Catechism Review: Authority Serves the Common Good
Objective: The student recalls why legitimate authority exists and whom it must serve.
A quick review of Monday's catechism. Ask: what is the 'common good'? (The conditions that let everyone in a society flourish.) Why does authority exist? (To serve the common good and protect the dignity of every person, not to enrich the powerful.) Connect this to the week: the Western Schism showed what happens when those in authority fail their duty, and the Hundred Years' War showed leaders pursuing private claims at terrible public cost. End with a short prayer for just leaders, that those in authority would serve the common good.
1Why is it wrong for a leader to use power only for personal gain?
Activity
Say a one-line prayer for good and just leaders.
Authority exists to serve the common good and the dignity of every person.
Memory Work
Keep to 5 minutes; this is review and prayer, not new material.
Grammar20 min
Punctuation II — The Semicolon and the Colon
Objective: The student can use the semicolon to join related independent clauses and the colon to introduce a list, explanation, or example.
The semicolon (;) and the colon (:) are precision tools. Master them and your writing instantly looks more mature.
RULE 1 — The semicolon joins two complete sentences (independent clauses) that are closely related, without a conjunction.
Worked example: 'The plague killed a third of Europe; whole villages stood empty.' Each half could stand alone as its own sentence, but the semicolon shows they belong together. You may also use a semicolon before a conjunctive adverb like 'however' or 'therefore': 'Joan won at Orléans; however, she was soon captured.'
RULE 2 — The semicolon also separates items in a list when the items themselves contain commas (a 'super-comma'):
'The war touched three cities: Orléans, in central France; Agincourt, in the north; and Rouen, where Joan died.'
RULE 3 — The colon introduces a list, an explanation, or an example, and what comes BEFORE the colon must be a complete sentence.
Worked example: 'The late Middle Ages faced three crises: plague, war, and schism.'
Wrong: 'The three crises were: plague, war, and schism.' ('The three crises were' is not a complete sentence, so no colon.)
A colon can also introduce an explanation: 'Joan's reason was simple: she believed God had sent her.'
1How is a semicolon different from a period? When would you choose one over the other?
2Why must a complete sentence come before a colon?
Activity
Complete the five practice items below in your notebook (answer key is with the parent).
Vocabulary
independent clause
A group of words with a subject and verb that can stand alone as a sentence.
conjunctive adverb
A word like 'however' or 'therefore' that links independent clauses.
A complete sentence must come before a colon; a semicolon joins two complete, related sentences.
Memory Work
PRACTICE ITEMS (student inserts a semicolon or colon): 1) The plague spread fast no one understood why. 2) Three cities mattered Orléans Agincourt and Rouen. 3) Joan had one goal to crown the king at Reims. 4) She won at Orléans however she was soon betrayed. 5) Bring these items a Bible the YOUCAT and your notebook.
ANSWER KEY: 1) 'fast; no one' (semicolon — two complete sentences). 2) 'cities: Orléans, Agincourt, and Rouen' (colon introduces a list; complete sentence before it). 3) 'goal: to crown' (colon introduces an explanation). 4) 'Orléans; however, she' (semicolon before conjunctive adverb, comma after). 5) 'items: a Bible, the YOUCAT, and your notebook' (colon introduces a list). Timing: ~8 min teaching, ~8 min practice, ~4 min review.
Geography30 min
France and England in the Hundred Years' War
Objective: The student can draw and label the map of France and England during the Hundred Years' War, including the key battle and siege sites.
Today you will map the stage of the Hundred Years' War. England and France are separated by the English Channel, the narrow sea the English crossed again and again to fight on French soil. The war's geography is a story of an English-held foothold in the southwest (Aquitaine/Gascony, with its capital Bordeaux), an English ally in the northeast (the powerful Duchy of Burgundy), and a France squeezed between them, with the dauphin's loyal lands south of the Loire River. Three places define the war's turning points. Crécy (1346) and Agincourt (1415), both in northern France, were crushing English longbow victories. Orléans, on the Loire, was the city under English siege when Joan of Arc arrived in 1429 — relieving it was the turning point that let her lead Charles to be crowned at Reims (the traditional coronation city of French kings). Rouen, in Normandy, is where Joan was tried and burned in 1431. Notice how the Loire River was almost a front line: control of its crossings decided who could march on whom. By 1453 the French had driven the English out of everything but the port of Calais, ending the war and a centuries-long English dream of ruling France.
1Why was control of the Loire River crossings so important?
2Why did the English coming from across the Channel have such trouble holding French land permanently?
Activity
On the blank map of France, draw and label: the English Channel, the Loire River, and the four key sites — Crécy, Agincourt, Orléans, and Rouen. Lightly shade the English-held southwest (Gascony) and mark Reims (the coronation city). Add a title and a small key.
Vocabulary
English Channel
The narrow sea separating England from France.
Loire
The major French river that acted as a near-front line in the war.
Orléans (1429) — Joan's turning-point victory; Reims — where French kings were crowned.
Memory Work
Prep: print the blank map (one per student) or have the student trace from the reference map. Place names approximate: Crécy and Agincourt are in the far north, Orléans on the Loire south of Paris, Rouen in Normandy, Reims northeast of Paris. Timing: 5 min teaching, 25 min careful drawing/labeling.
Wrap-Up5 min
Notebook Wrap
Objective: The student reviews skills practiced today.
Look back at your map and your grammar practice. Write one sentence about the war that correctly uses either a semicolon or a colon, combining today's grammar and geography.
Activity
Write one semicolon-or-colon sentence about the Hundred Years' War in the notebook.
Check that the punctuation in the sentence is correct; gentle correction reinforces the lesson.