Heredity, Instincts, and Learned Behaviors - We learned that living things can have characteristics that are shaped by learning called learned traits. Then we named some examples of dog tricks that are learned traits. Next we looked at learned traits that are taught by watching other animals. Some examples are baby ducks following their mother or chimps making a tool to gather termites. Then we learned about instincts.

Ethan and I watched videos of amateur players that are rated as some of the best in the country. We watched their videos and talked about their swings and their pitching mechanics.

We watched sports videos on the internet.

Ethan continued to add money and subtract money. He played two games online with different money scenarios. He had to line his decimals up and add the money. Then he had to subtract the total by the total amount of money that was paid. Ethan focused on writing out the problems himself.

Ethan played logic games online that require thought in advance, practicing thinking 2 to 3 steps in advance.

Lesson 4 – What are Heredity, Instincts, and Learned Behaviors?
We explored characteristics of plants and animals that are inherited. We learned that traits are features such as brown eyes and the passing of traits from parents to offspring is heredity. Then we learned that plants also have inherited traits such as petal color. We learned that living things contain chemical instructions for their traits that are called genes. These genes are found inside cells. Half of the genes that we inherit come from our father and the other half from our mother. Then we explored characteristics that can be affected by the environment. Our height is controlled by genes but also by our environment. We learned that if we do not eat a healthy diet with nutritious food we might not grow as tall as we could. Next we learned that animal development is influenced by the environment too. If a tadpole’s pond starts to dry up it will undergo metamorphosis at a faster rate and become an adult frog quicker than a tadpole in a deep pond.

Ethan did not Skype until 10:00 today so he missed our class.

Today Ethan and I read the short story "All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury. We discussed the setting, the plot, and the different characters. Next, Ethan began writing his answers to a few comprehension questions. As he worked, we stopped to discuss any necessary writing conventions, such as spelling and punctuation.

Ethan was given three different scenarios to go shopping. He picked the items online. He added to get the exact total, estimated the total, and subtracted the total to find the amount he had left.

Today, Ethan began by reviewing his multiplication tables through online games. The 3 and 6 facts were a little tricky for Ethan, so he played a game with just those facts. This additional practice helped refresh these facts for Ethan. We then moved on to factor games. These games required Ethan to determine the factors of given values. We used this skill to practice simplifying fractions. Ethan began by listing the factors of the numerator and denominator of a fraction and determining the greatest common factor. He then divided the numerator and denominator by this GCF, to get the fraction into simplest terms. Good work today, Ethan!