Dear Parents,

We have completed five chapters of Alice Sebold’s novel The Lovely Bones.  So far, students appear to be very interested.  We also have an accompanying movie that we have delved into and we discussed issues of safety including:

• Why it is important for one’s parents to know where their child is at all times and with whom
• If your instincts are telling you that something is not quite right, you should listen to them
• Always be aware of how you are to get out of a house, business etc. before entering
• Strangers should not be trusted even if they appear to be extremely kind – wolves are commonly dressed as sheep

In Social Studies this week we discussed the machinations of the impeachment proceedings in Washington.  Specifically, we discussed whether or not additional witnesses would be called and how many Republican senators would vote to allow those witnesses.

We also continued working on latitude and longitude.  After exploring major cities in South America last week we looked at the following cities in Oceania:

• Hobart, Tasmania
• Melbourne, Australia
• Wellington, New Zealand
• Perth, Australia
• Christchurch, New Zealand
• Sydney, Australia
• Papua, New Guinea
• Suva, Fiji
• Majuro, Marshall Islands
• Darwin, Australia
• Brisbane, Australia
• Canberra, Australia
• Dunedin, New Zealand
• Adelaide, Australia
• Honiara, Solomon Islands

In Science we learned about what caused the dinosaurs to become extinct some 65 million years ago.  As Science World teaches us, a gigantic asteroid crashed into Earth near what is now eastern Mexico.  After the asteroid hit, the resulting dust storm blocked sunlight from reaching Earth.  As a result, plants did not grow and dinosaurs no longer could count on a food source and eventually starved.

We also learned about a 15- foot tall pair of lungs that has been constructed in London, England.  The lungs fill with different colors of smoke based on real-time measurements of different air pollutants like nitrogen dioxide.  This gas mainly comes from vehicles burning gasoline and diesel fuel.

We also investigated how football players in America may suffer from brain trauma as the result of suffering concussions during their playing days and what steps are being taken to protect and treat them – something to keep in mind as we tune in to the Super Bowl this Sunday.

Additionally, we looked into how plastic was invented and the many ways in which it is harming our environment – in particular the ocean and its delicate ecosystems.  According to the Science History Institute: In 1907 Leo Baekeland invented Bakelite, the first fully synthetic plastic, meaning it contained no molecules found in nature. Baekeland had been searching for a synthetic substitute for shellac, a natural electrical insulator, to meet the needs of the rapidly electrifying United States. Bakelite was not only a good insulator; it was also durable, heat resistant, and, unlike celluloid, ideally suited for mechanical mass production. Marketed as “the material of a thousand uses,” Bakelite could be shaped or molded into almost anything, providing endless possibilities.

For more information, check out the following link:

https://www.sciencehistory.org/the-history-and-future-of-plastic

 

In Math, we reviewed the metric system and exponents, focusing on millimeters, centimeters, decimeters and meters.  We also looked in to determining the differences between the Fahrenheit and Celsius scales in measuring temperature.  A few facts to remember:

Fahrenheit

Freezing –  32 degrees

Boiling – 212 degrees

Celsius

Freezing – 0 degrees

Boiling – 100 degrees

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at: michael_flynn@platoacademy.org

Dr. Michael