Jobs and Taxes

A job is work in a community that you get money for. There are two types of jobs: Private and Public. A police officer has a public job while a waiter has a private. The government pays for public services with money collected through taxes. People pay for private services.

Jobs supply goods and services. A good is anything that is made e.g. furniture, food, computers. A service is a job that someone does for someone else. For instance, Pro Haircutters (That's the place we go to) is a service.

Food, water, shelter, and clothing are all needs that we need to live. Wants are things you don't need but want. This includes TVs, video games, computers, etc. You don't always get what you want, though. Say that you have $20 and you see hot dogs for $20 and you see an iPod for $20. Which will you choose? You only have $20 so you can't have both.

American Values

American values include tolerance, liberty, and innovation.

William Penn was a Quaker, and was in danger of being prosecuted in England. He wanted a colony that accepted all kinds of religions and backgrounds, so he founded Pennsylvania. Penn called this the "Holy Experiment" in religious tolerance. The Amish are an example of a people who still practice their religion freely, just as the first Quakers did.

Liberty is another American value. In 1776, the representatives of the 13 colonies signed the Declaration of Independence. John Hancock was the first to sign it, and he signed it very big. He said, "There, I guess King George will be able to read that without his spectacles."

Immigration boomed from 1892 to 1954. Aside from escaping religious intolerance, many families moved to America because of lack of education, jobs, or food in their home countries. People from all over the world came to America to seek a better life. The trip was sometimes two weeks by boat, but it was worth it for those seeking liberty.


Immigrants found the freedom to be creative in America, and we've always embraced innovation. You may think of New York as a booming city of skyscrapers and lights, but did you ever wonder how it was built? It was built by immigrants. Thomas Edison also made it a great place to live. He invented the light bulb. On September 4, 1882, the first electric lights switched on at Pearl Street in New York.

American values are what makes America America.

Summer 2010 Plans

This summer we will do:

Elementary Spanish Grades 5-6

Saxon Math 65
Calculus Without Tears Vol. I Constant Velocity Motion

Literature Study
Independent Reading

Music Theory
Piano
French Horn
Art

Hiking
Walking
Bicycling
Swimming

Playing
Lots of time outside
Lots of time to contemplate life

End of Grade 4 : )

Today we completed 4th grade and celebrated with a special dinner! Congraulations!

For the rest of the year we will study topics in history, science, and math, and write a research paper on Benjamin Franklin as well as continue our literature studies.

The Mariana Trench

The Maraina Trench is the deepest part of the world. At one point, called the Challenger Deep, it reaches an outstanding 7 miles into the crust. You could fit a Mount Everest in there!

The trench is formed where two plates meet and cause a subduction -- when one plate moves under another. The weight of the plate is so huge, it's dragging the rest of the sea floor with it.

The weight of the water over the trench is so huge, your head would be crushed to a pulp! Even so, two people did go to the Challenger Deep in a very super-strong submarine called the Trieste. They had to live in a little sphere and had to stay down there for 9 hours. They could not believe their eyes! They never thought life could survive down there, but they saw a flatfish. Nobody has been back there since, and no one has broken the record set by the Trieste.