Negative Numbers

Benjamin has gotten up to adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers. Some of it makes sense, but subtracting a negative has been a bear to wrap our minds around. If zero is nothing, then how can you take away even less than nothing? I was really struggling to find a real life example. Drew came up with a great one and a friend tied it into English for me. I'll be going over this with Ben today - we'll see if he sees it as clearly as I'm beginning to.

Drew's thought - He compared it to heating and air conditioning. Heating is positive numbers and cooling is negative numbers. Turning either the furnace or the AC up (more power) is adding and turning them down (less power) is subtracting. So, turning up the heat is like adding a positive and it gets warmer. Turning down the heat is like subtracting a positive and it gets cooler. Turning up the air is like adding a negative and it gets cooler. Here's the tricky one: turning down the air is subtracting a negative and it gets warmer. I can see this organized on a chart with up & down on the sides and heat & AC on the top (like Mendel's sweet pea genetics), but I don't know how to reproduce it here.

My friend reminded me that, just as in English, two negatives make a positive.

A bunch of other friends sent me other examples that I haven't had time to look closely at yet, but we'll tackle them this afternoon.

SDG!

School Starts Today

I thought I'd be starting school for reals this week, but something came up that'll take up most of Wednesday through Friday, so we're just starting math (after a week off) and Gileskirk (Antiquity this year).

We watched the first Gk lecture on Friday.  Second one this afternoon (kids are reading and working on vocabulary to prepare) and number three Thursday.  We're tackling as much math as we can this week, too.

Next week, we'll start English, French, and history for my middles and littles.   Latin doesn't start until mid-September and I'll finalize science sometime in the next couple of weeks and we'll start a little later.  We have lots of time.

I spent a lot of time this summer learning Numbers so I could set up more-easily maintained plan books and grade books.  I think those are practically ready (although I may need to tweak just a bit more).

We also started morning time, à la Cindy at Dominion Family, but with my own flavour.  After Nathan opened us in prayer, we read Psalm 107 (99% sure that'll be the topic of next week's sermon), which we'll re-read and discuss all week.  Also read a page of The Gospel Primer and finished a chapter of Fellowship of the Ring.

I wasn't able to attend the CiRCE Conference in July, but lots of friends did and have shared.  I'm inspired and encouraged and am eagerly awaiting my conference CD's, which should be here soon!

SDG!

Math, week 1 (29 Sept-3 Oct): Rebekah

Monday: 9E, 10C, 11 DVD & A

Tuesday: 9F, 10D, 11B

Wednesday: 9 test, 10E, 11C

Thursday: 10F, 11D, 12 DVD & A

Friday: 10 test, 11E, 12B

Math, week 1 (29 Sept-3 Oct): Judith

Monday: 9 DVD & A

Tuesday: 9B

Wednesday: 9C, 10 DVD & A

Thursday: 9D, 10 B

Friday: 9E, 10C, 11 DVD & A

Math, week 1 (29 Sept-3 Oct): Nathan

Monday: 4 test, 5F, 6C, 7B

Tuesday: 5 test, 6D, 7C, 8 DVD & A

Wednesday: 6E, 7D, 8B, 9 DVD & A

Thursday: 6F, 7E, 8C, 9B

Friday: 6 test, 7F, 8D, 9C

Eliza, week 1 (29 Sept.-3 Oct.)

Monday
phonics: 108B: 'Serving in the Shadow of Death'-109B: kn, gn, wr
math: 2B
copywork: 'The Lamb', by William Blake, first stanza

Tuesday
phonics: lessons 110: kn, gn, wr-111: silent gh, silent b following m (lamb), silent t following s (whistle)
math: 2C
copywork: 'The Lamb', by William Blake, second stanza

Wednesday
phonics: lessons 112: more silent consonant practice-113: alphabetical order
math: 2D
copywork: 'The Lamb', by William Blake, first stanza

Thursday
phonics: lessons 114: more silent consonants-115: even more silent consonants
math: 2E
copywork: 'The Lamb', by William Blake, second stanza

Friday
phonics: read Bright Night; lesson 116: comprehension
math: 2F
copywork: 'The Lamb', by William Blake, the whole thing!

