Project Mummification {Ancient Egypt Unit}

We've officially started our more relaxed summer homeschooling routine, and that means Ancient Egypt! Up first, mummification. I scored this Lift the Lid on Mummies kit by Jacqueline Dineen at Half Price Books for a lot less than the suggested $20 retail price.

That's not an error, the price is $6.49. It's a steal!

Upon opening the kit, half of the items seemed to be missing. After much inspection, my blind eyes finally spotted this little notch at the bottom:

Hmm...what's that?

Voila! Discovery of all our missing pieces.

A short pamplet is included with directions and a bit of history. When making the canopic jars, there was no picture of which head corresponded to which jar. Only the name of the god was printed on the inside of the template.

Canopic jar template

Madeline quickly remembered that Ms. Frizzle's Adventures Ancient Egypt had a whole section on mummification. And a picture of the canopic jars. Go, Maddy!

So much easier to figure out which head went on which jar :)  We did eventually find that info in the directions, but Madeline had a great time using the Mrs. Frizzle book. The illustrations were a bit more kid-friendly and who doesn't love Ms. Frizzle?

All the organs were separated and then put into the appropriate canopic jar. She couldn't believe the brain was discarded!

Itty bitty lungs

After preparing the canopic jars, Madeline wrapped the figure in linen. I offered to let her salt the body, but she decided against it since there was nothing to decompose. Protective amulets were inserted into the linen wrapping just like in Egypt. Last was the headdress, which she really liked!

The kit's final component is a 3D paper cat. It's a total HOT MESS. No painstaking amount of work could fold it properly. Glue wasn't holding it together like the directions stated either.

Madeline got completely frustrated with the cat. Even I had trouble folding all the parts, the tabs were so small. Many tabs were smaller than an eraser head. If a degreed Fine Artist can't follow the directions {that would be me}, it's a miracle if any child can.

Undeterred, I whipped out the scotch tape. Take that glue, you're outta here! 

Didn't the mummy come out awesome?

Despite some of the heads looking creepy in the photo -- especially the baboon one on the top right -- they're super cute in person. Not sure if they are supposed to be cute, but they are ;)

Madeline completed everything herself except the cat. Because we obviously didn't follow the cat directions, the stand didn't work with the cat. But at least we got it folded.

Her verdict on the kit? Amazingly awesome! Yes, those were her exact words. Even with the frustrating cat.

For the $6.49 paid, it was an INCREDIBLE value. I could never replicate the overall quality for such a price. A fantastic, lucky find!

The canopic jars have a paper bottom and a resin/plastic head top that is very durable and weighty. The figure is well made, also of resin or plastic. A bit like a Barbie but without hair and clothes. The "linen" is a gauge-like strip of fabric. All the amulets and the headress are made of paper.

Madeline is reading through her Ancient Egypt books like crazy and keeps bugging me about more activities. I've got to pace this child! We are going to have so much fun this summer...

Preparing for Memorial Day

With Memorial Day approaching, we took a moment to recognize our veterans! With tons of flags in hand, Madeline and Sophie lined the walkway at Grandma's house.  

Flags ready!

Sophie would not give up her flag :)

After reading the Raiders' Ransom series, Madeline has an understanding of what war is. How people sacrifice themselves for the protection of others. Our family is filled with veterans, most of them with us only in spirit. But we honor them and all the veterans still living :)

With so many flags, I took a few home to line our walkway as well. At only $1 per flag, we stocked up! You can find these big, beautiful flags at Dollar Tree.

Growing Dramatically ~ Black Krim and Indigo Sun Tomatoes {Heirloom Grafted}

Goodness gracious, the Black Krim tomatoes grew over an inch in diameter this week! The larger tomatoes measure over 3" in diameter.

Black Krim heirloom hybrid cluster of 3

Newer, bigger Black Krim cluster of 2

The Indigo Sun cherry tomato heirloom hybrid is covered with clusters like this one:

Indigo Sun heirloom heirloom grafted

Some of the clusters are ALMOST ripe. They're not bright yellow yet, still green. I couldn't resist and tried one but it was not sweet. Super juicy though. Can't wait until we taste our first ripe one!

