Map of the Day: Population Cartogram

A cartogram is a map in which some thematic variable is substituted for area. This particular cartogram shows the sizes of the countries of the world relative to their populations.



You can zoom in anywhere on the map on the original version of the cartogram, which can be found here.

"A Beautiful Game"

Girls learn to play soccer in a Syrian refugee camp. Includes some graphic images of the violence from the Syrian Civil War.

NOVA Prize 2015 Projects

Student	Topic	Organization
Aiden	Global Terrorism	The White Helmets
Anne Elizabeth	Deforestation of Amazon	Amazon Conservation Association
Annie	Lack of Clean Water	Water.org
Avi	Endangered Okapis	Adopt an Okapi
Ben	Conflict in Syria	Syria Relief and Development
Cate	Suicide Prevention	The Trevor Project
Connor F.	Climate Change	Greenpeace
Connor H.	Ocean Pollution	Stream Team
Diana	Bullying	Stand for the Silent
Easton	Corruption in Russia	Transparency International Russia
Ella	Deforestation	Rainforest Action Network
Ella Wren	Unfair Labor Practices	Serrv
Ellie	Animal Cruelty and Abuse	The Gentle Barn
Emma H.	Human Trafficking	World Vision
Emma L.	Child Soldiers	Rescue.org
Hatcher	Drones	Yemen Education and Relief Organization
JAC	Overpopulation	Population Connection
Kimberly	Food Waste	Action Against Hunger
Owen	Soil Erosion	World Wildlife Fund
Phoebe C.	Overconsumption	Population Matters for a Sustainable Future
Sean	Human Trafficking	Safe Horizon
Sydney	Unsustainable Fishing	Sea Shepherd
Veer	Using Fossil Fuels Smartly	Center for Industrial Progress
Willa	Child Labor	The Child Labor Coalition
Willow	Lack of Clean Water	Charity: Water
Zac	Racism	Crossroads Antiracism

Zoe

Gender Equality

National Organization of Women

Clara

Water Sanitation

The Water Project

Helen

Amazon Deforestation

Phoebe W.

Ocean Pollution

NOVA Arts and Makers Fair!

This Saturday! 10:00 a.m.--4 p.m.! Inaugural event! Super Fun!

NOVA's sixth grade Geography class will be hosting a table. We will be explaining the NOVA Prize and raising awareness for important global issues. Please stop by and say hi!

More info here!

Language Diversity Links

Task One: http://storymaps.esri.com/stories/2013/endangered-languages/

Task Two: http://www.vox.com/2014/11/17/7082317/language-maps-charts

 Task Three: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/enduring-voices/ 

 Task Four: http://langscape.umd.edu/

Detective Homage Assignment

For this creative writing assignment, you will create an homage to one of the following writers of detective fiction:

·        Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes)

·        Agatha Christie (And Then There Were None, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, etc.)

·        Ellen Raskin (The Westing Game)

·        Peter Abrahams (Down the Rabbit Hole)

·        Jack D. Ferraiolo (The Big Splash)

·        Alane Ferguson (The Christopher Killer)

The various homages to Sherlock Holmes (Young Sherlock Holmes, Enola Holmes, etc.) are not eligible.

You may write your homage on the same book than you used for your Book Review or you can base your homage off of a different book (including one you might have read previously).

An homage is different than fan fiction. Fan fiction uses original characters and creates new scenarios and stories for them. An homage creates new characters but is written in the same style as the original.

You will create new characters, a new plot, and a new setting for your homage. Your homage should borrow elements from the original, but should not be a copy of the original. An homage to Holmes could include a detective of any gender or age with keen powers of deduction. An homage to Ellen Raskin could include an eccentric millionaire creating an entirely new puzzle to be solved by new pairs of heirs. An homage to Christie could find 10 unrelated people invited somewhere (not an island) for mysterious reasons.

An example of an homage in the popular culture is the TV detective Monk. Monk is an obsessive-compulsive detective living in San Francisco who doesn’t get along well with people but has a knack for solving crimes. The TV doctor House was also inspired by Holmes; he solved medical mysteries but had a prickly personality.

