Book Selection ~ Term Three: School Holidays

I have done lots of different things with reading aloud during school holidays. Sometimes I don't read aloud at all (except for the Bible), sometimes I read our essential reading (Bible and character selections), sometimes I read morning and night, sometimes I only read at night. It all depends on our life situation at the time, the number of outside activities we have during the holidays, and how badly I need a break. 

This school holidays we really wanted to continue with our literature reading AND Daniel's history selection (the Pearlie books) was on reserve the moment we borrowed it, so we decided to read it over the school holidays as well. See below for a short description of everything we are reading over the school holidays.

The Bible is essential and non-negotiable. We read it EVERY day. If by chance we miss, we double up the next day. I read a minimum of three chapters a day. But sometimes it is more than that depending on how the chapters are situated within the book. If a chapter ends in the middle of a story or a thought process then I will continue reading until we have an end of a chapter that is also a logical stopping place for the story. We are currently reading through Proverbs.

We just started this book towards the end of the term and the boys always love the stories in these two volumes. Again, I read at least one story per day, but if the two page spread contains only short stories or poems then I will read more.

We have been reading this daily all year long and really enjoying it. The information for each calendar is short, sweet, and enjoyable. There are historical tid-bits to read plus usually one or two famous people who were born on the particular day.

We are maxed on our renewals (three) for this book so it is a good thing we are reading it through the school holidays. This is an addition to Monkey's Ancient histories unit study that we've been doing all year, but includes many more gods and goddesses than just those from Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome.

After watching all the Disney movies we decided we needed to purge ourselves of the watered down, sanitized versions of fairy tales that Disney churns out. So I thought a compilation of Andersen's tales was a good addition to our daily reading.

We added this book for the same reason I mentioned above.

We are on the LAST book of this spectacular series. I am a bit sad because this is the last time I will be reading the series aloud for a LONG time. I also need to brainstorm some new literature selections for Munchkin for Term 4.

We put this book on reserve about midway through Term 3 and waited a LONG time to receive it, just to realise that someone else has put it on reserve meaning we have only three weeks to read all four books. I could have left it for the beginning of Term 4 but then we would have had to rush and read them in one week. We collectively decided to read them over school holidays so we had time to enjoy the stories.

The older boys and I have thoroughly enjoyed working our way through the Harry Potter series and so could not fathom the idea of NOT reading for two whole weeks.

Another book that is reaching the maximum renewal limit so I'm continuing to read this to Monster every morning and we should finish it up either over the holidays or by the end of the first week of the term. The book is well written and chock full of interesting information and we've really enjoyed learning new things about the ocean.

Term Three Review

 ENGLISH:

Reading:

All three boys read lots of books for their independent reading time. I do not dictate what books they choose for their “free” independent reading time. I keep a list of all the books the boys read in their portfolio for easy review.

Monster: Is no longer participating in Premiere’s Reading Challenge this year as he completed it in Year 9. However, if he finds PRC books in the library that look interesting to him, I’m certain he will pick them up and read them. He is also enjoying reading e-books on his phone - the trick is for him to remember to tell me that he has read them!!

Throughout all of Term Three, Monster has been working his way through The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes. This will take him well into Term Four and possibly all the way to the end of the school year. I don't really worry about sourcing independent reading material for him anymore, other than to make suggestions, as he has shown himself mature enough and capable enough to choose quality reading material.

Monkey: Monkey completed Premier's Reading Challenge for 2022 with a couple of weeks to spare. Any books on the Premier's Reading Challenge list that a student reads from 1st September 2022, will count towards the challenge in 2023, so Monkey is already starting on his reading for next year. By giving himself a full calendar year to read for the challenge, Monkey will be able to tackle appropriate books and give himself the time he needs.  

Munchkin: I am returning to my rule of "fluff" reading being primarily for school holidays. During the terms I will work harder to provide challenging and quality reading material for Munchkin. I already have several books in mind for Term Four and I'm looking forward to seeing what he thinks of them when he reads them.

Writing:

All three boys continue to use the Institute for Excellence in Writing: Teaching Writing Structure and Style curriculum. It allows each boy to work at a level appropriate for their age and ability. It “grows” with the child so to speak. See below for a list of the types of writing each individual boy did during Term Three.