End of the Year Curriculum Review: Writing

The BEST teaching guide for writing

Scholastic Grade 2 Writing Curriculum

Hands down, this is the most fabulous series for writing curriculum! Writing is one of the few subjects that we use the same text for the entire school year. After seeing the progress made last year with Grade 1 Writing Curriculum, I will use ONLY this series for teaching writing. If you use it, prepare to be amazed at your child's progress.

Grade 2 Writing Curriculum Week-By-Week Lessons provides a year's worth of exercises. Each month has daily writing prompts. We cut and paste our writing prompts into a journal {composition book}. I highly recommend doing so, you will not believe the gains your child makes from the beginning of their journal to the end of the year.

After the month of writing prompts, there are four longer lessons -- one for each week of the month. A full page of directions explain how to present the assignment. Typically, Madeline brainstorms and fills out a planning page on the first day of the lesson. Then, the first draft is composed on the second day. And finally, Madeline self edits her work and turns it in for grading on the third day.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT SCHOLASTIC GRADE 2 WRITING CURRICULUM

This book is comprehensive. In addition to the daily writing prompts and weekly assignments, you'll learn how to help your student achieve success! The front portion contains lots of tips for teaching writing. Also included are writing samples typical of the age range.

One of the best things in the book is the 'START' handout. No longer will you have a child that doesn't know what to write about. No more writer's block! The handout specifically gives students a formula for writing descriptive, interesting sentences and paragraphs.

The back has quite a few handouts including a brainstorm page for the weekly assignments, a list of commonly misspelled words, and checklists for students to edit their own work.

COST
Originally, I purchased the Grade 1 book from Scholastic's website. However, our copies for Grades 2 and 3 came from Amazon used. Expect to pay around $7 for each copy plus $3 for shipping {about $10 total}.

Very inexpensive considering this is a reproducible book. Since it's meant to be photocopied, you can use it with as many children as you like!

WILL WE CONTINUE?
Definitely! Grade 3 Writing Curriculum has already been ordered.

End of Year Curriculum Review: Reading Comprehension

Spectrum Reading Grade 2
This is the second book in the Spectrum Reading series we've purchased. If you follow common core standards, this book is wonderful! If you aren't concerned with common core standards, you'll still be pleased with this book.

Spectrum Grade 2 teaches reading comprehension in an approachable, fun way. Every lesson is in a two-page format. A story is printed on the left {or first page} and the comprehension questions are printed on the right {or second page}.

Through the early primary years, learning to read well is one of my top 3 goals. If you can advance a child in reading and math, I feel like they can learn any other subject!

I credit Spectrum Reading and Modern Curriculum Press Phonics with Madeline's reading success. In tandem, they make a dynamite combination. This was the first year she could really read material on her own {chapter books}. She absolutely loves reading! It's easy to love when the right curriculum sets you up for success.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT SPECTRUM READING
There is a great variety of reading subject matter. Grade 2 had both fiction and non-fiction stories. As the book progresses, the stories become longer with more paragraphs. We read about states, sports games, travel, family life, and animals. Madeline enjoyed learning about baseball and baseball cards. Her dad even took her to her first Rangers game :)

This book also contains an answer key. The pages are perforated so you can tear them out if you wish. We choose to leave the book intact to eliminate paper clutter. Simple, colorful illustrations usually accompany the stories.

WILL WE CONTINUE?
Absolutely! We plan to continue with Spectrum Grade 3.

Supplemental Reading Comprehension/ Literature Units
Madeline also has reading comprehension exercises from her homeschool book club selections. I search for free reading guides online. If none are available from the publisher, sometimes units are available from Teachers Pay Teachers. If I still can't find a reading guide, I develop my own :)

My favorite units this year were: Chasing Vermeer, by B. Balliett, Literature Unit, 98 Total Pages!! and Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren: Characters, Plot, and Setting.

New for Fall 2014
For extra practice activities, we plan to incorporate the Reading Comprehension section of Sylvan Super Reading Success. We've not used the Sylvan book before, but are really excited to give it a try!

Book Review: The Sasquatch Escape by Suzanne Selfors {Vocabulary & Bingo FREEBIES}

Wow, that was a fast read! 

