It’s April 26. 
What’s shaking?  Today is “National Richter Scale Day.”  Whose fault is this holiday?

Trivial Fact of the Day:  In 1960, the strongest earthquake ever recorded, at 9.5 magnitude, occurred off the coast of Chile.

Interesting Quote of the Day:  “You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake.”  --Jeannette Rankin (First female elected to the United States Congress…in 1916)

Vocabulary Word of the Day:  dynamic (adjective) – describe a person, place, or thing that is constantly changing with this adjective.  Could you argue that earth’s tectonic plates are dynamic, or do they move too slow in your opinion?

Totally Terrific Tuesday!!!

We are going to start with our presentation walk. Then continue our Africa unit with resources of Africa. We will use our textbook for this, so grab one after reading this blog. 

It’s April 25. 
Today is “World Penguin Day.”  Waddle you do to celebrate these short-legged, flightless birds today? 

Trivial Fact of the Day:   The largest species of penguins—the emperor penguin—can weigh up to 90 pounds.  The smallest—the fairy penguin—weighs only 2 pounds!

Interesting Quote of the Day:  “Life is a zoo in a jungle.”  --Peter De Vries  (American writer)
Vocabulary Word of the Day:  denigrate (verb) – this action word means to belittle or talk down someone else’s opinion of something. How could you directly denigrate a penguin, or how could you denigrate a person who does not think highly of penguins?

Mustang Monday!!!

Today ,we are going to begin our study of Africa. We are going to color a map of Africa and choose a physical feature to present.

It’s April 18. 
“Fore!”  Today is “National Golf Day.”  Are you teed up to celebrate?

Trivial Fact of the Day:   Teed up?  An acre of cotton plants yields enough material to make 1200 t-shirts! 

Interesting Quote of the Day:  Tea-d up?  “A woman is like a tea bag – you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.”  --Eleanor Roosevelt (former First Lady of the United States)
Vocabulary Word of the Day:  Tear-ed up?  catharsis (noun) – a catharsis is the human process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong emotions that have built up.  Aristotle taught that good dramatic plays should bring out a catharsis in people.  Has a movie or play ever made you cry?

Mustang Monday!!

Today, we are going to start our project presentations. I can't wait to see the finished products! Don't forget: Wednesday is our capitals and states quiz. There is a quizlet on my Moodle page.

It’s April 15. 
Today is National “Take a Wild Guess Day.”  Do you have a hunch, speculation**, or an intuitive sense of how this day became a holiday?

Trivial Fact of the Day: Celery has negative calories! It takes more calories to chew and digest a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with.

Interesting Quote of the Day:  “Celery, raw/ Develops the jaw,/ But celery, stewed,/ Is more quietly chewed.” --Ogden Nash (American poet)
**Vocabulary Word of the Day:  speculate (verb) – this action word can mean two things: to reflect deeply on a subject or to make a guess based on reasoning but not necessarily solid evidence.  Did you speculate about anything yesterday?

Fantastic Friday!!!

Today all projects will be completed by the end of class and everyone will be ready to present on Monday and Tuesday. Don't forget the states and capitals quiz next Wednesday. Have a great weekend!

 

 

It’s April 14. 
Today is “Dictionary Day.”  Don’t believe me?  Look it up! 
How might you exalt** the existence of this resource book?

Trivial Fact of the Day: Noah Webster, born in 1758, began writing his dictionary at the age of 43. It took him 27 years, and the first edition defined 70,000 words.  Modern editions of Webster’s contain definitions for over 225,000 words. 

Interesting Quote of the Day:  “The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.”  --Vince Lombardi (American football coach)
**Vocabulary Word of the Day:  exalt (verb) – use this action word when you want to praise or glorify someone or something.  What person, place, or thing might you exalt in your writer’s notebook?

Terrific Thursday!!!!

Continue working on projects!

It’s April 12. 
Today is “National Licorice Day.”  Do you prefer black or red licorice?

