Image source: Greenpeace – screenshot from Washington Post article, Feb. 23. 2016
Archive | February, 2016
Documenting the Everyday
22 FebFor Footstep #5, student documented the everyday by doing one of the following two options:
PLACE: Document everyday life in a place that you know.
PROCESS: Document how people in your community do something as part of their everyday lives. For example, you could focus on how a type of food or drink is prepared, how an object is made or repaired, or how someone goes about another kind of daily task or activity.
Some students created videos sharing something about the local culture or their own culture, while others created a presentation. There were many excellent examples that you can see here. There were all kinds of things shared, but most people seemed to like to share recipes and games. We have enough things to make a cooking show!
B/D Block student exemplars:
How to play Yutnori (Korean game) by MathPie314
Korean recipe (Tteokbokki) by Minibanana
Shogi (Japanese game) by Eva
Documenting the Everyday – IamMario
G/H Block student exemplars: Coming soon!
Daoism and Legalism
22 Feb
Laozi
Legalism and Daoism (Taosim) are two other Chinese philosophies we are currently studying in lesson 2. Here is a playlist of some helpful videos that will give you an overview of their basic beliefs.
Confucius and Confucianism
22 Feb
In our ancient China unit (lesson 2), you are learning about Confucius. A simple Google search will lead you to many quotes by him. Here are some good ones to consider or reflect on. The following playlist also includes some good information about his life, his teachings, and why they are important today.
Ancient China…Isolated?
18 Feb“China is isolated by barriers.”
In class this week, we learned how ancient China was isolated by barrier – deserts, seas, mountain ranges – and how it developed a unique culture. It made the spread of goods or ideas to China (until the Silk Roads) challenging too. In class you learned what barriers and isolated mean, while making a human map to show how China is isolated.
This is a nice video which talks about the upsides (or good things) about being an isolated civilization. It uses Egyptians, the Mayans, and the Japanese civilizations as examples. However, many of the same things can be found in ancient China too.
Bad Break (Excuse the Pun)
17 Feb Hi students – I broke my ankle after school today while playing indoor soccer. I ran into a “brick wall,” also known as (AKA) Mr. Cristian. That’s a joke, of course. Anyway, I will not be back to school until next week at the soonest. Please be good, work hard, and enjoy your time with Ms. Jaya. I will be in a cast for at least three weeks before changing to an air cast, and will not be able to run for several months. Right now, I am in a lot of pain, but I will heal soon. I have a growth mindset and I am being positive :>)
February Birthdays!
17 Feb
Happy Birthday to Ted and Michelle! Ted (today) and Michelle (26th) are the only students celebrating a birthdays this month. Ted’s birthday is today, so wish a happy birthday and ask him why he doesn’t like chocolate. :>)
Learning Journey 2 Starts Soon!
17 FebScreenshot of Pauls’s current location.
This week we are completing Learning Journey 1 for Out of Eden Learn. All students should be finished with Footstep #6, and it should be added to Out of Eden Learn as soon as possible. Please take some time to comment and see what other students in our walking party have done. Learning Journey 2 (with a NEW walking party!) starts soon. More details will be shared soon!
Where is Paul?
Paul Salopek is currently in Azerbaijan and recently updated his Facebook Page and Instragram page with some images. You can also follow his blog and stories HERE and on the RSS feed from my class blog.
First glimpse of the Caspian Sea (Image source: Paul Salopek/Out of Eden Walk)
Near Lahich, Azerbaijan (Image source: Paul Salopek/Out of Eden Walk)
Beautiful scenery and landscape!
Share your photo on National Geographic
12 FebChennai, India (Photo by Rob Martin)
Kashmir, India (Photo by Rob Martin)
Everest Base Camp Trek (Photo by Rob Martin)
Why do we move? Why can’t we sit still? What makes human beings seek out new horizons? Out of Eden Walk wants you to share a photo. The deadline for doing this is February 15th. Please see Paul Salopek’s most recent blog post for information. The assignment is called Built to Walk and you can find out more information here. The hashtag is #Yourshot.
You can upload your photos which show human movement. There are so many things you can share just from Chennai alone. Here are three photos from India and Nepal that I have taken. If you have a photo and want help, save it and come and see me on Monday. I will help you. Have a nice weekend!
Geography of China
9 Feb“China is a sleeping giant. Let her sleep, for when she wakes, she will shake the world.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
This week we being our next unit on ancient Asia, China. Over the next few weeks we will learn about many new things about ancient China using our historical themes, or what we often call GRAPES. We begin by learning more about China’s geography. See Do Now #13!
What are the physical features of China? Use your textbook, library books in the classroom, the maps below, and the videos to help create a list of the features and what makes China unique. The British Museum also has an excellent link on geography in China (Story – Explore – Challenge).
Headlines!
8 Feb
Today and tomorrow, students are completing their reflection in their e-portfolio/blog for our India unit. In class, prior to Week Without Walls, you created a ‘Headline’ for our India unit. This is a Visible Thinking Routine.
Why do we do it? This routine helps students capture the core or heart of the matter being studied or discussed. It also can involve them in summing things up and coming to some conclusions. This routine works especially well at the end of a class discussion or session in which students have explored a topic (India!) and gathered a fair amount of new information or opinions about it. (From Visible Thinking @Harvard Project Zero)
My personal favorites:
Ashoka: From Military to Monk
India, a diverse and dynamic country.
Reincarnation – repeating cycles of birth, death, and re-birth
Week Without Walls – Days 3 & 4
7 FebShort hike
Masataka and Ryotaro at the viewpoint
More team-building with the cup game
Food chain – Catch me if you can!
Puzzle making
“Mintae, Mintae, Mintae!”
Making s’mores
Last day group photo with our WWW T-shirts
Here are some more photos I took during the last two days. What is your best memory from Week Without Walls, or what is something new you tried or experienced (game, activity, or food, etc.)? – Mr. Martin
Week Without Walls – Days 1 & 2
6 FebStudents – Here are some photos from the first two days of Week Without Walls in Yelagiri. I will continue to add some more photos and will send some photos to students. You can download these photos as well if you click on the photo and save it. Enjoy!
Copy and paste this sentence stem in the comment section. Complete this sentence: My favorite part of Week Without Walls was….because….
On the way to Yelagiri.
Team building
Chapati challenge
Short hike viewpoint
King’s ‘Resort’ group
Mr. Martin’s Bad Hair Day
Lya and Lekhana
More team building
Ziplining!
Out of Eden Walk
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