Holiday Jigsaw

Holiday E-Quilt

Holidays E-Quilt

A New Species - Under The Sea

Imagine meeting this creature - this photo was released by Census of Marine Life and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution - it shows a transparent sea cucumber, Enypniastes, creeping forward on its many tentacles at about 2 cm per minute while sweeping detritus-rich sediment into its mouth at 2,750 meters in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Thousands of marine species eke out an existence in the ocean's pitch-black depths by feeding on the snowlike decaying matter that cascades down, and even sunken whale bones.

A Thanksgiving Trivia Quiz

Scroll all the way to the bottom of the blog to participate in the Thanksgiving Trivia Quiz. Which trivia question stumped you??? Let us know.

And don't forget to answer the Thanksgiving survey question found at the right!

What is your favorite thing to do on Thanksgiving - do you eat turkey all day, watch football, visit relatives, get ready for the "Black Friday" sales???? Share with us how you spend your day.

MSA The Easy Way

Here's a fun, easy way to brush up on your MSA vocabulary words! Good Luck :)

Click here for full screen version

Celebrate Fall

Celebrate the harvest season - see how quickly you can solve the puzzle!!

T-rex Was a Wimp??

The recent discovery of a fossilized skull in England crowns the new king of predatory dinosaurs: a 53-foot “sea monster” called a PLIOSAUR. The 155-million-year-old monster’s fossilized skull was found on the shores of Weymouth Bay, England, along a 95-mile stretch of land that is called Jurassic Coast.

Experts believe that the skull - which measures over 6-feet - contains the largest dinosaur jaw ever found in England, or the world, and that it means pliosaurs were powerful enough to rip a small car in half. “This is one of the largest, if not the largest, pliosaur skull found anywhere in the world,” said Dr. David Martill of Portsmouth University, “and contains features that have not been seen before. It could be a species new to science.” The pliosaurs were marine reptiles with a head similar to a crocodile and large, paddle-like fins. These predators lived throughout the Jurassic period. Their fossils dwarf those of the 40-foot long T-rex of the Cretaceous era.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime find,” said Richard Edmonds, earth science manager for the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.

How would YOU feel if you made such a discovery????

GIANT Spider - Creepy!!!

Just in time for Halloween!!!

Move over Spider-Man. Scientists have discovered the remains of a new species of spider the size of a CD, making it the largest known web-slinger around. The spider, classified as a new species of golden orb-weaver, is known as Nephila komaci. Its remains have been found throughout South Africa.
A live specimen has yet to be discovered, prompting many scientists to believe that either these spiders are endangered or that they dwell far up in treetops.
With a body length of 1.5 inches and a leg span of 4 to 5 inches, the female N. komaci is the largest web-producing spider in existence.
Female Nephila evolved to a large size not only to carry more eggs, but to overcome a predator of those eggs as well. Some female Nephila spiders can even snag birds, bats and lizards, the report stated. Males, on the other hand, have never evolved past a modest size.

M.E.S.S. October 27th - Qualifying Words

When taking a test, be "word-wise". Watch out for QUALIFYING WORDS!

These are words that help you decide if a sentence is true or false!

Words like NEVER, ALL, NONE, and ALWAYS usually make a statement FALSE.

Words like FREQUENTLY, USUALLY, SOMETIMES, and GENERALLY usually make a statement TRUE.

I'm going to write a sentence using a qualifying word. The next person should tell me if it is a true or false sentence, what the qualifying word is, and then change that word to make the sentence the opposite (true or false). Then...you write a new sentence with another qualifying word for the next person to respond to - OK?? Here's my sentence:

Middle school students never clean their rooms.

M.E.S.S. October 20th - Test Taking Skills

When it's time to take a test - these 3 words will serve you best:

DESIRE

PREPARATION

CONFIDENCE

What advice can you give other students about the qualities for success when taking a test??

NASA's Moon Bombing - Crashing in a Crater, Looking for Ice

NASA's LCROSS (Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite)sent a missile traveling at twice the speed of a bullet to blast a hole in the lunar surface near the moon's South pole today, October 9, 2009. Take a look at the video so see the results! What do you think of this 79 million dollar venture??

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Return To The Moon Activity

Moon Computer Lab Work

The Bar Code is 57 Today!

Today marks the 57th anniversary of the day the first patent was made on the Bar Code.

Granted to American inventors Norman Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver three years after it was filed, patent number 2,612,994 was for a pattern of concentric circles, rather than the set of straight lines used today.
The first trial of the bar code was in 1966, and in 1970 the familiar Universal Product Code (UPC) design, still used around the world, was agreed on as an industry standard.

