6th Grade Science Makes No Bones About the Human Body

by Carmen Burke

            “…For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.  I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” (Psalm 139:13-14a). Ask any sixth grader at Granite Classical Tutorials, and he’ll vouch for that claim without hesitation.  And how do I know?  I’m the tutor for 6^th Grade Science—and we have the coolest of all studies:  The Human Body.  Thanks to past tutor, Sharon Ihde, this class is probably the most looked-forward-to course in Granite’s program.  (And I am totally unbiased when I make that unscientific observation!)  Years ago she had the idea to go “hands-on” with human body systems and, literally, brought the cow to us. So where else can an 11-year-old carve open and examine real gray matter?  Or where—short of medical school—can you trace the path of life with your own fingers through the chambers of a flesh and blood heart?  Ever looked into an eye?  I mean really snipped one open and checked the iridescent inside of the mirrors of one’s soul?  We do it all in the 6^th grade.

            “Marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well.  My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth” (Psalm 139:15).  Sixth grade science class is where it all happens.  Our course considers the human body as eleven distinct but related systems, and real organs are used for study and dissection at least five times a year for specific units of study.  Yep, bones, brains, hearts, eyes, and kidneys.  Er…not people organs, but close representations from a variety of farm animals—discarded, reclaimed, and sanitized for the pursuit of knowledge. 

            “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.  And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them”  (Psalm 139:16).  An introductory study of the human body begins with cells, life’s microscopic universal building blocks.  And right off the bat we’re having a ball with cake, candy, clay, and other cool combinations as students create their cell models that we sometimes even consume!  We continue with the skeletal system and a look at bones, then on through the remaining organ systems that make up the human body—muscular, sensory, digestive, and immune, to name a few.  Occasionally, we rein in and delve into serious readings on the vastly interesting history of medicine.  (Believe us when we say, “Be ye thankful—things have come a long, long way!”)  Finally, so as not to make it seem like too much fun, at the end of each unit, students are required to research a disease or disorder of the organ system studied, and a few times during the year, each is asked to present her report to the class.  In the end, my sixth graders will tell you, “It’s all fun in learning.  Really! …But please, please, don’t tell Mrs. Schult.”

Creative Movement

by A. Myers

This year I had the opportunity to teach creative movement as part of my Pre-Granite afternoon option class. As someone who has trained in various forms of dance since childhood, I am always excited to get to teach dance technique. But creative movement is a particular joy for me to teach precisely because it is non-codified. Creative movement does not have a set form or technique. Instead, it is an improvisational kind of dancing in which the student uses his or her body as the primary means of communication. Non-codified, however, does not mean unstructured or without purpose. Creative movement sessions teach students to understand the basic elements of dance—shape, space, time, and energy—without limiting them to a particular dance technique. In this way, creative movement appeals to children of all personalities and skill sets because it allows them to explore their own natural movement preferences.

In my creative movement lessons I usually focus on one or two of the elements of dance. The element of shape deals with the quality of still poses—angular, round, long, twisted, symmetrical, asymmetrical, etc. The element of space has to do with where the dancer travels—at different levels, covering large or small amounts of space, creating angular or curved floor patterns, and so on. The time element deals with rhythms and the speed of movement. And finally, energy has to do with the dynamic of the movement—sharp, smooth, floppy, controlled, light, heavy, strained, relaxed, etc. These elements of dance are common to all forms of dance, so learning how to manipulate them can lay the foundation for students to absorb a codified technique later and can even transfer to other kinesthetic activities like sports or martial arts.

A typical lesson involves three parts: a warm-up, an exploration, and a culmination. The warm-up is simply a time to get students’ bodies moving and to prepare their brains to receive information. I usually follow a “freeze-dance” format in which students can move/dance during the music, but must freeze when the music stops. I typically give students complete freedom for one part, but instructions for the other. For example, in a lesson focused on angular shapes vs. round shapes, I might first tell students that they can move in any way they like, but must freeze in a shape that creates sharp angles. After a few rounds, they will have to freeze in a shape that creates curves. I would wrap-up the exercise by telling students that for the last few rounds they may choose to freeze in either an angular or a round shape, but they must make it very clear which quality they have chosen. This kind of exercise not only gets students moving but also gets them comfortable with making the spontaneous decisions which are the foundation of improvisational movement.

