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, bpage@marianhope.org 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.