Suzuki Violins and Cellos in an Outreach Concert

On Sunday we went to Suffolk, VA for a pair of outreach concerts with Mrs. Morton's studio. The kids played beautifully in a country church and then in a retirement home. Thank you to the church ladies who made us lunch, and to Mrs. Morton for putting together such a lovely program!

Sadie got to play along for two songs. The first was Minuet 2 from Suzuki Book 1:



Then Lully Gavotte from Suzuki Book 2:



Benny and his buddy Stephen share a stand in their youth orchestra, and also share a cello teacher. Here are the "Bad Boys of Cello" with their teacher, performing Minuet in G by Beethoven as a trio:



"The Prayer" in ensemble, a song made popular by Celine Dion:



And finally, "Hot Canary," a crazy-to-play but super fun violin lark:



A great way for the kids and me to spend a Sunday. :)

Homeschool Choir is Fun!

For the last two semesters at Homeschool Out of the Box, our secular co-op here in Norfolk, I have been teaching a choir class for all ages. The first semester we learned some basics -- interval training, breathing, projecting, etc. and some simple songs. The second semester we took on Celtic music -- ballads and jigs and reels and silly songs and sad songs, all from the British Isles. This coming semester, we will be diving into the music of Appalachia -- murder ballads, nonsense songs, Stephen Foster standards, and bluegrass favorites.

We work on memorizing lyrics, ear training with notes and dynamics, and have lots of fun in class. Here are a couple of examples of our songs from last semester. We love to incorporate instruments that the kids play -- you can see a cello and tin whistle participating in this song, as well as my guitar:

Last semester we memorized several poems from W. B. Yeats, and here's one of them, one of our more serious selections:

This spring, we're singing American tunes like "Beautiful Dreamer," "Skip to My Lou," "When Johnny Comes Marching Home," "Cotton Eyed Joe," and "Shady Grove." Our songbook can be purchased as a coil-bound notebook from Lulu.com for $10 or you can download and print your own for free from our Yahoo Group files section. If you order the official songbook, the cost of the class is $60 for all 15 weeks. Without the songbook, the cost is $80 for the semester. We meet for an hour every Tuesday morning near the Chrysler Museum in downtown Norfolk. Won't you join the fun?

Pendragon Mail: 492 AD

GWANONA:

Esteemed Lady Knight,

You are welcomed into our number. The Order of the Hatchet is now your home. You will recognize other members by the hatchet incorporated into their heraldry, or by the phrase, “Dagnabbit, I wish I had a hatchet right now.” Your rank is Amaranth. In order to achieve the next rank, Campion, you must bring another girl warrior into the Order. Train her, test her, and when you believe in her, encourage her to contact us. Fight with honor, keep your secrets close, and if you have need of aid, call on your sisterhood before all others.

Your sister in arms,

Selene, Gentian, Order of the Hatchet

//

My Dear Daughter,

I hope this letter finds you well. It is my opinion that you should share your secret with the world as soon as possible. I know it would do my heart good to be able to communicate with you openly rather than using your sister as translator for your impossible ciphers. Thank you for the money. I have hired your mother a servant to do the dishes and the laundry for a year. This will really help! Speaking of sisters, I am sending you one. This little rogue, Esme, is trying your mother’s patience in the extreme. She will not work, she will not learn to read, she will not listen, and she claims to have fallen in love with one of the local smiths. She is nineteen years old. Do what you can with her.

Your loving parent,

Father

//

GWAIR

Young Knight,

It is with regret that we recognize your allegiance to the southern usurper. Without the mandate of the legates of Britain, he will never be other than a usurper to the Kings of Gorre, whatever sword he waves around to enchant our brethren in Malahaut. Perchance we will see you on the battlefield someday. Maybe that day will come sooner than you think. Say hello to King Lot if you see him. He may be your last hope to align yourself on the right side of the coming conflict.

Good luck,

Knights of the Order of the Golden Apple

//

My Son,

I am disappointed but not surprised that you have not embraced the privilege to join our great Northern alliance and the Order of the Golden Apple. I trust your intelligence that you can keep yourself safe. Thank you for returning the sword – it pains me to know that in future it might have torn heads from the shoulders of my friends and allies, your uncles of the North. I’m glad your attention, for now, is on the Saxons. Beware King Lot. I rejoice that you are ready to wed and provide me grandchildren. Your mother says to tell you not to have your head turned by a pretty face. You and I know that is more difficult in practice than in theory. I was not able to find any women of suitable rank here that were willing to go so far from home and oppose their fathers’ wishes. Please keep me informed of all you do – even if my liege is someday your liege’s enemy, I remain your father, and you my son.

With fondness,

Sir Aeron

//

TALORC:

Brave Knight,

It is with honor I salute you as a Knight of the Lions of Logres. You will find many friends among the knights of King Uther. Should you be in doubt of a fellow knight’s allegiance, you may test them in the following way: If you say “the means becomes the end” and they answer “the spirit takes precedence over the letter of the law” then they are indeed a Lion of Logres. If they answer otherwise, and you so desire, feel free to decapitate them. Your rank is currently initiate. In order to advance to a novice rank, you must acquire a lion skin and craft it (or have it crafted) into a cape with a hood, to wear to our rituals. Here’s the catch: the lion must be a male, must be over a year old, and cannot have been killed by you. Welcome to the order! May we support King Uther on the throne into eternity.

Your Comrade in Arms,

Paeter, Captain of the Lions of Logres

//

My Son,

I am so proud that you have become a knight! We miss you every year at Winter Solstice. I remember, since you were a wee lad, how you used to chant the ritual. Do you remember? If you are married, your mother wishes to know that you will teach our pagan rituals to your children, especially the winter solstice chant. Now don’t go marrying a Christian girl and forgetting your druid ways!

By the flame that burneth bright, O' Horned One!
We call they name into the night, O' Ancient One!
Thee we invoke, by the moon-led sea,
By the standing stone and the twisted tree.
Thee we invoke where gather thine own,
By the nameless shrine forgotten and lone.
Come where the round of the dance is trod,
Horn and hoof of the goatfoot God!
In fiery flame by starlight pale,
In shadowy host that rides the gale,
To the heart-beats drum! Come to us who gather below! We hear thy hoofs on the wind of night!
As black tree-branches shake and sigh,
By joy and terror we know thee nigh.
We speak the spell thy power unlocks,
At Solstice, Sabbat and equinox.

We hear very little news of the wars down South. I hope you will keep yourself strong and safe, and mace anyone in the head who appears to have other plans. ---Your loving Dad

//

FLANN:

Brother Knight,

Ye are a sassfaced young weed, aren’t ye? Well, ye’re lucky I appreciate humor in the young. I don’t question your loyalties any longer. I know now if I need to call on ye to betray your King and join forces with the Kings of Ireland ye won’t hesitate! Now ye are a Knight of the Red Branch of Ulster, ye must engage in one of our finest traditions: songmaking. Your current rank, as a new Knight among us, is Potato. To advance to the next rank, Slice of Soda Bread, you must compose a battle hymn for the Knights. This hymn must be of at least four verses and a chorus, must inspire warriors to fight our enemies. Further, you must teach this song to somebody else.

