Saturday, February 28, 2015

Year 3, Term 2 Exam: Homeschool Exams and Tests for Third Grade

Wondering how to do exams with your homeschooler?
Here are copies of our exams: Example Exams and Daily Schedule
How we create our exam questions: Creating Exam Questions



Year 3, Term 2 Exam

Literature & Bible: The Greater Meaning with creative expression
(handicraft, recycled material project, diorama, cooking, land art, or art media: collage, paint, mold, chalk, pencil)

We’ve read lots of stories this term that have morals or important ideas for us to learn from the events or characters.

We read the Shakespeare play, The Taming of the Shrew, about a man that made his wife exceedingly submissive to him by doing all sorts of strange things. Another play was Measure for Measure about a man that lived with a woman and was then put in jail. He was to be killed. The duke was pretending to be gone so he put a man in his place. The man abused his power and asked the man’s (in jail) sister to come to him even though he himself was married. We read Inferior Animals about the crows, The General Thaw with the ice, water and snow fighting with one another, and The Light of Life about the boy that couldn’t think properly and the gardener who gave him a rose plant. The people that Christiana encounters in Pilgrim’s Progress give us a look at different people’s characters.

Some of the stories teach us about how we should live, some teach us about God, some teach us about the sinfulness of our souls. Choose one of the examples and create something that demonstrates what we can learn.




Bible and Social Studies: Characterization with oral expression
(Presentation: defend, persuade, judge, compare/contrast, inform, narration)

We’ve read several stories about people that were persistent and very determined to work toward God’s will for their lives, even when things were very difficult.  Whether people, circumstances, or the elements stood in their way, they trusted and persevered.

In Trial and Triumph, we read about how the first Bibles were written in the language of all the people. We read about how the Pilgrims made their way to Plymouth, about their difficulties, and about how they strove to keep going, even in the face of the most difficult of hardships. Squanto’s life was anything but easy, yet he choose to bless the Pilgrims with his assistance.

Consider how these people influenced the world around them. Take some time and decide how their character can be an example to us for how to make decisions in our lives that honor God. Then explain your ideas to me.

Literature, Geography, and History: Action (Drama, Movement, and Change) with movement
(play, puppet show, music, dance)

Adventure is fun isn’t it?

We’ve read about a lot of people (real and pretend) that have had adventures this term: Marco Polo, the children of Arnwood, Jason and the Argonauts, Mike Fink, Davy Crockett, and Johnny Appleseed. We have even read about some women like the mother of the Green Mountain Boys, Mary Queen of Scots, Queen Elizabeth, Eleanor Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, and Mary Breckinridge that have had real (sometimes dangerous) adventures!

Choose one of the adventurous ladies that we’ve read about. Consider how her life is better or worse from her adventure? How are other people effected by the adventurer? How are our lives changed by her adventure?

After you’ve thought about this, create a play, puppet show, composition, or dance to share her adventure.




Bible, Art, History, Poetry, and Music: Mood with analytical expression
(game, puzzle, crossword, word search, code) 

Characters and subjects in the music we’ve been listening to by Steven Simon (The Story of Swan Lake, Peter and the Wolf, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, The Tortoise and the Hare, Casey at Bat, and Carnival of Animals), our hymns (I am Thine O Lord, O Holy Night, and Fairest Lord Jesus), and folksong (Cherry Ripe) and in the works of art by Diego Velazquez (Old Woman Frying Eggs, Aesop, Juan de Parejo, Joseph’s Coat Brought to Jacob, Las Menians-The Maids of Honor, and the Water Seller of Seville), provide us with a feeling when we listen to them or look at them.

Think of some feelings you have that are associated with those pieces (like scared, content, worried, anxious, joyful) and show how these feelings are represented in the pieces.



Science: Viewpoint with written expression
(narration, proposal, biography, persuade, problem/solution, instructions, list, poetry, composition)

This term we have been studying very wintry types of things. We’ve watched videos about the weather. You got a forest diorama for Christmas. We did lots of inside snow experiments.

When we study how things work and God’s wonderful creation, we learn many things about how all creation has rules and laws that it follows, pointing to an orderly, created world.

Write out a list of the things that you discovered when you learned about God’s world.


Social Studies (Geography): Background with visual expression
(diagrams, blow-outs, maps, graphic organizers, chart, pamphlet)

We’ve been studying Marco Polo and the many places that he visited. We read about Venice, Jerusalem, Georgia, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, China, Mongolia, Tibet, India, and the Spice Islands in the Indian Ocean.

Of course, we’ve also been reading about the new world when the Pilgrims arrived and England during the reign of Henry the VIII and his son James. You’ve read about a lot of different people in a lot of different times when you read your own books every day.

