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Into a New Land |
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What are some highlights from this unit? Explore the meaning of courage as you begin to understand the steadfastness of a people who would bravely face the unknown and risk their lives in the face of constant and seemingly insurmountable hardships and difficulties Celebrate the unit theme with Armstrong Sperry's story of high adventure and suspense, Call it Courage Follow the story of the Israelites as they, too, enter their "new land" of Canaan, and be reminded that the Lord is our very source of courage as you memorize Joshua 1:6-9 Discuss literature together as a family and be aware of its beauty as you explore the parts of a book, the use of language and imagery, and new words in context Build synonym banks that you will use in daily writing Feel the excitement as you sail into Jamestown harbor with John Smith and the first settlers of Jamestown who will make this place their home Become aware of the world around you as you study geography terms and concepts through learning activities Go "buggy" over insects as you learn about their impact on the Jamestown settlers and on us today Find out how insects are classified, collect insects, learn about insect body parts and systems, life cycles and development, and participate in insect activities, cooking fun, meaningful projects and experiments such as Bugs on a Log, Sticky Feet, Walking in an Insect's Shoes, Molting like Insects, Creep-Crawly Caterpillar Snacks Wire Sculpture Walking Sticks, Insect Races, Crazy Coleoptera, Butterfly Fruit Salad, Paper Machι Wasp's Nest, Honey-Butter on Toast, What's the Buzz?, Diagrams, and models of ant colonies and insects, Nature Walks, and Eating like chewing, sucking, piercing, and lapping insects Delve into God's Word for character training and apply its lessons to your life Study Latin and Greek roots as they pertain to daily lessons and topics Watch the struggles of people in history and characters from the story and be reminded that our God is present in our lives even in the midst of struggles – ESPECIALLY in the midst of trouble – HE IS THERE! Understand and build phrases, clauses, sentences, and paragraphs Sample tropical coconut, luscious baked bananas, and crispy fried plantains Learn note-taking techniques and put together paragraphs and mini-reports Continue adding to your time line of history Cover spelling rules and concepts and new four-step spelling lesson segments that involve content area words, editing, spelling activities, tactile experiences, and preparing to know and use the words in daily work Review Baroque art and music Meet Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti, Antonio Vivaldi, and Johann Sebastian Bach - and listen to their music Decide which proverbs we should use to govern our lives and understand the use of proverbs throughout history Apply the lessons in teamwork that John Smith taught the Jamestown settlers by taking a responsibility to our world and community, participating in family responsibilities, and learning how to prioritize your daily tasks Taste the foods of the journey to America as you sample gruel, ship's biscuit and dried beef Experience a full range of intermediate grammar skills and concepts for grades 4-8 in the parts of speech and their usage in short daily practice formats, sentences and their parts, punctuation, and capitalization exercises Build your own model of the Jamestown fort Experience encounters in history as new peoples enter new lands and meet the current residents - Watch as the Israelites meet the Canaanites and the European settlers in America meet the Native Americans Write enticing book reviews Follow Joshua's obedient example as you learn to place your battles in God's hands Meet Karana, in Scott O'Dell's book, Island of the Blue Dolphins – and be amazed at her courage and bravery against overwhelming circumstances See the correlation between literary characters, characters in history, and people today – as we all face isolation, loneliness, and unknown and dangerous situations in life – then, learn to appreciate universal themes and conditions Meet the authors in author spotlights and learn about their writing techniques Hear the story of the Powhatan princess, Pocahontas, and her friendship with John Smith Walk around the city of Jericho with Joshua and the Israelites - and watch the walls crumble! Take notes on informational passages, and build and rewrite them in your own words Explore Native American Indian Sub-Cultures and compile a Notebook about them by gathering information on the Eastern Woodlands peoples String Native American beads Understand the conflicts between newly arrived European settlers and Native Americans Watch the changes in Jamestown as time passes and more settlers arrive Find out why the rebellion that rocked England meant changes for the colonies as well Gain strength in God's loving and powerful presence in us by memorizing Psalm 27 Put together a State Notebook that will consist of an informational scrapbook-type view of each state of the union over the course of the Learning Adventures series Learn about the history, culture, geography, and government of Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island Experience the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat with the Israelites as they begin the task of conquering the people of Canaan according to God's commands Learn geography terms, concepts, and map skills Question, hypothesize, plan, examine, observe, note, and conclude with the scientific method Write reaction pieces and examine the differences between fact, fiction, and opinion Travel to Chincoteague Island, Virginia and meet the horses and characters of Marguerite Henry's wonderful tale, Misty of Chincoteague Examine and appreciate the illustrations of Wesley Dennis and draw you own illustrations Learn about the types of fiction and write about the characters in a story Let Grandpa Beebe teach you about Standard and Non-standard English, slang, jargon, and dialect Sample a tasty piece of Pony-Penning Pot Pie Listen to "The Flight of the Bumblebee" by Rimsky-Korsakov