Celebrating our Armed Forces

Remember Photo Credit: Ian Sane via Compfight

Who is a Veteran?

It’s our parents (dad and/or mom) , our brothers and/or sisters, our grandparents, our uncles and aunts, our cousins and our friends. All 823 students here at Rocky River want to say Thank You to these awesome and wonderful people that have served in the army, navy, air force, marines, national guard, coast guard and protected us and our country and who have helped others protect their countries.  Many of us have had loved ones serve in the military.    Thank You Grandpa!  Thank You Uncle!  Thank You Dad!  Thank You Mom!  Thank You Friends Far and Wide!

 

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Photo Credit: jenny downing via Compfight

 

World Wide Celebrations-  DO YOU KNOW OF OTHERS?

  • Veterans Day- Is November 11th to honor and celebrate those who served not to be confused with Memorial Day in May is to honor those who died in service.  Originally this was known as Declaration Day where flowers were put on graves of dead Civil War soldiers.
  • It coincides with other holidays such as  Armistice Day  and  Remembrance Day , which are celebrated in other parts of the world and also mark the anniversary of the end of World War I.
  • Anzac Day  is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders “who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations” and “the contribution and suffering of all those who have served.
  • Armistice Day (which coincides with Remembrance Day and  Veterans Day public holidays) is commemorated every year on 11 November to mark the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at  for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of WWI which took effect at eleven o’clock in the morning—the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” of 1918.
  • Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day or Armistice Day) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries since the end of  WWI to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. Hostilities formally ended “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
  • Volkstrauertag public holiday in Germany two Sundays before the first day of  Advent.  It commemorates all those who died in armed conflicts or as the victims of violent oppression. It was first observed in its modern form in 1952. 

We honor our military with speeches, parades, ceremonies and dedications.

How do you honor these special people?

 

America The Beautiful

 

Medal of Honor recipients
Photo Credit: The U.S. Army via Compfight     

Comparing Schools in Australia and Rocky River and Comparing Others in Discussions

Each class contributed information to add throughout the week during their Global Studies class.   We research for several weeks and finally this week we created our first project together on Google docs.

 

Rocky River School and Australian Schools
  There are 7 second grade classrooms at Rocky River with about 140 students.   We found many schools to be smaller overall to our 820 students.  But we also discovered they had some of the same books, math/maths manipulatives, interactive boards and computers and playgrounds.  Some classes did the same subjects and some added other things.   We liked all the outside playtime everyone got.  We are required only 30 minutes per day.  Barriers to our education might come more as alarm clocks not going off, parents sick or working, no transportation if car rider, clothes not clean and bad weather (snow, hurricanes, storms, tornadoes) but we didn’t face barriers like some places that had war and had to pay for school to even go.    We think that Australia is similar to us in the barriers they might face. Is your school similar to Rocky River or the Australian schools?  Of course, we didn’t get to do all Australian schools in our research. We were most amazed by the ones in the Outback that we read about called Radio Schools.  We’d like to hear from someone that has done one of these and learn more about it. We want to thank Ms. Cartwright and her students at Newrybar Primary school for their help.  That school is in New South Wales.  They are part of our penpal project Exploring Our Places and our post card project.   Take a moment and make a comment to this new class of bloggers. Her new blog site is http://cartwheels.edublogs.org/2013/10/23/exploring-our-place/   Ms Crowther’s in Victoria was also helpful in our project and answered several questions.       http://upps56jc.global2.vic.edu.au/ View Larger Mapnewrybar (1)   Other schools and blog sites that helped us compare schools in other places included many continents.  Even though our focus was on Australia we have explored schools in England, Canada, Africa, Brazil and Scotland during our investigations. We also appreciate the opportunity to look into Mrs. Lynch’s second grade classroom on her blog site from Canada We loved seeing the video and comparing our classrooms to theirs.  They read many of the same books. We saw The Littles, Pete the Cat, lots of Dr. Seuss books and many other familiar titles.  They had pattern blocks.  They did math.  We wonder more about games they play and what they bring in their lunches. http://teacher102.edublogs.org/2013/09/22/a-peek-into-our-grade-2-classroom/ Mrs. Monaghan and a Room with a View has been our learning partners for several years as we learn more about their class and school.  Their blog site is http://aroomwithaview.edublogs.org/  Mrs. Monaghan continues to share and answer our questions often. We were amazed at the zipline in Scotland.  We got involved with Burravoe Primary through a post card project and learned a lot about their small school.   Many things were different yet similar here.  Did you know they are on an island that you have to ride a ferry to get your car to the mainland?  They often have to stay on the island because of so much wind. We noticed they had a lot of technology for such a small school.    Visit their site to learn more about this small interesting Shetland Island school.  https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/sh/BurravoePrimarySchool/ We enjoyed viewing the wiki between  Burravoe and Longhaugh.

