Name of class: Little Class in the Big Woods - Second Semester
Cost of class first semester: $50
Scholar level: Prescholar/scholar
Join us for a fun, hands-on, year long adventure through "The Little House in the Big Woods" book series! As this book series does such a beautiful job at teaching the importance of community, family & service, we will also be reading a chapter each week in class out of the book "Love Does for Kids" by Bob Goff. This book offers such fun inspiration for love-in-action. We will be giving a fun "Love Does" service challenge each week for prescholars/scholars to complete during the week.
We will also be learning cursive this year in our class! This is a skill that is slowly slipping away, but very much needed in order to read original documents. (*For an applicable example of how historical, original documents were written most often in a form of cursive, here is the link to the digital images of Charles (Pa) Ingalls homestead documents: https://www.archives.gov/research/land/ingalls )
The reading of original documents is a vital element of not just a great education, but one in which we can actually learn the truth for ourselves. To truly be a free people, we need to know & choose the truth for ourselves. We need to make sure we & our children have this capability! A great way to learn to read cursive, is to begin by writing it. So, we are going to do so, week to week.
Our "Little Class in the Big Woods" is for prescholars and scholars ages 10-12+. However, pre scholars that are a little younger or older that need/want & are ready for this class are welcome to join us. The values, principles, skills & lessons we learn from these books will benefit & bless your prescholar for a lifetime! We are excited to share this class with you!
Little Class in the Big Woods
Each week in class:
*Prayer & pioneer era game/ song/dance (10 min.)
*Prescholar presentations - Prescholars take turns each week sharing what they learned from an “I wonder…” they had from the week's reading (5 - 10 min.)
*Debrief of last week's "Love Does" challenge & read chapter in "Love Does for Kids" by Bob Goff for upcoming week's challenge. (10 min.)
* Cursive lesson & practice (10 min.)
*Homework shares, review chapters read at home & vocabulary word discussion. Get prizes! (35 min.)
*Hands on learning/activity/experience directly from that week's reading!(40 min)
*Next week's homework review, get new vocabulary word & cleanup. (5 - 10 min.)
Week to week reading & homework schedule (2st semester):
***For the first day of class, prescholars need to have read:chapters 1-9 in By the Shores of Silver Lake
Week 1 (Jan. 9th )
*Sign up for a presentation on an “I wonder…” you have from the week’s reading that you signed up for. THE DATE I CHOSE IS ________________
*Sign up to bring a snack. Something from the books would be great! THE DATE I CHOSE IS ________________
*Read chapters chapters 10-19 & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal.
* For an additional prize: Write your thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the week’s reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.
Week 2 (Jan. 16th )
*Read chapters chapters 20-30 & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal.
*Opinion paper #1: Did you like this book? Why or why not? Share details!
* For an additional prize: Write your thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the week's reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.
Week 3 (Jan. 23rd )
*Read chapters The Long Winter chapters 1-9 & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal.
* For an additional prize: Write your thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the week's reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.
Week 4 ( Jan. 30th )
*Read chapters chapters 10-19 & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal.
* For an additional prize: Write your thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the week's reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.
Week 5 ( Feb. 6th )
*Read chapters 20-27 & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal.
* For an additional prize: Write your thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the week's reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.
Week 6 ( Feb. 13th )
*Read chapters 28-33 & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal.
* For an additional prize: Write your thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the week's reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.
*Paper #2: Write a letter to a friend or extended family member, as if you were part of the Ingalls family during this long winter.
Week 7 ( Feb. 20th )
*Reading Little Town on the Prairie chapters 1-8 & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal.
* For an additional prize: Write your thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the week's reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.
Week 8 ( Feb. 27th )
*Read chapters 9-15 & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal.
* For an additional prize: Write your thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the week's reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.
Week 9 ( March 5th )
*Reading chapters 16-25 & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal.
* For an additional prize: Write your thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the week's reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.
Week 10 ( March 19th )
*Read These Happy Golden Years chapters 1-9 & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal.
* For an additional prize: Write your thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the week's reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.
Week 11 ( March 26th )
*Reading chapters 10-19 & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal.
* For an additional prize: Write your thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the week's reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.
Week 12 ( April 2nd )
*Read chapters 20-33 & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal.
* For an additional prize: Write your thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the week's reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.
Week 13 ( April 9th )
*Reading The First Four Years chapter 1 & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal.
* For an additional prize: Write your thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the week's reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.
Week 14 ( April 16th )
*Reading chapters 2-4 & define vocabulary word given in class in your commonplace journal.
* For an additional prize: Write your thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part from the week's reading & copy a quote you like from any book into your commonplace journal.
Week 15 ( April 23rd)
* *Opinion paper: What was your favorite part of this class, this semester? What is your favorite thing you learned?
Week 16 (April 30th )
*No homework.
End of semester reward requirements:
There are lots of important tools, resources & helpful items that individuals & families needed to thrive in the big woods & on the prairie. We will be learning about many of these throughout the semester. As the pre scholars complete each semester's requirements, they will earn one of these items for their own! PLUS, they will receive an invitation to our special end of semester reward party based around this series. It will be an event they don't want to miss! If pre scholars earn the "Above & Beyond" award, they will receive an additional "tool" to help equip them in their own "big woods" adventures!
Class requirements:
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Read books: (*In order to read all of the books in this original series, we will be reading around 85 pages a week - some weeks a bit more & some weeks a bit less. *Note: The print is larger and there are many illustrations.)
Little House in the Big Woods (1st sem.)
Farmer Boy (1st sem.)
Little House on the Prairie (1st sem.)
On the Banks of Plum Creek (1st sem.)
By the Shores of Silver Lake (2nd sem.)
The Long Winter (2nd sem.)
Little Town on the Prairie (2nd sem.)
These Happy Golden Years (2nd sem.)
The First Four Years (2nd sem.)
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1 Presentation on an “I wonder…” from weekly reading (per semester)
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3 Writing assignments (per semester)
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Define 1 vocabulary word each week in commonplace journal. Each week's vocabulary word will be given in class. *Journals were given to prescholars/scholars on the first day of class.
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Complete weekly homework. *See the weekly schedule.
To choose one prize out of the prize box each week, do the following:
*Complete the assigned homework for the week. (You will see this in the week to week schedule. This will include the assigned reading chapters, a vocabulary word to define at home & write definition found in their commonplace journal & a short opinion paper on select weeks.)
To choose an additional prize out of the prize box each week, also do the following:
*Write your thoughts, “I wonder…” questions or your favorite part of this week’s reading in your commonplace journal. You will be able to share this in class if you want to!
AND *Copy a quote from any book into your commonplace journal.
Above & Beyond Award at the end of the semester: Complete all class requirements AND both of the additional commonplace journal entries every week!