Welcome to the order, Flann! May you wander with dignity and honor and always carry a full saddlebag.

Hotly,

Sir Hort

//

My Son,

Your temper gets away with you! I had to listen to quite the whacking lecture from Sir Hort about your sassy retort to his questions. Please control yourself! I’ve sent along with this message a shillelagh – it belonged to your great grandfather who used it to hike all over Ireland. Now that you’ve surpassed your dad and become a knight, I can’t teach you anything about sword fighting and the like, but I can recommend you learn the fine art of Irish Stick Fighting. Look it up on the Merlinternet and see if you find an interest. Your sister is still lost, but the bears are healthy. Mother plans to make more sisters.

Warmly,

DAD

Pendragon Assignments 490 AD

Hello Sir Knights!

It's time to write a letter home, to let your families know what's going on with your careers. You can choose to ask for advice, assistance, company, wives, items, or information. You can choose to send money, information, instructions, news, or items along with your letter.

In addition to the mail you are sending, you have also received a piece of mail.

GWANON:

The envelope is addressed to Sir Gwanon, but inside the letter reads thus:

Respected Lady Knight,

We have received your request to pledge your service with the Order of the Hatchet. We pledge in turn to keep our correspondence discreet, even if you should not decide to join our ranks. In order to know more about you, we ask that you choose one of the Nine Female Worthies that you respect the most, and tell us why. You may find out more about them on the Merlinternet.

1. Lucretia
   Wife of Brutus, her suicide prompted the overthrow of the Roman monarchy in 510 BC.
2. Veturia
   Mother of Coriolanus, she persuaded her son to stop fighting on the side of the Volscians, Rome's enemies.
3. Verginia
   A beautiful plebian Roman girl whose father killed her to prevent one of the Decemviri (corrupt leaders of the government) from enslaving her. Her death prompted the overthrow of the government and the reestablishment of the Roman Republic.
4. Esther
   Queen from the Book of Esther, saved the Jewish people in exile from a plot to destroy them.
5. Judith
   Jewish heroine who killed the Assyrian general Holophernes after getting him to trust her.
6. Yael
   Heroine mentioned in Judges 4:17-22 as having killed Sisera, the chief of the Canaanites, after he took refuge in her tent.
7. St Helena
   Mother of Constantine the Great, according to legend found the True Cross in Jerusalem.
8. St Briget of Sweden
   Had visions of Christ, wrote the prayers "The Fifteen Oes" which were included in the Book of Hours.
9. St Elisabeth of Hungary
   Followed the beliefs of St. Francis of Assisi, built a hospital, once turned bread into roses to hide the fact that she was feeding the poor in secret.

When you have chosen the worthy you feel most deserves your respect, please respond, and we will be, discreetly, in touch.

Your future allies,

The Order of the Hatchet

GWAIR:

Sir Knight, Gwair Son of Aeron of Gorre, Respected Countryman,

Word of your deeds has reached far into the northern reaches of Briton, and of course your father has made known your progress in chivalry and battle. As such a valorous knight would be welcome in our ranks, you are invited to join the ORDER OF THE GOLDEN APPLE. The Order of the Golden Apple was formed by the King of Malahaut to honor members of his own or neighboring

lands who distinguished themselves. Members believe that they have an obligation to live chivalrously and to support each other against strangers and Saxons. Members must come from one of the Cumbrian or Northern kingdoms (Malahaut, Norgales, Nohaut, Lothian, Gorre, Strangore); or come from one of the northern Saxon lands (Sorestan, Deira). Members must never fight against each other for conquest or for love, including on opposing sides of a tournament. Members must support and succor each other beyond normal expectations.

As your father (a member of the order, did you know?) has vouched for you publicly, you have only to complete the following requirements to join our order of knights, should you so desire.

1. Submit a statement of loyalty to the northern kings, and swear always to defend the free north.

2. Define what you see to be the most dangerous threat from the kings in the south.

3. Provide an account of your most recent battle against the Saxons.

Looking forward to meeting you.

In trust,

Sir Hendrian, Knight to King Barant of Malahaut

TALORC:

Sir Talorc,

It is with Great Pride that I welcome you to the service of King Uther. You should know that some of the most valorous knights in service of the king, whatever their local liege, have banded together to create an order of brotherhood called The Lions of Logres. Our rules are simple: We never tell each other's secrets, wink at each other's women, or cut each other's throats. This does not include jousting, but decapitation in a jousting tournament against a fellow Lion will be held as highly suspect. We support and defend each other against all enemies, Saxon or otherwise, and unite in strength and honor in defending and promoting the interests of King Uther. If you wish to join our order, you must provide the following:

1. An account of your most recent battle against the Saxons, for our archives.

2. Tell what you like best about King Uther: His awesomeness or his superness?

3. Tell what you like least about the Saxons: Their dumbness or their meanness?

If there are any other knights in your knowledge that deserve to be part of the Lions of Logres, our doors are always open to the recommendations of a brother knight. Please respond quickly, as we are about to go to war in Cornwall, and the mail may be interrupted.

Roaringly,

Sir Brastius

FLANN:

Sir Flann, you red devil,

Well it's been a few years since you murdered my dog. I have forgiven you, for what it is worth. I've heard from your father, who is still a fine squire, and very noble, thank you for asking, you've become a knight, in the service of King Uther. I am writing to invite you to apply, if you wish, to be a member of the Red Branch Knights. This is a fine old order of Irish fighters, dating back to the time our kinsmen fought in chariots. Lest you be tempted by some of these British knights and their brand new orders, still wet from their mother's wombs, know that the Red Branch of Ulster predates them by a thousand years, and when our shillelaghs are flying, the British are dying! Sorry, sorry, I got carried away. Of course we are all united under our common enemy, the Saxons. Or was it the Picts? Or the Romans. Can't remember. Anyway, join the Red Branch of Ulster straightaway, and come back to visit Ireland as soon as you can.

In order to join, you must answer the following questions:

1. What is a shillelagh?

2. Who is Cuculainn (besides the finest Red Branch commander in the history of Ireland)?

3. Where does your loyalty lie?

Send me the answers quick, and I'll send you back some news from your homeland. The Irish must fight together! Stay true to your roots.

Hotly,

Sir Hort

//

ASSIGNMENTS FOR ALL:

1. Write to your father.

2. Respond to the invitation to knightly orders. Sarah and Benny can do research on their orders if they want -- they are real. Stephen and Jacob's are invented to go with our game, but if they really want to do research, they can research chivalric orders in general: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chivalric_orders

3. Let me know how the reading is going and where you are in the book.

Jacob specifically: Figure out how to run a battle.

Benny specifically: Do your Mabinogion work.

Everyone Who Doesn't Agree With Me Must Be a Communist

In a recent political discussion with a conservative homeschooler (I would say friend, but she'd probably be offended, given that I'm a communist and all), I was surprised to hear her still generalizing that all liberals are actually communists. Here are some of the organizations she considers Marxist:

The Coffee Party, the Obama campaign, Center for American Progress, Change.org, the SEIU, MoveOn, La Raza, Organizing for America, the Alliance for Climate Protection, NPR, and PBS.

