Lunar New Year 2014 -- Year of the Horse

Happy New Year!  Are you curious about Chinese New Year?
Learn about it.
Read about the history of Chinese New Year.
Did you know that other cultures also celebrate Lunar New Year?  In Vietnamese culture it is sometimes referred to as Tet.

Scholastic has a good resource where you can learn more about China.
Check out this fun story about the Chinese Zodiac calendar.
If you like arts and crafts, check out this website.
Read about the Legend of Nian.
Finally, read these Chinese Proverbs and try to figure out what they are teaching you.

Bonus Question:  Teacherp was born in the year of the snake.  2013 was the year of the snake.  Can you figure out which year I was born?

The Life of a Forty-Niner

As you read about the lives of the 49ers, look for evidence that supports the idea that being a 49er was not easy.  Do you think some of them regretted becoming prospectors?  What is your evidence?

Keep reading and look for other evidence that supports the idea that you could strike it rich and make a fortune.

Post your paragraphs on http://kidblog.org/teacherp/.  If you can, include a picture related to this topic.

The California Gold Rush -- Life as a 49er
Life of a 49er
Journey of the Forty-Niners
Gold Fever
Social Studies for Kids -- The California Gold Rush

Bonus:  What could you learn about James Marshall and John Sutter?  Did they enjoy the wealth of the Gold Rush?  Can you infer what their opinion of the Gold Rush probably was?  How do you think they viewed the Forty-Niners?

Bonus:  Use Google to try to learn how to pan for gold.  Write directions in your own words summarizing this technique.  Include a cool picture.

Subtracting Negative Integers

Try out the personal tutor for another example.
Take a quiz on this topic.

Adding Integers

Try out this personal tutor for a simple example of this concept.
Check out this lesson from math.com.
Quiz yourself on this topic.

Synonyms Online

Try out this short lesson on synonyms and antonyms.
Give this word study page a try.

Now try a few games:
Synonym Sam's Lab
Synonym Matching Squares
Synonyms BBC

Have you mastered synonyms?  Great!  Now try out a few quizzes.
Easy quiz #1.
Spelling City quiz #2
Searching for Synonyms quiz #3

The Water Cycle -- 5th Grade Science

Watch the video above to get you started.  When you finish, read about the water cycle to complete your project this week.  Project -----> Science Diagrams

This Kid's Zone article does a pretty good job of explaining the water cycle.  (It refers to runoff as collection, but it's the same idea.)
If you need more information, this article about the water cycle is very thorough.
Check out this cool, interactive diagram from the USGS.

This water cycle rap is just for fun.

Layers of the Earth -- 4th Grade Science

Watch the video above to get you started.  When you finish, read about the layers of the earth to complete your project for this week.  Project -----> Science Diagrams

This link breaks down the layers of the earth in a method that is easy to understand.  Science for kids.
KidsGeo has cool interactive features and reading to teach you about this topic.
Try out ScienceMonster for a page by page lesson followed by a quiz.

MLK Day -- January 20th

Monday, January 20th is the holiday dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Please learn about this great civil rights leader as you celebrate this holiday.  Read a short biography about him.  Check out this video from Nat Geo Kids about MLK.  Listen to his "I Have A Dream" speech.  If you want more of a challenge, this biography and video have quite a bit about his life.  Finally, here is a fun BrainPOP video about MLK.

Dividing Mixed Numbers

Dividing fractions quiz.
Dividing mixed numbers quiz.
Multiplying fractions quiz.

Dividing fractions game.  Totally Tubular
Dividing fractions game.  Soccer Math

California Gold Rush

Once you have watched the video above, read about the California Gold Rush.  Use the links below to research the answers to the questions on your worksheet.  You will need to use different links to find all of the answers.
Read about Westward Expansion and the California Gold Rush.
Read Gold Fever from PBS.
Use these links on KidPort to learn about how the CA Gold Rush began, the lives of the 49ers, and more.
National Geographic also has a good link about Gold Fever.

Compare and contrast the CA Gold Rush to the gold rush in Australia in 1851?  How were they alike and different?

If you finish early, check out this cool photo gallery.  These photos are primary sources that can teach you about history.

Determining the Area of a Rectangle (Mixed Number Multiplication)

The video above is pretty straightforward.  Try this Learnzillion video which shows how to find area using a visual model.  Can you figure out how to do the calculation?  This video explains both.

Practice multiplying with mixed numbers (scroll down to find the practice).
Try out more practice.

Multiplying with Mixed Numbers

Try out some Khan Academy practice.

Still need help, try this personal tutor.
Try out this multiplication of fractions game.
Ready?  Self-check quiz.

Multiply Fractions

Try out this video for help with cross canceling fractions.
Take the quiz if you have mastered this concept.

Watch this video to see how multiplying fractions works with a visual model.


Here are some fraction exercises from Math Antics to get your brain going.
Fractions Are Division
Working with Parts
Fractions Are Parts

The Atmosphere -- 5th Grade Science

Read about the atmosphere once you have watched the video above.
The Earth's Atmosphere -- Science for Kids.
Look through and read the slides on Kids Geo.
Geography 4 Kids -- The Atmosphere

What is air pressure?
Air pressure from FactMonster.

Weathering and Erosion -- 4th Grade Science

Once you have watched the video above, read about weathering and erosion to answer your questions.
Weathering and erosion (easy to understand).

Learn about weathering and erosion by going to different slides on Kids Geo.

What is the difference between weathering and erosion?

Geography 4 Kids -- Weathering and erosion.

Look up these words -- weathering, erosion, and deposition.  Only one of the definitions is a science definition.  Make sure you use the right one.  Use the website Word Central.

Do this one last if you have finished all of your questions.
Study Jams -- Weathering and erosion.

Book Jacket Report

This link contains a Google Document with your directions for this book report.  Feel free to leave a comment about your book if you think others should read it.

New Year's Resolution -- DO MORE MATH!!!

Hello everyone.  As a New Year's Resolution, I would like to see everyone do math every day.  This post contains several links for daily word problems.  Try them out.  Do them with members of your family.  Happy New Year!

My favorite daily math problem website is Bedtime Math.  These problems range from easy to hard.  How many can you answer?  This is a great one to do on a daily basis as a family.  (You can even get little brothers and sisters involved.)

You should also try out these links:
Math Top 10
Common Core Word Problems
Math Buddy Online (Daily Problems)