Mr. Black got married!!!

On June 20th, I got married to Rachel Crooks (now Black). She teaches kindergarten at Frankstown Elementary, which is one of Hollidaysburg's elementary schools. Our wedding was awesome and everything turned out well. A few days later we went on our honeymoon to Fort Myers, Florida. If you get a chance to check it out on Google Maps you should. It was a really nice area and we saw a lot of different animals and plants. We also got to eat a lot of really great food. We saw the Wizard of Oz at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theater. If you want to work on your "Googling" skills, you could check out their website to see all the new shows that will be going on there. The next show that was going to be on after Wizard of Oz is High School Musical. I know a bunch of you would probably enjoy that. We also got to go out on an airboat and see alligators. Finally, the last major highlight was when we went on a jet ski tour to see dolphins. Seriously, if you are bored take some time to read up on alligators and dolphins. Maybe you can even look up the difference between gators and crocodiles and post a little summary of what you find. I would love to hear what all of you have been doing so maybe you can comment letting everyone know how your summer is going. It will be over before you know it!!!! Now that things have calmed down a little I will try to make a few more posts. If any of you read this be sure to pass it on to your classmates. I have a feeling Parker will check it out!

School's Out for Summer...

School may be finished for a while, but you don't have to stop learning. Keep up to date with things this summer as I hope to make about 1 post per week. One of the first things I want to update you on is a link to some pictures of the Envirothon, the class trip to Baltimore, and Track & Field Day. Miss Sollenberger took all of these pictures and I uploaded them to the internet so you could all check them out. I have also added the link to the right side of this page. There are over 200 pictures, so check them out!

http://community.webshots.com/user/nbcgrade6

You can keep in touch if need be by emailing me at gblack@nbcsd.org.

End of the year is upon us...

Well, well, well...

We are just about finished with the 07-08 school year and summer is just around the corner. What were some of your favorite things about sixth grade? Best memories? Just comment and tell your story as long as it is appropriate!

Memorial Day...

On the last Monday every May, Americans observe Memorial Day. Take a few minutes to read about this day so you have a better understanding about what it is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day

Also, I'd like anyone who reads this and has a relative who is in or has served in the military to post a little somthing about him or her. Memorial Day is more of an observance for people who are no longer living but there is no reason not to celebrate those that are still with us today as well.


Here are a few of mine:
Grandfather-
Edward Holesa, served the US military in the Korean War

Uncles-
Mike Price, Vietnam veteran (received the Silver Star for his actions in battle)
Jim Pepple, served in Desert Storm

Brothers-
Step-brother, Terry Bush has served in the US Navy for over 15 years and has been overseas
Brother-in-Law, Jason Salas recently completed basic training (Air Force) in San Antonio


Another option for commenting is to post about which branch of the military you would want to be a part of and tell why.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the weather, but take some time to remember why we are off school on this day.

Create-a-Country Projects...

It has been a few weeks since my last post, but I figured now would be a good time to start gathering feedback from you on this project. I was hoping you would comment with your thoughts and feelings regarding your favorite parts of this activity as well as listing things you would like to see changed. Remember that you will be presenting on Monday! I'm really excited to see all the interesting things you have come up with!

Have a great weekend... Hopefully, you can find a way to enjoy all this rain we are getting :)

What do you want to know about Japan?

Wednesday and Thursday of this week, you will be searching the internet to find out all sorts of interesting information about Japan. It is your chance to learn about whatever interests you the most. Maybe you want to know about Japanese food, cars, art, music, sports, history, and on and on. Whatever it is you want to know about you can research today. I want you to look for at least 3 facts, summarize them on an index card (no copy and paste allowed!), and then post it as a comment to the blog.

Here are some sites to get you started:
http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/ (look under LEARN on the left side of the page)
http://www.uni.edu/becker/japanese.html
http://www.kidport.com/RefLib/WorldGeography/Japan/Japan.htm
Finally- http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/wes/webquests_themes/japan_theme/japan_theme.html
(There are links on the right you may want to look at as well.)

If those aren't what you are looking for you can search on Google. Just be sure you are specific in your search and that everything you are looking up is appropriate. I did a search for "Japan for kids" and found all sorts of great stuff, so I know that search will work.

Have fun in your search....

Adverbs...

We've been learning about ADVERBS in my English class, so I decided now would be a good time to add the Schoolhouse Rock version of adverbs... ENJOY!

Bridge to Terabithia...

