Week 16: Will you remember to call an object complement a noun?

Good evening! I hope I can remember everything we covered today in EEL and IEW. But before I do, I want to say how thankful I am for each mom and each student and each family represented in our class. Spending two hours with you each week is a tremendous privilege and opportunity. I don't know whether God is concrete or abstract, or if he's singular, plural or collective, but I DO know he is very, very good to me through all of you! What wonderful conversation homeschooling freely affords us!

First, I did not get to the second half of our verb anatomy during EEL time today. I will diligently endeavor to get there next week.

Instead, I introduced and invested time in our fifth sentence pattern: Subject-Verb transitive-Direct Object- Object Complement Noun, otherwise known as S-Vt-DO-OCN.

An object complement noun follows a direct object and names or describes it as a direct result of the action verb. Here are some examples:

• God called the light day. (DAY names the light.)


• He called the darkness night. (NIGHT names the darkness.)


• We elected her president. (PRESIDENT describes her.)


• Do you consider chicken nuggets a food group? (FOOD GROUP names nuggets.)

Next, using "God called the light day," we completed Tasks 1-6 on our Analytical Task Sheet. The students hung with all six tasks extremely well. Good for them! The wonderful thing about the ATS (sounds kind of like a fraternity name, huh?) is that you can jump in and employ it for both beginning students and advanced students by tailoring it to the individual level.

At home this week, try to take the lesson's sample sentences and drill them out through all six tasks. You might be surprised and pleased with how far you can progress. If the OCN sentence pattern is too difficult, use an S-Vi or an S-Vl-PN.

I am also excited about our IEW assignment for the week. We introduced a one-week assignment, Lesson 22, on rewriting the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution and using transitional words and phrases to improve the flow. I distributed the transitional words sheet from the IEW Resource Notebook, so encourage your student to use it to improve their writing. One strong note: They will need your help understanding the language of the Preamble in order to complete their key word outlines and the rewrite. You'll need to carve out "conversation time," whether it's during your regular Foundations day or during your Essentials time, to discuss these big words and the even larger ideas they convey.

Finally, I applaud those students who read from their Declaration of Independence papers today. I am eager to read entire reports at home this week and hear next week from those not able to read today. Keep working hard to home to produce quality work!

Mrs. Erin