Social Studies History Unit
Essential Understanding: Students will be introduced to our country’s history and how it has shaped our country’s present and future.
Essential Questions:
1. Who were the first people to live in America?
2. Who were the first people to travel to America?
3. Why did the colonists go to war with England?
4. How did our country change?
5. What was the major cause of the Civil War?
6. How have special Americans and holidays made a difference in the United States?
7. How do maps reflect the changes in America’s expansion?
At Home:
Your child may enjoy reading the books that I have posted to the Pearson Science Link (right hand column of this blog). While reading and listening to the books, children can look for answers to Essential Questions listed above. [Reminder: Username is your child's name: first_last (case sensitive); Password is maywatts]
Reading:
Just For You - Theme 2: Helping Hands
Your child is reading Hedgehog Bakes a Cake, by Maryann Macdonald. In this story, Hedgehog wants to make a yellow cake. His friends stop by to help, but each one gives bad advice about baking and Hedgehog ends up with a terrible mess on his hands. After his friends leave, Hedgehog locks the door and starts over. This time he follows the recipe, and later he and his friends enjoy a delicious cake.
Please encourage your child to read Hedgehog Bakes a Cake over the weekend. Vocabulary Power precedes the story.
Focus Skill: Synonyms
Vocabulary Power:
batter-thick liquid mixture used in cooking
buttery-full of or covered with butter
perfect-as good as something can be
recipe-set of instructions, or steps, used when cooking
or baking
smeared-spread something sticky or greasy
yellow cake-cake that is yellow because it contains egg
yolks
School-Home Connection: You and your child might enjoy reading these books about baking: Jake Baked the Cake, by B.G. Hennessy; Cookie Fun, by Judy Bastyra; Thunder Cake, by Patricia Polacco.
Math:
Do-Anytime Activities: Unit 4
These activities are easy and fun to do with your child at home, and they will reinforce the skills and concepts your child is learning in school.
-Make up number stories involving estimation. For example, pretend that your child has $2.00 and wants to buy a pencil that is marked $0.64, a tablet marked $0.98, and an eraser marked $0.29. help your child estimate the total cost of the three items (without tax) to determine if there is enough money to buy all three.
-Practice addition and subtraction involving multiples of 10 by asking your child “What is 20 + 10 ?; 40 + 50 ?; 60 - 20 ?
