In the midst of summer swimming lessons, Vacation Bible School, Tuesday themed camps, piano lessons, and preparing for upcoming vacations, I've attempted to pull together a summary of what Emily Anne accomplished this year.
ART (Co-op Course; 3rd Year of Study)
• Sketched from models
• Used a variety of mediums, including oil pastels, watercolors, pencils, & pastel pencils
• Experimented with light & shadow
BIBLE
• Completed Topic Studies on Pride, Blame, Selfishness, & Defiance
• Memorized Psalms 1, 8, 23, & 121
• Memorized Methodist Episcopal Catechism (God’s Nature & Attributes; the Person of God)
EARTH SCIENCE
• Identified crust, mantle, inner core, and outer core of earth
• Identified igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock
• Identified how fossils are formed
• Understood basic structure of minerals and gems
• Understood basic plate tectonics and formation of mountains
• Studied volcanoes, earthquakes, and geysers
• Studied planets, moon, and stars (participated in portable planetarium presentation from STARLAB from the SC State Museum)
• Studied atmosphere, air, weather, and climate
• Identified stratus, cumulus, and cirrus clouds as indicators of weather
• Studied weather and wind, including thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes
• Studied ocean currents, waves, and tides, along with ocean floor and ocean zones
HANDWRITING
• Completed Zaner-Bloser Handwriting 2C
• Formed letters correctly
• Wrote with good shape, size, spacing, & slant
HISTORY
• Completed The Story of the World, Vol. 2: The Middle Ages (From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the Rennaissance), by Susan Wise Bauer
• Listened to readings and wrote narrations of each section of the 42 chapters; some of Emily Anne’s favorites were:
o Eric the Red Discovers Greenland
o Joan of Arc
o The Princes in the Tower
o Ferdinand & Isabella Unite Spain
o Christopher Columbus and His New Discovery
o Gutenberg Invents the Printing Press
o Elizabeth Becomes Queen of England
• Listened to additional read-alouds that tied into various historical periods (See Reading Log)
• Read additional chapter and picture books that tied into various historical periods (See Reading Log)
LANGUAGE ARTS
• Studied Grammar through First Language Lessons, Vol. 2 by Susan Wise Bauer, the topics of which included:
o Memorized State of Being, Linking, & Helping Verbs
o Commas in Dates & Addresses & in a Series
o Contractions
o Adjectives & Adverbs
o Conjunctions
o Memorized the Prepositions
o Synonyms & Antonyms
o Direct & Indirect Quotations
• Reinforced these Grammar Topics through Copywork
• Memorized the Following Poems:
o “Ooey Gooey”
o “The Swing” by Robert Louis Stevenson
o “Persevere”
o “After the Party” by William Wise
o “The Vulture” by Hilaire Belloc
o “The Secret” by Emily Dickinson
o “Who Has Seen the Wind?” by Christina Rossetti
o “The Owl & the Pussycat”
o “The Duel” by Eugene Field
MATH
• Completed Saxon 3
• Struggled with Math Facts using flash cards and computer games for reinforcement until we began reciting them (Emily Anne is definitely an auditory learner!)
PIANO
• Learned treble and bass clefs
• Learned counts of quarter, half, whole, and dotted half notes
• Accomplished playing with left and right hands in a variety of songs
• Scored Superior at Hartsville Piano Festival
READING/LITERATURE
• Increased fluency in reading aloud
• Continued to use phonics knowledge as word attack skills
• Increased speed in silent reading
• Enriched vocabulary in silent reading and read-alouds
• Exposed to a variety of literature (biography, nonfiction, fiction, poetry)
• See attached Reading Log
SPELLING
• Completed Spelling Workout B
• Completed through Lesson 24 of Spelling Workout C
• Continued applying phonics rules to correct spelling of words
WRITING
• Completed
Beginning Institute for Excellence in Writing Course
o Learned to replace weak words with stronger ones using a thesaurus
o Completed the process of key-word outlines, rough drafts, editing, and final drafts for fables and nonfiction paragraphs
o Practiced combining sentences using dependent clauses
o Enlivened writing by adding adverbs, adjectives, and
• Completed
Writing with Ease, Vol. 2 by Susan Wise Bauer
o Progressed from writing short copywork sentences to longer ones containing direct quotations
o Progressed from writing very short sentences from dictation to two or more sentences from dictation
o Progressed from narrations of one or two sentences to paragraphs
o Wrote many unassigned, creative pieces
