Great days!!

Hello Masters and families,

We are nearing the end, and I am so happy with all the work you all have done. The marble pitcher is not quite full, but I just know that it will be soon. Next semester, I am going to get a smaller pitcher, so we can have a mid-semester celebration! :)

The presentations were really informative this week. I enjoyed hearing from Grace, Rachel, Cara, and Mary Blake. Some of the best things in your lives are precious! I look forward to hearing from Rebekah, Macy, Joseph, Hope, and Maren on Tuesday. If I were presenting about some of the best things in my life...it would include you all!

For our celebration I have the following famililes bringing...
Neely - paper products and grapes
Shaw - pumpkin dip
Shupe - carrots and celery
Gentry/Thurmond - apples and truffles
Agresti - sugar cookies
Matthews - dessert
Thomas - dessert
Richardsons - drinks
Mrs. Black - pizza
(If I got something wrong, let me know, and I will correct it!)

Yummy...Yummy...Yummy! It all sounds so delicious.

Keep practicing your tin whistle! I am going to bring in a Christmas song to learn. There are lots of songs on the C3 site. If you haven't already, you should sign up for just a while and check it out.

Let's remember to pray for each other!
Blessings,
Mrs. Black

Week 9

It is hard to believe that November is already here. We have just 3 more weeks of Foundations! I am already missing you all!!

You did a fantastic job with your review this week. Basketball...not so much! :) Keep shootin' those hoops so you will be ready for more ball in the weeks ahead. Oh yeah...keep reviewing, too.
Review--Review--Review!

What wonderful presentations that Macy and Rachel shared with us. Did I miss somone, or were there only two this week? On Week 10, we will hear from Cara, Maren, Mary Blake, Anna, and Grace. On Week 11, we will hear from Rebekah, Macy, Joseph, Cara, and Hope. Week 12, we will have a celebration of a great first half of the year! Besides your pitcher will be full, so we will not do presentations that last week. I am thinking about a pizza lunch with cupcakes for dessert. If any parent would like to organize this, I would love the help!

Practice your tin whistle this week. I can hardly wait to hear you all play the theme from Star Wars!

Don't forget about the CC Family Fun Day on Sunday, November 20th. It will be a fun day and a way to help out a very special family! I can hardly wait for the hotdogs with slaw...or maybe the hay ride! Anyway, all of it sounds like a lot of fun. Thank you, Mrs. Neely for bringing it all together!

Stay healthy and happy 'til we meet again!
Blessings,
Mrs. Black

Week 8!

Hello Masters and families,

I sure hope you had a tremendous time getting to the "heart" of things this week! Thanks to Mrs. Dees for the super science activities that she supplies us with each week. We missed our resident dissector, Mrs. Matthews!

Rememer that our average resting heart rate was 79 bpm. That is a normal heart rate for a group our age. Now, here are the exercise heart rates for you to average... 94, 68, 121, 83, 101, 113, 114, 115, and 116. Bring in the exercise average for lots of memory marbles on Week 9.

You all played the tin whistle quite well this week. Keep practicing, trying to gently blow into the whistle making a sweet sound. We should be able to play "Mary had a Little Lamb" with few mistakes on Week 9. I found the Star Wars theme that we can learn to play. May the force be with us!

The presentations were interesting this week. I just loved hearing about places that you all visited and some of your family traditions. Thank you to Anna, Cara, Grace, Maren, and Mary Blake. I look forward to hearing from Joseph, Macy, Rebekah, and Hope. Rachel...you can present if you are ready. If not, you can jump back in on Week 10.

Please review each week all of our Memory Work. Since we have neglected to do so the last couple of weeks, I am planning on spending a little time at the beginning of class and at the end of class for review. This will be a great time to show off your memory skills, as well as your basketball skills! It will also be a great time to fill up that pitcher!

You all light up my life! It is such a blessing to be able to spend a little part of each week with you. When our time is up...I always wish we had more! You all have a great rest of the week...

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns...
Mrs. Black

 

What a busy day!

Hello All...

I can hardly believe we got through all we needed to on Tuesday! Picture day can be a crazy day, but you all held it together pretty well. I do so hope next week we can get our focus back, and our listening ears cleaned out! :)

Macy, Rebekah, and Hope presented their "Geography" information in different, yet interesting ways. Good Job, girls. I look forward to the rest of you presenting next Tuesday on "Family Traditions". We have some fun ones at our house, and I know that you all will come up with some to share with the class. The presentation focus for the next couple of weeks is poise. This involves not just how you are standing and what your hands and feet are doing, but also how calm and confident you are...even if something goes wrong. (I know that some of you have not presented on the Geography topic, so you can do this next week, and the Family Traditions one the next...then you should be all caught up!)

