Challenge III

We got a lot done today! This is very long with lots of info! Here's a recap of our day:

Devotion

We talked about the temple symbolism in Gen 1 and how it relates to what was believed about deities in the Ancient Near East. Essentially, Genesis is written to especially contrast God with the false gods of the ancient world.

Poetry

Nice job today in poetry! This week do SS 36. In addition to the assignment, google "terrible similes," and you will find many examples of horrible similes that high school students have used. Choose a few that you think are funny to bring to class. Then on 40-41, do the one about the man made object-- that one is fun. We'll do the Poem to Consider together. Then attempt the Figure the Figures, but we will go over that together. You have a lot of vocab in this lesson. Be sure you are using the literary term sheet to study the definitions. This book clumps metonymy and synecdoche together, which is not correct. That's like defining a metaphor and simile the same way. Synecdoche is part to whole. Metonymy is an associated word. This week in class we also read some funny poems that were written to be ironic.

Shakespeare

Nathan led us in a review of act 2 and a discussion on whether it is ever alright to deceive someone. This week read BHI Lesson 3 which covers acts 3.4-4. Joshua leads next week-- be sure to send me an outline of your plan by Friday night so I can check it Saturday morning. Everyone, be sure you are working on your papers and presentations. Each body paragraph should have a quote. You should quote the play at some point. BHI and one other source should also be cited-- either as a paraphrase or a quote. For your presentations, the guide says to memorize 30 lines. If you would prefer to memorize scripture and then talk about how it relates to the play or if you would like to present a powerpoint about something related to the play, those are also good options. Both are due week 6.

History

These are the items you need to know for your timeline quiz next week:

Columbus (1492), Cortez (1519), Jamestown (1607), First Africans arrive in VA (1619), Plymouth (1620), Puritans, Pequot War, Salem witch trials, First Great Awakening, French and Indian War (1754), Proclamation Line of 1763, Stamp Act (1765), Boston Tea Party (1773), Battles of Lexington and Concord, Paine’s Common Sense, Declaration of Independence (1776), Articles of Confederation (written in 1777), Cornwallis Surrenders at Yorktown (1781), Treaty of Paris.

Parents, I have two versions of the quiz and a study sheet that I am sending directly to you. One focuses more on putting events in order. The other focuses more on definitions. Please look at them this week and let me know which one you want them to take.

In class this week we examined different thesis statements, reviewed old history sentences, and we went through the material on the study guide. This week read chapter 4. I have attached your study guide. Just jump to the questions on chapter 4. We will discuss the 1619 project and the fact vs opinion in the piece in class.

Your papers are due on Monday. If you are submitting it to a CC plus professor, please let me proof it before you submit it. Your paper should have at least one quote per paragraph. Material that is commonly known does not need to be cited. Material that is summarized or quoted from a source does need a citation. All works on your works cited page must be cited in your paper.

For your project due week 5, a power point is ideal. It should be on something related to early government. The material you display to the viewer should be visually appealing. You can have notecards to help you remember what you are going to say about your slides, or there is a feature in powerpoint that lets you put additional notes that you can see but your viewer cannot. I've attached the rubric I will use for the week 5 speeches. Those of you in CC plus will need to record your presentations, so ideally be sure you have a phone with you so I can record it straight on your device. Those of you in CC plus-- this is a new assignment to submit to cc plus. Please let me know if I have to submit an evaluation. If I do, please send me the rubric they are using to grade you.

Music

We managed to finish all of chapter 3, but I had to move along rather quickly to accomplish that. Students should go back and review that material. Reach out if you are confused on anything.

Chemistry

We completed lab 2.1 Everyone should have a partial lab report that we filled out in class. Be sure you keep that for your portfolio-- even if you do not write a lab report on this one, you still want evidence that you completed the lab. This week finish module 2. You have a quiz week 5.

Please be in prayer for the Kiker family. Catherine was in a rather bad accident this afternoon. Both her sisters and a friend were in the car. Her youngest sister was taken to Greenville Memorial, but it was mostly precautionary. She is expected to be ok. They were all banged and bruised, and I fear they may all be quite sore tomorrow. Please be praying for a quick recovery for all of them.

Also my friend who we have been praying for is expected to pass any day. Her mom messaged today and said she's fading quickly now. My friend's name is Barbara. Her husband is Tony, and her children are Sarah and David-- they are both in their 20's.