Learn about honoring God by taking care of our bodies as the temple of the Holy Spirit Whip up a batch of Grandma Beebe's Golden Cornbread Interpret a three-dimensional pie chart of A Day at Kent Island Trading Post Take notes about Maryland from the encyclopedia and building them into a paragraph Learn about American Colonial artists and their work Discover one of the greatest lessons in the story of the Israelites – that God uses everyday people to carry out His plans, and remember that His power is displayed even through our weaknesses as He changes our hearts and stubborn attitudes! Take a creepy, crawly look at spiders, weave webs and experiment with spider behavior Marvel at Joshua's simple legacy and accept the challenge to be a willing servant of the Lord in all you say, in all you do, and in all you are! Follow little Christian and his friends as they struggle on their journey to the Celestial City in Little Pilgrim's Progress – Helen Taylor's adaptation of John Bunyan's classic work. Learn how this allegory teaches us to watch out for spiritual obstacles and pitfalls in our own lives and the importance of keeping our eyes focused on the Lord and His path and plan for our lives Compare and contrast the journey of the Pilgrims to the pilgrims and the story – and realize that we, too, are pilgrims on a journey through life Journey with the Pilgrims to Leyden, Holland - and understand their reasons for sailing to America Dress like Pilgrims and learn to appreciate the hardships of the Mayflower voyage Investigate weather in our world - learn about forecasting and charting the weather and understand the concepts of atmosphere, air pressure, masses, fronts, and systems Cover a full range of grammar and spelling concepts Memorize Psalm 119:105-112 and follow the Lord obediently in the midst of life's struggles Step out onto Plymouth Rock with the Pilgrims as they look forward with hope to life in a place free from persecution - Weep with them in their heartaches and devastating losses, and celebrate with them as well - as they give thanks to God for His faithfulness through it all Document your thoughts, feelings, ideas, and experiences in a journaling unit Measure weather as you learn about temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure; make weather maps, watch meteorologists in action, and take a field trip to a television station or weather station Decide to follow Jesus – with the world behind you, the cross before you, and without turning back Collect creative materials for a Four Seasons Collage, listen to Vivaldi's work by the same name, and write an interpretation of his music Grasp the courage and spirit of the Pilgrims and the democratic ideas set forth in the Mayflower Compact which would become an inspiration to all Americans Compare and Contrast the life people of Jamestown and Plymouth Celebrate the friendship of the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians Bake squash and toast the seeds for two yummy treats Dry corn – something more valuable to the Pilgrims than money Experiment with the temperature of land and water, evaporation, condensation, and precipitation – then "Cloud Around" and make fluffy cloud treats and a stand-up cloud project Celebrate with the Pilgrims as they count God's blessings to them after their first year in America, and – and plan and create your own Thanksgiving Feast complete with delightful decorations, fantastic favors, creative costumes, memorable games and activities, and delicious food Conjure up visions of traditional feasts as you observe examples of Thanksgiving art and listen to Thanksgiving poetry Write an essay about Thanksgiving Traditions Capture the vision of the Puritans for their model "City on a Hill" and its ideals that lived on in the American spirit Learn about Native American customs and play the Stone Game, the Hand Game, and other Indian games Drip and drop through a study of precipitation - experiment with drops and droplets – and create "drippy" art designs Smile at Weather Idioms Hear and appreciate classic seasonal children's poetry – interpreting and analyzing it in order to understand its form and content Get "flaky" as you study and experiment with snowflakes, create intricate snowflakes of your own, play indoor or outdoor snowball games, make edible snowballs, ice cream in a bag, and snow ice cream Smell the warmth of bayberry in a candle and imagine that you are living in colonial times Feel the power of the wind as you investigate its direction and speed, interpret a chart of the winds of the world, and learn to use the Beaufort Wind Scale Spend mealtime with the Puritans and sample bean porridge Grind corn into cornmeal Settle in regions beyond the Massachusetts Bay Colony with those who formed new villages and watch the colonies grow as more Europeans flood to America Stir up a batch of Hasty Pudding and slice and fry the leftovers Experience the conflicts between Native Americans and settlers – King Philip's War, the Pequot War, and the formation of the New England Confederation Participate in Native American crafts by making a porcupine quill art project Apply Bible truths to life through discussion and activities that demonstrate God's faithfulness and the necessity for our obedience Learn about lightning, thunder, disturbances, and storms in our world – and experiment with your own tornado Write letters, invitations, and notes within the context of the unit topics after learning the fundamentals of letter writing Use an atlas to create maps of the states Sketch portraits in unique ways Build colonial sandwich cottages in the style of colonial homes and compare and contrast colonial homes to houses today Learn about music of the colonies and states Color your world with a rainbow study, learn unusual color words, create a rainbow in the mist, make rainbow treats, work with the color wheel, and create colorful doodle designs Freeze your own hail stones Make your way through mist and fog and listen to "foggy" poetry – then write your own weather poetry Watch dewdrops form, freeze icy treats, and play the Ice Game as you learn about dew, frost, and ice! |
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