Week in review Sept. 26-30, 2016

Once again I am falling behind in blogging.  I think part of that is as he gets older there just isn't as much stuff to take pictures of.  We just finished week 6 in the US History 1 guide.  He has hit his groove in most subjects and is doing around 5-5 1/2 hours of work most days, not including a lunch break. 

He really likes the history this year.  He finds all the books interesting and he likes the American Testimony DVD's.  The narrator sounds a bit like a computer generated voice, but the information in them is very interesting.  He has been doing talking points each week and it is interesting to me to see what he picks out to talk about. 

I like the different types of narrations that he is doing this year.  N. has found them somewhat challenging at times just because they are different, but he did a really nice job with his opinion one this last week.

He likes the New Testament Survey and Everyday Battles.  One morning it was so nice out he did his bible study outside.  Since the company was so nice to send us a pdf file of the bible study book he does it on the computer just like he did last year.

He is doing better with Chemistry I think.  He seems to understand things when he does the comprehension questions and the review questions although I do have to help him some.  I am using the tests more as spiral review questions when he is working on the next chapter. He loves the experiments and so far every one of them has worked.  The flame test was especially cool when he looked that the color flame given off by different chemicals.  He doesn't love writing up formal lab reports so that is a learning curve for this year.

Constitutional Literacy is probably the subject he struggles the most with, or maybe it is me who struggles with it.  The subject matter is interesting and I think it is crucial material for him to learn, but I just think it can be difficult to perform some of the assignments. .  He finds the DVD's a little dry and sometimes hard to follow.  The biggest challenges are the probe paragraph questions at the end of each chapter.  It can be very difficult to find the information they are asked to research.  Sometimes it takes sorting through webpage after webpage to find anything that even remotely relates or comes from a more Christian perspective.  I wish there was more guidance in a teachers guide that gave some websites to use, or a general idea of the answer.  I will admit that sometimes I have him do it orally or if he struggles, I tell him to just do the best he can and move on. 

 

In Math he finished Algebra 2 last week and this week started Teaching Textbooks new Pre-Calculus 2.0.  So far it has been review, which is kind of nice after the end lessons of Algebra 2 which were pretty challenging.  Math continues to be a strength of his.

He finished The Robe in English and is now reading The Prince and The Pauper.  He really likes the Prince and the Pauper so far.  He finished his first story for In Their Sandals and I had to help him some with knowing how to start a story like that, but it turned out to be a good story.  Now he is working on his second one where he is a sheep merchant in the temple during Passover when Jesus overturns the tables.  

One new thing that has thrown a bit of a glitch in our smooth schedule is that he got a job and is working some afternoon's so he has to get his school done by a certain time.  He wasn't sure he would like working, but so far so good.