Soccer

Soccer is a huge aspect of my life. I play it a ton, and really enjoy it. Soccer also makes me a better student and teaches me important skills. Soccer relates to school in a lot of ways.

It teaches me time management because I play on a club team. I have practice 3 days a week, and games 1 to 3 days a week. I have had to learn to manage my time so I can do my homework, go to my practices, go to my games, and still have time to myself or to spend time with my friends and family.

Being physically active makes me a stronger student because it teaches me patience. It also teaches me that some skills don’t come naturally, and you have to work to excel, and overall, it all comes down to how hard you want to work. If you want more playing time, you have to work hard in practice and show the coach that you deserve it. If you want to do well in school you have to study and do your homework consistently.

Soccer teaches me teamwork, and how to deal with people that you don’t like. If you try to dribble the ball the entire way up the field without the help from any of your teammates the ball is going to get stolen. But just a few passes can get you much further than dribbling can. If there are people on your team you don't like, you kind of have to learn to like them, or put up with them because they're on your team, and teammates take care of each other. And because we work together so much, you often become pretty good friends with your teammates, like you are with friends that you have a lot of classes with.

You also have your solo moments in soccer. When you dribble the ball up the field and score, the credit goes to you, and all of your teammates are high-fiving you, and the parents are applauding you. It feels really good, like when you do the best in the class on a test, or are the only one to turn in your homework. Soccer relates to school in a lot of ways.

Soccer teaches you respect, too. If you aren't respectful to your coaches, you probably won't get as much playing time. If you are disrespectful to your teachers, they won't think as highly of you, and your class might get extra homework.

I think soccer is just important as school, because it teaches me some things maybe better than school can.

Cites:

• http://sabisathletics.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/soccer-

Being the Middle Kid at the Ellis’ is not as Easy as it Seems

Let me tell you about my family, the Ellis’. There is my older sister; Lauren, my younger sister; Hannah, my mom, dad, and then there’s me. I’m the middle one that has a harder job than Lauren, but easier than Hannah. I don’t have to do the dishes yet because I never do the dishes when I’m asked, oops, because I always forget. That’s who I am, I forget a lot, of everything. Lauren is at Duke now and isn’t home hardly ever. Hannah, when I’m frustrated or mad at her I call her Haggis, is in 5th grade at Catlin, watch out Paul, she’s headed your way!

The reason that I have a harder job than Hannah, is because I have to be a good role model, and everything I do influences Hannah. I have an easier job than Lauren, but only sometimes. I had an easier job than Lauren did when I was 6 rather than when she was 6 because Lauren basically started taking care of herself right when I was born, when Lauren was 6. I started taking care of myself at the end of last year and I’m still learning how. I didn’t have to start off when I was 6 because I still needed someone to take care of me when Hannah was born, I was 2 at the time. I have a harder job than Lauren did, and still does as a matter of fact, because I am different than she was and still is. I started at Catlin in Kindergarten and she started in 7th grade. The grade I’m in right now. I was a super easy baby and waited for my parents to pick me out of the crib. I could have been in the crib all day if they didn’t come wake me up, whereas Lauren would start screaming and then get pulled out of the crib. Also, I don’t talk much at the dinner table because my sisters have too much to say sometimes but there are days when its my turn to talk at dinner.

I am almost never the center of attention. I am in the center of the sisters yes, but my sisters are usually the center of attention because most the time I am quiet in public and I don’t like to talk to people I don’t know because I was taught, “Stranger Danger!” Hahaha, but even when I am in public I become the center of attention because of my hair, I can’t help it, all the time I have random people come up to me and start touching my hair. It’s crazy and I don’t like it usually because I don’t know the people that touch my hair. When I was little my first sentence was, “Don’t touch me.” I loved being little, those were the days. I could tell people what to do.

The new movie Frozen, me being Anna, I would do anything to help my sisters like Anna did going up the mountain to find her sister, and wanting to play with her even though she knows that her sister will probably say no. In other ways I also feel like I have friends that would say, “Some people are worth melting for.” ~ Olaf (from Frozen)

Being the middle kid in the Ellis’ family isn’t as easy as it looks and sometimes you get way too much attention. My family definitely has influenced my life, by a lot.  I like who I am, and would definitely be a completely different person if I weren’t the middle kid.

