This week we received yet another package in our box. Anticipation of where it came from and what was in it could be hear around the room.
As we gathered around to find out the answers we noticed it was addressed to Mrs. Todd and the Roadrunners. The return address was Upper Plenty 3/4 C and Miss Crowther’s in Australia so that was one question answered. Now to find out what was inside. As Reese pulled open the package tab and Kaylie looked inside and pulled out the contents we found the answer to our second question.
Inside we found two cards wishing us a Merry Christmas and the students in 3/4 C Upper Plenty, Victoria, Australia had signed them. Then there was a wrapped package that was flat and square wrapped with red Christmas paper. Kaylie opened it and inside was a book and CD with Aussie Christmas songs. We found out they were different from our songs.
Although it arrived in America after our holiday it was a nice surprise for the first of the year. We wanted to listen and sing along. Thank you, Upper Plenty for sharing with us!
We hear that it was very hot there this week. While you were baking in the sun we had temperatures in the early morning in the high 20’s low 30’s F. And daytime temps around 50 degrees F. Do you know what that is in Celsius?
Students have been busy talking with their parents and finding out about their ancestors. We are finding we come from many countries. We watched a video about gestures (hand shakes, heads moving) and their meanings from around the world. We learned a song about saying hello around the world. We discussed why it’s important to understand different cultures.
Do you know where your ancestors came from? Did they need to travel a long way from their country of origin to come to America?
Our second sister school Pt Lonsdale Primary School, Victoria, Australia What have they been up to…. they had family blogging month in June to get families and friends involved in their blogging. Before term was over they picked winners for the month. We thought this was such a great way to get our families more involved that we’d like to encourage all of you to make comments and get involved with our GoingGlobal blog site.
They’ve also been learning more about Australia in order to teach us about Australia. We can’t wait to see what they are putting together for us. We loved learning about other people, places and cultures. We can read in books and on the internet but it becomes more special to us when we learn about places with other students and teachers. Ms. Murphy and her students have taught us a lot of things because we enjoy visiting their class blog site. Take some time to see what is happening with the Learning Legends in Australia. Be sure and check out their mystery skype. As they are on a different schedule be sure and continue to check out their site. Their school is in session at times when we aren’t.
What is one thing you learned from their blog site?
What was the most interesting post and why?
Do you think school there is like Rocky River?
Locate them on a map and see if they are in the outback or near the ocean. Where are they located at in Australia?
You’ve been around the globe lately and once again you are put in a box to fly off to England. Mrs. Todd took you home to enjoy a nap before your journey began on Saturday. The weather was a perfect spring day so you loved the sunshine. You were put in a box that say Flat rate.
Mrs. Todd had to tell the man at Parcel Plus what was in the box with you. She put in a surprise or two but we can’t tell you what it is! She had to write the address down then he typed it and put it on the box so it would go back to North Yorkshire, England. She filled the box full so hopefully you aren’t to smashed.
You are on your way home after weeks in America. You’ve had many adventures around Monroe while here. Baseball games, soccer games, theme parks, the beach, malls (large shopping areas), out to eat and games at home. There were rainy days that remind you of home and sunny warm days too. There were thunder storms too.
Some things we’ve done with you at school is our final assessments in math, reading and writing , doing final projects, reading one last book and signing autograph /year books. We went to lunch and you got to meet our new friends from New Zealand the Snail and the Whale.
The last few days you helped draw flags for 73 countries. We had field day and recess and you cheered us on as we had fun. We learned how children in different parts of the world all play a form of hopscotch. You got to meet our Flat Friends as they returned home to Rocky River. You got to taste Tin Tams and Vegemite from Australia. You got to help clean and pack up the room.
We had an indoor picnic lunch the last day of school. You got to see us climb on the big yellow buses to head home for the summer. Some of us went by car or van. You got to have blue crushed ice and ice cream sundaes and watch a movie about the coral reef. You also got to see Sleeping Beauty and Snow White to celebrate our Fairy Tale unit. You got to help us with Reader’s Theater. You got to see us get our awards for World Education games and reading and math awards. We had three students come to school all 180 days- James, Elliott and Nicolas was here every day. Elliott has been in school every day for three years. Congratulations to these boys. You got to learn about the Queen’s diamond jubilee and we looked at the Olympics in ancient and modern times. You should arrive home in time for the real Olympics.
This year we worked on being a part of a global world in our 2nd grade class room at Rocky River Elementary in Monroe, North Carolina. We are 7 and 8 year olds that loved to explore and be curious about the world.
We blogged and Skyped with others around the world.
We made connections.
We had fun.
We learned about other people and places.
We collaborated.
We communicated.
We were creative thinkers, problem solvers and users of web 2.0 tools.
We created Global notebooks to track our learning about the world.
We became more aware of maps and locations of countries around the globe.
We tracked visitors to our blog site.
We loved doing this each day and seeing how far away we were from goals we set.
Our average this month is 30 with 23 in the past 24 hours.
We decided to try and draw the flags from the 73 countries that visited.
With a piece of paper, ruler , pencil and crayons we created these flags to honor our visitors and to say THANK YOU for visiting. We learned a lot from many of you about your country.
