Corfu

Corfu is a small island just off the East coast of Greece. It is about 237 square miles and has a population of about 100,000. Its principal city, also named Corfu has a population of about 40,000. Its history includes many battles and conquests which can be told by the many castles and forts throughout the island. Corfu is a very popular tourist destination and was mainly visited by higher class family's from England up until WW1 and today is visited by mainly middle class family's

Spanish, Lesson 7

'Introducing someone' is the topic of this week's lesson...

New phrases:

Soy (I am):  Jennifer, Jacob, etc.

Este es:  This is (male), Estos son:  This is, they are (plural, masculine, or group of males and females)

Esta es:  This is (female), Estas son:  This is, they are (plural, feminine)

Ejemplos: 

Esta es la novia de Carlos.: This is Carlos' girlfriend.

Este es el novio de Laura.: This is Laura's boyfriend.

Estos son mis vecinos - They are my neighbors.

Esta es mi esposa - This is my wife.

Esto es mi esposo - This is my husband.

New words:

Esposo/a: Husband/wife

Vecino/a: Neighbor (male/female)

Compañero/a: companion, classmate

Jefe/a: boss (male/female)

¡Mucho gusto!  - Pleased to meet you!  (Directly translated it means 'much pleasure', but can be used as a greeting also.)

Encantado/a - Enchanted (Male/Female): as in 'enchanted to meet you'.

Spelling/Vocabulary List #5

Anecdote - noun

a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person
  • an account regarded as unreliable or hearsay
  • the depiction of a minor narrative incident in a painting

Cunning - adjective

1. having or showing skill in achieving one's ends by deceit or evasion
  • ingenious

2. attractive; quaint

Elixir - noun

a magical or medicinal potion
  • a preparation that was supposedly able to change metals into gold, sought by alchemists.
  • (also elixir of life) a preparation supposedly able to prolong life indefinitely.
  • a medicinal solution of a specified type; i.e. for coughs

Graft -

noun
Horticulture .

a. a bud, shoot, or scion of a plant inserted in a groove, slit, or the like in a stem or stock of another plant in which it continues to grow.
b. the plant resulting from such an operation; the united stock and scion.
c. the place where the scion is inserted.
2. Surgery . a portion of living tissue surgically transplanted from one part of an individual to another, or from one individual to another, for its adhesion and growth.
3. an act of grafting.

verb (used with object)
4. to insert (a graft) into a tree or other plant; insert a scion of (one plant) into another plant.
5. to cause (a plant) to reproduce through grafting.
6. Surgery . to transplant (a portion of living tissue, as of skin or bone) as a graft.


Horde -


noun
1. a large group, multitude, number, etc.; a mass or crowd.
2. a tribe or troop of Asian nomads.
3. any nomadic group.
4. a moving pack or swarm of animals.

verb (used without object)
5. to gather in a horde.


Lugubrious - adjective
mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially in an affected, exaggerated, or unrelieved manner.

Nigh -


adverb
1. near  in space, time, or relation.
2. nearly; almost; (often followed by on  or onto).

adjective
3. near;  approaching.
4. short or direct: to take the nighest route.
5. (of an animal or vehicle) being on the left side.
6. Archaic . parsimonious; stingy.

preposition
7. near.

verb (used without object), verb (used with object)
8. Archaic. to approach.

Progeny - noun, plural -ny or, for plants or animals, -nies.

1. a descendant or offspring, as a child, plant, or animal.
2. such descendants or offspring collectively.
3. something that originates or results from something else; outcome; issue.

Scorn -


noun
1. open or unqualified contempt; disdain.
2. an object of derision or contempt.
3. a derisive or contemptuous action or speech.

verb (used with object)
4. to treat or regard with contempt or disdain.
5. to reject, refuse, or ignore with contempt or disdain.

verb (used without object)
6. to mock; jeer.

Idiom
7. laugh to scorn, to ridicule; deride.

Shole - noun

A plank fixed beneath an object, as beneath the rudder of a vessel, to protect it from injury; a plank on the ground under the end of a shore or the like.

Shoal -

noun

1. a place where a sea, river, or other body of water is shallow.
2. a sandbank or sand bar in the bed of a body of water, especially one that is exposed above the surface of the water at low tide.

adjective
3. of little depth, as water; shallow.


Sojourn -

noun
1. a temporary stay.

verb (used without object)
2. to stay for a time in a place; live temporarily.

Toil -

noun
1. hard and continuous work; exhausting labor or effort.
2. a laborious task.
3. Archaic . battle; strife; struggle.

verb (used without object)
4. to engage in hard and continuous work; labor arduously: to toil in the fields.
5. to move or travel with difficulty, weariness, or pain.
verb (used with object)
6. to accomplish or produce by toil.