These are only for you to look at so you know exactly what the quiz looks like. You can let me know if you want your student to take the one with the definitions or the one with putting events in order. Or maybe you want them to do both. If you want them to do the quiz with the definitions, be sure you give the study sheet of definitions.

I'm getting ready for Monday, and I wanted to remind everyone of what to bring to class. Please be sure that you have your history sheet printed and in class on Monday. Also check that you've packed your SAT book, and be prepared to share at least one of your Stepping Stone assignments in class. You also need to bring Brightest Heaven, Much Ado, Roar on the Other Side, your history book, your music book, and your chemistry book. A few of you have turned in your lab reports, but everyone should try to finish those up this weekend to submit by Monday. Also, I am happy to check your outlines for your history papers before you write the entire essay to be sure you have a solid thesis and supporting main points. Have a great weekend!

I just wanted to be sure everyone understood what to do for the upcoming papers.

Shakespeare:

Your thesis needs to make a point-- even though you are not technically doing lost tools, you still need to basically follow the lost tools format. Choose your thesis now even while you are still reading the play. Some common thesis statements have been:

• While Hero and Claudio are presented as a happy couple, Benedict and Beatrice actually had the better relationship as evidenced by.... then list three reasons that you plan to expand on.
• Shakespeare used women in Much Ado About Nothing as props and foils rather than leading characters as demonstrated by... then list three examples of how the women were very flat characters or used only to progress the storyline of the men.
• Claudio and Benedict were similar in that they...... , but they demonstrated different depths of character when....

Once you have your thesis and an idea of your three (or four) main points, you need to be on the lookout for quotes from the play of BHI to support your points. You need a total of at least three sources-- BHI, the play itself, and at least one more. Your intro should include some brief background of the play-- including the title and author-- and then state your thesis at the end in one sentence. I generally encourage students to write their thesis first, their body paragraphs second, and then complete their intro and conclusion last.

Then for your presentation, the guide says to memorize 30 lines of the play and present them dramatically. If memorizing lines is dreadful for you, turning your paper into a powerpoint-- so don't read your paper but present the information from it in an appealing way-- is a good alternative. Memorizing a bible passage that compliments the play and then reciting it and explaining how it connects is also a great presentation.

History

Again, your thesis needs to make a point. The following is not a good thesis statement: The constitution gives the states rights, it creates a balance of power, and it has held the county together for over 200 years. There is no point to that-- it is just a report. A better thesis would be: The constitution is superior to the Articles of Confederation because.... then list three reasons. Here are some of thesis ideas we discussed in class:

• The founders have been accused of creating the constitution to perpetuate slavery, but this accusation is false because.... (then address the 3/5 policy and the other accusations).
• The ideas of John Locke were highly influential in the creation of the constitution as evidenced by.... then list some of his ideas that were included.
• The Mayflower Compact was one of the most important early American documents because ....

Once you have your thesis, sketch out your three or four main points. Look through Patriot's History for a quote and then do some outside research. If you have American Journey, there is an entire section on early American government. You need at least one quote per body paragraph. You also need at least three sources, and each source must be cited in your paper. Once you have your body paragraphs fleshed out, you can go back and write your introduction and conclusion.

I've attached a sample outline I made that might be helpful. Be very intentional with your concluding sentences in each paragraph to tie it back to your thesis.

This was a fun day. I hope you all enjoyed the slide show from Friday! Please be sure to take advantage of https: //www.johnsonwall.net/ChallIII where Joe has all the files for the year in one place.

Here's a recap of our day and what is coming up:

Devotion

We continued discussing Gen 1-4, this time from a literary perspective. We talked about parallelism in the text.

Poetry

I enjoyed hearing the grim grandeur and bric a brac poems-- they were all great! This week do SS 30-31. There are a number of assignments on those pages. You need to do two of them. Also be sure you are reading the pages between the stepping stones. Be sure to be memorizing the vocabulary as you go.

You have all been a joy to work with this year! Everyone is participating well in class, and I think that while we miss all the kids who left this year, the smaller group has allowed for more participation by the remaining 8 kids.

Have a great week! Touch base if you need anything.

We had a great day! This is a fun class,and I enjoyed getting to spend the day with them. The first day is always a lot of me talking, but hopefully next week we will have more activities and more opportunities for student leadership. Here's a recap of the week and what you need to be working on:

Devotion

Today we started with the traditional 6 day creation view, discussing its strengths and potential weaknesses. Next week we will look at some of the "Old Earth" creation views. I told the kids that young earth creation has some hurdles-- like how did the continents spread so fast and how did the sloth migrate to South America after the flood? However, at least we are not trying to explain where the continents came from and how the sloth is alive. Next week we will add a time of singing to devotion. Jocelyn will choose the songs-- please let me know by late in the week what you want to sing so I can get music together for us.