This week after PSSA's we watched the movie Bridge to Terabithia. One movie was made in 1990 and the other was created in 2007 by Walt Disney. The newer movie was a big hit and most of you really seemed to enjoy it.

Time to BLOG! I want to see you create an alternate ending to the movie that would change the story. It will take some writing and some extra time, but this could be pretty neat. Start creating your new ending at the point where Jess gets invited to go to the art museum with his teacher. I am excited to see the new endings you come up with. Hopefully we get a couple so we can discuss our favorites. Let's see some comments!!!!

In search of facts about Siberian Tigers..

Comment with any information you can find about Siberian Tigers. I'll post some of the better stuff you guys and gals find! I know we've moved on from Russia, but there is no reason to stop learning about things you might find interesting.

POETRY!

Since we are writing poems about Russia, I thought it would be fun to give you guys and gals some poetry to read. http://www.gigglepoetry.com/poemcategories.aspx is one of my favorite websites for funny poems. Check it out!

I thought this one by Robert Pottle was pretty good. It is called "Gotta Go".

I gotta go! I gotta go! I’ll ask the teacher first.

I gotta go! I gotta go! I think I’m gonna burst.

I gotta go! I gotta go! I’d better raise my hand.

I gotta go! I gotta go! But maybe I should stand.

I gotta go! I gotta go! My hand is raised up high.

I gotta go! I gotta go! I hope my pants stay dry.

I gotta go! I gotta go! I’m really in a bind.

I gotta go! I gotta— Uh-oh. Never mind.

Extra Credit Available...

I'd love to see a PowerPoint, movie (created with MovieMaker), or a written report on Scandinavia. If you make any of these, you need to focus on Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark. You don't have to do all of them though. This would be due on Thursday morning in order for you to earn extra credit for the activity. Maybe you could take us on a tour using pictures you find. Perhaps you could write a play about Vikings. There are all kinds of ideas out there...you just need to think of a way to show me you learned about this part of the world.

I found a neat website on Vikings that you might want to check out also. It is full of interesting material. http://worldhistory.mrdonn.org/vikings.html

Finally, I told some of you about a guy known as BrainMan that I saw on 60 Minutes one time. I found a clip on him that is pretty cool. It is amazing what this guy is able to do! Enjoy!

PS. Be sure to vote in the new poll question!

Discovery Atlas: Italy Revealed...

Today we started the video program created by Discovery about Italy. You can find the website for this program here: http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/atlas/italy/italy.html

Today we met Alessandro, a gondolier from Venice. I was hoping maybe a few of you would check out some information about gondolas and Venice. Comment with anything interesting you learn. Have a great evening!

Click here to read about gondolas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gondola

Click here to read about Venice: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice

If you want to create your own gondola made out of paper check out this link: http://home.howstuffworks.com/paper-gondolas.htm

If you make one, bring it in and we'll show it off in class!

Great website...

I just found this great website in an email. Here is the description of the site:

With the Interactive United States History Map, students can become a geography whiz as they learn how the United States was settled. Using the interactive map, students will discover how the continent was changed by European colonization, what events caused the displacement and decimation of the land’s original inhabitants and how the 50 states came to be formed. At the end of their journey, students answer questions to see how much they learned through the interactive.

http://www.learner.org/interactives/historymap/index.html

Enjoy! Comment if you do this activity...

AND for another neat US website: http://www.census.gov/schools/facts/

I was out on Thursday...

On Thursday, I was out for a technology meeting at Plum High School near Pittsburgh. See if you can be the first one to reply with the name of their mascot! Search on Google to see if you are able to figure it out.

Have a nice, long weekend! I'll be going to Columbus, Ohio for UFC 82 where I'm rooting for Dan Henderson to win the title! Our wrestlers will be competing at regionals for a shot at going to states. If you finish in the top 5 at regionals, you get to go to states. Our girls' basketball team plays Saturday evening at Central Cambria High School against Bishop Guilfoyle in the first round of PIAA playoffs. Guilfoyle won the state title last year, and they are ranked #2 in the state right now!

UPDATE: Madi was correct when she said the mascot was the Mustangs. They have a pretty neat football website so check it out! http://plumfootball.com/

Italy, Spain, and Greece...OH MY!

We are now nearly finished with the prep part of our unit on southern Europe. On Wednesday, you will be presenting your section to people from other groups. Make sure you become an "expert" by then so you do well with your presentation! I am excited to see how things go. I'd like to see some comments about how you think things are going so far with this project. I might update this later with some new info if I get a chance. Have a good night and comment if you please...