Yes, even Elmo -- well, he is already red.

It strikes me that it's really counterproductive for the right to redefine "communism" as anything left of Glenn Beck. If people keep getting told that something as centrist as the Coffee Party is communism, eventually the word is going to lose all power to terrify and subdue. And where you can you really go, after communism has lost its oomph? They'll have to start marching up and down insisting that everyone who doesn't agree with them is a cannibal. Hey, it worked for the Romans. Carthage never got over that particular smear.

For me it's possible the overuse of the charge "communist!" has already lost some of its power to terrify and dismay. Instead of heading for my basement in fear, or defending my honor, I feel more likely to roll my eyes and vote for another Democrat. The fact that the word has already been softened should be a warning to conservatives.

Are there real communists out there? Sure. Ones that want to abolish private property and inheritance, land ownership and the accumulation of wealth. If you hunt hard enough, you can find one or two. Probably they'll be hopping mad that Obama is too centrist, and the Coffee Party isn't progressive *enough.* You may find them at liberal marches or rallies. If they're smart, they're voting Democrat, but it's equally likely they're voting for their own candidates. There is a radical fringe on both sides. Failing to recognize that means you don't understand your own position.

I just want conservatives to embrace some intellectual rigor! Calling all supporters of the Coffee Party, for example, communists would be analogous to us calling all supporters of the Tea Party fascists. It wouldn't be true, and worse than that, it wouldn't be smart. It's more difficult to understand complexity in an idea or a group of people -- easier to shriek "COMMIES!" or from this direction maybe "RACISTS!" and be done. But it's not only incorrect -- it's dishonest. And increasingly, it's ineffective.

People are getting educated - they're waking up to the fact that their neighbors, their third grade teacher, the cops down the street, the firemen downtown... aren't actually communists. They're regular people, trying not to get crapped on so that big corporations and the top 2% of earners can have their tax cuts. And the more that realization comes home to people, the more the Tea Party "Patriots" who dance around shrieking "COMMIES! COMMIES!" are going to be the ones looking foolish.

Pendragon Assignments 488 AD

Player 1:

You receive a sealed letter from your father. The handwriting is pretty miserable but it's clear that he wrote it himself. You take it to Gwair, and he reads it to you.

My dear daughter,

It pained me greatly to find that you had left home, but I understand why you did. Your mother told me about your aspirations as a seamstress in the south. I can only hope that you are cutting up lots of fabric, if you know what I mean. I am proud that you have decided to wield the scissors, and hope that you have created many fine garments. I have included a gift for you. I received it from a water nymph with whom I made acquaintance while boating on the Tyne. I give it to you, the better for you to pursue your art. I had the castle wizard enchant it for me so that no one would open it before it reached you. The lock on the case is magical, and can be opened by speaking the answer to this riddle:

What comes through the door without pinching itself?
What lands on the stove without burning itself?

What falls on the table without spilling a thing?

We are hard set about by Saxons here in Northumbria, my daughter. Any news of your safety would be welcome.

Yours,

Father

Your assignment is to try to open the case, and also to write back to your father. Your letter should have at least 10 complete sentences. You can email it to me, and also print it out or write it out for our next class meeting. If you send me your answer to the riddle, I'll tell you whether the case opens and what's inside.

Response:

My dear father,

I am safe and sound. Thank you for your support and understanding in my undertaking. I am an apprentice to a seamstress now. I have made many lovely garments. One was especially large. All the bare threads can be gruesome, but I am learning not to mind. A few months ago a prominent customer came to where I live. He sent me and my comrades to sew for him on a ship. Our vessel is headed towards Northumbria. I hope that soon my sewing skills can be of service to you. I do hope this letter finds you in good health. Please convey my love and good wishes to my mother and sisters.

Your,

Daughter

Player 2:

You receive a letter from your father, sealed with his seal and printed on his private stock of paper that he keeps in his writing desk. You crack the seal and read the letter:

My dear son,

Your mother and I send our regards. I have much news from your home here in the kingdom of Gorre. I do hope you remember where your home is. I have heard the news that Uther Pendragon has died. I must tell you this filled our liege lord with great hope for a glorious invasion of Logres. If it is possible for you to ingratiate yourself with these people and become a landed knight in Logres, it will be very useful to your true king when the invasion takes place. Knowing we have a friend on the inside will be very helpful when the time comes for the kings of the North to unite and conquer all of Britain. then we will show those Saxons who's boss.

Two of your brothers have wandered off to Ireland to become poets. Your oldest brother spends most of his time with his head in a flagon of ale. That "firstborn" birthright might be closer than you think. I hope this finds you well and strong, and that you will find a use for this helmet. It was to be your brother's, but he only seems to want to drink out of it.

Love,

Sir Aeron

The messenger is also carrying an iron helm that will add +3 to your armor when you are wearing it. It is very heavy but it fits great!

ASSIGNMENT: Write a letter back to your father. It must be at least ten complete sentences, but you may write more if you like. Email it back to me and print it out (or write it out) for our meeting on Friday

Response:

Father-

Thank you for the helmet. It's arrival was just in time- I will go off to fight the Saxons in spring. The King is not dead. I know you mean well, but an invasion from the north would cripple us. As I said, I am going off to fight the Saxons. I am loyal to you, but I also must be loyal to my Lord Cadmon and Uther Pendragon. Please, do not attack. Besides, I'm not a knight, only a squire.

I hope things are going well at home. For your comfort, I do remember where I live.

Send my regards to my eldest brother. Also, tell him I've got his helmet.

Sincerely,

Gwair

Player 3:

You receive a letter from your father. The envelope is very weathered and stained, but inside is a clean sheet of paper, carefully written. Obviously he has paid a scribe dearly to have this done. You take it to one of the castle scholars, who is in charge of teaching Lord Caedmon's children to read and write. He lets you know what it says:

Valiant Talorc,

It has been years since we last saw you. Your absence is aging your mother. She can barely lift a bucket. Please send news. Stay fast and low. The armies of the north stand strong and free. Are you a knight yet? Don't be foolish. Uncle Ort fell off a cliff and died. Here is his mace. Fondly, Da

The messenger is also carrying a solid oak mace with a broad, fierce ball studded in nails. It has been carried by Picts in your family for centuries. When you use this mace, you will add +3 to any damage roll. What a great present!

ASSIGNMENT: Write a letter back to your father. It must be at least ten complete sentences, but you may write more if you like. Email it back to me and print it out (or write it out) for our meeting on Friday.

Response:

Dear Father,
I'm not a knight, but a knight has taken me on as a squire.I wish I could come home, but I am going to raid the Saxons by sea. When you get this, I will probably be on a ship, but here is 7 Denari to help keep our house running. Please tell me how my brothers are doing, and I want to thank you for the mace. It is in good solid condition, and I am constantly thinking of you. When I finish the raid, I will try to get back to the house. I want for all of you to know that I want to come home. When I do come home, please have all my brothers waiting. I want to talk to them and all my friends. I love you all.