Poetry

Be sure you bring your weekly stepping stones to class each week. This week work on SS 26. Those are both really fun. Bring the ROOS book each week.

Shakespeare

Today was a lot of information on citations and going over the MLA checklist. Always be sure you go over your paper compared to the checklist before you submit it to me. I am attaching some resources on citations. I know you are going to need some help learning to cite correctly on your first few papers. Jocelyn is leading the strand next week-- I've attached the leading guide below. Everyone needs to read BHI (Brightest Heaven) Intro to Much Ado and Lesson 1 which covers Act 1-2.1. Be sure you write out the answers to the review questions-- you don't have to write out the thought questions. Read a whole book summary and then a chapter 1 summary. Then read the actual play. Pick out a topic for your paper, and gather quotes as you read. You must have at least 3 sources for your paper. The papers are due week 6 along with your presentations. The presentation can be memorizing lines from the play, or you can do another kind of presentation, as long as it adds to our knowledge of the play.

History

Today we revisited the joys of old history sentences. It really would be beneficial to review your old foundations timeline from Age of Industry on. Please be sure to bring a printed copy of your history questions to class each week. I've attached your questions for this week below. At home, read chapter 2 and work through the study guide. Memorize the US presidents, first and last name, and ideally date of inauguration. Begin thinking of your first paper topic and presentation. For those of you not in CC plus, write your paper on what you are doing for your presentation. For CC plus people, be sure you get your topics approved by your professor, and be sure to submit your papers to me for feedback before submitting them to your professor.

Music

Today we went all of the way through Chapter 1. Next week we will work through chapter 2. They should not need to do any work at home this week, but a review of note reading and identifying notes on the piano would be good for those who are not currently playing the piano.

Chemistry

Today we read through experiment 1.1 and 1.2 that I know everyone will diligently complete at home... We also worked through significant digits. I had significant difficulty mastering this concept at first. Maria has a resource she is going to share with us from the original Apologia author. At home this week, read the rest of module 1 and complete the study guide (and ideally the test.) We will do experiment 1.3 in class next week. This is one that I encourage the kids to use for a lab. We will write a lot of it together. I have sheets printed for the kids to take notes on.

SAT

We did some algebra review and some punctuation practice. We went over the strategy of eliminating grammatically equivalent answers such as a semicolon and a period/capital letter.

Let me know if you need any help this week!

Our numbers for the pool party on Monday are fairly low, so I have space for younger siblings to attend. I just need to be sure enough adults stay to help chaperone them. Please be sure to let me know if you are coming because I need to send you a pass. I also need to send expected numbers to the POA. Here is the address for the pool: 1341 Chickasaw Dr, Westminster, SC 29693

Our numbers for the team building day look good! That is going to be a really fun day. We will start out with worship at 9:00 led by challenge 4 students, followed by a short devotion by Pastor Cale of Utica Baptist. Then we will shift into games from 9:30-12:00. Our games this year will include some from last year and some new ones too: the cup challenge, "gorilla" warfare, corn hole relay, pickleball relay, "telephone" pictionary, beach ball challenge, baby match up, and Save the Queen dodgeball. We'll wrap up with individual competitions for the obstacle course. There will prizes for the top class and the winners of the obstacle course. At 12:00 we’ll have lunch, and then the students can take advantage of the activities available on site— swimming, the water slide, volleyball, and more! For the baby match up, I need for everyone who is coming (kids and adults!) to send me a picture of you when you were about 2 years old-- so old enough that we have a chance of recognizing you, but not too easy. The more people we have send in pictures, the more fun the game will be! Here is the address for the team building day: 280 Hughes Bend Rd, Central, SC 29630.

School starts back for most students on Thursday!! Here are some dates you need to be sure you have down:

• August 5: Pool Party from 1-3 at Chickasaw Point. Please RSVP if you have not already because I need to send you a pass. The cost is $3 a person.
• August 12: First day of class!
• August 13: Deadline to tell me if you are taking the CLT. I'll have a sample book at the pool if you want to look at it before deciding.
• August 16: Challenge fun day. Be sure to RSVP to this as well. The cost is $20 per person.
• September 9: Money for Beta Club is due
• September 18: CLT. It will likely be at Utica Baptist at 9:00, but I need to confirm both the location and time.

