Massive Music Monday

True Colours

Kindergarten Play Day

Last Friday our grade 8's developed and facilitated a variety of activities for our Kindergarten friends. Job well done guys!

Crazy Hair Day

Is this crazy enough?

Lamb to the Slaughter

                                                 


Imagine that Mary Maloney has been apprehended and put on trial for what she has done to her husband. You are going to assume the role of defense attorney for the accused murderer.  
Pay close attention to details in the story because your job is to prove that Mary is not guilty by reason of insanity. 

You will write the closing argument for Mary Maloney's defense. You will need to gather at least three quotes from the story that prove your client was of a diminished mental capacity at the time of the crime and is no longer in that state, in order to avoid prison time.

The closing argument easily lends itself to the standard five paragraph persuasive essay. You should begin your piece with an introduction to your plea of temporary insanity followed by a paragraph for each of their three quotes, along with an explanation of how each relates to Mrs. Maloney’s plea for temporary insanity. The concluding paragraph can summarize points and convince the judge/jury that their client should not go to prison for this crime. 

A Most Nutritious Election

You will assume the role of a talking fruit or vegetable. Pretending that there's a "Fruit/Vegetable of the Year" election, you will create a campaign speech that explains why your fruit/veggie is the best candidate for the job. Speeches need to be filled with actual facts about the benefits of eating your fruit/vegetable.

What if vegetables and fruits could talk? What if there was a "Fruit/Vegetable of the Year" Election every year? What would fruits and vegetables say if they wanted to be elected.

Choose Charlie Cherry by Rebekah, third grader Hi, I’m Charlie Cherry, but you can call me Bing. I’m so tasty. Other fruits have only one taste, but not me. I can be sweet and juicy, or I can surprise you and be sour, so sour I can make your face go like this. I am very healthy to eat, and I can make your heart stronger and help make the pain in your bones go away. But don’t eat too many of me or you will get a tummy ache. I grow on a tree, and it’s fun to pick me. You know I’m ready when I am dark red. Check me first because the birds like me too, and they might have already taken a bite out of me. Ouch! When you eat me, watch out for my pit or—in other words—my seed. If you swallow it, you could choke. I bet you want to know why I’m the best. It’s not because I’m tasty or healthy. It’s because you’ll always see me in a Shirley Temple. That’s why I deserve your vote!

An Approved Message by Allie, third grader Hi, I'm Belle the Blueberry. Let me tell you why I deserve your vote. I can do all sorts of things. I can improve your vision and make your blood flow better. I am a great source of antioxidants, which protects you from disease. I can help you have a better memory too. I can even help you stay fit with fiber, potassium, iron and vitamin C. The health magazine has named me one of the 50 "Super Foods!" I come from the berry group. I taste sweet, refreshing, and berry-licious. I'm small and round, midnight blue, and I'm also shaped like a full moon. So remember, on voting day, a vote for me is a vote for a healthier life. I'm Belle the Blueberry, and I approve this message.

Site and Situation

The study of settlement patterns is one of the most important aspects of urban geography. Settlements can range in size from a small village with a few hundred residents to a metropolitan city of over one million people. Geographers often study the reasons behind why such cities develop where they do and what factors lead to their becoming a large city over time or remaining as a small village.

Some of the reasons behind these patterns are thought of in terms of the area's site and its situation - two of the most important concepts in the study of urban geography.

Site

The site is the actual location of a settlement on the earth and is composed of the physical characteristics of the landscape specific to the area. Site factors include things like landforms (i.e. is the area protected by mountains or is there a natural harbor present?), climate, vegetation types, availability of water, soil quality, minerals, and even wildlife.

Historically, these factors led to the development of major cities worldwide. New York City, for example, is located where it is because of several site factors. As people arrived in North America from Europe, they began to settle in this area because it was a coastal location with a natural harbor. There was also an abundance of fresh water in the nearby Hudson River and small creeks as well as raw materials for building supplies. In addition, the nearby Appalachian and Catskill Mountains provided a barrier to movement inland.

The site of an area can also create challenges for its population and the small Himalayan nation of Bhutan is a good example of this. Located within the world's highest mountain range, the terrain of the country is extremely rugged and hard to get around. This, combined with the incredibly harsh climate in many areas of the country has made much of the population settle along rivers in the highlands just south of the Himalayas. In addition, only 2% of the land in the nation is arable (with much of it located in the highlands) making living in the country highly challenging.

Situation

Situation is defined as the location of a place relative to its surroundings and other places. Factors included in an area's situation include the accessibility of the location, the extent of a place's connections with another, and how close an area may be to raw materials if they are not located specifically on the site.

Though its site has made living in the nation challenging, Bhutan's situation has allowed it to maintain its policies of isolation as well as its own highly separated and traditionally religious culture.

Because of its remote location in the Himalayas getting into the country is challenging and historically this has been beneficial because the mountains have been a form of protection. As such, the heartland of the nation has never been invaded. In addition, Bhutan now controls many of the most strategic mountain passes in the Himalayas including the only ones into and out of its territory, leading to its title as the "Mountain Fortress of the Gods."

Like an area's site however, its situation can also cause problems. For example Canada's Eastern Provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island are some of that country's most economically downtrodden areas due in large part to their situations. These areas are isolated from the rest of Canada making manufacturing and the little agriculture possible too expensive. In addition, there are very few close natural resources (many are off the coast and due to maritime laws the government of Canada itself controls the resources) and many of the traditional fishing economies they did have are now crashing along with the fish populations.

The Importance of Site and Situation in Today's Cities

As shown in the examples of New York City, Bhutan, and Canada's East coast, an area's site and situation play a significant role in its development both within its own boundaries and on a world stage. This has occurred throughout history and is part of the reason why places like London, Tokyo, New York City, and Los Angeles were able to grow into the prosperous cities that they are today.

As nations around the world continue to develop, their sites and situations will play a large role in whether or not they will be successful and though today's ease of transportation and new technologies such as the Internet are bringing nations closer together, the physical landscape of an area as well as its location in relation to its desired market will still play a large role in whether or not such areas will grow to become the next great world city.

***Taken from ABOUT.COM