Fourth Grade Week 25

I’m not going to lie…it was TOUGH to get back to schooling after having two weeks off for Christmas break.  However, we managed to make it through the week and get everything accomplished.  Hopefully, next week won’t be so difficult.
English – Caleb did some review of his Chapter 2 Noun studies, and he ended the week by taking a test.  He scored 88%, and I’m okay with that.  While I don’t think he’ll ever love or score perfectly in English, I’m happy that it’s not as much of a burden anymore.  He does his work with little to no complaints, and that’s a HUGE plus. 
Math – This week Caleb worked on division facts that equal 1, reading a circle graph, reading dials, measuring weight, variables, solving number sentences with variables, dividing by 3, and one-third of a number.  Just like English, I don’t think he’ll ever love math, but we manage to make it through our lessons with little frustration.  That’s a huge benefit considering his dislike of the subject. 
Exploration – This week Caleb wanted to learn more about animal migration and animal life cycles.  So, we checked out lots of library books on the topics, and we completed some lapbook components. 

Classical Conversations Foundations – Our CC community gathered back up this week to start the final 12 weeks. 

• English – the definition of a helping verb
• Science – some parts of the earth
• History – we learned about the Kush and the Berbers
• Math – liquid equivalents
• Latin – Noun cases
• Geography – Western Africa…Atlantic Ocean, Senegal River, Niger River, Sahara Desert, Timbuktu
• Timeline – Age of Exploration; Prince Henry Founds School of Navigation; Slave Trade in Africa; Gutenberg’s Printing Press; Songhai in Africa; Czar Ivan the Great of Russia; The Spanish Inquisition
• Science Experiments – This week we learned what happens when water freezes and how ice can split rocks.  We also learned about the seasons and how the earth’s rotation affects them.
• Fine Arts – Great Artists – This week we learned about Giotto.  We learned that he would use crushed up chalk, minerals, and even insects to paint.  We crushed up chalk and mixed it with egg yolks and water to create a painting.  This was a cool project, and I’m planning on doing it again at home with both boys.

Like I mentioned above, I’m hoping next week isn’t as hard as far as getting into the routine.  How did your first week back go?  Did you find it just as hard to get back into the routine of schooling?  Join us next time as we share our adventures from week 26.