Week 11

EEL

Big review today.  The only thing that changed from week 10 was the sentence purpose.  We moved from declarative to exclamatory.  Keep practicing the difference between a predicate nominative and predicate adjective.

This is a great time in the semester to memorize the questions that correspond to adjectives and adverbs.

Adjectives: Which one? How many? Which? Whose?
Adverbs: How? When? Where? Why? To what extent? Under what condition? How often? How much?

IEW

Our vocabulary words were--solemn, tyrant, adept, enthrall

I introduced two new dress-ups and a decoration that will be on the checklist this week.  The dress-ups were both sentence openers.  This means that the first word of the sentence will be a certain type.

The #2 sentence opener is the preposition opener.  Example: In the cold house, the family could barely sleep.

The #3 opener is the -ly (adverb): Thankfully, the repairman came the next morning and fixed their heater.

The decoration that we learned was personification, giving a human characteristic to a thing or idea.  We looked at the explanation of this on page 48 of the student resource notebook (gray pages). Example:

The pine trees bowed mournfully under the weight of a heavy snow.

Finally, we covered Unit 5, Writing from Pictures.  The assignment is a three paragraph paper, but, moms, you can make it one paragraph if you choose.  The idea is to start with a picture and then to ask a series of questions in order to pull a story from the brain.  Our key word outline is pulled from the imagination, but it begins with the central fact of the picture.  So, though we take the story where we wish, it starts with the observable.

On the pictures corresponding with this lesson (p. 143), we stated the central fact of the first picture this way:

boy, riding, message, urgent

From there, we asked the questions found on the bottom of page 142 and also the questions on the left-hand side of the Unit V chart to pull out more information.  Finally, we tied it up nicely by making our paragraph clincher repeat and reflect words from our picture's central fact.

Have fun with this story.  We suggested various plots to go with the picture: we proposed that he was delivering a birthday invitation to General Washington from General Green, also that it was a game of chess and the message was General Green's next move.  Perhaps he was actually running from a lion. Maybe the soldier in the second picture is his best friend and turns away.  Maybe the horse is under him in the water, maybe….maybe… you fill in the blank.

Also, students can use any picture as a source.  If there is only one picture, have them think about what happens before and after.  Also, students can use the pictures on page 149 if they would rather.

Have fun!  Can't wait to hear your stories next week.  We will enjoy doughnuts and there will be plenty of time for reading papers.

Week 10

EEL

This week's focus was the compound, declarative, S/VL/PA sentence.  In order to learn what a predicate adjective is, we must first understand the adjective.

Adjectives

 We went over Chart L (Adjectives).  Remember, the first focus for a good foundation in Essentials is always the memory work in gray.  So above all, memorize the definition of an adjective and the questions that an adjective answers.

Definition: An adjective modifies a noun or pronoun by describing, qualifying or limiting.
Questions: What kind? How many? Which? Whose?

S/VL/PA

The predicate adjective (PA) follows a linking verb and modifies or describes the subject.
To proof whether or not you have a PA, first ask,

"Do I have a possible linking verb?"
(If the list of linking verbs is not yet memorized, look at the linking verb list located between Chart C (Verbs) and Chart D.

If you have a possible linking verb, next ask,

"Does the word following the linking verb modify or describe the Subject Noun?
If yes, PA.

So…
The rose smells sweet.

Do I have a possible linking verb?
Well, smells is my verb.  Yes, it is on the linking verb list.

Does the word following the linking verb modify or describe the Subject Noun?
Yes, sweet describes the subject rose. Rose smells sweet. Sweet smells rose.
Sweet is a predicate adjective.

Watch out for verbs on the linking verb list that are used as action verbs.
She smells the rose.

In this sentence, smells is an action verb, transferring action to the rose.  So this is an example of a S/Vt/DO.

An action verb can never be a linking verb.
You should be able to replace a linking verb with is and the sentence still make sense.

IEW
We had fun with vocabulary memory for a good portion of the class. We also were able to read some papers!

