Fourth Grade in Our Home :: Exams, Term 3

Time to wrap up this past school year!  I've got these exam posts scheduled for today and tomorrow and then one other wrap-up post to share with you on Friday.  Then it's on to our summer plans next week!

Below is a peek at my 4th graders exams from the final term of AO Year 4, including a sampling of their answers.  We ran these exams the same way as last time: I handed them a big stack to complete over the week and let them complete it in their own order and at their own pace.  We did a few oral narrations as well, and these were done during our usual "naptime school" block.

If you're looking for questions to use for your own exams, check out the wonderful exam page over at AO!  They even include answers to make your life easier. :)  (And in case you're interested: you can find all our previous exams here.)

The Questions

History
What do you know about the Battle of Bunker Hill or Valley Forge?
Tell about the Declaration of Independence.
"I haven't begun to fight yet." Tell the whole story. OR Discuss the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and John and Abigail Adams.
What do you know about Frederick the Great, Catherine the Great, or Dr. Jenner?
Tell about the Reign of Terror or the fall of the Bastille.

Geography
What is the difference between a fast flood and a slow one? Or, Discuss some boats that changed the Mississippi River.
Add as many details to this map as you can.  Annotate with information from Minn.
Tell all you know about Egypt and China from Hillyer's A Child's Geography of the World.
Complete the following pages:

Natural History and General Science
Explain how Madame How's great ice-plough has helped make the ground on which we live.
Tell what you know about pollen, and why plants need insects.

Penmanship
Write 2-4 lines of a poem you memorized this term in print and in cursive.

Grammar
Complete the provided grammar worksheet:

Latin
Complete your next translation lesson in Getting Started with Latin.

Italian
Complete the following pages:

Memory Work
Recite one selection from this term in each of the following categories: hymn, folk song, poetry, Shakespeare, Bible.  (Note: we did this as a end-of-term performance for Daddy, which was fun!)

Nature Study
Describe and draw three wildflowers that bloom in spring.
Write an ode to something we see at the beach.
Describe something we see at the aquarium.

Literature
Tell the story of one myth in the style of Kipling's Just So Stories. (Cupid and Psyche, or Echo and Narcissus, or Niobe)
Shakespeare: Describe a favorite scene from The Winter's Tale with as much detail as you can.
Draw a map of The Incredible Journey, labeling the places the animals visited and what they encountered in words or pictures.

Poetry
What was your favorite poem by Wordsworth other than the one you memorized?  Share a bit or image from it that struck you.
Illustrate the poems you memorized.

Citizenship
What was one flaw of Titus Flamininus?  Tell a scene from his life that illustrates that flaw.
Describe the campaign of Titus in Epirus, showing how he made the Greeks willing to submit to him.

Bible
Choose a few lines from The First Epistle to St. Timothy to add to your Prose and Poetry notebook.

Religion
What is the purpose of prayer?
Explain what a sacramental is and give examples.

Draw a picture of the altar properly laid, labeling the necessary parts.

Music Study and Picture Study
Tell about one Palestrina piece from this term.
Tell a bit about the life of Palestrina.
Can you name the following composition by Palestrina?  What was his inspiration for the piece?
Sketch from memory your favorite Waterhouse work from this term's studies.

Reading Skill
Select a passage from Johnny Tremain in your clearest voice.

Math
Complete the assigned math selection.

Piano
Play your most recent piece for your grandparents.

Art
Choose a picture from My Nature Friend to draw.

Handicrafts and Life Skills
Carefully craft an origami butterfly or bird out of kite paper for our spring windows.
Make an origami frog for one of the little kids.

Some Answers

I like to put some of the kids' responses side by side just to show how different two students' details and styles can be.  This is one of the reasons I really like CM-style exams: they give the opportunity for the student to share what he remembers best rather than trying to ferret out what he doesn't.  They connected with different elements from our readings and expressed themselves in different ways, but both students' answers would be considered a job well done.  Exams responses are not going to all look alike--and that's a good thing!

