Week 6

Great work everyone!  We’ve made it through week 6 and the papers you all are writing and sharing in class is fantastic!  Keep it up!

We don’t meet next week, so be reviewing Charts A-H, Compound sentences, and S-Vt-DO purpose.  When you do your task sheets, start asking these questions to find out if your verb is transitive or intransitive.  Michelle put this out and I want you all to be asking these questions when you break apart your sentences.

Below is for Practice Sentence, Task 3- Question Confirmation, Memorize these questions:

Ask :     Who (verb)? Or What (verb)?   subject     

Ask :     What is being said about (subject)?  subject  verb

Ask :     (subject) (verb) what or  (subject) (verb)  whom?   answer     

* If there is no answer your verb is intransitive and you are done finding your sentence pattern.

* If there is an answer, then you must ask 2 more questions. (because it could be a Direct Object, but it could also be a Predicate Noun/Adjective)

Ask :     Can (DO) replace or describe (subject)? If no, answer is a DO, label verb transitive

For IEW, the vocab is lesson 7 in the student binder.  Yes, lesson seven.  This information became clear to me when I looked over the daily checklist my girls use everyday.  From now on the vocab won’t match up to our actual week 7, 8, 9, etc… If you look at the daily checklist, you’ll see the vocab lessons are now labeled 7, 9, 11, etc…  Our level B students are to also add words using a thesaurus to the back of their vocab cards.

 

We are working on Summarizing References with Charlemagne, the Conqueror (page 42) this week and using our newest stylistic technique:  Topic Sentences/Clinchers.  We already outlined this in class.  Work on your paragragh this week with new vocab including all the rest of the dress-ups and openers we’ve learned through week six.  Next week for the level B students, you can be working on the outline and paragraph, Charlemagne, the Reformer (page 44).  Remember to just pick out key information on Charlemagne being a Reformer.  When we get together in two weeks, we’ll be in week seven and will work on Charlemagne, Founder of the Holy Roman Empire (page 46) together with www.asiab and #5 openers.

 

Password to get into class:  What is a Topic Sentence/Clincher?

 

Have a blessed two weeks!

 

Tammy

 

 

week 5 blog

Week 5       

Essentials:     Review Charts A-F, while listening to the CD

                                    Structure:  Simple

S-Vi sentences, practice Task 1-4

                                    Purpose:  Interrogative

                                    Parts of Speech:  Review

IEW:

The source we are using is Genghis Khan and His Hawk on page 131 in the Medieval History Based Writing Lessons-Student Book.  We read this in class.  We are not using the Critiquing instructions for this paper, only using the Story Sequence Model from Unit III. For scaling, you know your student, so it’s at your discretion on how many paragraphs he or she should strive to complete.  For younger students, he or she should work on one paragraph.  The paragraph should cover the characters (Genghis Khan & his hawk), location (forest), problem (thirsty), surprise (hawk spilling his water and Khan gets mad), resolution and/or moral (lesson learn is not to act quickly from anger, it was a tragedy).  For older students, he/she can strive to complete three paragraphs, which is right off the Story Sequence Model attachment.   IEW checklist for week 3 is attached. 

 

What we all need to remember is the “2013-2014 Suggested Writing Schedule for Medieval History Based Writing Lessons,” handout is the writing source where our incredible children will use his or her mind to create some beautiful writing.  They are putting out some really fantastic papers. 

 

This Week:

Wednesday:   outline 3rd paragraph and brainstorm

Thursday:  write 3rd paragraph, edit (Make sure clincher reflects title)

Friday:  Rewrite paragraphs or Type, Polish paper

Monday:  Polish

 

To Scale Down to 1 paragraph:   

Wednesday:  Outline paragraph using 2 questions from each section

Thursday:  brainstorm stylistic techniques

Friday:  Write/Type paragraph

Monday:  Edit/Polish

 

A few thoughts on decreasing stressful environments while writing:  Moms, be positive about the assignment.  Attitudes are contagious so make yours worth catching!  This week, make a goal to praise, complement, and encourage your IEW student 5 times each lesson.  Limit time for writing, 30 minutes or less.  Also, before you begin the lesson, maybe set a reward: trampoline, picnic, movie, bike ride.  Make your environment a happy positive one.  

 

God Bless,

 

Tammy

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  I Thessalonians 5:18