Vocabulary: compliant, obstinate, compel, deliberate

Writing assignment:
The assignment is an extension of what we have been working on the last two weeks.  The source text for the final paragraph of the three paragraph paper (due next Tuesday) is on page 116, "Colonial Life: Care of the Sick."  Your student will need to key word outline the text, pulling only 5-7 interesting or important facts.  They will have to include a topic sentence in the beginning of the paragraph and then end the paragraph with a clincher.

Please remember, students, you are not key word outlining every sentence.  You are going to have to skip some information, limiting the facts to the ones you think are the best. This exercise is good for practicing pulling out pertinent information (Like my alliteration?).

In addition to this final paragraph, they will have to add an introductory statement as part of the first paragraph.  This introductory statement will introduce the entire paper, previewing the topics to be discussed. (Tell them what you are going to tell them). Next comes the body paragraphs (Tell them).  Finally, attached to the end of the final paragraph, add a final clincher--a sentence that restates the topics covered in the paper (Tell them what you told them).

As always, if you have any questions or need help scaling this assignment (or any other) for your student, please email, text or call me.  After this, only one more short and fun paper to write this semester! Yea!

Week 9

EEL

S/VL/PN Sentences, Linking Verbs

Today we focused on a new sentence pattern, S/VL/PN.  We learned that a linking verb acts as the glue that connects or links two words together.  Also, we noted that a linking verb is never an action verb.  In the example

A blue jay is a bird.

we noted that the linking verb is acts as the glue, sticking together blue jay and bird.  

Predicate Nominatives

When learning about the S/VL/PN sentence, we noted that finding the PN is just like asking the question to find a direct object except we also have to ask another question.  We start out by asking S+V, who/what?  So, using our example above, 

blue jay + is, who/what? 

The answer is bird.

But we don't stop there.  Before we accidentally assign the DO designation to the word, we have to ask two more questions:

1. Is there a linking verb? (Memorize list, song in sidebar).

2. Does bird rename the subject?

If the answer is yes to both questions, we have a predicate nominative (PN).

Double check by replacing the linking verb with an equals sign.

blue jay = bird, bird = blue jay

We ended the EEL segment by completing a task sheet for the sentence 

Tom is the captain, but Jane is the coach.

This is a compound S/VL/PN.

IEW

Vocabulary

warily, vehemently, destined, confront

Next week we will have a vocabulary game, so practice your vocab. words!

We talked about the decoration, 3sss, three short staccato sentences.  A full explanation is in the student guide in the gray pages (p.43)

Assignment

In class, we agreed to amend the scope and sequence and give this two week paper another week.  So, this week we are working on the second paragraph in a three paragraph paper.  The source text is Colonial Life: Law and Order from page 110 in your History Based Writing Lessons book.  Go ahead and use the KWO we did in class or change it to match your preference for the information you would like to include.

Though I talked about the introductory statement and final clincher, don't worry about adding them until the third paragraph is finished on the third week of this paper.

Blessings!  See you next week!

Week 8

Thank you for being flexible with me and allowing me to run the classes together and slip out during math.  I thought I was just exhausted from being up with sick girls, but it looks like it was a bit more than that.  I spent the rest of that day and the next day in bed. I pray that no one caught anything from me.  I was careful to wash hands well and not breathe all over people just incase I was carrying germs.

EEL

Prepositions

I hope you enjoyed The Spooky Old Tree! My kids love the book.  I've not found a better one for introducing prepositions.

We started class with "Preposition and Treat" and wrote down the preposition. Mine was...

between

This became the foundation of our sentence.  We added an object of the preposition by asking preposition + who/what?  Remember, without an object, a preposition is just an adverb. (Example: Jane went out.) Here is mine.

between the pages

We added a subject and verb to the preposition to complete our simple sentence. Mine had a direct object too.

She hid money between the pages.

Finally, we added a second simple sentence, using the interrogative form.  We connected these sentences with a comma and coordinating conjunction.

She his money between the pages, but where did she hide the book?