The next phase of the lesson is the exploration. This is when I verbally guide students through an improvisational creative movement exercise that reinforces the ideas already introduced in a more structured way. For example, to continue the lesson on angular vs. round shapes, I might tell students to make a shape with one clear angle. Then I would tell them to find a way to add another angle to their shape without losing the first one, and then add a third one. I might then have them start again, but this time do the whole exercise at a lower level. Eventually I would have them manipulate all the angles in their shapes into curves. Then we could work with shapes that combine angles and curves. Of course, every child’s starting shape will be different, and their individual choices as they progress through the exercise will be unique. This means that children have to think creatively to follow the instructions from the individual staring points that they have chosen. I cannot count how many times I have been blown away by the resourceful and clever movement choices I have seen these students make in order to explore movement within the given guidelines!

The last part of the lesson is the culmination. This is usually the time when I give students a dance-making task during which they have to apply the concepts learned in the lesson. I will usually pair them up or put them into small groups and give them guidelines for creating a movement sequence. I might say, “With your partner, create a sequence of five shapes: two must be angular, two must be round, and one must be both. These shapes can be in any order, but your audience must be able to tell the quality of each individual shape.” This collaborative time not only helps children learn to work with others towards an end goal, but it also broadens their horizons for interpreting the instructions when they see how another child instinctively moves. After giving students some time to work out their sequences, I will give each group the chance to perform. I try to emphasize active observation in the rest of the students by asking questions after each performance—Did you see clear angles? What about curves? Which shape in that sequence combined both angles and curves?

Creative movement naturally develops areas like motor skills, spatial awareness, reasoning and problem-solving skills, right and left brain connections, and an understanding of parts-to-whole relationships. But more than all of these areas, I think creative movement is beneficial to children because unlike most academic areas which require children to learn and communicate their understanding through visual, aural, or verbal means, creative movement capitalizes on children’s natural propensity for kinesthetic learning. Author and creative movement expert Mary Joyce writes that “Children find a fulfillment through dance that can be realized through no other discipline, because dance simultaneously involves the inner being and the physical body.” Young children are at an age when they have a natural connection to movement and physical activity.

Creative movement taps into this and gives children an opportunity to express their intelligence and imagination in a non-verbal way. All children have been made uniquely by their Creator and have
the capacity to emulate His creativity and ingenuity if given the proper channels. I think that creative movement is one of these channels, and I have been inspired by the remarkable ingenuity
that it brings out of these students.

Benefits of Studying Latin

by S. Link

Latin is the basis for all Romance Languages (English, French, Spanish, etc.). Half of all English words are derived from Latin and so, when you study Latin you learn more about English. 

Learning Latin grammar is an invaluable experience.   Often, you don’t really understand the grammar of your own language.  It’s all intuitive.  You will use the subject noun and direct object in a sentence correctly just because it “sounds” right, but you may not understand the grammar of it.  Unfortunately, what “sounds” right, isn’t always right.  I am always trying to break my children of saying, “Me and so and so are doing this today.”  I know that “me” is the incorrect word to use in this context (“I” is the correct one) due to my study of Latin.  Because I’ve learned the Latin cases and how they are used, I can explain why.  “I” is used as the “subject” and “me” is used as the object (direct object, object of the preposition, and indirect object).  Even my highly-educated adult friends will sometimes say, “Her and so and so... when beginning a sentence.  Again, “she” is the 3rd person pronoun used as the subject, and “her” is used as the object    This is just one example of how Latin grammar can help a person better understand English grammar.  There are many more.

I recently asked my son, Luke, who is in college, if he felt that studying Latin at Granite had been beneficial.  This is what he wrote:

“Thanks to my time spent studying Latin, my subsequent study of the Spanish language was a breeze, the language that many of my singing peers struggle to master (Italian, German, Spanish, Latin) come easily to me, and I can confidently define scores of words because I understand their roots.

I am a singer.  Much of the classical music that I sing is in Latin.  I was singing a Latin piece the other day with the choir.  Unlike most of the other folks in the choir, I knew exactly what I was singing.  I love that!  