Truculent - adjective

1. fierce; cruel; savagely brutal.
2. brutally harsh; vitriolic; scathing.
3. aggressively hostile; belligerent.

Unctuous - adjective

1. characterized by excessive piousness or moralistic fervor, especially in an affected manner; excessively smooth, suave, or smug.
2. of the nature of or characteristic of an unguent or ointment; oily; greasy.
3. having an oily or soapy feel, as certain minerals.

Vociferous - adjective

Crying out noisily; clamorous.

Spelling/Vocabulary List #4

Akimbo  adverb
with hands on the hips and elbows turned outward;
(of other limbs) flung out wildly or haphazardly

Champertous  adjective
(being of) an illegal agreement in which a person with no previous interest in a lawsuit finances it with a view to sharing the disputed property if the suit succeeds

Countenance noun
a person's face or facial expression; support

verb [trans.]
admit as acceptable or possible

Dispel verb [trans.]
make (a doubt, feeling or belief) disappear; drive something away; scatter

Eccentricity noun
the quality of being eccentric
● (usu. eccentricities) an eccentric act, habit, or thing

Elucidate verb [trans.]
make something clear; explain

Frank adjective
open, honest and direct in speech or writing, esp. when dealing with unpalatable matters
open, sincere, or undisguised in appearance or manner

Fey adjective
giving an impression of vague worldiness
● having supernatural powers of clairvoyance
● (chiefly Scottish) fated to die or at the point of death

Probate noun
the official proving of a will
● a verified copy of a will with a certificate as handed to the executors

verb [trans.]
establish the validity of  (a will)

Profane adjective
1 relating or devoted to that which is not sacred or biblical; secular rather than religious
2 (of a person or their behavior) not respectful of orthodox religious practice; irreverent
● (of language) blasphemous or obscene

verb [trans.]
treat (something sacred) with irreverence or disrepect

Prominent adjective
1 important; famous
2 projecting from something; protuberant
● situated so as to catch the attention; noticeable

Shrill adjective
(of a voice or sound) high pitched and piercing
● derogatory (esp. of a complaint or demand) loud and forceful

verb
make a shrill noise
● speak or cry with a shrill voice

noun
a shrill sound or cry

Solicitor noun
1 a person who tries to obtain business orders, advertising, etc. as a canvasser.
2 the chief law officer of a city, town, or government department.

Unobtrusive adjective
not conspicuous or attracting attention

Discover Spanish, Lesson 6

Adiós - Goodbye

Hasta mañana - See you tomorrow

Hasta pronto - See you soon

Hasta la vista - See you later

Hasta luego - See you later

(Note:  hasta means until)

Nos vemos - We'll see each other

Chao! - Bye!

Buen viaje - Have a good trip

Que te diviertas - Have fun

Mi corazón - My heart

Mi amor - My love

Mi vida - My life

We learned about cognates this week, which are words in Spanish that are spelled almost identically as the same word in English, such as television, and dentista (dentist), educación (education), oportunidad (opportunity), farmacia (pharmacy), hotel, hospital, restaurante (restaurant), carro (car).

Embarazada is an example of a false cognate, or a word that sounds like a word in English, but doesn't correspond to the English word's meaning - you would think embarazada means embarassed, right?  It actually means pregnant!  

Discover Spanish, Lesson 5

¿En que trabajas? - What do you do?

¿En que trabaja usted? - What do you do? (formal)

¿Cual es tu ocupación?  - What is your occupation?

Soy doctor/doctora. - I am a doctor (male/female).

Otros ocupaciónes:

El profesor/la profesora - the teacher (male/female)

El actor/La actriz - the actor/actress

El abogado/La abogada - the lawyer

El injeniero/La injeniera - the engineer (male/female)

El artista/La artista - the artist (male/female)

El estudiante/La estudiante - the student (male/female)

El camarero/La camarera - the waiter/waitress (male/female)

El policia/La mujer policia - the policeman/policewoman 

Spelling/Vocabulary List #3

Aphrodisiac - noun
a food, drink, or drug that stimulates sexual desire; a thing that causes excitement

Bannock - noun
a round, flat loaf, typically unleavened, associated with Scotland and Northern England

Bode - verb (transitive)
be an omen of a particular outcome

Creak - verb (intransitive)
(of an object, especially a wooden one) make a harsh, high-pitched sound when being moved or when pressure or weight is applied

Cynical - adjective

1. believing that people are motivated by self-interest; distrustful of human sincerity or integrity; doubtful as to whether something will happen or whether it is worthwhile; contemptuous, mocking
2. concerned only with one's interests and typically disregarding accepted or appropriate standards in order to achieve them