Longhaugh/Burravoe wiki

Brazilian Principals Visit Us

Fifth Grade Gets Visit from Brazilian PrincipalsWe recently had the opportunity to learn about education in Brazil.   Three Brazilian principals visited in Union County Schools and talked with our fifth graders and then took at tour of our school

Ellie Compares RYRES to Brazil Schools  Ellie uses a Venn Diagram to compare.

Did you know to be a principal in Brazil that your peers (other teachers you work with) elect you to become principal?

They go to school in 2 shifts in elementary and 3 shifts in high school.   A shift is 4 hours long.

They learn many of the same subjects that we do like math, reading, science and social studies.  They also learn a foreign language.

They speak Portuguese.  We had to have an interpreter.

They have computers like we do.

They have a big test to see about going to college.

They have to pay for school.

 

 

Exploring Our Place Project

Students at Rocky River have joined a project called  ‘Exploring Our Place.’  As we explore schools around the world we are joining a project with other schools and teachers in different parts of the world to explore places in our environment.

It is a unit that involves students developing their understanding of the built environment and design process by exploring their local school environment.   Ms. Cartwright organized a pen pal project with this unit and several classes.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

 

  • Are schools created equally around the world?
  • Do students all get the same opportunities for an education?
  • Does the school environment affect the education that students receive?

 

Fifth Graders Want to Know about Biomes

Our fifth grade students are studying ecosystems and Biomes around the world.   Can you help us out by telling us about some Biomes in your area of the world?   What makes them unique?

Do you know the difference in the terms Ecosystems and Biomes?

  • Biomes-  a large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, e.g., forest or tundra.
  • Ecosystems-a system made up of an ecological community of living things interacting with their environment especially under natural conditions.

North Carolina has three major areas– Coastal Plain, Piedmont (foot of the mountain) and Mountains.  What kinds of flora and fauna would we find here?   We live in the Piedmont area and that is where our school is located.

What would the top 5 biomes be in the world?

Welcome Back

Hello world,

We are busy learning about schools around the world and would like to learn more about your school to compare.

Please leave us a brief description of your school, the school day and where you are located.

 

We have about 820 students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.  We have 17 pre-kindergartens that are four year olds.  We have about 150 kindergartens.  There are 8 classrooms of kindergarten children.  We have six and seven of other grades.  When you are in first grade you might be six then turn seven.  We have about 40 classroom teachers.  We have a PE teacher, music, art, global studies/technology and media teacher for specials.

Our school Rocky River is 7 years old.RockyRiverMisc_2011089

  • It’s very bright and shaped like a capital E.  We have bright blue, bright green and orange hallways.
  • We have 3 playgrounds.
  • We are located in Monroe, North Carolina in Union County.

We got our first postcard this week through the post card project.  It came from the Shetland Islands.  We were very excited to compare their playground to our playground.  It came from Burravoe Primary School.  Do you know where we  found the Shetland Islands?   We looked them up on google earth today.  Can you find them?

playground bridge 2013

  • Some of us bring lunch from home and some buy and eat lunch from our cafeteria.
  • We have math, literacy (reading, writing, word study) and science or social studies daily.   We have recess (outside time for 30 minutes) and lunch.  We go to specials for 40 minutes each day.
  • Some of us come to school by car and many by big yellow buses.  No one walks to school.
  • Monroe is a small town outside Charlotte, NC which is about 30 minutes away.  There are about 27,000 people we found out.    It has farms, the city streets and buildings and several other nearby small towns.  There are about 30 elementary schools in Union County.  We might see horses, cattle, sheep, goats, chickens on our way to school.   We see neighborhoods with many houses.  We see houses by themselves.

Visit the website for Monroe to learn more about where we are.

http://www.visitmonroenc.org/

 

 

 

New School Year Beginning Soon

As we approach a new school year my role has changed from teaching one classroom of 2nd grade students to teaching 39 classes.  I am the new Global Studies, 21st Century Skills teachers with students in kindergarten through fifth grade.   You will see our post change from one grade level to many.  Students begin school on August 26th so watch for new projects after that.  We hope to work with many different countries, schools and classes as our year gets going.

