Week 11

So is all the freezing weather making you feel a little cold? Imagine how the soldiers at Valley Forge felt during the winter of 1777-78! We learned last week that that winter was one of the most difficult challenges faced by George Washington and the colonial army. Moral was probably at its lowest point of the war as men faced homesickness, freezing, starvation and diseases, all on the heels of some devastating defeats in battle. What a debt we owe to the colonists who persevered through this formidable time to secure peace and liberty for us, their posterity! This season is a great time to remember and thank God for our patriot ancestors who sacrificed so much 239 years ago.

Assignments:

Opinion Paper: Write a letter home as if you were someone living in the colonial period. This is my favorite writing assignment for first semester! Remember, you can be anybody! Here are a few ideas:

• a colonial soldier or officer
• a wife on the front lines, tending the wounded
• a delegate in the Continental Congress
• a loyalist
• a redcoat
• a slave
• a family member of a soldier, awaiting your loved one's return from battle
• a privateer

The list could go on; just be creative and think outside the box!

Presentations: We heard a very informative and well-executed presentation from Paige last week on the different groups of people in the war. Way to raise the bar, Paige! This week, we look forward to being enlightened by Lucy on colonial fashion, and by Reina on spies.

Devotional: I forgot to assign this in class...Ethan, would you please do the honors of preparing an inspirational thought to share at the beginning of class?

Reading: Keep plugging away at Being George Washington and Freedom Factor.

Award Requirements: We have only 3 class days left to pass off requirements, so make sure you're working on checking off those requirements! January 12 is the deadline!

Parent Night: Please work on finalizing/memorizing your part and putting your costume together for our dazzling January 26th performance!

Have a fabulous week!

-Mrs. Hellyer