We have been studying fairy tales, myths , and legends and recently we had the opportunity to hear about a legend from some very enthusiastic third graders in Arizona.
What is a legend-–A legend is usually based on a true event in the past. However, the story may have changed over time to take on some special mystical feature.
Legends usually have a real hero at the center of the story and they are often set in fantastic places. The story will have been passed on from person to person, sometimes over a very long period of time. The fact that so many people have taken the trouble to keep the story alive, usually tells you that it has some very important meaning for the culture or region in which the story was first told.
Sometimes things get changed over time with each retelling of the story. We did a little research today and found some different versions of the story but we really like the one that the kids shared with us.
We recently skyped with our new friends in Arizona at Peralta Elementary School. We eagerly listened as the tale unfolded.
They did a wonderful skit telling us about Superstition Mountain and the Legend of the Lost Dutchman. They had made some really cool pictures of miners , gold and a skelton. T he legend of the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine centers around the Superstition Mountains. According to the legend, a German immigrant named Jacob Walzer discovered a mother lode.
Near the school is the Superstition Mountains. This mountains are full of mystery and the legend of the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine.
People have died on Superstition Mountain. There was a lady that was 65 years old hiking and she fell 50 feet and she died. There was a plane crash that killed some children from their school. Why did the Indians fear the mountain?
The first person to get gold was Don Miguel a very rich man from a wealthy family. In 1845 he went home to get supplies and made the Apache angry so they attacked and killed over 400 men. Others came after him trying to locate the lost mine. Some had maps but many died trying to find the mine. Jacob was said to have located the mine. Then the maps were lost and everyone thought the mine was too. Did it exist?
The Superstition Mountain gets it’s name because so many people die there and it’s like a mystery. The Indians thought it was a place of death. They don’t know if it’s a ghost or just a mystery with humans.
In 1910 they found 10 golden nuggets.
We also learned about some animals found in the Sonora Desert. We also learned about Saguaro Cactus, the state flower of Arizona and how the cactus wren lives in the top of it.
Animals in the Sonoran Desert include:
They have lizards. There was one that spit out blood from it’s eyes. If it squirts them in the eyes they will be blind forever. They have the Gila Monster. If it gets on you it will not let you go. It will poison you and you can died from it.
The state bird is a cactus wren. They have real roadrunners there. He runs really fast. They have mountain lions that come looking for water. They have bobcats and panthers. They have skunk. There is quail. And rattlesnakes too. They have lots of birds. Some of the animals are the same in North Carolina like the cardinal , skunk, bobcat and rattlesnake.
It can get to 122 degrees in summer. It gets very hot.
It can get as cold as in the 30’s.
They once had a lockdown because the mountain lion was trying to find water.
Where is this mysterious place…….
It is close to Mexico. It’s next to California. It’s in the hottest desert in the USA.
It’s Arizona.
We heard a legend from Australia called the Three Sisters Blue Mountains. North Carolina has Blackbeard the Pirate, the Brown Mountain Lights and many others. Do you have a favorite legend?
Here is a link for some North Carolina legends and ghost stories.
Our Flat Friends from Sydney, Australia have taken off back to Victoria, Australia. We had such a blast playing with them and learning with them. We took them by the cafeteria to work for a while and by the computer lab. We went by guidance one of our last days. We spent time saying goodbye and writing final thoughts of the adventures. We wanted to keep them all summer for more adventures but finally decided to do our last post and the next thing we knew they had taken off for their flight.
Final Goodbyes to Flat Friends on PhotoPeach
Sadly we have to report that one of them decided he’d stay longer in the United States. We couldn’t find Andy anywhere but John and his family will continue to hope he shows up. We’ve read a lot about people immigrating to the United States over the years so perhaps young Andy decided he should to. We know we have people who came to live in the United States from places like Scotland, England, Ireland, Spain, France, Canada and Russia. We have a lot of classmates from Mexico, Peru, Colombia and other South and Central America countries and also China, Philippines and Vietnam. They’ve come here to visit and then some came to make this their home. That’s why we are so diverse. Perhaps he is like our Visiting International Teacher and came to work for a year or two. People have settled in different parts of the United States from South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Some people have traveled here for educational reasons. Most of our Flat Friends were ready to travel again.
In our Social Studies we study how people came here on the Mayflower and we’ve read about immigration and people coming to Ellis Island. We know some came for religious purposes and some to have a better life. We know some came for work. They settled near water for transportation purposes in olden days. Materials and people traveled by boats, carriages, trains and horses. People moved to the west and spread out. Modern transportation includes cars and airplanes so travel has become faster. Cities grew and more and more people came and today people move about a lot. The United States spread out and became 50 states. People continue to move from place to place for different reasons.
Do you think we are a “melting pot”? We read we were. What do you think that might mean?
Goodbye Flat Friends– Hope your travels are safe and fun.
Students learned about the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru (Ayers Rock) during the study of physical features of Australia and drew some pictures to share.
They also worked on animals posters. Then they taught children at New Town in Monroe, NC all about these during a Skype session.