If you are interested in a project with us let me know.

Looking forward to working with some of you on projects.  We love to follow your blogs too and compare what we are learning with things you do.

Travel Brochures

We’d love to see what you would say about your region if you made a travel brochure.

 During the summer holidays in America we often travel to the beach, the mountains, national parks, big cities, small rural areas and some even travel to other countries on cruises or airplanes.  We see parades and fireworks on the Fourth of July, people have picnics, do water sports, hike, camp, swim, and spend time with family and friends.

 

  • If you could say five to ten things about your region what would you say to get people to visit and see how wonderful life is there?
  •  What should others make sure they see?  
  • Are there local foods, places to stay or things to do that would make your region the best place to travel?

We challenge you to make a comment on our site and tell us all the important things we should know before we travel.   We’d love to see some comments from all 50 states and from the 7 continents.   Can you help us out and participate during the next few weeks?

 

Continue Our Story…….

As school came to an end we were writing fairy tales and folk tales…. help us continue this story by adding to it.  Perhaps the sharks arrive, pirates take them aboard a ship,  they are washed out to sea to a deserted island or another adventure awaits them…..Perhaps they are sweep away to the Gold Coast, Saltburn by the Sea, Hilo, Spain, Jamaica or Italy……. What do you think will happen to the young travelers as they explore the ocean?

Once upon a time in the month of June there was two young boys who waited weeks to go to _____________ beach when  school was out. They packed their gear and climbed aboard a __________ to make the journey of  many miles and long hours with the excitement of a long awaited trip.  Chatter could be heard along with “Are we there yet?”  Arriving at the final destination they quickly got prepared for the trip down to the Atlantic Ocean.  They crossed sand dunes with long pieces of grass sticking up and big and small footprints could be seen in the deep, yellow-white sands.

When they walked a little further  the ocean waves called to them to” come  closer.”  So the two  eager young boys journeyed across the hot desert with a few stops along the way.  Others had journeyed there ahead of them and  screaming and laughter could be heard at every turn.  Someone had built a  a moat, another  built a castle with a drawbridge, others gathered shells in buckets and each time the two young travelers stopped to add more to the scene .   The others were all sizes from tiny infants to giants as tall as a building with their shadows looming over the small ones crawling, jumping, running around the castles.  Joyful laughing and the splashing of water was close by.  Some sat under big colorful umbrellas while others laid on colorful blankets scattered across the sands.  Water had gathered in the center of the desert and one small person lay on his belly kicking and laughing in the wet sand and water while other small ones continued to pile wet sand around the edges.   Soon the ocean was calling again and the  eager, young travelers set forth to continue on the journey across the hot sands.

Once they reached the edge of the sand, the giant waves crashed into the boys knocking them down………

2013 Global Educator Award

Recently I was surprised to have been nominated and then awarded the 2013 Global Educator Award by VIF.  As we were having our final party for the year they came in and presented the award (plaque, money for global resources and a paper weight globe) and asked the students what they had learned this year that was global.  The students talked about other cultures, people and places.  They talked about different languages, land forms, bodies of water, weather, currency and animals.   How important it was to be globally minded and what it means to them was also discussed.  I want to thank all of our blogging and skyping buddies from around the world.  We are able to learn and collaborate with you which makes this award possible.  Thank you for contributing to my success as a global educator!  School is out now so we will not be posting as much until August, 26th.

This is the press release from them.

Global Educator1 (200x113)Global educator2 (200x113)

Brenda Todd wins global education resources for Rocky River Elementary School


MONROE, N.C. (June 6, 2013) — VIF International Education is proud to announce that Brenda Todd, a second grade teacher at Rocky River Elementary School, has won the 2013 Global Educator Award. Todd will be honored as one of the top international education teachers in the state.
“I am a globally-minded educator and the children have learned a lot about the world during the past two and a half years,” said Todd. “I enjoy helping children learn and this award is just icing on the cake.”
Todd has been a teacher for more than 15 years and has been at Rocky River for six years. As a member of the Global Gateway program, Todd brings international education into her classroom on a daily basis – encouraging student achievement. Ongoing Global Gateway professional development courses and access to the Connections Resource Library™ helps Todd effectively integrate international content into her core instruction. Through the learning center, Todd works to understand and investigate the world, connect with others and integrate global content in the classroom.
Todd won the award based on her commitment to teaching second graders and promoting global awareness. Next year, Rocky River will have additional resources to support international education as a reward for Todd’s hard work and dedication.


