Week 34 Overview

Days 166-170 What?! It's really flying by now! But, we are still learning SO much! Here is the overview for week 34:

Bible ~ 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus
We looked at Paul's letters to young leaders.
"Continue to have faith and do what you know is right" (1 Timothy 2:1)

History
The New Universe: Nicholas Copernicus and Galileo Galilei 
Copernicus had a new way of thinking about the universe. Instead of the earth being the center, he had the idea that the sun was the center. This was in opposition of the way the Catholic Church thought and caused Copernicus to worry about voicing his ideas. Twenty-one years after Copernicus died, Galileo was born in Italy. He was one of the first modern scientists because he used the experimental method to find out how the world worked. In 1609 he discovered the telescope that was invented by Dutch scientists. Galileo agreed with Copernicus. The Catholic church ordered him to repent of his "mistaken ideas". Albert Einstein referred to Galileo as the Father of Modern Physics.

England's Greatest Queen: Elizabeth I
Henry VIII's daughter Mary, also known as Bloody Mary because of her cruelty, was crowned the first queen of England in 1553. She was the daughter of his first wife Catherine. Mary wanted to bring Catholicism back to England, so she ordered many murders of Protestants. In 1558, her half sister, daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, became queen of England. She is known as Elizabeth I and reigned for 45 years. This period is known as the Elizabethan age. She announced that England would be Protestant, but she did not condemn anyone for what the practiced in their own home. She did not, however, allow any more Catholic church services. Under her reign, England became peaceful, rich, and more powerful than ever. She became known as Good Queen Bess.

Reading
We are almost done with our nearly 600 page poetry book that we read each day! We are still reading our last read aloud, Master Cornhill.

3rd grade Math
We finished our review of graphs by looking at line graphs and line plot graphs. Line graphs are fine, but the principal and lead teacher agree that line plot graphs are the worst and have no purpose in our lives. But, we didn't share that view with any of our students, so don't worry!
We also continue reviewing various skills that we have not mastered, such as comparing fractions. Through comparing fractions, we stress the importance of finding equivalent fractions through the least common multiple. We want to use mathematical equations to solve problems rather than just "looking" at diagrams.

6th Grade Math
Our 6th grader finished all 115 lessons and 18 quizzes for Teaching Textbooks Grade 7 math! Yay! She finished with an overall average of... 97% for lessons and 98% for quizzes. And I taught her almost none of that. She learned by reading the text and completing the problems, then entering her answers into the computer system which scored answers immediately. So proud of her!

3rd Grade Science
Molecule position and other characteristics of solids, liquids, and gases, how thermometers work (thermal expansion), solvents, vapors, temperature when water freezes, boiling and melting point of solids, liquids, and gases, molecules vs compounds, and the Periodic Table.

6th Grade Science
Thunder and lightening, hurricanes and tornadoes, floods, water shortages during flooding, Dust Bowl of 1930s, blizzards, heat waves, and ice storms, freak waves and tsunamis, meteorologists, weather reports, elements and nutrients required by plants, and omnivores, herbivores, and carnivores.

Writing
Shape poems. Well, these proved to be fun to read and oh, so hard to produce. We'll just leave that there. Yes, we will post the pictures of our final products, but don't laugh. Or, at least don't tell us if you do!

Piano
Practice, practice, practice! Especially some special pieces for our small recital coming up in just a week and a half.