Our homeschool book club {grades 3-6} read The Sasquatch Escape by Suzanne Selfors for our May meeting. It's a fictional mystery with some fantasy thrown in.

At first, Madeline did not embrace the story. Every time we read one or two chapters, she wasn't eager to read more. That changed once events at Dr. Woo's worm hospital really got going ;)

From that point on, Madeline was hooked. Determined to keep reading until the book was finished! Even though the title is The Sasquatch Escape, the Sasquatch doesn't actually make an appearance for quite some time. We both wish he had appeared earlier!

The humor really picks up in the second half of the book. Sasquatch's escapades are HILARIOUS! The things he does will make you giggle and giggle.

Just toss out what you know about scary Bigfoot. Selfor's gentle giant is sweet, enjoys being cooed at like a baby, and loves his chocolate. You'll love him too.

Although the vocabulary wasn't overly challenging, there were many words new to Madeline. Since we purchased this book via Kindle, it was neat to be able to highlight the word and see the definition pop up!

SYNOPSIS
Benjamin {Ben} Silverstein has been sent to spend the summer with his Grandpa Abe while his parents work out some troubles. Since the button factory closed, Buttonville isn't very exciting. Most families have moved away leaving the town deserted. And worse, the senior center is pretty much the only place to hang out and socialize.

Ben meets Pearl Petal, a girl whose family lives above the Dollar Store. Everyone in Buttonville calls her a troublemaker. But when Ben finds a injured baby dragon, he and Pearl see if the town's new worm doctor {Dr. Woo} can help.

During the visit to the worm hospital, Ben leaves the deadbolt open resulting in Sasquatch's escape. It's up to Ben and Pearl to locate the missing Sasquatch and bring him back to Dr. Woo's hospital - a hospital for Imaginary creatures!

FREEBIES
What a bummer, there is no study guide for this book. Being type-A and all, I've been creating my own study guide. Expect another post with more activities once we meet for book club :)  

Enjoy my vocabulary and bingo freebies:

Click here to download ~ Vocabulary Definitions

Click here to download ~ Vocabulary/Character/Setting Bingo Caller List

Click here to download ~ Bingo Cards Set #1

Click here to download ~ Bingo Cards Set #2

Click here to download ~ Bingo Cards Set #3

RATING
We'd rate The Sasquatch Escape 4 of 5 stars! It's a must-read for any child that loves mysteries, adventure, or animals.

Will we continue with the series? Most certainly!

End of Year Curriculum Review: Vocabulary

Vocabulary:  240 Words Kids Need to Know Grade 3 by Scholastic

During the fall, it was evident Madeline was done reading level readers. But tackling the chapter books she wanted to read was difficult due to the more advanced vocabulary.

To read more challenging chapter books, I knew we'd have to start vocabulary lessons. Enter 240 Vocabulary Words Kids Need to Know: Grade 3. We began this book in January of this year {2014}.

Our vocabulary lessons definitely helped Madeline read more challenging material. This also meant we were able to jump to the next homeschool book club level, Grade 3 and up. Prior to vocabulary lessons, we were reading the Kinder - Grade 2 book club selections.

In the beginning of the book, most lists have four lessons. Some lists have only two or three. Total, the book has 24 word lists. Depending on your pace, you could finish the book in a semester or even over the summer. The first list: foe, vast, purchase, drowsy, absent, prank, feeble, annual, sturdy, reply. The last list: awareness, laziness, frightful, tactful, recently, quietly, arrangement, contentment, performer, trainer.

This is a reproducible book, meant to be used by a teacher. I photocopy the pages and keep my master book clean so that it can be reused later. You could also use a plastic sleeve with one side cut open to protect the page your student is currently working on. Use dry erase markers and wipe away after each lesson :)

WHAT I LIKE
The lessons are short, usually four lessons per word list. There is a variety of exercises including crossword puzzles, matching, synonyms, antonyms, fill in the blank, and picture clues. An answer key and master word list are provided at the back.

I also love the way the definitions are presented. The first exercise shows the definition in a short sentence. The vocabulary word is bolded. This enables the student to learn the definition without memorizing lengthy definitions.

