Sketch the outline of Texas and add, as studied in class,
- 4 bodies of water
- 3 cities
- 5 neighbors
Sketch the rectangular National Mall and add
- US Capitol
- Supreme Court
- Library of Congress
- National Air & Space Museum
- the Smithsonian Museums
- White House
- Washington Monument
- Potomac River
- Pentagon (US Dept of Defense)
- 3 neighboring states
Monday, October 31, 2011
Map quiz next class: sketch either Texas or Washington, DC
Friday, October 28, 2011
Topics for Indie work for bonus credit
Choose one for a comparison essay. Do not write it from the top of your head or what you remember in class notes. Do take your material from credible sources and cite your sources.
Remember:
- Jazzy title.
- Typed. No more than 1 page. A half page will do.
- Integrate the subjects; blend the topics.
- Offer details, not generalities.
- Similarities as well as differences.
- Use comparison words (se guidelines posted earlier).
a) Dia de los Muertos and Halloween
b) The founding of Houston and the founding of Dallas.
c) The Houston Ship Channel and the Erie Canal.
d) The River Walk in San Antonio and the banks of the Red R in Shreveport-Bossier.
e) Tex-Mex cooking and Creole cooking.
f) Houston's pop music stars (2) versus those of New Orleans (2).
Semester book report due Nov 4
The book report is worth 20 pts and should consist of 2 pages:
1. 5 images that *relate to* elements of the book. For example: a location image, a character image, a conflict image, an era image, an author image. Each image must be accompanied by 2 factoids (typed) from the book. Add a jazzy title.
2. Brief, typed book essay based on 2 quotes from the book. Half a page will do.
Snazzy title, too.
Name, date, hour in upper right.
Criteria for grading:
- Grammar, punctuation, construction.
- Neatness.
Questions? trudeau11@gmail.com
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Celebrating el Dia de los Muertos: empanadas, a la Mexicana
Mexican empanadas can be a dessert or breakfast item and tend to contain a variety of sweetened fillings, says Wikipedia. These include pumpkin, yams, sweet potato, and cream, as well as a wide variety of fruit fillings.
Meat, cheese, and vegetable fillings are less common in some states, but still well-known and eaten fairly regularly.
Thanks, Lana!
Monday, October 24, 2011
A brief unit on Louisiana's amazing neighbor: Texas
To be an intelligent citizen of Louisiana is to be a student of all things Texan.
Geo class study will focus on
- Houston
- Dallas
- Austin.
Sketch map no. 1 of Texas must show, colorfully, the
- neighboring states
- Gulf of Mexico
- Rio Grande
- Red R.
- Sabine R.
- Galveston Bay
- Houston Ship Channel (Buffalo Bayou)
- 3 cities as above
Enrichment
- In the tragic Enron Corp scandal of 2001 the collapse of the company due to fraud by top executives led to the loss of jobs and retirement money for some 20,000 former employees.
- Some 20 executives were convicted or plead guilty in the aftermath.
- In 1901 the Spindletop gusher oil well, Beaumont (near the corner of Texas, Louisiana and the Gulf), marked the beginning of the Texas Oil Boom.
Researching and writing a plan for a family weekend in Houston or Dallas
The great metropoli in our region are Dallas and Houston.
Your task is to plan a family weekend in one of the 2 cities. That will include
- Approximate driving time and gas consumed. I would suggest a rough figure of 2 and a half tanks of gas for Dallas, 3 and a half tanks for Houston.
- Motel/hotel cost. Figure the number of people in your family and get a price for 2 nights: a Fri and Sat. An option: get a cost for a budget hotel and a price for an upscale location.
- Attractions: find the location, cost and hours of a museum and an amusement center.
- Meals and notable restaurants. Find the cost of a special restaurant for supper/dinner. Choose at least one that offers an unusual foreign cuisine. You may figure about $20 per person for breakfast and a generic lunch.
- Shopping: find a store that suits you that is not available in Shreveport.
- Approximate total cost.
What book are you reading for the social studies report? Also, are you and your team rolling on the social studies project?