Sources:
My brain and my mom's camera pictures

Urbanization Reflection

This response should be your longest so far.....and will be your longest of the project.

Mentally go through your typical day and think of all the ways you use energy and how your life would be affected if you no longer had access to energy.  Specifically, how would your life change without access to energy?

Now, think about the population in your neighborhood.  What problems will increase if more people move into the Portland Metro area?  

Finally, think about the urbanization and population articles.  You read three and learned about one more.  Were there parts that surprised you?  Were there parts you didn't understand?  By 2050, the world is projected to have 10 billion people.  You will be approximately 50 years old (scary, I know)  What problems do you think the world will be facing with that many  people?

Your response should be around 2 paragraphs (10 or so sentences.)  Use standard Geography and the Human Experience labels.  Yes, an image would be nice....

http://www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/images/popn/world_pop.gif
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXiPbUPw8wrx8vR7y30BW6vVPMGQSfXDGErv74xpd8Y-JumTSVjyv8G_M-M0fbvjAybSpG5GgodiJRrxY2Kn6Z9zLHntQCzTk7ExpMEv59-GkBibYdf_wRO8o4o6ahV1vqSBO1unHxB-N/s1600/images.jpg

What Shutdown?

While I normally don't post to this blog, this topic is directly related to the primary users of the blog, World Cultures students, and they deserve to read what is being written and commented about them.  We are currently studying natural disasters as they relate to humans and geography.  Using primary data sources, students often access USGS sites.  They are, quite honestly, the most accurate in the world.  Since the Republican-led Congress decided to shut down the Federal Government, USGS sites have been inaccessible to students.  As a class, we brainstormed what to do, decided we would just move on, and return to USGS sites once the Government was funded and running again.  For a couple of seventh graders this was not an ideal solution.  In less than three hours, they were running up to me eagerly let me know they had found not one, but two workarounds that would allow them to continue accessing most USGS data.  Using Google's cache link, they were able to access most of the NationalAtlas site.  Also, a couple of students showed me the WayBack machine at web.archive.org.

Between the two sites, students could access enough information that our discussions, presentations, and curriculum could continue.  I'm sure there are bloggers, among them Will Richardson, who would smile at this post.  I'm humbled that my students wanted to continue learning even though their Republican adult role models are doing their best to insure the students would have to dig extra hard for the information they needed.  I wonder which party my students will be more sympathetic towards in the next Mock Election?

Environment Reflection

Now that you have researched and presented on how humans interact with their environment, please reflect on what you have learned.  You may include information from your two presentations on invasive species and environmental disasters.  Be specific when referring to places, plants, and environments.  Include a picture or two in your post.  Your post should be around two paragraphs (5-7 sentences each) long.  Use ghe, cultures, environment, presentations, learning, technology as your labels (tags)  In your reflection please include the following:

• How did using technology help you understand the problem/situation?
• Why do humans make changes to the environment?
• Are these changes justified?  Why or why not?
• How can a single change in the environment affect other aspects of the environment?
• How do you interact with your ecosystem or environment?  How do your actions affect your environment?

Sources:  http://www.federalheath.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Environment-logo.jpg

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2006/05/yellowriverSWNS190506_450x350.jpg?maxWidth=500

Miriam-Greece Trip

This is my trip to Greece

Elliott in the UK

This is my swag trip to the UK

Tour Post Test

Tour Post

Trip Planning Test file

This is an attempt to post a kml file

link to my video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4nEUrsirmk&list=UUVwTvEd85gtV78tRIlW9Obw&index=8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4nEUrsirmk&list=UUVwTvEd85gtV78tRIlW9Obw&index=8

Scientific Revolution

The Scientific Revolution was a time era where people started to advance their knowledge when it came to science. They started doing sciences that weren't just alchemy and the literal bare basics, they started mathematics, thinking of the earth's shape, and  doing chemistry. The brilliant minds this this revolution had come up with were just outstanding. They came up with inventions that changed our perspective on us, the earth, and beyond. Machines of knowledge came to stand, teaching us about the stars and sky and the things below our feet. The Scientific Revolution was a time when people saw themselves, the world, and much more in a new way.

