May 2-May 6, 2016

You just know that your week is gonna be good when it starts with a TatoCorn. 

Happy Monday!! 
I have to confess, I really enjoyed watching Mulan with you the other night. I don't think I've ever given it the credit I should have. Thanks for really introducing me to it!
We have about three weeks of school left! I'm looking forward to the summer with you :).  
On to History! 
This week we're going to focus on World War 1. Of course, when the war was going on, there was no WWII, so there was no need to call it WW1.  Then it was called "The Great War".  The politics behind it are quite complicated! We'll look more into it this week.
Monday: We'll be doing a TedEd lesson today. The speaker in the video speaks pretty quickly. I would look over the questions you need to answer before watching the video.
Tuesday: Today we'll be doing an interactive thing from the BBC learning about the Battle of the Somme-this was a horrible battle that carried on for months. In this episode you'll be making decisions for the soldier in command of this unit. I warn you, there is some language and its rather violent at times-but then...so is war. The video buffers a lot, so you might want to pause it for a bit before you watch it. That seemed to help.  You might also want to work on it while you're doing other things. It took me a while to get through it, but it was worth it. I'm interested to see if you lead your troops better than I did!
Wednesday-Friday: We will be doing a photo analysis project. I have the packet you need to do it with. Here is the link to the original project in case you need a clearer view of a photo. In Science we'll be learning about the reproductive system this week and next week.
Monday: Read the lesson on the Male Reproductive System and do the practice.
Tuesday: Read the lesson on Male Reproductive Structures and do the practice.
Wednesday: Read the lesson on Human Sperm and do the practice.
Thursday: Read the lesson on Female Reproductive System and do the practice.
Friday: Read the lesson on Female Reproductive Structures and do the practice.

In Reading we're going to start reading The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Its set in a small town in Oklahoma in the 1950s. It only has 12 chapters, so we should be able to finish it easily before the end of the year. There is also a movie (starring every teen heart throb from my middle age years-including Patrick Swayze! Bonus!) In addition to this movie, we'll also watch "Gone With the Wind" because it plays an important part in the book. (and was Meema's very very favorite :) ) This week read the first five chapters of The Outsiders.

Instead of spelling this week we're going to be doing some different vocabulary activities. I'll give you the copies to do it with.

For Writing this week we're going to do some essays dealing with The Outsiders. Choose two of these prompts and write well thought out essays for them. Each should be 1-2 pages long.


That's it chick-a-dee!! I love you so much, and I'm looking forward to summer vacation with you :).  We just have to keep on swimming for a few weeks and remember:


(Blogger is being weird and won't let me add pics except at the top. :P)

April 25-April 29, 2016

Happy Monday!! 

My plan is for our last day of school to be May 20th, so we have less than a month to go! 

Thank you for all of your help this weekend. I really appreciated it! 

On to History! This week we'll be starting our last unit and moving into the Twentieth Century (however we are actually 21st Century now).  Before the end of the year we'll discuss WWI, The Great Depression, WWII, Vietnam, and a bunch of other stuff! 

Monday: Define these words: Spanish-American War, Rough Riders, Battle of San Juan Hill, armistice, Polynesians, King Kamehameha I, Queen Liliuokalani, 

Read pages 435-440 and answer the questions on p. 440. 

Tuesday: Define these words: isthmus, Progressives, regulate, tuberculosis, Panama Canal

Read pages 441-444 and answer the questions on p. 444. 

Wednesday: Define these words: glider, assembly line, suburbs, suffrage, Nineteenth Amendment, Orville and Wilbur Wright, Henry Ford, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Kitty Hawk (place)

Read pages 445-448 as well as 449. Do the questions on p. 448. 

Also, watch this video: 

Thursday: Define these words: Allied Powers, Allies, Central Powers, no-man's-land, League of Nations, Woodrow Wilson

Read pages 452-454 and answer the questions on page 454. 

Watch this video also: 

Friday: For the next week or so we will be studying World War I, or the Great War. We will be watching a series on Netflix called "The Great War Diary".  I've saved it on my list. I think its pretty interesting. They have taken actual diaries of people who lived then and reenacted the events, with a little explanation thrown in as well. Watch Episode 1 today. 

In Science this week we'll be discussing the Excretory system. 

Monday: Read the lesson on Excretion and do the practice. 

Tuesday: Read the lesson on the Urinary System  and do the practice. 