Denunciation - noun
public condemnation of something or someone

Flimsy - adjective
comparatively light and unsubstantial; easily damaged
(of clothing) light and thin
(of a pretext or account) weak and unconvincing

Frivolous - adjective
not having any serious purpose or value
(of a person) carefree and not serious

Impose - verb
[trans] force (something unwelcome or unfamiliar) to be accepted or put in place
forcibly put (a restriction) in place
require (a duty, charge or penalty) to be undertaken or paid
(impose oneself) exert firm control over something

[intrans] take advantage of someone by demanding their attention or commitment

Pemmican - noun
a paste of dried and pounded meat mixed with fat and other ingredients, originally made by North American Indians, and later adapted by Arctic explorers

Pessimistic - adjective
pertaining to or characterized by pessimism; gloomy

Refraction - noun PHYSICS
the fact or phenomenon of light, radio waves, etc. being deflected in passing obliquely through the interface between one medium and another, or through a medium of varying density

change in direction of propagation of any wave as a result of its traveling at different speeds at different points along the wave front

measurement of the focusing charateristics of an eye or eyes.

Squall - noun
a sudden violent gust of wind or a localized storm, esp. one bringing rain, snow, or sleet; a loud cry
(of a baby or child) to cry noisily and continuously

Treacherous - adjective
guilty of, or involving betrayal and deception
(of ground, water, conditions, etc.) hazardous because of presenting hidden or unpredictable dangers

Veer - 
verb (intrans.)
change direction suddenly
figurative - suddenly change opinion, subject, type of behavior, etc.
(of the wind) change direction clockwise around the points of a compass

noun
a sudden change of direction

Conjugating "Hablar"

The word 'hablar', to speak, conjugated in the present tense:

Hablo - I speak
Hablas - You speak
Habla - You (formal), he/she speak(s)
Hablamos - We speak
Hablais - You (plural) speak
Hablan - You (formal, plural), they speak

Discover Spanish, Lesson 4

Hablo español - I speak Spanish

No hablo español - I do not speak Spanish

Lo siento - I'm sorry

No entiendo - I don't understand

Inglés - English

Francés - French

Alemán - German

Ruso - Russian

Chino - Chinese

¿Hablas español? - Do you speak Spanish?

¿Habla usted español?  Do you (formal) speak Spanish?

¿Que idiomas hablas?  What languages do you speak?

¿Que idiomas habla usted?  What languages do you (formal) speak?

Rewriting Paragraph for Adults with no Background Info

While manually duplicating spindles (a turned piece of wood used as a banister or chair leg) on my lathe( machine for shaping wood, metal, or other material by means of a rotating drive that turns the piece being worked on against changeable cutting tools) I grew tired of constantly setting and resetting my caliper(an instrument for measuring external or internal dimensions, having two hinged legs resembling a pair of compasses and in-turned or out-turned points) to check various diameters along the workpiece. So I made this simple wood story board to speed up the proses.

Discover Spanish, Lesson 3

¡Hola, mi querido alumno Jacob!  Aquí estan las palabras y frases por esta semana:

¿De dónde eres? - Where are you from?

¿De dónde es usted? - Where are you from (formal)?

Soy de Los Estados Unidos. - I am from The United States.

¿Es de aquí? - Are you from here?

Sí, soy de aquí. - Yes, I am from here.

No, no soy de aquí.  - No, I am not from here.

Rewriting Paragraph for 4th Graders

While copying by hand some spindles, (a piece of wood that turns on a machine that you shape), on my lathe,(a machine that turns the spindle0, I got tired of having to always set and reset my caliper, (a measuring tool for round things), to check the thickness of different parts of the wood. So I made this simple wood board that measures it faster.

Spelling/Vocabulary Words, List #2

Arduous - adjective
involving or requiring strenuous effort; difficult and tiring

Batten

noun
a long, flat strip of squared wood or metal used to hold something in place or as a fastening against a wall

verb
strengthen or fasten

Behemoth - noun
a huge or monstrous creature; something enormous, esp. a big and powerful organization

Bilge - noun
the area on the outer surface of a ship's hull where the bottom curves to meet the vertical sides

Cofferdam - noun
a watertight enclosure pumped dry to permit construction work below the waterline, as when building bridges or repairing a ship

Contrivance - noun
a thing that is created skillfully and inventively to serve a particular purpose

Derelict

adjective
in very poor condition as a result of disuse and neglect; (of a person) shamefully negligent in not having done what one should have done

noun
1. a person without a home, job, or property
2. a piece of property, esp. a ship, abandoned by the owner and in poor condition

Effrontery - noun
insolent or impertinent behavior

Inundate - verb
1. flood
2. (figurative) to overwhelm (someone) with things or people to be dealt with.

