Can you believe it? An actual one week Wrap-Up!
Highlights with photos from our week
We finished reading, discussing, and writing about Uncle Tom's Cabin. The discussion this morning was very thought provoking. Earlier in the week, I had them write an essay sharing their insights about this book and today they surprised me with the depth of their thoughts. As a mom, it is hard for me to realize that these little people that live in my house can have such deep and compassionate thoughts on an issue that is out of their realm of experience. I guess that is what good literature is all about in our homeschooling plans.
I never realized before that this book has a subtitle....interesting.
We made injera or an Ethiopian flat bread. It is meant to be cooked in large pieces to serve as the serving platter for the meal. Traditionally, one piece of bread was used directly on the table and then broken off as you ate the meal. We opted to use it like a tortilla with our stew. In Ethiopia, it is considered polite to only eat with your right hand. We found that hard to do, okay almost impossible.
We are highly recommending this book as much more than a recipe book!
Here is one of our notebook pages from this week. I want to let you know that even though this looks like a fill in the blanks sort of exercise, there is a lot of critical thinking that goes into the process. They independently research the information and dig up gems to share with each other on Fridays. I love the way they find current events for their notebook page because this often times leads them into directions far beyond the prompts given. They are learning so much more than what is specified on the page and they are eager to share.
We have been playing this board game this week. I think we all have realized how terrible our sense of geography is for the continent of Africa. This game is a valuable part of our geography study as far as getting the countries in our minds and general location.
We are winding up our current composers and artists in the next week. Here is a copy of the Renoir self-portrait that Mr. B did with markers. Shifty eyes.
Not sure exactly what prompted Mr. B to build 100 Lego people but he was determined to finish before our lunch today. Now what? Just a little silliness.
The weather was not conducive to going snowboarding this week, postponing until next week. The men finished my compost bin and also had a little welding practice down in the shop.
It does not look like much but it is going to be glorious to have my very own spinning compost bin! This is just what my garden needs this year. Thanks guys!
Those were the highlights of our very wet, cloudy week.
My week: I was busy planning the rest of our year's writing assignments using IEW. Done! Yahoo! I am also still hard at work on my new art/nature study project. Here is a glimpse into what I am testing this week.
Barb-Harmony Art Mom
10 comments:
I'm envious of your compost bin! I want one like that, too!
Nice week! The Lego picture tickled my 5yo, he loves Legos. He's building something with them right now...
Looks like you guys had alot of fun. Thanks for sharing!
Can I come and be in your "class"? I just adore all that you do with your kiddos!
I enjoyed reading about your week. You mentioned you discussed Uncle Tom's Cabin with your boys this week. And, I'm wondering, how could I discuss that intelligently??? So, I'm wondering, how have you educated yourself to get your boys to this point. Is it mainly by using TOG? Or have you spent a lot of time reading the classics? If you already have a post about this, I'd love it if you'd point me to it. I'm just wondering how I'll be prepared to discuss some of these deeper topics. Thanks!
I love reading about your week. Some things are hard for me to connect with since my highest grade here so far is the 3rd grade, but I may hunt you down when he hits high school. :-D It sounds so fun, though!
School for Us,
A little of everything is my best answer.
1. I have read quite a few of the books...a long time ago but the structure and main points are still in my mind.
2. Things I don't remember at all, I read a bit of the book, skim some of the book, and read the Cliffs Notes.
3. If it is a TOG selection, the teacher's notes are thorough and well written and I can usually have them give me their thoughts in a discussion using some of the questions in the student activities. TOG calls this a Socratic discussions-
http://www.tapestryofgrace.com/explore/tns.php
4. If I have never read the book and I have time to read it, I enjoy following along with the boys. I did this with Les Miserable earlier this year.
It really depends on the material. Last year when we did Medieval and Renaissance (TOG Yr 2), I really felt I needed to pretty much read everything they did and go through the teacher's notes. It was a tough year.
This year has been a bit easier and as the boys mature, they really take the discussions on for themselves. I just lead through questions. It isn't like I am quizzing them or needing to find specific answers either. They narrate to me what they thought and what they learned. I listen and respond as best I can. Since there are two of them, they sort of self correct...or agree to disagree.
We are getting ready to read Macbeth this week. I have read the introduction and notes to the play, refreshed my memory of the characters and plot, and found an audio book to listen to. We will listen together and talk as things come up. This is not a TOG selection so I will not have any notes.
I have outlined some narration prompts already using the notes from the book.
Describe Banquo's murder.
Why do you think Shakespeare's appeal has lasted so long?
Write a review of this play for a local homeschooling group.
These are just our literature response narrations. I expect them to thoroughly answer the prompt in about a page usually. They never seem to have trouble with this exercise.
Remember that when the kids get into high school they have entered into a whole different world of thinking. They are no longer gathering facts or putting them together with connections, they are asking the "why" questions and are ready for thinking on a higher level. I see it happening in my boys. They go farther and build on things they have learned in the past. In Uncle Tom's Cabin, you are no longer learning about Lincoln or the basics of the Civil War, you are digging into the "whys" and the "why nots" behind the people. This book puts faces on slaves and slave owners. It shows how people can change in their most basic beliefs as Christians. You see the struggle in some of the slave owners over the conflict of being a Christian and treating fellow humans as chattel. My boys are finally old enough to grapple with these tough subjects. It did not take much prompting from me to hear how they really felt about things in this book. They both feel it is an important book. In fact, that was one of my narration prompts: Why should people read this book? They had solid answers. I didn't have to do anything but schedule the reading and then ask them the question.
We can all do this. There is no reason to shy away from high school because we feel inadequate.
You might like to try something like this DVD course from Teaching Company. I loved watching it and getting excited about literature a few years ago.
http://www.teach12.com/ttcx/coursedesclong2.aspx?cid=4600
(Wait for it to go on sale!!!)
This got rather long for a comment. I think I will put it in a follow-up post as well. :)
Barb-Harmony Art Mom
What a fun week. I love the compost bin. I've been looking at those for a couple of years.
Your watercolours had my fingers itching for a paint brush. Looks like fabulous fun.
Love the compost and the legos! Looks like a great week.
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