2015-2016 Required Materials

The books you will need to purchase for the 2015-16 School Year are:

Classically Catholic Memory Gamma Year, Teacher's edition (for our science memory work)

 

English from the Roots Up, Volumes I and II (we use both books in our three year cycle... once you own both you are all set!

 

Lost Tools of Writing Level 1 Student book - for students sixth grade and up

Students sixth grade and up should also read the following books over the summer:

The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkein

Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes

Uncle Tom's Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Families with children under five need to purchase Making Music Praying Twice:

Making Music Praying Twice

Spring is Coming (in Music Class)

At Colm Cille Club we have been working on singing solfege at every age level.  Each student from age three to seven has a "name" song, which we sing and use the "body scale" to illustrate.  Older students have been learning the basics of chant notation, which starts... well, at the very beginning, with Do!

I thought you might enjoy this video about the origins of solfege:

Following right along with our history studies, in music we are adding to our repertoire of Gregorian Chant, but also delving into some polyphony.  One of the most basic forms of polyphonic singing is the round, and in the coming weeks we will be working on two rounds in class.  The earliest written notation of a round dates from the thirteenth century.  The song is called "Summer is Icumen in."  In modern English, this means "Spring is coming!"  (Oh, please, let it be so!)  You can see a picture of the manuscript below, and listen to a recording of the song.

 

Here is a pretty nice recording of the first round we will be learning in class, "When Jesus Wept."  It is also on the Making Music Praying Twice Lent CD, which many of you own. 

Medieval History Reading

 

One of my favorite things about homeschooling is reading aloud with my kids. Let me just start by admitting that reading aloud doesn't always go smoothly around here, but I love reading aloud and think it is important, so we persevere.



This year, Jessica has been good enough to create book lists for us geared towards a few different age groups.  There are so many great titles here.  Doesn't it just make you want to get a cup of coffee and curl up on the couch?

Although the lists are grouped by approximate reading levels, I find my bigger kids still love flipping through the picture books, and my younger kids will listen to the longer books if I read them aloud.

Enjoy!

Kindergarten to 3rd graders:

The Holy Twins: Saint Benedict and Scholastica, by Kathleen Norris and Tomie DePaola

The Knight and the Dragon, by Tomie DePaola

Castle: How it Works, by David Macaulay

Clown of God, by Tomie DePaola

Brigid's Cloak, by Bryce Milligan

The Making of a Knight, by Patrick O'Brien 

The Saint and His Bees, by Dessi Jackson

Caedmon's Song, by Ruth Ashby

Hidden Tales from Eastern Europe, by Antonia Barber

National Geographic Kids: Everything Castles

The Kitchen Knight, by Margaret Hodges 

Fourth to Sixth graders:

Cathedral, by David Macaulay

Castle, by David Macaulay

The Big Book of Knights, Nobles, and Knaves

The Illustrated Book of Knights, by Jack Coggins

St. Benedict, Hero of the Hills, by Mary Fabyan Wyndeatt

Augustine Came to Kent, by Barbara Willard

Son of Charlemagne, by Barbara Willard

Otto of the Silver Hand, by Howard Pyle

St. Francis and St. Claire, by Helen Walker Homan

The Story of King Arthur and His Knights, by Howard Pyle

If All the Swords in England, by Barbara Willard

The Raven and the Cross, by John Tully

St. Dominic and the Rosary, by Catherine Beebe

And for older kids, all of the above, plus:

The Restless Flame: A Novel About St. Augustine, by Louis de Wohl

Citadel of God: A Novel about St. Benedict, by Louis de Wohl

Men of Iron, by Howard Pyle

A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver, by E.L. Konigsburg

Adam of the Road, by Elizabeth Janet Gray

Glory to God!

If you, like me, did not learn the Gloria in Latin while growing up, you may be finding it difficult to learn it now. Before we get too far along and we all give up entirely, I wanted to share some files and links I've found useful in learning it. Hopefully they will make it easier for your family to learn it along with Colm Cille Club his fall.

Everyone has the CD to listen to the Gloria in the car, but here is a link to the file in case you'd like to listen on the computer or iPad. 

Gloria Mass VIII mp3

The link below will bring you to a PDF of the Gloria in modern notation. The numbers along the left side correspond to our units of memory work. I'd suggest printing out a few copies to keep around the house. I ended up making binders for each of the kids and myself to keep this and other memory work helps together. We go over it all 2-3 times per week as part of morning time in addition to reviewing it in the car with the CD. So far it's working well.