Some Thoughts

I'm going to save most of my wrap-up comments about the term for my final Year 4 post later this week, but I'll just say a few things about what I took from this particular exam experience...

:: We were more intentional with our mapping-alongside-readings and I was pleased with the results of that. They were far more confident in their mapping on the exam and had lots of details to add.  (And even the bits they weren't especially sure about, they did know the general area.)  This motivated me to ensure I set up a mapping opportunity for our Civil War battles for next year!
:: I threw in that question about telling a story from Age of Fable in the style of Just So Stories because my Big Kids have been listening in on Cate's Year 1 readings, particularly Kipling.  (And how could you not?  That book is positively delightful and a joy to read aloud.)  They giggled through the whole thing and I look forward to more of these kinds of creative narrations to come!
:: I asked for an ode on a nature study theme because the topic has come up in our reading of Wordsworth. Several of his poems they chose to memorize were odes, and although they didn't know that terminology, they were asking why the poems seemed to be addressed to the objects being described.  I briefly explained an ode and for the rest of the term, they noticed more examples.  But I didn't share their finished odes here because they were surprisingly shy about them, even though I think they did a great job.
:: The kids continue to be thrilled with origami.  I think we're going to transition that to paper sloyd this summer--to incorporate more measuring and precise cutting skills along with the folding.
:: On the history questions, they were able to pull details from all their readings (George Washington's World, This Country of Ours, Abigail Adams) into their answers. I feel like we got a very rich and thorough view of the period through the way AmblesideOnline scheduled these readings and I can't wait to see what next year holds.
:: Palestrina and Waterhouse were both huge hits this term!

Up tomorrow: a quick look at Cate (Year 1)and Xavier's (Kinder) exam!

Fourth Grade in Our Home :: Exams, Term 2

Verrrry late in getting these up (we just finished our end-of-year exams this week!), but I do want to have a record of them here, and I know some of you would like to see them.  So: Term 2 exams...

Below is a peek at my 4th graders exams from last term: first the questions, and then a sampling of answers follow.

I did something a bit different this term: I printed out a bunch of questions with space for written narrations and then one sheet of paper listing the drawn narrations and other independent activities, then clipped it all together and left it on the dining table for them to grab first thing that Monday morning.  (You can see the stack in that photo at the top.)  I let them work at whatever pace they wanted, in whatever order they wanted.  The oral narrations are pretty much all that weren't listed there--we did together during our usual naptime school block.  They had a lot of fun with this format and I did it for our Term 3 exams also.  (If my kids didn't enjoy writing, we certainly wouldn't be doing it this way!  But if your kids do like writing, it's something to consider. :))

If you're looking for questions to use for your own exams, check out the wonderful exam page over at AO!  They even include answers to make your life easier. :)  (And in case you're interested: you can find all our previous exams here.)

The Questions

History
Tell about two of these: James Oglethorpe, La Salle, King William's War, or Chief Pontiac.
Tell about the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party.
Tell about the French and Indian War or the Seven Years War.
Choose one and tell what you know about him or her: Marie Antoinette or Voltaire.

Geography
Tell what you know about Lake Pepin.
Tell all you know about Russia or the Scandinavian Peninsula from Hillyer's A Child's Geography of the World.
What do you know about the Mound Builders?
Complete the following pages:

Natural History and General Science
Describe the links of the endless chain of change that transform a grain of soil.
Tell how steam can make machines move or tell all you know about clouds.

Penmanship
Write 2-4 lines of a poem you memorized this term in print and in cursive.

Grammar
Complete the provided grammar worksheet:

Latin
Complete your next translation lesson in Getting Started with Latin.

Italian
Complete the following pages:

Memory Work
Recite one selection from this term in each of the following categories: hymn, folk song, poetry, Shakespeare, Bible.  (Note: we did this as a end-of-term performance for Daddy, which was fun!)

Nature Study
What does the county park look like in January? Are the trees bare, bearing fruit, in bloom?  Are there wildflowers?  Describe at least three January sights there. You may sketch if you like.

