Science Test- Practice Links

Your Science Test is on Wednesday. Here are some FUN practice links to help you get ready.

http://www.quia.com/cc/338580.html

http://www.quia.com/rr/37675.html

http://www.quia.com/fc/338580.html

http://www.quia.com/mc/338580.html

Who Would You Like To Learn About?

Reading Response Question for Week of February 28- March 4
Over the next week or two, we will be taking a look at some nonfictional books about famous people who did some amazing things in the past. If you could select a book to read about a famous person FROM THE PAST, who would you want to read about and why? What questions would you like to have answered?

Moon Watching

Dear Family,

Your child is studying a Science unit called Earth, Moon, and Sun. Each evening for the next month, he or she will be observing the moon each evening at approximately the same location. Have your child record the moon’s shape on the Moon Observations sheet. Shade in the circle so the white area looks like the moon’s appearance.

After a week of observations, ask your child to predict where the moon will be and what shape it will have before you go outside to look. Please compare the predictions with what you actually see.

There will be some evenings when you will not be able to see the moon. Discuss the reason it cannot be seen. If you are able to consult the internet, an almanac, a calendar, or a newspaper to find the moon phase for that day, please do so and record it on the Moon Observations sheet.

There is a great lunar calendar application at this website: http://www.fossweb.com/modules3-6/SunMoonandStars/index.html

The completed Moon Observations sheet is due on March 21, 2011.

Have fun!

We LOVE Books!

Reading Response Question for Week of February 14- 18
WE LOVE BOOKS! Everybody has a favorite book or two. What’s yours? Tell us why you love the books you do. Perhaps you can persuade a friend to read one of your favorites!

TV and Movie Summaries

Reading Response Question for Week of February 7-11
We have been talking about summarizing in class. Summarizing involves thinking about the the most important events in a story that lead to the problem getting solved. Summary writing is short and to the point!
Think of a favorite movie or TV show you have watched recently. Think about the characters, setting, and problem. How was the problem solved? In four sentences or less, tell us about your show or movie.

Ancient Mali Test- February 18, 2011

Welcome to Ancient Mali!


SOL Objectives:

3.2 - The student will study the early West African empire of Mali by describing its oral tradition (storytelling), government (kings), and economic development (trade).


3.4- The student will develop map skills by
a) West Africa
b) describing the physical and human characteristics of West Africa;
c) explaining how the people of West Africa adapted to and/or changed their environment to meet their needs.


3.7 The student will explain how producers in the ancient West African empire of Mali used natural resources, human resources, and capital resources in the production of goods and services.

Can you answer these questions?

1. Why was the empire of Mali so wealthy?
2. What do we know about the empire of Mali?
3. Why were storytellers so important in the empire of Mali?
4. Where was the empire of Mali located on maps?
5. What were the physical and human characteristics of West Africa?
6. How did the people of Mali adapt to and change their environment to meet their needs?
7. Did economic specialization and interdependence exist in the empire of Mali?

Essential Knowledge

• Africa was home to several great empires. One of the most prosperous was the empire of Mali. Mali is located in the western region of Africa.
• Many storytellers in Mali passed on traditions and stories from one generation to the next.
• The kings of Mali were rich and powerful men who controlled trade in West Africa. Mali became one of the largest and wealthiest empires in the region and was an important trade center.
• Mali lay across the trade routes between the sources of salt in the Sahara Desert and the gold region/mines of West Africa. For the people of the desert, salt was a natural resource. People used salt for their health and for preserving foods. Miners found gold in West Africa. Therefore, salt was traded for gold.
• Timbuktu was an important city in Mali. It had a famous university with a large library containing Greek and Roman books.
• The physical charateristics of Mali include: it is located in West Africa, it is near rivers (Niger River), with desert like conditions, and features gold mines.
• Three important human resources in Mali were farmers, miners, and traders.
• Salt was an important natural resource for the people in the desert. It was traded for gold.

Fun Review Websites:

http://www.quia.com/quiz/269843.html
http://www.quia.com/rr/36347.html
http://www.quia.com/ba/72747.html
http://www.quia.com/rr/118615.html
http://www.quia.com/sh/79459.html
http://www.quia.com/rr/152747.html

What else can you do to study:

• Flashcards (will go home February 8)
• Study class notes
• Read Social Studies textbook pages 12-15.