Day 81

7 x7 Seven Subjects & 7 things I learned Day 81     January 18, 2013

1.       Math

a. I started learning pre-algebra and solving for x. I learned about nicknames, which are the letters like x, m, y, etc.

b. I am holding a bunch of sticks of gum, but I’m not going to tell you how many. Let’s just call the number of sticks of gum “g.” Let’s say that you give me four more sticks and I give you half of everything I have. Written in terms of “g” how many sticks of gum did I give you? I would write the problem like this. (g+ 4) ÷ 2

c. x . 3

d. m - 7

e. 2c – 3

f. I learned that a variable is a letter that stands for a number whose value is not known yet, such as y or x.

g. Variables can stand for a variety of amounts.

2. Science

a. We did an experiment just like Galileo did with a pendulum swing. We took a screw, a bolt, a washer, and a battery to a 22’’ string and saw how many periods, (swings back and forth) It would do in 15 seconds. We realized that no matter what the weight, the swing will be pretty much the same time when you’re not including variables like pushing, reflex, etc. We did this from a parallel and 45 degrees angle and then we shortened the string and the number of periods became longer! This helped the discovery of fixes because it gave other people the interest in finding patterns and discovering how and why things move the way they do.

b. Length of the string, 22” type of weight, washer, number of swings in 15 seconds Parallel = 9 45 degrees = 10

c. Length of the string, 22” type of weight, bolt, number of swings in 15 seconds Parallel = 9 45 degrees = 10 Wow! It’s the same as the washer, see the weight doesn’t matter… or does it?!

d. Length of the string, 22” type of weight, battery, number of swings in 15 seconds Parallel = 9 45 degrees = 10 It’s the same again. I bet this is because all of the types of weight, weigh about the same amount! Is this true?

e. Length of the string, 22” type of weight, screw, number of swings in 15 seconds Parallel = 10 45 degrees = 11. The screw weighs hardly anything at all and it increased the number of swings in 15 seconds, this is interesting!

f. In the second part of the experiment, the string was shortened to a length of 16 inches.

g. The screw had 12 periods in 15 seconds at both angles, the washer also had 12 periods in 15 seconds, the bolt had 11 at both angles and so did the battery. So there isn’t much difference at all but ofcourse we only did each angles twice and if we were really looking for an accurate answer we would have down each angles for each type of weight at least 8 times.

 

3. History

a. There is no time in American history recognized for its Patriotism more than during World War II, that’s because every aspect of American life focused on one goal, which was to stop the Axis powers.

b. By 1942 Italy, Germany, and Japan, controlled most of Europe and the southern pacific.

c. Recycled toothpaste tubes provided tin for air planes, while just one recycled refrigerator produced three machine guns.

d. “Rosie the Riveter” became the nation’s symbol for its strong female workface!

e. Two days after Hitler invaded Poland, Britain and France and many other countries declared war on Germany. The U.S managed to stay away from war for a while. In May of 1939, Hitler invaded Belgium, Denmark, and Norway and the Axis Powers seemed unbeatable because they were using a new kind of warfare called blitzkrieg, meaning “lighting war.”

f. The Royal Air force pilots fought the German air force, the Luftwaffe, in Southern England, this battle was called the Battle of Britain and more than 500 RAF pilots were killed, and England was very close to defeat.

g. The rapid advance of the German army took Britain by surprise, the Germans were able to trap the British army at Dunkirk on the French coast, however almost 340,000 British soldiers were able to escape.

4. Language a. I listened to a Spanish news broadcast where I translated the words when she said doce abajo, which means twelve and under!

b. Tony Zumba gave us a vocabulary sheet of words that he says quite a bit! Vamos!(vah-moss) Come on! Rapido (rra P do) Faster/ quicker

c. Manos (mah-nos) means hands. Hombros (om-bross) means shoulders Caderas (ka-daraz) hips

d. Derecha (there-echa) means right and Izquiderda (ez- kee-ertha) means left

e. Adelantemeans forwar and atraz means backward

f. Muy bien means very good and Que rico! Means so good!

g. Arriba means up/high and abajo means down/low

 

5. Reading

a. Today I read a biography called Soldier with a Secret about a female enlisted in the Union army disguised as a male.

b. Rosetta Wakeman disguised herself as Lyons Wakeman from New York and enlisted in the Union army. 

c. Rosetta had served in the army and had been buried in a soldiers0 grave without her secret ever being revealed to the army.

d. Research has shown that over 400 women dressed up as men and fought in the Civil War as soldiers.

e. Rosetta was buried as a soldier in Chalmette National Cemetery.

f. As a boatman, Rosetta was paid a $152 bonus by the army.

g. The woman that enlisted in the army had many different reasons, some wanted to be with husbands, or brothers, some wanted to fight for the cause of freeing slaves, Some wanted adventure, which is what Rosetta wanted.

6. Writing

a. I learned about a different way of spelling words, the Capital letters are how the word sounds and the lowercase letters are the actual in the words. Like, mXecO or hLlO.

b. I spelled words using this idea: peQulir BAvR, KterR NtiCing

c. I used modern English and re-wrote Brutus’ speech from Julius Caesar. Are you actually anything? Or are you some god, or angel, or even a devil, that will turn my blood cold and kill me and send me to the stars?! Tell me what you are.

d. I learned from my World War II story the word blitzkrieg

e. I learned that punctuation can change the whole meaning of a sentence using the same words. Look at that man eating chicken. Look? At that Man eating chicken! Private. No swimming aloud. Private? No! Swimming aloud. 

f. In Critical thinking I changed the order by listening to clues. ABCDEF. To BEACFD

g. I listened to Antony’s speech in Julius Caesar that used similes and wrote what the similes meant. Anthony is saying that Brutus is like an ape because it was crazy to kill Caesar and apes are crazy! He is saying that Brutus was like a dog to Caesar because he was loyal to him, but then he betrayed Caesar completely.

7. Art

a. Today I learned about Fauvism in Art today.

b. One of the characteristics of Fauvism is bold, unnatural colors

c. Flat unrealistic space and quick aggressive brushstrokes

d. A rough unfinished look like the portrait of Madame Matisse painted by Henri Matisse in 1905.

 

 

f. Fauvism was popular in Paris around the late 1800s and some of the famous artists are Andre Derain, Raoul Dufy, and Georges Rouault

g. The word Fauvism comes from a critic who called the paintings, “Les Fauves” which means “the wild beasts” the critic used this term because the paintings were painted so spontaneously, I guess it looked like they were painted by wild beasts!

Days 79 & 80

7 x7 Seven Subjects & 7 things I learned  January 16 & 17, 2013                   Days 79 & 80

1.       Math

a. I learned about unit multiplication today. Where you use multiplication for all the units of measurement to convert into another unit. How many centimeters is 4 feet? 121.92 centimeters

b. How many kilometers is 6 miles? 9.65

c. How many meters is 5 feet? 1.524

d. If 3 purses can be traded in for 10 bottles of nail polish, than how many bottles would you get if you traded in 42 purses? 42 purses = 140 bottles of nail polish

e. How many gallons is 36 pints? 4.5 gallons = 36 pints.

f. Unit multipliers all have a value of 1. Unit multipliers take you from one unit to the next, they don’t change the amount of the thing you are converting, just the units that the amounts expressed in.

g. When using unit multipliers, units cancel away just like factors do.

2. Science

a. Isaac Newton began his studies at Cambridge, he was interested in learning how the ancient Greeks worldview, especially Aristotle.

b. Aristotle pictured the world in two parts, the earth and the moon, and then the celestial region, “Outer Space”. He figured that the Earth and moon were in the center and everything else, including the sun, traveled around the Earth.

c. When Isaac Newton cam to Cambridge, Aristotle’s earth-centered-universe began to drift away.

d. Galileo Galilei was a professor of Mathematics in Venice Italy from 1592 to 1610.  

e. In 1608, Galileo learned about the telescope and used the instrument to do astronomy research and discovered something quite interesting.

f. The moon was not as perfect as Aristotle had said it was actually bumpy and full of craters, and Jupiter had four moons!

g. The people of Rome didn’t believe Galileo’s stories and said his studying was a “crime”, so they sent him to Rome to face his accusers in a religious trial. Galileo died in 1642 Newton was born less than a year later. 

3. History

a. After the attack of Pearl Harbor, Americans were afraid of another attack, so at night they had to black out there windows and street lights in the town to make targets harder to see for bombers.

b. Fortunately further attacks like the one at Pearl Harbor occurred in the United States

c. The British government believed that the Axis powers planned to use poison gas on civilian population, so it gave gas masks out to everyone living in Britain. By 1940, the British government issued 38 million gas masks.

d. Adults were given black gas masks, but children were given colorful ones that were called Mickey Mouse Masks.

e. The bombs that the German Luftwaffe ordered in London lasted for 57 consecutive night s, it was called the Blitz.

f. The British government began distributing metal shelters called, Anderson Shelters, there were nearly 200,000 Anderson shelters built.

g. British citizens experienced blackout periods as well, and faced many devastating German air-raids, but in one way, they were prepared.

4. Language

a. !Hola! ?Como te llamas? Me llamo Sophia. Hello! What’s your name?

b. ?Cuantos anos tienes? Tengo doce anos. How old are you? I’m twelve.

c. ?Coma se llamas? Se llama Maria. Tiene ocho anos. What’s she called? She’s called Maria; She eight.

d. To say how old you are in Spanish, you would use the verb tener. (to have)Tiene once anos. She is eleven. Tengo Nuevo anos. Im nine.

e. In Spanish you don’t have to start a sentence with me or you or him or her because the verb suffix makes it clear who you are talking about.

f. To say what you are called in Spanish, you would use the verb llamarse .

g. I learned the numbers eleven and twelve in Spanish today, once and doce.

5. Reading

a. The Amazing Amadeus is a biography about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

b. A prodigy is a young person who shows exceptional talent.

c. Wolfgang’s father, a composer, was named Leopold.

d. The opera Don Giovanni is by Mozart.

e. Mozart composed 41 symphonies

f. What can you tell about Mozart’s personality from this biography? He was irresponsible with money and had poor health

g. Mozart was born in Salzburg Austria in January 1756

6. Writing

a. I learned about comma splices in Grammar today. Mrs. Baker was a librarian; she gave me a library card. Mrs. Baker was a librarian, she gave me a library card. Mrs. Baker was a librarian so she gave me a library card.

b. Two ways to fix comma splices are to but a coordinating conjunction in between the two phrases or a semicolon.

c. Harry Potter is a wizard, he attends Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. Harry Potter is a wizard; he attends Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry. Harry Potter is a wizard and he attends Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry.

d. Fred Flintstone is a caveman and he has a pet dinosaur, this is not accurate because dinosaur would have been extinct at the time of Fred Flintstone. Fred Flintstone is a caveman and he has a pet dinosaur; this is not accurate because dinosaur would have been extinct at the time of Fred Flintstone. Fred Flintstone is a caveman and he has a pet dinosaur but this is not accurate because dinosaur would have been extinct at the time of Fred Flintstone.

e.0x1x2x3x4x5x6x7x8x9= 0 I got the answer as soon as mom was done saying the question. This was for Critical Thinking.

f. For Shakespeare I re-wrote a scene from Harry potter about the Death eaters planning revenge on Harry potter.

g. Wormtail: My lord, we will get you your revenge on the boy. He shall finally be lured to you.

Voldemort: Good Wormtail, you have been a faithful servant, but I must warn you, your life may be risked I the process

Wormtail: I will take any risk for you to gain your power again

Voldemort: Good brave Wormtail, at least you are a servant who is not a coward like some people (slight smirk) (rips off Lucius’ hood)

Lucius Malfoy: My lord please don’t

Voldemort: Avodica-voda!!!

Lucius Malfoy: Expelliamus!

7. Art

Sophie spent a good couple of hours working on a lovely painting of a parrot in the Pointillism style. She worked so hard on it and did such a good job that we agreed it “counted” as this section of her 7 x 7.

Days 77 & 78

7 x7 Seven Subjects & 7 things I learned   Days 77 & 78

1.       Math

a. I learned about proportions and I have to say that I am really good at it!!! 8/3 = m/9 m= 24

b. 7/4 = 14/m m = 8

c. 8/6 = m/9 m = 12

d. ½ = 10/m m = 20

e. 4/18$ = 5/m m = $22.50

f. Before your mom will let you go to your friend’s house, you must first finish your reading assignment. You’ve read 36 pages in the last 30 minutes. You have 50 minutes left. How long will it take to finish? 12 minutes and 30 seconds

g. You’re watching your friend’s puppy for a week while she goes on vacation. You have 3 puppies, and they usually go through ¾ of puppy food a week. Now you’re watching 5 puppies. How many bags of puppy food will they eat for the week? 1 ¼

2. Science

a. Isaac Newton lived in the small village of Woolsthrope England in the 1650s

b. Isaac noticed patterns, and saw the rhythms of everyday life, sunrise to sunset, spring to summer to autumn to winter. He saw patterns as the sun rose and the moon set.

c. Isaac built tiny models of windmills, water clocks, sundials, kites, and more and saw the patterns of how the wind, water and the sun made them work.

d. Isaac Newton questioned gravity when he saw an apple fall down from a tree.

e. Isaac Newton was known as a “Natural philosopher” what we generally call a scientist or a physicist. 

f. Isaac Newton wrote a book about his Physics discoveries, It is called, Newton’s Mathematical Principles of the Natural Philosophy.

g. Isaac newton made astounding discoveries in physics, astronomy, optics, and mathematics.

3. History

a. The three levels of the judicial system are 1, the district court, 2, the appellate court, and 3, the Supreme Court.

b. The highest court in the United States is the Supreme Court. 

c. Hears cases and makes judgments according to the Constitution and other laws. 

d. To be elected for Senate, a person must be at least thirty years old and live in the state he or she is representing.

e. Senators are elected for six-year terms. There is no limit of terms.

f. In addition to passing laws, the senate approves presidential nominees and ratifies treaties that the president makes with other countries.

g. Today I learned about the legislative and judicial branches of government

4. Language

a. In Spanish, There are two different words for “you” tu and usted. You use tu when talking informally and usted when talking formally.

b. To ask how family and friends are, you use ?Como estas? or ?Que Tal? And to people you don’t know very well, you say Que tal esta usted instead.

c. In Spanish you put two question marks at the beginning and end of a sentence.

d. Buenos dias, ?Como estas? Hello, how are you?

e. Estoy bien ?Y tu? Fine, thanks, and you?

f. Buenas Noches Goodnight

g. Hasta Luego See you later

5. Reading

a. Hamburger with a Handful of potato chips. Handful means a small amount

b. Hamburger with scores of potato chips. Scores means a large amount

c. Sandwich of thinly carved turkey, Hot dog with very hot relish. Carved means cut, Hot means spicy

d. Fresh shrimp, you discard the shells. Discard means to toss aside.

e. An entrée of fish with a mixed greens salad. Entrée means the main dish.

f. Spaghetti cooked in a large kettle, Salad with crunchy croutons on top. Kettle means a large pot, croutons are dried bread cubes.

g. Apple pie from a farm-fresh crop of apples. Crop means produce supply.

6. Writing

a. In writing today I created an idea web about a character of my choice.

b. Character: Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter

c. How person looks: She has light blonde hair and blue eyes; she is petite for her age.

d. How person acts: She is very sweet yet shy. She is kind of an airhead and she is very calm.

e. How person sounds: Very sweet British sounding voice.

f. How person moves: normally, swiftly

g. background details: She is a wizard at Hogwarts and she is a friend to Harry, Ron, and Hermione

7. Music

a. I learned to open my mouth to an e shaped when I am singing B note

b. I learned when I was singing “On my Own” to opwn my mouth down instead of out to create an even sounding volume on the part where it goes “The world is full of happiness that I have never Known!”

c. We worked on singing “I dreamed a dream” IN different keys to figure out which was better for my voice.

d. We worked on the acting version of “Castle on a cloud”

e. I learned a new humming warm-up

f. I worked on songs sounding mezzo-forte

Day 76

7 x7 Seven Subjects & 7 things I learned    January 11, 2012

1.       Math

a. Rates are everywhere. A rate is like a ratio, except that it compares two quantities that have different units.

c. Your mom bought hamburger meat at the store. You notice that the sticker says 6.72$ and that it weighs 2.1 lbs. How much did the meat cost per pound? Answer: 3.20$/ 1 lbs.

d. You’ve been training for an upcoming track meet, and your coach says that you’ve run a total of 32 miles in 5 days. Per day, how many miles is that? 6.4 miles/ 1 day

e. Yesterday, 10 kids participated in the schools fund-raising car wash, they washed 14 cars in all. What was the rate of kids to the cars? 5 kids/ 7 cars

f. You bought 5 bottled waters for you and your friends. The total bill was $12.50 How much did it cost per bottle? $2.50/ 5 bottles

g. You bought some ribbon at the store to decorate your photo album. You bought 3.2 feet of ribbon and it cost 2.88 total what was the unit price per foot? 0.90 per foot

2. Science

a. Do identical twins have identical fingerprints? A lot of people wonder about this, but the answer is no. Our DNA is what makes us different, even identical twins have slightly different DNA

b. How does a magician saw a lady in half? It is actually an illusion, the bow is wider and deeper than it may appear, the woman folds her legs up in a fatal position and her head sticks out of one side of the box and fake legs stick out the other side. She can wriggle her legs with ropes to make them look like real legs.

c. How does Bluetooth work? Bluetooth is a technology that allows cell phones, satellite TV, DVD players, and more to talk to each other. It is all done with radio signals!

d. Why are elections held on Tuesdays? The first Tuesday in November was established to be the election date of 1848. The first Tuesday is standard now but it wasn’t always that way, They were normally on Mondays or Sundays so that people wouldn’t have to travel home on a Sunday, the day of God.

e. What us heavy water? Heavy water is a nickname for deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen.

f. How fast can a person run? The fastest man alive is the Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell who was clocked at 9.77 in the hundred meter run.

g. I learned that snow is a bunch of crystal stuck together.

3. History

a. War bond: sold by the government to raise money for the war.

b. Recycling drive: organized collection of items to recycle into war supplies 

c. Red Cross: An organization that cares for the sick, wounded, and homeless during wars and natural disasters.

d. Black market: An illegal market where rationed items are sold.

e. All of the countries involved in World War II used Propaganda to convince their citizens, Posters were displayed everywhere.

f. Advertisers spent a lot of money reminding Americans to “do their share” after the government decided didn’t have to pay tax on ads.

g. Even with a war going on, Americans still found a way to have fun, movies and baseball were very popular, along with roller-skating, bowling, reading, and listening to the radio.

4. Language

a. Shrek es un ogro verde enorme. Shrek is a lare, green, ogre.

b. A Shrek no le gusta mucho la ciudad. Shrek is not very happy about the festival

c. Fiona era Hermosa princesa, Pero un hechizo la transform orgo. In the day, Fiona is a princess, in the evening she transforms into an ogre.

d. A el le gusta que Fiona sea fuerte y verde. Fiona is happy being strong and green.

e. Shrek como armar cabellaros. Shrek uses a sword like a gentleman.

f. Burro es el major amigo de Shrek. Donkey is Shreks best friend.

g. Va a todos con el por mas que a Shrek le guste o no. He asks if Shrek is happy or not.

5. Reading

a. In the article, stranded means marooned.

b. As used in the article, sustain means maintain

c. As used in the article, purified means cleansed

d. As used in the article, perspire means sweat

e. As used in the article, aversion means repugnance

f. As used in the article, edible means fit to be eaten

g. As used in the article, makeshift means temporary

6. Writing

a. I learned about mismatched similes, I’m as hungry as a lion; I’m as hungry as an athlete

b. My hair is like spaghetti, Mt hair is like a herd of cows

c. The cars on the street sound like a herd of cows, the cars on the street sound like a lion

d. I woke up feeling like an athlete; I woke up feeling like a spider

e. A rainy day is like spaghetti, A rainy day is like a spider

As I see the blood of Innocence flow from her body, I realize my grief and cry out all the water I could that day, and save more tears for tomorrow. I will never forget the loyal friendship we had, Emma Joanis. Revenge shall be struck on your murderer, I declare. And if I go too in the process, at least I can be with you.

7. Art

a. In pointillism, the artist applies paint in tiny little dots, these colors blend in the viewer’s eyes to form new colors.

b. What are the characteristics of Pointillism? Paint not mixed on a palette, the use of primary colors, individual dots, or points, of color, brushstrokes carefully placed, not spontaneous, rigid compositions.

c. The Painting, “The Circus” by Seurat is a wonderful example of pointillism because if you look closely you can see the individual dots and dashes of red, yellow, and blue. 

Days 74 & 75

7 x7 Seven Subjects & 7 things I learned                                January 9, 2013    Days 74 & 75

1.       Math

a. Ratios can compare hours, miles, and money. You can think of ratios as a real life way of using fractions- and they come up in word problems, too, so they are good to know

b. The units always need to be the same for a ratio to work

c. When you are writing a ratio, the numbers should have no common factors.

d. 60:20 = 3:1

e. 125:50 = 5:2

f. 16:12 = 4/3

g. 6: 60 = 10:1

2. Science

a. Cells are too small to be seen with the unaided eye, they are typically smaller than 1/10 of a millimeter

b. The microscope would be a turning point in the field of biology because it would allow scientists to examine life at the cellular level by looking at tissues and microorganisms. It would also ultimately lead scientists to examine the chemistry of life by exploring what cells are made of.

c. Early humans were not aware of the existence of cells.

d. Most cells cannot be seen by the human eye

e. Plants and animals were discovered before unicellular organisms

f. Cells were not discovered until the invention of the microscope.

g. Hooke coined the term, “Cells”

3. History

a. The Allies were Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States  

b. The Axis were Germany, Italy, and Japan who fought against the allies

c. I learned the Nazi militia; known for violence and brutality are called “Strom troopers” They are on the dark side!

d. The term for the mass murder of the Jews is called the Holocaust.

e. Although FDR hoped that the United States could stay out of the war, he sent a lot of money and war supplies to Britain and the allies.

f. I learned that the word rationing means to restrict consumption of something that is short in supply

g. I learned that the war started when Hitler invaded Poland.

4. Language

Sophie completed and will read her Latin book about Echo and Narcissus to Lily's kindergarten class at Follow the Child Montessori. To be posted soon

5. Reading

a. I learned about analogies today, Lava is to volcano as stalactite is to cave

b. World wide web is to www as Self- contained underwater breathing apparatus is to SCUBA

c. Stomach is to digestion as lung is to respiration

d. Quadruped is to cat as biped is to human

e. Paris is to France as Rome is to Italy

f. Author is to essay as composer is to concerto

g. Milliliter is to liter as meter is to millimeter 

6. Writing

a. Descriptive writing plays a role in many forms of writing; you see it in stories, textbooks and newspaper articles.

b. My heart is like a lion, my heart is like a trampoline, My heart is like a salad, My heart is like a rollercoaster, My heart is like a mask.

c. In Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar Portia, Brutus’s wife senses that he’s keeping a secret from her so I wrote about a time that I kept a secret from somebody.

d. It was almost Emma’s 70^th birthday, and all of her friends and family were planning a surprise party for her. It was weird and kind of overwhelming when she asked me what we were planning on doing for her birthday party, and I almost told her! But then I said, oh I don’t know I haven’t heard anything. I think she sensed that I was keeping a secret from her but she didn’t ask anything more. However, the party turned out great even though I almost told her about, she still was surprised and she enjoyed it very much.

7. Music

a. We went to go see Les Miserables today.

b. I learned about the term, acting choices, mom mentioned that Russell Crow’s way of playing Javiet is a lot different than the stage version but he made it work and it was his acting choice.

c. The singers took the original songs and acted it more than actually singing the original song, like Anne Hathaway’s “I dreamed a dream” stays to the original melody but is so different and less pretty than any other version, however, Fantine doesn’t feel pretty she feels devastated so it works really well. 

d. The actors were so amazing that it made me cry like the whole way through!

e. Hugh Jackman, who played Jean Valjean, was so into the character that he actually cried more than once in a scene!

f. The music was done live which is the first movie musical ever done that way, so the singing wasn’t perfect but that’s what made it more like a musical which I enjoyed.

g. My favorite songs were “On my Own”, “One Day More”, and “Bring him Home”

Notes on finalizing Unit 1 & starting Unit 2

Sophie has almost completed 75 days of school--then 100 more of 7th grade! She has worked hard and her final projects reflect her dedication and her learning.

Latin--after completing her third Latin learning book, Sophie wrote and illustrated her own version of the Narcissus myth in Latin and will share her book with Lily's kindergarten class at Follow the Child Montessori school.

Science--Sophie completed her workbook on Cells and also wrote and illustrated a book "What is a Cell" to share with Lily's class.

Government--she just started these worksheets and received a score of 100% on the first review! She will continue to work through the prescribed unit and we will visit and tour Washington, D.C. in April. She will work on Government for one 7 x 7 a week for Unit 2.

Voice/Music--Sophie has learned so much about music this year! She is working so hard with her voice teacher Stephanie Fisher at the Midcoast School of Music in Bath. She is learning to accompany herself on the piano. She received a guitar for Christmas and has already shown a lot of talent and intuitive in learning this new instrument. I am very proud of how hard she's working on her music and how much she's learned! We did hear back from Maine State Music Theater and she will be auditioning for this summer's season sometime in March.

Art--she's still working through the Art Styles-ism book. There's no rush on this book. Her music is more important to her lately. We will finish the book by the end of the year and then take a trip to the Portland Museum of Art and she will complete a final report on Art Styles.

Reading & Writing--Sophie continues to work through the two workbooks and we do our Daily Sparks. She's an excellent reader and writer.

Math--Sophie is on Chapter 17 of her Math Doesn't Suck book. She has completed over 20 Math tricks and hints posters she learned from the book. When she finishes the book we will compile the posters as a slide show and then send an email to the author to share Sophie's hard work and her enjoyment of this awesome math book for middle school girls. We've also added in a Math Tricks book as part of the Daily Spark routine.

Now we're starting a new unit. Some subjects and materials will change and some will not.

Math--she will continue with the Math Doesn't Suck book chapter by chapter and complete her posters. When she's done, she will start the next book, Kiss My Math,

Science--Sophie chose Physics, so that's what we're learning about! She will be working through a book about Issac Newton--his life and his theories. She and I will also work through a very challenging book, Cartoon Guide to Physics. My plan with Physics is to help her learn the theories and principals rather than working out the actual math.

Reading and Writing--continue with the workbooks, Daily Sparks, and additional assignments.

Spanish--she will start with basic vocabulary and then read a few children's books. I got her a great DK Language Learning kit that includes a CD, flashcards, two dictionaries, lessons, some games and puzzles. There are great videos on-line to listen and learn conversational Spanish and more than one person we know to practice speaking.

Music & Art--same plan and arrangements.

History--Sophie chose to learn about World War II. The plan is for to continue studying Government for the Monday 7 x 7 due Tuesday. We are planning a trip to the Senate in Washington, D.C. in April. For the other two 7 x 7s a week she will learn about World War II. We have put aside reading a poem as part of the Daily Spark routine and instead read a short true story from the collection Best Little Stories from World War II .

We've also added reading one question a day from a book in the "Good Question!" series: Why Did the Whole World Go to War? and other questions about World War II. The questions are complex and the answers are general but it's a good way to get started every day learning about the war. Her primary text books for this unit are Great World War II Projects You can Build Yourself  and The Split History of World War II, which is a series of books that gives two perspectives of complex historical events. The book is divided--one half is the story (in a timeline structure) of the war told from the German and Axis perspective--not necessarily from Hitler's and Mussolini's point of view but from the perspective of a German citizen, while the other half of the book tells the American point of view, namely why the country shied from the war for so long and what we did to help end the war. Sophie will use what she learns from the two books together--a couple of pages from each-- for each 7 x7 twice a week.

The final project for her study of World War II is to meet and interview two veterans (hopefully one female and one male) and then write a report about what she learned.

This unit will be complete by mid-March.

Days 72 & 73

7 x7 Seven Subjects & 7 things I learned                                                January 7, 2013   Days 72, 73

1.       Math

a. I learned helpful translations from English to math.

b. English: of Math: x (multiplication)

c. English: sum, total, more than Math: + (addition)

d. English: difference, less than Math: - (subtraction)

e. English:  per, quotient, a Math: ÷ (division)

f. I started to learn about ratios I learned that there are three ways of writing ratios: 1 to 2 1:2 or ½

g. All three ways of expressing this ratio do the same thing, compare 1 to 2!

2. Science

a. Cells come in a variety of shapes and sizes however they are all small and cannot be seen with a naked eye.

b. The microscope was necessary for the discovery of cells because it was, at the time, the only device that allowed humans to see cells.

c. Early humans did not discover cells because they did not have the technology necessary to see them.

d. The term cell was chosen because the compartments reminded Hooke, (the inventor of the microscope and the finder of cells) of the rooms, cells, chambers in his house.

e. Hooke didn’t find real cells he found empty cell walls which are dead cells.

f. Hooke’s microscope looks less complex than ours now.

g. Hooke communicated his findings by publishing a book about cells called Micrographia.

3. History

a. The fifteenth amendment in 1870 allowed all male citizens to vote

b. The nineteenth amendment in 1920 allowed all female citizens to vote this happened fifty years after all men got the right to vote.

c. The Twenty fourth amendment is important because it allowed poor people the right to vote.

d. I think the two most important amendments are the nineteenth and fifteenth giving all people the right to vote for their president and senator.

e. What are two titles the president has? Chief Executive and Commander in Chief

f. Name three responsibilities of the executive office. Carrying out the laws made by the legislative branch, and appointing officers to the U.S military

g. I think the most important duty of the executive office is to create programs to deal with national issues.

4. Language—Latin Review Part 1-3 translate

*This is Sophie's last lesson in Latin for awhile.  She worked hard on both the Minimus *pic * and Minimus Secondus books and then finished the Learning Latin through Myth book this week. Below is a review she completed today. She translated each Latin sentences (yes, the accents and language marks are not there--Word does not make that easy) cold and without her vocabulary cards or sheet or the book. She did an excellent job.
We start Spanish next.

Part 1

Actaeon venatur. Acteon is a hunter

Actaeon Dianam videt. Acteon sees Diana

Diana aquam iactat. Diana throws the water

Actaeon e cavern currit. Acteon runs out of the cave

Actaeon e cavern currit. Nunc Actaon est cervus. Acteon runs out of the cave, Now Acteon is a stag

Part 2

Daedalus et Icarus de vita iamdudum desperabant. Deadalus and Icarus were despairing for their lives

Daedalus ceram et pennas paravit. Deadalus took wax and feathers

Postremo Daedalus per auras evolavit. Icarus per auras paulisper evolavit. Deadalus gives instructions, Icarus doesn’t listen

Daedalus circumspectavit. “eheu!” exclaimavit tristis Daedalus, “Icarus est mortuus.” Deadalus looks around, alas! Says Deadalus, Icarus is dead

Part 3

Pegasus est equus mirabilis. Pegasus is a wonderful horse

Bellerophon Chimaeram concpicit.  Bellaphron sees Chimaeram

Heros est fortissimus.   Heros monstrum petit. The hero is very ferocious The hero attacks the monster

Heros Chimaream gladio necat.  The hero takes his sword and kills Chimaream

5. Reading

a. I learned vocabulary skills, As used in the article, common means- ordinary

b. As used in the article, strains means- types

c. As used in the article, customizing means- tailoring

d. Super vedere and the power of observation most likely mean the same thing. True or false? True

e. Leonardo da Vinci probably made sketches of the heart since he made sketches of other parts of the human body like organs our skeleton and muscles.

f. To dissect something means to cut it apart.

g. Empirical research is based on observations.

6. Writing

Comparing Characters, “Katniss and Peeta”

Katniss Everdeen is a very brave sixteen year old girl who lives in District 12 in the country of Panam. Her family is poor and lives in the seams, the part of District 12 that are were the starving and unnoticed live. She goes hunting in the woods with her bow and arrow to try and feed her little sister prim. But when Prim gets chosen for the hunger games, Katniss steps in and risks her life to save her sister.

