Hello!

November was an extremely busy month and Dec. shows no signs of slowing down.  We continue to integrate classroom activities with global curriculum.

In Geography, we are continuing to teach mapping, map reading and have been learning the location and important facts about our world community.  We have begun with Asia and ill travel thru Europe next.  You may have noticed your child’s enthusiasm when they hear about Bahrain or Singapore or Brunei.  It is difficult to b ea world citizen when you are unfamiliar with a countries location and/or culture. 

In “Study of a Nation” we are learning the differences between political facts, physical features, economics and culture.  Presently we are focusing on topography, physical environments and elevation mapping.  Your child will need books about their country’s economics beginning January 1, 2010.  They have worked very hard developing political and physical maps of their countries. 

In Science, the children have been working on comparing and contrasting the five kingdoms and have just presented their kingdom research.  This was a great learning experience because the presentation needed to be in their own words and understandable by other members of their class.  We have now begun an in depth study of the animal kingdom, which will continue after the 1^st of the year.   We will also be working on the classification of the animals and the meaning behind the classification.

In History, we have been working on the History of the Earth and have moved thru the various Earth Eons.   We have focused on the present Eon, the Phanerozoic, and have just begun The Study of Humans.  We will be learning about human migration patterns, climate change, major glaciations, and tool cultures.  We will also be looking at the significance of the human species.

In Language, we are still emphasizing homophones and are using them to build vocabulary.  All children are encouraged to use cursive but the 5^th and 6^th graders are required to use it.  We have been doing a great deal of writing for research.  Also on Tuesday rotations the students visit Ms. Carol to work on developing and improving their creative writing skills and personal confidence in their ability to communicate using the written word.  For readings skills, we have silent reading 3 to 4 times a week plus reading for research.  We are also reading to them real life stories that relate to classroom topics.  This month we are reading the Travels of Ihn Batutu, a 21 year old who walked from Morocco to China and back over the course of 3 decades, beginning in 1260 AD.  

Math continues to be a combination of Saxon Math and the 9 – 12 Montessori curriculums.  Depending on your child’s age and ability, they receive math lessons each Monday together with a classroom work assignment which is due the next Monday.  Currently we are focusing on decimal division for the 6^th graders, divisibility of numbers for the 5^th graders, and Lowest Common Multiple for 4^th graders.  All children need consistent practice in Math facts, particularly multiplication facts.  Please practice these a few times a week with your child. 

Just so you all have an idea of what goes on during the week, below is a brief look at our schedule and you can find it on our website as well.

Monday – Saxon Math and Montessori Material

Tuesday – Rotation         >             Writing with Ms. Carol

                                                                Science with Mr. Chris

`                                                               Geography with Ms. Patti

Wednesday – Geometry and Language

Thursday – History

Friday – Work day and individual lessons

Thank you for such a great year, and we are looking forward to the remainder of the year.

Your Teachers,

Ms. Patty, Ms. Marilyn, Mr. Chris