Wednesday: Read the lesson on Excretory System Problems and do the practice. 

Thursday: Read the lesson on Kidneys and do the practice. 

Friday: Today we're going to dig deeper into how the kidneys function. Use this TedEd lesson. On    the right side of the page you'll see some words "Watch, Think, Dig Deeper, and Discuss." Each of them are links to a seperate activity.  Do each of the activities. 

In Reading we'll be continuing with poetry for one more week.  

Monday: Read "Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost on page 1 of your notebook. Its a short poem, but very meaningful. There is a lot of figurative language, and I would like for us to discuss it together. You'll also see a lot of alliteration. 

Tuesday: Today we're going to read a poem by King David from the Bible. The book of Psalms is pretty much a collection of songs and poems. He wrote most of them.  Today we're going to read one of Miss Alli's favorites, Psalm 121. Its not in your notebook, so I'll just stick it here for you: 

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—

    where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the Lord,

    the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—

    he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel

    will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord watches over you—

    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day,

    nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—

    he will watch over your life;

8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going

    both now and forevermore. 

Read this commentary for Psalm 121 to help you understand the context of what the Hebrews were singing about. 

Do you have a favorite Psalm? Mine is Psalm 91. If you don't have a favorite, look thought the book of Psalms and see if you can find one that touches you especially. Amy's favorite is 40 and another of Alli's is 30. She also loves 139. 

Check out this video that goes along with Psalm 121. I really love it! 

Wednesday: Read this poem "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou. I don't think its in your notebook, so I'll put it here: 

Still I Rise

Maya Angelou, 1928 - 2014

 You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may trod me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?

Why are you beset with gloom?

‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells

Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,

With the certainty of tides,

Just like hopes springing high,

Still I’ll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?

Bowed head and lowered eyes?

Shoulders falling down like teardrops,

Weakened by my soulful cries?

Does my haughtiness offend you?

Don’t you take it awful hard

‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines

Diggin’ in my own backyard.

You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?

Does it come as a surprise

That I dance like I’ve got diamonds

At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame

I rise

Up from a past that’s rooted in pain

I rise

I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,

Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear

I rise

Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear

I rise

Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,

I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise

I rise

I rise.

Watch this video of Maya Angelou reading this poem and talking about it: 

Read this biography of Maya Angelou and write about what you think this poem means. Take it line by line (or every couple of lines.) 

Thursday: Read this poem "So you want to be a writer?"so you want to be a writer?

Charles Bukowski, 1920 - 1994

if it doesn’t come bursting out of you

in spite of everything,

don’t do it.

unless it comes unasked out of your

heart and your mind and your mouth

and your gut,

don’t do it.

if you have to sit for hours

staring at your computer screen

or hunched over your

typewriter

searching for words,

don’t do it.

if you’re doing it for money or

fame,

don’t do it.

if you’re doing it because you want

women in your bed,

don’t do it.

if you have to sit there and

rewrite it again and again,

don’t do it.

if it’s hard work just thinking about doing it,

don’t do it.

if you’re trying to write like somebody

else,

forget about it.

if you have to wait for it to roar out of

you,

then wait patiently.

if it never does roar out of you,

do something else.

if you first have to read it to your wife

or your girlfriend or your boyfriend

or your parents or to anybody at all,

you’re not ready.

don’t be like so many writers,

don’t be like so many thousands of

people who call themselves writers,

don’t be dull and boring and

pretentious, don’t be consumed with self-

love.

the libraries of the world have

yawned themselves to

sleep

over your kind.

don’t add to that.

don’t do it.

unless it comes out of

your soul like a rocket,

unless being still would

drive you to madness or

suicide or murder,

don’t do it.

unless the sun inside you is

burning your gut,

don’t do it.

when it is truly time,

and if you have been chosen,

it will do it by

itself and it will keep on doing it

until you die or it dies in you.

there is no other way.

and there never was.

Do you agree with the author? Tell me your thoughts! 

Friday: Poetry Slam!! 

"For Teenage Girls" by Clementine von Radics

For Writing I will be giving you some topics that go along with our poetry. 

Monday: Write about something you thought would never change but did, in fact, change. Was it a change for the better? Or did it make you feel sad, angry, and betrayed?

