Thursday, September 26, 2013

Easter Egg in the Playlist! ;-)

Hey, Guys!

I ran across this video a couple of weeks back and just realized it's for this week.  There's a video in Week 6's Playlist that has Pachelbel's Cannon in D hidden within it.  If you're up for the challenge, send me back an email letting me know which video it's in! ;-)  Have a good weekend!

--
 
Rebekah McNary

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Master List Week 6 Playlist

Hello, Guys!

I'm still waiting for homework from several of you, but I'm going to go ahead and let you get started with what we have...but first, my YouTube warning of the week! ;-)  Because we are studying da Vinci and Michelangelo this week, EVERY video related to either of them or referencing "Renaissance Men" has artistic nudity in it!!! They made LOTS of nude statues, paintings, etc. It's just how our art history goes...if your family is sensitive to that, I'd suggest you previewing everything.  Any who...here is Week 6's playlist...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CWzkk6-sdI&list=PLHttkiQ-s4U94EY33Ob64SQ04GhqEDVCe&index=1

In addition, there's an AMAZING BBC documentary called "The Divine Michelangelo" part 1 and part 2 uploaded to YouTube that's just fascinating! It's partly documentary, partly live action.  It's probably only for the older set, but you need to preview it! The themes in the show are probably PG-13.

If you haven't already gotten your submissions in to me for the week, please do it as soon as you can.  Thanks! :-D

Rebekah McNary

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Master List Week 6

Hey, guys!

Today's class was FANTASTIC! :-D Thank you so much for your cooperation as we changed things up a little. Remember that I sent home 2 pages for you and your parents to look over this week, and please complete your Science Experiment Journal page. Also, please remind your parents that there's NO CLASS next week! :-D Woo Hoo!

When you return on week 7, your presentation is as follows:

Famous Speech (2-3 min)
Recite a famous speech that your historical character (from last week)
gave. You may dress up and even speak like your character if you wish.

Skill to work on - Expression: Make your voice interesting by varying your tone and volume and using pauses to enhance your presentation.

If your speech is rather short, please remember to elaborate on who is giving the speech to whom, and where, and why, and who is the audience, etc. Bring props, pictures, dress up, WHATEVER! Try to have some fun with it and make it interesting for the class.

Your YouTube assignments are as follows:
Claire - OFF!
Lily - Geography
Liliana - English
Kaitlyn - Math
Savannah - Latin
Emily - Science

Please have these turned in by bedtime Wednesday of THIS WEEK! You'll be off next week, but I'd like you to have these videos to study with while you are on vacation.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Thanks! :-D

Rebekah McNary

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Master List Week 5 Playlist

Hi, folks!
 
You did a GREAT job with your video assignments this week! :-D Please be aware that in a couple of our Geography videos there is artistic nudity (there are naked statues). I hope you enjoy watching the videos your classmates have selected! :-D
 

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Master List Week 6 Presentations...

Hello, Girls!

I had SO much fun playing games today! :-D

I forgot to collect "homework" pages today, so this is your reminder to please work on your science experiment pages and art at home, then RETURN the work to me.  If I don't remember to ask for it, just remind me.

Your YouTube research assignments should be turned in tomorrow before bedtime.  If you need extra time, please have your parent send me an email explaining. The assignments are as follows:

Emily - FREE
Claire - Geography
Lily - English
Liliana - Math
Kaitlyn - Latin
Savannah - Science

Also, here's your presentation assignment:

Biography of a Famous Person (2-3 Minutes - 2-Week Presentation)
Choose a famous speech.  In week 7, you will recite this famous speech, so start practicing now.  For week 6, give a 2-3 minute biography of the famous person who gave the speech.

Our focus will be POISE - Calmly and confidently continue even if something goes wrong.

The new YouTube playlist should be out by Thursday. Please let me know if you need anything!

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Hi, Guys!