If you have doubts or need a refresher, please return to the original guidelines page.
Btw, the photo above is of the state champion Sycamore tree. It is located in AC Steere Park.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Geography notes: Wash, DC and the Atlantic coastal states
Please see below for more detail.
Meanwhile, here are 6 relevant metro populations, acc to Wikipedia. 1 New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA MSA 18,897,109 2 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA MSA 12,828,837 3 Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL-IN-WI MSA 9,461,105 4 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX MSA 6,371,773 5 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD MSA 5,965,343 6 Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX MSA 5,946,800 States 1 California 37,253,956 2 Texas 25,145,561 3 New York 19,378,102
What to know in Washington, DC, around the national mall
Like NYC, Chicago and LA, the sites of Washington are frequently featured in the news, literature and general media.
Please commit these sites to memory on a simple sketch map.
- Potomac R.
- White House, 1500 Pennsylvania Ave
- Lincoln Memorial
- Washington Monument
- Smithsonian Museums (general locations)
- National Air & Space Museum
- National mall
- US Capitol
- US Supreme Court
- Library of Congress
- The Pentagon (US Dept of Defense), across the Potomac and slightly south of the Lincoln Memorial.
Mental mapping: memorize the Atlantic coast US states
Be able to sketch and label the 14 US East coast states. Approximate shapes are OK.
Blank sheet memory quiz on the 1st class of the Oct 24 week.
- Maine
- New Hampshire
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- Connecticut
- NY
- New Jersey
- Delaware
- Maryland
- Virginia
- N Carolina
- SC
- Georgia
- Florida
- Canada and Nova Scotia Province
- Bahamas
- Cuba
Monday, October 17, 2011
Practice the Three Metropoli with these questions
A wee quiz on 3 ginormous cities
1. The approximate metropolitan population of Chicago in millions? a) 4 m b) 6 m c) 9 m d) 12 m
2. Chicago was founded on a portage between 2 bodies of water. They are Lake Michigan and a) Lake Superior b) Mississippi R c) Lake Huron.
3. Which recent presidents were closely associated with Los Angeles?
a) Reagan & Carter b) Kennedy & Clinton c) Reagan & Nixon
d) Nixon & Eisenhower.
4. Jean Baptiste du Sable was the founder of a) Chicago b) Los Angeles c) NYC.
5. Named for a female-type person: a) Chicago b) Los Angeles c) NYC.
6. World's Fair of 1893: a) Chicago b) Los Angeles c) NYC.
7. Founded by the Dutch. a) Chicago b) Los Angeles c) NYC.
8. Oprah. a) Chicago b) Los Angeles c) NYC.
9. Bagels: a) Chicago b) Los Angeles c) NYC.
10. The beginnings of Health food in America: a) Chicago b) Los Angeles c) NYC.
11. Largest city in the most populous state. a) Chicago b) Los Angeles c) NYC.
NYC-Chicago-LA quiz on Wed, Oct 19
As usual, open notes, multiple choice. About 13 questions.
The Triple Urban Conflagration contest, in which each answer is either NYC-Chicago-LA, will be next week.
Henry Hudson was the second European to explore NY harbor; the first was Giovanni Verrazzano
C 1. A similarity between Shreveport and the Windy City, Chicago, is found when comparing this factor:
a) Shreveport is part of the Bible Belt b) population c) Millennium Moon mural d) popular foods.
C 2. The run-down Manhattan neighborhood in which many poor immigrants (notably East European Jews, Italians and Chinese) got their start is the a) Upper West Side b) the Midtown area
c) the Lower East Side d) SoHo.
B 3. Four of the boroughs are located on islands. Name the two that share space on one island. a) Bronx, Queens
b) Brooklyn, Queens c) Queens, Long Island d) Brooklyn, Long Island.
A 4. In NY harbor are famous islands such as Liberty Island, Governor's Island and one small island which was a center for immigration: a) Ellis Is. b) Rikers Is. c) Hudson Is. d) Roosevelt Is.
B 5. The European explorer given credit for first examining NY harbor was a) Peter Minuit b) Giovanni Verrazzano c) Henry Hudson d) Duke of York.