Tuesday: How does Psalm 121 make you feel?  Imagine you were one of the Hebrews climbing the hills to Jerusalem to worship. what might you be feeling? Write a story from the point of view of a young Hebrew girl traveling with her family to Jerusalem through the dangerous hills. 

or

Try writing your own Psalm. A Psalm can be about anything-Praising God, asking him for help-even asking him why he isn't helping you right now. It doesn't have to rhyme. 

Wednesday-Friday: Try writing your own poem. It doesn't have to rhyme, it doesn't have to be too long, but it does have to show that you have made an effort to produce a quality poem. 

We won't be doing Spelling this week. 

That's it baby girl! I love you dearly and I want you to always remember: 

Just sayin'.

April 17-21, 2016

:

That's brotherly love right there!! 

Welcome to Monday! About six more weeks of school left!! We've got this! 

In History this week we're moving into the settling of the Great Plains. This is the time when Laura Ingalls was young. This is a time of huge change in transportation, class systems, and a very sad time for Native Americans. 

Monday: Define these words: Pony Express, transcontinental railroad, Chisholm Trail, stampede, Homestead Act, homesteaders, Promontory

Read pages 414-419 and answer the questions on p. 419. 

Tuesday: Define these words: Sioux, Nez Perce, Apaches, Chief Red Cloud, George Custer, Crazy Horse, Chief Joseph, Geronimo, Black Hills, Sierra Madre

Read pages 422-424 and answer the questions on p. 424. 

Wednesday: Define these words: conservation, reforms, Populist, John Muir, Gifford Pinchot, Thomas Edison, Guglielmo Marconi, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Sequoia (place, not person)

Read pages 425-428 and answer the questions on p. 428. Also read p. 429. 

In Science this week we're going to be talking about nutrition.
Monday: Read the lesson on Types of Nutrients and do the practice questions.
Tuesday: Read the lesson on Vitamins and Minerals and do the practice questions
Wednesday: Read the lesson on Choosing Healthy Foods and do the practice.
Thursday: We will be doing a nutrition lab today on reading food labels. I have the packet and materials you'll need for this, so ask me for it! 
Friday: Today we're going to be watching videos from myplate and answering questions about them. These videos on on youtube.  There are six videos. Start with part 1. YouTube should take you through the rest automatically. If it doesn't, just go back to part 1 and click on the user name and watch each of the parts of the video. They are cheesy, yes. But cheese is a good source of calcium.

In Reading we will be doing a unit on Poetry for the next two weeks. We won't be doing Spelling for the next two weeks, but you will have vocabulary words that are poetry terms you should know. Keep in mind that these are poetry terms when you find the definitions, so be sure and choose the right one.

Monday: Define these words: 

Alliteration        connotation        couplet        denotation       fixed form         free verse 

hyperbole          imagery        metaphor        meter       onomatopoeia          repetition   

rhyme          rhyme scheme         rhythm        simile        stanza           theme

Also, look through the poetry notebook that I've given you. We won't be discussing all of these poems in the next two weeks. Some of them are just poems I like and would like to share with you.  If you have poems you like that you would like to add, please do! Also, watch this video:

Tuesday: Read "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman on page 1 of your poetry notebook. 

Walt Whitman wrote this poem just after the death of Abraham Lincoln. The "Captain" is Abraham Lincoln. Let's think about the other imagery in the poem-what would the ship be? the trip? the prize? 

Get an idea of what you think Walt Whitman is saying in this poem and write a short paragraph about it. Look at this shmoop article. They go line by line through each stanza and explain the meaning. See if you agree with their interpretation. If not, what do you not agree with and why? 

Wednesday: Today we'll be reading another poem by Walt Whitman called "I Hear America Singing". Its on page 4 of your notebook. What idea does he give the reader of America and Americans? Consider the fact that Walt Whitman published this poem in 1860, how does it differ from how we might feel about America today? Why do you think that our feelings have changed? 

You can look at the shmoop article analyzing the poem also. 

Now read a poem by Langston Hughes called "I, Too" on the same page in your notebook. Langston Hughes was an african american poet who lived during what was known as the Harlem Renaissance.  This took place in NYC in the 1920s and 30s and all kinds of black artists became well known for their art. This poem was published in 1945-about 20 years before the civil rights movement started in the U.S. How are the tones of the two poems alike? Could he have have written this in response to Walt Whitman? How are the experiences that Whitman and Hughes write about the same and how are they different? 

Here is an analysis of Hughes poem. 