Please remember the following:

• Tin Whistle - We are definitely going to be playing some, now that we know the vocabulary and finger placement.
• large and small intestine colored and cut out. I only got about 3 of the students work back.
• if you can...I would love to see some art work.

The one thing that we did not get to last week was our review, so I am going to do it this next Tuesday. I have a fun basketball game planned involving teams. BE SURE THAT YOU STUDY ALL 7 WEEKS OF YOUR MEMORY WORK FOR THE GAME. I am soooooo ready to fill up that Memory Pitcher, so we can celebrate!

Week 6!

Hello Mrs. Black's Master Class...

Thanks for such a great week! We had so much to do that we stayed a bit late...didn't we? Hopefully, that will not happen many more times.

I really enjoyed the presentations this week. Cara, Rachel, Anna, Grace, and Maren shared lots of interesting facts. I look forward to Mary Blake, Joseph, Hope, Rebekah, and Macy sharing on Tuesday!

Remember to bring in the time that it took for the corn going in to come out! There are memory marbles to be had. Also, bring in those pieces of art. I can't wait to see what you created.

Lastly, remember to bring in your tin whistles. We will start learning to play on Tuesday.

Have a great weekend...
Blessings,
Mrs. Black

Week 4...Already!

Hello all...

We are one-third of the way into this semester! You all are learning so many facts about our great country and our incredibly created bodies! Keep up the good work! :D Study a little each day for a fun review game on weeks 1-4 next week. We all love the sound of those Memory Marbles clicking in the pitcher!

The presentations were strong this week. I am looking forward to the "historical" moments shared by the rest of the class. Keep in mind...History is Happening...right now! Look around you and see what is going on today that will be considered history tomorrow!

Remember that October 4 is Pajama Day! I can't wait to wear my favorite pair...

Hope you all have a blessed week!
Mrs. Black

Week 3

Hello everyone,

What a blessing you are to me...all nine of you (and the moms and grandmoms)! I am so happy to be able to spend a part of each Tuesday with you.

I was so impressed with all nine presentations over the last two weeks. Sometimes, it can be a daunting (look it up) task to stand and speak in front of people you do not know, but you all rose to the challenge with ease. I am looking forward to the next two weeks. The presentations should have a History focus with our skill focus being volume and articulation. As you practice your presentations at home, ask your audience if they could hear and understand you that is volume and articulation.

Since we did not get to art this week, practice drawing something upside down. Bring in your drawings because I would love to see them. Also, you may hear the clincking sound of marbles going into the Pitcher!

Thank you for the marbles for our Master Marble Pitcher...it is really filling up fast! It seems that we do not have any master students in our class with food allergies or sensitivities, but we do want to mindful not to "sugar" them up. Mostly, because they are sweet enough!

Thank you to Mary Blake and her family for the delicious cookies and juice, and especially for letting us be a part of your birthday! Also, a special thanks to Anna and her dad for those really cool keychains that they bought us in Africa. How cool is that... that Mr. Lewis thought of us while he was half-way around the world!

Study all three weeks, and I will be introducing Week 4 material next week. If you have any questions or need me for any reason, please be in touch...

Blessings,
Mrs. Black 

Better Late than Never?

Hello all...

I am a little late with my blog this week, and I apologize for that! It has been a terrific couple of weeks with you. And, I am having such a good time.

The Masters that presented this week did a wonderful job of sharing some of their favorite things. It was interesting to learn about your favorite books, pets, and, even, siblings! I look forward to hearing from Rebekah, Macy, Joseph, and Cara. Remember that expression is our presentation skill focus for these weeks. Think about how you can use your voice or your gestures to express yourself, as you share some favorites with the class.

Keep working on your memory work for Week 2. We will start Week 3 on Tuesday. As the weeks to by, remember to review each week as you along. Do a little each day of new and review!

Hope you all have a great weekend.
See ya Tuesday...
Mrs. Black

What an incredible first day!

     It may have been stormy outside, but it was lot of fun on the inside! It was just wonderful to see everyone today. For a new class, you all did a great job getting along and working together. I was especially impressed with the presentations. Each one of the students brought their own personality to the front of the class with lots of enthusiasm.
     I attempted to copy and paste the "Fingerprint Detective" activity and was not successful. I will bring copies for you all next week. I will, also, bring copies of the Latin pronunciation sheets. There may be a way to attach a file that I have not learned yet. Please bear with me as I move through this technical learning curve.
     Remember to study Week 1 memory work...I will introduce Week 2 next week. Check out the C3 Community on the CC website for some cool ways to review and memorize the facts.

If you need me, I'm here for you! Have a great week...
Blessings,
Mrs. Black

Great to see you all!

Hello Everyone,

It was a real treat to see all of my Master students and parents at the Orientation! As you may recall, I am new to blogging, so bear with me as I move through this process. I have included a copy of the parent letter and presentation schedule so you will have an electronic copy of both.

