So I posted the 'exams' the kids have for this last week of school and I wasn't sure I would post their work but I decided I will. I start with Lee simply because she is older. I'm surprised she didn't put as much humor into her answers as she usually does. You can see some of it though (for instance her answer about waterproofing the leather for
The Brendan Voyage boat...).
Lee:
The Birth of Britain
What has happened with the island of Britannia since Julius Caesar's first attempt to conquer? Give a brief summary.
1. Julius Caesar tries to get Britain; fails. 2. Britain conquered by Romans. 3. Settles into Roman life. 4. Attacked by pirates, etc. 5. Romans grip crumbles.
Describe one of the battles fought on Caesar's first attempt to conquer Britain.
Caesar sailed over, but the weather was rough, and the British knew he was coming. Some of his ships were ruined, and lots of enemy awaited. He lost.
What two Ages were discussed in the first part of the first chapter? What was the significance of these two Ages?
Bronze and Iron Age. Those were ages when better tools and weapons were made from first Bronze, then iron. They kind of overlapped.
Describe Emperor Claudius as you think he was portrayed by Churchill.
He wasn't a very good Emperor. Churchill said he was a "clown".
What is happening to Roman Britain by the 5th century?
Its power was not very stable, and things went out of control. It could not have enough troops everywhere to keep control.
In your own words, describe in detail the most interesting thing that you have learned so far from The Birth of Britain.
I think the most interesting thing I learned about in BOB was how Julius Caesar wasn't able to conquer Britain. I just am amazed that Julius Caesar, who conquered so many places, even when he was outnumbered or had some other problem, could not conquer tiny Britain! I also had no idea they were conquered by Rome.
In Freedom's Cause
What characters do you recall from the first chapter? What are their roles or significance?
Archie- son of a dead lord, who wants the English out of Scotland
Sir John- guy who controls the area Archie is in
King Edward- King of Britain
In your own words, tell what is taking place, or has taken place, so far.
Scotland is under control of Britain. The English are not abiding rules they had set down, when Scotland was free. Scotland has no king to lead them, either. Scottish people have been revolting, only to be pushed down. Archie has a little secret rebel group.
The Brendan Voyage
Describe where the story of Tim Severin's Brendan Voyage takes place.
Mostly at sea. Starts in Ireland, I think. Goes to islands in the area, too.
What is the importance of the Brendan Voyage? Why is Tim Severin determined to make the voyage?
Tim wants to prove that St. Brendan did use a leather boat to sail to America. Lots of people think it is impossible.
Briefly describe the process, as best you can recall, that was used to make the boat used for the voyage.
They sewed leather over the wooden hull and used leather string to tie most of it together. They covered it in (eww!) fat to waterproof it.
Tell of something that particularly interested you about The Brendan Voyage.
I think it's weird that so many people (mostly historians, professors, etc.) argued about whether St. Brendan's voyage was true or not, but none of them put it to the test. Tim did.
Fearfully & Wonderfully Made
Tell what you can recall about cells.
Each works for the body. There are lots of different kinds. Make up the body. Each has a special job.
Still remembering what you learned about cells, how do they fulfill the role of Specialization? Diversity? Worth? Mutiny?
Specialization: The hands are made to pick things up, not see. Each part is made for a certain job, and no other.
Diversity: There are nerve cells, blood cells, fat cells, white blood cells, lots of cells! But together they make one person.
Worth: There may be 100 cells, but they are all important. They each help you in one way or another. So 1 cell is just as important as the other 99.
Mutiny: If one cell refuses to do its job, everyone suffers. Eventually, even if it profits, it will pay, too.
Using the same guidelines as questions #1 & #2, what can you recall about bones? How do they relate to A Frame? Hardness? Freedom?
Frame: Without them, we would be a huge blob. It holds us together.
Hardness: They take a lot of pressure and bend to the circumstances. If the hardness was gone, we wouldn't be a bob but we'd be too floppy to do anything.
Freedom: Bones don't limit us, they free us. If it weren't for bones, we wouldn't be able to run around. We need them, kinda like laws. Laws like "don't go on a red light" free us so we don't crash. Cause then we'd have a lot of restricting owies.
Lobo/Slum Kitten
Describe Lobo and tell what you know about him.
Lobo was a very clever wolf. He killed lots of cattle and sheep, and it took a very long time to catch him. His mate was Blanca, and he was the leader of a pack.
Tell about the Slum Kitten.
Her litter mates were all killed, and her mom got taken away on a fishing boat. She had to learn to live by herself. She could hunt, but never caught any birds.
Math (doesn't include the scanned pages from the Spectrum Test Practice book)
What number is expressed by (3 x 10 to the 3rd) + (4 x 10 to the 2nd) + (8 x 10 to the 1st)
3480
Square root of 144=
12
What is 0.89 rounded to the nearest tenth?
0.9
What is the prime factorization of 24?
3x2x2x2
24=12x2
12=6x2
6=3x2
In the following problem each letter represents a certain number. What number does P represent?
P + P + P + Q= 21
Q + Q = 12
P=5
8 3/4 - 6 2/6 =
2 5/12
10 divided by 3 1/3 =
3
Six sheets of paper have a total thickness of 0.072 inches. Each sheet has the same thickness. What is the thickness, in inches, of each sheet?
0.012 in.