There are lots of mottos and sayings used in our culture, such as mottos for the individual 50 states and mottos for the armed forces.  Those who know Latin can understand all of these.  We Latin students know that Semper Fidelis (which is the motto for the Marines—often shortened to semper fi) means 'always faithful'.”

Okay, so there are lots of benefits to studying Latin, and I’m not even listing them all here.  But, here’s another one.  Latin is fun!  Do you like doing puzzles?  I love Sudoku and Mathdoku.  It’s so much fun to solve those puzzles.  That’s what Latin is like.  It’s like a fun puzzle that you can solve with logic.

People are always impressed when they find out you've studied Latin--not a reason to study Latin, but it's a fun benefit! Finally, did I mention that students who have studied Latin have higher SAT scores?

The Battle of the Books comes to GCT

by D. Lutz

The 5th graders in Howard County have a wonderful opportunity to participate in a countywide reading competition called the Battle of the Books. The Howard County Library, within their A+ Partners in Education program, sponsor hundreds of children who will read 16 books and then compete for prizes.

This year there are around 180 teams participating. That’s 900 children building vocabulary, increasing reading comprehension, developing teamwork, and learning good sportsmanship. The teams will all read the same 16 books, but each will decide on unique costumes and names. On April 19th, the teams will meet in one of four Howard County high schools and compete for prizes-- gift cards to book stores, of course!

Last year, Granite Classical Tutorials participated as the first and only home school group. Our team, Pippi’s Longstockings, did exceptionally well (5th place!) and got to read some really great books and become very good friends. This year, we have another team organized and ready to win. Our team name is D.E.A.R. – the Drop Everything And Read team. We were given our books before Christmas and are now reading them as well as memorizing the authors and the titles.

Please encourage our D.E.A.R. team members: Alexia A. Carson B., Lena B., Jaeden B., and Madison S.. We meet every Wednesday during lunch to talk about the books we have read and challenge each other on the authors and titles. As April grows closer, we will be planning costumes and quizzing each other about the details within the pages.

Bible Curriculum

by M. DeWalt

The Design of the Bible Curriculum

            Granite Classical Tutorials offers a number of courses to help home-school parents teach their children the three skills of the trivium using lessons plans, teaching tutorials, and classical education methods. From 1st to 5th grade, in our Grammar stage, students learn the building blocks and tools of education. From 6th to 9th grade, they learn how to process thinking skills - this is the Logic stage. From 10th to 12th grade, they learn how to winsomely and effectively communicate - this is the Rhetoric stage. At Granite Classical, we have designed the Bible Curriculum to fit within the Logic stage where students learn how to critically think. It is at this stage that students begin to more deeply and effectively assemble the information they have learned when they were younger. If you have ever encountered a child who loves to debate, dialogue, and dispute everything you say, then you have been in the presence of someone well into this Logic, or sometimes called Dialectic, stage. At this phase students begin to puzzle together piece-by-piece as they learn how to properly examine their education, studies, and life in general.

           

            Though academically rigorous, a Granite Classical education is not only about academics. The main goal of our Bible curriculum is moving the student through knowledge and understanding toward godly wisdom and truth found in the Scriptures. 

The Benefits & Goals of the Bible Curriculum

The goal, then of Classical Education as Dorothy Sayers writes, “to teach students how to learn for themselves.” The Trivium provides the road map to making that goal a reality as the students internalize, evaluate, and express what they learn at Granite. From the writings of Plato to Shakespeare, and from Lincoln to the Bible, Classical education at Granite embraces the wealth of knowledge and truth found in Western civilization. The Bible class goes to the primary sources and mines their key ideas. With the Bible as the foundation and basis for truth, the other documents can be studied through a Christian worldview preparing our graduates for their future education.

The 8th grade Bible course serves as an introductory overview of the message of the Bible. This course helps each student explore the story of the Bible chronologically providing an overview of the history, literature, themes, major persons, key events, and topics in the Bible such as the role of God as the main character of His own story and the relationship between Scripture's divine inspiration and human authorship. The primary text for this is, of course, the Scriptures and secondarily Starr Meade’s The Most Important Thing You’ll Ever Study: A Survey of the Bible. Four-Volumes published by Crossway in 2010. By the end of this course the student will be able to know the following:

• The historical events and major teachings of the Bible.

