Tonight at sunset, Hanukkah begins. Besides the fact that it can be spelled several different ways, what do you really know about Hanukkah? Is it the Jewish version of Christmas? Probably not! Is it eight nights of presents like Adam Sandler sings about? Or is it something more?
So, how much do you know about Hanukkah? This website is very helpful and filled with information about Hanukkah. Read it and you might learn some things about Hanukkah. Your assignment is to research the site, learn two facts about Hanukkah and present them in your reply. Your reply needs to be a paragraph with at least three sentences in it.
Thursday is Thanksgiving. The history of Thanksgiving goes back to the days of the Pilgrims, so in many ways it is truly an American holiday. Read about Thanksgiving history in the link.
With a four day weekend coming up, I am sure that you will have many opportunities to do many of the things that make you happy, in addition to visiting friends, family and of course hopefully enjoying some good food.
Now for your assignment, share with your classmates three items. In your post, list some things that you are thankful for. Name one fact that you learned from your reading. What plans do you have for Thanksgiving and the rest of the weekend?
Enjoy the video. Finally, be safe and enjoy your time off. .
Fifty years ago today, on a Friday, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.
Watch both videos only after reading this link. Yes, I want you to read the entire article. This is probably the best source of information about the assassination. You will learn the events that transpired, conspiracy theories and some of the impacts of the event. After you read the website, then watch the videos. I will warn you up front, some of you may find the second video a little disturbing.
The Kennedy assassination is probably the defining moment of my generation. The impact of it, I believe is many ways still being felt today. I have no doubt that it changed American and world history and not for the better. Sadly, to many people think this event has no or very little significance. How many of your classes, or other activities you participate in today will even acknowledge it? I had the opportunity to visit his gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery this summer. It is a very moving place to visit. The crowds are quiet, respectful and take their time to pay their respects to President Kennedy.
Note to fourth block: we will observe a moment of silence at 2 pm today in honor of President Kennedy. Now for your assignment. After you have read the website, maybe checked out some of the links and viewed the videos, post your feelings. How does this impact you? Do you feel differently about it after doing this assignment?
What if you knew when you were going to die? What would you want your final act and conversation to be? Meet San Diego police officer Jeremy Henwood. Not only was he a highly respected police officer, he was a highly decorated Marine veteran who had served several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. As you watch the video you will find out that he had just walked into a McDonald's and was ordering food when a child asked him for some change to buy cookies. Officer Henwood purchased the cookies for him. Minutes later he was gunned down in a cold blooded shooting. So his final interaction with a human being was to show kindness to a child.
Think for a few moments. How heroic and compassionate is that? So, what would you want your final act to be? In your post, tell us your reactions to the story and what you think of his final act. Would you have reacted differently to the child? What has happened to the child since the shooting over two years ago?
It has been said that the three most written about events in American history are the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1863), the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln (April 1865) and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy (November 1963). President Lincoln's Gettysburg address of November 1863 ties the first two events together and is our blog subject today. We will look at President Kennedy's assassination on Friday. The web site will give you the background on the speech. It also has the text of the speech.
Here are some things to think about as you do your research and read the text. Entertainment 150 years ago was much different from today. There were no movies, computers, television, radio or major sports. For entertainment people went to hear orators (Speakers) like Edward Everett. It was expected that they would speak for hours on end. Mr. Everett's speech that day lasted over two hours. President Lincoln's speech lasted a little over two minutes. Unfortunately there were no audio or video recorders to capture the speech. Of course the Gettysburg address lives on today. Mr. Everett's speech is forgotten. After you have read the speech, watched the video and checked out the site, tell us what you think of this speech which is considered to be one of the most important presidential speeches in American history.
Many of us like doughnuts. But how far would you go to get a discount on them? Meet Chuck Barry. It seems that Mr. Barry used some creative techniques to get a discount on doughnuts recently. Read the news article and watch the video embedded in the article. How low is it to use your deceased father's id to get cheap doughnuts?
Read the article and watch the video. What do you think of his actions? Should he have been arrested or just given a warning?
I have been at a loss for good blog topics this week. So I have gone back to one of my favorites. Have you heard "The Mom Song" by comedienne Anita Renfroe? This YouTube sensation has been seen many times, both on television and the Internet. Here is the premise: in just about three minutes she sings all the things a mom might say in a typical day. Very funny and also entertaining!
Of course, as with many discussions between parents and teens, there are probably going to be some disagreements. Watch Ms. Renfore's version. And of course there is the teenager perspective. Is that a normal thing to follow the first video? Does Ms. Renfroe sound like your mom; or do you agree with the teenager? After you have viewed the videos, post your comments (remember 3-5 sentences).
Meet Jim Wolf. Mr. Wolf is a former homeless army veteran. As you can see from the video and read he recently got a total appearance makeover. What do you think of this makeover? Do you think he looks better or worse after his makeover?
Veterans' Day was two days ago. While we had our assembly on Friday to honor veterans, there are some scary statistics concerning veterans. More than 1 in 7 homeless people are veterans who served their country honorably. Mr. Wolf is just one of many homeless veterans. Should our nation be doing more for veterans?
Consider that many of your class mates are children of veterans. Their parents can tell you that serving your nation is a great and honorable calling. Do you think that there is an easy answer to the problem of homelessness? Share with us how you would fight to end homelessness in our nation.
Meet Pentatonix. Never heard of them? Neither had I until yesterday morning. While listening to an interview with them on NPR, I could not help but marvel at the simple concept they show. Not only are they an a cappella group, they use their voices to create the instrument sounds you hear. Check out their web site. I recommend that you review the bio page. They are not much older than you. Their videos have been seen by millions of viewers on YouTube, and they have featured on National Public Radio's Morning Edition program where I first heard them. What is their formula? Start with a beat, then add in some bass. Next they layer the vocal harmony on top of background vocals. Now you have Pentatonix.
Check out their web site, watch the video and complete your blog response. Did you enjoy the video? Are they a good musical group? Would you pay to see them in concert? Would you listen to their music? Is there a better group out there? Finally, remember to give us three to five sentences. Proofread and spell check.
Read it and you might learn some things about Hanukkah. Your assignment is to research the site, learn two facts about Hanukkah and present them in your reply. Your reply needs to be a paragraph with at least three sentences in it.