This week's class was TONS of fun, but we're going to need to concentrate on not talking during New Grammar time! :-D Also, please remember to work on any unfinished Science Experiment Logs and Art Challenges so they'll be ready to turn in on Tuesday.

I forgot to give you the presentation assignment! :-0 This week is:

Humorous Interpretation (1-2 mins)
Prepare a joke or funny story to present to the class.  A narrative is better than a "knock-knock" joke or riddle.  Be sure your joke is appropriate.  Use pauses to make your joke telling more effective.  Memorize your joke completely, no notes or cue cards.  REMEMBER: We use humor and funny stories to delight our audience.  An offended audience will NOT be delighted.

We will be working on ARTICULATION: Speak clearly so that your audience can understand you.

I LOVED receiving all your videos for the playlist! I'm still waiting for a couple of things, but I've compiled the rest of the videos and come up with a playlist for Week 4!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CWzkk6-sdI&list=PLHttkiQ-s4U-1hWlzYdqoS0m-ik0giIQo Once I receive the rest of the videos, I'll just add them into the playlist.  The address won't change, so they'll just appear later. ;-)

This video did not make it onto the playlist (and you'll see why...), but it's terribly important for us not to lose our senses of humor as homeschooling families.  So I'm including it here for your enjoyment. Thank you, Talazacs! :-D

Enjoy! :-D

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Hello, Parents!

I hope you have enjoyed the YouTube Playlists I sent out! I was hoping you and your girls would have the opportunity to view each of them several times so you would be aware of various types of educational videos that can be found on YouTube.

Starting today, I would like to put the girls in charge of finding material for the weekly playlist. In order to introduce the girls to a limited amount of internet research, I ask that you take time to search these subjects WITH your child to model what you feel is or is not appropriate.

Each week I will assign 1 subject to each student.  Here's the assignments for this week (Week 4):
Savannah - none (a reward for doing her presentation first this week)
Emily - Geography
Claire - English
Lily - Latin
Lilianna - Math 
Kaitlyn - Science 

Since we are learning Week 4 this week, they will be researching information for Week 4.  That means that Claire (who has English) will be looking for a video (or two) about the Nominative Pronouns.  She might find a song that lists them, a short teaching video that explains how they are used, or something else completely!

Please be aware that the videos should be appropriate for all ages since many of us are using the videos for our whole families and some of the children are very young. If it's possible, please submit a few videos of your subject. I will then have several choices in case there's a content issue with any of them. Occasionally, I will include several videos on the same subject just because they present the information differently.

Once your student finds a video, in the address bar at the top of the window, right click the address and then click on "copy."  Pull up an email, address it to me, then right click in the body of the email and click "paste." Once all the links have been added, just send the email to me.

I would ideally like to receive the videos by bedtime on Wednesday night. I'm hoping this gives you enough time. Please let me know if this is too restrictive for your family! I believe this kind of search should take less than 30 minutes, and I'm betting most people don't do school after CC on Tuesday.  Tuesday evening would be the perfect time to look up the info and send it in, but if it's just too much, sometime on Wednesday might work.

I want to have enough time to collect the links from each girl, preview them, compile the list, email the list out, and be able to watch the videos for a couple of days before we start the process all over again ;-)

Lastly, if your student has put forth a commendable effort, but there are no applicable videos to be found, please send me an email stating that. I understand.  Geography seems to be a fairly tough subject...and shortly, so will Latin...

Please let me know RIGHT AWAY if you have any questions, concerns, etc. You may call, text or email me anytime :-D

I look forward to hearing from you soon! :-D

Playlist Week 1:

Playlist Week 2:

Playlist Week 3:

Monday, September 9, 2013

Hey, Guys!

