Looking Back and Moving Forward

We are just a few weeks away from the ending of the first semester.  We have been busy learning about America's history and understanding the world around us.  These discoveries are deepening our understanding of who we are and helping us make connections to things around us.

We started this semester with the Civil War and learned what Americans in the north and south needed to do to rebuild the Union during Reconstruction.  As Autumn arrived, we learned about how freedom rang across the land, and discovered the difficulties settlers faced to build a life on the Great Plains.  We continue our journey through the past by identifying the Great Migration into America at the Turn of the Century (20th) and the American Industrial Revolution.  During this unit of study, we will learn how inventions changed the way of life for many Americans, Immigration into America and the changes this brought in developing urban areas, and the Constitutional Amendments that brought reform to our Country.   A favorite part of this unit is the simulation of Ellis Island.  Students will experience the process of becoming an American Citizen.  Please volunteer your time as it is a worthy experience for your child.   

While we were studying Electricity, we discovered how circuits work and created light.  We also got to use electricity to create an electromagnet in order to collect paperclips.  It is unfortunate to say that our power supply was rather drained and we were not very successful in picking up more than a couple of paper clips at a time.  
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As we move forward, we develop a scientific understanding of how to classify organisms.  This includes the animal kingdom as well as plants.  This understanding of Classification will carry over into our everyday lives as we continue learning how to organize the world around us.