Voila! A compound interrogative sentence with a prepositional phrase.

We also checked out Chart J (Prepositions) and talked about memorizing them.  There is a song for this in the sidebar, in Cycle 1.  It's lengthy, but worth memorizing.
We also walked through the C.S. Lewis quotation and found tons of prepositional phrases.

IEW

Vocabulary words: animosity, provoke, indignant, audacious.

We moved from Unit 3 Story Narrative (creative writing based) to Unit 4, Summarizing References (report writing based).  Your Unit 4 chart in your IEW charts section gives the outline that we use.

Topic:
     1.
     2.
     3.
     4.
     5.
Clincher:

We looked at "The First Thanksgiving" p. 102, and identified topic sentences and clinchers and saw how they repeat and reflect.

With topic/body/clincher, remember…
Tell them what you're going to tell them.
Tell them.
Tell them what you told them.

Next, we read our source text for Lesson 14, "Colonial Life: Church" p. 104.  We constructed our KWO by reading through and choosing facts that were important or interesting. Do not KWO each sentence.  With a lengthy text, you will have no choice but to limit information.  The idea is to learn how to extract facts from too much information and to prioritize and limit what goes into your paper. Feel free to use the outline we did in class or change it to incorporate facts that you wanted to include.

The one paragraph paper is due on Tuesday.  Please remember to check off your checklists and highlight words in the topic sentence and the clincher that repeat and reflect.

Week 7

EEL

Recipe for a Compound, Imperative Sentence

2 imperative independent clauses
1 comma
1 coordinating conjunction

Preheat your brain to focused and on. For the first layer, put down one of the imperative independent clauses.  Add a pinch of comma. Spread on a coordinating conjunction.  Top with the other imperative independent clause.

Climb mountains, but don't climb the furniture.
Cook supper, but do not cook grammar.

Make up some of your own! Follow the recipe.

Appositives

An appositive follows immediately after a noun and renames it.  A good test--you should be able to switch around the appositive with the noun it renames.

Mrs. Varnell, my teacher, uses a low-tech overhead projector.

or

My teacher, Mrs. Varnell, uses a low-tech overhead projector.

Also notice that the appositive is set apart in the sentence by commas.

Adverbs

Study Chart I and memorize the definition of an adverb and the questions that you have to answer to determine if a word is an adverb (gray boxes).

Thank you, Mrs. Reaves for looking up the answer to the question, "Do all adverbs have degrees?" The answer is no, not all, just most.  Adverbs that are already absolutes/extremes do not have degrees.  For example, nothing cannot be more nothing.  It's opposite, everything, cannot be less than all, therefore, does not have degree.

IEW

Lesson 12

Feel free to use the KWO we did in class and compose your own final paragraph.  Finish your own brainstorming for dialogue, but feel free to incorporate any of the other brainstorming we did in class today.  Go over that final checklist to make sure you have included all the elements.  Polish your paper and add an illustration! Illustrations are optional, but I enjoy them so much!

Challenge

I would love to hear more alliteration puzzles like we did at the beginning of class.  So, if you can come up with your own alliteration and then disguise it, I might just bring in candy to reward your extra effort.  Make up as many as you like, but save your very best for class.

Week 6

EEL

This week we tackled a new structure and sentence pattern; we learned compound sentences and subject/verb transitive/direct object (S-Vt-DO).

S-Vt-DO
We talked about the fact that a transitive verb transfers action to an object.  We started with a subject/verb, then added an object.  For example,

Matthew threw...
(verb, who or what?) threw ball.

Watch out for the prepositional phrase ending instead of a noun acting as a direct object.  For example,

Mary swam in the lake.
If we are trying to find a direct object, the question that we ask is swam, who or what?.  In the lake answers the question where? and is adverbial. So, to make a direct object, we have to answer the right question, who or what?.  A possible answer would be,
Mary swam a mile.
swam, who or what? swam mile.  Mile is a noun, acting as a direct object.

