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Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bau-
er. Creating biomes, memorizing Latin,
constructing a pop-up book reports all
contribute to mental absorption in the
grammar stage of a classical curriculum.
From grades 1-5, students are in
this grammar stage, excelling at memo-
rizing lists and facts. By end of 5th
grade, students become analytical, capa-
ble of critical thought. By 9th grade, stu-
dents take these issues to heart and ex-
press themselves. Enter the rhetoric
stage, the stage of discussion, expressive
communication and persuasive writing.
Classical ed is a well-trodden path.
Volume 1, Issue 5
March/April 2014
CHRISTIAN ACADEMY FOR CREATIVE LEARNING
Marian Hope Academy
Inside the classrooms 2-3
Auction update 2
Why memorize? 3
Kinesthetic learning 3
Be techno diligent 4
Inside this issue:
Learning Latin doesn’t make for a
classical education. Learning HOW to
learn, how to do one’s own work, how to
become a critical thinker, how to organize:
these make for a classical education.
Classical education has to do with
setting up solid foundations and approach-
ing learning as a web rather than a chest of
drawers, according to An Introduction to
Classical Education. It means learning
how to learn, developing mental discipline
and intellectual curiosity and a willingness
to learn and reflect on lessons of the past.
All this is much more than a single
foreign-language course, according to The
Puppet book reports
All the rage in Ms. Maribeth’s
Language Arts class are the
puppet book reports on famous
Americans. Hanalei speaks in
1st person with puppet Helen
Keller. Also featured by other
students were Ben Franklin,
Abe Lincoln, Sacagawea,
Mark Twain, St. Joan of Arc.
Classical education not just Latin:
Laying solid foundation for learning
A big part of the
MHA education in-
volves reaching out
to those in need.
MHA’s 22 students
earned a pizza party
for collecting 256
baby clothing items.
Valerie and Luca
Bell, along with
Cruz, Carson and
Cade Ruoff and An-
gie and Hope
Knight handled de-
livery of the items to
Josiah’s closet at The
Women’s Clinic.
Science: Botany! We
are enthusiastically germinating
seeds, taking cuttings to root,
sprouting tubers, and dissecting
flowers. As the weather has al-
lowed, we have been exploring
the great outdoors. Students are
keeping a journal of their experi-
ments and observations.
Geography: The stu-
dents are reviewing oceans and
continents, learning map skills,
and memorizing the 50 states.
Ask your child to sing "Fifty Nif-
ty United States."
LANGUAGE ARTS: After finishing a composition
unit, the class began writing po-
etry. Look for your child's work
displayed in the hallway. For this
project, our inspiration was the
sky on a beautiful day.
Auction
results
P A G E 2 M A R I A N H O P E A C A D E M Y
In Class : M s . B o n n i e ’ s c l a s s u p d a t e s
Ancient Egypt lives on with MHA students’ creating ancient Egyptian artifacts, aka
mummy masks and cat masks.
Celebrating Hope, Marian Hope Academy’s first Silent Auction,
brought in close to $15,000. A special thank you to all who donated
items and/or participated in the festivities, said Chief Executive Of-
ficer Angie Knight. “We appreciate each of you,” she said.
Hope, Leanna, Emme and Aubrey work on
weight/balance problem solving in logic class.
Spring fever: True or False? Is Spring Fever a real physical condition? True
Spring Fever refers to a physiological and psychological
move in the body's reaction to changing seasons. The signs
are telling: restlessness, loss of appetite, intense nervous ex-
citement, high-energy spurts and insomnia.
When outdoor temps rise, the body has to get rid of
the heat; there is an expansion in blood vessels so that the
blood can be carried to the surface where heat can be quickly
lost. Some people experience an energetic feeling when this
change happens due to the body's reaction to the great
amount of internal work going on.
Help students by allowing time for movement, be-
come aware of their own energy levels and encouraging
them to maintain self-control over words and actions.
P A G E 3 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 5
Language Arts/Latin
Move it, move it, move it Kinesthetic learning involves action
The kinesthetic learning style is one of eight types of learning styles defined
in Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Bodily kinesthetic
learning styles refer to a person's ability to process information through the
hand and body movement, control and expression.
Kinesthetic learning styled people enjoy activities such as drawing, model-
ing, sculpting, drafting, shop, athletics, dance and hands-on sciences. These
types of learners enjoy creating work with their hands, may have a lot of
energy and need to move, and may be talented athletes.
These folks learn best when they are permitted to use their tactile senses and
fine and gross motor movement as part of the learning process. They often
prefer direct involvement with material they are learning rather than work-
sheets or reading from a book. These kinesthetic students understand and
remember material longer when they use it in an active way. Some individu-
als actually need to move to think; teachers need to recognize these active
learners and not mistake them for having ADD/ADHD.
Cramming doesn’t equal knowing
by Maribeth Samenus-Chambers
First few days of class, following a concept discussion, I was in-
undated with questions like: “Do we have to know this for the test?”
and “When is the test?” A veritable test-phobia circulated the halls
at MHA, going around quicker than the recent strain of flu.
I stressed to the students that whether the information im-
parted unto them involved parts of speech or Hadrian’s Wall, it mat-
tered not if it would be on the test. They just needed to learn, listen
and commit to memory. That seemed to confuse them way back in
August. In typical schools, students deal with a cycle of: fact
presentation, cram, test, empty memory banks, only to have to com-
plete the same shallow-learning style cycle repeatedly throughout
the year.