A 6. The earliest site of European settlement in NYC is at the __ tip of Manhattan. a) Southern b) Northern c) Eastern d) Western.
C 7. Major university associated with Manhattan: a) Harvard b) Stanford c) Columbia d) Yale.
C 8. When you see landmarks such as Rodeo Drive, Venice Boardwalk and Arnold Schwarzenegger you know the topic is a) Chicago b) NYC c) Los Angeles.
D 9. Dutch governor of the NY colony who famously bargained with the Algonquian peoples:
a) Peter Stuyvesant b) Henry Hudson c) John Peter Zenger d) Peter Minuit.
A 10. Influential, wealthy part of Manhattan: a) Upper East Side b) Lower East Side c) Little Italy
d) Harlem.
A 11. Name the ethnic group that was welcomed by immigration laws in the mid 1800's and excluded from immigration by changes in the laws in the late 1800's. a) Chinese b) Jews c) Italians d) Africans.
Philippe Petit -Wire walk between the Twin Towers in 1974
The award-winning movie Man On Wire represents a notable learning activity for several reasons -
- documentary on the birth of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers.
- connections between Paris, France, and NYC.
- segments of French language.
- story of unusual skill and bravery.
- story which balances the better-known story of the destruction of the Towers.
- skillfully made documentary.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Mary Jane Malone Lecture on Thurs, Oct 20th; Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain, is the speaker
The 14th Annual Mary Jane Malone Lecture Series will happen Thurs, Oct 20th. Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain, is the speaker.
All 11th and 12th graders will attend the lecture in the PAC during 4th period. 9th and 10th graders will be able to watch the lecture via Channel 1 monitors in classsrooms.
The evening lecture begins at 6:30 and is free and open to the public.
Feel free to invite friends and family to attend.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Flatiron Building: early skyscraper on Fifth Avenue, downtown NYC
The Flatiron Building, or Fuller Building, as it was originally called, is located at 175 Fifth Avenue and is considered to be a groundbreaking skyscraper, says Wikipedia.
Upon completion in 1902 it was one of the tallest buildings in the city and the only skyscraper north of 14th Street.
It is a vertical Renaissance palazzo with Beaux-Arts styling.
In January 2009, an Italian real estate investment firm bought a majority stake in the Flatiron Building, with plans to turn it into a world-class luxury hotel. The conversion may have to wait ten years, however, until the leases of the current tenants run out.
Rockefeller Center: a complex of 19 buildings in Midtown Manhattan
Rockefeller Center or Rockefeller Plaza is a complex of 19 commercial buildings between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, says Wikipedia.
Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue.
Radio City Music Hall at 50th Street and Avenue of the Americas was completed in December, 1932. At the time it was promoted as the largest and most opulent theater in the world. The Rockettes are a precision dance company performing out of the Radio City Music Hall. During the Christmas season, the Rockettes have performed five shows a day, seven days a week, for 77 years. Perhaps their best-known routine is an eye-high leg kick in perfect unison in a chorus line, which they include at the end of every performance. Btw, every Rockette must be between 5'6" and 5'101⁄2" tall.
The centerpiece of Rockefeller Center is the 70-floor, 872-foot (266 m) GE Building at 30 Rockefeller Plaza ("30 Rock") formerly known as the RCA Building. It is centered behind the sunken plaza.
The famous Rainbow Room club restaurant is located on the 65th floor. The skyscraper is the headquarters of NBC and houses most of the network's New York studios, including 6A, former home of Late Night with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O'Brien and current home of The Dr. Oz Show; 6B, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon; 8H, home of Saturday Night Live; plus the operations of NBC News, MSNBC and local station WNBC.
It offers a trove of public art: among it the statue of Atlas facing Fifth Avenue and the conspicuous friezes above the main entrance to the RCA Building.
There is also the highly recognizable bronze gilded statue of the Greek legend of the Titan Prometheus recumbent, bringing fire to mankind - in the sunken plaza at the front of 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
At street level, the plaza has about 200 flagpoles.
