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The students' blogs have been transferred to 8th grade.

by LRAS teacher: Rye 8th Team

Article posted June 16, 2010 at 02:55 PM GMT0 • comment (1) • Reads 1136

Summer Reading

Recommendations



Eragon

Inheritnce Cycle

Fantasy/ Action Cristopher Paolini

Stormbreaker

Alex Rider Series

Action

Anthony Horowitz

The Ruins of Gorlan

Ranger's Apprentice Series Action

John Flannagan

The Amulet of Samarkand

Bartimaes Trilogy Fantasy/Action

Jonathon Stroud

The Hunger Games

Futuristic

Suzanne Collins

Article posted June 16, 2010 at 02:55 PM GMT0 • comment (1) • Reads 1136



Article posted June 14, 2010 at 06:20 PM GMT0 • comment • Reads 108

In 1934 Columbus Day became a national holiday, but in recent years there have been huge controversies about this federal holiday. In 1492, Christopher Columbus and his crew arrived in the Americas, becoming the first European to reach what was known as the New World. After Columbus's discovery of the Americas, the Europeans began to expand their territory, and they set up many colonies in the New World. These colonies brought with them the Europeans who shared their knowledge with the natives, and improving the New World. Columbus Day should continue to be celebrated because it symbolizes the important civilization that has created our modern country, changing our world.



Christopher Columbus was the first European explorer to discover the Americas for the Europeans. Although some people claim that Columbus had technically not discovered the Americas, because there were already native people living there. Columbus discovered the new world for the Europeans, teaching them about the vast new world. Columbus was able to teach the Europeans about this undiscovered land, which allowed them to colonize and improve the Americas.



The Europeans who traveled in the New World brought many new things and ideas that were shared with the natives, in return for the Europeans usage of the New World's natural resources, this was called the Colombian Exchange. The Native Americans were actually a highly civilized people, but they lacked in one major area, they had no complex, or even simple, technology. Without this technology the Native Americans were never able to become prosperous with the land of the New World because it was just too difficult of a task for them. When the Europeans came to the Americas they brought their culture, and many new technological advancements with them. The Europeans were equipped with items such as the wheel, and weapons like the gun. These new advancements allowed the Americans to begin to do many tasks easier than before. Without the help of the Europeans and their technology, the Native Americans would probably still be in the primitive state that they were in prior to Columbus's discovery.



During the process of western colonization, the Europeans were able to use more of the natural resources located in the Americas, benefiting many people. The Europeans began logging and using some of the vast amounts of forest that exist in the Americas. The Europeans were able to prosper so much from the land, that they were able to send staple crops, or specific foods that are relied on by many people, back to Europe. The original settlers, those that followed, were able to make the most out of the plentiful land that could be found in America.



When Columbus discovered America for the Europeans he began a new era of ideas and colonization. The Europeans brought new ideas, culture, and technology with them which shaped the Americas for good. After Columbus's discovery of Europe, the Europeans were able to fulfill the New World's potential, something that the Native's had not been able to do. All of these things that Columbus and his fellow Europeans brought with them to the Americas is something that should be celebrated.

Article posted June 14, 2010 at 06:20 PM GMT0 • comment • Reads 108



Article posted June 14, 2010 at 03:22 PM GMT0 • comment • Reads 107

Wordle: LRAS

Article posted June 14, 2010 at 03:22 PM GMT0 • comment • Reads 107



Article posted June 11, 2010 at 05:43 PM GMT0 • comment • Reads 102

Article posted June 11, 2010 at 05:43 PM GMT0 • comment • Reads 102



Article posted June 11, 2010 at 02:28 PM GMT0 • comment • Reads 749

I was ready now after waiting a week for the right tide to roll in. I looked down toward the water, reminding myself that I had been swimming on the other side of this bridge less than an hour before. I'm quickly over my nerves and before I knew it I was plummeting toward the ocean. I hit what some people call freezing water, but after living here all my left it felt like the perfect water. I began to sink lower into the dark depths of the ocean, I tried to swim toward the air but in vain. I notice that something slimy is grabbing my leg and bringing me farther down. Salt water rushes around me as I open my eyes, staring at the jaguar that is pulling me. I was shocked at what I was seeing, and temporarily thought that I must be hallucinating. An animal that looked like an aqua version of a jaguar, with flippers instead of claws, and gills on the side of its neck, had a hold of my leg. Suddenly the massive animal released me, and I began to float back toward the top, pushing myself up along the way. I began to loose any common sense that I had, wanting desperately to just suck in the water around me. Something in the back of my head convinced me to just wait a few more seconds, then I would be able to get as much air as I want.

