What We Studied
We ended up having a few outings this week, but also
Literature and Poetry
This week’s theme was trickster tales of Africa. It went along nicely with our history unit covering Mali. We also did a mini lesson on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to honor his legacy.
Martin Luther King Jr.: Preacher, Freedom Fighter, Peacemaker by Pamela Hill Nettleton
Be a King: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Dream and You by Carole Boston Weatherford
Poetry: The New Kid on the Block by Jack Prelutsky
Trickster Tales of Africa
A Ring of Tricksters by Virginia Hamilton
Stegothesaurus by Bridget He’s
Math
We continued with our Logic Liftoff book and the various logic puzzles that I’ve found. Arthur finished Unit 6 from 3B and is ready to move on.
Social Studies
We covered the middle times chapter on the Mali Empire. We learned about Mansa Muse the famous city of Timbuktu.
DK Timelines of Everyone
When on Earth
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
The Magic Guard by Baba Wague Diakite
The Fire Children: A West African Creation Tale by Eric Maddern
The Hatseller and the Monkeys by Baba Wague Diakite
Arthur Independent Time
To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history.
Science and STEAM Coop
For science, we are covering emotions and socio-emotional traits. Quentin has really taken to discussing the various books.
DK My Mixed Emotions: Anger
Millie Fierce by Jane Manning
Be Positive! by Cheri J. Meiners
The Way I Act by Steve Metzger
Do Unto Otters by Laurie Keller
Wiggles, Stomps, and Squeezes Calm My Jitters Down by Lindsey Rowe Parker
Don't Be Afraid to Drop by Julia Cook
I Can Handle It! by Laurie Wright
In coop, we had our second week about Famous Nebraskans and Iowans open house. The boys had fun and we met some new friends.
Art/Music
Nothing this week
Quentin
I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included. We covered some simple phonics lessons featuring the digraph Th. We did more alphabet review. We also covered the months of the year, opposites, and shapes.
ELA
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
My Papi has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero
Math
Lollipop Logic Book 1
Fish, Swish! Splash, Dash! by Sure MacDonald
Other
A Little Book About Opposites
Field Trip
We met our coop friends at the SAC Museum to learn about air travel. The boys had extra fun the play areas. And I had got to chat with some of my friends.
Documentary Selection
I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. We watched more PBS Eons videos. Eventually we will finish watching all of the published videos.
Misc. Picture Books Read -
365 Penguins by Jean-Luc Fromental
Unicorn is Maybe Not So Great After All by Bob Shea
Unplugged by Steve Antony
That's My Carrot! by Il Sung Na
I Feel Teal by Lauren Rille
When Sadness is at Your Door by Eva Eland
Girl Versus Squirrel by Hayley Barrett
High
We went on a winter hike at Schramm State Recreational Area. The temps were hovering around 35 degrees and the skies were clear. We were careful to walk on the edges of the path avoiding the ice. We also stopped at the fish hatchery ponds and the geologic formation. It was a good couple of hours outside enjoying nature.
Low
Night time reading didn’t really happen this week due to bad attitudes (and books falling on my head). Here’s hoping next week goes better.
Next Week
Starting a new read aloud
Learning about Indian Empires
Covering Unit 7: Capacity
Exploring weather and climate change for coop
Continuing emotions for science
Hoping to cover Renoir for art
Next up on the TBR pile:
