School's Out!

Today is Girl of the House's last day of the schoolyear.  Yippee!  At her request, though, we will be continuing/picking up a few things through the summer.  She likes learning and sees no reason not to do what she likes over the summer.  How can I argue with that?

Here's a quick run-down of what she accomplished this year~

Math~ Not Girl 2's favorite subject, but she does like being tutored by her brother-in-law, That Boy. :-)  It's helped her tremendously to have someone who's enthusiastic about the subject and highly knowledgeable.  Math-U-See is the only curriculum we have found of the several we tried that she likes . . . well, okay, doesn't dislike.  She thinks Mr. Demme is hilarious!  She finished Zeta this year and has moved on to pre-algebra.  We are doubling up on math this summer so that she can begin Algebra I this fall.  She fell behind during that dreadful eighth grade year when she was so constantly sick, but we keep plugging away and making progress little by little, which is usually best anyway.

(This is how I feel, but I haven't been able to execute this particular maneuver for decades . . .)

Logic~ We got through chapter 6 of Martin Cothran's Traditional Logic Bk. 1.  It kinda sorta fell by the wayside along about December, despite many proddings by Girl 2 to get me back on track, but . . . well, we take another stab it at, picking up where we left off, this summer.  Another subject to plod through little by little.

Christian Philosophy~ This was offered online by some homeschool moms I know virtually.  This was Girl 2's favorite this year!  Girl Out of the House took this class when she was about Girl 2's age and has kept her book and wouldn't give it up, so I knew it was something I wanted Girl 2 to have.  It's important for people to understand the roots of their culture and the ideas that have shaped it.  This class went a long way to achieving that for Girl 2. 

Essay Writing~ About halfway through the philosophy class mentioned above, which required a weekly essay, I realized Girl 2 needed more work on basic essay writing.  We have gotten through the first few chapters of Lucile Vaughan Payne's The Lively Art of Writing and will continue plugging away at it until we finish.  She's also worked through pattern 12 in The Art of Styling Sentences by K.D. Sullivan and Ann Longknife. 

German I~ Girl 2 took this class on-line.  The teacher was good, the book was good, and Girl 2 now has a solid foundation in the language.  It's on to German II next year but with a different teacher since the current one is retiring. :-(

English Words from Latin and Greek Elements~ This is an on-line class taught by Girl 2's dad. :-)  It's an excellent class; I know because I taught it one year.  It teaches students how to break English words into their constituent Latin and/or Greek parts.  I know Girl 2 liked it and learned a lot because nary a day goes by that she's not telling me about the etymology or some word or another.  I think the English language is fascinating, and I'm glad Girl 2 knows that too!

Music History~ This is a class I teach on-line.  It takes students through the history of Western classical music from Gregorian chant to the modern-day minimalists.  There is no textbook; I provide materials through the school's moodle, including approximately 200 audio files.  Girl 2 really seemed to enjoy this class, if I may say so myself.  She was certainly engaged in the material, and now she is equipped for a lifetime of listening to and understanding classical music. 

In addition, we read and watched Shakespeare's King Lear.  I like to use the Oxford School editions along with an audio CD.  We read along as we listen, and then we watch at least one production.  On her own initiative, Girl 2 has been working through the first chapters of Spielvogel's Western Civilization and study guides. (The link isn't for the same edition we use, but I couldn't find one for that.) She reads all the ancient lit. she can lay her hands on (Plutarch, Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle, Aeschylus, Vergil, etc., etc., etc.), so between her work in Spielvogel, listening to Teaching Co. lectures, and her own reading plus her father's background in ancient lit. and languages, which leaks out all over our conversations and daily interactions, she should be well grounded in the classical world. 

So, like every year, some things stalled a bit and others were very successful.  On the docket for the summer is math (eternal math! *sigh*), logic, and essay writing.  So there will still be plenty of time for quilting, visits to the library, some travel, baby holding, etc.  Happy summer, everyone!