Talorc

Player 4:

You receive a letter from your father in Ireland. You open it up and get your friend Gwair to help you read it.

My bright son,

I am writing to you because our king is returning to our green homeland and quitting these shores of Britain. Of course I will follow Sir Hort back across the water. He has been faithful to me and to our family, in spite of the fact that we have not always been faithful to him. Yes, I know about the dog. It has been paid for, child, but I will not be telling your poor mother about the way you repay the kindness of our Lord. Trouble is brewing in Britain, and especially in Logres, my son. I pray to the goddess for your safety. Maintain the strength of your beliefs in the old ways, and don't be turned by the new Roman religion. Please write home with some news of your health and adventures so that I can reassure your poor mother and all her sisters, who ask about your constantly.

You forgot this, maybe in the haste of your departure. I thought you'd like it with you.

Best of luck to you,

Dad

Wrapped in a cloth you find your favorite griddle. It's special to you because you've ground one side of it into a sharp blade, which you used for chopping vegetables and also chopping up enemies. This weapon / kitchen utensil can be used as an axe, and will give you a +3 bonus to any damage roll.

Response:

Dear Dad

I met up in an inn first with Gwair, from Gorre, then Guenon from Northumberland, and Talorc from the Out Isles. The strangest part was that we were all heading to maiden castle because of the news we heard. As you know, I fought the dog, Gwair was the son of a night, going to make his fortune, with an unexpected visit from his older brother, trying to kill him. Talorc fought a deer, then falling unconsious, shortly falling off a cliff. We found a horse trotting down the road with no rider. We put Talorc on the horse, because he was wounded, and we set off to find it's rider. We then found the squire of the knight who rides the horse, a warhorse charger. Gwair went off not trusting the squire. We worked together to find the knight, in which we succeeded. We accepted his offering of the horse, and set off for maiden castle. After a cold hard winter full of traveling, spring sprung it's way into the path in which we were traveling. We met this old beggar who went by the name of Merlin, and he gave us a mission. He gave me a book called the Mabinogion and told me to illustrate the first story. We took him to the fort Bath to drop him off and then we descended into the woods. Not too soon after we entered the deep dark wood, we ran into a bear! It struck me and part of my arm hung off, so I ran away as quickly as I could. The rest came and tried to do first aid on me, and I later healed at an abbe where I attempted to read my first story, the lady of the fountain. Alas, I see a lot of black marks on the parchment in front of me. What do they mean? I went to see Gwair, who was the only person I knew who could read. I found him chatting with Guenon. I then found out that he was a she! I do not have the time to tell my whole adventure. I will continue another day.

Pendragon Assignments 485 AD

Player 1:

You are Gwanona of Northumberland. You are a Cymric (Welsh) person and a Christian. You are 15 years old, the fourth daughter of a squire. Your character can neither read nor write, but she has an amazing ability to memorize things she has heard, word for word, and has perfect recall. Your father works for a knight attached to Wandesborow, which is at the eastern end of Hadrian's wall, the boundary that separated the Roman territory from the free lands to the north. Wandesborow is on the coast of the North Sea. You can see just where you live if you go to http://maps.google.com and search for "Newcastle Upon Tyne". There is a major city there now, but maybe the castle was located here, where Bamurgh Castle now stands: http://www.bamburghcastle.com/history.php Your mother's job is to help her husband's knight's wife, to take care of their household, and do her dirty work. You help her with this.

Your mother loves your older sisters, but she knows that they will be fine marrying men who hope to be squires, but will probably be farmers or woodsmen. She knows you are different, and she knows the bravery of your spirit cannot be contained in Northumberland, and your desire for adventure and new experiences cannot be served by a quiet marriage and a lowly life. However, she knows there are not many choices for women outside of marriage, and that there are very few female knights in the service of any king. One morning after she has served at the knight's table for breakfast, she pulls you into the kitchen to tell you that she has overheard exciting rumors at the knight's table. Britons in the south are joining together to fight the Saxons and drive them back to the continent for good. The knights of your homeland of Northumbria had been fighting off Saxon attacks from the North Sea for decades. Yet, you and your mother both know that there is no future for you as a knight here, where you are already known as a squire's daughter. Your mother gives you her permission, if you wish to leave home, to travel south to seek your fortune. She tells you she will help you to pack as many supplies and as much money as she can help you pull together, for the trip. Will you leave the safety of your home and travel south to seek your fortunes in Logres?

YOUR WRITING ASSIGNMENT:

Choose one of these:

1. Your nationality is Cymric, which means Welsh or Celtic. Research a little bit about your people and tell me ten things about your Welsh heritage. Try starting here: http://www.britainexpress.com/wales/history/iron-age.htm

2. Your character needs to decide whether she should pretend to be a man, and keep her gender secret, or try to make her way as a female in this male-dominated world. What does she choose and why?

PS Here's another page that might be interesting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sub-Roman_Britain

Player 2:

You are Gwair of Gorre. Your culture is Cymric (Welsh) and your religion is Pagan. Your father is a knight, and his name is Sir Aeron. You have five brothers, all older than you are. Three of them have already become knights and You are 15 years old and you live in Gaihom. You were born in the year AD 470. Your passions are Loyalty to your liege, Love of family, Archery, and Power.

You receive a letter from your Uncle, your father's older brother, who lives in the land of Logres, to the south. When the letter arrives in your father's manor house, it creates quite a stir, since letters are very rare, and you, being the youngest son, have never received one before. Pretend this is written in Latin. He writes:

Greetings, Gwair, to you, your noble father, your wise mother and your brothers. Good health to you now and forever.

I am writing to let you know about an opportunity for you here in Logres. I am offering you this information instead of giving it to your older siblings because you have always been my favorite. And anyway, they are all idiots. A baron knight here in Logres has a mad, brave plan to restore Maiden Castle to its former glory as a fortress. This was that place, Gwair, a thousand years ago, where our proud Cymric people built one of our finest forts. This is the place, five hundred years ago, that we lost the battle with the Romans, where Vespasian knocked down our defenses. This is the place, my favored nephew, where we may make our stand against the filthy Saxons, now the Romans have gone. I know you're only fifteen years old, but I think you could find honor and adventure in a career as a squire with Sir Cadfael of Aron. Bring with you a letter of recommendation from your father, as well as all the money and supplies he can spare you for your journey. I hope to call on you soon at Maiden Castle, reborn. Your loving uncle, Ifan of Amesbury.

YOUR CLASS ASSIGNMENT:

Choose one of the following writing assignments. You are the only one of the four players whose character would be able to write, so you will be writing "in character," that is, pretending to "be" Gwair:

1. Write a letter to your father asking for money, supplies, and permission to take the trip.

2. Write a letter to your uncle (keeping in mind you may have to take it to him yourself.)

Please respond to this email letting me know if you plan to make the trip to Maiden Castle or take your chances as a sixth son in Gaihom. If you want to google/wikipedia "Maiden Castle" or "Amesbury" or "Welsh people" or "Welsh language"

Player 3:

You are Talorc, a Pictish pagan of the Out Isles. You live in the northwest part of what is now Scotland. Go to http://maps.google.com and look up Isle of Skye and you'll see where you were born. You are the second son of a squire. You are fifteen years old, and you cannot read or write. You have been trained as a mason and have worked cutting stones for farm buildings and the mountain fortresses around the lochs and cliffs of your land. Your homeland was never conquered by the Romans, so you hesitate to travel south of Hadrian's wall, where the Saxons and Britons are fighting it out. However, your dream is to be a knight, and you know that as the son of a squire, you are not going to get very far.