Thursday: Today we'll be moving on from Uncle Walt and looking at one of Daddy's favorite poems-"The Children's Hour" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This poem is the first time the phrase "the patter of little feet" was used.  Longfellow was a single father of six children.  You can find it on page 2 of your notebook.  What symbolism does Longfellow use in the poem and what does each thing represent? How does his imagery conflict with what is actually going on? How does it support what's going on?

Friday: Poetry slam day! Watch some of these videos and see what you think. I really love slam poetry, but there is all kinds. You may not like what I've posted. Try and find something YOU like, and when you do share it with me, because I want to hear it :) 

"Blink" by Lamar Jordan

"Shake the Dust" by Anis Mojgani

We're not going to have Writing this week because you're going to be doing a lot of writing in your other subjects. 

Ok, chica-that's it!! I'm excited about this poetry unit and I hope you will be too. Poetry is like I've always told you about books-if you don't like what you're reading, keep looking because you just haven't found what you like yet-its out there! 

I love you so much, and remember: 

Connor Franta wants to marry you, even though he's gay. 

April 4-April 8, 2016

Mmmmm. Donuts.   I would like donuts. I don't have donuts. That's a sad story.

Well...on to life. 

For History we're moving into Unit 7, which discusses reconstruction. Reconstruction refers to a time after the Civil War when the country-especially the South-was rebuilding itself. Abraham Lincoln had plans to be very kind to the south and help get the people there back on their feet and prospering again. Unfortunately he was assassinated so it didn't wind up going the way he planned. Carpetbaggers were people from the north who came south to take advantage of newly freed slaves and uneducated white people. They were called carpetbaggers because the suitcases they used were bags made of a carpet like material. I've often wondered what the south would be like today if Abraham Lincoln would have lived. It would be very interesting to find out! We'll also talk about the Industrial Revolution, labor laws, and immigration.

The book moves through the modern era quickly, so I believe we'll be able to finish most of the book by the end of the year.

Monday: Define Fthese words: Reconstruction, Freedmen's Bureau, sharecroppers, tenant farmers, legislatures, Black Codes, Fourteenth Amendment, ratify, carpetbaggers, scalawags, Fifteenth Amendment, Jim Crow laws, poll tax (I know its a lot. I actually left some out!) 

Read p. 389-394 and do the questions on p. 394

Tuesday: Define these words: (its a lot. just keep swimming!!) Industrial Revolution, Bessemer process, smelt, coke, slag, Morse Code, telegraph, invested, reaper, monopoly, Samuel F.B. Morse, Andrew Carnegie, Cyrus McCormick, John D. Rockefeller, Alexander Graham Bell

Read pages 395-400 and do the questions on p. 400

Wednesday: Define these words: tenements, piecework, sweatshops, reformers, Hull House, labor union, federation, American Federation of Labor, queue(relates to chinese immigrants, not a british line),  prejudice, Jane Addams, Samuel Gompers

Read pages 401-405 and do the questions on p. 405. 

Thursday: 

Friday: 

In Science we're moving on to the digestive system. 

Monday: Read the lesson on the Human Digestive System and do the practice. 

Tuesday: Read the lesson on Digestive System Organs and do the practice. Also watch this video:

(Yes. Its gross. Be happy we're just watching the video-I wanted to do the experiement ourselves!)

Wednesday: Read the lesson on Food and Nutrients and do the practice. 

Thursday: Read the lesson on Enzymes in the Digestive System and Bacteria in the Digestive System and do the practice for each of them. 

Friday: Read the lesson on Health of the Digestive System and do the practice. 

For Reading read chapters 12-14 of The Secret Life of Bees. These are the last three chapters of the book, so we'll be starting our unit on poetry on Monday. 

For Spelling do Contract D for these words from TSLoB: 

apiary     bolster     raspy     dumbfounded    tarnish

commission        bona fide       demoralize       quiver  

apprentice       gouge 

For Writing do a Daily10 each day.  We are on the first week of April. 

Tomorrow we'll also figure out where we are going with the research paper. 

We'll also work on Math through the week. 

That's it baby girl!! I hope you enjoy babysitting this week and that it goes well for you.  I love you so much, and remember: 

....because you're homeschooled. 

March 28-April 1, 2016

Yes, sadly, it is...but there are only (approximately) 8 weeks until summer vacation! We can do this!! 

