Friday, August 27, 2010

Oetzi, The Iceman


In the first section of your textbook we read about Oetzi, the Iceman discovered in Europe. Oetzi has given archeologists lots of clues to the world's prehistory, but not everything is crystal clear. At first there was confusion surrounding his death, was he killed by another human, did he freeze to death, was he attacked by wild animals?

Your assignment is to read one of the articles and respond to these questions on my blog, remember to select anonymous and sign with your first name ONLY and period:

Questions&Articles
1. According to the National Geographic article, why was the Iceman killed?
2. Why do archeologists believe this to be true?
3. Why do you think the copper axe was left behind?
4. What is your theory on the death of the Iceman?
Article:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/01/0115_020115iceman.html
or
1. What clues led archeologists to determine the season of Oetzi's death?
2. Describe the disaster theory.
3. What is your theory on his death?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2001/iceman.shtml

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

March is Women's History Month!

Complete this quiz...you'll get 1pt. extra credit for each correct answer!


Test Your Women’s History I.Q.

Fifteen women to identify by their achievements.

1. Which mother led a 125–mile march of child workers all the way from the mills of Pennsylvania to President Theodore Roosevelt’s vacation home on Long Island?

2. One of the most important Union spies and scouts during the Civil War was a Black woman who had escaped from slavery. Can you name her?

3. Before the 1960s, farm workers in the U.S. were not paid even the minimum wage, and had no influential representatives to fight for their rights. What part did Dolores Huerta play in changing this situation?

4. The line of beauty products she created for African–American people made her the first Black woman millionaire in the United States. Who was she, and when did she do this?

5. She came to the U.S. when she was a teenager to study science and stayed to become “the world’s foremost female experimental physicist.” Her most famous experiment disproved what had been thought to be a fundamental scientific law. Who is this outstanding Asian–American scientist?

6. She took her job as “First Lady” seriously, traveling the country and the world to gather information about the problems and concerns of workers, children, minorities, and the poor. She wrote a daily newspaper column and made frequent radio broadcasts. Who was this active wife of a president?

7. When the Mexican Revolution of 1910 reached the Texas border, she and her friends organized La Cruz Blanca, The White Cross, to take care of the wounded. They nursed people from both sides of the fighting. She was also known as a journalist and community activist. Who was she and where did she live?

8. Who was the last reigning monarch of the Hawaiian Islands, deposed when American business and military interests wanted to annex Hawaii to the U.S.?

9. She opened “Hull House” in a run–down Chicago neighborhood, a community center to improve conditions for poor immigrants. The program of English–language classes, childcare, health education and recreational opportunities soon inspired hundreds of other settlement houses throughout the country. Her name?

10. Daughter and granddaughter of Paiute Indian chiefs from Nevada, she lobbied Congress, wrote extensively, and traveled across country during the late 1800s lecturing on the hardships brought upon Native Americans by the U.S. Government. Her name?

11. Her 1939 Easter Sunday concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial drew a crowd of 75,000. Who was she, and why was she singing there?

12. Who printed the first copy of the Declaration of Independence that included the signers’ names?

13. Clara Barton (1821–1912) is best known for founding the American Red Cross, but she also played a vital role during the Civil War. What did she do?

14. She is regarded as the greatest ballerina born in America. Her father was the Chief of the Osage Indians. Can you name her?

15. Why is Rachel Carson (1907–1964) considered the mother of the environmental movement?

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

2/9/10 Project Alert, Project Alert!!!!!!

Advertisements or commercials inform the public about products they can buy (like cars, shoes or
fireplaces) or services they can pay for (like lawyers, music concerts or cinemas). Public service
announcements (PSAs) instead inform the public about a message or an idea. Some of the most
famous PSAs that might be familiar to students involve campaigns encouraging people to stop
smoking, or to vote for a certain political party. Public service announcements can be effective
because they use traditional advertising techniques in a familiar format.

Are they Controversial? Not necessarily! Some public service announcements express a strong
opinion, or try to encourage people to change their mind about an idea (eg messages about
government policy). Other announcements try to raise awareness (eg environmental issues), raise
money for a charity (eg an AIDS campaign) or encourage better health (eg healthy eating, stopping
smoking or drinking and driving).


I am going to take advantage of your interest—and practice important critical thinking and literacy skills—by having you make and edit your own videos that deal with important social, economic, and political topics in Africa.

First, students will watch examples of online public service announcements (PSAs) and probe the multiple meanings of these video texts by asking challenging, open-ended questions.

You will research your topic in-depth, identifying the causes and effects.

Students use their research and a Persuasion Map tool as a basis for writing scripts for their own PSAs.

You will then create a PSA and use Windows Movie Maker to edit their videos.

Persuasion Map Tool:http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/persuasion_map/