The first item to be scanned using UPC was a packet of Wrigley's chewing gum at a supermarket in Troy, Ohio in June 1974.

For more fun info about bar codes & how they work - check out the following website:

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/high-tech-gadgets/upc.htm

Celebrate World Space Week - October 4-10, 2009

Join educators and space enthusiasts around the world to celebrate World Space Week, Oct. 4-10, 2009. This international event commemorates the beginning of the Space Age with the launch of Sputnik 1 on Oct. 4, 1957.

World Space Week is the largest public space event in the world, with celebrations in more than 50 nations. To learn more about World Space Week, search for events in your area and find educational materials related to the event, visit http://www.worldspaceweek.org/index.html

Why not participate in two exciting activities occuring this week:

The Great Worldwide Star Count - This international event encourages everyone to go outside, look skywards after dark, count the stars they see in certain constellations and report what they see online. Check it out - http://www.windows.ucar.edu/citizen_science/starcount/

Send Messages into Space - To celebrate the United Nations declared World Space Week, you can send your own special message into deep space. It will be transmitted from British Telecom's satellite earth station at Goonhilly in the UK and it will travel through space forever. Your message will pass the moon just 1.3 seconds after being transmitted, it will pass the Sun eight minutes later and it will pass Pluto and leave our solar system after just 15 hours. That's because your message will be traveling at the speed of light - 671,000,000 miles per hour! How Cool Is That??? http://www.sentforever.com/free_message.cfm?pid=43

And...be sure to visit http://www.windows.ucar.edu/ An incredible interactive site where you can learn firsthand about space - the planets, the solar system, the universe, missions, climate and a whole lot more.... You Gotta Check This Out!!!

Let us know how YOU will celebrate World Space Week - it's a out of this world event!!!

October Pumpkin Fun

Pumpkin E-Quilt

The O.R.E.O. Project

Join us in the 2009 O.R.E.O. Project (Our Really Exciting Online project)

Here's the rules...(And you MUST use REGULAR - NOT double stuff cookies)

•Place one cookie on the table and then add one cookie at a time to the stack. (Yes you MUST use the whole cookie as it is when you take it from the bag!)
•Do NOT adjust the cookie after you have placed it on the stack and have moved your hand away.
•Cookies need to be freestanding and NOT leaning against any kind of support.
•A tumble has occurred once 1 or more cookies have tumbled from the stack.

How many cookies are in your stack?? Can you beat our record of 35? Tell us the number of cookies in your BEST stack. What strategies/suggestions can you share to get even more cookies in the stack??

Be sure to take part in the 2 OREO surveys found at the right - your opinion counts!!

Who Will Host the 2016 Olympic Games?

The tense and tight battle to host the 2016 Olympics is taking place in the Danish capitol of Copenhagen.
The stakes are huge for all four cities — Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, Madrid — and for the International Olympic Committee. It faces the choice of sending the games to uncharted territory in South America, appealing to those committee members who believe the Olympics should touch all corners of the globe, or opting in tough economic times for more familiar and perhaps more lucrative ground in Europe, the United States and Asia.
The winner gets the international prestige of staging the world's biggest sports extravaganza and billions of dollars in potential investment.
Years of preparations and lobbying by the four candidates will come down to 30 minutes of voting by the IOC's members, when they will eliminate the city with the fewest votes in successive rounds of secret balloting until one city receives a majority.
Which city is your choice for hosting the 2016 Games?? Take part in the 2016 Olympic City Choice poll found at the right! See if you are in agreement with the International Olympic Committee!

President Obama Talks to Students

On Tuesday, September 8, 2009 President Obama tallked directly to students across the country on the importance of taking responsibility for their education, challenging them to set goals and do everything they can to succeed. After watching the President's speech tell us what goal will you set for yourself in this new school year?

Moon Rock Hoax

In this photo released by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009, a rock supposedly brought back from the moon, and a note from the then-U.S. ambassador is seen. The Dutch national museum says one of its prized possessions, a rock supposedly brought back from the moon by U.S. astronauts, is just a piece of petrified wood. The rock, which the museum at one point insured for more than half a million dollars, was worth no more than $70. A jagged fist-size stone with reddish tints, it was mounted and placed above a plaque that said, " ... to commemorate the visit to The Netherlands of the Apollo-11 astronauts." The plaque does not specify that the rock came from the moon's surface!The museum has decided to keep the "rock" as a curiosity.

So what's your opinion - was the museum mislead? Would you keep the rock on display?? Thoughts? Comments?