While you are working on repairing a hearth in a meeting house in a local village, you overhear a conversation between a local man who traveled south to Logres and became a knight, and his father who he was visiting. The knight's name is Sir Morleo.

Father: Son, I'm glad you're home for good.

Sir Morleo: Don't be foolish. I'm going back to Logres as soon as I can visit my sisters and sell my estate here on the Island.

Father: Why would you go back? Can't you make a life for yourself among your own people?

Sir Morleo: There is a rich knight in Logres named Cadfael. He has a plan to build a fortress on the site of the old hill fort, Maiden Castle. He is in need of many knights to create an army to defend this fortress against the Saxons, and keep them from entering the lands to the West.

Father: Forget it. It's not our war. We are Picts. Let the Saxons overrun those wretched Welsh fools. We defended against the Romans, we can defend against anyone, but here, in the North.

Sir Morleo: The Britons have asked us again and again to help them keep the Saxons on the continent. We must respond.

After thinking about this news, you wonder if you shouldn't try and make your way down to Logres yourself and investigate this army that intends to fight the Saxons. Perhaps with all these knights, many squires would be needed, and you could lend your aid, perhaps someday become a knight yourself. Will you travel south, to Logres, to check it out?

YOUR CLASS ASSIGNMENT:

Choose one of the following writing assignments. Since your character can't write, you will be writing this as Stephen.

1. Find out a little about your character's origins. The Picts were called "The Painted People" -- why? Who are the Picts? Where are they from? Start here: http://www.orkneyjar.com/history/picts/ Tell me ten things about the Picts that I should know.

2. If you decide to go to Logres, your character will have a long journey ahead of him. What supplies will he need? Where will he get them?

Please respond to this email letting me know if you plan to make the trip to Maiden Castle or take your chances as a stonemason in the Out Isles.

Kinetic Choir: Week 2

Great to see the kids back this week! I had such a good time with them.

Today's class:

Breathing exercises. Deep breathing, and a game called Zoom. Ask your kids about it!

Vocal Warm-ups. We played a game to help them visualize what it means to have higher notes and lower notes. In this game one person (first me, then all the kids had a turn) puts her hand out in front of her, and gives us a starting note. Then the leader raises or lowers her hand, sometimes quite drastically, sometimes more slowly, sometimes in jerks and skips, and the group follows by raising or lowering the pitch they're signing. This was fun! Lots of giggles, but a good way to start thinking about relative pitch, intervals, and good watching practice.

Composition. Several children had written verses to the song "You Are My Sunshine" and we had a great time listening and singing those gems.

Form: We practiced "Rocky Road to Dublin."

Interval Training: We reviewed "Bought Me a Cat" and learned "Little Bird, Little Bird." One has a major third and one has a minor third. We learned the songs thoroughly, and then practiced hearing intervals on the piano and deciding whether it was a "Bought Me a Cat" or a "Chipsy Chopsy" or a "Little Bird." They were really good at it! We'll work more on thirds next week. The goal is that they'll be able to identify major and minor thirds, and also sing them when asked.

Parts Singing: We practiced "My Paddle Clean and Bright" and "Rose Rose Rose Red."

Thank you choir! You had a great day!

Newspaper Class: Week 2

Our second class went great! The kids are on fire with ideas and questions. We do not have time in the hour to accomplish everything these bright minds want to talk about and explore, that's for sure!

Here's what was decided:

The newspaper will be named The Norfolk Post. The first editor is Maggie More and her email is written in your child's folder (if you don't have it, please email me). All written material and photographs should be submitted to Maggie this week. Sales will be by individual paper and also by subscription. Subscriptions are $10 for ten issues, and individual papers are $1.50.

We will mail papers if that is desired.

We decided what graphic look the newspaper should have and in what format it will be printed.

Your child has a folder for each job he or she decided to take on.

Subscription sales: These two representatives of the newspaper were selling subscriptions to the paper at lunch on Tuesday. The Subscription Manager is Martina and she will be in charge of the bookkeeping surrounding subscriptions and also individual sales.

Reporters: Reporters should each write one article on an event. It can be an event inside or outside co-op. They should report what happened, who was involved, where it took place, and when it happened. They may or may not have a photo to go along with it.

Columnists: Columnists can write any type of column they choose. They might write an advice column, a how-to column, an interview column, an opinion column -- whatever they like.

Photographer: While the reporters may submit photos connected with their stories, the photographer's job is to take a picture that is its own story. It can have a caption but should speak for itself.

Editor: The editor puts all the material together and compiles it in the template, and also writes an op-ed.

Cartoonist: The cartoonist draws a cartoon, scans it, and emails it to the editor as an image.

DEADLINES: The reporters, cartoonist, columnists, and photographers need to get their materials to the editor by the end of Friday. She then has Saturday and Sunday to work on putting everything together, and will submit her finished work to me by the end of Sunday so I can get it printed.

Now, this next part is important: There are many parameters that were not defined. There were many questions left unasked. Part of letting the children own this project is letting them figure out the questions that need to be asked instead of just helping them figure everything out in advance. If your child feels like they haven't had enough direction, encourage him or her to go in whatever direction is interesting and inspiring.

There may not be a paper this week -- this may be our week to figure things out and come at it with more information next week. And that is totally fine! Our goal is to put out ten issues, so we have some wiggle room in terms of the schedule. Let's be totally unstressed, totally positive, and whatever happens, we will work it out.

The most important thing this week is that the kids start communicating with each other, start learning what's possible in terms of word count and photo size, and have the experience of working for each other.

If they want to keep track of the questions and problems that occur to them as they're working/thinking/planning, that would be great! They can write right on their assignment sheet.

Kinetic Choir: Week 1

We had a great day in choir today -- as I told the children, these are the choir pioneers,
blazing a trail for an HSoBX choral tradition. They were very good sports even
with our small numbers, and made some beautiful music!

Today's class:

Breathing exercises. We learned the difference between our talking voices and singing voices. We don't use our singing voices for talking, or in most cases we'd sound like Cinderella impersonators all day. Likewise, we do not use our talking voices for singing -- we want to access that sweet, higher voice that feels like it's located up in your forehead, not in your throat.

Vocal Warm-ups. We sang Me-balaba You-balaba Me-balaba and Mommy Made Me Mash My M&Ms. And we're not explaining. And we're not sorry.

Composition. We talked about how most songs have verses and a chorus, and we
looked at "You Are My Sunshine" as an example. The children's first composition
assignment is to write a new verse for this song! They can write about whatever
they like -- we talked about how songs can be about love, about a favorite
thing, about a person, about an event that happened, or really about anything.
I'm very interested to see what they come up with, and look forward to
incorporating their own work into our repertoire.