More winter weather on the way...

We are getting a storm from our southwest that will bring us snow and freezing rain/sleet. It is supposed to come after midnight so make sure you check the news in the morning to see if there are any delays or anything. I hope everything went well today while I was out. If you want to, you can comment and let me know how you felt things went today. I'd like to see what you thought of the activity. Also, how about some predictions for the amount of snow we'll get by noon tomorrow. If we are in school, I will go out then and see exactly how much is outside of Miss Sollenberger's room.

To check the weather, go to www.weather.com or http://www.wjactv.com/weather/index.html

President's Day is Monday

We have school now because of the snow days last week, but you should still spend some time checking out information about President's Day.

GEORGE WASHINGTON (February 22, 1732 - December 14, 1799). Early in his life George Washington became an experienced surveyor. Following these years, he fought in the French and Indian War. After the war he returned to Mount Vernon in 1758, married Martha Dandridge in 1759, and became a planter. That same year he became involved in politics when he was elected representative to the Virginia House of Burgesses. He was a representative until 1774 when he became a delegate to the Continental Congress. In May of 1775 George Washington was appointed Commander of the American army during the Revolution. He was the first President, (1789-1797) governing the 13 states.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN (February 12, 1809 - April 15, 1865). Abe Lincoln was born into a poor family and had little formal schooling. He basically taught himself to read and write and walked long distances to borrow books. He failed in early business and political ventures, yet became President in 1861 and guided the Union through the Civil War. He shaped his own character and education as was evident in the simple language he used in his speeches. His famous Gettysburg Address was delivered in 1863. LincGln was assassinated on April 15, 1865 during a performance at Ford's Theatre in Washington just a few days after General Robert E. Lee and his army surrendered.

Information Retrieved From: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~maggieoh/Pd/prindex.html

Look up information about any president you want and post what you find as a comment!

US President List

Presidential Biographies- From the official White House website!

Presidential Biographies2- Smithsonian website

Inside the White House- Really cool site

UPDATE: Looking up US Presidents in class...

ANOTHER Snow Day...

Well, we're off again, so I'm sure you are at home practicing your states! If you aren't you should be. For today, I decided to post a little "Snow Day" video for your viewing pleasure. Have a great day and see you all tomorrow. Reply with comments telling what you've done the last two days since you haven't had school.

2 Hr Delay Monday and TEST!!

I'm in Hershey for that technology conference, and I just saw you are on a 2 hour delay. Don't forget to study for the test tomorrow. The US map test is on Tuesday, so I suggest practicing for that. You can click on this link to practice for that. USA MAP Well gang, best of luck on your test. Maybe you can reply here and let me know how you think you did. I took my computer with me to the conference. Stay warm!

Western Europe Test is Monday, USA Map Test is Tuesday!

Ch. 10 Study Guide
Western Europe

Belgium is known for its fine chocolates.
In the UK, the king or queen is head of state, but does NOT have great political power because the Prime Minister does.
Much of France’s energy comes from __________ ____________ _____________.
France’s government is known as the Fifth Republic.
In Germany, a system of superhighways is called the ______________.
Nazis killed millions of Jews in the ______________.
When Germany was divided after World War II, the US had power over West Germany.
The London Eye is found in England and is the world’s largest ferris wheel.
Multinational companies do business in multiple countries.
France is bigger than Ireland.
Drained lands in the Netherlands with rich farming soil are called ______________.
The leading food producer in Europe is ______________.
The Netherlands has to reclaim its land from what body of water (look at a map, it is directly north of it)? ______________ __________
Switzerland remained neutral during the two World Wars.
The _____________ _____________ in Germany is being damaged by acid rain.
The Pyrenees Mountains separate ______________ from ______________ and form a natural border.
Violence in Northern Ireland was between the Protestants and the ______________.
______________ was divided in two after the World War II.
Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg make up the Benelux countries.
The UK has a nicer climate than Canada because of the ___________________________ which brings warm air from the Gulf.
The ______________ connects France to Great Britain and runs under the English Channel.
The Netherlands is also known as ______________.
Nickname for the Republic of Ireland- E_____________ I_______
The Alps form a natural border between France and Italy/Switzerland.
What caused over 1,000,000 people to die in Ireland? _____________ ____________
4 regions that make up the UK-

KNOW YOUR VOCABULARY!!! (loch, currency, constitutional monarchy, multilingual, peat, bog, navigable, autobahn, communist state, neutrality, Holocaust)