Math, week 1 (29 Sept-3 Oct): Joel

Monday: 13F, 14D, 15B

Tuesday: 13 test, 14E, 15C

Wednesday: 14F, 15D, 16 DVD & A

Thursday: 14 test, 15E, 16B

Friday: 15F, 16C, 17 DVD & A

Math, week 1 (29 Sept-3 Oct): Melody

Monday: 23 test, 24 DVD and A

Tuesday: 24B

Wednesday: 24C, 25 DVD & A

Thursday: 24D, 25B

Friday: 24E, 25D

Benjamin, Math: Week 1, 9/29-10/3

Monday: 12F, 13C, 14 DVD & A

Tuesday: 12 test; 13D, 14B

Wednesday: 13E, 14C, 15 DVD & A

Thursday: 13F, 14D, 15B

Friday: 13 test, 14E, 15C

Joel, Catch-up 22-26 September

Monday
Math: 13C, 14 DVD & A
English: MT, sec. 9; read Grimms' Fairy Tales #19-21; read one aloud to Eliza & Melody

Tuesday
Math: 13D, 14B
English: MT, sec. 10; read Grimms' Fairy Tales #22-24; read one aloud to Eliza & Melody

Wednesday
Math: 13E, 14C, 15 DVD & A
English: MT, sec. 11; read Grimms' Fairy Tales #25-27; read one aloud to Eliza & Melody

Thursday
English: MT, sec. 12; read Grimms' Fairy Tales #28-30; read one aloud to Eliza & Melody

Friday
English: MT, sec. 13; read Grimms' Fairy Tales #31-33; read one aloud to Eliza & Melody

Judith: Catch-up, 22-26 September

Monday
Math: 8E, 9 DVD & A
English: Harris, pp. 12-14, ex. 2.2.1, 2.2.2; Silas Marner plot and character notes; Wordsworth, background research
History: Amer. Gov't: lesson 15; prepare for lecture 10

Tuesday
Math: 8F, 9B

English: Silas Marner plot and character notes; Wordsworth poem & accountability questions
History: Amer. Gov't: unit 4 intro, lesson 16

Wednesday
Math: 8 test, 9C

English: Silas Marner plot and character notes; Wordsworth poem & accountability questions
History: Amer. Gov't: lesson 17; listen to lecture 10

Thursday
English: Silas Marner plot and character notes; Wordsworth poem & accountability questions
History: Amer. Gov't: lesson 18

Friday
History: Amer. Gov't: lesson 19; co-op

Benjamin, Catch-up: 22-26 September

Monday
Math: 10E, 11C, 12 DVD & A
English: MT, read pp. 24-25
History: research Latin American Independence; Simon Bolivar and others associated
Science: read for 1 hour

Tuesday
Math: 10F, 11D, 12B
English: MT, pp. 25-26, ex. I
History: continue
Science: read for 1 hour

Wednesday
Math: 10 test, 11E, 12C
English: MT, pp. 26-27, ex. II (do it sensibly!)
History: continue
Science: read for 1 hour

Thursday
Math: 11F, 12D, 13 DVD & A
English: MT, read pp. 27-28, ex. I
History: continue
Science: read for 1 hour

Friday
Math: 11 test, 12E, 13B
English: MT, pp. 28-29, ex. II
History:map work, accountability questions, 3 paragraphs about the topic due today
Science: read for 1 hour

Nathan: Catch-up work 22-26 Sept.

Monday
Math: 2F, 3E, 4B, 5 DVD & A
English: Harris, pp. 8-10: ex. 1.3.1, 1.3.2; Style Check 1: Rhythm; Review Questions; Romantic Poet: Wordsworth - background
History: Armstrong, ch. 5; Amer. Gov't: lesson 15; take notes on SM

Tuesday
Math: 2 test, 3F, 4C, 5B
English: Harris: read pp. 11-12; ex. 2.1.1; Wordsworth: read and finish accountability questions
History: Armstrong, ch. 6; Amer. Gov't: unit 4 intro, lesson 16; prepare for lecture 10

Wednesday
Math: 3 test, 4D, 5C, 6 DVD & A
English: Harris: read pp. 12-14; ex. 2.2.1, 2.2.2
History: Armstrong, ch. 7; Amer. Gov't: lesson 17; lecture 10
Latin: class

Thursday
Math: 4E, 5D, 6B, 7 DVD & A
English: Harris: read pp. 14-15; ex. 2.3.1, 2.3.2; Wordsworth: read and accountability questions
History: Armstrong, ch. 8; Amer. Gov't: lesson 18; prepare for lecture 11

Friday
Math: 4F, 5E, 6C, 7B
English: Wordsworth: read and accountability questions
History: Armstrong, ch. 9; Amer. Gov't: lesson 19; prepare for lecture 11; co-op