You can read the entire story at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090827/ap_on_re_eu/eu_netherlands_not_moon_rock

The 400th Anniversary

Galileo’s Telescope Changed the World & Today Reaches Its 400th Anniversary

Exactly 400 years ago today, on August 25, 1609, the Italian astronomer and philosopher Galilei Galileo showed Venetian merchants his new creation, a telescope – the instrument that was to bring him scientific immortality.

How would our scientific knowledge be different without the telescope?

What do you think is the most important discovery made using this instrument?

To find out more about the life & work of Galileo - you can visit:

http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/96feb/galileo.html

How Was Your First Week Back?

Welcome Back to the 2009-2010 School Year!

How was your first week? Any surprises? What made your first day/week special? What are you looking forward to this year? Share your impressions of this new school year.

It's Hurricane Season

Hurricanes are large tropical storms with heavy winds. By definition, they contain winds in excess of 74 miles per hour (119 km per hour) and large areas of rainfall. In addition, they have the potential to create dangerous tornadoes. The strong winds and excessive rainfall also produce abnormal rises in sea levels and flooding.

To learn more about hurricanes (AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW) check out this site:

http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/sevweath/swwhatare.html

WHAT NAME WILL BE GIVEN TO THE FIRST HURRICANE OF THE 2009 SEASON?

WHAT HAPPENS IF THERE ARE MORE HURRICANES THAN SELECTED NAMES?

The 2009 Atlantic hurricane season officially starts on June 1 and will end on November 30. These dates correspond with formation of most tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean.

You can track hurricanes as they form this year and investigate storms of the past. Visit the Hurricance Tracking Website at http://www.wbaltv.com/hurricanetracker/index.html

Free Poverty - YOU Can Make A Difference

You can help donate water to countries in poverty. It's fun & challenging for you and an easy way to help those in need! Once at the site - you locate a country or state on a map. The closer you get to the location, the more cups of water you donate to countries in poverty. And you can play over & over again! Good luck - how many cups of water did you donate???

http://www.freepoverty.com/

Jeopardy Summer Fun

Have fun with a familar favorite while learning some Summer trivia - Let's Play Jeopardy! How well did you do? Post your score.

My Jeopardy Template

Global Warming - Facts & Our Future

Is the climate warming? Are WE the cause? These questions are at the center of today's debate about Global warming! Conflicting opinions are everywhere - but now is your chance to cut through the noise & discover the facts. Travel through the interactive website featured below. You can explore some of the latest scientific information on the topic and discover how a warmer climate could affect your life and what could be done to minimize the harmful effects of climate change. Tell us what you've learned and which activity you enjoyed most! Now get started by entering the exhibit.....

http://www.koshland-science-museum.org/exhibitgcc/index.jsp

Caption This!

This is "Boy", a 39 year-old Asian elephant at the Kiev Zoo.

Look closely - what would YOU give as the caption for this picture? Tell us your idea for a caption and then check out the real story at

http://www.wbaltv.com/tu/5HeAiNrZ0.html

New Summer Clothes?? NOT!!

Are you out shopping for the latest in summer fashions?? Well - you may want to add these creations to your list - or then again perhaps not! Are these the newest "designer duds" or an extremely creative version of a circus attraction - you be the judge & tell us about it :)

The Rare Thailand Parrot Flower

This beautiful, unique, and extremely rare flower, called the Parrot Orchid, is known to the people of Thailand as "Dork Nok Khaew". Thought to be an orchid - it is really a member of another family known as Impatiens. Regardless of the type of flower - I think that you'll agree it is magnificent! Let us know what you think!! You can find out more information on this rare flower at:

http://www.exoticrainforest.com/Rare%20Thailand%20Parrot%20Flower%20SP.html

The World's Meanest Dog Breed

Has the Pit Bull gotten a "bum rap"? Can we really trust the Bloodhound's sad eyes? Is the German Shepherd's bark worse that his bite??? Or is a floppy-eared, innocent-looking breed one of the world's most agressive pups? Cast your vote (at the right) for the world's meanest dog and see if you agree with the Journal of Veterinary Behavior. Tell us about your choice!

AND THE WINNER IS.....

The English Cocker Spaniel??

Find out more about this unusual distinction at:

World's Meanest Dog: The English Cocker Spaniel?: Discovery News

June E-quilt

What's so special about June? Well...besides the fact that it is the 6th month of the year, it's birthstone is the Pearl and it's flower the Rose there are lots of reasons that June is special. Use the information in this E-quilt to discover just a few of them! Which one is the most interesting to you?

June

Publish at Scribd or explore others:

National Spelling Bee

The word was Laodicean, it means "lukewarm or indifferent to religion or politics" The winner was Kayva Shivashankar.