Choose one place and fill in the name in the top rectangle of the web. Then use the other rectangles to tell me about those places…what I might see there, what I might hear, what kind of clothes did the people wear, what things did the people eat, what did they like to do…Add more rectangles as you think of things to add.

Wishing you homeschool blessings,


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Friday, February 27, 2015

Preschool and Kindergarten Mathematics: Pattern Blocks

Deluxe Plastic Pattern Blocks

Pattern blocks are lots of fun.

We use them to make different types of patterns,
sorting,


make our own pictures,


and to fill in pattern sheets.


Wishing you homeschool blessings,


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Thursday, February 26, 2015

Joyful Moments: Weather Station

Joyful Moments

at Little Homeschool Blessings


This week we've found joy here...






We'd love to see your Joyful Moments.

Leave your link in the comments and we'll come visit!


Wishing you homeschool blessings,


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Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Schoolhouse Review Crew Free Printables Round-Up

Free Printables Round-Upl
The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew is featuring a Free Printable Round-Up this week.
There are sure to be lots of fun and educational resources. We've included our Book of Centuries and our War Time Ancestor printable. Be sure to click the link above to see all of the printables!
Wishing you homeschool blessings,


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Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Great Commission Films: IndoctriNation {A Review}



Great Commission Films sent us the DVD IndoctriNation to review. IndocriNation is a documentary about the removal of Christianity from the public school system by Scottish film maker Colin Gunn. It is 102 minutes and addresses the questions:

1) Who established the American school stystem?
2) Are my kids physically and morally safe in the schools?
3) Are the public schools religiously neutral?
4) Should Christians try to be "salt and light" in public schools?
5) Can the public school system be fixed or redeemed?



Okay friends, this review is going to be a bit different than others, so here goes.

When Poppa and I decided to homeschool it was in obedience to the Lord. Our gracious Father put many reasons before us and this documentary shows numerous reasons that Christian families choose to homeschool, many of the reasons that we homeschool.

Before Ceesa came along, I was a teacher, a Literacy Coordinator in the public school system. And as a teacher, I know similar stories and I know stories that are frankly appalling. Stories that I won't repeat. But friends, I want you to know that I was in tears just a few minutes into watching this video. In fact, I had to watch it in chunks. Why? Because it is true.


What Struck Me
Having been in the trenches, already knowing, what really struck me was the foundations of the system. Yes. I took the class about the history of education in America when I was taking my classes for my MA, but, well...I must not have been paying much attention or only part of the story was told.

This quote read by Samuel Blumenfield is very profound to me...James G. Carter wrote..."A Teacher's college, a state controlled teachers college can be an engine to sway the public sentiment, the public morals, and the public religion more powerful than any other in the possession of government."

Or what about this quote from John Dewey, "We can't make socialists out of individualists. Children who know how to think for themselves spoil the harmony of the collective society which is coming, where everyone is interdependent."

The beginnings of the school system in the United States were based on socialistic, humanists, Unitarians, Utopians, evolutionists, and atheist psychologist. And, yes, this was rather shocking to me.

And if you think things have changed and are based on a more "American" idea...consider these two stories from the book "God's Smuggler" (pg. 110-11) about schools in communist countries in the 1940's:

...he introduced me to a peasant woman who had a ten-year-old son. 

"Tell Brother Andrew why Josif is not here," said Nikola.

"Why is my Josif not with me?" she asked. Her voice was bitter. "Because I am a peasant woman with no education. The teacher tells my son there is no God. The government tells my son there is no God. They say to my Josif, 'Maybe your Mama tells you differently, but we know better, don't we? You must remember that Mama has no education. We will humor her.' So? My Josif is not with me. I'm being humored."

A few days later in another town, we were visiting a Christian family when I saw a little girl playing in the dust outside the house in the middle of the day.

"Why isn't she in school?" I asked Nikola.

From the mother he learned the story. Marta was accustomed to saying grace before meals at home. When it came time for the school lunch, Marta had given thanks aloud as she always did, without even thinking about it. The teacher had been angry. Who had supplied this food, God or the people through their own good government? 

"That was a wicked thing to say, Marta. You will fill the other children's minds with nonsense."

But the next day, so deeply was the habit ingrained, that Marta did it again, and for this she had been expelled.

Does it sound familiar to you? It certainly does to me. When a judge can tell a child that her faith is too strong and she must go to a public school, so that it can be watered down, when children aren't able to speak the name of the Lord without being accused of telling lies, when curriculum that violates God's law is forced on children, it sounds very familiar to me.

