Today we read a non-fiction book entitled “The Wright Brothers” by Kitty Shea. We explored facets of the lives of Wilbur and Orville Wright in this biographical learning format. We discussed the many attempts it takes to get an invention working. We also compared the old planes to today’s planes and both agreed we’d have no desire to fly on one of the older models!

We look at a variety of topics today:Egyptian Pharaohs, Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; World Monuments, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Statues of Zeus, Great Pyramids, etc. Ben enjoyed other areas covered including Active Imaginations: Salvador Dali, Martha Stewart, and other creative minds. I allowed him to choose Social Study Topics of his interest. It went very well. Good job ,Ben.

How mountains are made and early America. Ben was fascinated as we viewed Plate Tectonics in action developing mountainous regions in the Himalayas and North America. Also how early western America developed and the harsh effects on tribal Indians.

Today we read a story booklet about “Arbor Day”, which was nationally celebrated last Friday. We read of the origin of the holiday, how it’s celebrated currently, and how trees help us. We discussed why holidays such as “Arbor Day” and “Earth Day” were created and why they are significant to people and the nation as a whole.

Today Charlie and I read a book called "Secrets of the Mummy" which is a DK reader. This book explained about the mummification process. It started in Egypt and then explained what the customs of mummification were with the Inca's and then on to Sicily. In the city of Palermo they were using this process up until the 1920's!

Today we started reviewing the election process in the United States of America. We read a book together called "Let's Learn About Electing the President". This short book outlined the process of voting from the primaries, to who can vote, how you vote, the caucus, the state delegates and the party conventions. It's a pretty thorough little book. We then spent time watching a Brain Pop video on elections. We started to read a book called, "A Woman for President" but class ended before we barely got started.

Ancient Civlizations in the Americas: Ben was fascinated with Aztec, Maya, and Inca civilizations that occupied the early Americas. Their culture, dress, and religions interested him and he asked excellent questions pertinent to the topic. We used Brainpop's presentation for the lesson. Great going, Ben.

Goods and Services: introduced and defined terms like goods and services. Ben identified the meaning of both in the lesson. He was shown how our street and parks are maintained by taxes that citizens pay to maintain them. Different professions were listed and defined like doctors, farmers, photographers, and cashiers associating the services they provide. He completed the word puzzle and term association. Good going, Ben. Have a good day.

We finished up the book "The Barefoot Mailman". We also explored several books Ms. Kelli left for us to look at about Ancient Egypt. Charlie will be beginning a new unit on Ancient Egypt next week.

Plants and conservation: Ben enjoyed the study of plants, how they reproduce, how bees and wildlife participate in the reproduction. Ben also enjoyed the video, how we must conserve trees that provide many materials that we use everyday. He exhibited interest in Johnny Appleseed and how he spread apple plants over many states. Great job, Ben.