Monster: The Murray-Darling River System (Unit 1/2), The French Revolution (Unit 4/6), The Internet of Things (Unit 7)

Monkey: Act 9:1-19 (Unit 1 - written narration), Spartacus (Unit 4/6), Genesis 27:1-41 (Unit 3 - written narration), Water in Rome (Unit 1), Roman Army (Unit 4/6), Roman Houses (Unit 4/6)

Munchkin: The Murray-Darling River System (Unit 1/2), Acts 9:1-19 (Unit 1 - written narration), Genesis 27:1-41 (Unit 3 - written narration), The Beanstalk (Unit 3), The Squiggle Wiggle (Unit 3), The Three Little Toddle Bottles and the Biggish Bad Thug Jug (Unit 3), The Three Sleep-Sheeps Tuff (Unit 3)

Writing was rather hit and miss AGAIN this term. While all three boys did do SOME writing this term, I don't feel like it was enough, or at least not difficult enough, for any of the three of them. A couple of their writing assignments were quite long and detailed and I was pleased with their effort and the work they produced, but at other times it was lacking. I also let Monkey and Munchkin do their writing primarily unassisted towards the end of the term, which was an excellent way to see what they have a good grasp of, and what areas of their writing ability still need some review and hard work. But again, this is one of the reasons why I put the time into writing up a Term Review at the end of each term, as it lets me see where the gaps are and adjust accordingly the next term.

 

Spelling:

Monkey:  I use the Ozspeller website to choose and create weekly word lists for him. I quiz him orally Monday – Thursday and then he takes a written test on Friday morning. In Term 1 Monkey decided he would like to review the Advanced spelling lists again. Spelling is an optional subject for him and I'm pleased that he is continuing to review this year. In Term 3 Monkey continued to progress through the Advanced spelling lists and he will finish weekly spelling work for his school career when he completes all the lists in the Advanced group.

Munchkin: Term Thre saw Munchkin continuing the second Targeting Spelling workbook. We also continued with the Ozspeller lists, alternating weekly with the unit in the workbook, or a word list from the website. Munchkin's spelling has improved a lot so far this year.

 

Literature:

Below are the books I selected to read to the boys for their literature this term. Munchkin’s books were read to all three boys, Monkey’s books were read to Monster as well, and Monster’s books were read only to him.

Munchkin: In Term Three we read the following books: "The Hostile Hospital", "The Carnivorous Carnival", "The Slippery Slope", "The Penultimate Peril" and "The Grim Grotto" by Lemony Snicket. We also read "All Creatures Great and Small" by James Herriot and "The Book of Virtues" by William J Bennett   

Monkey: In Term Three we read the following books: "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" by J.K. Rowling   

Monster:  In Term Three we read the following book: "Cry the Beloved Country" by Alan Paton

** We also started reading "The Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens and "The Three Musketeers" by Alexander Dumas

These two books are taking a long time to read, digest, and enjoy, so likely they will take us to the end of the school year. **   

 

Grammar:

Monkey: I started Season Two of Analytical Grammar with Monkey this term and quickly discovered that I need to brush up on the curriculum before we continue. So we have paused Monkey's grammar curriculum for the time being, and likely won't pick it up again until next year. This will give me ample time to familiarize myself with Seasons 2 and 3 of the program before then.

Munchkin: is not doing any grammar curriculum this year. I have learned that (for our family) grammar is best introduced in the late primary grades or early high school grades. Given that I have had to review spelling rules with Munchkin, I have decided to hold off starting formal grammar lessons with him until he starts high school (Year 7/7^th grade).

** For Term 3 I have decided to read "The Word Spy" and "The Return of the Word Spy" both by Ursula Dubosarsky. This was a review for both Monster and Monkey, but not Munchkin. It was a great introduction to grammar for Munchkin and I feel confident that he will be ready for a soft/slow start to our Junior Analytical Grammar curriculum next year. **

MATHS:

Monster: Continued working through his Haese Mathematics Year 11 textbook - Mathematical Methods. Over the course of the term he completed chapters ten through twelve  of the textbook covering the following topics: Number Sequences, Statistics and Surds/Indices/Exponentials. This leaves only three chapters in the textbook for the remaining term of this year. I will let Monster make the decision as to whether to get a start on his Year 12 textbook, or wait until the 2023 school year starts in early February.