Trivial Fact of the Day:   Licorice is actually a plant that has been used medicinally for centuries, especially in China.  U.S. licorice candy is actually made from the oil of the anise plant, containing no licorice in it whatsoever.

Interesting Quote of the Day:  “Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.”  --Luther Burbank (American botanist)
Vocabulary Word of the Day:  aversion (noun) – use this noun when you want a word that means a particular dislike for something.  Is their a type or flavor of candy that you have an aversion for?  Is there a type of weather? A school subject?

Projects!!!!

It’s April 11. 
Today is “National Barbershop Quartet Day.”  In a quartet, would you sing as lead, tenor,  baritone, bass…or just badly?

Trivial Fact of the Day:   A normal human has four vocal chords, but only two of them actually work; we all have two “false vocal chords.”  These noisy animals don’t have any vocal chords: dolphins, whales, condors, storks, and cicadas.

Interesting Quote of the Day:  “The only thing better than singing is more singing.”  --Ella Fitzgerald (American jazz singer)
Vocabulary Word of the Day:  a capella (adverb) – this Italian phrase is used in English to describe singing that is done without instrumental accompaniment.  Where is your favorite place to sing a capella?

Marvelous Monday Mustangs!!

Today we are going to begin our Amazing Race Project. Sit in groups of 5. Be sure to pick your groups carefully. You don't want your grade to suffer because of bad choices. Get 2 books per table.

It’s April 8. 
Today is “Buddha Day.”  He taught his followers to never be ignorant, hateful or angry.  Of those three, which is most important and why?

Trivial Fact of the Day:   Sadly, Buddha’s death—at age 80—was triggered by food poisoning, which he caught from eating a wild mushroom.

Interesting Quote of the Day:  “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.”  --Gautama Buddha (teacher and founder of Buddhism)
Vocabulary Word of the Day:  probity (noun) – if you possess this noun, you show the world a lot of sound morals, good virtues, or solid integrity.  Who do you know who has the most probity?

Fantabulous Friday!!!

Today, we are going to take our Unit 5 Test. Read your own book when finished.

 

It’s April 6. 
Today is “Tartan Day,” celebrating Scottish heritage.  What’s something interesting you already know about Scotland?

Trivial Fact of the Day:   Because some actors consider it bad luck to say the word “Macbeth” out loud, when they perform in this famous Shakespearean tragedy, they refer to it as “The Scottish Play” to avoid saying “Macbeth.”

Interesting Quote of the Day:  “The most successful men in the end are those whose success is the result of steady accretion**.”  --Alexander Graham Bell (Scottish-born/American inventor)

**Vocabulary Word of the Day:  accretion (noun) – this noun is a fancy word that stands for a type of growth (mental or physical) that happens slowly over a lengthy period of time.  What should and shouldn’t be grown/acquired through accretion?

Wonderful Wednesday Mustangs!!

Today, we are going to finish reading Chapter 25 Lesson 3. Then test your knowledge and take a quiz over all of Chapter 25 (using your book!!)Next, a quick look at Australia. 

It’s April 5. 
Today is “National Deep Dish Pizza Day.”  What thin foods still need to have a ‘deep dish’ version invented?  Deep dish tortillas?  Or…?

Trivial Fact of the Day:   Crater Lake is the deepest lake the United States at 1,949 feet.  The deepest lake in the world is Lake Baikal in Russia at 5,369 feet.

Interesting Quote of the Day:  “It’s a shallow life that doesn’t give a person a few scars.”  --Garrison Keillor (American author and humorist)

Vocabulary Word of the Day:  profound (adjective) – use this modifier to describe a thought or idea that has great depth to it.  Shallow ideas are insipid.  Deep ideas are profound.  Which type of ideas do you have more often on a regular school day?

Terrific Tuesday!!

Today we are going to study for our vocabulary quiz (Thursday) and complete test review questions. Then read Ch 25 Lesson 3.