Meticulous - adjective
showing great attention to detail; very careful and precise

Ominous - adjective
giving the impression that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen; threatening

Profuse - adjective
exuberantly plentiful; abundant

Qualm - noun
1. an uneasy feeling of doubt, worry, or fear, esp. about one's own conduct; a misgiving
2. a momentary faint or sick feeling

Staunch - adjective
1. loyal and committed in attitude
2. (of a wall) of strong or firm construction
3. (of a ship) watertight

Zither - noun
a musical instrument consisting of a flat wooden sound box with numerous strings stretched across it, placed horizontally and played with the fingers and a plectrum (pick).  It is used especially in central European folk music.

Indian Myths and legends

The Well baked man
Once a magician made the world realizing that something was missing he made a stove.
after doing that he made an image of himself out of clay. As he was collecting wood the coyote changed it and not looking at it he cooked it and when he brought to life, it baked and wagged its tail and looking at the coyote he said you changed it. Then after making another two clay images the coyote told him to take it out to soon and he didn't like it so he put it over seas. So he made another two and took them out to late so he sent them over seas again. He then did it again and didn't listen to the coyote and baked them perfectly and kept them.

Discover Spanish, Lesson 2

¡Hola, amigos!  Here's what we're learning to say this week en español!

¿Cómo estás? - How are you?

¿Cómo está usted? - How are you (formal)?

¿Qué tal? - What's up?

Bien - well

Gracias - thank you

Muy bien - very well

Más o menos - okay, fine

No muy bien - not very well

¿Y tú? - And you?

¿Y usted? - And you (formal)?

Endurance - Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

Our geography book for this term is turning out to be really interesting reading.  We're studying the voyage of Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship, Endurance, on its ill-fated Antarctic expedition which started in 1914. 

I've already learned a few things about ships I didn't know, and it's pretty fascinating to read about the experience Shackleton and his crew had while they attempted this expedition across the Antarctic.  I wanted to share some of the things that made an impression on me today.  

The advertisement Shackleton placed in the newspaper pretty much says it all... this was not child's play!  It was dangerous business, indeed!  It's amazing that anyone responded, really.  Even more amazing was that during the Antarctic night, they didn't go crazy - it had certainly been enough to drive other ship's crews insane in the past.  (I know I get depressed just by several days of rainy weather... I can't even imagine endless night for months out of the year!)  The book says it actually seemed to bring them closer together.  They didn't have much work to do during the 'day' while they were stuck in the ice, so they had all sorts of social gatherings that included 'grog' (watered down alcohol), and put on silly skits for each other, in addition to routine things like reading, writing in diaries, playing cards, etc.  Some of the practical jokes they played on each other were pretty hilarious, too - such as the time they convinced one of the crew members that there was a 'costume' party... they actually got him to dress up as Buddha (with the help of a bedsheet), and when they showed up to the gathering, the poor guy was frozen and the only costumed person in attendance!  (Jake and I both had a good chuckle over that one!)

Shackleton and crew

The book also makes mention of the amazing light show they had during the Antarctic night, courtesy of the Aurora Australis, or the "Southern Lights".  I found some pictures of this, and it's quite beautiful.

I also (never having paid much attention to geography growing up) didn't know how close the Antarctic was to Australia.  When I looked at a map of the voyage, I was shocked to see Australia fairly close by (at least it looks that way!).  I think of Australia as being the opposite of the Antarctic weather-wise... and it is, but their relatively close proximity surprised me just for that reason!

INDIANS!!!

The 2 tribes that live near us are the Pima and the Pappigo, there literal meaning being River dwelers and Bean eaters.

The State Symbols

 The state flag consists of the blue field, representing the USA,

the copper star for the huge copper mining industry and The 13 stripes representing the sunset.

 The Cactus Ren

 The state flower: The Saguaro Blossom

The state Tree Being the Palo Verde

Spanish Notes for Week #1

Discover Spanish, being a podcast, has limitations when it comes to grammar and learning how to write the Spanish language.  Therefore, I will be posting these notes for you on a weekly basis, Jake, so you learn grammar as well!

Here are some things you need to know from this week's lesson material:

The words Señor, Señora, and Señorita all have an accent mark over the letter n, which is called a tilde.  The letter n with a tilde over it is its own letter, in addition to a 'regular n' in the Spanish alphabet.

