Term One Evaluation ~ Monster

ENGLISH:

Reading ~
* You can see from my Weekly Review posts that we read (aloud and independently) a LOT.
* A book list is included in Monster's portfolio with all the books he reads each term.

Writing ~
We still use and LOVE the following curriculum
Institute for Excellence in Writing Program
Teaching Writing: Structure and Style

In Term One Monster wrote paragraphs on the following topics: The Fox and the Stork (narrative), The Pacific Ocean, The Thirsty Crow (narrative), The Southern Ocean, The Ant and the Dove (narrative), The Atlantic Ocean, The Lion and the Mouse (narrative), The Indian Ocean, 

Spelling ~
Monster did not do any spelling this term. We may review spelling periodically but I don't feel he needs daily practice anymore.

Handwriting ~
Monster did not do any handwriting (from a textbook) this term.  He continues to use neat handwriting when he writes thank you notes or written letters to friends and family and I feel that is practice enough.

Grammar ~
This year we are using Analytical Grammar which is the next step up after Junior Analytical Grammar.  Term One we worked through units one through five: nouns/articles/adjectives, pronouns, prepositional phrases, subject/verb, and adverbs



MATHS:

After much thought and deliberation, I changed what math textbook we are using. The teacher edition book (with the work through solutions for each problem) was ridiculously expensive for the Cambridge books. Thus I have changed to Haese Mathematics as I'm able to get the student textbook (which is reusable), a homework book, and a teacher edition work through book, for a MUCH more reasonable price!  I also like the layout of the problems much more as well.  Monster isn't particularly happy with it, but such is life.
We completed chapters one through six covering the following topics:
Algebra, Indices, Percentage, Sets and Venn Diagrams, Algebraic Expansion and Simplification, and Interpreting Tables and Graphs
Though we do not have to "grade" our students work when we homeschool here in Australia, I am keeping an Excel spreadsheet of Monster's and also my math grades this year.  So far in Term One, Monster is getting 95% and I am getting 84% which is not too bad for either of us!!



SCIENCE:

Below is a list of the science related books we read.
"Fact Cat: Light" by Sonya Newland
"Light A Question and Answer Book" by Adele Richardson
"Physical Science in Depth: Light" by Alfred Smuchkiewicz
"Food and Farming: Feeding the World" by Richard and Louise Spilsbury
"Science Answers: Light From Sun to Bulbs" by Christopher Cooper
"Food and Farming: Farming and the Environment" by Richard and Louise Spilsbury
"Light and Colours" by Gerard Cheshire
"Light and Colour"
"Food and Farming: Farming in the Future" by Ian Graham
"Exploring Light: Light and Dark"
"Exploring Light: Shadows"
"Exploring Light: Reflecting Light"
"Ecosystems" by Greg Reid
"Earth's Changing Surface" by Australian Geographic
"Food and Farming"
"Food and Consumers" by Hazel King
"Common Brushtail Possums" by Greg Reid
"Frilled Lizards" by Greg Reid
"Fairy Penguins" by Greg Reid
"Kookaburras" by Greg Reid
"The Book of Australian Birds" by Charles Hope
"Introduced Species in Australia" by Kay Crabbe



HISTORY:

We read the following books as part of our Medieval Europe/Black Plague unit study:
"Castles" by Sean Sheehan
"The Black Death and the Transformation of the West" by David Herlihy
"Town Life" by Fiona MacDonald
"Cathedrals and the Church" by Patricia Levy
"Lady Dance" by Jackie French
"Famous People of the Middle Ages"
"Life in a Castle"
"Children and Games in the Middle Ages"
"Plague A Cross on the Door" by Ann Turnbull


Other History Books:
"Fair Dinkum Histories: A Nation of Swaggies and Diggers" by Jackie French
"Lost! A Tale From the Bush" by Stephanie Owen Reader
"Meet Nellie" by Penny Matthews
"Fair Dinkum Histories: Weevils, War and Wallabies" by Jackie French
"Emergency Echo" by George Ivanoff
"Medical Mission" by George Ivanoff
"Nellie and the Secret Letter" by Penny Matthews
"Birrung the Secret Friend" by Jackie French
"Australian Geographic History: Governors, Squatters and Battlers" by Joel Weston
"Nellie's Quest" by Penny Matthews
"Barney and the Secret of the Whales" by Jackie French
"Nellie's Greatest Wish" by Penny Matthews
"Horrible Histories: Deadly Days in History" by Terry Deary
"Meet Poppy" Gabrielle Wang
"The Secret of the Black Bushranger" by Jackie French
"Barney and the Secret of the French Spies" by Jackie French
"Horrible Histories: Rowdy Revolutions" by Terry Deary
"The Secret of the Youngest Rebel" by Jackie French
"Poppy at Summerhill" by Gabrielle Wang
"1844 Do You Dare: The Last Horse Race" by J Maloney
"Poppy and the Thief" by Gabrielle Wang



GEOGRAPHY:

We began the school year looking at the effects of various forms of land degradation, with a focus on deforestation.
Below is the list of books read aloud and/or independently through Term One:
"Development or Destruction: Deforestation" by Richard Spilsbury
"Animals and Deforestation" by Matteson Claus
"What if We Do Nothing: Rainforest Destruction" by Ewan McLeish
"Australia's Water Shortages" by Greg Reid
"A Focus on Rainforests" by Jane Hinchey
"A Focus on Dry Forests and Woodlands" by Jane Hinchey
"A Focus on Desserts and Grasslands" by Jane Hinchey
"Temperate Forests" by Greg Reid
"The Big Book of Antarctica" by Charles Hope





ELECTIVE #1 ~ LATIN:

Monster continued to work through Visual Latin 2.
He completed one per week most weeks of the term.




ELECTIVE #2 ~ MARINE AND AQUACULTURE TECHNOLOGY:

For Term One we have focused on Ocean Study.
We also began looking at books about Antarctica
We read the following books throughout the term:
"Oceans of the World: Pacific Ocean"
"Oceans of the World Southern Ocean"
"Atlantic Ocean"
"Oceans of the World: Indian Ocean"
"Antarctica: The Frozen Continent" by Greg Reid
"Oceans of the World: Arctic Ocean"
"A Focus on Coasts and Oceans" by Jane Hinchey

SOCIAL:

Term One Social Events:

Celebrated his 13th birthday
Attended a baby shower for a close family friend
Attended Good Friday church service
Attended Easter Sunday church service
Bingo event at the library