Literature
Write a haiku to tell a story from Age of Fable.  (Note: We happened to discuss haikus when they came up in George Washington's World.)
Illustrate one scene from Kidnapped and write a short description.
Who was your favorite character in A Midsummer Night's Dream?  Describe a favorite scene that he or she was in with as much detail as you can.

Citizenship
Describe how Philopoemen remained a good general until the end.

Bible
Choose a few lines from The Epistle of James to add to your Prose and Poetry notebook.

Religion
What are the Sacraments of death?  The sacraments of life?  Why are they called so?
Name two commandments of the Church.
Choose one rosary mystery and describe Mother Loyola's insights about it in Hail Full of Grace.
Answer any two questions about our saint studied this term, St. Junipero Serra:
 -- Describe a particular difficulty St. Serra endured on his journey and how he overcame it.
 -- Share something of the early life of Fra Serra.
 -- Describe the founding of one of Fr. Serra's missions.
 -- How was Father Serra welcomed by the native Californians?

Music Study and Picture Study
Tell about one Schubert piece from this term.
Can you name the following composition by Schubert?  What was his inspiration for the piece?
Sketch from memory your favorite Corot work from this term's studies.

Reading Skill
Select a passage from Calico Captive in your clearest voice.

Piano
Play your most recent piece for your grandparents.

Poetry
What was your favorite poem by Dickinson other than the one you memorized?  Share an bit or image from it that struck you.

Math
Complete the assigned math selection.

Art
Choose a picture from My Nature Friend to draw.

Handicrafts and Life Skills
Show something you made for Christmas to Daddy.
Make a paper star from memory.


Some Answers

I like to put some of the kids' responses side by side just to show how different two students' details and styles can be.  This is one of the reasons I really like CM-style exams: they give the opportunity for the student to share what he remembers best rather than trying to ferret out what he doesn't.  They connected with different elements from our readings and expressed themselves in different ways, but both students' answers would be considered a job well done.  Exams responses are not going to all look alike--and that's a good thing!  (Click to see larger if you'd like.)

Some Thoughts

:: I guessed last time that once we hit the Revolutionary Era, the kids' enthusiasm for their history questions would increase.  It did!  They really enjoyed this term's history readings and that came through in their written responses.
:: I prioritized mapping habits in Term 2 and found their work to be much better than in Term 1...but still not as great as I expected.  (I will say, though, that Term 3 results are much improved so I will share more about that when Term 3 exams are ready to share.  I think we needed two terms of this habit under our belts to start to make connections.)  Map drills, on the other hand, have been very successful, as usual.  But I really do privilege mapwork accompanying our geography readings to the drill form, so I'd like to have the former catch up with the latter in terms of retention.
:: Italian answers were surprisingly good (better than Term 1), but spelling was definitely a problem.  I added in more Italian copywork in the CM style for Term 3 to help with some of that.  We did Italian completely aurally/orally for a couple years before this, so they can definitely say more than they can write--and that showed here.  I'm pleased they are taking risks and not just sticking with words they're completely sure of, though!  Those results also made me think I need to include more reading aloud in Italian to translate spelling to pronunciation.  I added that to my for Year 5 brainstorming.  
:: Their favorite part of the exams were the creative options.  I think adding a few of those to the tell-what-you-know variety makes the whole experience more fun!

Tomorrow: my Year 1 and kindergartener's exams!

Fourth Grade in Our Home :: Exams, Term 1

Here's a peek at my 4th graders exams from last term: first the questions, and then a sampling of answers follow.  Please keep in mind, I have two students answering, so they're sometimes doing just half of each category.  (And if you're looking for questions to use for your own exams, check out the wonderful exam page over at AO!)

The Questions

History
What do you know about King Philip's War?
"In spite of Franklin's popularity in Paris, the war news from America was making the French foreign minister wary of an American treaty."  Tell the whole story.
Tell about the witches of Salem, or how New Amsterdam became New York.
What do you know about Lord Baltimore or William Penn?