The verb llamar, which literally in Spanish means to call, is the verb we use to ask what someone's name is, or what they 'call' themselves.  Depending on who is 'doing' the action in the sentence, the ending of the verb will change.  In the present tense (or now), the verb endings are:

I - o                                we - amos

you (singular) - as          you (plural) - ais

he, she, it - a                   they - an

So, in the case of llamar, to conjugate the verb, you remove the last two letters, ar, and replace them with the ending for the person who is performing the action (in this case, doing the 'calling'):

llamo                  llamamos

llamas                 llamais

llama                   llaman

The 'me' in front of llamo means that I call myself (my name is) _________.  So, to say:

I call myself (my name is) - me llamo                   

You call yourself (your name is) - te llamas          

He, she, it calls him-, her-, it- self - se llama          

(His-, her- its- name is)

We call ourselves (our name is) - nos llamamos
You (plural) call yourselves (your name is) - os llamais
They call themselves (their name is) - se llaman

In Spanish, when a sentence ends in either an exclamation point, or a question mark, there is an upside exclamation point or question mark at the beginning of the sentence, as well as a 'right side up' exclamation point or question mark at the end of the sentence.

Yay Arizona

Yuma is known for its heat somwhere around 120 degrees, people there joke that there was a sinner there that died and went to hell and sent for his blankets because it was cooler there than in Yuma

Arizona had a navy, no kidding they were trying to protect there rights to the Colorado river and deployed two patrol boats, it is said that they got tangled in weeds and had to get towed

Discover Spanish, Lesson 1

We've decided to start Spanish off this year using a podcast I found on iTunes, called Discover Spanish.  They're each 15 minutes long, which in my opinion is just about perfect - enough time to learn something, but not so much that you're too overwhelmed with information.  Here's what Jacob learned today:

¡Hola! - Hello!

¡Buenos días! - Good morning!

¡Buenas tardes! - Good afternoon!

¡Buenas noches! - Good evening or good night!

Señor - Mr.

Señora - Mrs.

Señorita - Miss

¿Cómo te llamas?  - What is your name (more technically, what do you call yourself)?

¿Cómo se llama Usted? - The 'formal' way of asking someone what their name is (authority figures, etc.)

Me llamo _______.  My name is _______.

Week One - Spelling and Vocabulary List

This week's spelling/vocabulary words are taken from To Kill A Mockingbird


Assuage - verb
1. to make milder or less severe; relieve; ease; mitigate.
2. to appease; satisfy; allay; relieve.
3. to soothe, calm, or mollify.

Amble - verb
1. to go at a slow, easy pace; stroll; saunter.
2. (of a horse) to go at a slow pace with the legs moving in lateral pairs and usually having a four-beat rhythm.

Apothecary - noun
1. a druggist; a pharmacist.
2. a pharmacy or drugstore.

Chattel - noun
1. Law. a movable article of personal property.
2. any article of tangible property other than land, buildings, and other things annexed to land.
3. a slave.

Concede - verb
1. to acknowledge as true, just, or proper; admit.
2. to acknowledge (an opponent's victory, score, etc.) before it is officially established.
3. to grant as a right or privilege; yield.

Dictum - noun
1. an authoritative pronouncement; judicial assertion.
2. a saying; maxim.

Divert - verb
1. to turn aside from a path or course; deflect.
2. to distract from serious occupation; entertain or amuse.

Domicile - noun
a place of residence; abode; house or home.

Entity - noun
something that has a real existence; thing.

Flivver - noun
1. Older slang. an automobile, especially one that is small, inexpensive, and old.
2. Slang. something of unsatisfactory quality or inferior grade.

Illicit - adj.
1. not legally permitted or authorized; unlicensed; unlawful.
2. disapproved of or not permitted for moral or ethical reasons.

Malevolent - adj.
1. wishing evil or harm to another or others; showing ill will; ill-disposed; malicious.
2. evil; harmful; injurious

Sweltering - adj.
1. suffering oppressive heat.
2. characterized by oppressive heat; sultry.

Taciturn - adj.
1. inclined to silence; reserved in speech; reluctant to join in conversation.
2. dour, stern, and silent in expression and manner.

Unsullied - adj.
not spoiled or made impure

Inaugural Post

Inaugural

adjective [attrib.]
marking the beginning of an institution, activity, or period of office

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3!

This blog has been created as a place for Jacob and I to chronicle our Charlotte Mason homeschooling adventures... I am personally very excited to begin implementing Charlotte's 'twaddle' free methods of educating children.  Since this method of education is based on living books, and Jacob and I are avid readers, we should be in for an extraordinarily fun year (and beyond)!

The lesson plan for week one is finished, and the fun begins on Monday, August 15th.

To be continued...