We read a loud an article about the stock market crash of 1929. The article provided Bobby with a historical perspective, as well as, why and how it happened. He successfully answered three post-reading multiple choice questions. We stopped at points during the reading to discuss keys terms/causes; buying on margin, declining wheat prices, speculation to name a few. Then, Bobby checked his account balance, profit/loss in monetary and percentage terms. He decided not to sell, nor buy any additional stocks today.

Ethan completed watching tutorial videos related to trading stocks, researching investments, and managing a portfolio. Then, we read an article aloud together about the stock market crash of 1929, to gain a historical perspective about why and how it happened. Ethan responded to three post-reading multiple choice questions following the reading. Last, Ethan made his first two stock purchases today.

In this lesson, Gracyn learned about the stock concepts of supply and demand. She has quite a good mind for these business principles I have introduced. She very much understands the concepts. After a lesson, we listened to a book and answered questions.

Gwendolyn added the "finishing touch" to her Earth Day globe today by painting it with Mod Podge. We continued our study of the history of softball and continued reading about Mo'ne Davis in article by Rachel Maddow on MSNBC.com and from Sports Illustrated - with cover. We read about the mathematics of converting Mo'ne Davis' 70mph pitch to that of a MLB pitcher traveling a greater distance to home plate to see just how fast she is! narrowed in on fast pitch women's softball and ordered "A League of Their Own" to watch in class since Gwendolyn has never seen the movie. I think she would like it. We watched several videos to learn about the history of the sport, since 1887 in Chicago, it turned into an outdoor sport from an indoor sport meant to serve as training for firefighters when off duty. We learned about the popularity of the sport during the War when women took over for men serving in the War due to the draft. We also read about the popularity of the sport during the Great Depression. It was called kitten ball or mush ball. We listened to an interview of the author of "Fastpitch: The Untold History" and read Wikipedia facts.

We reviewed previous Economic concepts. Ethan was asked to provide examples related to why people invest; short-term and long-term reasons. He demonstrated that he understood compound interest as it relates to a savings account accruing interest over time based on the rule. Also, Ethan viewed short tutorial videos related to gaining more awareness of how he can utilize the stock market web site to benefit his ability to find things, as well as, make informed decisions.

We discussed why people invest; short-term and long-term reasons. We talked about low risk/low reward verses high risk/high reward investments. The Rule of 72 related to compound interest was applied to a low risk investment; savings account. Then, Jackson viewed two tutorial videos that will help him analyze data and research stocks in order to make informed buying decisions. Last, Jackson, purchased/added stocks to his portfolio.

We discussed reasons why people invest. Bobby was asked to provide short-term and long-term reasons. We covered low risk/low reward verses high risk/high reward investments. Then, we defined The Rule of 72 (compound interest) and applied it to a specific example based on opening a savings account and what happens to it over time. Next, we viewed the last two tutorial videos that will help Bobby analyze his portfolio, as well as, research tools available on the site to help him with buying/selling decisions. Last, we looked at the current status of his investments and his account details, especially his cash balance.

Today Arianna began her new economics unit on need and wants. We began by defining wants vs needs. Arianna came up with her own list of wants and needs. We also discussed what makes us happy in life. Arianna watched a video about a 60 second shopping spree and saw how the child who only picked one item was happier than the other children who had carts full of toys. We talked how we can be happy without a lot of stuff, when the things we have around us mean a lot to us. For example, your friends and family, they don’t cost anything but make you really happy. Arianna watched the Berenstain Bears video, about the cubs getting the gimmes. We discussed how the cubs were really happy in the end when they gave their toy to a child in the hospital. Arianna got very excited and talked about how she is going to go to Puerto Rico, and she is going to give toys to kids that don’t have many.

Today Gracyn and I continued her economics unit. We began by reviewing wants versus needs. We discussed and made a list comparing wants versus needs and how sometimes these change. For example, a computer may have started out as a want, but changed to a need when she began Skype school. We moved on to discuss spenders versus savers. We read about other children, and how they save and spend their money. We finished by completing a crossword puzzle, to check Gracyn’s understand of these concepts.

This morning, Danny and I reviewed the calendar and completed our activity from yesterday, in which Danny had to name the next day after three days had been provided. Next, we began talking about economics, at a simple level. We watched the Brain Pop Jr. about goods and services. We saw that goods are things like cars, computers, clothes, or foods such as vegetables. Then we learned that a service is work someone does for someone else such as a teacher, dentist, or bus driver. We were introduced to the terms: consumer (one who buys goods or services) and producer (one who makes or offers goods or services). We discussed the easy quiz together. We began looking at our Florida Studies Weekly packet about consumers and producers. This started with a review of wants and needs and then we discussed goods and services. We stopped there and expanded further on goods and services with two activities. In the first, Danny color coded statements as to if they are a good or a service. These included things like: buying a hat, getting a checkup, and buying shoes. Danny did a nice job discriminating these items! For our second activity, we watched a digital telling of the story, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Numeroff. In this cute story, a little hungry mouse shows up at a doorstep and one may want to give him a cookie. The story then weaves through a tale of "what ifs" based on giving him the cookie (telling all the things he may want next). We then listed goods (including cookie, milk, and crayons) and services (including haircut, sweeping the floor, and washing the floor) that we heard in the story. Danny wrote on the list by copying and worked to sound out the starting letters of each word.