Sorry it's taken me this long to get my playlist together...it's been a busy week! I hope you have already taken the time to complete any work that you brought home with you (art, science experiment page, etc...), and that you've been working on your presentation! :-D

I found a really cool video this week that's pretty gross and not for the very young or faint of heart. I'm just listing it here, but NOT adding it to the playlist. It's a 7-day time-lapse video of a rabbit decomposing! I figured it was pretty cool (and relevant science) but it might disturb some people...so here it is for those of you who are interested, and if not...no biggie! ;-0  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6sFP_7Vezg 
So...what part of the food chain is helping the rabbit DECOMPOSE?! ;-)

Here's my YouTube disclaimer for the week (besides being VERY careful about the ads)...I've included some extremely funny videos by the BBC called "Horrible Histories." I believe that they will help illustrate history for our kids (especially the very little ones), but the humor can be a bit rough.  Several times they show someone getting hit over the head (in a funny way) but then when they sit up, they look like they've been beaten (purple and red makeup all over their faces). If you think this is too disturbing, please feel free to skip over any of the "Horrible Histories" videos.

Here's what I found for my YouTube playlist this week:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHttkiQ-s4U8v9XS8vjZhp1oYsMfJpWQb 

Enjoy!
Hello, Guys!

I've had SO MUCH fun learning about each of you during our class time.  I'm SUPER appreciative of your participation during class, and your enthusiasm while learning our new memory work. I've had a couple of questions about presentation this week, so I want to clarify for everyone's sake :-D

This week's presentation is: Bible Recitation (2-3 minutes)
In Psalm 119:11, David says, "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." What passages from God's word have you hidden in your heart? Share a Bible passage that is meaningful to you.  Do your best to memorize your chosen passage.  Enhance your presentation with props or actions.

Our focus this week will be: Volume! Speak with appropriate loudness so your audience can hear you.
In order to make this presentation age-appropriate, I'm asking you to stretch yourself.  Rather than picking a single short verse, find a few!

One of my favorite passages is Isaiah 40:28-31

28 Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.29 He gives strength to the weary    and increases the power of the weak.30 Even youths grow tired and weary,    and young men stumble and fall;31 but those who hope in the Lord    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.


See if you can find a short passage that you already know or one that wouldn't be too difficult to memorize. Maybe you know the Lord's Prayer, or the 23rd Psalm? You may act it out, dress up, use props, etc.  Anything to make it more interesting as long as it's appropriate.

Once you've recited your verse, talk to us about why it's your favorite, or why you chose it.  Tell us why it's so special to you, why it's made a difference in your life, or how it's helped you.

On another note...I've had a much busier-than-normal week, and I'm still working on my playlist...I'll have it out to you as soon as I can. Enjoy your week! :-D


Hello, Parents and Students!

I had a blast doing week 2 with you guys, today! :-D

Just a reminder...next week's presentation is an Expository Speech about your family.  It should last 2-3 minutes.  It will be completely factual.  Talk about your family: the names and ages of each member, where you family lives, your family's favorite activities, family memories, and anything else that makes your family unique.  You may use pictures, props, etc...The focus will be Eye Contact. Look at each member of the audience in order to make them feel special and to prepare their hearts for the message you have to share.

Also, please remember to work on your science experiment journal page and your "challenge" art drawing while you are home this week.  I'll be expecting those back next week.

I have a new YouTube playlist for your perusal AND a new warning for you...SEVERAL of these videos are randomly ad-enabled and the ads that popped up on my TV the last 2 days have been HORRIBLE! :-(  ESPECIALLY if you have young children watching, stay nearby and ready to click on "Skip Ad" as that appears.  Feel free to use the videos you like for your family and make a playlist of your own with only those. What I feel is okay for my children may not be for yours. With that out of the way...here's what I've found...
 
Here's the link to the entire playlist I'm currently using...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CWzkk6-sdI&list=PLHttkiQ-s4U9op1ipj_JYCq4r1BmJ73Kp&index=1

I hope you guys have a great week, and I'll see you Tuesday! :-D
Hey, Guys!

Just a quick reminder...PLEASE remember to work on your science experiment sheet so I can get them back from you COMPLETED on Tuesday.

