Jeremiah's Second Quarter Report (11/1/09-1/31/10)

English Language Arts:

Jeremiah enjoyed building his vocabulary and spelling skills through shows such as Word Girl, Martha Speaks, Word World, Wheel of Fortune, and The Electric Company. He honed his reading skills with Time Warp Trio novels, National Geographic Kids and Nintendo game guides, as well as through playing text-rich games on Gamecube (The Hobbit, Animal Crossing) and on the DS system (Pokemon Leaf Green and Platinum, Madagascar, Spectrobes), and through navigating the Internet independently. He read a riddle book aloud and with great expressiveness. He still prefers typing over handwriting, but is doing more of both as he searches out code words, web addresses, cheat codes, and chats online, and as he completes tasks in assorted games. He watched The Wizard of Oz several times, contrasting the movie to the novel, which he read last year.

Mathematics:

Jeremiah explored fractions, multiplication, division, percentages, purchasing, budgeting, and repaying debt in both real-world (visits to credit union, budgeting, saving, and spending allowance, dividing items, planning for long-range purchases, trading games at Game Exchange) and gaming (earning money, making purchases, paying mortgage in Animal Crossing; earning coins and calculating health percentages in Pokemon games) applications. He explored foreign coins including a franc, a yen, and an Irish pence. He used mathematical principles in many building projects, including cantilevering, pattern blocks, Legos, wooden blocks, popsicle sticks, and brick tiles. His passion for games involving lines, angles, and vectors remains undiminished. He enjoyed exploring the more abstract concepts of negative numbers and infinity.

Sciences:

Jeremiah's passion for Pokemon has led him to a far greater understanding of the process of evolution. This has expanded his interest in archeology, paleontology, and ancient creatures. In addition to various documentaries on PBS and the National Geographic (space, prehistoric creatures, ocean life, Vesuvius, African wildlife) he frequently enjoyed Dinosaur Train and Curious George on PBS kids, often performing experiments from the shows, and deepening his understanding of scientific method. He remains passionate about ecology and life cycles, and became more interested in genus and species names and familial relationships between species. He continued indulging his love of physics through games such as billiards, classic Atari, and Crayon Physics. He enjoyed contemplating more abstract topics, as well, including space and time travel and extraterrestrial life. he continues to have an affinity for technology, and has become adept at using devices such as digital cameras, portable DVD players, and Internet navigation. He has conducted independent explorations of cattails, leaves, tracks, rocks, minerals, egg contents, and compost, as well as making "concoctions" of his own devising. He observed a "glass piano" and participated in a family experiment to see what happens when Mentos candies are dissolved in cola (lots of fizziness!). Jeremiah continued planning various inventions, and custom-designed headphones for himself using hearing protectors, ear buds, tissue, and duct tape. He has learned about various species of fish, insects, and prehistoric animals through filling his own in-game museum.

Social Sciences:

Jeremiah continues to be outgoing, and able to get along with a wide variety of people, both spontaneously and in established friendships. He has visited several libraries, playgrounds, play areas, and restaurants. He has further honed his mapreading skills through games such as Pokemon and Animal Crossing. We attended the Victorian Street Walk in Saratoga Springs, where he explored period costumes, saw mummers perform, hitching posts and mounting blocks, architecture, traffic and dog safety. We further discussed New York's Dutch heritage, and the beginnings of European settlement of North America. He spoke with various exhibitors, including older children at the 4-H gingerbread house display, and adults such as salespeople and the glass piano player. He engaged in a variety of games, dramatic, and free play with other children. He learned more of Japanese culture through a new interest in anime such as Yu-Gi-Oh and Dinosaur King. A portable DVD player with an Australian plug sparked interest in other ways of accessing electricity. He has also become more interested in theology, ethics, and mythology. We listened to several reports regarding Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Haitian earthquake.

Foreign Language Studies:

Interest in anime and Pokemon has led to more interest in Japanese. Jeremiah has also figured out how to change subtitles, and enjoyed listening to the trailer for "The Hunchback of Notre Dame II" in Swedish and English, for contrast. I found it interesting that he used proper French pronunciation while telling me about this! As he now has friends who are Orthodox Jewish, he had a deeper interest in Chanukkah this year, and explored some Hebrew and Yiddish words and writing.

Visual Performing Arts and Music:

Jeremiah created several rubber band instruments, and was intrigued enough to attempt his own glass piano. Made a salad with Annalise, and participated in a family gingerbread house. Explored rhythm through Donkey Konga and dance. Began to develop interests in photography and videography. Visited lobby (paintings and sculpture) of Saratoga Arts Center, street sculpture, and glass art, jewelry, and window displays. Viewed mummers and street musicians, and light show at Quick Response. Pattern block and building art.

Physical Education:

Jeremiah engaged in a wide variety of physical play, including snow and ice walks, indoor and outdoor obstacle courses, fort building, sledding, climbing, and swimming. He continued making choices regarding food and sleep, and learning the consequences of excess. We discussed hygiene (he's not especially fond of it, just now), traffic, fire, knife, and stranger safety.

Attendance:

Days attended first quarter: 123
Days attended second quarter:93
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Total attendance: 216 days