Spring Schedule
March 15-May 31st (11 weeks)
Thursdays
10am-11am Civics, Social Justice and US Government (with a writing component) ($75.)
11am-12pm Latin ($100.)
12pm-1pm Lunch Break/Play time
1pm -1:45pm Cursive Handwriting and Form Drawing ($75.)
1:45pm-3:30pm Wood Working ($75.)
Cost for the whole day is $325.
Class Descriptions
Civics, Social Justice and US Government taught by Beth Anne Moonstone
In this class students would learn how the US Government works (branches of government, town, state and federal, how officials are elected, the role of the constitution and bill of rights, how laws are made), they would also learn ways to participate in their government, write letters to their elected officials, and local government. In addition, we would learn about ways kids can be activists for the causes and issues they think are important. Part of the class would involve the kids reading the news each week. There are specific tools for KIDS such as Scholastic News for Kids, so those kids on the younger end of the spectrum or who's parents might not want them fully exposed to the newspaper will have age appropriate options. Parents can decide which sources are best for their child. We would use the book
If You Don't Like the World - Change It:
Activism for Teens by Nikki Halpin along with handouts on US History, audio/video clips (MLK, TR, FDR, JFK, Obama etc) and primary sources such as the Constitution and Bill of RIghts. Students would learn, practice and take the US Citizenship test as part of the class and discuss/learn about the upcoming election year. Students will need a copy of the book
It's Your World--If You Don't Like It, Change It: Activism for Teenagers by Mikki Halpin. There are a bunch of these new on Amazon for under $5.
Latin taught by Anissa Sartini
Anissa's class is a mix of verbal, written work, reading and a review. She uses a lot of hands-on activities, games and worksheets to make Latin interactive and fun.
Students will need:
* Binder with two sections and/or folders.
* Notebook/note-taking apparatus! I will provide most of the worksheets for learning and homework.
* A Latin dictionary--I recommend the one by John C. Traupman, but Cassell's is a common one.
* The Cambridge Latin Course Unit 1. They can be found very inexpensively on on Amazon etc. Edition number doesn't matter, but do try to find the North American edition.
Cursive Hand Writing and Form Drawing taught by Beth Anne Moonstone
In an age of computers, handwriting, especially cursive handwriting, is becoming a lost art. Learning handwritting is about developing fine motor skills, spatial relationships and learning to improve our ability to construct and convey thoughts. This means the students learn to THINK about what they are writing, the meaning that underlies it and the message they hope to send. Cursive handwriting encourages thoughtfulness and concentration. "Form drawing is about a moment of movement caught on a page. It is about concentration , perseverance, control of the will, grace and purposefulness. Form drawing is a therapeutic art practiced in all Waldorf schools usually from first through 4th grade." Literally form drawing is the drawing of shapes and patterns. Even though some of our Community School students are older than the traditional 4th grade age, form drawing is a natural accompaniment for a study of cursive handwriting. Both are about movement on the page, form, shape and design. The basic forms are the foundation for writing.
I will work to make this class artistic and fun. There will be forms and writing exercises to complete during the week for homework.
(As a random side note of interest - in 2005 the SAT added a handwritten essay portion. Only 15% of students completed their essays in cursive. The 15% who wrote in cursive had higher average test scores on their essay portion.)
Students will need Beeswax Block Crayons and a black pen that is comfortable for them to write with. I will provide them with lesson books and I have extra block crayons if anyone wants to borrow them for the semester.
Wood Working taught by Kevin Hannon Sr.
For most of the semester students will work on a variety of small projects using both hand tools and small power tools. At the end of the semester the students will spend several weeks making their own pine wood derby cars and specializing them. We will then host a pine wood derby race (open to the larger homeschooling community) where the kids will race their cars and celebrate.
fairy
tales, form drawing, numbers, capital letters, a first reader,
watercolor painting, beeswax modeling, singing, movement games,
circle time, gardening, baking and a beginning French circle. 