Geography
"The river is a museum." Explain.
Tell about the "Est Est West" or the Amazon river in South America from Hillyer's A Child's Geography of the World.
Label this map of Europe/Asia.
Tell me about one character from California history we have encountered so far in The Cruise of the Arctic Star.  Where in California does his or her story take place?

Natural History and General Science
What are earthquakes? What causes them?
Talk about how silk is made and harvested and about Epeira's bridge.

Penmanship
Write 2-4 lines of a poem you memorized this term in print and in cursive.

Grammar
Complete this grammar worksheet (taken almost exactly from the AO Exams page).

Latin
Translate sentences from Getting Started with Latin.

Italian
Listen to the story of Il Cappucetto Rosso and narrate back in Italian.
Narrate this picture in Italian using complete sentences.  (Write at least three sentences.)
Change these sentences to accommodate a new subject.  Consider verbs and adjectives.
Conjugate irregular verbs.  Write sentences with them.

Memory Work
Hymn - Sing "Veni Creator Spiritus" or "Dona Nobis Pacem."
Folk Song - Sing "Scarborough Fair" or "The Ballad of Davy Crockett."
Poetry - Recite one of your Tennyson poems for this term.
Shakespeare - Recite a passage from Much Ado About Nothing.

Nature Study
Tell me as much as you can about one of the trees we are studying this term.  Be sure to include its name, where it grows, what its leaves and bark look like, what seeds or blossoms it has, and any other details you'd like to share.  Illustrate with sketches.

Literature
Tell the story of one of the following: Apollo and Daphne, Pyramus and Thisbe, Cephalus and Procris.
Draw a map of Robinson Crusoe's island or a picture of the outfit he makes himself.
What attitude toward his shipwreck does Robinson have when he arrives on the island, and how does his perspective change?  What causes the change?
Who was your favorite character in Much Ado about Nothing?  Describe a favorite scene that he or she was in with as much detail as you can.

Citizenship
Describe the various ways in which Marcus Cato spent his old age.

Bible
How did the fact that Paul was a Roman citizen change his story?
Tell about the early disagreements between the Jews and the new Christians.  What were some of the issues they struggled over?
Tell about Peter's escape from prison.

Religion
What are the marks of the Church?
Explain the two kinds of grace.
Tell two events from St. Isaac's life that demonstrate his sanctity.

Music Study and Picture Study
Tell about your favorite Brahms' piece from this term.
Can you name the following composition by Brahms?  What was his inspiration for the piece?
Describe your favorite Velazquez work from this term's studies.  You may sketch it if you would like.

Reading Skill
Read this passage from Bambi aloud in your clearest voice.

Piano
Go through your piano flashcards.
Play your recital pieces for our family.

Free Reading
Describe Bambi's encounters with the Old Stag.  What role does he play in the story, and how is he important to Bambi?
How is "He" portrayed in Bambi?  In what ways are the animals right about him and in what ways are they wrong?

Poetry
What was your favorite poem by Tennyson other than the one you read?  Explain what you liked about it.

Math
Complete your math unit quiz.

Art
Show one of your recent drawings to Daddy.

Handicrafts and Life Skills
Make a batch of oatmeal bars for the family.  Be sure to clean up after yourself and ask for Mommy's help in getting them in and out of the oven.


Some Answers

"The River is a Museum" from Holling's Minn of the Mississippi, by Gianna
In Minn’s time, the river was a museum.  There were all sorts of things there: sea chests, and gold, and things from before the Great Fire.  The Great Fire had been when men came, and one of them accidentally set fire to the woods and the woods burned up.  Then it was all farmland, and then, people went to college and found out that they could make it a wood again, and so they did.  And since they made it a wood, that was what Minn saw: a wood.  Before it, there was a wasteful way of floating logs downstream, and whenever it was not done properly, the logs fell to the bottom, and so there were many of those too.  The sea chests were from the old days of pirates and adventurous sea voyages.  Sometimes they had been drowned by the St. Anthony Falls, which Minn was going over, and at other times, they had been shipwrecked.   