Form: In the morning class we talked about verse / chorus structure more as we
introduced "The Rocky Road to Dublin" in which Travis will sing the verses while
the choir claps a rhythm, and the choir will join in on the choruses.

Interval Training: In the afternoon class we learned the concept of intervals
and learned about thirds. We sang the song "Bought Me a Cat" which has a lot of
thirds in it. My goal for the class is that the children will be able to
identify and also produce all the different intervals on the major scale. That
will be a real accomplishment!

Parts Singing: Both classes began to learn the round "Rose Rose Rose Red" which
we will learn to introduce parts singing. We also learned "My Paddles Clean and
Bright" in the earlier class.

Next week I will have folders for the kids -- I was trying out some different
things today to see what would stick. I have a better idea now of the directions
we can go. I'm pretty excited about how well they did today!

Listening Links:

Rose Rose Rose Red

Bought Me a Cat (karaoke version)

Note: If you search around on YouTube for "I Bought Me a Cat" you will find many
many links to the Aaron Copeland version of it, but this is NOT the version
we're doing, because it doesn't have the same thirds in it that I need for their
ear training. The one we want goes "Do-Do-Mi, Do-Do-Mi, Do-Do-Mi-So-Mi-Re-Do" if
that makes any sense.

My Paddle Song

You are My Sunshine

Rocky Road to Dublin

Have fun! See you next week. Interested in choir? We have room!

Newspaper Class: Week 1

Yesterday we had a planning meeting, and debated a lot of important questions.
It's vital that the children have ownership of their plans and ideas, so they
can really get behind the effort to produce a paper. I'm trying not to tell them
what to do or make decisions for them. It might take us longer to get organized
this way, but in the end it will be a more memorable learning experience if they
have to wade through some of these potential pitfalls themselves.

The students broke down responsibilities for organization this way:

1. Publishing: Jacob and Stephen are in charge of researching printing options and comparing
prices from several different vendors for black and white or color printing.

2. Market Research: Sarah Berry is in charge of putting together the survey that we will be sending
in your direction. There are three market research questions to help guide their
decisions.

3. Corporate Planning: The others in the group are tasked with coming up with a tagline and mission
statement for the paper. What is our goal? What is our scope? What do we hope to
accomplish? And how do we plan to present ourselves to the world?

What is a tagline?

Think of these examples:

"Let your fingers do the walking."
"Think different."
"All the news that's fit to print."
"Just do it."
"Fair and balanced."
"Can you hear me now?"

Here's a good article about creating a tagline on copyblogger.com.

What is a mission statement?

A mission statement is a document created by a company to focus its purpose and
goals. It should define what we want to do and how we want to do it. It's our
reason for existing, defined in a paragraph. What need do we fill? What do we
believe in? How will we reach our goals?

So, those are the assignments for this week -- let me know if you have
questions, and feel free to have the kids email me for clarification or help!

Three Musketeers Week 6: What's Up, Duke?

Welcome! This blog post is related to my Three Musketeers class at our homeschool co-op, Homeschool Out of the Box. We have an academic section, reading Richard Pevear's translation of the book, and an enrichment section, reading the Usborne Young Readers' abridgement of the story. For all lesson plans related to this class, click the Three Musketeers tag at the bottom of this post.

HOMEWORK: Today we reviewed all our French and also learned how to ask someone their name and tell someone our names. We practiced on each other -- my, we're getting polite.

DISCUSSION: Our review of the reading comprehension from last week led us straight into our topic for today: Queen Anne. We learned her life story, and the background gave us a lot of insight into why she is found in the predicament Dumas creates for her. Learning about the real stories of historical figures that appear in this novel forces us to examine the way Dumas uses his material -- where he stretches the truth, where he invents, and where he uses real events to move his plot along. Queen Anne was a child bride, uprooted from her country and culture, and she was doing the best she could. It's my reading that Dumas treated her pretty well in the novel -- she seems like a victim trying to survive the royal turmoil. That may be a kind presentation.

In the junior class we talked about how in lots of movies (I used Shrek as an example, but lots of the kids had also seen The Princess Bride, which is another good one) a princess is being forced to marry someone she doesn't love. They all recognized this trope and agreed that arranged marriages were wrong and troubling. We talked about how usually in stories or movies, someone rescues the princess at the last minute and she doesn't have to marry the bad guy. In Queen Anne's life though, no one rescued her. No one busted down the doors of the church at the last minute, no one swept her away, no fairy godmother helped her, and she had to marry that guy she didn't know or love. So we can understand why she met someone later in her life that she did fall in love with, since her marriage was so unfair and not based on love. I think they get it.

ACTIVITIES: We had a wonderful time dancing and singing today, and in fact learned the very beginning step of what will become our minuet. The kids were great at this! They should practice at home -- any song in 3/4 meter would be appropriate for practicing. If they've forgotten the step, maybe the phrase "Step step step, tap tap tap" will help bring it back.

SKIT:

In the senior class, we acted out the arrest of M. Bonacieux:

Characters: D'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos, Aramis, Bonacieux, Guards

Action: D'Artagnan and the three musketeers are sitting around his house, just partying like it's 1632, when M. Bonacieux busts in and begs for their help in finding his kidnapped wife.

Bonacieux: Help! My wife's been kidnapped! And now they're after me.
D'Artagnan: We'll protect you, no matter what.

But oh no! Here come the guards to arrest M. Bonacieux. D'Artagnan not only refuses to help him, he encourages the guards to take him away!

Bonacieux: Help! Help! They've got me! Help me!
D'Artagnan: That's right, guards. Do your job. Take this man to the Bastille!

Porthos is outraged, but D'Artagnan explains that they can do more good for M. Bonacieux if they are not arrested with him, as they surely would be if they'd fought for his freedom.

In the junior class, the kids are a bit farther along in the plot, so we acted out the Duke's visit to the Louvre.

Characters: D'Artagnan, Constance, Duke of Buckingham, Queen, Scar-faced man, Cardinal Richelieu, King.

Action: We set up the room as best we could and used our imaginations, but we basically needed a doorway, a street, a bridge, the Queen's chamber, Cardinal Richelieu's office, and the King's office. When we started out, the Queen, the Cardinal, and the King were in their places, Constance was outside the door, the Duke of Buckingham was on the bridge, and D'Artagnan was inside the door. We also had a box of diamonds.

Constance (coming through the door): I escaped my captors!
D'Artagnan: How?
Constance: I tied my bedsheets together and went out the window!
D'Artagnan: Why were you kidnapped in the first place?
Constance: That's not my secret to tell. In fact, I have to go!
D'Artagnan: Let me go with you!
Constance: No, stay here. I have to go by myself.

Constance sets off on the streets of Paris and D'Artagnan sneaks behind. As she reaches the bridge, the Duke of Buckingham puts his arm around her and D'Artagnan protests.