Even though the lessons seem easy, the student really learns the vocabulary! Madeline has already recognized some of the words in our book club selections like Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH and Pippi Longstocking. I love this book and the results!

WILL WE CONTINUE?
Yes! We plan to continue with 240 Vocabulary Words Kids Need to Know: Grade 4. I plan on alternating between Scholastic and Sylvan for vocabulary. Once we finish Grade 3, we'll tackle the vocabulary portion of Sylvan's Super Reading Success 3rd Grade. 

End of Year Curriculum Review: Phonics

Over the next few weeks, I'll be reviewing last year's curriculum and planning for next year. Sharing what works for us, why I like it, and what I'll be using in the fall. Hopefully, it will lead to a dialog where we all learn and share together :)

Phonics:  Modern Curriculum Press 

It took many tries to find a phonics curriculum that interested Madeline. Finally, we found Modern Curriculum Press {MCP}. It was suggested by a master teacher who taught reading for 40 years! 

This year Madeline finished Level B, and has about 25% more to complete Level C. We've used the whole series, starting with Level K and then continuing on to our current workbook.

Just a note, the workbooks were updated in the last decade or so. They have been published for the last 50 years though!

Some of the workbooks you can purchase new online are the older version with the plaid only cover, no animals pictured. The older versions are still excellent! We started with the older versions of K and A.

I purchase my MCP books through Amazon. None of my local teacher supply stores seem to carry them.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT MCP
A strong phonics foundation is essential for good reading. MCP teaches the basics with enough repetition so that the students really learn phonics. There are a variety of exercises:  filling in the blank, crossword puzzles, short reading books, multiple choice, and writing exercises. Teachers guides are available, but not really needed.

The inside back cover has helpful terms and rules. So if your child is working on page comparing vowel pairs and vowel diphthongs, they can find the rules and definitions and complete their page independently.

The cost is very reasonable! Each workbook cost between $10-$12. We can typically cover one and a half to two workbooks a year.

WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED
There is no answer key unless you buy the teachers edition. That being said, I've not needed one yet :)

Also, why did they start with K and then go to A? Why not start with K for kinder and then move to 1, 2, 3, etc.? I think their letter designations are confusing if you are used to grade level classifications or are unfamiliar with the product. The content is so good, however, that it's not a deal breaker for me.

WILL WE CONTINUE MPC?
Absolutely, unequivocally YES! We'll continue with the series until it ends :)

Field Trip: Lavon Farms {Lucky Layla Dairy} Tour

Living in the city, it's easy to forget where our food comes from. But yesterday we had the amazing opportunity to visit a working diary farm! Tour cost was minimal, only $3 per person.

Lavon Farms produces raw milk and yogurt products from Jersey cow milk for Lucky Layla. A third generation family business, their operations have been ongoing since the 1930s. Their facility and beautiful Jersey cows were very impressive :)

In comparison to cattle raised for beef, dairy cows look much different. Dairy cows are much more slender with large udders.

The cows looked well cared for, extremely clean, and happy :)

A tour guide spoke to our homeschool group overlooking the milking area. We were able to view the cows being milked and ask questions about the process. The entire group is milked in about 20 minutes! Setup and cleanup actually take more time than the milking.

Did you know that one dairy cow can produce enough milk to feed their baby and up to three more? If you nursed a child, you know how important it is to nurse on a schedule! Likewise, dairy cows area milked twice a day - everyday - to ensure they stay healthy and don't develop mastitis or other conditions from all that milk.

Fresh milk is naturally warm. So the milk immediately heads to a cooling system. Cooling the milk prevents the growth of bad bacteria. The farm does not pasteurize their milk, so keeping the mild cold is an important part of their process. I personally don't drink cow milk at all {raw or pasteurized} because it makes me very sick! But the girls do love their cow milk :)

Because of regulations in the state of Texas, raw milk can only be sold at the farm where it is produced. They keep a small storefront where their fresh, raw milk is sold.

Once the cows are milked, they exit the milking area and walk out into the pasture. There is plenty of room to roam, about 200 acres.

When the kids came to fence, the cows seemed equally curious
about the children.

