Fifth Grade, History, Set One

Here is a list of books and videos we used or will use when we visit this time period again.

1920s

• The 1920s: Decade in Photos by Jim Corrigan -- excellent way to have an overview of the decade 
• Amendments: 18th, 19th: The Constitutional Amendments by William Loren Katz -- I'm still thinking of buying my own copy of this book. It gives such a good synopsis of each amendment.
• The History of Radio by Joanne Mattern -- interesting and well written; because we were learning about the invention of radio, we only read the parts of the book that pertained to that subject
• Inventing the Radio by Marianne Fedunkiw -- we did not get to this book, but it looks like it has more detail, so I plan to use it when K. is older
• Warren G. Harding: Twenty-Ninth President by Mike Venezia -- good book
• The Story of The Teapot Dome Scandal by Jim Hargrove -- we did not read this book; I decided that for 5th grade, we had read enough about the scandals in the book about President Harding
• Calvin Coolidge: Thirtieth President by Mike Venezia
• The Scopes Trial by Arthur Blake -- I really like how this book was written. It was an easy read for me (about an hour), then I told K. about it. The author did a good job of handling the subject objectively.
• Inherit the Wind movie about The Scopes Trial -- This movie is not factual, but is interesting.
• Charles Lindbergh by Lucile Davis -- good book. Touched on controversies, but did not go in depth
• The Boy Who Invented TV: The Story of Philo Farnsworth by Kathleen Krull -- excellent book with lots of illustrations
• The Television by Richard and Louise Spilsbury
• The Jazz Singer
• Herbert Hoover: Thirty-First President by Mike Venezia
• The Wall Street Crash: October 29, 1929 by Alex Woolf -- I only read the parts about the crash because we have other books that cover The Great Depression and The New Deal.

1930s

• The 1930s: Decade in Photos by Jim Corrigan
• The Empire State Building by Lisa Bullard -- good with lots of photos
• Building the Empire State Building: An Interactive Engineering Adventure by Allison Lassieur -- we really enjoyed this book. It has three story paths, and we read all three. I was going to stop with two, but K. asked if we were going to read the third.
• Amelia Earhart
• Amelia Earhart by Tamra B. Orr
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Champion of Freedom by Kathleen Kudlinski
• A Boy Named FDR by Kathleen Krull
• First Dog Fala by Elizabeth Van Steenwyk
• Franklin D. Roosevelt: Thirty-Second President by Mike Venezia
• Amendments: 20th, 21st
• The Constitutional Amendments by William Loren Katz
• New Deal
• Climbing Out of the Great Depression by Sean Price
• Dust Bowl
• Angels in the Dust by Margot Theis Raven
• Voices of the Dust Bowl by Sherry Garland
• Survival in the Storm by Katelan Janke
• Social Security Act
• Social Security Act by Richard Worth
• Hindenburg Disaster
• The Hindenburg by Marc Tyler Nobleman
• Golden Gate Bridge
• The Golden Gate Bridge by Jeffrey Zuehlke
• The War of the Worlds
• We listened to the original broadcast on You Tube
• The War of the Worlds adapted by Kathryn Lay

Keepers of the Springs - December, 2015

I've been reading the book, Mr. Jones, Meet the Master, which is a collection of Peter Marshall's sermons and prayers. Near the end of the book is a sermon titled "Keepers of the Springs". I don't know exactly when this sermon was given, but it was before 1949. Below are a couple paragraphs, which I thought quite interesting and appropriate for us as homeschoolers.

Let us not fool ourselves--without Christianity, without Christian education, without the principles of Christ inculcated into young life, we are simply rearing pagans. Physically, they will be perfect. Intellectually, they will be brilliant. But spiritually, they will be pagan. Let us not fool ourselves. The school is making no attempt to teach the principles of Christ. The Church alone cannot do it. They can never be taught to a child unless the mother herself knows them and practices them every day.

The twentieth-century challenge to motherhood--when it is all boiled down--is that mothers will have an experience of God...a reality which they can pass on to their children.

Isn't this why we homeschool? To persistently instruct our children in the principles of Christ. But, as Peter Marshall points out, I cannot pass on to my children what I do not experience, know, and practice.

Sitting down and reading the Bible, praying, praising God -- that's the easy part. Living it, practicing it, having our mothering and teaching transformed by it -- that's hard, but that is what we pass on to our children.

Doing Irrational Things - October, 2015

Last night while we were doing the dishes, Kim asked if we could "keep listening to the tape of that lady." I had started listening to a series of cassette tapes from a Sally Clarkson conference. I was rather surprised, but pleased that she was interested in listening to Sally talking about godly motherhood.

One thing Sally said on that tape was, "Faith is what ignites us to be able to do irrational things."

How many things are you going to do today that, from the world's view, are irrational?

• homeschool
• care for aged parents
• disciple our children 24/7
• live on one income
• honor our spouse
• I'm sure you could add to the list.

Why do we do these irrational things? Because we have a personal relationship with the creator of the universe, Who tells me that He will

• equip me for the tasks of each day
• faithfully supply our needs
• provide me with the strength for each day
• impart His wisdom to me
• show me new mercies every morning
• make my labor not be in vain

and, by faith, I believe Him.

Intentional Togetherness - August, 2015

I've just finished reading Six Ways to Keep the "Little" in Your Girl by Dannah Gresh. In the book she uses the term "parent-child connectedness" and defines it as being closely bonded by common traditions and frequently occurring activities, or intentional togetherness. I scored pretty high on the Connection IQ quiz, but there are a few areas I need to work on.

One is talking about Kim's inner strengths. If I step aside and look at myself, I see that a lot of the time I act as if I have blinders on. Going through the day, seeing only the finish line. Not stopping to look around, delight in my surroundings, and enjoy Kim at this moment. I've tacked up a note to myself, "How did Kim surprise me today?"

Another area I need to work on, is to tell Kim stories about my childhood. I feel like the stories from my childhood are rather boring compared to Richard's. I never caught a snapping turtle in the creek or tried to start the lawn on fire. I pretended the drinking glasses were a choir and the living room rug was the ocean.

Then there is, "spend at least half an hour a week doing something we both enjoy". That would be reading or watching a video or eating or swimming. I'm exposing her to different handicrafts, hoping she will decide at least one is really fun and pick it up as a hobby.

Lastly, when Kim has friends over, I need to play with them sometimes. I usually view this time as an opportunity to do something I want to do because what they are playing just does not look like fun. I need to change my attitude and appreciate that Kim is still pretending and role-playing and appreciate the opportunity to get acquainted with Kim and her friends on another level.

I'm so thankful that God's mercies don't fail and He is faithful because I know I'm going to mess up and need His mercies to be new every morning. What are you working on changing this year? Remember that since God's mercies new every morning, each day is a fresh opportunity to rely on His mercy and grace.

Lessons on Grumbling - June, 2015

The other morning, Kim was happily spreading butter on her toast when I had a flashback to the morning, some weeks previous, when we switched from margarine to butter. To put it mildly, Kim was not happy. She grumbled and complained, sure we cared nothing about her or what she wanted or what was best for her.

I was seeing the humor in the situation when the Lord said to me, "You're just like that. I bring changes to your life because I know what is best for you but you grumble and complain because you don't like changes or to be made uncomfortable."

So, grumbling had been on my mind when I came across Exodus 16:8 in my devotions. The last part of the verse says,

"...your grumblings are not against us,

but against the LORD."

My thoughts went back to a grumbling spree I'd had a few days earlier when talking to my oldest daughter. It doesn't matter how frustrated I was with a situation, God placed me there, with that person, who was behaving in that way. In reality, I wasn't grumbling against that person. I was grumbling against the Lord.

I Thessalonians 5:16 - 18 says (New Life Version) "Be full of joy all the time. Never stop praying. In everything give thanks. This is what God wants you to do because of Christ Jesus."

Being thankful is a choice, just as grumbling is a choice. Many times, every day, I have to make a choice whether to be thankful or to grumble.

It doesn't matter how difficult a situation is, God is in control and He has me in it. My response to the situation shows whether or not I am trusting Him with my life or telling Him how He should run my life.

Isn't it interesting that Paul's admonition to pray all the time is sandwiched between telling us to be full of joy and to give thanks. So being in communication with my Heavenly Father probably makes the choice to be thankful easier.

I need to pray more.

Course of Study - Grade 5

Bible

• Bible Memory
• Philippians chapters 2 and 3
• Psalm chapters 5 and 8
• Devotionals
• The One Year Mother/Daughter Devo by Dannah Gresh
• Secret Keeper Girl Bible Study: My Best Friend Jesus! by Dannah Gresh
• Frieda B. Herself by Renata Bowers (earning patch with American Heritage Girls)
• Great Dates for Moms and Daughters by Dannah Gresh
• Character Growth
•  Our 24 Family Ways by Clay Clarkson
• Catechism
• #110 - 126
• Hymns
• Thankful Journal
• Prayer
• Window on the World  

Math

• BJU Grade 5 Math
• not planning on just working through the book; Mondays we will review previous concepts, then spend one or two days playing games to introduce or renew the concept we will be spending the rest of the week on.

Reading

• Little by Little by Jean Little
• Other books by Jean Little
• Books assigned for book club; I have found free study guides for most of them
• Caddie Woodlawn

 Grammar

• Easy Grammar, Grades 5 and 6

Writing

• From Heart to Page by Michelle Van Loon
• Celebrating Our Family Through The Seasons by Ruthann Winans and Linda Lee

Spelling and Vocabulary

• BJU Spelling 5
• Begin a vocabulary card file

Science

• Using books I've picked up used, we will work on one subject each set of weeks.
• Ecology
• Physics
• Anatomy
• Botany
• Astronomy
• Oceanography
• Zoology

History

• 1920 to Present
• A Child's History of the World by Hillyer
• Library books
• California History 
• California Weekly Explorer
• U.S. Government
• How the U.S. Government Works by Betty Debnam

Fine Arts

• Series of Books - A First Look at Art; 4 books: Creatures, Families, Places, Portraits, Myths, Weather, Celebrations, Journeys; contains famous works of art, projects, art tips, and picture hunts; by Ruth Thomson; J704
• Art Adventures in Narnia - Downloaded from CurrClick;

Science Fair

This year, the homeschool group we are with is having a Science Fair. To introduce the subject and get ideas, we read the book No Fair Science Fair by Nancy Poydar. The story is about a boy that makes a bird feeder, to count how many birds visit it each day, but no birds come. At the end of the book is a list of about 30 science fair project questions, because "'Good projects start with a question,' said Mr. Zee."

Fourth Grade, Writing, Set Seven

In this Set, we are reading some good short stories (picture books), then K. is deciding which graphic organizer would have been best for this story and filling it in. Here are a list of our graphic organizers.

• Time Line
• Chain of Events
• Character Web
• Sensory Web
• Expository Structure
• Story Map
• Story Map with Feelings
• Top-to-Bottom Organizer
• Learning Log (for science experiment)

Suggested books

• The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco
• Aunt Flossie's Hats (and Crab Cakes Later) by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard 
• The City Mouse and the Country Mouse retold by Graham Percy
• Cows in the Parlor: A Visit to a Dairy Farm by Cynthia McFarland 
• Just Plain Fancy by Patricia Polacco
• Leah's Pony by Elizabeth Friedrich

Fourth Grade, Math, Set Seven

We are using Real World Math books during this set. These books take a vocation and walk you through a day or situation and show how math is used, with the student solving the problems along the way. These are very good books! There are three levels of books:

• Blue Level for beginners, grades 2-4
• Orange Level for intermediate, grades 4 - 6
• Purple Level for advanced 

There is also Real World Math: Natural Disasters, where you learn about the subject and practice math skills.

• Droughts
• Earthquakes
• Floods
• Hurricanes
• Tornadoes
• Tsunamis
• Volcanic Eruptions -- we did this one
• Wildfires

Fourth Grade, History, Set Seven

Covering World War I; Years 1914 - 1919

I used the book, The 1910s: Decade in Photos by Jim Corrigan, at the end of this Set to review the decade and cover or introduce a few things we didn't cover in other books.

A Child's History of the World, chapter 84

Mother's Day was instituted

• Mother's Day by Ann Heinrichs

Stories about animals in World War I

• Bunny the Brave War Horse by Elizabeth MacLeod
• The Donkey of Gallipoli by Mark Greenwood
• Rags: Hero Dog of WWI by Margot Theis Raven 
• War Horse by Michael Morpurgo -- we watched the movie instead of reading the book
• Fly, Cher Ami, Fly! by Robert Burleigh

Historical fiction books about WWI

• The Doll Shop Downstairs by Yona Zeldis McDonough -- about a family with three girls in New York that own a doll repair shop. Repair parts for the dolls come from Germany, so when war breaks out they can no longer get parts. How can they stay in business?
• Hero Over Here by Kathleen Kudlinski -- Ten year old Theodore dreams of being a hero in Europe like his father and brother, but must nurse his mother and sister, who are sick with the Spanish flu. 
• The Silver Donkey by Sonya Hartnett
• Tikhon by Ilse-Margret Vogel
• Archie's War: My Scrapbook by Marcia Williams
• Waiting for the Evening Star by Rosemary Wells -- picture book about a family whose son goes off to war
• When Christmas comes Again by Beth Seidel Levine
• The Extraordinary Music of Mr. Ives byJoanne Stanbridge -- story of a musical piece written because of the sinking of the Lusitania

 Nonfiction books about WWI

• Everything World War I by Karen Kenney -- covered the war well; lot of illustrations
• World War I: An Interactive History Adventure by Gwenyth Swain
• Dogs of War by Sheila Keenan
• Line of Fire: Diary of an Unknown Soldier Introduced by Michael Morpurgo
• America's First World War: General Pershing and the Yanks by Henry Castor
• World War I Memorial by Maureen Picard Robins -- tells about the end of the war and the memorial built in Kansas City, Missouri 
• Going to War in World War I by Adrian Gilbert -- lots of information and illustrations
• The Sinking of the Lusitania: An Interactive History Adventure by Steven Otfinoski
• World War I for Kids by R. Kent Rasmussen -- this has some activities I wish we had been able to do, but there are only so many hours available.
• Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood by Nathan Hale

Books that I will want to get when we study WWI when K is older.

• Assassination at Sarajevo by Robin S. Doak
• The Split History of World War I by Michael Burgan
• Voices from the Past: World War I by Kathlyn and Martin Gay
• World War I: From the Lusitania to Versailles by Zachary Kent
• The United States in World War I by Don Lawson
• Stubby the War Dog by Ann Bausum 

Black Sox Scandal

•  The Black Sox Scandal of 1919 by Dan Elish

 18th Amendment

• The Constitutional Amendments by William Loren Katz