History of Medicine by John Hudson Tiner

Ch. 11 & 12

Language Arts:

*She is writing her own story and worked on that a good spell this week.  I think it is another version of her story with some of the kids from Rick Riordan's, Percy Jackson series (Heroes of Olympus).  She is wanting to type it up and enter it in NaNo Young Writers program...have you guys seen this yet?  If not, here is the link if you have young writers with ambition!
http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/user%252F1401278%252Fedit%252Fnovel_info

or you can Google search: "NANO WRIMO's Young Writers Program"

Complete Writer: Writing With Skill Level One Student Workbook

Item #: 050489

Writing With Skill:
Week 19 Completed

Math:
Math U See: Algebra 1

Test 4 (passes), 5A, B,C, D
We have had a LOT of trouble with Algebra this year!!!  We are so set on MUS as our math program, but boy, I really do wish Steve Demme had better video's for this book.  I really don't know what else to do, so we are going slowly through this book (and Dh is helping out quite a bit!).  

Fun Readers:

The Scorch Trials--book 2 in the Maze Runner series, by James Dashner: Completed

The Scorch Trials (Maze Runner, Book 2)

Sep 13, 2011

by James Dashner

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen: In Process

Hoot

Dec 27, 2005

by Carl Hiaasen

Heroes of Olympus, The Book Three The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus)

Apr 8, 2014

by Rick Riordan

Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan: In Process
re-reading

Muppet Sherlock Holmes (Muppet Show)

Mar 1, 2011

by Patrick Storck and Amy Mebberson

Muppet Sherlock Holmes
:completed

Giver

The Giver: In Process



Dd has had her nose in a few other books, but these two were her focus this week...I just added them to the post.



Fun Audio:

Wizard of Oz (Canterbury Classics)

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum: In Process

Busy Hands- Dd:

Archery some this week.

She made our new friends, the "V" family some blueberry muffins from scratch- no pictures as we were in a hurry.

Dd is working on her third 'slouch' hat...this one is gray, like our floors!

Dd made a pizza from scratch--raised the dough and everything--with specific toppings for each of us!  

Spray painting her cardboard Parthenon with white spray paint...still working on it.

Piano--this was a big piano week, at least the first few days of the week.  I found a few of her piano books and print outs in one of the boxes I unpacked.  She was so excited to have her "Concerning Hobbits" music sheets back again!  Her choir teacher encourages her students to play their songs on the piano.  I'm really overjoyed to hear her playing on the piano and sax on a regular basis.  I am so glad, and thankful for this blessing---I think as parents we always want to offer our children as many positive experiences as we can for advancement; things we never got to experience but wish we could have.

And, Dd has been spending a lot of time snuggling up with HER new cat---mind you, this is my "I don't like cats" daughter!!!  Never say 'never'...right! so funny!

My busy hands:

I **FINALLY* got all the boxes out of the garage on Monday,  Four Months Later!  (though the outbuilding still has a lot...)There is a bunch of furniture stacked up on the side (that you can't see in this picture), that we couldn't fit in the smaller house.  We should be able to fit a few things in once we finish repairing the basement living room.  Dh has been working on it every Saturday, and a few nights after work.  He thinks we will be able to start painting soon, as he is getting closer to having the Spackling and sanding complete.  It will really be wonderful to have that big spacious room available for us to use!  I am thinking we might want our Christmas tree there?  

This week was so wonderfully warm and sunny, the plants we brought from Indiana are doing really well.  Plus, I got to get a lot of our laundry hung outside to dry.  It was great to get a lot of bedding and things dried outside, as it rained so much last week.

 I'm not sure if you can tell from this picture, but our driveway was completely covered in leaves!  It took me four hours to mulch up and remove those leaves from our drive!  Up and down that hill!  My what an exhausting day!  Then I mowed the grass to catch as many leaves as I could before they landed on the driveway.

Thursday painting:

Thursday I finally started on the painting job I wanted to do while I could still open the windows.  I got the front two rooms Kilz'ed, but didn't get as much done as I hoped.  Friday was a migraine day, so I was in bed all day.  

Saturday I painted the halls, the stairwells and some trim on both the stairwell going down to the basement, and up to the loft; so two stairwells!  We are making some progress.  I noticed once it started getting chilly, and we closed the house up, that weird smell returned---don't ask me what the smell is, b/c I don't know!  But, I figure that smells are probably in the walls and if I Kilz the walls I might lock in some of those smells forever, or at least that is what I am hoping to do! 

 .......