“Todd is an inspiration for other teachers,” said David Young, CEO of VIF. “In order for students to succeed in the global economy, it is important for them to understand the importance of cultural perspective and how to collaborate with people from different countries.”
In its fourteenth year, Global Educator Awards recognize outstanding educators who demonstrate a dedication to inspiring students, colleagues and community members to understand the world’s languages, its cultures and the diverse perspectives of all people. VIF’s international education programs are turnkey, standards-aligned and accessible, and have demonstrated impact on student achievement across demographics.
The annual competition is open to all teachers participating in a VIF program such as Global Gateway professional development or Splash Language Immersion®. An awards panel selects the winning educators based on a letter of support from a supervisor or administrator, a short video or portfolio demonstrating how they made learning global and a brief essay.
“Parents see so many businesses are internationally connected,” Todd said. “Active learning and critical thinking will help their children get jobs and participate in their world.”
Other Global Educator award winners include Candace White of Glenwood Elementary School; Sharon McAdam of Clayton Middle School; Margareta Tripsa of Smithfield Elementary School; María Oroña Queijo of Marvin B. Smith Elementary School; and Nelsy Talero Aranguren of Ragsdale High School.


About VIF International Education
VIF International Education (www.vifprogram.com) builds global education programs that prepare students for success in an interconnected world. For more than 25 years, educators have leveraged VIF’s professional development and curriculum, language acquisition, and teacher exchange programs to generate engaging learning environments where students can excel in core curriculum as well as develop valuable 21st century skills. A certified B-Corp headquartered in Chapel Hill, N.C., VIF provides a pathway for teachers, schools and districts to become globally certified. “Like” VIF International Education on Facebook and follow @VIFprogram on Twitter.

We’ve Traveled Miles This School Year

As second grade ends we’ve realized that if we had really climbed on a plane  and flew off to see the world to learn about other places and cultures we would have traveled many miles.   Our year of global learning has taken us to Australia and New Zealand to learn about the aboriginal people and Maori culture, about holidays, animals, and numbers around the world.  We realized we’ve studied many of the same things  and learned new things too!  We’ve learned about Vietnam, Philippines, China, Japan, Russia, Italy, England, Ireland, Sweden,  Canada, Africa (through Tom’s adventures the middle east countries and  many African countries), and 7 South America/Central America countries for Hispanic Heritage Month .  We learned how to count in several languages to ten.  We learned how to say hello and goodbye.   We learned that children in other parts of the world  celebrate some of the same holidays and some different, they may wear different clothes, talk in a different languages, (even speaking the same language English we found it difficult to figure out some meanings of words used), eat different foods, have different homes and play different games but we all enjoy many of the same things and learn from each other.   We’ve taken field trips around England with a Room with a View.  We’ve seen the ocean in Australia as they have gone on adventures and overnight stays.  We learned about rain forest, deserts, mountains, oceans, island, barrier reefs, volcanoes and weather around the world.

  • What country looks like a boot?
  • What country has Big Ben?
  • Which countries are below the equator?  Which ones above the equator?
  • Where would you find the Great Barrier Reef?
  • Which country has the highest volcano?
  • Which country has the longest river?
  • What are archipelagos?  Where are they located?
  • Where are the Himalayan mountains?
  • Which of our blogging buddies is going on a micro-adventure and what are they doing?
  • Where do people take their shoes off and set on the floor?
  • Where do  you find the Maori culture?
  • Where do you find a Red kangaroo?
  • Where do you find a kimono worn?
  • Which countries are bordered by two or more oceans?

We hope to continue our global learning in the future and visit more places.

Tom reaches Cape Town

Tom has traveled through Sudan.  He has traveled along the Nile River.  Tom makes a friend in a village and accepts the companionship offered from his family.  He finds new foods to try and experiences new cultures.   He followed the Blue Nile to Lake Tano in Ethiopia where he takes a swim and washes his clothes that are so dirty from weeks of travel.

We were so excited when Tom gets to South Africa.  He travels a long way through South Africa before he reaches Cape Town and the ocean.  Do you know which ocean he saw?South Africa Once again he meets a lady guard that tells him how dangerous Africa is.   Tom disagrees with what she said and laughs .  She hasn’t had anyone laugh at here before and she feels she is an important person.  Tom thinks she should meet the first guard that told him how dangerous Africa is and thinks they will get along good.  Tom feels good about his efforts and thinks about all the great adventures and people he meant along the way.   Tom learned a lot about other people and their cultures and their perspectives about things.  Tom made many friends along the way.