After being milked, the cows headed in the direction of the pasture. But the kids captured their attention, and the cows seemed to stop and watch the children for a bit. Eventually, they began to roaming the pasture and forgot all about us :) 

At the end of our visit, I bought the kids some Lucky Layla drinkable yogurt. Just $3 for 2 drinks, a bargain and farm fresh! Flavor choices were blackberry, blueberry, and pina colada. Everyone headed to the picnic tables and enjoyed their treat. The products are full fat, so rich! 

Madeline finished ALL her blackberry drinkable yogurt

Sophie loved the little container. I had to promise not to
put it in the recycle bin so she can use it later :)

Before taking the tour, I was unfamiliar with Lucky Layla products. But having toured the Lavon Farms facility, I definitely want to shop local and support my neighbors!

Do you live near any farms? Have you toured them?

Outdoor Classroom: Berry Blossoms

A few years back I planted a blackberry bush. At least, I think it's a blackberry bush. All the canes except one little survivor went to plant heaven. My 65 lb. hunk of furry love {Tank}, used to stomp through it while barking at pedestrians passing by our fence.

Since it has never bloomed or fruited, your guess is as good as mine. But this week, two new canes popped up and the existing cane is blooming! And a few berries are emerging from the blossoms.

Blackberries? Raspberries? We'll see...

Madeline even called the bush our 'blackberry bramble'. She remembered the term from Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM. 

This year we've been sprinkling the base of the canes with soil acidifier. Maybe that's the difference? 

The Sasquatch Escape {The Imaginary Veterinary, Book 1} by Suzanne Selfors

Everyone loves reading classics for homeschool book club. But why not read something a bit different? Like...Sasquatch :)

And that's precisely our next book ~ The Sasquatch Escape by Suzanne Selfors! The reviews seem to be overwhelmingly positive, so we'll give it a read.

The entire series is based on mythological creatures. Usually kids love animals, so it will be interesting to see just what they think of Bigfoot. I can't wait to see how Sasquatch is portrayed.

Has your child read it yet? If so, what did they think?

If not, read it with us!

Field Trip: Scarborough Renaissance Festival {Demonstrations and Rides}

Renaissance times have never been so much fun! Yesterday we spent Student Day at Scarborough Festival. It's quite an experience, and you absolutely cannot see everything one day.

One artisan demonstrated how to use a weight on a crank to create stamped jewelry. The desired plate design was placed over the medallion, and then a ginormous weight was used to pound the plate design into the medallion.

Artisan demonstrating stamped
medallion necklaces

Just for Student Day, he created inexpensive $5 designs from a penny :)  Madeline wanted the Star of David but he had at least 50 designs. Now I wish I'd bought one for myself, too!

Artisan's assistant cranking the weight.

The most popular demonstration...jousting!

Four champions competed and ours executed all the preliminary skills perfectly. But another champion won the final round. It was fun cheering nonetheless.

A rival champion

The eventual jousting winner!

There were so many demonstrations and shows. No matter how hard we tried, we didn't get to see all the artisans. There were soapmakers, candle makers, glass blowers, chain mail fabricators, costume designers, stain glass artists, and the list goes on...Plus shows for knife throwing, birds of prey, storytelling, and more.

Want to try fencing and show your sword skills?

Sports weren't just limited to the demonstrators. Attendees could practice fencing, complete with leather apron and mesh face gear. Balloons were attached at the shoulders and above the head. If all your balloons were popped, you were eliminated. Surprisingly, Madeline preferred watching the fencing more than the jousting.

Fencing practice

All the rides were human powered.

Madeline took a whirl on a couple non-mechanized rides. All the 'swings' were attached to a center pole that was powered by two men! Once all the swings were in motion, one the men would spin the swings around and around. Madeline LOVED it. 

Enjoying a man-powered ride

Madeline was dying to do this ride so I let her. She said it was exhilarating...I think she's nuts. You just slingshot yourself up into the air! She in no way gets her adrenaline junkie ways from me.

Have you ever been to a Renaissance festival? What was your favorite part?

Outdoor Classroom: Snakeskin Discovery

While tending the garden, we found this little creature...
or at least what was left of it.

The little snake must have died a while ago. All that was left was the skin. The little eyes were still intact, though dehydrated. Very cool!