One Important Note
I would never send my children into a mission field alone. And I truly believe the public schools are a mission field for the teachers, aides, school employees, and volunteers that spend their time there. The documentary points out the fact that teacher's are often fired for speaking the name of Jesus and a true confession is not possible for Christian teachers. I will say that this is true to a certain extent, but that isn't the whole story.

Bare with me here...remember I've been there, in the trenches...the public school system is a closed country. For missionaries, a closed country is a country where they can't profess the name of Jesus openly or publicly or they will be thrown out of said country or jailed or martyred. Does this mean that missionaries can't be in those countries? Does this mean that the word of God is not spread, does not spread? No way!

Just as a missionary in a closed country spends their days loving the people and talking of the Lord with those that see their light, a Christian teacher can do the same. Christian teachers are able to host prayer meetings and form clubs. If a school allows clubs to meet there and use their facilities, they can't withhold the right to Christian clubs (yet). Poppa has done these things when he was an eighth grade teacher. He has had students come to him for prayer, for support, for encouragement because he was there and they could see the light of Christ in him.

I actually appeal to Christians looking to serve the Lord to consider the public school system. Learn about the rules of the country and then shine your light.


Recommendation
We recommend this DVD for Christian parents who are on the fence about homeschooling their children.

Wishing you homeschool blessings,

 
Click here to read more reviews from Schoolhouse Review Crew.
 


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Monday, February 23, 2015

Poetry with Poetry for Young People Robert Frost


February's book share with Poppins Book Nook is poetry.


We are sharing this great series entitled Poetry for Young People. You can find William Blake, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Alfred Tennyson, Emily Dickinson, William Wordsworth, Rudyard Kipling, and Robert Frost, among others.

One of our favorite things to do with poems is have a recitation at the end of the week. Every Monday the kids pick a new poem or work on new stanzas if the poem is long. Then throughout the week they memorize the versus. On Friday evening at dinnertime, the children take turns reciting the poems for the entire family. It is a lovely tradition!



Enchanted Homeschooling Mom ~ 3 Dinosaurs ~ To the Moon and Back ~ Planet Smarty Pants ~ Farm Fresh Adventures ~ Growing in God's Grace ~ Chestnut Grove Academy ~ Learning and Growing the Piwi Way ~ The Usual MayhemPreschool Powol Packets ~ Monsters Ed Homeschool Academy ~ Adventures in Mommydom ~ Teach Beside Me ~ Life with Moore Babies Kathy's Cluttered Mind ~ Are We There Yet? ~ Our Crafts N Things ~ Hopkins Homeschool ~ ABC Creative Learning ~ Joy Focused Learning ~ P is for Preschooler ~ My Bright Firefly ~ A Mommy's Adventures ~ Inspiring 2 New Hampshire Children ~ World for Learning ~ Ever After in the Woods ~ Golden Grasses ~ Our Simple Kinda Life ~ A glimpse of our life ~ Journey to Excellence ~ Happy Little Homemaker ~ Little Homeschool Blessings ~ Simplicity Breeds Happiness ~ Raventhreads ~ Water on the Floor ~ Learning Fundamentals ~ Tots and Me As We Walk Along The Road ~ Stir the Wonder ~ For This Season ~ Where Imagination Grows ~ Lextin Academy ~ The Canadian Homeschooler ~ School Time Snippets ~ Peakle Pie ~ Mom's Heart ~ A Moment in our World ~ Every Bed of Roses ~ Finchnwren ~ At Home Where Life Happens ~ Suncoast Momma ~ The Library Adventure ~ Embracing Destiny ~ Day by Day in our World ~ Our Homeschool Studio ~ A "Peace" of Mind ~ Thou Shall Not Whine ~ SAHM I am ~ eLeMeNo-P Kids ~ Simple Living Mama



Kid’s Poetry Bundle Giveaway! Every month the Poppins Book Nook group will be offering readers a chance to win a brand new storybook or product that ties in with our theme for the month. This month one lucky entrant will win the Kid’s Poetry Bundle. The winner will enjoy two books full of poetry for children. The two books that they will win is the Bill Martin Jr Big Book of Poetry and Poetry Speaks to Children. These two magical books will help your children learn about and have fun with poetry.


Entrants must be 18 years or older and reside in a country that receives U.S. Postal mail. This giveaway is brought to you by the company Enchanted Homeschooling Mom who is owner and founder of the Poppins Book Nook. By entering this giveaway you are also acknowledging that you have read and agree to all of the Rafflecopter terms & conditions as well as Enchanted Homeschooling Mom's disclosures found here.  Just enter the Rafflecopter below to win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't miss a thing. Check out the 2014-2015 Monthly Virtual Book Club dates and themes. Find out more about Poppins Book NookFacebook, and Pinterest.






Clip Art by Melon Headz 

Wishing you homeschool blessings,


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