QUARTERLY REPORT
2005 - 2006 School Year
August 11, 2005 - November 11, 2005
JACOB XXXX
D.O.B: September XX, 1997
Age: 8
Grade: 3
Arithemetic: The areas of math covered thus far have been:
word problems
fractions
percents
number lines
fact families
factors
multiples
prime factorization
geometry
times tables
division
addition
subtraction
money math
time/clocks
shopping/grocery store real-life math
Jacob will be taking a Saxon Math placement test next week in order to assist in developing a
more cohesive mathematics program. Grade: 3 (G)
Reading: Jacob demonstrates excellence in his ability to
read with accuracy, appropriate inflection and intonation, and poetic expression. He does struggle with comprehension.
At times he is able to determine meaning through context, however this is an area where he may continue to struggle due to
his developmental delays. Jacob excels in memorization of vocabulary and spelling assignments, uses dictionaries to complete
work, reads for pleasure, and expresses a genuine interest in seeking knowledge. Currently he is reading the third book
in the 7-book series of The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. In
addition to having read the first two books in the series, Jacob has been reading selected poems, Shakespeare(condensed for
children), as well as classic fairy tales and non-fiction articles in National Geographic. He has also read other reference
sources for his Ancient Civilization research project on Egypt. Upon completion of his research project, Jacob will post it
on his homeschool website. Grade: 3 (G)
Spelling: Jacob has completed and nearly mastered fifteen
spelling & vocabulary lists. Jacob corrects misspelled words and rewrites assignments so that spelling is correct throughout
his work. His memorization skills have helped him do well in this area. Grade: 3(G)
Writing, Grammar & Language Arts: Jacob prints
and writes in cursive daily. Jacob has been developing skills such as note-taking, brainstorming, and organizing ideas.
He has posted his ideas, assignments and essays on his internet homeschool webjournal. He has written letters to family members,
and replied to family emails. He has improved his writing abilities by studying proper grammar; parts of speech,
sentence structure, and phrases. Jacob is learning to respond to literature through writing and narration. Literary
devices, such as symbolism, metaphors, allegories, and personifications have been focused on in our current curriculum
- a unit study based on The Chronicles of Narnia. Jacob requires
prompts to stay on writing tasks, assistance with organizing ideas, and motivation to write creatively. Once he is focused,
he does show considerable effort. Grade: 2 (G)
Health & Safety: Jacob has observed bike, scooter,
& skateboard safety with the importance of using knee pads, helmet, etc. He has learned the importance of observing traffic
safety rules pedestrian safety rules as well. He has learned the relevance in his life of good oral hygiene, cleanliness,
eye safety, swimming & boating safety, skin cancer prevention, good nutrition, physical fitness, and dangers of drug abuse.
Grade: 4(E)
History: Jacob has been studying various time periods
in history. Thus far he has studied in ancient history: the fall of Babylon the Great, ancient rulers (Nebuchadnezzar,
Belshazzar, Nabonidus, Cyrus, Darius the Mede), ancient empires (Babylonia, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome). Jacob has been studying
important explorers and their contributions to world history as well as American history: (Leif Ericson, Marco Polo,
Christopher Columbus, Ponce de Leon, Ferdinand Magellan, Fernando de Soto, and Henry Hudson). Moreover, Jacob is aware
of current events and how they effect, or have significant meaning pertaining to our Christian beliefs. He
has studied the history of New York State as well as the industries that fuel New York’s economy. In addition, he has
learned the history of Yellowstone National Park and its Indian culture. When selected reading material necessitated
it, Jacob learned the role WWII played in the setting of the The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,
the significance of Rosa Park’s contribution to the Civil Rights Movement and of her recent passing. He is currently
working on an in-depth research project on the ancient civilization of Egypt. Grade: 2 (G)
Science: For science, Jacob has concentrated on the solar
system (planets, stars & constellations, comets, etc.), parts of plant and animal cells, insects, parts of the eye,
the environment, and weather. He has also completed a Libra constellation project identifying stars and associated Greek
myths and has posted this project on his homeschool website. Grade: 3 (G)
Art: Jacob is working on learning to enjoy the creative
process involved in making art. He has never truly enjoyed coloring the way most children do. We are working on this.
As a mother who has an art degree from St. Rose, it really is something I am prioritizing with him. It takes him a while before he feels committed to finish an art project that he has started.
He currently lacks the attitude it takes to put pride into his artwork. (It pains me to say this!) Jacob is being encouraged to express himself through artwork. He has created his own pieces of art in a variety of mediums.
He will be posting these on his homeschool website. Jacob has drawn &
colored favorite scenes from The Chronicles of Narnia Books (The Magician’s Nephew, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and The
Horse and His Boy). He has drawn & colored specific historical events studied to help create a timeline with
his siblings. I would like to see him put more effort into taking his projects to finish with enthusiasm and pride.
Grade: 1(N)
Music: Jacob has been taking private guitar and fiddle
lessons with Eric XXXXX from XXXXX Recording studio. In addition to regularly practicing guitar and fiddle, I am teaching
Jacob to play piano. He is progressing in every music assignment, and consistently exhibits sufficient effort. Grade:
3 (G)
Physical Education: Jacob has participated
in many physical activities including swimming, skateboarding, scootering, playing outside and family walks. Please note that
Jacob suffers from occasional joint pain after exercise and this has caused him to at times refrain from physical activity
in which he anticipates will cause him pain later on. Swimming is his favorite as there seems to be no negative after-affects
of him participating in this activity. Grade: 2(S)
Typing & Computer: Jacob is progressing at typing with
proper hand positioning and appropriate speed and accuracy. His computer
literacy skills are improving and he demonstrates fluency in several programs and internet research to aid in completion of
schoolwork, as well for the purpose of finding information for personal interests. He continues to improve his punctuation
skills with the use of various typing programs. Jacob’s abilities really shine in this area (computers and technology
in general). He is not intimidated at all by technology and displays constant interest in seeking knowledge via [supervised]
internet. Grade: 4 (E)
Teacher Comments - 1st Quarter
Jacob is progressing at a satisfactory level in all subject matter, with
the exception of art. He has had one absence from instruction this quarter due to illness. He has exceeded the required 225
hours of instruction. Our curriculum is right on track as far as the planned material for this quarter, with one exception:
I had expected to be on book 5 of The Chronicles of Narnia
by now. However, the level of comprehension skills required to fully absorb this literary classic had caused us to take
more time in reading, and re-reading when necessary, key passages in order to gain an accurate understanding of: the
plots, character development throughout the story, analyzation and evaluation of themes central to key ideas conveyed
by the author, biblical significance and historical context of the settings where appropriate. All these factors resulted
in extra time being taken to utilize maps, geography and research of history
via internet, encyclopedias, etc., in order to fully appreciate this literature. Thus,I estimate this series will take until
December 31st to complete. The Scholastic order was not received in time to begin reading these as initially planned (due
to an incorrect shipping address). Once resolved, the children dove in head-first and have been a delight in teaching this
unit study.
Submitted November 14, 2005 by Daniela
