How would you like to be cheated because you couldn’t tell one bill from another? This can happen to anyone with vision problems. The US should add a tactile feature to its paper money.

There are a lot of blind people in America. They need to be able to tell the difference between money. Right now they can’t tell one bill from the other. They have to ask someone else how much money they have. As Connor McLeod told Time for Kids, “It’s frustrating … I have to keep asking my mom how much money I have” (6).

With tactile money blind people could count their own money. “The markings would make it easier for people with vision problems to identify each bill by touch” (TFK 6).

With regular money blind people could be cheated by employers who pay them less than they are supposed to. At the store, the cashier could give them the wrong change.

Even though it may cost extra money, the money and the effort will improve thousands of lives. And think about it. If you became blind, wouldn’t you want to be able to handle money on your own?

Oh my gosh, your children have been working HARD. First of all, we worked on how to research and then organize and develop expository writing at a deeper level. 

As we studied the American revolution, we worked together to model writing good paragraphs.

The students each picked a subsequent conflict in US history to explore on their own. They spent over a month on the project, first doing research. I gave them a graphic organizer to help them think about the kinds of information to look for as they took notes.

Once they had their notes, they made a Lists of Works Consulted, wrote paragraphs, and then created presentations. They could make a website on Weebly, a museum display, or a PowerPoint. My constant refrain was, "Make sure you have your CONTENT first. Creating the presentation comes at the end."

Because this assessment is classroom-based, I tried to schedule it so they had ample time to do all the work at school. 

On the other hand, I have encouraged students to get peer and parent assistance to help with revising and editing their paragraphs. If your child hasn't asked for help, ASK WHY!

Students can check their own work using the rubric for the CBA.

Presentations start next week. Parents are invited! We will start after lunch each afternoon.

Having finished our first experiment with the Mentos, we completed all our writings and made a sample display. 

ALL the writing went into the Scientific Journal, which followed MLA format (TNR 12, double space, one-inch margins, 0-point, all the normal stuff). We added a title page and a table of contents. The journal goes in a folder in front of the display.

NOT all the writing went on the display. The writing on the display did NOT use MLA format. We used Comic San and a larger font and single-spaced. We added very colorful headings.