Just a small garden snake, the diameter of a pencil. They like to hide in the back of my garden beds. With super tiny mouths, humans need not worry about bites. Their diet is primarily small creatures {like earthworms and snails}...so they are a welcome part of our ecosystem :)

Book Review: Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren {Activity Links}

It's a beloved classic! Our homschool book club {grades 3-6} read Pippi Longstocking for the April meeting.

Madeline took turns between laughing outrageously and being completely horrified by Pippi's behavior. Mostly, it was laughing outrageously!

SYNOPSIS
Pippi Lonstocking is a very unique little girl living all alone. Without parents, she governs her own behavior. Pippi tries to make sense of the world that thinks very differently than she does.

Each chapter is like it's own short story focusing on a particular event. At first, the town isn't so pleased with Pippi's antics. But she eventually wins them over and saves the day!

ACTIVITIES
Saving time is one of my favorite things, so I bought Characters, Plot, and Setting and Pippi Longstocking worksheets. The book club homeschoolers absolutely LOVED the Characters, Plot, and Setting activities. There were so many things to do that we could only complete just a few. But they were all a hit!

The worksheet link is primarily reading comprehension questions. I printed them cut out the individual questions. Each child took a question from a bag and read it to the group. Then they discussed the questions. It's awesome because they govern themselves and are so excited to share what they've read :)

FREE LINKS AND ACTIVITIES
Pippi Longstocking:  GSCNC Book Club Meeting Guide
Discussion/Comprehension Questions via Teachers.net
Printable Pippi Paper Dolls via fanpop.com
Pippi Longstocking smock via Muffins and More

Pippi Apron Inspiration via http://efraimstochter.de/ {Would be great made of a large paper grocery bag, too!}

I'm dying to make Pippi Lonstocking smocks for the girls! So cute for summer if you sew.

REVIEW
We'd rate Pippi 5 of 5 stars! Lots of humor to show kids just how lucky they really are to have parents who love them :)

Outdoor Classroom: Tiny Black Krim Tomatoes

Our second heirloom hybrid grafted tomato plant has fruit! Hopefully, the Black Krim tomatoes will grow large and dark purple/black. Supposedly, the hotter it is ~ the darker the fruit. And it gets REALLY HOT in Dallas!

So far, this is what the emerging fruit looks like:

Growing...and about 2 inches in diameter

I'm thinking we'll count how many fruit are on each plant every week. That way, at the end of the season we'll be able to tally how much fruit each plant gave total. Good plan?

Almost Done with Pippi Longstocking

Nine chapters down, two more to go!

We will DEFINITELY FINISH this book tonight and be ready for our homeschool book club meeting tomorrow. This book is a fast read for sure.

It's been shocking to me to see just how far Madeline has come in reading since beginning chapter books! A pleasant and proud shock though :)

So far, Madeline alternates between laughing and being horrified by Pippi's behavior. Oh, so many teachable moments to discuss! But then again, Madeline is my little angel. She's always been the sweetest, most gentle child.

Homeschool Book Club: Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

Almost time for homeschool book club! Our next selection is Pippi Longstocking. The club meets Thursday, so we better get reading. 

Luckily, it's only 11 chapters. Flood Child was 41 chapters, so finishing Pippi by Wednesday seems doable. We are ready for some laughs!

Reading Chasing Vermeer by Blue Baillet

Oops! Madeline and I got so caught up reading Flood and Fire that we need to play catch up on our homeschool book club selection.

Time to remedy that! So we switched gears and are halfway through Chasing Vermeer by Blue Baillet.

I must say, it was really hard putting Flood and Fire to the side. But we'll pick up where we left off once Chasing Vermeer is finished.

Luckily, it's only 21 chapters. Which seems short compared to Flood and Fire's 41 chapters!

At first, Madeline kept telling me that it wasn't as exciting as Flood and Fire. Now she's keeping a notebook to jot down clues to help her solve the mystery. So cute!

But I have noticed she's not dying to read the next chapter like other books. Not sure if we will continue with this series. Guess that is dependent on the ending. Which I've already read...but it really matters what Madeline thinks of the ending.

