Challenge B of Tucson - Rita Ranch
Weeks 14 & 15 Updates
Seminar Overviews
Logic - This was a student led seminar this week and she did a fabulous job!
Math - We played Battleship Board Slam - a new class favorite!
Exposition & Composition - This week I introduced Narratio. It was an exciting moment when students recognized the addition of narratio as a key element in a court trial! Court trials are nothing more than one long persuasive essay. This seminar has been excellent preparation for the Mock Trial strand that we will begin in January.
Current Events - The students presented their research on federal minimum wage.
Science - I sat with each student and listened to their project updates and provided additional guidance.
Notes and Thoughts for Second Semester
Logic - The students have been challenged to MEMORIZE appendices A, B, & C. If they are able to do this by the first day of class, they will have EARNED a $5 gift card. I will be in contact with you all discuss details.
Math - Keep it up :)
Exposition & Composition - Students will read their final essay on "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" upon our return in January. Please note that the focus of this seminar will now shift to short stories. If you don't already have "Words Aptly Spoken short stories" please order is ASAP! The bookstore does take time off around Christmas and shipping may take longer this time of year.
Debate - Students will give their elevator speech upon our return in January. This strand also changes focus in the spring. We will begin Mock Trial. Students and parents should begin reading through the Mock Trial notebook as soon as possible.
Science - Students should be conducting experiments during the break and finalizing their research. We will begin going through "Defeating Darwinism" in January. This is another book that will need to be ordered ASAP if you don't already own it. I have started this book already and it's my opinion that this is a book that would be best read with your student. It's not necessarily difficult, but there are some pretty big ideas and our students will get more out of it if we talk with them about it as they read it.
Virtue Connections - Boldness
This week we took a look at what God says about boldness. We looked at Acts 4:29, Acts 28:31, Proverbs 28:1, and Joshua 1:9. God wants us to be BOLD and he tells us not to FEAR.
Latin - Latin teaches humility which leads to boldness.Logic - This teaches us to boldly defend our beliefs in a logical way.
Math - God created math. Through diligent study we can boldly discover and declare his Truth.
Exposition & Composition - We are learning how to boldly state our positions on controversial topics.
Current Events - Research leads to truth so that we may speak boldly with evidence to support our position.