SkyWatch Friday...pink blooms

See other amazing sky views @

http://skyley.blogspot.com/

This is an interesting photo. I have a little league baseball field located to the west of my house...and bright light from the night time games shines over the top of my house
into my backyard. The light illuminating these pink blooming crabapple trees was a very eerie scene.

This "sky view" is overlooking the many beautiful blooming peach orchards of Perry, Utah and westward to the

Great Salt Lake., Utah, USA.

U.S.A.duo reached North Pole unsupported!!!

Follow the journey of John Houston & Tyler Fish (unsupported!) to the North Pole:

http://northpole.swissarmy.com/

http://www.forwardexpeditions.com/

Maps and geography extensions:

http://northpole.swissarmy.com/?event=default.education

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Cinco de Mayo celebration

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo!!




History Channel video & educational support website
http://www.history.com/video.doname=culture&bcpid=1681694254&bclid=1675979327&bctid=1519065769


http://www.history.com/states.do?action=detail&state=All%20About%20Mexico&contentType=State_Generic&contentId=57788&parentId=MEXICO

Other Lesson Plans:
http://www.teacherplanet.com/resource/cincodemayo.php
http://www.davis.k12.ut.us/district/curric/social/cincodemayo.html
http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/Themes/Cinco_de_Mayo/index.shtml

GeoSpatial Revolution

A friend shared information about an huge geospatial geography project at Penn State University:
Geospatial Revolution Project ..The location of anything is becoming everything! http://geospatialrevolution.psu.edu/index.html

The project is under developement..sign up for updates!!

Info about the project from thehttp://geospatialrevolution.psu.edu/index.html website:
"We live in the Global Location Age. “Where am I?” is being replaced by, “Where am I in relation to everything else?”Penn State Public Broadcasting is developing the Geospatial Revolution Project, an integrated public media and outreach initiative about the world of digital mapping and how it is changing the way we think, behave, and interact.The project will feature a web-based serial release of eight video episodes—each telling an intriguing geospatial story. Overarching themes woven throughout the episodes will tie them together, and the episodes will culminate in a 60-minute documentary. The project also will include an outreach initiative in collaboration with our educational partners, a chaptered program DVD, and downloadable outreach materials."

WE SHALL REMAIN

PBS Television has produced an incredible new series and resource for social studies teachers: WE SHALL REMAIN
From the PBS site: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/weshallremain/the_films/about

"At the heart of the project is a five-part television series that shows how Native peoples valiantly resisted expulsion from their lands and fought the extinction of their culture -- from the Wampanoags of New England in the 1600s who used their alliance with the English to weaken rival tribes, to the bold new leaders of the 1970s who harnessed the momentum of the civil rights movement to forge a pan-Indian identity. We Shall Remain represents an unprecedented collaboration between Native and non-Native filmmakers and involves Native advisors and scholars at all levels of the project."

The 5 episodes can be viewed online, and extensive teacher materials are available for each episode:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/weshallremain/beyond_broadcast/teach_and_learn

Ge...MOOOO...graphy cartoon

Sharing another GE-MOOOO-GRAPHY cartoon!

Geography comic strip

sharing Another great geographic cartoon/comic strip...especially funny to those of us that live in and around BIG Mountains...hahhhahhha

Geography video: Playing for Change

WOW what a powerful music project! I heard about this on NPR Morning Edition today...had to share!!!

http://playingforchange.com - From the award-winning documentary, "Playing For Change: Peace Through Music", comes the first of many "songs around the world" being released independently. Featured...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM

Skywatch Friday

SKYWATCH FRIDAY

See other interesting sky views:

http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Okay, this is a bit of a stretch for a

skywatch photo, but I was looking

"skyward" and discovered this

lovely, newly built robin's nest

perched atop my gutter's drain pipe.

Yes, Mr. & Mrs. Robin were

nearby squawking loudly reminding

me to keep my distance.

TREES
by: Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)
THINK that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

Geographic Comic Strips

I have been collecting geographic comic strips for a LONG time to use as instructional starters & "attention getters" for students and teacher workshops. I used this cartoon when I taught the "World in a candy bar" activity (see lesson plan under "candy bar" tag), and to show global connections...even with a candy bar!!

(double click on comic strip to enlarge)

"Amazing facts for a Geography of the 21st Century. See www.geography.org.uk See www.pupilvision.com "

Importance of Geography video

"For use by Geography Departments for Parents Evenings this clip promotes geography and the Give Geography its Place Campaign (www.passion4geography.co.uk). The embedded animations within this clip... "

(NO SOUND...JUST VIDEO)

Atmospheric Tides?

Podcasts of previous EARTH & SKY related programs:

Intro + Atmospheric Pressure

http://www.box.net/shared/43of9fbpsv

http://www.box.net/shared/rqaox6ipik

Intro + Weather Forecasts

http://www.box.net/shared/caf4oo5575

http://www.box.net/shared/ka600vu7nq

I looked for lesson plans and website to support these two topics. I found MANY professional papers and scientific reports in my search, but few if any websites with applicable, usable teacher/student information. I did find one good site that was helpful for teachers and students:

NOAA: Tides and Currents http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/index.shtml

(Information, professional development opportunities, lesson plans for teachers and online activities for kids about tides and the atmosphere.)

Previous Earth & Sky programs ....shared!!

For many years I used the EARTH & SKY radio show / website to help introduce and teach many science and geography topics to my students. I also used the radio program as a way for students to work on non-fiction comprehension & writing skills. EARTH & SKY used to be a 5 minute radio show on various earth and space topics (usually on a public radio station). I used to record it and have my students listen/write about the topic each day...The students kept a journal of the daily topics. I used the radio programs as the "daily starter" activity every morning. To save the time and hastle of recording each day's radio program, I was able to purchase from Earth & Sky as a yearly subscription (a CD of each month's recordings). I ordered and used several years worth of EARTH & SKY monthly radio programs and needless to say I have quite a collection of CD's. Now the radio programs can be listened to FREE as daily podcasts from the http://www.earthsky.org/ website.

