AO1 Term Three Exams

They cram to pass, and not to know, they do pass, and they don't know.
John Ruskin 1819-1900

"I love exam week!" Jemimah announced excitedly to Daddy yesterday. "Why's that?" he questioned.

"Because I get to have a concert! Because I get gold stars! Because I get to show you how much I know! Because its fun!"

What a difference there is between Jemimah's answers and those of most school children.

The difference is Charlotte Mason. Miss Mason believed in examining children to see how much they know - not how much they don't know. Examinations are a show-off day. It is one of they few days when you are allowed to show everyone just how clever you are!

In the Charlotte Mason method of examinations, my aim is to discover what my child remembers, not to interrogate her in order to find out what she doesn’t remember. Exams are not meant to be a way of comparing our kids to publicly educated kids to rank them as better or worse. My goal in assessing Jemimah is to find out what she has assimilated and made her own; what is now a part of her experience and her life — what she knows.

As her mother and her teacher I am aware of most of Jemimah's strengths and weaknesses, but examinations demonstrate problems that are not evident in daily narrations. Her Term 1 examination answers, for example, demonstrated that she didn't remember names of characters in stories - even those that we had read for the entire term. There was significant improvement in her Term 2 answers. What will this week show, I wonder?

Bible

1. In your own words, tell as much as you can remember about Joseph.
2. Scripture catechism questions on Joseph – can you remember them all?
3. Tell me the story about the Jesus meeting the men on the road to Emmaus.

Memory

1. Recite Philippians 2:6-11 to Daddy.
2. Westminster Catechism questions. How many can you get right?
3. Can you say the books of the Bible in order?
4. Récites Jean 3:16 en français à Papa.

Writing

1. Write the alphabet in lower case letters in your very best writing.
2., Please write, using your very best writing: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Watch punctuation, slope and spacing.

Reading

1. Read for 5 minutes from The Curse of King Tut’s Mummy (A Stepping Stones Chapter book)
2. Read for 5 minutes from Audrey goes to Town (550L)

U.S. History

1. What do you know about Buffalo Bill?
2. Tell me about his relationship with the American Indians throughout his life.

World History

1. Draw me a picture about King Canute and the waves.
2. Tell all you remember about King Edward the Confessor.
3. Why was Harald known first as Harald Shockhead and then as Harald Hairfair?
4. Tell the story of Gyda’s saucy message and what Harald had to do before she would become his wife.
5. Illustrate one of the following: Patrick of Ireland or Pope Gregory I.
6. What can you tell me about Boniface and the big oak tree?

Geography

1. Draw a map of the Great Lakes and label as many of the lakes as you can.
3. What is the name of the country to the north and south?
3b. Which country does Auntie Meriel live in?
4. Tell me the part of Paddle’s journey that you liked best?
5. Do you know any countries where they speak French?

Natural History

1. How did Smudge the lamb get lost? What happened on his adventures and how did he get back home?
2. Tell as much as you can about magpies.
3. What has been your favourite nature study topic?
4. Draw a picture of this animal / plant and label it in French and English.
5. Show your nature study book to Daddy and explain it to him.

Literature and Tales

1. Tell the story of “King Lear” or “The Twelfth Night”.
2. Tell the story, Oh Best Beloved, of the butterfly that stamps.
3. Please retell your favourite fable and what you think it is trying to teach.
4. Can you draw a picture about one of the fairy tales we have read about this term?
5. Tell the story of one of the following:

a. Twinette the spider in “Cobwebs”
b. The robin in winter in “Daily Bread” or
c. The group of trees in “Law of the Wood”.

Australian literature

1. Tell about Nungaree and Jungaree’s meetings with Bubba Piebi.
2. Draw a picture of Nowhere and Woogoo with Here-and-there the Whirlwind’s treasures.

Mathematics

1. Complete review sheet 100.
2. Complete French maths sheet, Les nombres de 0 à 100.
3. Explain what the terms “dizaines” and “unités” mean and give a demonstration with counters.
4. Count as high as you can in French in threes and tens.
5. Count backwards in English from 100 to 0 in fives.

French

1. Can you tell me the parts of a computer in French and English?
2. Use these words and phrases in sentences:

L’unite centrale
L’ordinateur
Le clavier
La souris
L’ecran
… en appuyant sur le bouton

3. Pretend you are meeting Daddy for the first time. Say hello and tell him a little about yourself.

Picture Study (Tom Roberts)

1. What is the name of the artist we studied this term? Where did he live?
2. Describe your favourite picture from this term's picture study.
3. Can you think of any others?

Composer study (Tchaikovsky)

1. What is the name of the composer we have been studying this term? What can you tell me about his life?
2. What type of music is he famous for and name them (there are three).
2. Tell me the story of “The Nutcracker”.

Singing

1. Sing all your songs (3 Psalms, 3 folksongs, 3 French songs) from this term in front of Daddy.

Handicrafts

1. Show your knitting to Daddy and explain how you do it.