• An academic understanding of reading an ancient text such as the Bible.

• A survey of the books of the Bible as related to introductory material and significant passages within them.

• The Scripture’s historical value and how it applies today.

• The major themes, topics, people, and covenants which all are summed up in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

 The 9th grade Bible course serves as a study of the principles of biblical interpretation, an introduction to the major resources available for biblical interpretation, and an exegetical study of selected passages from the various types of biblical literature. The major focus of the course is practical—the course goal is that the students develop sound methods of exegesis and application of biblical texts. The primary, text like that of the 8th grade, is once again the Bible, and secondarily Gordon D. Fee & Douglas Stuart’s How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth: A Guide to Understanding the Bible published by Zondervan in 2003. By the end of this course the student will be able to know the following:

•  Understand the significance of hermeneutics using the basic methods of biblical interpretation that have been practiced throughout history.The basic principles of grammatical-historical interpretation that lead interpreters to discover the meaning intended by the biblical author.

• Understand the role that historical context plays in interpretation. The student will learn to recognize how historical context affects the application of Scripture to our daily lives.

• Know how to read the Scripture with an attentive eye to its literary context. What genre is the text? Why does genre matter? How does the literary situation and attitude of the text affect our interpretation and application?

•  Understand a text within the greater context of the Bible. How does this text fit in with the Biblical metanarrative? How does it relate to other texts that speak to similar issues? How does understanding this text within the larger metanarrative affect our interpretation and application?

•  Understand the major genres of scripture and the hermeneutical principles that should be applied to each genre.

•  Know the important tools that may be useful in the study of the biblical text.

At Granite Classical Tutorials, we seek to aid the parents not just in math, science, reading, and writing; but we highly value a student body that intellectually knows the Scriptures, how God works with His people, what Jesus Christ has done for His people and how the Spirit works in His people. At Granite, the Bible is taught both in overview and personal study skills so that students may learn the Scriptures more deeply than they have before, and learn how to use the Scriptures in their own personal study and private devotional at home. Keeping a consistent Christ-centered message of scriptural instruction, Granite has a wonderful tutorial program to help develop students who are ready to enter college or post-high school careers with a strong Biblical foundation.

Seventh Grade History

by D. Lutz

Ancient History for seventh graders takes them way back in time to third grade when they first learned about the fascinating Egyptians, the protected Israelites, the cruel Assyrians, the Greek thinkers and the Roman doers. The class is flying without a textbook this year; reading from primary and secondary sources, pouring over maps, and comparing time lines of ancient civilizations around the globe. Almost every week the students are required to independently research important topics, people, or places and report back to the class what they have learned. In essence, they are creating their own textbook.

This week we will be comparing the original Hippocratic Oath to the oaths taken by doctors graduating today. How are they the same? How do they differ? How does this show how civilization has changed or stayed the same? Next week we are learning about Alexander the Great. By looking at almost a dozen sources, we are going to decide if the man was truly great, or perhaps, just a big bully.

After our study of Greece we are taking quick flights over India, China, and the ancient communities of the Americas, coming back to Rome in time to explore their great accomplishments and shortfalls. Christ will be born, put to death, and resurrected in God’s perfect timing. The threat of persecution, the diversity of languages, and the spider web of roads will take His message and His church to the far corners of the earth. Our ancient studies will lead us to this very pinnacle of world history.

Classical Writing - A Tutor's Perspective

by D. Myers, Granite 8th and 10th Omnibus Tutor

Writing for a classical student involves the ability to present cogent arguments in a clear and winsome manner, with sufficient support to be persuasive and convincing. We do this continually in our Omnibus classes at Granite, where every written assignment is designed to provide opportunity for the students to gain mastery over analytical writing skills.

By the time students come to my 8th Omnibus classroom, it is apparent that they have gained mastery over basic sentence construction skills to enable them to craft sentences and paragraphs that are grammatically appropriate. This is something of a "big deal" because many students without the benefit of the classical training in grammar fundamentals are well behind the curve needed to successfully move forward with what I call "organizational" writing skills. But our Granite students have been so fully immersed in Shurley and IEW that they are well prepared to move through the Logic and Rhetoric stages of writing. I can clearly see this preparation in their work, and I can also sometimes see that important foundation lacking in students who "come to us late."