Monkey: Continued working through his Year 7 Haese Mathematics book, completing chapters three through seven covering the following topics: Real Numbers, Algebraic Operations, Percentage, Laws of Algebra, and Equations.

Munchkin: Continued to work through the Haese Mathematics Year 5 textbook. Over the course of the term he completed chapters seven through twelve. The topics we covered in term  were: Time, Measurement: Length and Area, Money, Further Measurement, Probability and Sequences. This leaves only three more chapters in the textbook for Term 4. Likely Munchkin will finish these chapters by mid term at which point he'll review Year 5 content on the Khan Academy website until the end of the year.

 

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:

For the remaining school subjects I try to teach all three boys together as a group as much as I possibly can. So I will now start listing Munchkin’s work first and work from youngest to eldest boy rather than repeatedly recording the same things.

I rely heavily on our library for quality books to cover the content we study in the remaining subjects. When I am planning a unit study I do a subject search for books and reserve any and all that look like they will be suitable for the boys. I include picture books, junior non-fiction, and I’ve just started including adult non-fiction for both Monkey AND Monster.

 

Munchkin, Monkey, Monster:

 Munchkin, Monkey and Monster: We read the following books this term for their Science Content:

"The Crops We Grow", "The Foods We Eat", "The Energy We Use", "The Stuff We Buy", "The Cities We Live In", and the "Houses We Build" by Georgia Amson-Bradshaw

"Weather of Climate", "Forces of Nature", "Wild Weather" - by various authors please see Weekly Reviews for author names

"Animal Adaptations", "Extraordinary Animals", and "Animal Survival" - Australian Geographic Deadly Science series with various authors

"Plastic Planet" by Georgia Amson-Bradshaw

"African Savannah" and "Amazon Basin" by Simon Chapman

"Volcanoes" and "Tornadoes" - World Book Natural Disaster series

We read the following books this term for their Technology Content:

"Megatall Sky Scrapers and Other City Tech" by William Adams, "Flying Cars and Other Transportation Tech" by William Adams, "Robot Soldiers and Other Military Tech" by Kris Frankhouser, "3D Printing and Other Industrial Tech" by Kris Frankhouser, "Virtual Reality" by Madeline King and "Artificial Intelligence and Other Computer Tech" by Elise Echo Gonzalez

HISTORY:

Munchkin: I read the following books aloud to Munchkin for History this term:

"Daisy on the Road" by Michelle Hamer

"Meet Ruby", "Ruby and the Country Cousins", "School Days For Ruby", and "Ruby of Kettle Farm" by Penny Matthews

Monkey: I read the following books aloud to Monkey for History this term:

"Augustus Caesar", "Who Was Julius Caesar?", "Meet the Ancient Romans", "The Roman Gladiators", "The Genius of the Romans", "Gladiators", "Technology in Ancient Rome", "Hard Nuts of History: Ancient Rome", "Ancient Rome in 30 Seconds", "Ancient Rome", "Gods and Goddesses in the Daily Life of the Ancient Romans", "Gory Gladiators, Savage Centurions, and Caesar's Sticky End" "The Best and Worst Jobs in Ancient Rome", "Roman Soldiers", "Rich and Poor in Ancient Rome", "Explore Romans", and "30 Second Ancient Rome"

- All of these books are featured in the Weekly Reviews where you can find a picture of the cover of the book and the author for further information

 Monster: I read the following books aloud to Monster for History this term:

"The French Revolution: From Enlightenment to Tyranny" by Ian Davidson - this is an adult non-fiction book and we finished it over the Term 2 school holidays

 

GEOGRAPHY:

Munchkin, Monkey, Monster:

We read the following books as part of their Geography studies this term:

"River Story" by Meredith Hooper, "On the River" by Roland Harvey, "Song of the River", "River Food Chains", "Rivers and Lakes", "A River", "Rivers and Coasts"