Trite as it may sound, solid educating involves lighting the
fire in the grey matter, not filling it. As educators, we focus on
teaching students to know, not to cram and forget.
The futile process of memorization for a test, cramming in
as many factoids as possible, leads to a brain dump following the
test. That’s not a solid plan for learning. Approach a subject in a
focused manner and have the students delve deep. Give students
less to know but expect them to know it well? Not a bad plan.
Learning via web/apps *www.thrivemovement.com for health; *www.poets.org for poetry;
*www.eyewitnesstohistory.com for ancients; welbourneprimary.com/links/history/Castles/Castlescroft/Contents.htm
for information on Medieval times, castles and knights included.
Semper fideles!
Veni, vidi, vici!
Ora et labora! Why memorize poetry? Language arts’ students
have been diligently mem-
orizing poetry since Au-
gust — from Robert Louis
Stevenson to Stephen Vin-
cent Benet.
What’s the point? Isn’t this memorization a
relic from decades ago? According to most
experts, memorizing at an early age builds
brain matter and will build skills to learn in
later stages of education. Strong rhythmic me-
ter in poems helps those new to memorization.
“We speak of memorizing as getting some-
thing 'by heart,' which really means 'by head.'
But getting a poem or prose passage truly 'by
heart' implies getting it by mind and memory
and understanding and delight,” wrote John
Hollander . He compiled an anthology of po-
ems that lend themselves easily to memoriza-
tion, Committed to Memory, published by
Books & Co./Turtle Point.
Marian Hope Academy is a community school focused on the
roots of Christianity. We believe in salvation through Christ Je-
sus. We believe in the Father, Son & Holy Spirit. We believe the
Holy Bible as the inspired Word of God. These core beliefs help
us recognize that we are all part of the body of Christ. We do not
promote the doctrines of any one church or denomination, but
rather focus on the core beliefs that Christians share.
Oakwood Baptist Church 7600 Lee’s Summit Road Kansas City, MO 64139 Angie Knight, CEO Marian Hope 816-588-3782 Sue Stickney, Marian Hope 816-547-6255
Experiential learning emphasizes the learner’s perspective.
Where conventional learning takes place outside in,
experiential learning grows the student from the inside!
MARIAN HOPE ACADEMY
www.marianhope.org
On the calendar: May 9: Laura Ingalls field trip
May 21: Shatto Dairy
(kindergarten)
May 26: Memorial Day - No school
May 30: King Tut field trip (1st-8th)June 6: Last Day of School July 21-Aug. 1: Summer session
MARIAN HOPE ACADEMY
CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
FOR CREATIVE LEARNING
Session builds nutritional savvy Don’t forget Marian Hope’s Nutritional Manage-
ment Support group, the first Wednesday monthly,
6:30-8:30 p.m., at Marian Hope Center, 14820 E. 42nd
St., Independence.
Toxins abound in the food supply, processed foods
seems to take center stage at the heart of a family
meal. How can families make better nutritional choic-
es? Share meal ideas, ask questions and connect with
other families on a similar journey. Contact Blakely
Page, [email protected] or call 816-695-1255.
Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return. —Luke 6:38
Be vigilant about media: At school,
at home, parent-teacher role crucial by Maribeth Samenus-Chambers
“My favorite thing to do is play video games.”
I cringe when a student admits this. Gaming is a
billion-dollar industry, aimed at youth under age 17. Ac-
cording to the National Institute on Media and Family, 67%
of families own a gaming system. The institute also reports
that 50% of 4th graders prefer first-person shooter games.
Stats tell of how this type of “play” increases aggressive
thoughts and behaviors. What a gaming company may view
as appropriate for a 9-11 year old may not be what Christ
had in mind for developing character and kindness.
**Ways to be vigilant, from NOISE by Teresa Tomeo:
1. Express your parental guidelines for what’s ac-
ceptable on all media, music, video and games. Explain
why certain themes and elements are unacceptable.
2. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. If you invite one of
these systems in, know the parameters, purpose and func-
tions of the game .
3. NO games, TVs, electronics in kids’ bedrooms.
4. Use Christian, family-friendly websites, games.
5. Don’t buy items that are not morally sound.
Tomeo and others speak to the importance of silence in our
lives to think and to pray. Provide the time not only for out-
side play, for downtime with NO scheduled activities, but
also provide time for uninterrupted prayer.
Dress code: Parents please keep in mind our
2013-14 guidelines:
*For girls: If leggings are worn, please
wear with long shirts or dresses no shorter than 4
inches from the knee. Dresses, skirts, shorts no
shorter than 2 inches above the knee.
* No clothes with slogans or characters
unless it is faith-based, Marian Hope or Marian
Hope Academy t-shirts. *Shorts should be either
Bermuda length (just above the knee) or the Capri
length which is just below the knee. *Shirts must be
tucked in or cover below the tummy. * Must wear
tights or socks with closed-toe shoes or boots. No
sandals. Tennis shoes are preferred.
Seed sproutsLily, Hanalei, Noah
and Will plant seeds
in sponges in science
class. The plan: grow
without dirt. Stu-
dents think this is
feasible after study-
ing their lesson on
plant growth.