We're going to finish up the civil war and study reconstruction in History.  In Science we're going to study the Respiratory system, the digestive system, the excretory system, and the reproductive system. We're going to finish The Secret Life of Bees, do a unit on poetry, and one more short novel in Reading. We're going to go as far as we can in pre-algebra and will probably work on that during the summer as well. In Writing we really need to get that research paper done! So the rest of your year is summed up in this one short paragraph!! 

For History we're continuing with the civil war. We've discussed the causes, the main people involved, and the beginning of the war. This week we'll get more into specific battles, the role of women, and events at the end of the war. 

Monday: define these words: regiments, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Bull Run

Read p. 358-361 and do the questions on p. 361

Watch Episode 1 of "Civil War 360" on Netflix. 

Tuesday: define these words: Anaconda Plan, blockade, cavalry, Jeb Stuart, Ulysses S. Grant, Mary Ann Bickerdyke, Sally Tompkins

Read p. 362-365 and do the questions on p. 365

Watch Episode 2 of "Civil War 360"

Wednesday: define these words: casualties, Emancipation Proclamation, Pickett's charge, Gettysburg Address, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg

Read p. 368-372 and do the questions on p. 372

Read the Gettysburg Address on p. 373

Watch this! 

Thursday: define these words: assassination, William Tecumseh Sherman, Vicksburg, Appomattox Court House

Read p. 374-378. Do the questions on p. 378. 

Watch Episode 3 of "Civil War 360" 

Friday: Think about a project that you would like to do showing what you've learned about the civil war. What did you find the most interesting so far?  Google some project ideas or look on pinterest to help you. What supplies will you need? We will be working on this next week. 

For Science we'll be studying Respiration this week. 

Monday: Read the lesson on Respiration and do the practice questions. Also, we're going to do this project today. 

Tuesday: Read the lesson on Respiratory System Organs and do the practice questions. 

Wednesday: Read the lesson on Respiratory System Diseases and do the practice questions.

Thursday: Read the lesson on Respiratory System Health and do the practice questions.  

Friday: Read the lesson on the Processes of Breathing and do the practice questions. 

For Reading, read chapters 7-11 of The Secret Life of Bees.

For Spelling do Contract C for the following words from TSLoB 

monastery      bohemian       tacky     aptitude      navigation 

ascribe         innate        minuscule        cunning      fugitive    

sapling      mull       induction      catacomb      semblance 

For Writing  do a Daily10 each day. We're on the last week of March, but you can do any five that you haven't already done. 

Also, we're going to start working on your paper. Let's try using this formula that I got from the Amazing Mrs. Ellen: 

We want to do a two page paper, so we'll need four body paragraphs, plus an introduction and conclusion. Let's think of a really good topic that you can do something with on Monday! 

That's it chica! We're gonna knock this year out so hard. 

I love you so much and I'm proud of you! 

And remember: 

3/14-3/18, 2016

Hello. Its me. I was wondering if after all these days you'd like to meet to go over everything. They say your mom's supposed to teach ya. But I ain't done much teachin'. 

Hello, can you hear me? I keep explaining how to do this math but its not sinking in. You've forgotten how to solve equations for x or even y. 

When you solve on the one side, you have to solve the other. 

Hello from the other side. I've told you a thousand times inverse operations are done on both. I'm sorry I haven't explained it clearly, but when I call you never seem to be at home. 

Hello from the outside.  At least I can say I've tried to explain it and I'm sorry its breaking your heart, but don't let it tear you apart anymore! 

Hello. How are you? Its no secret that we're running out of time. School will be over soon. 

This song is really long and I have to get on with my life. At least I can say that I've tried

To tell you I'm sorry for letting algebra break your heart. But don't let it tear you apart anymore!! 

So ...all that to say we'll get busy on going over math today!! 

For History we're going to be moving into the Civil War. For many people in the south their attitudes come directly from this time, and the fact that the South lost the war. We're talking a war that was 150 years ago-it has left a tremendous impact. 

Monday: define these words: tariff, free states, abolish, abolitionists, fugitives, Underground Railroad, stations (as it relates to the Underground Railroad-not the general definition for stations), Nat Turner, Frederick Douglas, and Harriet Tubman. Read p. 339-345 and do the questions on p. 345. We are also going to be watching a documentary called "The Civil War" on Netflix. Its a really good documentary and has much more information than your book is able to include. On Monday we'll watch episode 1 of Ken Burns: The Civil War. Its under my name on my list of movies. 