"The Murray-Darling River System", "Capital City Rivers", "Wild Rivers" and "Dryland Rivers" all by Jane Pearson

"Around the Globe", "Australia's Remarkable Places", "Australian Outback" and "Global Connections"

 

PDHPE:

The Journey of Life Series: "Birth", "Coming of Age", "Marriage" and "Death" all by either Randall Ronne or Sarah Levete

Grow Your Mind Series: "Boost Your Brain" by Alice Harman and "Make Mistakes" by Izzi Howell 

 

 Creative Arts:

    

 

Latin: (Monster)

Monster is currently working through two Latin textbooks independently. They are Lingua Latina Familia Romana and Lingua Latina Exercitia Latina 1.

 

Marine and Aquaculture Technology: (Monster)

In Term Three we have been reading "Blowfish's Oceanopedia: 291 Extraordinary Things You Didn't Know About the Sea" by Tom Hird

German: (Monkey)

Monkey is currently working through "Getting Started With German" by William E. Linney. Monkey also practices his German on DuoLingo on his mobile phone.

Creative Arts ~ Drawing: (Monkey)

Monkey has chosen creative arts for his second elective with an obvious focus on drawing and painting. I don't direct much work for him with this elective, he simply draws or paints when the mood hits him. As I find videos or books that I think will interest him in these areas I point them in his direction. I photograph the artwork that he creates and include it in our reporting on the blog. He has also begun his own sketchbook for this year that he will draw/paint in and be prepared to show to our AP when she returns in two years for our registration process.

Monkey has taken a particular interest this year in portraiture. Since January he has drawn a portrait of Steve Irwin, a portrait of President Barack Obama, a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and is currently working on a portrait of Julius Caesar.

Term Three: Week Ten ~ The End is Here

The final week of the term! Time is flying and I can't believe this year is 3/4 of the way finished already. Hopefully the final week of the term will go well and we'll finish our 2022 school year strong.

I finally remembered to photograph these flowers when we were at church. I've been admiring them for a few weeks now, but kept forgetting to grab my DSLR and take some shots.

I also took the opportunity to get some more photos of these flowers as the blossoms will start to fall soon.

After a weekend of some deep cleaning and organising, the boys and I have MUCH more space on the dining table for our studying.

Ready to sit side-by-side and work on Year 8 math with Monkey.

These are the non-fiction titles we finished this week. There are a few books I will have to borrow next term to finish off some of the series we started, and then we'll get started on some new unit studies in Term 4.

We finished off the 12th book in the Series of Unfortunate Events book, which leaves one final book to read and we have already decided we MUST read it over the holidays rather than wait two weeks to figure out what is going to happen.

Also, Monkey finished his first Premier's Reading Challenge book for next year. He liked the book but discovered that Ursula Dubosarsky books are a tad on the strange and weird side, and he didn't particularly like the ending. But I do like that he is giving new and different books a try.

Munchkin found a hairy caterpillar outside and decide to put it in the bug catcher and take care of it in hopes that it will turn into a moth or butterfly.

He seems pretty happy in his little home so we'll see how it goes. We have taken care of many caterpillars over the years and we've had mixed success. Sometimes the grow to moths or butterflies and other times they just die.

Munchkin enjoys playing with our wedgits set now and again. As he is still enjoying screen free time he asked for me to get them out for him and has spent time building towers and designs.

Working hard to finish up his math tests as once he is done he is officially on school holidays.

We have a 300 piece giant floor puzzle with a Disney Jungle book picture on it. Munchkin decided to put the puzzle together one more time before we pass it on to friends.

An optical illusions book from the library prompted Munchkin to do this artwork one morning during our read aloud time.

Our last homeschool group meet up at the park for the term. This particular Friday was cloudy, wet, windy and cold, but we braved it with one other family. I'm glad we did because the kids played really well together and everyone needed the outdoor time.

The facial expressions of the big boys cracked me up!

I did NOT intend to walk this much on this particular day, but was pleased that I set a new record in the process. I think I took two trips to the shops AND two trips to the library to clock up this many steps.

Because of the HUGE walk on one day this week, I took some rest days as my body needed the break and a bit of time to recover.

Below are Munchkin's independent reading selections for the week...

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