Science 09-24-2010

FROM THE ONLINE MOVIE

BrainPOP - Bacteria

"Bacteria are among the oldest organisms...

it's thought that early bacteria

evolved about 3.5 billion years ago..."

"... gives scientists a peek at

what life was like billions of years ago."

CONCLUSION:

HERE THEY GO AGAIN. TALKING ABOUT THE AGE OF BACTERIA, THEY COULD HAVE JUST SAID THEY ARE "among the oldest organisms," AND LEFT IT AT THAT. BUT NO. THEY TELL US BACTERIA "evolved about 3.5 billion years ago." LATER ON, THE VIDEO REPEATS THIS ASSUMPTION BY SAYING, "what life was like billions of years ago." AGAIN, THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION IS BEING PROMOTED HERE WITHOUT PROVIDING ANY OTHER EXPLANATION FOR THE ORIGIN OF LIFE OR THE AGE OF THE EARTH. AS EXPECTED.

Social Studies 09-17-10

ONLINE LESSON:

Constitution Day

No homework, workbook activities, or assessment.

The "review" question is as follows,

"Discuss the importance of the Declaration of Independence.

How would our lives be different if the colonies

had not declared their independence?"

CONCLUSION:

THIS LESSON COMMITS THE SIN OF OMISSION. AN INCREDIBLY BRIEF DISCUSSION OF THE CONSTITUTION IS PRESENTED AND THE STUDENT WATCHES A SHORT (3 MINUTE) VIDEO ABOUT IT. WHILE THE INFORMATION IS FACTUAL, NOWHERE IN THE LESSON DOES THE CONSTITUTION ITSELF ACTUALLY APPEAR. THERE IS NO SCHOOLWORK OR HOMEWORK FOR THE STUDENT TO PERSONALLY READ ALL OR PART OF THE CONSTITUTION. THERE ARE NO WORKBOOK ACTIVITIES PROVIDED ABOUT IT. THE ONLY REVIEW QUESTION IS, ODDLY ENOUGH, ABOUT THE Declaration of Independence! WHILE THIS IS AN EQUALLY IMPORTANT DOCUMENT, THE NAME OF THE LESSON IS "CONSTITUTION DAY"! MOST TELLINGLY, THERE IS NO QUIZ AT THE END OF THE LESSON ASSESSING WHAT THE STUDENT KNOWS ABOUT THE CONSTITUTION. SHOULDN'T THIS FOUNDATIONAL DOCUMENT REQUIRE AT LEAST SOME STUDY?

Science 09-15-2010

FROM THE TEXTBOOK

Science: A Closer Look
Macmillan / McGraw-Hill

PAGE 22
"Where do cells come from?
The simple answer is that cells come from other cells!
Every cell in every living thing on Earth
originally came from another cell.
A cell divided, or split into two new cells,
and so did the cell before that, and so on."

CONCLUSION:
"Cells come from other cells." THAT'S QUITE A "simple answer!" SO SIMPLE IN FACT THAT IT COMPLETELY AVOIDS DISCUSSING CAUSATION (THE ORIGIN OF LIFE). WHERE DID THE FIRST CELL COME FROM? OOPS! FORGOT TO MENTION THAT! DON'T WORRY, THOUGH. APPARENTLY, SOMETHING CAN COME FROM NOTHING IF YOU JUST WAIT LONG ENOUGH. SIMPLY ADD A FEW ZEROES. NO REALLY. AND DON'T EVEN ADDRESS ANY SORT OF DIVINE CREATOR. WOULDN'T WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE, ER, UM, I MEAN OFFEND.

Social Studies 09-13-2010

FROM THE ONLINE MOVIE
(about the Aztecs)
Narrator: "...had huge pyramids topped with temples,
where sacrifices:
anmials, vegetables, minerals, and humans
were offered to the Aztec gods.
The Aztecs were a very religious people..."

FROM THE ONLINE LESSON
After you watch the movie
(about the Mayans),
answer the following questions.

1. How did religion benefit the Maya?

2. Why was the Mayan civilization considered advanced?

1. The Maya's religious beliefs helped establish order in their lives and explained the forces of nature.

2. The Maya recorded astronomical data, created a hieroplyphic writing system, and used a
complex system of mathematics.

CONCLUSION:
THANKFULLY, THE LESSON DOES MENTION THAT THE AZTECS PERFORMED HUMAN SACRIFICES, BUT IT IS TROUBLING THE WAY IT'S PRESENTED SORT OF AFTER THE FACT. "animals, vegetables, minerals, and humans." BUT SHOULDN'T SOMETHING AS HORRIFYING AND DESPICABLE AS OH, I DON'T KNOW, HUMAN SACRIFICE BE THE FIRST THING MENTIONED? YA THINK? I ALSO LOVE THE VAGUE GENERALIZATION THAT FOLLOWS, "The Aztecs were a very religious people." MIGHT THAT POSSIBLY PLACE THEM IN THE SAME LEAGUE AS OTHER "VERY RELIGIOUS PEOPLE." LIKE ORTHODOX JEWS, AND CHRISTIANS? A LITTLE DISCERNMENT, PLEASE?