Tuesday: define these words: Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1850, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Kansas-Nebraska Act, secession, debates, Henry Clay, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Stephen Douglas, Dred Scott.  Read p. 346-351 and do the questions on p. 351

Wednesday: define these words: Union, secede, Confederate States of America, Confederacy, inauguration, Jefferson Davis, Fort Sumter. Read p. 354-356 and do the questions on p. 356

Thursday: Watch Episode 2 of Ken Burns: The Civil War. Write down any thoughts or questions you have concerning what you've seen. 

Friday: Watch Episode 3 of Ken Burns: The Civil War. Write down any thoughts or questions you have concerning what you've seen. 

(On Saturday we'll watch Episode 4). 

In Science this week we're going to be talking about blood.  

Monday: Read the lesson on Components of Blood, watch the video and do the practice. Make sure to read about Friday's project today so that you can be thinking about it. 

Tuesday: Read the lesson on Blood Types, watch the video and do the practice. 

Wednesday: Read the lesson on Blood Diseases, watch the video and do the practice. 

Thursday: Read the lesson on Blood Pressure, watch the video and do the practice. Also, Daddy is going to show you how to take your own blood pressure. See him about that. 

Friday: Project Day!! Today we're gonna make some blood..mmMMM! This week, start thinking about the components of blood and what we could use to represent them in our own model. What could be the plasma? the red blood cells? the white blood cells? The platelets? Let me know what you want to use to create your model so that I can pick them up if we need it. You'll be making a bottle of blood with all of these components. 

In Reading we'll be continuing with The Secret Life of Bees. Read chapters 4-7 by Friday. 

For Spelling do Contract C for these words from TSLoB:

slew     meander   stamina     ambrosia     indignation

eclectic      jilt      premises     spellbound     extract 

incessantly     consignment     deciduous     remnant     stifling

For writing  we'll do Daily10s.  Next month is poetry month, so we'll be doing a unit on poetry writing..just a heads up. 

Just follow the link to the Daily 10s.  We're on week 3, but you can write about anything in weeks 1 and 2 that you haven't already written about. 

That's it sugar britches!! I hope you are having a great week! Don't forget that on Tuesday we have scouts and that Thursday is St. Patrick's Day! If someone tries to pinch you just remember to tell them: 

Feb 29-March 4, 2016

Its Leap Day today!! Happy February 29th!! Now Go Study. 

However, since Leap Day comes but once every 4 years, it at least deserves two memes. 

Ok, now on to the real stuff! 

For History we're moving into the 1800s. Americans are starting to move west. There are new ways of travel that make it easier, and in the South cotton is becoming an important crop. 

Monday: Define these words: engineers, locks, flatboats, steam engines, DeWitt Clinton, Robert Fulton, Henry Miller, Shreve, Peter Cooper, Erie Canal. Read pages 306-312 and answer the questions on p. 312

Tuesday: Define these words: mass production, Samuel Slater, Francis Cabot Lowell, Eli Whitney

Read p. 313-316 and answer the questions on p. 316

Wednesday: Define these words: Stephen Austin, Sam Houston, Santa Anna, William Travis, Alamo

Read p. 317-319 and answer the questions on p. 319

Thursday: Define these words: forty-niners, Oregon Trail, Cape Horn, Rio Grande, South Pass

Read p. 320-325 and do questions on p. 325. 

Friday: co-op

In Science this week we're going to be talking about the cardiovascular system, which includes the heart and blood vessels. 

Monday: Read the lesson on Cardiovascular Systems, watch the video and do the practice questions.

Tuesday: Read the lesson on Circulation and Lymphatic Systems, watch video and do the practice.

Wednesday: Read the lesson on the Heart, watch the video and do the practice questions. 

Thursday: Read the lesson Blood Vessels, watch the video and do the practice questions.

Friday: co-op

For Reading we're starting The Secret Life of Bees.  This week read chapters 1-3. Remember that each day I want you to relate the chapter to the quote at the beginning. You can put that into one document and send it on Google Drive on Thursday.   Also, consider a project that you could do to relate to this book. We'll also watch the movie when we finish reading. 

In Spelling we'll be on Contract B using words from The Secret Life of Bees:

decapitate        deliberate      brazen     tremor  

    

blaspheme     delinquent    ponder    iridescent 

   

irrigation    speculate  browbeat     rural 

Remember on Monday you need to define your words. 

