Today Mercer learned about famed American aviator and author Amelia Earhart, born July 24, 1897 – disappeared July 2. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She set many other records,was one of the first aviators to promote commercial air travel, and wrote best-selling books about her flying experiences. Earhart developed a passion for adventure at a young age, steadily gaining flying experience from her twenties. In 1928, Earhart became the first female passenger to cross the Atlantic by airplane (accompanying pilot Wilmer Stultz), for which she achieved celebrity status. In 1932, piloting a Lockheed Vega 5B, Earhart made a nonstop solo transatlantic flight, becoming the first woman to achieve such a feat. She received the United States Distinguished Flying Cross for this accomplishment.She was known as one of the most inspirational American figures in aviation from the late 1920s throughout the 1930s. During an attempt at becoming the first female to complete a circumnavigational flight of the globe in 1937 in a Purdue-funded Lockheed Model 10-E Electra, Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean near Howland Island. The two were last seen in Lae, New Guinea, on July 2, 1937, on the last land stop before Howland Island and one of their final legs of the flight. She presumably lost her life in the Pacific during her attempt to circumnavigate Earth by plane, just three weeks prior to her fortieth birthday. Nearly one year and six months after she and Noonan disappeared, Earhart was officially declared dead. Investigations and significant public interest in their disappearance still continue over 80 years later. We then charted the last leg of Earhart's flight from Honolulu, HI, New Guinea to Howland Island. Books and movies have been made about Amelia Earhart. Her disappearance reamins one of history's great mysteries.

Discussion of Chap. 6 in "Hank the Cowdog." New vocabulary words: 1. vanity, 2, humility, 3. bodacious, 4. negligent, 5. vigilantes, 6. frenzied, 7. dossier, 8. duped., 9. scrimped., 10. antagonized

Review Lesson 2 for the first half of class. Take quiz 1 with the last 30 minutes.

Lesson 1 Introduction to Matter:
We measured the mass of several objects on a triple beam balance. Then we measured weight on a spring scale. Though we’re used to measuring weight in pounds the scientific unit for weight is the Newton (N) which is a unit of force for gravity. We reviewed the relationships between mass, weight, volume, and density. Then we completed a review of the vocabulary, key concepts, and formulas used in Lesson 1 Introduction to Matter to prepare for a quiz.
Assignment: We took a quiz on Lesson 1 Introduction to Matter.

Mercer continued exercises from the 6th grade math Envision textbook, Solving Integers Using All Four Operations.

Today we started Chapter 3: A donde vas? Where are you going? We learned the days of the week.

We reviewed lesson 2 on eighth notes from the Alfred’s Snare Drum Method book, and then played Lesson 3.

Today we resumed work on the book, "Hank the Cowdog." Mercer is 1/4 of the way through the book. So we focused today's class on how to summarize. First, with a brief written summary and then followed by a verbal summary. We discussed the setting, location (Mercer learned how to look for hints about this as it's not overtly revealed right away in some stories & books), characters, theme. We also focused on POV (Point of View) - who is narrating the story? Is it first person or third person? Mercer learned how to distinguish between these two forms of writing. New vocabulary words in the book: hydrophobia, reconstruct, interrogate, intuition, deceitful, realm, scourge, squalled, treason, echelon. We then used maps to gain a greater geographical understanding of where the story takes place.

Mercer and I played a chess rematch.

Mercer completed several exercises from the 6th grade math Envision textbook, Solving Integers Using All Four Operations.