                Peeta Mellark is a baker’s son in District 12, who has a nice, plain, and simple life until he gets chosen to be a tribute from District 12 in the Hunger games. He saves Katniss’s and his own life by telling all of Panam that he is desperately in love with her on a T.V interview. Katniss doesn’t know his love is real which becomes a problem later.

7. Music

a. I had a music lesson where we practiced the G7 chord on the piano.

b. We sung a duet of “A whole new World” from Aladdin.

c. I learned the intro the Tim McGraw on the piano

d. I again practiced crescendo and decrescendo on a new song, “Colors of the wind”

e. I practiced the A7# chord on the piano going from C major to Gsus#

f. I learned the Cadd9 chord on Piano

g. I learned one of my voice warm-ups on the piano

Day 71 Back to school

7 x7 Seven Subjects & 7 things I learned                                January 4, 2013   Day 71   

1.       Math   7 New Math Posters!

2. Science

a. The amoeba is a microorganism that shows all the characteristics of a living thing.

b. The amoeba traps prey by surrounding it with two pseudopodium. 

c. The amoeba’s vacuole, is a lot like our stomach!

d. Before the amoeba reproduces, it goes through the process of mitosis where it grows by expanding its membrane.

e. Interphase is a stage where the amoeba is expressing the characteristic of life, behavior, Interphase is the Amoebas resting stage.

f. The amoeba demonstrates the characteristic regulation when it controls the digestion of the microbe.

g. Organization: shows off its internal organelles.

3. History

a. The two things said in Section 2 of Article III of the Constitution explain the power of the courts applies to everyone in America, even people who aren’t citizens.

b. Article VI says that elected and appointed members of all three branches must uphold the constitution.

c. Article IV explains how new states can be admitted to the United States.

d. In 1791 James Madison made ten amendments to the constitution and it is called, the bill of rights.

e. Which amendment gives citizens the right to protest peacefully? The first amendment.

f. Which amendment do you think might be the most controversial one? The guaranteed right of citizens to own and carry weapons.

g. the fourth amendment seems most important to me.

4. Language

a. The myth of Io states that Juno turned the guarder of the forest nymph Io, Argus the creature with one hundred eyes, into a peacock so that when a peacock spreads out its tail, one hundred eyes look at you!

b. Pavo caute ambulat. The peacock cautiously walks.

c. Pavo timide clamitat! The peacock fearfully screams!

d. Pavo celeriter fugit. Peacock quickly runs away.

e. Pavo magnifice panam consumit. Peacock splendidly eats bread.

f. Pavo subito stat. The peacock suddenly stands.

g. Pavo tacite recumbat. The Peacock quietly lies down.

5. Reading

a. The idiom, “To break the ice” means to make a start.

b. The idiom, “A chip on his shoulder” means that he seems angry or resentful

c. The idiom, “out of the frying pan and into the fire” means to go from a bad situation to a worse one.

d. The idiom, “going bananas” means going crazy

e. The idiom, “your cup of tea” means something one enjoys.

f. The idiom, “ fly off the handle” means to lose ones temper

g. the idiom, “ pie-in-the-sky” means something that’s unrealistic.

6. Writing

a. I learned about conjunctions, some conjunctions are, and, but, for, so, or, nor and yet.

b. Since I am homeschooled I don’t have homework but I do have work to do after school. I babysit three days a week for my next-door neighbor Owyn and when I’m not babysitting, I help teach a dance class for younger dancers. When I’m not babysitting or dancing which isn’t very often, I have free time where I like to practice my guitar, play with my sister, or play on the wii and kinnect.

c. Which of the following animals does not belong in the list? Polar bear, penguin, beluga, moose, walrus, or reindeer.

d. I wrote a paragraph about If I like music and if I think that people who don’t like music should be trusted.

e. I particularly like music, and making music. I find it very enjoyable to listen to and a lot of songs have valuable lessons. I still respect people who don’t love music however, because I understand people’s opinions and differences. If someone said to me straight forward that they hated music I would ask why because I would be curious and maybe I could help persuade them or understand why they didn’t like music. But I wouldn’t say that they couldn’t be trusted just because they didn’t like music.

f. Mom read the raven to me by Edgar Allen Poe! I think it is kind of a creepy poem. 

g. I learned arithmatricks about addition. If you have a problem that ends in nine such as 29 and 44. It’s easier to find the answer if you add 1 to 29 and subtract one from 44 so it becomes 30 + 43 = 73!

7. Music

a. I learned a new song on my guitar called “Fifteen” by Taylor Swift.

b. I learned new chords on my guitar Cadd 9 and E7

c. I practiced “Speak Now” by Taylor Swift on my guitar

d. I practiced “Tim McGraw” on the piano

e. I taught myself a new strumming pattern for a song on the guitar, “Picture to burn”

f. I learned the lyrics to the song “Picture to burn”

g. I learned the introduction to castle on a cloud on the piano.