AND A FOLLOW-UP QUESTION IN THE ONLINE LESSON ABOUT THE MAYANS ONLY ASKS, "How did religion benefit the Maya?" ANSWER: IT "helped the Maya establish order in their lives." YEAH, MURDERING PEOPLE SURE ESTABLISHES ORDER, NOW DOESN'T IT? NO QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR BRUTALITY? REALLY? SHEESH.

Social Studies 09-09-2010

FROM THE TEXTBOOK

Social Studies - The United States
by Scott Foresman

PAGE 61
(regarding the natives at Cahokia)
"Many of the mounds had platforms where
religious or other ceremonies were held.
A ceremony is an activity done for a
special purpose or event, such as a birth,
wedding, or death."

CONCLUSION:
A SEEMINGLY INNOCUOUS DESCRIPTION OF WHAT WENT ON AT CAHOKIA: "religious or other ceremonies... for a special purpose or event." SOME OF THOSE INVOLVED HUMAN SACRIFICE! BUT WE DON'T WANT THE KIDS TO LEARN THAT ABOUT THOSE FRIENDLY NATIVES, NOW DO WE? LET'S JUST BLANKET IT UNDER "religious" or "ceremonies." TELL THE WHOLE TRUTH, PLEASE!

Science 09-08-2010

FROM THE TEXTBOOK

Science: A Closer Look
Macmillan / McGraw-Hill

PAGE 03

"What are some of the diseases that

both people and other animals get?"

CONCLUSION:
THE AUTHOR IS TEACHING MY STUDENT THAT PEOPLE ARE ANIMALS. PEOPLE ARE NOT ANIMALS! EVERY PERSON HAS A SOUL, MORAL JUDGMENT, SPIRITUALITY, AND FREE WILL. ANIMALS HAVE NONE OF THESE.

Math 09-07-2010

Lesson 1: Place Value / Comparing and Ordering Decimals

Math 5 A Unit 1: Numeration

FROM THE ONLINE LESSON
You know how to read and write numbers to one million.
Today you will learn how to read and write numbers greater than one million.

Can you describe a situation in which you have seen or heard a very large number?

Answer:Examples: the age of the solar system; the national population

CONCLUSION:
TECHNICALLY, NOTHING IS REALLY BEING PUSHED HERE. IT'S JUST ASSUMED THAT ONE OF THE SITUATIONS THE STUDENT HAS SEEN A VERY LARGE NUMBER WOULD BE "the age of the solar system." BECAUSE IT IS ASSUMED THAT THE SOLAR SYSTEM IS VERY, VERY OLD.

Social Studies 09-07-2010

HERE IS WHAT MY 5TH GRADER IS BEING TAUGHT:

Lesson 1:Migration to the Americas

Social Studies 5 A Unit 1: Early Life, East and West

FROM THE ONLINE LESSON
"Scientists and historians believe
that groups of people traveled eastward from Asia to North America
by crossing the Bering Strait 10,000 to 40,000 years ago."

FROM THE ONLINE MOVIE
(about the Ice Age )
Narrator: "The last full and most severe one
began 45 million years ago."

FROM THE ONLINE LESSON
"What items were found
with the frozen 5,300-year old skeleton?"

FROM THE TEXTBOOK
Social Studies - The United States
by Scott Foresman

PAGE 46
"20,000 years ago, during the Ice Age"

PAGE 46
"Many scholars believe... 40,000 to 10,000 years ago"

PAGE 47
"about 7,000 years ago"

PAGE 47
Summarize the Lesson
40,000-10,000 years ago
10,000 years ago
7,000 years ago

CONCLUSION:
OTHER THAN THE CAVEAT "scientists and historians believe," NOWHERE IN ANY OF THE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS ARE ANY OTHER POSSIBLE DATES CONSIDERED FOR THE ICE AGE, THE AGE OF THE FROZEN SKELETON OR THE JOURNEY AND SETTLEMENTS OF THE PEOPLE. IT IS JUST ASSUMED THAT THESE DATES ARE TRUE SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN AGREED UPON BY WHOEVER ARE THE SOURCES OF THIS TEXTBOOK.

The First Day of School - Fifth Grade

This blog has been started today, 9-07-2010, to document what my Fifth Grader is being taught by the modern public school system. Specifically the errors, omissions, and outright falsehoods that are presented as fact, as well as the agendas being propagated. Who knows what we will discover? It will be a nine month journey. Here we go...