 

Tom accomplished some of the journey he wished to but has many more miles to go in order to ride his bike around the world.  How will he get from Africa to  his next adventure  through South America?  We’d love to know but we aren’t sure the next book has been published yet.

boy who biked the world

We would like to recommend this book to you.  We enjoyed hearing it every day and couldn’t wait to hear more about his adventures.  It was like we went along for the ride too!

We wonder if he will see the Amazon River, the Amazon Rain Forest, the mountains, the beaches, and the amazing animals in South America.  What about Colombia and the people there? Will he find new friends and new foods he likes.   Will he go to Peru or Brazil?  Will he see this site?machu (275x183)

Where is it and what is it called?  Will he see Mexico?  Some of our friends come from there.

  • If you could write the next part of Tom’s journey what would it be?
  •   What dangerous would he encounter?  
  • What would be the best part of his journey?
  • Where should he go while in South America and Central America?

Tom’s Adventure Continues

Tom continues to travel into Africa.  He travels through Egypt and sees the pyramids and other sites.  He travels down the Nile River and sees the Suez Canal like a river through the desert.  It’s so narrow and long.   He gets near a border and sees a border patrol on one side and another on the other side.  They don’t talk to each other.  Tom is learning about what he needs to survive his ride through the desert.  Tom speaks with the one on the Egypt side for a while.  He gives Tom advice about going into Sudan.  Then Tom crosses over and speaks to the guard on the Sudan side.  He also tells Tom some things about traveling.   Tom ends up helping both see a different perspective about each other.

  •  What do you think he could do to change their behavior?
  •  Why do you think 2 people would stand near each other day after day year after year and not talk?  Do you think it would be difficult?

What adventures wait Tom through Sudan and the rest of Africa?  Stay tuned as we read more next week!!  We can’t wait to find out if he makes it and what he learns along the way.

The Boy Who Biked the World

We have been busy exploring countries so as we begin our new read aloud we are tracking Tom’s adventures on his bicycle through Europe and into Africa.   Last year A Room with a View sent us this book and we all read it.  With a new group of students I wanted to share Tom’s adventures and challenges with the new group of students before the school year ends.  Our school year ends for the students on June 10th.

  • What are the challenges he faces?  
  • What adventure do you think an explorer should see in Europe or in Africa?
  • What would be the most interesting country in Europe to visit and why?
  • What animals might we encounter on our trip through Europe and/or Africa?
  •  Where would your journey take you if you could take off anywhere you wanted?
  • What do you think the biggest challenges are for any traveler no matter where they are?
  • Tell us about a site to visit in your country and a food to try while visiting!!

We’d love to hear from every continent so if you read this please respond to our post with a comment.  Since we are exploring the world we’d love to see a comment from as many different places as possible.

Vietnam Next Stop

 

 

Introducing the second graders of Rocky River to my birthplace was a fun task.  Opening up with a video, of my own cousin speaking Vietnamese, that introduced me and asked them if they were ready to journey with me to Vietnam.  Then proceeding to show them what the countryside looked like, through a short video that highlighted the beauty of Vietnam.

 

Getting into the meat of the presentation, I was able to introduce the kids to the basics of Vietnam, the facts about the geography and standard details (population, capital, language, products that they exported …) then went on to talk about some more interesting facts, like the rare animals that live in Vietnam and of course, one of my favorite things about Vietnam, the food!  It was neat when I had a child recognize the spring rolls they saw upon the screen! The kids also got to see an Ao Dai, the traditional costume that the women of Vietnam wore for special events. After discussing some of the foods and the costume/dress, I went on to talk about some famous Vietnamese people and loved it when the kids recognized the Yellow Power Ranger, Trini!

 

I think one of the highlights was when the kids got to watch a video of the Mid-Autumn Festival, simply because it is a festival that revolves around the children.  Lots of interesting sights to see in the form of the lanterns, food, parading and the dragon dances!  Another thing that the kids found interesting was the comparison on the school days between us and the children in Vietnam!

 

In closing, the kids got to watch another short video that showed more sights from all around the different parts of Vietnam and then I did a “drawing” and presented three lucky kids with special prizes … one even got a Moon Cake!