Gloria (modern notation)

If you're having trouble with the Latin pronunciation, this link will bring you to a PDF including the original Latin with phonetic pronunciation written below.

Gloria with phonetic pronunciation

If you'd like to know what it is you're saying or singing, here is a line by line translation.

Gloria - Latin/English translation

If you'd like a DVD to use for practicing this and other Latin chants at home, try this one.

Gregorian Chant for Kids Vol. 1

All children is grades K-8 are working on this in music class on co-op day, however we are only able to spend 10-15 minutes on it each week. That won't be enough time for them to learn it well enough to stick with them. So the more they can practice at home, the better. Last week, we announced that those who learn this and our other Latin chants well will be invited to sing in the schola for our First Communion Mass on May 2nd. 

When we work on it in class, we sing a small part and have the children repeat. With the K-2 students, we've been having them stand and move their bodies up and down as the notes move up and down. Some students also enjoy moving their hands up and down to follow the music as well. Have fun with practicing at home, and they're sure to keep it in the recesses of their mind for years to come.

Please don't hesitate to ask any questions!

Now for a poll - should I order this t-shirt? :)

http://teespring.com/lauda-moose-te

Good Book Discussions

 

This year we will be reading and discussing Good Books together at Colm Cille Club.  Depending on how your family works, these might be independent reads or family read alouds (even better).  Either way, enjoy! 

Kindergarten to Third Grade:

October 1: Across a Dark and Wild Sea, by Don Brown

October 29: Clown of God, by Tomie de Paola

December 3: The Kitchen Knight, by Margaret Hodges

February 25: Marguerite Makes a Book, by Bruce Robertson

March 25:  Medieval Tales that Kids Can Read and Tell, by Laura Czarnota

May 6: The Sword in the Tree, by Clyde Robert Bulia



Fourth and Fifth Grade Book Discussion Lists and Dates:

October 1:  Beowulf: Dragonslayer, by Rosemary Sutcliff

October 29: Francis and Clare: Saints of Assisi, by Helen Walker Homan

December 3: The Story of King Arthur & His Knights, by Howard Pyle

February 25: St. Hyacinth of Poland, by Mary Fabyan Windeatt

March 25: The Emperor's Winding Sheet, by Jill Paton Walsh

May 6: The Shakespeare Stealer, by Gary Blackwood

 

Books and Resources 2014-2015

To supplement our printable memory work curriculum, you will need to purchase a few resources for Colm Cille Club.

We now have an Amazon Affiliates account, so CCC earns a commission on anything you buy after clicking over to Amazon from this website.  Happy shopping!

All families with students in grades K-6 should purchase one copy per family of each of the following books.  Material from these books is included in our memory work.  The English from the Roots Up book contains many more vocabulary words and explanation of the roots we will be studying.  The CCMemory contains full science lesson plans.

English from the Roots Up, Volume 2

Classically Catholic Memory Beta Year Teacher's Manual

Fourth through sixth graders will need this writing book, which is on clearance right now at the Institute for Excellence in Writing:

Institute for Excellence in Writing Medieval Studies

And for those who don't already own it, each family with children 7 and under should have a copy of Making Music Praying Twice:

Making Music Praying Twice

Uniforms

Why a uniform for co-op?  Well, homeschoolers sometimes need a reason to change out of our pajamas!

In the early days of CCC we met in homes, and the uniform helped us remind ourselves that co-op day wasn't just another playdate.

As we grow, our uniform helps us stay focused and respectful.  It also unites us.

This year, to spare those of us mamas who have been losing the battle against white shirts since 2011, we are changing things up a little and switching to navy blue tops and khaki bottoms.

To make things easier, we have picked out a few things at Land's End:

Girls: Navy Blue Polo Shirt and Khaki Skirt

or

Navy Blue Polo Dress

or

Navy Blue Ruffle Polo Dress.

Boys:

Navy Blue Polo Shirt and Khaki Pants

Feel free to shop elsewhere, but please make sure that skirts hit the top of the knee, and pants are straight leg without cargo pockets.

Shorts are fine for boys in September and May.

If your preschoolers like to play dress up, terrific, but the uniform is only required for kids in Kindergarten and up.  

Ottavia is generously looking into a sweater with our Colm Cille Crest for those who are interested.  Stay tuned!