Last week we finished Week 3 ("Napoloeon:  The Man and His Career).  It was a FULL week, with lots of reading.  As far as my teacher prep time, I only ended up having time to read about 3/4 of the Teacher's Notes and one chapter of The Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier.  However, on my previous rotation through Year 3, I had highlighted what I deemed were important points.  This has proved helpful now, on a week like this one. 

I was *very* pleased with how well our discussion went.  This year I'm not requiring written answers of *all* of the Accountability and Thinking Questions.  Instead , I've told my 10th grader that a large percentage of his grade will come from his participation during discussions.  He just has to be prepared:  either sticking a bookmark where an answer is, jotting a note to himself, outlining, mindmapping, etc. 

When I was teaching three boys, I did require written answers to the vast majority of A & T questions.  I felt I had to have a measure of their progress, and that was my way of keeping up with all three boys.   Plus, our discussions were more difficult to keep on track, as 3 teenage boys' minds found historical events often-times rip-roaring hilarious.  Why?  I'm really not sure.  It's one of those things that God used to help me learn grace.

Last week we also began our 3-week overview of Romantic poetry.  Typically, my boys have just grabbed the book or online link, answered the questions, and then we went over it for our discussion.  I've learned SO much while working on Year 1 Redesign, and have begun to incorporate a few of the ideas into my Classic Year 3:

*Weekly recitation of some portion of literature...this week it was a poem.  The student knows up front what the recitation will be, and practices (I don't require memorization, although that's an option) his voice inflection while reading it aloud to himself.  At the end of the week, he reads it aloud to me and/or the family (depending on who is at home).

*I'm really trying to make sure that understanding is taking place.  Answering questions correctly is not an "end-all", but it just one step in the process toward more learning about literature and worldview. 

*I'm trying to show my pleasure in working with my son one-on-one.  Literature is so delightful, and I understand that, but 10th grade boys don't exactly find delight in reading Wordsworth.  Words are SO powerful, and I'd like him to find joy in the artistry.

Monday is Labor Day, which means a shortened academic week.  For Tapestry, this means that I've shortened the reading assignments by one book, but added in a DVD from the Learning Company (Learning and Understanding Great Music, Lecture 30, which is about Beethoven, Romanticism, and Napoleon).  I may have to fill in a few blanks during discussion time, but that's okay.  My husband will be home from work, and we really need some family time. 

Well, that's it.  Can you figure out what's next on my agenda?