History: The Ancients. We will continue to work with the Ancients. Like I said with Gavin, we really enjoyed learning about Egypt and now we will turn our attention to Greece and Rome. Finishing out with Ancient China. For resources please refer to the previous entry.
Art History: Along with participating in a six week long course on Art History, we will begin working with an online/video course called Meet the Masters. He will work with this program and do some projects in the style of the artist we are studying. I found the Art History books I mentioned in Gavin's entry. They are so fun and cool. Check them out here.
Writing: This is an ok subject area for Grey. It used to be more of a struggle for him, mainly attitude, not skills. As he has matured I have seen a really advancement in his willingness and ability to write. Like with Gavin we will be doing a lot of writing in our study of History, Art History, Mythology and Reading. Grey will participate in a writing group this fall. This will help with encouragement and rising to someone else's standards. He will work with the Harold Syntax Guide to Grammar via Discovery Education. I will have him work with various analogy programs to improve his vocabulary. We are going to work on the five elements of literature: plot, theme, style, character and setting using the Men of Iron program from RGES. I want him to complete two well researched and well written term papers with the topic of his choice. I also want him to write at least one fiction piece. Both edited and ready for "publication". Grey will be taking a six week long writing course which focusses on the fundamental of writing for the middle school aged student. This is through Albuquerque Academy.
Math: This is a strength area for Grey. Currently he is working his way through the Jacobs Elementary Algebra book with the assistance of the Dr Callahan DVD set which you can get to accompany the text. He will finish this up and enter into Geometry this fall with a friend's class. In addition to this he is working his way through the online Fractal course that is offered by the Fractal Foundation.
Science: Like Gavin, we will be exhaling this year a bit from our big science year that we just wrapped up. We will be working our way through a health program which will bring in a study of the human body. Grey will continue his work with WRI and our work with RGRS. We will be having a lot of experiential learning opportunities this year including work in the bosque, the Naturalist Center at NMMNHS and possibly working with Wildlife West for their summer program. We are taking the book work lightly this year because we will be participating in the National Science Olympiad and Grey will have a HEAVY load to study once we know his categories. This is a rigorous program that will consume a lot of his time.
Geography: Still researching how I want to do this....
Reading: Grey is not a big reader by nature, so I will be trying to bring in as much reading as I can within the other subjects. He does a lot of reading for History and with his interests such as the Fractal Foundation etc. However in addition to this he will finish reading Men of Iron, D'Aulaires' Greek Mythology book, The Lightening Thief, and one work from Shakespeare with his group next spring. Note* His studies for the Science Olympiad will require a lot of reading.
Community/Leadership: We will work with our Rio Grande Roots & Shoots group to continue our volunteer work with the community, animals and the environment. We will complete at least one service project per month. Also this year I want both of the older boys to choose a project that is close to their heart and to help in the planning and ideas for how we can make a difference. Greyson will work once a week with Wildlife Rescue Inc to help with the rehabilitation of wounded wildlife. He will assist them in age appropriate ways and continue learning new skills and taking on new responsibilities with them. Grey will work at the Naturalist Center as a student docent along with Gavin and his father.
Public Speaking: Grey will continue participating in Toastmasters. This year I would like him to complete at least three more speeches as well as fully participating in the various jobs and responsibilities of being a member. (evaluator, grammarian, flag/prayer). At the end of the season he will run for one of the office positions.
Technology: Typing for sure and then a simple computer programing course that I have yet to find. Either online or a class that he can take outside the home.
Mythology: This year Grey will be learning about Greek Mythology, his brother's passion. He will participate in the National Mythology Exam including one of the additional subject areas. Hopefully on Norse Mythology, but we'll see what is offered.
Visual Art: Grey will work with a local artist in a small group setting to continue his work with the visual arts. He will also be working on projects at home which bring in the styles and techniques of the Masters. In addition to that I am hoping to find him a private teacher who can really help hi develop his love of sketching. I know of a great teacher but she is hard to get in with. Im trying.....
Performing Arts: Greyson will continue his work with the Outpost Performance Space and perform in three different Jazz Ensemble concerts at the intermediate level. He will also be participating in a study of Shakespeare and perform in a play next spring. In addition to this, Greyson will participate in a summer intensive program that runs everyday for six weeks with the New Mexico Jazz Workshop. I believe there is a performance at the end of that program as well.
Latin: Grey will continue his work with Latin/Greek Root Words as well as begin a Latin Language program. Im researching which program to go with. He will be participating in the National Latin Exam next spring.
Spanish: Im still trying to find an effective program for spanish. Short of buying Rosetta Stone.
Independence: Grey is getting more independence this year. I am using a binder "technique" that reguires him to work through most of his lessons independently. Also he is taking courses and attending programs by himself a lot more this year. He will have to move from place to place, on time and deal with whatever issues may arrise on his own. Grey is also becoming more and more independent with his fencing. He loves it and so it is a good area for him to experiment with having more control and independence.
Music: As above, Grey will continue working with the Outpost Jazz program for all three sessions. He will also continue his weekly private percussion lessons. He will be participating in the Summer JAzz intensive through the NM Jazz Workshop. In addition to this, Grey has chosen to start taking piano lessons this year, so he will be working on both instruments throughout the year.
Physical Education: Grey will continue fencing three times a week. He will participate in hiking a lot during good weather as well as helping to take the dogs for daily walks and participating in a dog agility program with the new puppies. Grey will be working a lot with a health program as well. Learning about nutrition, exercise and puberty.
Responsibility: Grey is very responsible already. So we will continue with that by letting him begin to gain an allowance for helping me with things that are outside of the normal family responsibilities. He is now in charge of the kids portion of the house, learning about how to encourage and lead rather than bully and yell in order to help his siblings to complete their chores. He is still responsible for his chickens and their care as well as taking on new responsibility with the puppies. Grey is also learning a lot about responsibility with his volunteer work and his assistance with his younger brothers and sister.
Culture: We will participate in festivals, and performances. He will celebrate various holidays and participate in cultural traditions of the community. Im still working on ways to fill this out with more experiences that will bring a love and respect for different cultures to his heart.
Art Appreciation: This year we will attend several different museum programs as well as performances at local theaters.
Family Appreciation: I know, same as Gavin's. A weekly family dinner here at our home which includes all of my husband's immediate family. Monthly birthday parties at Great-Grandma's house. Continued communication with my family in VA via Wii fun. Regular visits and communication to Tucson to see my Mom and her family, including Great-Grandma Alice. Yearly visit to El Paso to be with Abuelita.
Engineering and Robotics: Grey will continue to participate in his monthly Engineering and Robotics team meetings. We will compete in the First Lego League Challenge this fall.
Clubs and fun: Chess club and middle school competitions. Book Club to hopefully inspire more reading. Possibly a mythology club as a way to prepare for the Mythology Exam.
Grey really wants to start a band, but time and such have made this really hard. We'll have to see if we can fit this in and find other musicians who are dedicated to making it work.
I know Im missing something, I will have to look back through my notes to see what I have forgotten.
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