Marcus Cato's later life, by Gianna
Marcus Cato’s old age was very different from the old age system of rulers, and he praised himself about it.  He said that people who retired when they were old were not good, and since he didn’t retire, he was good.  Instead of retiring, he went off to a place in the countryside where he said that he was taking a little vacation.  And he also went on his last great journey: he went to see a king who paid tribute to the Romans.  Cato was a Roman and a censor of Rome.  He went and saw them and he saw that they were not acting properly and he decided to make war against them, so he went into the senate and declared war.  A young man went against him and he said that Cato was wrong and that the unruly country would be a bridle to the Romans because they were getting too proud and too haughty.  Marcus Cato, however, despised him for this, and in the end, there was a war.  And Marcus Cato prophesied that the young man that went against him would be the great hero of the war, and he was right.  Also, when he was old, he used to write books.  He wrote one about farming, one about health, and he said that his wife and children never got sick, but that was not true, for his wife died early.

Peter's Escape from Prison in Acts, by Vincent
One day Herod wanted to please the Jews so he had James the Greater’s head cut off. This delighted the Jews, and Herod decided to take Peter and put him in prison.  The guards put him in prison and one guard was changed to his left wrist and another to his right, and there were two guards outside the door.  The guards took turns in groups of four.  Now in houses around, many people were prayingfor Peter.  In the middle of the night, Peter’s chains fell off and although the guards were still awake outside the door, they did not see him leave.  Peter went to a house and knocked on the door, saying it was Peter.  One of the girls opened the door and seeing Peter, she told everyone that he had come since they were praying for him.  Then they thought it was better if Peter stayed out of the way of the High Priests.

 

Some Thoughts

:: I like to put some of the kids' responses side by side just to show how different two students' details and styles can be.  This is one of the reasons I really like CM-style exams: they give the opportunity for the student to share what he remembers best rather than trying to ferret out what he doesn't.:: I usually like to write my own history questions, but the ones that AmblesideOnline offered for this term were so good that I didn't bother!  The kids remembered Salem very well and William Penn not so well--that was no surprise, because isn't that about your experience with early American history? ;)  Really, though, the founding of the colonies has made an impression and the kids are excited to see how these issues erupt into the situation described in Poor Richard, BUT I think the particular governors are starting to run together a bit at this point.  The narrations are good right after reading, but the details are a bit fuzzy a few weeks later.  My main goal for them to take away from this section of TCOO is that the founding of each colony had its own "personality."  We'll be moving on to the Revolutionary period shortly!
:: I didn't include a geography question about Minn because we haven't done weekly mapping with that book yet--I need to get better about doing that!  They do still enjoy the book as a natural history read, so it works on a lot of levels and is still a rich text.  But the geography is very rich too and I am doing a better job prioritizing that in Term 2.  (I actually had them draw and label maps to the point we're at in the book just last week, so we're all "caught up" now and it's up to me to just keep it going.)
:: Gianna actually came up with the question about Robinson Crusoe's outfit and I loved their responses!  They (and especially Gianna) love creative narration options, and I think exams are a great opportunity to try those out.  
:: I also did way more written exam questions that I was planning to, but they asked to do more, so I decided to let them try that.  I think the amount was actually just fine and I may just plan it that way next time around too.
:: I was planning to record recitations on video to share here, but since we were all sick for exams, it didn't happen.  Next time maybe?
:: I haven't yet had them do any cursive practice from a print model--I have always had them write from a cursive model for copywork.  But I thought it would be a good opportunity to try something new for exams. I am going to do this more often now that I know they're capable!
:: So my Shakespeare question (for them to just choose a scene to describe rather than retelling the whole play) was roundly rejected in favor of a full and complete narration.  This has happened before so I wasn't surprised.  There is something about Shakespeare that gets them really fired up about narrations!  Suffice it to say that our trip to the theater a few months ago really captured their imaginations: they love Shakespeare more than ever now and particularly love reenacting favorite bits.  So if you have a chance to enjoy a live performance near you, take advantage!  It's paying dividends here, for sure.

In the next few days, I'll share a quick peek at my first grader's very first formal exam.