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...