Literary Devices

My husband recently started teaching Marcus and Gabriella literary devices using scripture as examples. So far, they have learned metaphor, simile, hyperbole, personification, and understatement; up next, metonymy and synecdoche. He gives them weekly quizzes and we are both amazed at how quickly they are catching on! Below are sample quiz passages. Can you match the literary device being used to the passage? Give it a try! :-)

Psalm 42:1 - As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.

Psalm 114:3-4 - The sea looked and fled; Jordan turned back. The mountains skipped …

2 Chronicles 1:15 - the king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stone …

Deuteronomy 1:28 - are we going up? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying, "The people are greater and taller than we. The cities are great and fortified up to heaven …

Matthew 4:2 - And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

John 6:51 - I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."

Mark 10:25 - It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."

Steve also fell in love with Tapestry of Grace, and as soon as it arrives, will officially be Marcus and Lella's humanities teacher. As a math major, I am extremely grateful!

Quick Summary:
'Young Genius in Old Egypt' is the exciting story of Senefer, an African child in ancient Egypt. Senefer was a carpenter's son who became a famous mathematician and engineer. The story of his adventures brings to life the rich culture of ancient Egypt and the African tradition to excellence in mathematics and science. Senefer's mother, Nefert, sells paddle dolls at the market and this is where Senefer shows off his mathematical talent to the scribes.
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When I read this to Marcus and Gabriella, we compared ancient Egyptian Numerals with Roman Numerals. We made a paddle doll similar to those Nefert sold at market. The children then used the dolls to act out a play. If you're interested, here is an image of a real paddle doll. I'll post their paddle dolls soon!

Books Completed in July and August, Great Illustrated Classics

I came across 45 Great Illustrated Classics books at a garage sale and bought the whole lot for $20. Each time you turn the page, you see a page of text and a sketch of what is happening in the story. These books are a wonderful way to expose children to classic literature and although they are abridged, the essence of the original text remains. Below is a list of books Marcus and Lella have recently finished.

Marcus: Flat Stanly (series), Swiss Family Robinson (Great Illustrated Classics), Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Invisible Man, Diary of Wimpy Kid (series)

Gabriella: Robin Hood (Great Illustrated Classics), The Jungle Book (Great Illustrated Classics), Diary of a Wimpy Kid (series)