Descriptive Science Assignment- Flowers and Trees - By, Seneca

The Illinois State Tree
Did you know that the white oak tree is the Illinois state tree?  Well, now you know.  The white oak tree's leaves have round and smooth edges and is a rather dark green.  The lines or veins are almost white but actually a light green!  The acorns are green and brown.  The top is a darkish light brown that has a small amount of white in it's creases.  The body is green, brown and yellow.  The green is almost all of the body.  The yellow comes in at the bottom.  And finally, the brown is at the very bottom.  The twig is a reddish brown and some sort of grey.  There are lots of buds that are small round and hairless.  Twigs are almost all the time shiny.  The bark of w white oak is white or ashy grey.  Varying from scaly to irregularly platy and blocky in shape.  The white oak can grown to a massive height of 100 feet tall!

The Illinois State Flower
Did you know the native violet is the Illinois state flower?  Well, it's not the only one of it's kind.  The native violet comes in many different colors such as yellow, white, blue-violet, and purple and even an unusual green!  There are at the least 30 different species and 25 of them  can be found in the Chicago land alone!  A lot of the species are small and only have 5 petals.  1 violet species was nicknamed Johnny jump up, and many more are the subject of nursery rhymes and poems.  It is also called nature's vitamin pill.  Some you can even eat!

Homeschool Happenings - This Week's Lineup

After a few comrades, and compatriots have inquired as to Seneca's daily lessons, and other homeschool related questions, I have decided to post occasional lessons and lesson plans.
I shall begin with this week's skeleton of a subject plan.



Spelling - Unit 14 - receive list on Monday, folder due Friday with words rewritten in cursive and each word used in a sentence.  ***Challenge***  Use at least two words per sentence

Grammar - continue adjectives packet - parts of speech hangman - MadLibs Monday!!

Reading - continue and complete Homer Price writing/sketching assignment - complete vocabulary assignment - complete Shortcuts from newspaper - select a newspaper article to read and give oral report

Science - complete all assignments 1. Write a paragraph each describing the Illinois state tree and flower.  2.  Complete and color plant parts book and diagrams.  Begin lesson 2 - read section, complete review, ***Write It Wednesday*** write at least one paragraph about edible seeds around the world, accompany with at least two illustrations

History - Vaudeville project phase 1 - Choose and research your performers, write your paragraphs, include photos if you like.

Geography - Begin Mountain region packet, complete this region in your Geography project

Math - You have advanced to triple digit addition and subtraction with borrowing and carrying for your Wednesday Weeklies timed tests.  Continuing fractions (lesson 4), Wednesday Weeklies (15 min three digit addition 64 questions, 15 minute three digit subtraction 35 questions, 10 minute multiplication 30 questions), long division handout

Additional - calisthenics/exercise 10-15 min every day piano practice 25-30 min every day, helping friends with new house often as possible, Tuesday gymnastics 3:45-4:30, Thursday Calvin and Hobbes party @ Crete library, Saturday charity spaghetti dinner @4 and get together with friends @6, Sunday taking the family to Hollywood Blvd. for Gnomeo and Juliet and dinner.

Homeschool Happenings - History Project (Vaudeville)

Seneca has finished her lessons regarding the culture of the United States in the first decade of the 1900s, and while she was attentive throughout, one thing really caught her attention.  Vaudeville.  This does not surprise me as anything relating to the fine arts always catches her fancy.  So, I sat down with the hubby and we came up with an end of chapter history project that will really get her psyched.*que the music*

"The Show Must Go On!"

1.  Vauldeville performers.
Select at least two, but as many as five, well known vaudeville performers.  You can find a detailed list of the well known vaudevillians at these websites.
Famous Vaudeville Performers A-K
Famous Vaudeville Performers L-Z
Once you have chosen your subjects, research their vaudeville careers and write one paragraph about each person you chose.  You may include a photo of each performer, should you so choose.

2.  Vaudeville performances
You have briefly read about the acts performed during a vaudeville performance.  Now, read about them more in depth, discover what a typical vaudeville show would include.  Then, you are to describe a vaudeville show in at least one paragraph.  Be creative here, you can pretend that you are in the audience!  You may include a photo of a theatre, a vaudeville advertisement, an actual performance.

3.  Artistic project
You now have all the information you need.  Your final stage of this project is to create a vaudeville performance.  You have complete creative freedom here, kind of.  If you want to use your theatre box, or if you want to draw the stage yourself, the choice is yours.  You must meet the following requirements.

• You must have a stage.
• The performers on stage must be those about whom you wrote.
• The performers must be shown performing whatever feat for which they were known.

Here are some creative tips. 
This does not have to be drawn on a piece of paper and colored with crayons, as a matter of fact, YOU CAN'T DO THAT!  Be creative, make it interesting! 
Include the following, should you choose
Movable parts - attach your performers to straws or strings so that you can act out the performance.
A side stage stand - these were used to tell the audience who was performing and what they were doing.
Actual photographs - there is nothing wrong with printing and cutting out a picture of your chosen performer, as long as that picture shows them doing their vaudeville performance.  (Can't find a proper picture?  Cut out their head and paste it to a hand made body doing their performance.)

You have two weeks to complete your assignment.  Your timing should go as follows.
Week One

1. Select and research your performers.
2. Write your paragraphs about your selected performers
3. Research the actual vaudeville performances
4. Write your paragraphs about the performances

Week Two

1. Plan your artistic recreation
2. Gather all materials needed
3. Create your vaudeville performance