D'Artagnan: Hey! What are you doing? Get your hands off her.
Constance: No, this is the Duke of Buckingham. I was sent here to meet him.
D'Artagnan: Oh, sorry! What can I do to help?
Duke: Follow us to the Louvre and protect us.

So the three of them set off to the Louvre with D'Artagnan guarding the rear. They enter the queen's chamber.

Duke: Oh you're so beautiful, so wonderful, blah blah blah.
Queen: Yes, yes, but we can never be together.
Duke: NOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOooooo!
Queen: Well, I'll give you a present to remember me by.

The queen gives the duke her diamonds. The scar-faced man, who had been hiding in a corner, snuck off to tell Cardinal Richelieu.

Scar-faced man: Hey, the queen just gave the Duke of Buckingham her diamonds!
Richelieu: Ah, that gives me an idea.

Richelieu goes to visit the king.

Richelieu: Hey, I have an idea -- why don't you have a party for the queen. She can wear the diamonds you gave her -- it'll be awesome!
King: That's a great idea.

The king goes to visit the queen.

King: Hey, I have an idea. I'm going to throw you a party. Make sure you wear your diamonds!
Queen: NOOOOoooOOOOOooo!!

If it seems complicated, consider we did this four times, mixing the parts around so everyone got a chance to be the part they most wanted to be. It was so much fun, and I was amazed with the kids, their awareness of the storyline, and their ability to take on these roles and really ham it up.

POETRY: Today we read "More Strong Than Time" by Victor Hugo so we could compare the love scene that Dumas wrote between the Queen and the Duke with Hugo's love poetry. The kids did a great job understanding this poem and were very good readers. I'm interested to see what they will think of some of the lines that Dumas gave the Duke compared to Hugo's images.

ASSIGNMENT: Here are the vocabulary words:

Indifferent
Discretion
Idle
Repudiating
Equivalent
Coquetry
Ransacked
Posterity
Calumny
Indulgence

And the reading comprehension questions:

D’Artagnan makes the same promise to Constance that the Duke of Buckingham makes to the queen. What is it?
What object does D’Artagnan keep noticing, and what initials are embroidered on it?
Why was Athos arrested?
What does the Duke of Buckingham tell D’Artagnan to do?
How many times has the Duke seen the Queen before?
What does he plan to do in order to see her more often?

I'd like them to consider if they'd let themselves get arrested for a friend, and think about Athos' sacrifice for D'Artagnan. Was it wise for him to be arrested, given how fierce the Cardinal was, and how unjust the justice system could be at the time?

Three Musketeers Week 5: The Mousetrap

Welcome! This blog post is related to my Three Musketeers class at our homeschool co-op, Homeschool Out of the Box. We have an academic section, reading Richard Pevear's translation of the book, and an enrichment section, reading the Usborne Young Readers' abridgement of the story. For all lesson plans related to this class, click the Three Musketeers tag at the bottom of this post.

HOMEWORK: We tried reciting the days of the week in French today, and also learned how to say "I'm awesome!" which is very important for a Gascon. We went over some vocab from last week, specifically lackey, bourgeious, apprehended, swaggering, and rendezvous. We also traded sketches and tried to identify each others' musketeers. Some of the students are brilliant caricature artists!

One of our most interesting points from the reading comprehension involved dissecting the phrase: "In prosperity one should sow meals right and left, in order to harvest some in adversity." This is a musketeer's idea of a savings account! How nuts is that? A very Alexandre Dumas type sentiment, we decided.

DISCUSSION: Today we discussed the Louvre, from its beginnings as a medieval castle on the banks of the Seine through its use as a royal palace as it was during the time of the Three Musketeers, to its current life as an art museum. The kids have some assignments on their worksheets relating to the most famous treasures in the Louvre.

ACTIVITIES: In the senior class, I had the kids choreograph a ten-move fight scene. They split their paper into two sides, and then figured out and wrote down ten moves for each side of the battle. Then they went outside to practice and fine-tune their moves.

In both classes, we talked about passwords and the different situations in which they are used, like Constance and D'Artagnan used a password to get D'Artagnan recognized at the Louvre. In the junior class, we played Password, which is just like "Telephone" in that you try and whisper a three word password around the circle and get it safely around without any changes. We had a lot of fun with that.

Another game we played in the junior class was designed to get them started reacting to the literature in a thoughtful way. We sat in a circle and passed a ball around. When each child held the ball, it was his or her turn to speak. The first round we had to say the name of any character from the book. The second round we had to say the name of a character and then whether they were a hero or a villain. The final round we had to say our favorite character and why. It was fascinating to me to see these children, as young as five, really thinking about their choice. Several of them chose Milady DeWinter as their favorite, and when asked why, Elsa for example said, "Because she's powerful and knows how to get things done." I thought that was pretty insightful. Those who chose D'Artagnan as a favorite seemed a little horrified that anyone would pick the scar-faced man, for example. But I could tell from the discussion that they are all reading and all absorbing the material -- excellent.

ASSIGNMENT: I challenged the students to set a password with a friend or relative, so that in case they needed to send a message to that person, they could verify that it was an authentic message. We also had these vocab words to look up:

Uninhabited
Apparition
Customary
Persecute
Reproach
Incontinence
Writ server
Vigilance
Alguazil
Alibi

And these reading comprehension questions on chapters 9 and 10:

What two countries does the Queen love, and why?
The scarred man mistook Aramis and the doctor’s niece for two other people. Who?
Why is Porthos upset with D’Artagnan after Bonacieux is arrested?
What is a 17th century mousetrap?
D’Artagnan listens to a lot of interrogations without interrupting. But when does he interrupt?
Who is D’Artagnan’s alibi?

Three Musketeers Week 4: Lackeys and Abduction

Welcome! This blog post is related to my Three Musketeers class at our homeschool co-op, Homeschool Out of the Box. We have an academic section, reading Richard Pevear's translation of the book, and an enrichment section, reading the Usborne Young Readers' abridgement of the story. For all lesson plans related to this class, click the Three Musketeers tag at the bottom of this post.

We began class today reviewing our French vocabulary and checking out our homework and reading comprehension. The students had put some effort into their visions of the abandoned monastery, and we contrasted their ideas with the ones in the video clip I sent out in email. Here's that video. One of the most important things to absorb from this reading is the fun, witty patter the combatants toss around during the preparations for the duel, which is paid homage in a scene from The Princess Bride -- and you can see that video here. Fun stuff!

DISCUSSION: We talked last week about Victor Hugo and how he wrote more serious intellectual drama and Dumas wrote more popular entertainment and adventure. We talked today about the similarities in The Three Musketeers and popular stories, even fairy tales or bedtime stories. What common elements could we find in this novel and some of our most familiar stories? Damsels in distress, sword fights, chase scenes, very easily identifiable villains and heroes, uncomplicated good guys and bad guys, kings, queens, palaces, secrets, etc. One of the most obvious of these elements, and yet the most difficult to identify, is the number three and the repetition connected to that number. We all remembered "The Three Bears" and "The Three Little Pigs" as well as all the things that come in threes in plot lines of familiar tales. We'll see as we go forward that not only are there three musketeers, but there will be repetitions in threes in the action as well. This was very challenging material for the kids, and even the junior class was able to follow this discussion, and did a great job making this connection.