What to do now with all the EARTH & SKY CD's ? I contacted EARTH & SKY to see if I could have permission to use some of the topics from the CD subscriptions on this blogsite. They agreed, and gave me written permission to use them here! Thank You "Deborah Byrd" (of "Block and Byrd") for giving permission to use the past episodes!!

Today's podcast programs:
1-click on the shared links below for podcasts

2-turn down the music on this site to hear the podcasts

Intro + Dinosaur Fossil Site
http://www.box.net/shared/4q5bi240sa

http://www.box.net/shared/53x4ngmsiy

Intro + Dinosaurs in Alaska

http://www.box.net/shared/rau3qjotbl

http://www.box.net/shared/47rgrz9gtl

I found several websites about the National Dinosaur Museum including lesson plans that could be used to support the above "podcasts":

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/03/0307_030310_dinotracks_2.html
http://www.dinosaurdiamond.org/Teacher_Resource.html

http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/from_war_to_war/dinosaurnationalmonument.html

http://library.osu.edu/sites/geology/National_Parks/dinosaur.php

http://edition.cnn.com/2000/fyi/teacher.resources/lesson.plans/06/12/dino.bones/index.html

http://www.ncsu.edu/sciencejunction/terminal/lessons/dino/

Discover Antarctica

National Geographic has a wonderful, interactive website all about Antarctica:


http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/antarctica/

The map shows all the different animal species and their ranges, videos/critter cams, physical geography, glossary, interactive quiz, and other resources & links, wallpaper, history of explorations, and NGS archive information...

This would be a great interactive website for use during your school's computer lab time, on a single computer or smartboard.

Skywatch Friday

SKYWATCH FRIDAY

See other amazing sky views @:

http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Early morning view of Mt. Timpanogos, Wasatch Mt Range,

Utah Valley, Utah, USA...

"Red skies in morning...

Sailors take warning !!!!"

World Digital Library Project

Yesterday on NPR radio, I heard a brief story about a relatively new UNESCO project:
World Digital Library Project www.wdl.org.
The directors of this project are partnering with WORLD governmental institutions (example: U.S. Library of Congress / National Archives) to "make available on the Internet, free of charge and in multilingual format, significant primary materials from cultures around the world, including manuscripts, maps, rare books, musical scores, recordings, films, prints, photographs, architectural drawings, and other significant cultural materials. The objectives of the World Digital Library are to promote international and inter-cultural understanding and awareness, provide resources to educators, expand non-English and non-Western content on the Internet, and to contribute to scholarly research."
http://www.wdl.org/en/ is an easy to use website, with a world map showing all current digitized documents available ....

What an incredible project! The World Digital Library is digitizing to preserve rare cultural primary resources documents spanning thousands of years of history from cultures around the world!!!

Sky Watch Friday

SKY WATCH FRIDAY:
See other fascinating sky views @
http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Ah, Spring in the Rockies!...Or at least along the Wastach Front portion of the Rocky Mountains!

Last weekend was lovely, sunny and warm (upper 60's)...the snow had melted so only the Mountain tops were snow covered. Then this week, Winter tried to return!! This picture was of the approaching storm front blowing in across the Salt Lake City toward the Wasatch Mts!! It has been raining, snowing, blowing, and COLD ever since. In fact, yesterday 4/16/09 the snow storm left 10-14" of snow in our surrounding area of Northern Utah County, Utah. The snow had a lot of moisture and most of it melted by last night.....Another storm is blowing in today. Needless to say, the Mountains are covered from top to bottom with snow again. Oh well, the extra "wet" snow will help fill our depleted water reserves!!!!!!!!

This picture just taken...mountains covered from top to bottom...again.

Bring on SPRING!!!!!!!!

Celebrate Earth Day art projects

Crayola.com has several easy and fun art lesson plans dedicated to the celebration of Earth Day:

Send an Earth Day Awareness e-card:

http://www.crayola.com/cardcreator/ecard_form.cfm?card=43&style=3

Make a Thank Earth card:

http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/thank-you,-earth-lesson-plan/

Where are you going: "Save the Earth’s limited resources by planning. Combine trips to go places. This early mapping experience helps pave the way to a greener lifestyle"

http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/where-are-you-going?-lesson-plan/

Don't Endanger our World:"Identify and label endangered and protected species on a large 3-D paper maché globe of the earth".

http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/don't-endanger-our-world-lesson-plan/

Where to recycle reminder:"Where can your family recycle cans, bottles, and newspapers? Create a colorful 3-D reminder to reduce landfill space!"

http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/where-to-recycle-reminder-lesson-plan/

Geography / Map resource!!

I discovered a huge map resource for teacher/school/student use:
Maps That Teach: Free U.S. and World Maps and Puzzles http://www.yourchildlearns.com/geography.htm
"Maps that Teach take advantage of the fact that geography is spatial. They also utilize the way kids learn best, by actively participating in their learning; learning by doing. As students assemble the maps, they build a permanent mental picture of their world. From Maps that Teach, a student will learn about the continents and where they are in relation to each other; the countries of the world, their capitals and major cultural landmarks, physical features; what is far and what is near."

All kinds of printable maps (world,continents, countries, states, world regional maps,etc), map puzzles, online interactive maps, world atlas, BIG sized maps for download and printing..

Most of the printable maps, are basic outline (not labeled) maps...easy to use and print.
Very user-friendly site for teachers & students!!