Hi! If you are new to my newsletter, once a week or so I send out some general resources that I’m using with my 11th-grade high school class at Classical Conversations. You might find them helpful in educating your student too! I’m a little bit behind on my postings so I will be catching those up rather quickly over the next two weeks. Here are some resources for Fall Week 11. (I don’t post something for every one of my 6 subjects each week.)
Math:
The SAT has less trigonometry than the ACT. So if you aren’t to Trig yet, that might be a better choice. Also, you get more time on the math sections on the SAT than you do on the ACT.
Philosophy:
This week we studied Kierkegaard. He seems more like what we believe so far, except for a few issues. Ask your student what we differ with him on. Ask your student what the three stadia of life are and how you move between them. Can the ethical ever be temporarily suspended for the sake of a higher power? What does it mean to live authentically? Can you go to heaven if you worship “a god” with all you have? What did Jesus say? John 14: 6 and 3:17-18. We discussed both sides of this question. If you are interested in studying this more, check out these two books: Radical, by David Platt and Eternity in their Hearts, by Don Richardson. This is a great time to have a discussion about unreached people groups.
Shakespeare/Poetry:
Ekphrasis means describing a work of visual art in words. An example of this is the poem, “Ode on a Grecian Urn” by Keats. You can read about this poem here.
By the way, shmoop.com is a great website to help you when studying literature and writing papers. I’ve heard reports that their essay lab is fabulous.
Watch this stunning performance of this poem that changed the world of poetry. Discuss with your student why this poem changed the world of poetry.
I asked my students to consider comparing themes between Much Ado and Julius Caesar and one other book. This is a great exercise to do because if you are having to write an essay in the future for the SAT/ACT or for colllege, knowing some of the basic themes of books you’ve read will help you have ideas you can pull from for essays.
History:
Here are some discussion questions you can ask your student.
Would slavery have faded out without laws being passed? What happened in Kansas that escalated the discussion of slavery?
What Senator was actually beaten with a cane on the Senate floor by a Representative? How did the South respond do this beating?
Could the US have become half slave and half free and not fought the Civil War? What would it be like today if the South was a different country?
What differences existed between the North and the South that contributed to the Civil War?
Are there any similarities between how Britain dominated the colonies and how the North tried to dominate the South before the Civil War?
Here are some preview questions for the next chapter.
If you had been President Lincoln in 1860, what would you have done to solve the problem of the Southern states seceding?
The Confederate States wrote the Articles of Confederation. What problems might the Confederate government have because of these articles?
What are some differences between the Confederate Constitution and the US Constitution?
Why would the Union Army wage total war in the South in 1864?
Since the Civil War, historians have attempted to explain its causes. Discuss Marxist ideology, Lost Cause myth, and Neo-Confederate philosophy to analyze their interpretations and credibility.
Chemistry:
Discuss what density is and how would you compare the density of three liquids, such as syrup, water and oil.
Love and Blessings for an awesome week!
Mrs. N