“Journeys and Wrecks” Week 33 Fourth Grade

The Wrecks (Fiction, Level 14, Stage 3)

Amazing Journeys (Non-fiction, Level 14, Stage 3) by Ron Bacon

From Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, Bartolomeu Dias, Vasco da Gama, Sir Francis Drake, Abel Tasman, and James Cook to John Glennie, Francis Chichester, Naomi James, Tom McClean, Remy Bricka, Jean Batten, Ameilia Earhart, and Amy Johnson; from Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier, the dog Laika, Neil Armstrong, and Edwin Aldrin to scientists at Mammoth Caves, Kentucky and Dr. Jacques Picard in the Mariana Trench; from albatrosses, monarch butterflies, Arctic terns, and godwits to salmon, trout, humpback whales, wildebeests, and elephants, this week was full of learning about all sorts of adventures!

The activity I want to highlight this week is the Compare/Contrast Chart for Amazing Journeys where the student is asked to record facts about journeys by birds and facts about journeys by fish and then tell how they are different and how they are alike. Not only did this allow Elijah the opportunity to think about how birds and fish both journey for different reasons (and some of the same too), but it also prompted him to talk about why humans like the explorers and scientists in the book make journeys as well, and why our family travels too. I think it is so important for Elijah to connect to the content like this because when history and science come together and relate to his current experience it really helps him remember what he’s learned like never before. That is just one of the reasons we are so thankful for AlphaSkills!

For more information about the AlphaSkills Read with Sarah curriculum and our family, see the AlphaSkills Blog Introduction.