POETRY: We read the Victor Hugo poem "The Grave and the Rose." I gave them an English translation below the French poem on the page, and we compared how difficult it is to tell who is speaking in the English version, compared to the original French. We continue to look at different challenges of reading literature in translation, and this is one of them. I assigned the children to use two colors of highlighter or colored pencil to delineate the speakers in the quoted parts of the poem.

We also worked on the second line of "Demain des l'aube" and put the first two lines together.

ACTIVITIES: We sang our songs inside today -- no dancing around in the rain for us, but that's okay. It gave us more time to look at the French. We did Il Court le Furet, Sur le Pont d'Avignon, and le Petit Prince, and the junior class also worked on Claire de Lune. No swordfighting today either due to the rain, although the junior class still managed to slash and cleave a little bit!

ASSIGNMENT: On the worksheet for today are four ovals. I'd like the students to draw the faces of the four main characters on those ovals, using whatever props or clues they can draw so that they can trade with a partner and be able to identify which face goes with which character. Here are the vocabulary words they should find and highlight in the text:

Lackey
Misanthropic
Arabesques
Damascened
Rendezvous
Swaggering
Bourgeois
Apprehended
Bastille
Decamp

And here are the reading comprehension questions for chapters 7 and 8.

Who is Athos’ lackey, and what rule does Athos enforce with him?
Who is Porthos’ lackey, and what does he look like?
Who is Aramis’ lackey, and what three problems does he have?
What does this mean: “In prosperity one should sow meals right and left, in order to harvest some in adversity.”
According to the landlord, what is the queen’s situation?
What person does the landlord suspect of kidnapping his wife?

Three Musketeers Week 3: Alexandre Dumas vs. Victor Hugo CAGEFIGHT!

Welcome! This blog post is related to my Three Musketeers class at our homeschool co-op, Homeschool Out of the Box. We have an academic section, reading Richard Pevear's translation of the book, and an enrichment section, reading the Usborne Young Readers' abridgement of the story. For all lesson plans related to this class, click the Three Musketeers tag at the bottom of this post.

HOMEWORK: We began class today by reviewing the vocabulary words they looked up, the musketeer terms they researched and going over the reading comprehension questions.

Important comprehension points:

1. Understanding the difference between the King's Musketeers and the Cardinal's Guard and getting how there were different armies and regiments and whatnot.

2. Understanding why M. Treville pretended to like the Cardinal and praised him. This was a very very tricky one but I did have a few spectacular little readers tell me it was because it was a test for D'Artagnan, to see if he was a spy. We discussed spying and how that works, and how that would have been a foreign concept for naive D'Artagnan.

3. D'Artagnan is insanely impetuous, and for the second time loses an important letter of introduction because he's following his temper into a fight. What would we have done? Finished up with M. Treville and secured our futures and careers. What did D'Artagnan do? Go charging off into the street to die. D'Artagnan! Such a temper! We focused a lot on this in the enrichment track class too.

DISCUSSION: Today we learned about Victor Hugo and compared his biography to that of Alexandre Dumas. Hugo was writing at the same time, but he was a very serious writer, much more intellectual and dark than Dumas. He was less interested in swordfighting and romance and more interested in despair and hopelessness. We talked about how Hugo's life in some ways paralleled Dumas' story -- political involvement, exile, and major shifts in opinions and beliefs. Dumas, however, was more fun. Hugo was such a nut that he ended up making his own furniture by chewing up wood. Seriously. We talked about how great genius sometimes comes with eccentricities (say it with me: eccentricity) and that what we love about Hugo is also what made him a total nutburger. Dumas wrote cookbooks and got fat. Hugo turned out to be some kind of mad beaver.

We also had a great discussion about how reading Hugo might be more interesting in terms of really delving into 19th century French literature, but that it wouldn't be appropriate for their age group. This led to a comparison between the "real" translation of Three Musketeers and the Usborne abridged version. Many kids in the older class have younger siblings reading the "junior" version and have noticed differences. For example, in the junior version, Constance is the landlord's sister, not wife. We talked about how in the 9-12 year old class we can discuss how different marriage was back then, how adultery was much more common and expected, and how marriage in the 17th century was not so much based on love. We talked (patronizingly) about how our little brothers and sisters cannot be expected to make this kind of ethical distinction, and therefore the book they read makes it easy for them by changing some details. Very excellent discussion -- I was so proud of the kids.

POETRY: Instead of reading a Victor Hugo novel, we're going to read and learn some Victor Hugo poetry. The one we're going to memorize in French is "Demain, des l'aube" which is definitely Hugo's most popular work, and perhaps the most famous poem written in French. It is, as you would expect from Hugo, very dark and gloomy. For next week, we're tackling just the first line:

Demain, des l'aube a l'heure au blanchit la campagne

Next week we'll do the second line, and so on. It seems daunting when you look at the whole thing, but I know they can do it. They will amaze themselves and you. Here's a funny video someone made, animating a famous portrait of Victor Hugo as if he is reciting his own poem:

SWORDPLAY: Today the kids learned two new moves -- the cleave and the high block. These are two handed moves. Cleaving looks like you're coming straight down on your opponent's head, the high block is how you would stop someone from cleaving your skull in half. Super fun!

SKITS: Today we acted out two scenes: D'Artagnan comes to Meung and gets in a fight with the scarfaced man, and D'Artagnan chases the scarfaced man through the streets of Paris, enraging the three musketeers in the process. This was great fun, and the children were wonderful at acting! I think it's particularly important in the enrichment class that we bring the story to life in this way, and it was highly entertaining for the children. They did great! This is something we can't do at home with our own books and our own kids, so I want to do this as much as possible as we go forward through the book, whenever we get to interesting scenes that lend themselves well to drama.

VOCABULARY: Here are the vocab words for next week. Please highlight and define.

Casuist
Dispatch
Eloquence
Nimble
Combatants
Miserly
Deign
Edict
Degenerating
Impartial

I also asked the kids to consider the abandoned monastery as a scene -- what might it look like, feel like, what characteristics would make it a great place to duel? Here's a link to the fight scene from the 1993 Disney movie, "The Three Musketeers" that shows how this particular director imagined it.

ASSIGNMENT: Please read chapters 5 and 6. Not all of chapter 6 needs to be read word for word by the kids themselves. There is a lot of dialogue and some of it drags. Honestly these conversations are not that critical to the plot. This is a place in the text where you can summarize for your kids if they're overwhelmed by the material! :) Here are the comprehension questions:

1. What does this mean: “Suffer nothing from anyone except the King, the Cardinal, and M. de Treville”?
2. Why did Athos decide to fight D’Artagnan left-handed?
3. What happened to interrupt the duel D’Artagnan and Athos had started?
4. How did M. de Treville misrepresent the fight to the King?
5. What were the Musketeers doing when D’Artagnan got into a fight with Bernajoux?
6. What was wrong with the King when D’Artagnan and M. de Treville went to visit him?