Read this article and click on the video showing images from the recent National Spelling Bee. Then post your thoughts. Are you an excellent, average, or poor speller? What makes one person a better speller than another?

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-05-28-spelling-bee-thursday_N.htm

Animal Arcade : Caribou Ice Jump

Help the Caribou cross from one shore to the other through the melting ice floes. Each level gets a little more challenging! Did you find success with all the levels? How many attempts did you need?

Animal Arcade : Caribou : Nature's Most Amazing : Discovery Channel

OLogy

Visit the newest addition to the Link List - "OLogy" (the study of)!

Choose an OLogy - wow you'll find LOTS of fun activties & new facts. Be sure to scroll all the way down the page! What was your favorite activity? Why?

What's Your B.P.Q.???

What is your B.P.Q. - Brain Power Quotient?

Let’s find out by answering this week’s B.P.Q. (Brain Power Question)

George's Rabbits

George feeds his rabbits lettuce, carrots, and rabbit chow. He feeds them twice as many carrots as lettuce and three times as much rabbit chow as carrots. Last week, he fed them 27 pounds of food. How much of each kind of food did he buy?

Fun Facts

What seems like Trivia to some may be the Grand Prize Winning Answer on a TV game show to others!!

Fun Facts - totally random, totally trivia, totally FUN!!!!

FACT #1....

The Canary Islands were actually named after dogs (canines).

Where are the Canary Islands located?

Would you like to spend your vacation there? Why/why not?

FACT # 2....

An ant can lift 50 times its own weight!

Sooo - if you were an ant - how much weight could YOU lift?

FACT #3..

The top of the Empire State Building was originally built as a place to anchor blimps.

Can you name a famous blimp?

What is this area of the Empire State Building used for today?

Have you ever visited the Empire State Building?

Wacky Words

"Wacky Words" are real words - they are just somewhat unusual & unique. Words that you don't often hear nor are they used every day. But...it's fun to increase your vocabulary.... by learning & using...."Wacky Words"

What can you do with a "Wacky Word"?

Why...you can:

• Define it
• Learn how to pronounce it
• Learn how to spell it
• Use it in a sentence
• Find out its part of speech
• Divide it into syllables
• Create a word design with it
• Write a poem about it
• Save it - and when you have lots - create a word find or crossword puzzle

What will you do with this week's Wacky Word??? Let us hear from you..........

WACKY WORD #1 - Verbomania - a craze for words

WACKY WORD #2 - Muleta - the red cape used by matadors

WACKY WORD # 3 - Quaternion - and set of four things

Exciting NEW Links

Two new links have been added to the list at the right!

Play Amazon Explorer - What mysteries does Amazonia hold? That's just what scientists at the American Museum of Natural History want you, Sam Smith, find out. If you're ready to explore the wilds of the Amazon jungle, journey on, adventurer!

Fun Brain - Explore, Collect, Compete - lots of aracde style activities for hours of fun!

Which Fun Brain activity did you like best? How successful were you as an Amazon explorer? Tell us about your adventures!!

The Case of the Barefooted Burglar

Forensic Science is the study of objects that relate to a crime. The objects are evidence and analyzing the evidence is what forensic scientists do. They observe, classify, compare, use numbers, measure, predict, interpret data, and draw inferences.

Now it's your turn to be the crime solver!

Click on the "CRIME SCENE" link at right.
Determine which of the four suspects is the "barefooted burglar" using the clues found at the crime scene. What do you think was the motive for this crime? Give us your results and explain why your suspect is the guilty one!

Out of the Ordinary...Out of this World: HUBBLE

The final shuttle visit to the Hubble Space Telescope is under way. Atlantis lifted off at 2:01 p.m. EDT Monday, May 11, 2009, beginning the 11-day mission to upgrade and repair the telescope. The shuttle will rendezvous with the telescope Wednesday, May 13th. Visit the official Hubble Site and let us know why Hubble is truly "out of this world"!!!

http://hubblesite.org/

MicroAngela's Electron Microscope

Travel through the microscopic world with these colorized images from electron microscopes at the University of Hawaii. Each one a beautiful creation.

Which is your favorite? What did you learn about this unique creature?

One of my favorites is the Feather-Duster Tube Worm - a marine worm that is related to an earthworm. Do YOU notice a family resemblance???

http://www5.pbrc.hawaii.edu/microangela/index.html

Calling all Bookworms!!

