Day Two (aka running daily log week one-ish)

Written By Tara Griffin

I say if you’re going to start talking about it- may as well pick day two as a jumping off point.

Day 2 - Aug 19, 2025 Notes

  • Housekeeping: one set of grammar books has arrived. We can look at them tomorrow. 

    Classic Lit: 

  • Today we chose to start our classic literature series off by reading The Shining. This will fall under the horror genre.

  • It has 42 chapters and we will decide how many to read each week 

  • Goal: Read 10 chapters a week

  • After reading the Wikipedia on the book we tentatively decided to read the book and the sequel as well as watch the opera and the Kubrick movie and potentially watch the film series made later. 

  • We also talked about library cards and a possible trip to the library for the shining and other world history books 

  • LJ got Google Docs on her phone (and a podcast app), we will try to get The Shining at the library tomorrow. 

World Religions: 

  • Then we started with a PBS documentary on evangelicalism called Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory. It’s 3 hours. 

  • Finished part one. Will discuss tomorrow.  

  • Tara has potential textbooks in Amazon cart, pending library trip.

LJ Math:

Algebra 1 - Chapter 6 - Radicals - Review and Practice Test

  • Simplifying radicals

  • Adding and subtracting radicals 

  • Multiplying and dividing radicals (including distributive rule)

  • Rationalizing denominators

Stella Math:

Book Ordered, Should be here next week, using David’s book and the whiteboard, will probably drill and kill chapter 1 & 2 when the book comes.

Algebra 1 - Chapter 2 - Variables

  • 2-1 Substitution with variables

  • PEMDAS

  • Combining Like Terms

    ELA:

  • Cover Art for Binders

  • Tara printed Unit 1 vocab and first reading

PERT

  • Left LJ with mometrix online PERT practice test and advised she do reading and writing first. 

Day 3 - Aug 20, 2025 Notes

LJ Math:

Algebra 1 - Chapter 6 Test - 90% - Moving on to Chapter 7, Jousting Ch 1 Continued

Field trip:

Enso nail spa, coffee, tacos 

  • Tara and LJ walked to Tioga 

  • We gave out the new grammar books (the perfect english grammar workbook) and LJ used the paperwhite to read The Shining after manicures- Stella read on her phone app

  • LJ and Stella had refreshments at Patticakes 

  • Beth and Tara joined and all went to the taco shop 

  • Lunch and learn discussion topics: OCD, ADHD meds, nails, tipping, Kenna and coding, and we pondered this riddle: Two miners both come back home from work in an elevator. One miner has soot all over his face, but the other has a clean face. The one with the clean face wipes it with a handkerchief. The other does nothing. Why?

EVR: 

  • Started reading the introduction to Silent Spring - short discussion regarding the Cold War

Independent Study: 

Left LJ working on editing her paper on The Giver with the grammar book 

Tomorrow: 

Math and then the Library

Day 4 - Aug 21, 2025 Notes

Stella Math:

Algebra 1 - Chapter 2, Lessons 3 & 4 (Overview. Combining like terms and substitution with variables. Will drill and kill when book arrives.)

LJ Computer set up- after much wailing and gnashing of teeth we think we have the web browser set up (firefox) and are logged into google products.

MJL: We will follow up on this. They were online the night before.

Field trip- 

Tower Branch Library

  • Car Schooling topics: 

Way there: best way to get there, detours, where Sophie lives in Haile

Way home: the small history of Icons for Beth–pre and post internet - Tara’s understanding of Icons pre- internet and the book of Icons we checked out from the library-David’s religious homeschool education-

  • Renewed Beth, Stella and Tara’s library cards- good for two years- LJ still needs to do this

  • Learned to use the card catalogue - it’s a computer now 🙂

  • Went first to the 200s in adult section for books on world religion and then went to the kid section- (we got 17 books)

Computer skills (graphic design) and Graphic Design (graphic design): 

  • LJ worked on changing fonts, etc in google docs- Stella did the same but on the phone and they discussed similarities and differences

  • Graphic Design - Principles and Elements of Design Introduction and drawing exercise with focus on LINE.

World religion:

 -We covered the list of questions about Part one of the PBS  documentary using Socratic seminar style conversation.

LJ 1-4 options:

  • Read The Shining on Kindle (up to chapter 10 if you can get there)

  • Open SAT vocab book 

  • Work on literary analysis 

LJ Math:

-Chapter 7 - Lesson 1 - Solving one-step equations

-Finished Chaper 1 Jousting (square numbers)

Tomorrow: 

Holiday!

Day 5 - Aug 25, 2025 Notes

Goals: Gym, Bookwork, Math, ELA, Science, Art

Gym:

  • Strength Class, Powerplate

LJ Math:

  • Algebra 1, 7-3 Solving 2 step equations (Including tricky scenarios like sneaky negative one)

Stella Math:

  • Algebra 1, New Book, 1-1, 1-2, Adding and subtracting integers including tricky ones like double negatives. Started 1-3 Multiplying and dividing integers. 