The world was advancing, sciences that we use today dawned. People like Kepler, Galileo, and Newton built the sciences and theories that we follow and study today! The list of sciences, that came to be, during the revolution, is very long. Their sciences advancing and growing left and right, like alchemy, astronomy, chemistry, mathematics, ecology, and alchemy had advanced largely during the revolution. Without the revolution we wouldn't have had any of these sciences.

The brains it took to make these inventions, sciences,and theories were people that had dedicated their lives to find the answers to significant questions. When the set of words major scientists, are said, a few people come to mind like Kepler, Galileo, Aristotle, Newton, and tons more. These people all lived some time in scientific revolution, and  they came up with things like Newton’s three laws, Copernicus’s heliocentric universe model, Galileo’s flying machine, and many more. The Scientific Revolution was chalk full of amazing ideas, geniuses, and revolutionary theories.

The Scientific Revolution was a time for inventions for scientific advancement. Today looking thru a telescope is a fun little activity, but in the Scientific Revolution looking thru a telescope was like a revolutionary thing, it was new, it was like the ipad, but more important. Copernicus made a model of our solar system that said that earth was not the middle of the solar system.  What if Copernicus did not make that model of the solar system, then we would still think that we were the middle of the solar system. Isaac Newton telescope created a type of telescope that we still use today! All threw the revolution machines that we still use today were made and without them we would not have very important science information.

Without the people, the sciences, and the inventions in the Scientific Revolution we would not have very basic information on all the things around. The sciences that were discovered in the revolution are a vital part to our everyday lives. The names that built or theorized the things from the Scientific Revolution are people that developed things that stayed with mankind for over hundreds of years and its outstanding what they've done. The machines made in the revolution are not people nor whole sciences there just machines that we use everyday, but there uses were once new and without them we would not be able to do many things. The Scientific Revolution was a time when people saw themselves, the world, and much more in a new way.

Audio test for Spanish

This is a test post for my Spanish colleague who would like students to read their work and upload the audio files into their blog.   Testing....testing....

Napoleon’s Great Retreat from Russia

      The Patriotic War of 1812 was a land mark in Napoleon’s military career because it was his first loss. Before the retreat from Russia, Napoleon’s record was flawless, he was a cunning military mastermind. Napoleon could manipulate the battlefield to his advantage, but The Patriotic War ruined his unbeatable persona. France had a weak truce with Russia, the French nor the Russians abided by their truce, and Napoleon did not want Russia to attack Poland. These led to the Patriotic War of 1812.          

        Napoleon marched with over 500,000 French soldiers with the intent of destroying 3 major cities in Russia. The Grande Armee was one of the biggest European army’s assembled to that point. The French marched into Russia in 3 gigantic fleets,  General Marshal Nicholas Oudinot and his French fleet were stopped in there direct path to St. Petersburg by a small Russian fleet. This tactical move by the Russians led to an inevitable battle in Moscow that would decide the fate of the Patriotic War of 1812.

         The Russians attacked the French in small cavalry units while their main army retreated for 3 months, the French were not used to the fierce Russian climate. The Russian main army, and the French Grande Armee, led by Napoleon himself, met in the battle of Borodino, right outside of Moscow, the Battle of Borodino was one of the largest and most brutal battles of the Napoleonic wars. Over 250,000 troops were involved it led to over 70,000 fatalities.                                                                                  

        The Russians retreated once more, Russia could replenish their army whereas the French could not, Napoleon marched into Moscow with the Grande Armee and destroyed most of Moscow, but Napoleon could see no victory in sight, Napoleon decided to retreat, this was a disastrous retreat. After Napoleon realized they could not win he tried to reach Kaluga but they were blocked by a replenished Russian army, in the battle of Maloyaroslavets.  

         Napoleon and the Grande Armee were forced to retreat the same way they had come through the completely destroyed roads of Smolensk, they took catastrophic blows from peasants through guerrilla warfare and the absolutely devastating Russian winter pounded on them, Killing many French troops. When Napoleon entered France there were only one twentieth of the fit soldiers left, the Patriotic War of 1812 was a fierce war with a huge impact on European history. This was the beginning of the end for Napoleon, he was exiled only 2 years later, and his status as an unbeatable tactician was shattered.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_invasion_of_Russia

http://www.geographia.com/russia/rushis05.htm

http://www.history.com/news/napoleons-disastrous-invasion-of-russia-200-years-ago

http://www.napoleonguide.com/campaign_russia.htm