The Great Wall of China

ImageXuan Wang’s grade 6 class learned about The Great Wall with a videoconference through Smokey Hill Education Service Center through CILC (Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration). Program Description: “Students will take a virtual field trip to the Great Wall of China. Through games and experiments, they will learn about the Great Wall in respect to its location, the building materials used to build it, and the functions of the wall. Legends about the Great Wall will enlighten students on how the Chinese people view leadership.”

OBJECTIVES: Participants will…
gain a better understanding of the history and purpose of the Great Wall.
learn legends about the Great Wall.
learn what leadership should be in Chinese people’s eyes.

NATIONAL STANDARDS:
World History
NSS-WH.5-12.5 ERA 5: INTENSIFIED HEMISPHERIC INTERACTIONS, 1000-1500 CE
The student in grades 5-12 should understand:
•the maturing of an interregional system of communication, trade, and cultural exchange in an era of Chinese economic power and Islamic expansion.
•the rise of the Mongol empire and its consequences for Eurasian peoples, 1200-1350.

Geography
NSS-G.K-12.1 THE WORLD IN SPATIAL TERMS

As a result of activities in grades K-12, all students should:
•Understand how to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective.
NSS-G.K-12.2 PLACES AND REGIONS
As a result of their activities in grades K-12, all students should”
•Understand the physical and human characteristics of places.
•Understand that people create regions to interpret Earth’s complexity.
•Understand how culture and experience influence people’s perceptions of places and regions
NSS-G.K-12.6 THE USES OF GEOGRAPHY
As a result of activities in grades K-12, all students should:
•Understand how to apply geography to interpret the past.

Statistics

Pat Boswell’s grade 7 classes learned how to use statistics to calculate batting averages of players with the Baseball Hall of Fame.

From the Baseball Hall of Fame web site:

“It’s the final day of the 1941 season and Ted Williams’ batting average is .39955. What will he do? Sit this one out and guarantee an historic .400 season or take a chance and aim for mathematic immortality? At the Rookie and Intermediate Levels, students will find the answer to this and other exciting stories in a unit full of whole numbers, fractions and decimals, percentages, proportions and problem solving. This thematic unit teaches fundamental concepts that connect the calculator and the clubhouse while using and interpreting the statistics of famous ballplayers. At the Advanced Level, this thematic unit covers some of the basic topics of a beginning statistics course using baseball as the primary source of applications. If your students are particularly interested in baseball statistics, this unit is a great starting point for further research and analysis.”
http://baseballhall.org/education/school-programs/curriculum/statistics

BBC World Class Assembly

  • The World’s Biggest School Assembly on the BBC: for one day, schools around the world have told us what matters to them
  • We’ve heard from schools from all over the world including pupils in Burma, China, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Thailand, New Zealand, Ukraine, Indonesia, UK, and Spain.
  • A range of issues and topics have been covered so far including the environment, the credit crunch, education, social media, whaling, drugs, poverty, and Nicki Minaj.

Barbara Biddy’s Grade 6 Suffern Middle School Students:

  • want a voice
  • want to be respected
  • want to be heard in their community
  • care for their family and friends
  • want a safe environment for themselves and their loved ones
  • are upset by bullying by both children and adults
  • think education is important
  • care about art and music
  • need to express themselves and to be appreciated for who they are as individuals

Charming China

Xuan Wang’s grade 6 and 7 classes enriched their knowledge of China and Mandarin Chinese with a videoconference with Smokey Hill Education Service Center through CILC (Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration).

Program Description: “The traditional Chinese dragon will take students on a journey to experience the charm of China. Students will learn Chinese greetings and the characteristics of Chinese characters, witness the development of China from ancient times to the present, trace the origins of Kung Fu, and learn to appreciate Chinese music.” (http://cilc.org)

Statistics

May 4, 2012. Karen Mena’s grade 7 classes learned how to use statistics to calculate batting averages of players with the Baseball Hall of Fame.

From the Baseball Hall of Fame web site:

“It’s the final day of the 1941 season and Ted Williams’ batting average is .39955. What will he do? Sit this one out and guarantee an historic .400 season or take a chance and aim for mathematic immortality? At the Rookie and Intermediate Levels, students will find the answer to this and other exciting stories in a unit full of whole numbers, fractions and decimals, percentages, proportions and problem solving. This thematic unit teaches fundamental concepts that connect the calculator and the clubhouse while using and interpreting the statistics of famous ballplayers. At the Advanced Level, this thematic unit covers some of the basic topics of a beginning statistics course using baseball as the primary source of applications. If your students are particularly interested in baseball statistics, this unit is a great starting point for further research and analysis.”
http://baseballhall.org/education/school-programs/curriculum/statistics

Emmitt Smith Pro Football Hall of Fame: Pillars of Character

“Attitude Determines Altitude!” On  May 1, 2012 Students of Diane Diambrosio and Jackie Perich listened to Emmitt Smith talk about the importance of character in  the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s  Heart of a Hall of Famer series. Smith is a three-time Super Bowl champion and the NFL’s all-time leading rusher with 18,355 yards. He now runs many charities through his company, Emmitt Smith Enterprises.

This series features former Hall of Fame pro football players who talk about the importance of the 6 Pillars of Character: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship.

Mr. Smith gave memorable advice to our students. The following is just a sample of this remarkable hour with an outstanding role model.

1. “Life is like four quarters; you are in the first quarter. You have a long life ahead of you. What you do today will affect tomorrow. Don’t just try to get by.  You need to master or conquer a lot of things; the world is dynamic; it’s constantly changing. The reality is that you will someday be reflecting back on this moment.”

2. “Be mindful of your surroundings, of the people you surround yourself with. Surround yourself with positive people”

3. “Attitude determines altitude.”

Many thanks to Jerry Csaki and the Pro Football Hall of Fame for this high quality program. Archived programs may be accessed on itunes University

Winner Twins: Creative Writing Secrets

ImageThe fabulous Winner twins, Brianna and Brittany gave another motivating creative writing presentation, this time to Colette Amoroso’s grade 8 English class.

Brianna and Brittany answer all emails from students. winnertwins@winnertwins.com.

Thank you, Winner Twins. I am spreading the word to teachers and hope to give more of our students a chance to hear your valuable writing tips. See previous post for more information about this program.