Again, if there is anything that I can help you with as we move through this year, please let me know. I am truly looking forward to spending more time with you all!

Blessings,
Debbie Black

Presentation Schedule for Cycle 3
Classical Conversations 2011-2012

When: Every other week

Who: Even weeks: Rachel Richardson, Maren Shaw, Mary Blake Murphy, Anna
Ritchie Lewis, and Grace Matthews
Odd weeks: Rebekah Thomas, Macy Thurmond, Joseph Dees, and Cara Neely

Length: 3-5 minutes

**The following is a guide for each week. Please remember that you (the parent) are the teacher and you can decide what your child will do. **


Week 1: Impromptu Presentations: It’s all about you!(Everyone)
• Tell the class about yourself

Week 2/3: Pick one of your favorites to present.
Suggestions are…
• My favorite Bible verse
• My favorite book
• My favorite toy
• My favorite vacation
• My favorite Bible character

Expression: Make your voice interesting by varying your tone and volume, and using pauses to enhance you presentations.

Week 4/5: History
Suggestions are…
• What is the Mayflower Compact?
• Who was Christopher Columbus?
• Pick a Timeline Card
• What is your favorite event in History?
• Tell us about your history. Where were you born? When? Who are your
grandparents and where is your family from?

Volume and Articulation: Speak with appropriate loudness so your audience can hear you. And, speak clearly so that your audience can understand you.

Week 6/7: Geography
Suggestions are…
• Tell us about one of the locations we have learned.
• Tell us about Greensboro. Find out about some local landmarks here in our
community.
• Pretend you are on an adventure. You can go anywhere in the world. Where
would you go? What would you do when you get there?
This place can be real or make believe.

Eye Contact: Make a point to look at each person in the audience.

Week 8/9: Family Traditions
Suggestions are…
• Birthdays
• Holidays
• Family reunions
• Special times

Poise: Calmly and confidently continue even if something goes wrong.

Week 10/11: The Best Things In Life
Suggestions are…
• Your best friend
• The best time you have ever had
• Your best subject in school
• The best things about CC
• The best joke you have heard

Tempo: Speak with appropriate speed, neither too fast nor too slow.

Dear Masters’ Parents,
This is such an exciting time of the year! I have always loved getting “Back to School,” and I am looking forward to spending a part of each week with your child learning and growing in the knowledge of God’s creations. This year, Foundations will focus on U.S. history. We will learn about our wonderful nation through memory work, as well as art and music. Science will concentrate on the human body with an opportunity to learn how “fearfully and wonderfully we have been made.”

Here are a few important facts to know:
• Supplies: Bring paper and a pencil to class each week. It would be great if each family would donate a bag or two of marbles. As the year progresses, I may find that our class will need specific supplies. If so, I will let you know via the blog and/or a note home.
• Students are expected to be respectful of others. I will be encouraging students to be attentive when others are speaking and to be listeners, instead of talkers while class is in session. We will take time on the first day of class to discuss these expectations and look at Bible verses that encourage respect. Should the need arise, I will address continued disciplinary issues with the parent directly. With that said, I am anticipating an incredible year!
• It is my goal to encourage the students to begin, or continue, their love of learning, so there will be incentives for hard work. During class, as well as our review time, I will be rewarding the class by “filling the pitcher” with marbles. Once the pitcher is full, the class will have some sort of simple celebration. Incentives will be rewarded to the class, as each of them is expected to participate each day in some way.
• Do we need a snack? I am not sure that we need something each week, but I always love a reason to celebrate! Please give advanced notice via email if a snack is coming in for a special occasion, or no occasion at all! Also, I will be bringing in snacks once in a while. Be sure to be sensitive to allergies. I will let you know what allergies or sensitivities we have in our class.
• The first week, the students will give an impromptu speech about themselves. After that, they will give a 3-5 minute presentation every other week with a specific presenting skill focus.
• Tuesday’s Schedule: Opening 9:00 (20-30 min.)
New Grammar 30 min.
Science 30 min.
Fine Arts 30 min.
Drawing and Tin Whistle – 1st semester
Great Musicians and Artists – 2nd semester
Review 30 min.
Presentations 30 min.

• If you know that your child will be absent for any reason, please let me know.
• Each week, I will be posting a note about our day on our Classical Conversations blog. Please be sure to check the blog weekly for updates or class news.
It is my desire for your child to have a successful year in Classical Conversations. Always remember that you are your child’s teacher. And, you know your child the best. If there needs to be modifications to the work, please know that I am supportive of that. Teaching my children at home has been a blessing, and a challenge, for me. But even after 8 years, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. If you ever need me, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me.


Blessings,
Debbie Black