Homeschool book club is next week, so stay tuned for all our activities and fun!

Raiders' Ransom: Activities and Discussion Questions

Having a blast with vocabulary bingo ladders at homeschool book club

After searching but not finding a Scholastic study guide for Raiders' Ransom, I made my own! If you find a link to the official study guide, please leave me a comment so I can link to it :)

[Enjoy my book review too.] 

The kids liked all the activities at homeschool book club, but vocabulary bingo was the favorite! It never hurts to have extra activities, but we ran out of time before the character comparison. So Madeline will work that in at home later as one of our writing assignments.


Discussion Questions

Why is Lilly’s boat spared from the raider attack?

Why doesn't the Prime Minister want to give compensation for Lilly's fishing town to rebuild their boats and pay for the raider damage?

Why does Lilly decide to steal the jewel? How does she disguise herself and Cat?

Is the jewel a gem or something else? Why is it so important?

Why does Zeph have to make friends with Lilly in London?

Why does Mr. Saravanan pretend to disown/cast Lilo out of their family?

What is a fill miner? Why are fill miners needed?

Is trial by knife a scientific way to get facts and truth? Why or why not?

If Roba had thrown the knife {instead Zeph} at the trialing wheel, do you think the outcome would have been the same for Lilly? Why or why not?

What secret is Aileen keeping from Angel Isling?

Why does Zeph show kindness to Lexy when she is summoned to the feast? Who does she remind him of?

How does Cat set free Lilly and Lexy from their shackles?

Does the Prime Minister seem happy to see Lexy during the truce? Does he protect her after they are reunited?

Do you think Zeph finds war as wonderful as he imagined it in the beginning of the story? Why?

When Roba is drowning, Zeph helps him by giving Roba a piece of wreckage to use as a float. Is Roba kind to Zeph in return?

During the fleet battle, Lilly has to make a choice to rescue Lexy or Zeph. How does she choose?

Jasper hired Medwin to get the jewel. Did Jasper get what he wanted? Why or why not?


Sail Design Activity

The raider Families used symbols and colors to differentiate themselves from each other. Zeph’s family used the color red and the symbol of the lion.

Design your own raider sail to represent your raider Family!

- Name your raider family
- Choose one or two colors for your sail design
- Choose a symbol for your sail to represent your family

For inspiration and symbol meanings, print/view Common Archetypes and Symbols in Literature and Animals and Their Symbolic Meanings.

Students can draw freehand or use this sailboat template to make a three dimensional boat.


Compare and Contrast Two Characters

Choose from either:
- Roba and Zeph
- Lilly and Lexy
- Medwin the Untamed and Prime Minister Randall

1. List two ways they are the same/similar.

2. List two ways they are different.

3. Which one of the two would you rather be? Why?

Vocabulary Bingo
Provide definition list and have children take turns reading a word and its definition. Fill in blank bingo cards with your vocabulary words and get gaming! Kids can earn extra points by providing synonyms and antonyms for the words.

fury:  extreme anger

sly:  smart in a dishonest way, hiding your true reasons

ruins:  remaining pieces of something that has been destroyed

projection:  creating an image on a surface from somewhere else, an image that can be seen but isn’t a real object {like a movie on a movie screen}

swift:  very fast or quick

lassie: a young girl

malfunction:  to not work properly/correctly or to fail to work

sterile:  without germs or other microorganisms

scabbard:  protective case for a sword, knife,  or blade

kinship:  being related to other people

loyal: complete support for someone or something

arrogant:  believing or acting more important, smarter, or better than other people

activate:  to turn something on or make it active

antiquarian:  a person who collects, studies, or sells valuable old things

rudimentary:  the most basic or simple

artificial intelligence:   the power of a machine/computer to act and think like a person

delinquent:  a young person who regularly breaks the law or misbehaves

plead:  to ask for something in a serious and emotional way

unfurl:  to cause a folded or rolled up item to open

tattered:  old and torn

vital:  extremely important or necessary

traitor:  a person who is not loyal to their friends, family, or country

duress:  when someone is forced or threatened to do something they don’t want to do

kindling:   lightweight and dry objects that burn easily and are used to start a fire {like twigs or paper}