We began with a book entitled Earth Day - Hooray by Stuart J. Murphy. In this book we read about recycling with a little math practice of place value! Danny was engaged throughout the book and helped me count the cans for recycling by hundreds, tens, and ones as we read. Danny then colored his flip pages where he wrote about recycling, reducing, and reusing for his Interactive Notebook. We reviewed all that he had written about these topics. Next, we watched a Brain Pop Jr. about Needs and Wants. We saw that we need air, food, water, and shelter. We also learned that toys, games, and treats like ice cream are just things we want but can live without. Danny scored 5/5 on the follow up easy quiz. We then began working on a foldable pocket project for his Interactive Notebook. Finally, we read, The Berenstain Bears Get the Gimmies by Stan and Jan Berenstain. In the story the cubs get treats everywhere they go and begin to want everything! They throw temper tantrums to get want they want. This offered us a good lesson in needs and wants!

Henry continued the lesson on the American Revolution today. We reviewed the causes leading up to the revolution and watched a video series called Liberty Kids on the Boston Tea Party and the Intolerable Acts. We discussed the British and how they were called the Red Coats and the colonists and how they were called the Patriots and talked about a few of the Founding Fathers such as Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin. We drew a diagram of both sides and listed who was on each side for a visual representation.

Charlie, Craig and I went to see replicas of Columbus' ships at Harbourside in Jupiter today. The Nina is to scale and completely built with hand tools. We took the self-guided tour. We read about the ships and read history and trivia on our way there. We got milkshakes afterwards!

Craig and I read news about the proposed U.S. census question about citizenship for 2020. We discussed pro and con arguments and uses for census data. We read about themes in geography, why we study it, and theories about why it is ignored. We applied to real-life events - aliens and the galaxy. We looked to an historical atlas to see change and human-environment interaction. We looked to the Barbary Coast. We also looked to a World Atlas of Religion. Finally, we read the prologue and looked at the map of "Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates." We also read "How the U.S. Built a Navy and Faced Down the Barbary Pirates" from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, to compare fact with historical fiction. While reading, we stopped frequently to address new vocabulary and historical events and concepts in context - the Articles of Confederation, the Age of Exploration, geography, piracy, slavery, European political ideas. We discussed foreign/international policy and the state of America at this time in history - 1780s. We read about the end of the Golden Age of Piracy, after the War of 1812 and the success of America and its navy.

Marcos participated in Earth Day activities with the other students in the cafeteria today, decorating recycling boxes which will be judged tomorrow. Afterwards, we played a board game with Charlie which challenged Marcos with U.S. government and geography facts and trivia.

Charlie participated in Earth Day activities in the cafeteria today with the entire school. Each student decorated a recycling box which will be judged in a school-wide competition. Afterwards, we played a board game with Marcos, challenging his knowledge of civics and geography.

Craig and I reviewed U.S. government today, going through "We the People" and summarizing important concepts and ideas about the framing of the Constitution and the organization of our government. We reviewed basic geography concepts and the five themes of geography, recalling questions from Friday's game that proved more difficult. Finally, we reviewed time zones in the U.S., practicing with examples.

Henry continued a lesson on the American Revolution. We read an article about the events up to the Revolution and learned about Paul Revere and the Minutemen. He watched a video on the beginning of the revolution.

Today we spent time reviewing Jayne's interview with Ms. Judie and finishing the StudiesWeekly curriculum in the "Then and Now" unit. She journaled about new information and made picture cards for new vocabulary. We finished our time reading two chapters from The Magic Treehouse book "Mummies in the Morning."

Charlie and I discussed material from our last class. He did an excellent job at recalling facts about civics, U.S. government, and the three branches of government. We continued to discuss these topics and looked at the U.S. Constitution. We analyzed the motivation to establish a government, reasons for the structure of our government and the influences from ancient civilizations and Europe. We reviewed how a bill becomes a law. Afterward, we played a board game that challenged Charlie with trivia and fact questions about geography and U.S. government.