Rules by Cynthia Lord.

The author has a very good site that addresses the book's complex themes and it includes reproducible worksheets. E. answered all the thoughtful study guide questions, which works well as an approach to assess reading comprehension.

Making do. Surviving.

We are reading Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. Thematically relevant to our Lewis and Clark studies, the modern-day hero (Brian) is lost in the Canadian wilderness (fortunately not in the winter, or it might not be a survival story) after a plane crash with a single tool and must survive on his own.

Here's a very good school site loaded with questions and study guides about the book.

PS Have we mentioned lately the terrific Southside branch of the Santa Fe library? Visit and plan to spend some time.

Hm. What IS "Social Studies," anyway?

Here are some helpful links we use for teaching history and "social studies" to a middle school home learner.

Mr. Kash's History Page

Today in History

DoHistory.com

Conversations with History (Berkeley)

Time's 100 People Who Shape Our World (arguable but worth a look)

Teaching Current Events

Colonial Biography Unit (Harvard)

National Geographic Lesson Plans and Activities

Mapmaking Guide (6-8)

Latitude and Longitude

Social Studies Lesson Plans (CalState Northridge)

Ben's Guide to the US Government for Kids (6-8)

Adeline Hornbek and the Homestead Act

The Moonlit Road (folktales of the American South)

Abraham Lincoln Research Site

Links to Lincoln on the Web (Education World)

World War II (Grolier summary article)

World War II History Test (Grolier) - 25 challenging questions

Lascaux Caves (art history)

The Middle Ages

An Introduction to the History of Time

China Social Studies:

Six Paths to China

China Unique

China: An Ancient Culture in a Modern World

History Teacher Dot Net AP quizzes

Jeffersonian Age quiz

World War II

Truman and Beginnings of the Cold War

American Presidents

Presidents 2

Presidents 3

Presidents 4

Girls and science.

If you have any doubts, read this NY Times story.

Illustration by Victoria Power.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

Our fiction break (as we continue study of Lewis and Clark) is a novel by Robert C. O'Brien that tells of a strong friendship between a mouse family and a band of intelligent rats. Here is a very good site for study of this book.


Thematically, the story ties in well with the Corps of Discovery as it illuminates the themes of friendship, courage, cooperation, and survival.

Vocabulary
vantage
wisp
relentless
hypochondriac
tedious
roundabout
vigorous
protrude
upholster
hostile
compiled
incur
inkling
plaintive
contention
engross

Project GUTS meet-up

We participate in the 'Project GUTS' homeschool group. Other schools--private, public and charter--participate in this city-wide educational effort for middle schoolers.

The Project GUTS initiative is to teach 7th & 8th graders scientific methodology and some computer-based modeling. At our parent break-out group, we learned that part of the impetus for these groups is to prepare kids for the supercomputing challenges they might undertake in high school.

This quarter the students have been working on epidemiology. They use agent-based computer modeling to show how a virus might spread (or how something else might spread, like a rumor or a wildfire.) About sixty kids were in attendance today at this gathering of the various clubs. Groups presented the results of their work and some of the simulations they had created.

Next quarter, the kids are going to work on modeling 'egress' and 'ingress,' or traffic patterns and emergency planning. There will be a field trip to City Hall included in the planned activities.