Tuesday-Thursday do other activities from your contract. 

For Writing we'll be doing Daily 10s this week. 

Monday: In Your Dreams / Feb. 29

Fill in the details of a golden ticket to your “fantasy land” of choice.

Tuesday: Customer Service

Write a formal letter regarding poor (or excellent) service received.

Wednesday: Fences

Write about protective barriers & rules, designed for your personal safety.

Thursday: Sunrise... Sunset

Write a word picture that describes your favorite celestial setting.

I'll fill in Math on Monday, so for now this is it!! 

I love you greatly, and remember: 

Feb 15-19, 2016

Its President's Day! I kind of forgot about that. So guess what? No school on Monday!! (Except Literature Group, for which you are quite well prepared.) 

On with the show! 

For History we're moving past the Revolution and into the building of the country. The people are going to be expanding from the Atlantic coast to the west. We'll discuss the Louisiana Purchase, the War of 1812, and how this affected the Native Americans. 

Monday: President's Day

Tuesday: Define these words: pioneers, Daniel Boone, Cumberland Gap, Wilderness Trail

Read pages 284-287. Answer questions on p. 287

Wednesday: Define these words: Louisiana Purchase, Napoleon Bonaparte, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, Sacajawea

Read pages 288-291 and answer the questions on p. 291

Thursday: Define these words: impressment, War Hawks, Constitution, Guerriere, Henry Clay, Francis Scott Key, Andrew Jackson, Fort McHenry

Read p. 292-296 and answer the questions on p. 296

Friday: co-op

For Math we're moving into Chapter 3 which introduces decimals. Decimals are just another way of writing fractions, or numbers that are less than 1. 

Monday: Lesson 3.1 Decimals and Place Value-I want to go over this with you, so we're going to do this on Monday. I want to be really sure that you understand it before we mve on to any other lessons. We'll be doing pages 80-83 1-35 odd 

Tuesday: Lesson 3.2-Adding and Subtracting with Decimals. The key to adding and subtracting with decimals is lining the decimal points up. Fill in zeros if you need to to make it even out. 

Other than that its just regular addition and subtraction. 

Here is a video to help explain if you need it. 

Do a couple of your skill check problems and see if you are confident in solving the problems. Do p. 84-85, numbers 1-30 even

Wednesday: Lesson 3.3-Rounding Decimals-again we're rounding. With decimals it is only different because you have more places to round to. Look at the chart on p. 85 in your book to help you. 

This chart will help you also: 

Do p. 87-88, numbers 1-34 even

Thursday: Lesson 3.4 Solving Decimal Equations: Using Addition and Subraction-We have a pattern forming here. New skill (this week is decimals), add/subtract, round, solve equations. You're probably going to see this pattern in every chapter. You already know how to solve an equation, the only difference with decimals is that you have to line up your decimals when you add and subtract-which we've already learned how to do. 

Look back at p. 14 and 15 to see examples of solving a simple equation if you need to. 

Do p. 89-90, numbers 1-36 even. 

For Science we're moving on to the other senses-hearing, touch, taste and smell. 

Monday: President's Day

Tuesday: Read the lesson on Hearing and Balance, watch the video and do the Practice questions. 

Wednesday: Read the lesson on Touch, watch the video and do the Practice questions.  

Thursday: Read the lesson on Taste and Smell , watch the video and do the Practice questions. 

Friday: co-op

For Reading we're going to start on a new book called Sarah Bishop which is set during the Revolutionary War. 

Monday: TKAM Literature group

Tuesday-Thursday: Read Ch 1-3 of Sarah Bishop

For Spelling we're doing Contract B for these words from Sarah Bishop:

muslin      mahogany    gaunt    mincemeat    Tory

vermin    flax    asylum    militia    firelock   

scythe     drayman    fetlock    cuff (verb)    gaunt 

For Writing, we are going to get back to your research paper soon, but for this week lets continue with our Daily10s. I enjoyed last weeks! :D 

Monday: President's Day

Tuesday: The Power of One

How can the smallest among us make a huge difference in todays world?

Wednesday:Your Majesty

Given a kingdom full of loyal subjects, describe your palace and rule

Thursday: Be Prepared

Share an experience that supports the wisdom of this Girl Scout motto. 

That's it baby-cakes!! I hope you enjoyed your President's Day off! You make me so proud, and when the day seems hard, just remember: