Third Six Weeks Report
October 16 - November 22, 1995
Fourth Grade
Art: (pages 47-53) Cartooning.
Piano: (up to page 27) Knows white notes F below middle C to G above; 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4 time signatures; quarter, half, and whole notes and rests; dotted half notes; ties; and fingering. Learned second half of "Chop Sticks."
Math: (pages 113-148) More metric units (weight, dry measures), least common multiples, adding and subtracting fractions with uncommon denominators, more Roman numerals (past a thousand), subtracting fractions with borrowing (regrouping), more double-digit-divisor long division.
Science: They Come From DNA (80 pages), by Billy Aronson, explanation of the periodic table, Molecules and Atoms (30 pages), by Rae Bains, vinegar and baking soda reaction experiment.
Nature/Bible Study: Honeybee/Rechabites (reliability), skunk/David and Goliath (confident opposition), wolverine/unnamed prophet (rejecting distractions), ground hog/Solomon (organizing resources efficiently), beaver (good grooming), raccoon/Dinah (prudent initiative).
Read in Kings and Chronicles about kings up to Jehu and read about Gideon. Verses in Romans about being dead to sin and alive to righteousness and in Proverbs about learning.
Spelling: (Units 9 and 10) One-plus-one rule (e.g., unnoticed) and "ch" sound (ch, tch, t(u)).
English: (pages 188-201, supplementary pages from Seventh Grade Super Workbook) Adjectives, articles, comparisons, diagramming.
Reading: Motor Trend, Road and Track, Car and Driver, Clue books, It's God's World news magazine, Boys' Life, Ivanhoe (second time) and David_Copperfield (children's versions), The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi (still reading), Million Dollar Autos, Dream Cars (70 pages), by Thomas Gunning, and Here Come the Monster Trucks (65 pages) by George Sullivan.
Story time: Bluebonnet Goes to the State Fair (40 pages), Sir Francis Drake - His Daring Deeds (32 pages), illustrated poem by Roy Gerrard, The Adventures of Marco Polo (32 pages), by Demi, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth Speare.
Writing: Letters to Grammy, Eddie, Andy, and Grandmother; research report, "Things You Need in a Gun"; "Racing - Le Mans-Style"; two car reports; and a diary page from Murphy's (the dog's) point of view.
Handwriting: Sentences using ordinal numbers, titles and sentences about pictures, journal, and individual letter practice.
Typing: (pages 18-20) Lesson 4:1-6 in Type It.
Memorization: Recited "Houses" to Grammy.
History: (pages 196-210) Civil War - Pages 1-67 of Lincoln and Douglas: The Years of Decision, by Regina Kelly, Dog Jack (a dog in the Union army), by Flora Biros, Great Civil War Escapes, by A. Schuster, and about half of Eben Tyne, Powdermonkey (about the Merrimack), by Patricia Beatty. We sang Civil War era songs.
Geography: 5-state rummy (School Zone), Discovery Toys map with vinyl stick-ons, National Geographic, Canadian provinces and flags in Rand McNally sticker atlas.
SWDHSA Activities Day: P.E., pencil sketching, and outer space.
Cooking: 1st-prize winning Brownie Drops in church contest, cookie division; yeast rolls (both from Man in the Kitchen cookbook); and Watergate salad.
Citizenship: Focus on obedience, time management, attitude (no protesting or murmuring), careful work, attendance.
One day is math, handwriting, spelling, journal, history, and piano and the next is English, writing, reading, memorization, organizing, and piano. Science, geography, nature, and cooking are on Activities Day or home-school-association recital days (once a month).
Holidays: Thanksgiving and the day after.
Grades: Piano A, Math A, Science/Nature/Bible Study A, Spelling A, English/Reading/Memorization A, Writing/Handwriting/Typing A, History/Geography A, Citizenship A-