Independent study:

  • LJ did cursive and vocab

  • Stella SAT vocab book 

Lang Arts:

  • Intro, Baseline Assessments, Google Docs Printing and Word Count, Writing Rubric Intro

Science:

  • Silent Spring audiobook- listened aloud and paused when necessary- took notes

Art:

  • Botanical Unit - Artist Maria Sybilla Merian - Also we found and photographed a brown widow

Recap:

  • Discussion of Homeschool Philosophy and Speed


HOMEWORK:

Lydia Jane: Math (by Wed), Botanical Art - Blind Contour, Continuous Line Sketch, Specimen Page (by Thurs), The Shining (10 Ch by Tues)

Stella: Botanical Art - Blind Contour, Continuous Line Sketch, Specimen Page (by Thurs), The Shining (10 Ch by Tues)

Day 6 - Aug 26, 2025 Notes

Goals: Literature, World Religion, Creative Writing Group class, PERT prep

Literature:

  • Took 20 question quiz on chapters 1-10 The Shining, answered 3 critical thinking essay prompts- wrote 5 min by hand on the first and 10 min typing each the second two. Printed and saved in binders. (happily LJ and Stella both selected the same prompts out of a choice of 10-we were delighted)

World Religion:

  • Overview of history of religion- practiced tossing out ideas- took notes on the 7 dimensions of religion according to Ninian Smart- planned to use these notes during our next documentary viewing 

Creative Writing:

1. Welcome: “Tell Me Something Good”

2. Warm-Up Game: Exquisite Corpse - Writing Version

  • Pass around a sheet of paper. Each student writes A title, passes it to the next person who writes one line of a story or poem to go with the title.

  • Fold the paper so only the last line is visible, and pass it on.

  • Continue until the page is full, then unfold and read aloud the wild, collaborative piece.

3. Main Lesson: “Writing the World Around Us”

GACW Day 1: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.

Quote Inspiration:

  • Mary Oliver:

“Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.”

  • Wendell Berry:

“The Earth is what we all have in common.”

Short Poems:

1.      Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694)

An old silent pond...
A frog jumps into the pond,
Splash! Silence again.

2. Joy Harjo (b. 1951)

“The eagle is circling, calling to us,
its cry is so high and searching,
we look everywhere, even into the dark.”

3. Lucille Clifton (1936–2010)
blessing the boats (excerpt)

“may the tide
that is entering even now
the lip of our understanding
carry you out
beyond the face of fear.”

4. Langston Hughes (1902–1967)
Dreams

“Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.”

The Summer Day

Who made the world?

Who made the swan, and the black bear?

Who made the grasshopper?

This grasshopper, I mean—

the one who has flung herself out of the grass,

the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,

who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down—

who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.

Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.

Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.

I don't know exactly what a prayer is.

I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down

into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,

how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,

which is what I have been doing all day.

Tell me, what else should I have done?

Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?

Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?

—Mary Oliver

 Mary Oliver (1935-2019) was a Pulitzer Prize winning poet. She published several poetry collections, including Dog Songs: Poems (Penguin Books, 2015).

Activity:

  • Read the quotes & poems aloud.

  • Brief discussion after each: What images, feelings, or questions come to mind?

  • Brainstorm: 3 natural objects – pick one – sensory details – brainstorm

·       Choose: Write a scene where a character encounters nature in a surprising way OR Write a poem about one small detail in nature OR Whatever you want from the inspo.

Quiet writing time

4. Share & Reflect

  • Introduction and something good, Exquisite corpse writing exercise, presentation of writing 

PERT:

  • Stella did the reading practice test and LJ did the math practice test

HOMEWORK:

Lydia Jane: Math (by Wed), Botanical Art - Blind Contour, Continuous Line Sketch, Specimen Page (by Thurs)

Stella: Botanical Art - Blind Contour, Continuous Line Sketch, Specimen Page (by Thurs)

Day 7 - Aug 27, 2025 Notes

Goals: LJ Math, Gym, Lunch and Learn, Science, Stella Math

LJ Math:

  • Algebra 1, Finished 7-3, 7-4: Solving Equations with Variables on Both Sides

Stella Math:

  • Algebra 1, 1-3, 1-4: Putting it all together - Integers. Began 1-5: Exponents

Gym:

  • 30 minutes Cardio Party Mashup, Plus upstairs functional movements & Powerplate

Lunch and Learn and Science:

  • Mildred’s and we listened to Silent Spring ch 3, started 4, and continued listening in the car and when we got home.

Day 8 - Aug 28, 2025 Notes

Goals: World Religions, ELA, Stella Math, LJ Math, Graphic Design

LJ Math:

  • Algebra 1, Finished 7-3, 7-4: Solving Equations with Variables on Both Sides

Stella Math:

  • Algebra 1, 1-5, 1-6: Exponents, including tricky ones like exponents with negative numbers

World Religion:

Graphic Design:

  • Intro to Adobe Illustrator

ELA:

  • Intro to Unit & discussion, Vocab for Unit, Began First Literature Piece, Homework - Finish reading and comprehension questions.

LJ Independent Study:

  • Intro to Unit & discussion, Vocab for Unit, Began First Literature Piece, Homework - Finish reading and comprehension questions.

Tara Griffin
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