Please remember to ask the question, subject, verb, who or what? when finding the DO.  If it doesn't answer that question, it isn't a direct object.

Compound Sentences
A compound sentence has to have two independent clauses (sentences) joined by a coordinating conjunction, both elements or it isn't compound.

First, we made compound sentences by adding a coordinating conjunction to join some independent clauses.  I gave them many examples,

I take good care of my cat.     He loves me.
The British attacked.     Washington defended.
Carl became an intern.     He makes great coffee.
I spent all my money.     I am broke.

Next, we moved on to differentiating between coordinating conjunctions that are joining words only and those that are joining independent clauses.  For example,

Bob and Carl ate donuts and talked.
(first and joins Bob, Carl = words (compound subject); second and joins donuts, talked=words (compound verb)) 

Claire sneezed, and milk came out her nose.
(and joins Claire sneezed, milk came out her nose=independent clauses)

Please note that a compound sentence requires a comma before the coordinating conjunction.  A compound subject or compound verb does not require a comma.  In fact, adding a comma is probably the biggest comma misuse out there.

Here is where it gets tricky.

Thomas hiked the mountain and reached the summit.  

No comma necessary because and is joining an independent clause with the phrase reached the summit.  This is a compound verb, not a compound sentence.  The temptation is to add that comma, but it doesn't belong.

When diagramming a compound sentence, use a dotted line with a "chair" between verbs.

Grammar (Drill)

Take a look at chart H (conjunctions) to see that there are many types of conjunctions.  Just memorize the grey area at the top (definition) and the coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so); forget the rest for right now.

Dialectic (Understanding)

Work through many compound sentences.  Create them, and "task" them on the task sheets.  Challenge yourself with S/Vt/DO compound sentences if you want.

English grammar is a puzzle! Have fun taking it apart and putting it back together and seeing the wonderful picture of language that God created so that we could relate to one another!

IEW

This week we started a two week paper, lesson 11, using the Shot Heard Round the World text. We also introduced a new dress-up, quality adjectives; a new decoration, similes and metaphors; and dialogue.  We had to jump around in the IEW resources quite a bit to cover these items.

Adjectives

In your writing this week, add some quality adjectives and avoid banned adjectives (good/bad, pretty/ugly, nice/mean, big, a lot, interesting).  Refer to the pink pages for suggestions. Underline these in your paper.

Similes and Metaphors

Try to incorporate a simile or metaphor in your writing this week.  For a thorough review of this and for practice and brainstorming instruction, please refer to the gray pages in the student notebook (p. 44-45).

Dialogue

Add a bit of dialogue to your two paragraphs this week.  The practice page we used in class is on page 68 in the student notebook (white pages that are not in page protectors).  The answer key is on page 88.

Assignment

Lesson 11, The Shot Heard Round the World is our source text.
This is a two week paper.  The first week we are writing paragraphs for
I. Setting, characters, mood
II. Conflict (plot)

Follow the outline on pp. 87 and use the questions in the left column to pull out a KWO.  Follow this with the brainstorming pages that follow in order to add adjectives and dialogue.  Finally, work in a simile or metaphor.

You will not turn in your rough draft for these two paragraphs to me.

Happy writing!

Week 5

I was so pleased that everyone had a chance to read a paper yesterday!  Will Reaves, we were glad to see you again this week, but we missed Aiden Ward.  Thank you, Mrs. Bate, for providing Smarties and Tootsie Rolls.  Nothing like some sugar to enliven the troops!  You are a fantastic group of kids. I enjoy your company and your enthusiasm.

EEL

In class we introduced the interrogative sentence. We talked about the three ways to change a declarative sentence into an interrogative:

1) Inflection, "Robert talks." vs "Robert talks?"

2) Interrogative pronoun
(who, whom, whose, which, what--9th song on sidebar in Cycle 2) replaces the subject,
"Robert talks." vs "Who talks?"
 This form is labeled (SP) when we are labeling sentences in task #2 on the task sheet.