I take in a massive breath of air when I finally reach the surface, swimming immediately toward my family on the shore who were waiting for me, I could see a look of shock planted on all of their faces. While I was swimming I began to feel a shooting pain in my leg, but I kept swimming knowing that I needed to reach land soon because fatigue already gripped me. As I pulled myself out of the water, I saw a deep gash in my leg that was already dripping with blood, I used my towel to take the blood off, and suddenly the pain went away. I looked back on my cut and noticed it had disappeared and was replaced by the symbol of a blue trident. I was amazed by the amazing healing power that I now had, but completely flabbergasted at why it had happened. I began to feel overheated and dry, not sure why though because I should have been wet from my last jump. I decide I'll take a quick dip in order to cool myself off, and that's when I noticed the blue fins that had taken over my feet. Scales began to crawl up my legs gluing them together, and in a matter of seconds I had a fish's tail instead of legs. I wanted to explore now that I could swim faster, I dove under water and realized that I could breath. As I swam under the bridge, I noticed a lot of movement farther down so I swam in that direction. I was soon in the midst in what seemed to be a castle, completely filled with a mer-person population. I approached one mermaid and found that I could speak fluently under the oceans depths. I learned that this was in fact a kingdom, and that here was actually a castle under every bridge. I decided that I should go back to the surface to let my parents know about my transformation. I glided toward the top, and when I reached it I quickly told my parents about what had happened. They were completely shocked and amazed so as a family they all jumped the bridge.

Within 10 minutes I was now part of one of the best mer-families ever. The only bad part about my new life, was when people would jump the bridge above me and I wished to jump as well. Overall, I loved being a mermaid, living under the bridge in an amazing castle, and being in the ocean forever.

Article posted June 11, 2010 at 02:28 PM GMT0 • comment • Reads 749



Article posted May 13, 2010 at 01:48 PM GMT0 • comment • Reads 91

 



Stock Market Lessons








I picked three stocks to invest in, Google, Apple, and TJX Companies Inc. I picked Google to invest in for various reasons. Google is a global company that is used a lot by people because it is so easy to use. When I looked at Google's background information it showed that according to the data Google's worth should go up. I also chose to invest in Apple because it is a very popular company that is always creating new things. Also when I looked up stock market information about Apple, I saw that the prices of its stocks had been growing rapidly. I also bought stocks from TJX Cos. Inc. because each stock was relatively cheap at less then $40 per stock, so I could get a lot of stocks. TJX also seemed to have a very good record because the prices for individual stocks seemed to be climbing. I picked all of these stocks for different reasons, but they all had one thing in common, optimistic background information.



After all of my stock market research, I have a few changes that I would have liked to make. When I finally sold Google, after 24 weeks, I was actually losing money on it. To change this, I would have either not bought Google to begin with, or I would have sold it on December 31, when it had temporarily rose up about $50. Now, after watching Apple for 24 weeks, I think it would have been better if I had bought more Apple stocks because they made me a lot of money. I also should have bought more stocks from TJX because all of these stocks have made me small amounts of money. I also would have sold TJX stocks at week 23, when it was at my record high of $47.69. Although I would change a few things about my stock choices, I still think that my original choices were fine because in the end I made a lot of money.



After watching these stocks for 24 weeks, I have learned many things that would benefit anyone interested in buying stocks. If anyone is interested in buying Google, I would suggest selling this stock whenever it is at a high price because this stock continually changes quickly. I think that Apple is a great stock to invest in because this company is always coming out with new stuff, that makes its worth even higher. TJX is also a very good stock to invest in because although each individual stock only rose about $8, when you have a lot of stocks, you make a high profit. Also, for any stock, it is always important to check the background, and reliability of each company before you make any decisions.

Article posted May 13, 2010 at 01:48 PM GMT0 • comment • Reads 91



Article posted May 8, 2010 at 08:27 PM GMT0 • comment • Reads 967

 




Higgins Armory Museum


 


    Higgins Armory Museum is filled with armor and weapons that were used centuries ago.  Ranging from one of the only remaining Roman gladiator helmets, to the armor of a medieval knight; this museum is full of important artifacts that teach us about the history of armor.  Mr. Higgins collected armor and weapons from all over the world focusing mainly on the Medieval Era.  Before Mr. Higgins died, he had the museum built, with the second floor modeled after a cross between a cathedral and a castle, in order to have a place to show people his collection.  At the Higgins Museum people are taught about various types of armor, the history of armor, and of course the fully armored knight.







 



    There are three major types of armor, tournament, parade, and combat armor.  Tournament armor was used mainly in the middle ages and was solely used as protection in a sport called jousting.  Jousting was when two heavily armored knights, normally on horseback, charged at each other with a 15 foot long blunted stick,  trying to knock each other off of their horses. Thick armor, weighing nearly 100 pounds is worn by these knights in order to keep the mortality rate down during these matches.  Parade armor was elaborately decorated armor used by wealthy people in order to show wealth and status.  Armor, especially the parade armor was extremely expensive and unnecessary, worn to parades and some parties they were sparsely used.  Combat, or war armor is the third major type of armor, and has been worn for most of human history.  The main purpose of combat is to protect its user by allowing the person to move around, while still being incased in armor.  During the Medieval time period, knights were able to wear armor that fit around their joints; previously there had simply been a gap around the knees and elbows.  Over time, combat armors purpose has changed dramatically.






    Armor has played a major part in human history, but it has changed a lot since its invention in prehistoric times.  The usage of armor began when people started using individual pieces of armor such as the helmet and the shield.  Over time, more armor was added to the soldier for protection, until the entire soldier was covered in full armor.  Soon muskets were developed, although they were unreliable at first, they changed the use of armor.  The musket is a long distance weapon that when used by many people, could stop a fully armored knight, so these soldiers exchanged less armor for the ability of more agility.  Armor was not used again until the American Civil War, at which point small amounts of armor were being used.  Since the use of armor in the Civil War modern soldiers have been covering themselves in armor.  The use of armor is used in cycles, through periods of no armor, and times of full armor.






    In the Medieval Era, the first fully armored soldier appeared, the knight.  Knights arrived in battle on top their loyal and trained war horses.  Both knight and horse wore armor in order to protect the expensive pair.  The horse would be equipped with its own helmet; it also had armor surrounding the saddle in which the knight would sit.  The knight was dressed in combat armor that fully covered him, but still allowed him to ride with relative ease.  The knight only had a few week points that enemies would aim at, under the arms, and in some places where armor connected and there was a small area of undefended flesh.  Over time, these weak points were reduced but still the cause of most fatalities.  Knights would fight with a 10 to 14 foot long bill, or lance.  With the combined weight of the horse and knight at the end of the lance, it was a vicious weapon.  If a knight's lance was ever broken or dropped, they were also equipped with a sword, which although it wasn't as effective as the lance, still posed as a threat.  The knight was an extremely formidable foe because of its protection and weapons.






    Armor has played an important part in all of our wars and times of peace.  From the beginning of armor, when the first helmets were being used, to the fully armored knight, armor has served to protect people.  Although at some times in our history, armor has not been used due to the inventions of revolutionary weapons, it has always been called upon again whenever the situation calls upon it.  Armor from parade to combat has shaped our history and culture.








Higgins Museum Essay



Evaluation



 



3 --  Outstanding     2 -- Ok, but could use some improvement     1-- Needed improvement     0 --- Missing



 



Introduction



 



 



    2           Gave the reader background and general information about the museum ---  set the scene.



 



    3           Transitions to the body of the essay. (Three things that can be learned by a visit to the museum)



 



Body



 



   3            Three topics were addressed, each with its own paragraph



 



    2           Topics were clearly explained and used researched supporting details & vocabulary



 



 



Conclusion



 



      2         Restated topic --- What can be learned at the museum?



 



      3         Brought closure to essay (Summed up essay)



 



Structure



 



       3        Essay format followed the directions for assignment



 



       3        Spelling



 



       3        Capitalization (Used correct capitalization)



 