Also, I was trying to figure out an easy way for my kids to view the videos I sent out without needing lots of help and I made a cool playlist! I was even able to restrict the length of the videos that covered more than one week's worth of memory work so that it stops playing at the appropriate time (this function is only available on an actual computer)! Since LOTS of this material is copyrighted, please don't share the playlist outside of our campus.  I hope you enjoy it! :-D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CWzkk6-sdI&list=PLHttkiQ-s4U80siJDuq7SaD5R0NB_SFIC

Lastly, I TOTALLY forgot about sharing our timeline videos! :-0 I'm attaching the 2 documents that have all the links to all the timeline videos.

See y'all on Tuesday! ;-D
Hey, Guys! We survived the first class! ;-D

As you are home studying this week, I have a couple of resources for you that might make it a little more enjoyable.  Before we get into that, though...

Week 2 Presentations: Old Testament Kings (2-3 mins/student)
Learn about an Old Testament King of Judah.  Pretend that you are that King and tell us your story.  Make sure to point out if you followed God or not and what the consequence were for that choice.

Ok, so onto my AWESOME YouTube finds! :-D  I found TONS of fun videos to supplement this week's learning.

DISCLAIMER: I cannot be held responsible for ads that may play BEFORE a video or links that may be shown AFTERWARDS!

PARENTS - please preview these BEFORE letting your kids click on everything in sight!
I hope you guys enjoy the videos, study hard, and have a great week! :-D

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Welcome to Classical Conversations Masters Class!

My name is Rebekah McNary and I will be your tutor this year.  It was so great to meet all of you parents last week, and I really look forward to working with your amazing children this year.

While in class, I ask that children and parents be respectful to others:
·                   use kind words and encourage one another
·                   listen attentively while the tutor is talking
·                   stay seated unless asked otherwise
·                   parents, please silence your phone or put it on vibrate while in class and if you must take a call, kindly step outside of the classroom first, then answer.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.   Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.   --Philippians 2:3-4

Prepare for weekly CC meeting
·                   Each week we will have presentations.  These should be prepared by the student and be approximately 3 minutes in length.  I encourage parents to have children practice at home in front of you, a mirror or stuffed animal.
·                   Be diligent to memorize the weekly grammar and practice drawing the maps. You will be surprised what you can learn! J

Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.   Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders.   Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.  --Deuteronomy 6:7-9

We will have a short snack time each morning. Please pack a snack with things that are "brain food" - water, fruit, yogurt, apple sauce, veggies, nuts, pretzels, cheese, etc.  Avoid snacks that contain a lot of sugar and are messy. Because of allergies, I do not like students to share their individual snacks. Please contact me before bringing edible snacks to share.
*Please let me know if your child has food allergies! I will ask classroom parents to avoid packing items that can be deadly to others.

Parent involvement during class is required and helps the class to run smoothly. Here is a list of ways you can help:
  • Distribute materials as needed
  • Sit next to children that struggle with self-control & obedience
  • Lovingly redirect behavior that is inappropriate
  • Help with clean-up and set-up as we move to different activities
  • Monitor the bathroom
  • Return the classroom to its original state before we leave for the day

I will need additional help in these areas
  • blob map leader – will lead the children in learning how to draw maps freehand before class begins (10-15 minutes) as students arrive.
  • a weekly photographer – as our class is participating in new grammar, art, science, etc. please take a couple of pictures, then return to helping the class. You will be given an email address to send those pictures to each week.
  • filing student pages – the worksheets the students complete during class will be saved for their portfolios.  The pages will need to be sorted into the correct files at the end of class.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.  --Colossians 3:23-24 

You are free to contact me by phone, text (just let me know who it is the first time you text me), or email for any reason. If there is ever a need to be addressed or a question that needs to be answered, please let me know! If you have any specific prayer requests, I will be happy to pray with you.

I can’t wait to see what this year will bring!


Rebekah McNary