Techie Thanksgiving Projects

Around this time each year, we spend time reliving the First Thanksgiving and learning about the two cultures present at this feast: the Wampanoags and the Puritan settlers.  We kicked off this unit watching a live webcast from Plimoth Plantation.  Through this virtual field trip, our children were able to visit this living museum as well as listen to Hobbamock and Good Wife detail the difference and similarities of their two cultures.  From here, we used Google Earth to retrace the Mayflower's voyage and calculate the distance travelled.  We also explored how far off course this group of pilgrim travellers actually were from their intended destination, the mouth of the Hudson River.  Finally, each child chose a project to complete highlighting one aspect of these two cultures.  Our fifth grader used Google Docs to compose a journal entry written through the eyes of a Puritan girl.  Our second and third graders used Glogster to create a digital poster highlighting the Wampanoag and the Puritan people.  This has been an amazing learning experience on many levels for our children.  In addition to becoming more adept at computer technology, they have really enjoyed revisiting our country's past.  This is always a special time of year as we remember our past and are thankful for our many blessings of today.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Columbus Day Adventures (RP)

Check out our adventures back in time to celebrate one of the great explorers.  We're using technology and we're having fun! 

• Google Earth Tour of Columbus' maiden voyage
• From this tour, we're measuring distances between towns, countries, and continents.
• Exploring Columbus' travel logs using spreadsheets on Google Docs.  I'm using this as an exercise in interpreting graphs and understanding data.
• We are going on scavenger hunts to explore the facts surrounding Columbus' travels

Join us on our adventure and step back in time! Ahoy!

Columbus Day Adventures

Artistic Explorations in the Renaissance Style of Tondo

Our studies in art history this past week led us to the Renaissance style of tondo.  Simply put, this refers to circular works of art.  As we explored, I tried to tie in many different ideas related to language, history, and culture.  I feel it is important our children learn how art is an expression of these various aspects.

We began by looking at the word, Renaissance, using Visuwords.  From here, they can see it refers to the historical time period beginning with the fifteenth century and continuing through to the seventeenth century.  Further study shows this French word can be broken down into two components: "re" meaning to do again and "naissance" meaning birth.  During this time, Europeans began to look back to their classical roots.  This was a period of great political upheaval, yet saw many advancements in the arts and sciences.  Many scholars describe this time period as a bridge from the medieval times to the modern era.

The art of the Renaissance took on a whole new life.  Botticelli, Da Vinici, and Michelangelo explored new techniques creating masterpieces for their patrons.  Tondo is one such technique.  Derived from the Italian word rotundo, meaning round.  Botticelli capitalized on this beautiful art form leaving us with unforgettable and inspiring images, such as his version of the Madonna and child. 

Inspired by his work, our children set out to create their own "art in the round" following a lesson outlined in the book  Discovering Great Artists.  The kids had a blast and were eager to share their creations.

 The Earth, by Andrew (age 4)

The Beach, by Ellie (age 6)

Moon Battle, by Luc (age 8)

The Fairy, by Abby (age 10)

I created an Art History Livebinder to organize and share our discoveries.  As we continue our journey through history, it is my hope our children will cultivate an appreciation for the arts and have fun doing so by utilizing a variety of medium including technology. 

Recommended Sites:

• The Met
• The Getty
• The Louvre
• Draw Space
• Visuwords
• Livebinders
  

Ahoy, Matey! Celebrate "Talk Like a Pirate" Day! (RP)

 

We like to have a lot of fun around here and what better way than to celebrate "Talk Like a Pirate Day" on September 19.  Why is this great? 

Check out the top 5 reasons below:

1. Your family or class can learn a forign language quickly because there isn't an extensive vocabulary or difficult phonetic principles to learn.  Check out Lego.com for a Pirate Dictionary.
2. You get to wear really cool accessories and you can get a jump start on your Halloween costume.
3. You can have family movie night and watch Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
4. You don't have to wait in long lines at the Hallmark store to purchase a card.  You can simply download one from Flickr.
5. Who doesn't like a good scavenger hunt?

Seriously, this could be a fun, out-of-the-ordinary day to surprise friends, family, and students.  Check out the links below for other great ideas on how to integrate this special day in the classroom or for activities to do with your family home.

• Geeky T-Shirts
• Famous Elizabethan-era Pirates
• Pirates in the Classroom
• A Pirate's Life
• Pirate's Theme Page
• Pirate Map Lesson Plan
• Pirate Adventures from National Geographic
• Quest For a Pirate
• Pirates at the National Maritime Museum
• Pirates of Whydah
• Blackbeard the Pirate
• The Mystery of Pirate Ringold's Lost Treasure
• Pirate Classroom Activities
• Place Value Pirates

Have fun!  Fair Winds, Matey!



Christmas Around the World

Merry Christmas! This season we are going global by researching the Christmas and holiday traditions of various countries and cultures around the world.  In this Age of Technology, the world is at our fingertips and I find it is possible to expereince the wonders of many places. To assist in our research, we have used many tools including Google Earth, Google Docs and Glogster.  We hope to finish a slideshow next week using Animoto.  I'll update this post when that holiday project is finished.  As both a mom and educator, I am striving to raise our children to appreciate other cultures and to embrace our diversity.  Hopefully, this project accomplished those goals.

****************************************************************************************

Assignment:

1. Choose a country of interest and research the Christmas and/or holiday traditions.  Use Google Docs form to take notes and record your information. 
2. Using Google Earth, locate your country and explore the region.
   • On what continent is your country located?
   • Are there any large bodies of water nearby?
   • Are there any interesting geological features?
3. Create a digital display highlighting the information you found important or just plain cool! Make sure to include the following in your final project:
   • Christmas and/or Holiday Greetings
   • Holiday songs
   • Traditions
   • Food
   • Images and/or videos

****************************************************************************************

Christmas in Australia

Created by Abby (4th grade)

Christmas in Germany

Created by Luc (2nd grade)

Christmas in France

Created by Ellie (1st Grade)

Our children have been having so much fun trying to sing carols in French and German and have drooled over the various Christmas desserts.  In addition to all of the fun, we have sharpened our geography skills and learned more about other cultures.  Hopefully, this has been a fun lesson in cultural diversity and we will all be blessed with peace on earth.

Happy Holidays!