3) Helping verb introduces the sentence, "Robert talks." vs "Did Robert talk?"
The helping verb is labeled (Vh) when we are labeling sentences in task #2 on the task sheet.
We will memorize the list of helping verbs in Foundations this year, after we finish prepositions.

We spent time working through the task sheet with each of these forms and focused on diagramming the helping verb sentence, which students have to switch around in their heads to the declarative form in order to diagram.  For example, "Did Robert talk?" becomes "Robert Did talk." (Did capitalized to remain the first word of the sentence).  This is much easier to work with when diagramming.  Remember to put both the helper and main verb together to the right of the bisecting line.

Robert (line) Did talk

What do I do this week?
Review memory work through week 5, and charts (A-F)

Work with your student to make up interrogative sentences using all three forms: inflection, interrogative pronoun, and introductory helping verb.  Then "task" a few sentences as far as your student can go.  Remember, new students, if you make it through task 2, you've accomplished big things.  If you can go all the way to task 4, you've arrived.

Moms, please remember that quantity is not king.  Quality is the focus of EEL.  We take one sentence and tell everything there is to know about that sentence before setting it aside.  We don't just identify all the nouns in 20 sentences, we go much deeper because we identify nouns in every sentence throughout the entire year.  There is a cumulative effect.

Special Note for those using the checklists
You will see the Quid et Quo introduced this week in Thursday's lesson.  This tool is a separate page from the task sheet, but is task six.  There is a basic and advanced form.  If you would like to do this, please have at it, but don't worry about it if you have never used this tool before.  Remember that the checklists were written with year two and three students in mind.  If you have no idea what the Quid et Quo is, just skip that part.  Year two students, it's time to try this.  Year three students, advanced form as far as you can.

One other thing about checklists.  This week and last you may have noticed that it just says "forum sentences" and then gives the numbers you are to cover.  All this means is that your student should parse these sentences with you.  This is meant to be an oral drill instead of the formality of the task sheet.  This is task sheet without it in front of you--very dialectic.  Just look at the sentence and tell everything you can about it:  part of speech, gender, number, person, tense, talk about what kind of verb it is, what kind of noun, what purpose, structure...  Talk about the sentences and identify.  This is like a mini Task Sheet/Quid et Quo.

IEW

Vocabulary words: cunning, contemplate, gravity, persevere

This week we introduced Unit 3: Story Sequence Chart (p 69).  Unit 1 and 2 were all about understanding how to key word outline (KWO) and write paragraphs from them. With the introduction of Unit 3, we jump to creative writing. We read our source text on p. 68, "The Boston Massacre" and talked about how to take KWO notes from questions, not from each line.

On page 68, we looked at the Unit 3: Story Sequence Chart and talked about

I. Setting, Characters, Background
II. Conflict (Plot)
III. Climax and Resolution

and covered the meaning of each.

We also constructed a KWO outline for, I. Setting, Characters, Background, using the questions on p. 69 to the left of section I.  For example, we asked the first question, "What is the setting?" and our KWO answer was something like...

Boston, 1770, cold, crowded street

The second question was, "Who are the characters?" and we said,

John, Hugh, British (picture of soldier), (frowning face) colonists.

When we reconstructed the paragraphs from our KWO, we found that the writing lacked 5 sense words, so we looked at p. 70 and brainstormed words to inject back into our story to give it life.

Next, we talked about the because clause, p. 62, and saw how it demands more information. Remember that if a because clause is a the beginning of a sentence, it is followed by a comma.  If it comes at the end of the sentence, no comma is necessary.

Base sentence: Mrs. Varnell's class is clever.
Because clause: Because Mrs. Varnell's class is clever, (needs more info.)
Final because clause sentence: Because Mrs. Varnell's class is clever, she gives them candy!

This week's assignment:
KWO using question format (p.69)
Finish the brainstorming pages (p. 70-71)
Write the three paragraph paper using your brainstorming words
Check off your checklist (p. 72)

Moms, please remember that you have the option of combining Setting, Conflict, Climax and Resolution into a one paragraph paper.