A month into second grade

I can't believe we have already been back in school a month! Time flies when you're having fun, I guess. I'd love to share with you what we've been doing.

In Grammar:

Ruth has practiced ABC order and dictionary skills. She has reviewed the different types of sentences and has learned how to diagram each type. And, she has learned to identify the simple subject and the simple predicate in a sentence.

In Spelling:

Ruth has continued working through her 3rd Spelling book. (She did the first, second and part of the third last year).

In Portuguese:

Ruth is continuing to work through the Level 2 lessons of the Portuguese software we have. (She finished Level 1 last year). She is gaining confidence in using the language and is perfecting her usage of it.

In History:

We have talked about the fall of Rome, the spread of Christianity to Britain, the Celts, the monks--both Christian and Buddhist, and Justinian and Theodora--rulers of the Byzantine Empire. We have read a novel about a Roman slave who proved her worth and purchased freedom for her family. We have read Celtic fairy tales. We have learned about how books used to be made by hand. We have tried our own hands at calligraphy and illumination. We have made a monk's dinner. Ruth has written her own laws. And, she has painted her own frescoes.

In Science:

Ruth and Jeff have studied about the layers of the earth, the solar system, the seasons, weather, and the water cycle. Ruth made a mobile of the solar system, an anemometer, a water guage and rain.

In Writing:

Ruth has been perfecting her cursive, while incorporating concepts from History and Reading and Grammar.

In Music:

Ruth has learned the notes, the scales, the melodic intervals, the harmonic intervals, what a sharp is and the C Major chord. She learned to play with both hands. And, she can play several songs: Aura Lee, Ode to Joy, Jingle Bells, Brother John and a few others.

In Math:

Ruth continues to work on her facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division). She is working on memorizing the prime numbers. She has learned the squares up to 25. And Jeff is teaching her some mental math tricks, such as are used in Number Sense competitions. She has also been reviewing time, money, temperature, measuring and some other basic concepts.

In Super Friday:

Ruth is really enjoying her Super Friday classes. She loves interacting with the other kids and teachers, and she is having fun with the material as well.