Week 4: What My Week Looks Like for Challenge A

I am already on my fourth week of Classical  Conversations, and I can’t believe it.  Yesterday I went to CC and I passed the Canada test!!  I am so relieved.  I drew and labeled Canada from memory successfully.  I only mislabeled or missed two bodies of water out of 54 labels. We are now working on memorizing and labeling the United States.  We have two weeks, and I’m a bit nervous since we have to label over 150 places, rivers, and features.  Thankfully, I know the states and capitals of the U.S. pretty well, and I know most of the features too!

For Lost Tools of Writing (a writing curriculum), we are finishing up our persuasive essays for the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  This is our first essay, and they want us to learn the basics and the foundation of writing the essay.  Because of this teaching style, our first paper looks basic (and the teacher expects it to look that way).  But it is worth the trouble.  Next week we will start our next essay on Carry on Mr. Bowditch.  From now on, we will build on top of that first “foundation” for our essays.  We will add steps until we finally know how to write a persuasive essay.  I will also be using this book in Challenge B and Challenge 1.  It is a great program even if it looks basic at the beginning.

For Reasoning, we are going through a book called “It Couldn’t Just Happen”.  This kid-friendly book gives proof that God created the universe, and that it didn’t “just happen”.  In this strand (CC term for something like “subject”), we read one section and write a summary about it.  Then we read another and write a new summary for that section.  We read one chapter a week, using a highlighting system to help us remember even more.  This process helps us learn and remember more information from the book.  It helps us dive deeper into the book and keep the knowledge with us.

We are continuing Latin chapter by chapter using Henle Latin.  We work on reading, vocabulary (using flashcards), and exercises (translating sentences, declining nouns etc.).  Latin reminds me of a puzzle, and the CC memory work that I learned from Foundations helps me a lot.  I also attended a Latin Camp this summer, and I got a great start on Latin with that too!  My mom signed me up for online Latin classes on top of that, and I really like them.  The teacher is knowledgeable, friendly, helpful, and funny.  My mom, dad, and brother know Latin, and they can also teach me and answer some of my questions.  My CC teacher is also helpful.  I am thankful I have so many resources and that I know people who can help me learn Latin!

For Research, we have been writing one paper a week.  We research using at least 2 sources, using the IEW method for outlines and writing.  We will write around 9 essays and after that, learn about the human body.  In the middle of the year, my class will be working on the Challenge A science fair.  This week we are going to research something in the topic of plants.  I will be writing about plants used to make dyes.

I can’t wait to see what will happen this week, and how God will use what I am learning!