Week 16 and 17

Not a lot different has happened these past two weeks.  It seems like same old, same old.   Which is good because it means we have our routine down pat and things are chugging along.   But it doesn’t make for a super interesting blog post.

We have added history back into our routine this past week.    Covering the Counter Reformation, our writing skills practiced in history focused on taking notes and organizing those notes.    E-R and I-E also wrote two paragraphs about the founding of the Jesuit order and the Jesuits today.   Then we came up with sentences that would help connect the two paragraphs in an coherent manner which reinforced our writing lesson from Essay Voyage.  Our history literature  reading was a retelling of Pilgrims Progress.   At first,  E-R and I-E complained about “the  dullness and longness” of the text, but after discussing what an allegory is and taking some time to find the symbols hidden in the text their reading took on new meaning and we found it quite enjoyable.
 
Here are several neat websites I found that helped in our research this week. 
Counter Reformation from a Catholic viewpoint.
The Counter Reformation broken down into easily understood sections
Jesuits Today in the United Kingdom

We’ve continued focusing on writing.   One of the assignments in Essay Voyage last week was to write a five paragraph essay.   The assignment took longer than I had planned, so we worked on perfecting those essays this week instead of moving on to the next chapter.  The real challenge has been moving from a report to an essay as coming up with a thesis statement was a real killer for E-R and I-E.
  
In math, we have finished the first half of Singapore 6.   I will be ordering the second half of Singapore in another week or two.  In the meantime, we have been working on our Key to Algebra and Key to Percent books.   We are also working with our Hands On Equation program. 

So although we don’t have anything super exciting to share, I am super excited about the groove we’ve hit and the progress we’re making. 
  
How is school time moving along in your home?