Friday, 12/05/2008

Math
Today, we went over our homework then took the quiz. The first question required me to make a number story for division. The next two were magnitude estimates problems. First you predict what the answer might be close to. Then you do the real problem. The next two were about finding out what to do with a remainder. Ignore it, record it as a fraction or decimal, and last but not least, rounding the remainder up. After the quiz, we took the open response question for our test. I haven't finished but I'm close.

Language Arts
Today, we learned how to answer a writing prompt. There are five steps. The first is T.A.P.
T=topic of writing
A=who am I writing to? (audience)
P=purpose of writing
Think of these before you write. The second step is brainstorm. Think of some solid topics where you can get lots of detail out of it. The possibilities are endless. The third step is to Organize The Storm. Put your ideas neatly into something cool. I recommend using a graphic organizer. It's an easy way to express your thoughts. The fourth step is to Write It Out. Write your whole essay out! You've been thinking and preparing, well now it's time to put your organization into a well written story. The last and most important step is to Check It Over! Without checking your story, it could end up as a disastrous F. Be careful and check for mistakes to perfect the writing piece.

Social Studies
Today, we learned about World Travel and Trade. We had vocabulary words like kingdom, caravan, trade, merchant, technology and plenty of other words. We also learned about inventions that were very important. There were printing which let people print multiple copies instead of hand writing every piece. There was also gunpowder and other inventions. We also learned about the Silk Road. There, merchants traded spices, silk, and other goods. The Silk Road was also dangerous because because of the mountains to cross and the high risk of getting robbed. There was a quicker and safer route around Africa. People used that more often but both connect Europe and Asia.