Assuming our students have had comprehensive grammar instruction when they arrive in my 8th grade class, I immediately begin assessing their organizational skills. As part of the classical "Progymnasmata" program, 8th Omnibus is their exposure to "The Chreia" - which is a type of pre-cursor to the organizational skills we hone during 8th grade. The idea is simple - our written assignments are all about introducing our topic, taking a stand, establishing and developing a strategy for supporting our position, and wrapping up with flair and winsomeness. We see this in historical examples of The Chreia which we examine in class, and then proceed to model. Later, after the students have struggled to model their own Chreia, we transition to a more modern expression of the concepts foundational to the Chreia, and we begin working on mastery over the traditional five-paragraph essay.

The remainder of 8th grade Omnibus writing assignments are related to various strategies involved with successful implementation of a five-paragraph expression. We break it down into component parts, work on those parts, hone those skills and eventually see it all come together in their literary analysis essays - the "major response." For the remainder of high school, the "major response" is a foundational component of their literature studies. By the time they get to 10th grade we are able to see the students synthesize trends and schools of thought from their historical studies, and compare/identify those as expressed in the literature they read. In this way, they are able to join what educator Mortimer Adler called, "The Great Conversation." It's a process and one that, as tutor, I am privileged to be a part of, and amazed to see it develop before my eyes as the students grow in wisdom and understanding. This is the essence and the goal of a classical education.

Art in a Classical Education

By Mrs. Bly, GCT Art Teacher

I read a great article by Gregory D. Wilbur where he explained the place of the arts in a classical education.  He says,

"The studio study of the Arts or the skills to actually participate in the Arts is closely akin to the principles of the trivium. The trivium consists of grammar, logic, and rhetoric, and forms the basis for classical education.  

Grammar is learning brush strokes and how to work in the mediums of oils or watercolors. Logic is using those basic skills to construct exercises in shape and perspective. Rhetoric is the ability to create a two-dimensional scene through color that can convey action and/or emotion.”

He goes on to discuss why we should study the arts with other academic subjects, for example history and philosophy. He concludes by saying,

 “Understanding Art, philosophy and how Art reflects philosophy will enable a greater comprehension of present-day life and culture as well as the past. Understanding the criteria for evaluating the elements which comprise good Art will access realms of God given creativity for study and appreciation. Teaching a child the needed skills to create in a specific medium will afford the opportunity to reflect God’s creativity. These higher aims have a greater value than merely offering a vague enrichment.”

I have had the privilege this last semester, to teach an art class at Granite.  We embarked upon this journey of exploring the basic elements and principles of art through a two-hour class on Monday afternoons.  (I had taught other art classes/workshops before, but never with boys---they add a whole new element of fun!)

We used vibrant liquid watercolors, slick oil pastels, crisp sharpies, squishy clay and a rainbow assortment of tempera paints to become familiar with Matisse, Van Gogh, Kandinsky, O’Keeffe, Hundertwasser, da Vinci, and many others.  We looked at some of the Master’s works, tools, training, and lives.  We tried our hand at their unique styles, then used that new skill in combination with the elements of art design (e.g. line, shape, color) to create our own masterpieces!

              

We had a blast, and learned a few things along the way such as:

1. Mixed age groups are great!  Learning how to work together, encourage, compliment and compromise are priceless lessons.  Art just happens to be a platform where kids are able to recognize this, and I found such joy in seeing this happen!
2. God has created us, and given us all different gifts.  Some of us are amazing at sketching details, some of us--not so much.  But approaching a project as an experiment, doing your best, enjoying the process, praising other's work, and rejoicing in having the ability and opportunity to try; that is honoring to our Creator.
   
3. Learning to recognize the beauty in the art all around us, such as a sculpture or the sunset, is part of art appreciation.  Especially when we give Him the glory!

Next semester is almost upon us, with a new set of art lessons on the horizon.  We’ll be building upon basic skills, welcoming new friends to class, and experimenting with new mediums.  I can hardly wait!