What do second graders from Rocky River and New Town two schools in Union County, NC learn when they get together for a Skype session ? They teach each other about places miles and continents away that they are learning about this year. The students at Rocky River have been learning about Australia so they answered questions about animals, food, schools, sports and landmarks. They shared pictures and a song about a Kookaburra under a gum tree with New Town students. They shared about the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru/Ayers Rock and the Outback. The students had drawn pictures of Kangaroos, dingoes, wombats and koalas to share. Ms. Lologa asked about the special package that had arrived from Australia. We were surprised they knew about our Flat Selves arriving from Sydney. She mentioned they had looked at our Going Global blog site right before the skype. We were excited they had been one of our visitors. The second grade classes from New Town had several questions and shared a song and dance with us. Their teacher, Ms. Lologa, from New Zealand is a VIF teacher in Union County. There were two classes participating from New Town. Although our connection was not the best we still enjoyed sharing with them.
Ms. Lologa answered questions about New Zealand. Students counted in Maori for us. We hope to Skype again and have some more time to ask questions about New Zealand. Students asked about schools and volcanoes. They heard about landforms and sports like cricket and rugby.
When the Skype session ended one of the students mentioned he even saw a friend. Connections new and old being made all in a short time.
Flat Stanley is heading for Australia in our collaborative project with several schools around the globe. We wonder what adventures he will find while there. We’ve been reading a book about Flat Stanley in Australia. We wonder if he will have some of the same adventures. We wonder if he’ll get to visit with a kangaroo, a koala or a dingo. Will he get to walk on the Sydney Bridge or see the Sydney Opera House? We’re seen pictures of both of these. Wonder if he go to the outback, the Great Barrier Reef or see the Gold Coast? Where will our flat friends arrive and what will they see? There will be 19 little flat friends traveling together to Curl Curl School in Australia. We hope they will arrive safely and meet some other friends from A Room with a View. We skyped with them last week and saw their post today so we know they are also on their way to have adventures in Australia. We are looking forward to receiving some flat friends to take on adventures here in Monroe, North Carolina. Miss Migan’s class will host our flat people and share adventures with them. Wonder what they will see and learn about on their journeys? We hope they have an amazing journey into the unknown. Be aware, that the wind is dangerous for Flat people! Hold on tight to them if it’s windy.
This is our first year ever to participate in the World Education Games. At first we were a little nervous because we are in second grade. Some of us answered questions in the 4-7 age group and some of us had to do the 8-10 age group. We’ve been busy practicing spelling, math and science the past few weeks. Now it’s time to show what we can do for the games. We are excited and love to see who we will compete against. They come from all around the world. The science questions were hard we discovered and we answered 731 during the warm-up. We only did science one week because of difficulty getting on. For the warm-up time in spelling we answered over 15,152 questions. And in math 11, 726 questions. It’s been a lot of fun just practicing.
All of us have adventures to follow. Some are small and some are grand.
Will we accomplish our dreams of adventures?
Some of us will and some of us will have things that change our future and what we wish to do in life.
Who will reach for the stars and think all things are possible?
Will it be you?
Angel- I would like to get a scholarship and go to college. I want to be a policeman.
Sebastian- I would like to be a game designer. I would like to create video games and I want to work at McDonald’s. I want to be an astronaut and study the moon and come back and write a book about the month.
Allison- I would like to go to Europe to see people celebrate holidays and try some food from there. I want to go to college to be a doctor.
Sophia- I want to go to England to see Mrs. Monaghan. I want to visit Italy to see where my dad’s family came from.
James- I would like to see the Great Wall in China. I would like to learn to speak Chinese.
Nicolas- I want to go to Italy. I want to try the food there.
David- I want to travel to all countries so I can learn all the languages and try all the kinds of food. I want to be a scientist. I want to learn about coins and plants and animals around the world. I want to learn more about people’s cultures and diversity.
John- I want to save all my monies so I can give my family money if they are broke.
Liana- I want to be good at college. I want to be a veterinarian.
Gabi- I want to go to Monroe High School so I can be a soccer coach and be in a parade.
Jaidyn- I want to fly to New York and see traffic and see famous people. I want to go to college and get a job and work at Wendy’s. I want to own a Wendy’s restaurant.
Oscar– I would like to visit Spain and Brazil and be a famous soccer player and see all the animals and sample all the foods.
Brittany- I want to go to India. I want to speak their language. And try new foods in India. I want to see elephants and all animals in India.
Nikita- I would like to go to Egypt and see the mummies and pyramids. I would like to go to New Zealand and see the mountains and snow on top. I want to go to college and be a solider. I want to get better grades and work on my behavior to be on golden ticket every day.
Bryan- I would like to be a pilot or a fire fighter.
Elliott- I would like to go to Australia to see mountains and to see the coast.
Monzerrat- I would like to go to Hawaii. I want to taste food there and I think it’s really rich there.
Will- I want to be a pilot. I want to go to Alaska and go fishing. I want to party.
Katilyn- I want to see other parts of the world when I grow up and see different kinds of people. I want to taste other foods and I think they might taste different from different parts of the world. I really want to try everything in all the places I visit and try to do what they are doing.