Mr. Johnsonwall has created a hub for us to keep track of emails and handouts!! It will be a really helpful tool this year. He already has the handouts and emails I have sent so far gathered in one place! Here is the link: https: //www.johnsonwall.net/ChallIII

I've re-attached the assignment sheet I included in your orientation materials. It is like the "semester snapshot" sheet in your guide but with a bit more information. I have one of these printed for each student to keep track of what you have submitted to me. Here is what you need to have ready by August 12:

Chemistry: Read module 1 up to "Making Measurements." We will spend some time in class going over that material, but most of our class time will be spent introducing the second half of module 1, which is scientific notation and significant digits. We do not have a lab this first week. I have attached a lab report Jonathan wrote for dual enrollment. This was the format and level of content they expected. We will practice writing labs together, especially gathering background material and putting our data into a chart or graph.

Poetry: Skim chapter 11 in Roar on the Other Side (ROOS). This is a good overview of what we will be doing this year. Then read the intro and chapter 1. On pages 18, 19, and 21 you have Stepping Stones writing assignments. Orange You Glad is a fun one to share in class-- write in such a way that we have to guess your fruit. Word Vibes is another fun one to share together. You do not need to do all 4 assignments on those pages, but you should choose at least 2. Be prepared to share what you have written. Also, I need to collect your Stepping Stones a few times a year, so have them in a separate place so you can submit them-- don't have them mixed in with your notes on Shakespeare. Start learning your literary terms from chapter 1-- there are only two of them. That handout was in your orientation packet, but I've reattached it here.

Shakespeare: Try to watch a play or read a whole book summary of Much Ado About Nothing. In class this week, we will do an overview of the strand and work on citations. We will also have sign ups for when you want to lead the strand this semester. Choose your essay topic early on. I require a minimum of one quote per paragraph to support your main points. It is easier to gather quotes as you read! Also keep in mind that you must have 3 sources for your paper, so be looking for outside sources that are helpful.

Music: This week we will start working through the intro and get as far into chapter 1 as we can. My hope is that we can do the vast majority of the work for this strand in class.

History: Read the intro and chapter 1 of your book. Begin memorizing the presidents. The study guide was in your packet, but I've re-attached it here. Think about bias as you read-- what perspective does the book have?

Let me know if you have any questions! This is going to be a great year!

The Classical Learning Test is an SAT style standardized test that is accepted by most Christian schools. While students cannot qualify for state scholarships like Palmetto with the CLT, they can use it to qualify for scholarship cut-offs at Christian colleges. Many CC students find that the CLT aligns very well with what they have learned in Challenge. The test is lighter on math and heavier on reading and grammar, and the math portion is more based on logic and reasoning than the SAT. I am going to proctor the CLT on Sept 18 for CC students. You need to let me know by August 13 (the day after our first day of CC) if you want your child to take the test. The scores will be available by Sept 25, so seniors can use these scores for their college applications. I've attached a link where you can learn more about the test and take a practice test. The cost is $59. I need one other adult to help proctor. I would encourage you to take the SAT, ACT, and CLT each at least once because they each highlight different strengths. Let me know if you have any questions.

We will plan on orientation on July 22 at 6:00 at Utica. I'm so sorry I had to cancel. I am much, much better today. I am going to send you the handouts that I am going to go over with you during orientation. You do not need to look at any of this now, but since orientation is so late this summer, I wanted to give you the information ahead of time in case you are wanting to get started early. The most important item is the 2024-25 assignment sheet. It has all of your assignments laid out for you for the semester. The other most important paper is your sheet of poetry terms. It is hard for parents to give number grades to poems, so much of your grade for poetry will come from your term quizzes. We will memorize all of those terms throughout the year. I'm also re-attaching your first week of history questions. Having the study guide makes the reading very manageable. If you are wanting to get started on something over the summer, I would recommend watching your Shakespeare plays, starting the Stepping Stone assignments in Roar on the Other Side, and reading some of your history. You could also memorize the US presidents (first and last name and ideally year) as well as review your old cycle 3 history sentences and the timeline from Age of Industry to the end. You do not have to anything now if you are not ready to start, but watching the Shakespeare plays and doing the Stepping Stones can be fun if you aren't rushed. Let me know if you have any questions!