Second Sixth Weeks Report
March 6 - April 12, 1996
Fifth Grade
T___ is zooming through the Bob Jones math book. He knows practically everything in it, so it's essentially practice. In English he is learning vocabulary (prepositional phrase, adjective, etc.) but doesn't really understand it yet.
We've studied the Egyptians and Israelites and are learning about the Chinese now. Next week we plan on seeing a circus that developed from the Ch'in and Han dynasties.
I'm easing up on requirements and teaching more of what T___ likes. He got a spring break and an Easter break, is going through Christian Light Publications Small Engines, has one core subject a day, and no more formal spelling. On gymnastics days, he has only an experiment (generally from his Radio Shack 200-in-1 kit). Fridays are informal reading days. The extra freedom has done him good in terms of his happiness and willingness to try. He spots causes that make it hard to want to work (e.g., "The Need For Speed" computer game).
Next six weeks A___ will take over electrical experiments, and T___ will start in the Bob Jones life science course, modified so it's at his younger level. To see why leaves turn colors in the fall, we'll be extracting pigments from spinach leaves with alcohol and then petroleum ether.
When we need the car for Activities Day (alternate Mondays) or gymnastics (Tuesdays), we take A___ to work at 4:15 a.m. We normally get up at 8:00 so T___ can play from 9 to 10.
Grades: Math A, Spelling A, English A, Writing A, History A, Science A, Cars A, Citizenship B+