Calling all Bookworms….. May 11th-17th is National Children's Book Week. Celebrated since 1919, it is dedicated to spreading the word about children's literature and encouraging the joys of reading. No matter your age – reading is for everyone – soooo what is your favorite book? Why did you select it as #1? What is the best part of the book? We can’t wait to hear from you!!!

Boldly Go Where No One Has Gone Before

Welcome to the new generation of "trekkies"! Were you one of the first ones to see the newest Star Trek movie?? You be the movie critic and tell us your impression of the characters, the plot, the special effects, which character you liked best - why?? Let us hear from you... "Live long & prosper"

Putting The Pieces Together

It's almost Summer vacation time!!! How long will it take you to piece together this peaceful beach scene? Try it and let us know your time - let's see who can put the pieces together the fastest!!

Wordle

Wordle is a free web-based application that allows you to create your own "word clouds" (graphics which emphasize the most common words by amplifying their size based on frequency--see the wordle of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech below).

Check it out at: http://www.wordle.net/

Create your own wordle - it's FUN!!!!

Here's mine :)

"Six Word Memoirs".... Everyone Has A Story - What's Yours??

As legend goes, Ernest Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in only six words. And so a contest was started in which people wrote six-word stories of their own, as memoirs...it could be how your day went, what you were thinking about, or condense an event of your life into six vital words. To provide inspiration, here are some examples:

• Loving recycling. Carrying my trash home.
• Teacher, mother, daughter, wife, friend, and sister.
• Wishing I could be at beach.
• Taking a test in math today.
• Me see world! Me write stories.

So, post your six word memoirs for us to read. Be sure that it captures something going on in your life....but only in exactly six words!!!

Mother's Day

In the United States, Mother's Day started nearly 150 years ago, when Anna Jarvis, an Appalachian homemaker, organized a day to raise awareness of poor health conditions in her community, a cause she believed would be best advocated by mothers. She called it "Mother's Work Day." In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill recognizing Mother's Day (the second Sunday in May) as a national holiday.

Take the survey found on the left side of my blog. Which mother listed there do you believe to be the most famous mother of all time? After you’ve voted, tell us what makes YOUR mother special.

Don’t forget, Mother’s Day is Sunday May 10th!!

Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo - the 5th of May

Why do they celebrate? How do they celebrate? Watch the video and then post what you have learned about & your impression of this Mexican holiday!

http://link.history.com/services/player/bcpid1519102668?bclid=1515735836&bctid=1519065769

The Joy of Blogging

Brain reserach indicates that growth is enhanced when students move beyond their comfort zones and into the unknown (Brooks & Brooks, 1993; Jensen 1994). Blogging lends itself well to this kind of exploration! What ideas do you as an educator have of how this technology can enhance your classroom?? Please SHARE...............

Geography Quiz

Do you know each of our 50 states? Take this quiz and then post your score for us to see. Which states are easiest for you to remember? Which are hardest?
What makes them easy or hard?
http://weeklyreader.com/kids/games/geography.asp

Multiplication Fish

Some of you will find this easy.....IF you know your math multiplication facts! Give it a try and then post which fact you tried and what your score was! Watch out - these fish are FAST!
http://multiplication.com/flashgames/Fish.htm

Traffic Jam

Traffic jams - How frustrating! Try this puzzle and see how many jams you can get the red car out of before giving up! Post your "jam number" and tell us what you think of the game.

http://www.puzzles.com/products/RushHour/RHfromMarkRiedel/Jam.html

The Not-So-Easy Number Game

Give this challenging game a try and see if you can make it from the beginning of the puzzle to the end. Read the directions to make sure you are doing it correctly. Good luck!
http://www.logicmazes.com/n2mz.html

The Inner Circle

Which red circle is larger, the one on the left or the one on the right? Or are they the same?
Post your answer and justify your reason. http://www.puzzles.com/PuzzlePlayground/TheInnerCircle/TheInnerCircle.htm

An Interactive Food Chain

Visit this woodland habitat to see how living things fit into nature's food chain. After completing this activity - comment on how the saying - There's no such thing as a "free lunch" applies in nature?

To Judge or Not To Judge?!?

You can't judge a book by its cover. Well...at least you shouldn't!! You have most likely already seen or, at least, heard about Susan Boyle - a recent contestant on Britain's Got Talent. She was judged by the audience as she appeared on the stage - before she even opened her mouth. She didn't seem to fit the mold of a professional singer. But she wowed the crowd with her amazing voice. Check out her performance and then post your comments about our world judging people on the way they look. This video came from You Tube so you may have to try it at home since it doesn't always work from school computers! Enjoy...and think about the message here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Math & Climate Change

Which of the global climate questions do you think should be investigated first and why? How would math be used in the study of this topic?