Pencil to paper learning improves memory retention, cognitive processing, and comprehension by physically engaging the brain through handwriting. This ‘old fashioned’ tactile method is a slower process in a time when our children are used to instant results. Pencil to paper also aids in building fine motor skills and fosters a deeper focus for children of all ages. The majority of my Latin and history assignments are handwritten in class. Don’t get me wrong, we still use and are thankful for all of our tech tools, but its not uncommon for us to hit the actual books and all you need to bring to my class is a pencil and a positive attitude.
Sixth grade students have been studying the Paleolithic cave paintings found in France, and recreated their own cave art.
Fifth grade Latin students were tasked to created a study guide unique to their individual learning style. The students could create a poster, book, or use their tech to create a slideshow. After the study guides were complete we put our study skills to use in a Latin Blooket competition!
December at St James Day School is a beautiful and busy time! In sixth grade, we celebrated together with a special Christmas breakfast, games, and gift exchange. The 5th and 6th grade made ornaments, and 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades all participated in a middle school choir trip to sing Candlelight songs to the May Dale Garden Club and enjoyed a fun lunch out at Zapata’s.
Our middle school choir sang beautifully at the middle school Candlelight service. Our middle school students worked incredibly hard this semester and it was nice to slow down and enjoy make a few Christmas memories before Christmas break began.
Roman numerals are not widely used today, but it is important to have a basic understanding of how Roman numerals work. It is important for my students to see numbers represented in different ways, and they will see Roman numerals in a variety of ways in real-life-from the Super Bowl to clocks! Reviewing basic math facts doesn’t hurt either! After learning and practicing all week, grades 5-6 participated in a Roman Numeral Escape Room in the middle school commons.
It has been a busy week in my Latin classroom! Fifth grade students added ten new Latin vocabulary words, and practiced conjugating verbs and declining nouns. Seventh grade students are studying Latin prepositions and are currently making a treasure map of an ancient Roman town-with their clues and directions…in Latin! Eighth grade has been learning all about Latin cardinal and ordinal numbers, and Roman numerals. We decided that the best way to reinforce their knowledge of Latin numbers was with a riveting game of Uno,- in (you guessed it!) Latin.
