Co-op in Review: August 18, 2016

This week was all about the Industrial Revolution.  The students learned about it's beginnings in England and Europe and how it moved and really caught on in the United States.  And, they also learned about how industrialization had both a big upside and an even bigger downside--the perpetuation of the practice of slavery in the United States.  The Rhetoric class made bracelets using Morse Code--which they learned about as they studied the invention of the telegraph.  The Dialectic class made a yarn weaving project--as they learned about the tedious life of a textile fabric worker during this period.  The Upper Grammar class made models of a cotton gin--and they almost work!  The Lower Grammar class made steam powered boat models.  And, the Five in a Row class read the book, "Are You My Mother?"  Then they made a cute craft of the little bird sitting in his nest--before his big adventure begins!

Co-op in Review: August 11, 2016

This week, all of our Tapestry classes overviewed the career of Napoleon Bonaparte.  They explored his invasions and military conquests and the battles he won and lost.  The Rhetoric class went even further as they analyzed his character and legacy, and the ways his life profoundly affected world history.  The Dialectic also discussed these topics, as well as constructed models of the Arc de Triomphe, which still stands in Paris today, as a monument to those who fought and died in the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars.  The Lower Grammar class made awesome hats--just like the ones Napoleon is often photographed wearing!  The Upper Grammar class worked together to make display boards of different aspects of France--like climate, plant life, etc.  And, the Five in a Row class read the book, "Harry the Dirty Dog."  He's a white dog with black spots--until he stops bathing and then becomes a black dog with white spots!  The kids made an awesome Harry craft to show his amazing transformation!

First Day of Co-op! August 4, 2016

Ahhhh!  It's co-op time again!  After a fabulous couple of weeks off for summer vacation, our 13 awesome co-op families were ready to get back together and start studying history together!  Our first co-op meeting of the 2016-2017 school year was Thursday, August 4, 2016.  All of our families returned from last year, and we didn't have any room to add others.  Since we didn't have to take time to get to know each other, we were able to jump right in to our studies! And, this year, we are in Year 3, which covers the 19th century--from Adam's presidency to the Spanish-American War.   This year, the Rhetoric class now meets a little earlier, in order to complete a class in Constitutional Law before Tapestry.  They are doing Michael Farris' Constitutional Literacy curriculum this year and they are sure to learn a lot.  They are also doing a complete Tapestry Rhetoric class as well, discussing their readings and going into the topics more in depth.  This week, they studied Napoleon's rise through the turmoil of the French Revolution.  The Dialectic class also learned about the turmoil in Europe, and how President Adams kept the United States out of those messy affairs.  They played an awesome jeopardy game, to help them review what they learned last year--and probably forgot over the summer!  The Upper Grammar class completed some really neat lap books on John Adams.  While the Lower Grammar class focused on their literature book this week, and made towers with Rapunzel's hair flowing from them.  They also learned that braiding is more challenging than it looks!  The Five in a Row class read the classic book, "Curious George."  They then made an adorable monkey craft--that looks just like George!