clair057

Cute Young Man approached my desk rather gingerly because he knew he shouldn’t be up.   First, since it was our “silence is golden” time – that time I allotted on the plan book during the week for students to read aloud anything they wanted to from my classroom library, so he shouldn’t have been out of his seat since I had already given everyone a chance to choose their reading material, and we had already rotated through the restrooms.      Secondly, since I read something during this time as well……I really didn’t like being interrupted. Cute Young Man whispered, “Elementaryhistoryteacher, I need to ask you something.” Hmmm….that was obvious since he was standing beside me during “silence is golden” time, but I decided not to mention that and said, “What do you need, Cute Young Man?” He had a book in his hand….not one of mine, but it didn’t matter.   Students could bring items from home to read.   The important thing was that my students  we...

When you begin to look into the number of Olympic controversies it’s a little surprising how many exist considering the purpose of the Olympic Games happens to be   goodwill, peace and reconciliation. One of the most recent controversies caught my eye a few days ago….a controversy involving one of the most tragic events that have ever occurred during the Olympics…..the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes during the   Munich Games in 1972 .   Since that time the families of the slain athletes have tried in vain to get the International Olympic Committee to recognize the athletes who were killed during the opening ceremonies.   This year….the London Games……were no different.   This article from Sports Illustrated gives a little background and discusses the fight the families continue to lay at the feet of the International Olympic Committee. Since the Sydney Games in 2000, Israel has organized a commemorative event , but the families think the International...

Boom and bust – basic social studies vocabulary words, right?   Think about how you learned these words.   I would imagine you were taught about boom and bust during an exploration of the Gold Rush, right? Most everyone is….and that’s my point.  Are there other situations where the terms boom and bust could be used?  Of course there are, and recently I stumbled across one that I found really interesting via a friend.   Let’s examine Fruithurst, Alabama – a rural little hamlet near the Georgia border in Cleburne County.   As far as population goes most elementary schools have a larger student body than Fruithurst’s total population.  The 2000 census indicates the population tops out at a whopping 200 people.  If we transported ourselves back to 1890 and the area where Fruithurst is located we might be lucky if we found 200 people. In fact, the area wasn’t even known as Fruithurst in 1890.   The area was first known as Summit Cut...

Sometimes I wonder how much money I spent during my youth on magazines such as Tiger Beat and 16 Magazine .  It was the one way I could obtain all the pin-ups I wanted of my “favs” such as the Osmonds, David Cassidy, The Bay City Rollers and Rick Springfield.   I actually made the switch from buying Matchbox cars with my allowance money to buying teen magazines a little early…..I was six.   Yes, that’s a little early to be reading a magazine written for giggly teenage girls, but then again…..I did have an older sister, and I wanted to do everything that she did.  The other reason I began to buy the teen rags had to do with a special young man…..Bobby Sherman. Oh….be still my heart.   On September 25, 1968 Bobby Sherman entered my life and nothing was ever the same.  I’m sure he would tell you the same thing.    It was a telepathic “thing”, but he and I were going to be together forever. Of court that date in 1968 coincides with...

For 25 years the National Trust for Historic Preservation has been alerting the general public regarding endangered historic places.  Approximately 230 “threatened one-of-a-kind-historic treasures” have been identified since 1988.  Whether these sites are urban districts or rural landscapes, Native American landmarks,  20 th -century sports arenas, entire communities or single buildings, the list spotlights historic places across America that are threatened by neglect, insufficient funds, inappropriate development, or insensitive public policy. The main website for this year’s list can be found here . This year’s list includes a wide variety of places: The Village of Zoar located in Zoar, Ohio…. The historic Village of Zoar, home to nearly 200 residents, is protected from flooding by a levee built in the 1930s. Record floods in 2005, however, raised concern about the levee’s integrity. Now, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has started a three-year study to assess the le...

I gave Dear Daughter some money last week to clean out a few closets upstairs......so I wouldn't have to. She deposited three large containers with odds and ends at the bottom of the steps and announced she was done.   I said....."Oh, are those things to throw away?"  She responded yes, but I was already ticking off things I could readily see as items I had paid for and might want to use again, so......instead of hauling the containers off to the street to the trash I sat down and went through the containers.   I made three piles.....keep, Goodwill, and trash.   Wouldn't you know it? The trash pile was the smallest, but Goodwill was fairly substantial. Most of the items in the keep pile were notebook binders and textbooks. Yes, she was going to throw away good....heavy....expensive textbooks.  I decided I could sell them online, and this is what I found: Via: Sell Back Your Book

One of the maps available from The Atlas of True Names Take a look at the map I posted above.    Notice something strange?    This map is from The Atlas of True Names. This site….. The Atlas of True Names …..is a truly unique resource.   The website states its purpose is to reveal the etymological roots, or original meanings, of the familiar terms on today’s maps of the World, Europe, the British Isles and the United States……The ‘True Names’ of 3000 cities, countries, rivers, oceans and mountain ranges are displayed on these four fascinating maps, each of which includes a comprehensive index of derivations. You can read more about the site from The New York Times or from Spiegel Online .   Apparently these maps have been around since 2008, but I’m just now seeing them.   Yes, I know that’s hard to believe, but somehow I overlooked them. You can order the maps here . So, instead of me telling you how I would use them in the classroom…….....