Margaret Bourke-White shooting from the 61st floor of the Chrysler Building
The Chrysler Building is considered a masterpiece of Art Deco architecture, says Wikipedia.
The distinctive ornamentation of the building is based on features that were then being used on Chrysler automobiles.
The corners of the 61st floor are graced with eagles, replicas of the 1929 Chrysler hood ornaments;[32] on the 31st floor, the corner ornamentation are replicas of the 1929 Chrysler radiator caps.[33]
The Chrysler Building is also well renowned and recognized for its terraced crown. Composed of seven radiating terraced arches, Van Alen's design of the crown is a cruciform groin vault constructed into seven concentric members with transitioning setbacks, mounted up one behind another.[35]
The stainless-steel cladding is ribbed and riveted in a radiating sunburst pattern with many triangular vaulted windows, transitioning into smaller segments of the seven narrow setbacks of the facade of the terraced crown. The entire crown is clad with silvery "Enduro KA-2" metal, an austenitic stainless steel developed in Germany by Krupp.
It was the world's tallest building for 11 months - before it was surpassed by the Empire State Building in 1931.
Margaret Bourke-White Margaret Bourke-White (1904 –1971) was an American photographer and documentary photographer.[3][4]
She is best known as the first foreign photographer permitted to take pictures of Soviet Industry, the first female war correspondent (and the first female permitted to work in combat zones) and the first female photographer for Henry Luce's Life magazine, where her photograph appeared on the first cover.
Sunday, October 09, 2011
A week to decide on the topic and assemble the research on your socialstudies project
This week in geography: no home work outside of reading the blog; no quizzes, either.
This week Talent Show rehearsals will be held after school each day, 3:45 to 5 pm.
Please take this week to work on your social studies project. You may work solo or with up to 3 partners.
The 20 pt Social Studies project, due Nov 30:
Social Studies Fair Project -
* submitted via image-based report, Powerpoint-style.
* purpose is to show fluency with the Scientific Method.
* student articulates . . .
- social problem (slide 1)
- hypothesis for solution to problem (slide 2)
- review of literature (find sources, read the articles and choose the part(s) that are relevant to your paper) that addresses the problem (slides 3, 4 & 5, at least). The list of all articles read becomes your bibliography (slide 6).
- conclusion drawn from literature review (slide 7).
- abstract, or half-page summary of entire project.improvement (slide 8).
- grammar, spelling and construction.
- student need not build traditional backboard display unless teacher and student agree on an entry into the social studies fair.
- students may work solo, in a duo or a 3-person team. Bonus points for those who can devise an international team.
Talent Show auditions and first run-through on Mon, Oct 10, 3:45, in the PAC
Class of 2015 Talent Show is Fri, Oct 14, 6:30 - 8 pm, in the Magnet PAC. Admission $5.
Below are the first announcements of the production team (subject to adjustment):
Annie Thai / Event Producer
Vincent Huang / Manager / Light and Sound Producer vincent.huang.cmhs@gmail.com
Rachael Miller / Manager / Stage Left
Chloe Hughes chloebeth15@yahoo.com / Manager / Stage Right
Malcom Youngblood myjamel3@aim.com / Producer / assistant to Mr Trudeau
Caleb Basinger basingers5@basingerdental.com / Producer / Talent
Vijay Letchuman / Producer / Talent / vletchuman@yahoo.com
Serena Jackson / script writer / sjobena@gmail.com
Sandy Thurmon / stage back drop / thurmonsandy@yahoo.com
Sydni Durden / stage back drop / sydnidurden@gmail.com
Zoe Mangum / stage back drop / zoemangum312@gmail.com
Will Flavin / Light board / wpflavin@gmail.com
Jake Slater / spotlight / jakeslater5@gmail.com
Zachary Nelson / stage production /
Zaria Alexander / stage production / zarialexander@yahoo.com
Alicia Fields / program/ lucy143@yahoo.com
Parents who would like to volunteer please see parent Mrs Sonya French
868-1493
469-7793
Or me at trudeau11@gmail.com
We need more student talent in the script writing and program production.
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