Comments: Good format to the essay and excellent supporting details. Good introduction, except you don't tell the reader enough about  the museum (like where it is). The body flows well, but you needed more research vocabulary for depth. The conclusion bring closure, but does not go back and revisit the topic (museum)



Article posted May 8, 2010 at 08:27 PM GMT0 • comment • Reads 967



Article posted May 4, 2010 at 07:05 PM GMT0 • comment • Reads 194

 



During our studies of trash and its disposal, we had an assembly where we separated trash from the lunch room that had been collected over two days. Before our garbage was separated, we had a total of 87.5 pounds of trash. After taking this information, everyone got a chance to separate the trash into three categories, recyclables, compostables, and true trash. After a while we had all of our trash sorted, and we were amazed to find that most of our trash was actually compostable, and only 25 pounds of our original trash actually had to be thrown away. I think that many people enjoyed this assembly because it was straight forward, only telling us about true facts, and how we could reduce our waste. The leaders did not attempt to get us to believe their own opinions, and they simply focused on what we could do to help the environment by getting rid of our trash. We were shown the consequences of not littering, such as how animals our dieing after eating our trash. Now, my entire grade has an education about our waste and we can prevent future waste.



In school we have been having people come into school to teach us about trash and where it goes after we throw it away. We had to watch numerous videos as part of this unit. One specific video that we watched from the internet was The Story of Stuff. I think that you should definitely watch this video, in order to see all of the controversial information being shown to junior high schoolers. According to this video humans are a selfish species that are centered around buying, using, and throwing away. We were led to believe that as Americans specifically we use up other countries resources, destroying their land, just so that we can be happy. In this video we were shown a sketch of a dead world, and told that it was all our fault. I found that this video was completely twisted and false for many reasons. For example of one of the changed facts, we were told that we have destroyed 96% of our original forests. This is fake because we were not told anything about how most businesses who use resources, in this case trees, replenish this resource, by planting more trees. Also, this film was supposed to be about our waste, but when the speaker started showing us cartoons of a tiny government official shining the shoes of an oversized business man it seemed completely off topic and untruthful. We were also told by the speaker that she almost used a tank to symbolized the American government, and she went on to describe how taxes were going toward war efforts. These “points” that she seemed to be slipping in were one sided, off topic, suggestions that were completely unnecessary and should not have been brought up. I have a huge problem with the fact that we are being taught these twisted opinions in school. Many kids believe everything they are taught in school, because after all isn't that the place where people are educated? So when somebody comes in and brainwashes the kids in order to get them to believe their slanted side of this story, its indoctrination and it should not be allowed. At least if you are going to tell children to believe someone's story it is important to show people the other side of this story.

Article posted May 4, 2010 at 07:05 PM GMT0 • comment • Reads 194



Article posted April 19, 2010 at 01:51 PM GMT0 • comment • Reads 127



I read the book The siege of Macindaw which is part of the Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flannigan.  I have created this abstract collage in order to represent key parts of the story.  This short list describes the objects in my collage, and what role they have in the story.



Jagged Red Paper ~ War~a key part of the story even one of the main characters is a warrior ~ The shape represents the mountainous setting



Yellow~ Bravery~All of the characters in this book are confident and not timid in the least



Blue ~ Youth ~ This is not a story about adults~ All of the main characters are in their late teens



White~ Alyss is a main character who is a member in the diplomatic service ~ She always wears white because it is the color for the diplomats



Tree Needles~ This story mostly takes place in a dark forest that is thought to be magical and sinister



Broken Twig~ Betrayel~ In many key points of this story people thought of as allies turn against the main characters



Rock~ Mesmerization~ Alyss is mesmerized on many occasions by a special stone, during these times she unwillingly spills key information



Bow~ Will is an expert with his bow and arrow because he is a trained ranger



Sword~ Horace is one of the best knights and he is also Will's friend

Article posted April 19, 2010 at 01:51 PM GMT0 • comment • Reads 127



Article posted April 16, 2010 at 03:05 PM GMT0 • comment • Reads 98



In math we have been following specific stocks.  I have followed these stocks for 22 weeks, and I am currently making $1,566.81 total.

Article posted April 16, 2010 at 03:05 PM GMT0 • comment • Reads 98



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