Your homage will consist of two things: a treatment and a story excerpt. The treatment is like an outline. The story excerpt is 4-10 pages from what may be a longer work. You do not have to write the entire story, though you can certainly work on it in Open Writing next year if you take this Enrichment class.

Homages can be humorous. However, homages are not parodies. You are creating a work in the style of the original work; you are not mocking that work.

TREATMENT:

1. Explain to whom (which author) and to what (which work) you will be creating your homage. Explain why you chose this author and work for your homage. At least one paragraph.

2. Detective character sketch: This is a written description, not a drawn sketch, though you may certainly include a drawn sketch if you’d like. Describe your detective. Include name, age, physical appearance, personality, etc. Explain what traits your detective shares with the character upon which he or she is based. Minimum two paragraphs. Note: You will have to change the nature of this section if you are creating an homage to And Then There Were None.

3. Setting: Where will your story take place (may be fictional or real place). Describe the actual locations (school, home, library, stadium, park, etc.) which will feature in the story. Minimum one paragraph.

4. Mystery: What is the mystery? Who are the suspects? What are the initial clues? How is this mystery similar to the original? Minimum three paragraphs.

5. Solution: How is the mystery solved? What clues are used by the detective to solve the case? Minimum two paragraphs.

6. Vocabulary: Find 6 vocabulary words that you think fit the style of your author. These should not be common words. The words can come from the original works. You can also use other sources to find words that you think would be appropriate. Please list the words and their definitions. You will later incorporate these words into your story excerpt.  

Mystery Novel Review

Instructions:

• Word Count: 400-600.
• Calibri, 1.5-line spacing, size 14
• Do not indent paragraphs
• Include header at top of page with title, author, page count, city of publication, publisher, price, and age range.
• Include heading with name, date, period

Book Review should include:

• novel opening
• background on author
• at least one quote
• sense of what the book is about without giving away spoilers
• analysis of quality of book

Karen Ray's review of The Giver in The New York Times (Oct. 31, 1993).

Beck, "Heart is a Drum"

Yunasa Summer Camps

On Thursday our Geography class was visited by Dr. Patty Gatto-Walden, who conducted a session on Giftedness. Dr. Patty talked about the summer camp she co-founded, called Yunasa. You can find a link to the camp's homepage here. There are actually two different camps: one is in Michigan and the other is in Colorado. The deadline for applying to the camps is April 5. I just wanted to provide the link on the chance any families might be interesting. Let me know if you have questions and I will do my best to help you find the answers.

Weekend Reading

Many of you are interested in the health of our oceans. You can read a report from National Geographic here. Global Warming is having a huge impact on ocean life.

Breaking News

To be published September 22, 2015.

Oly Old Time Festival!

The Olympia Old Time Music Festival is this weekend, February 12-15. Check out the schedule on their website here. Rizley, Ellie, and Hatcher's band will be playing Thursday evening. Check it out!

Library Open Mic!

The Olympia Timberland Library is hosting an evening event, and you're invited. This event is for teens only--no adults (or teachers) allowed! You're welcome to perform or just hang out. Should be great!

Middle East Quiz

Countries: Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar.

Blank Middle East map.

Practice on-line at Seterra.

Secret Identity Writing Assignment

I borrowed this writing prompt from the 826 Boston Writing Center:

Do you know someone who acts like they have a secret, or has an aura of mystery about them? Now imagine if that person were actually leading a double life! Write a piece where you discover that someone close to you is actually a spy, superhero, alien, or has any other secret identity you can think of.

Requirements:

• Size 14 font, 1.5-line spacing
• Title and heading
• Story must include dialogue
• Story must be at least 2 pages in length

At least 2 pages of writing due Thursday, January 8. Note: Story does not need to be finished by Jan. 8, but you do need to bring at least 2 typed pages to class that day. Plan ahead so that you have work printed prior to beginning of class.

Dystopia Essay Assignment

Dark City

Reading requirement: Minimum two books from Dystopia Reading List. One must be a book from a series you have not previously. The second may be a re-read or from a series in which you have previously read a book (though the second may also be a new read). You are free to read more than two books and then choose the two you’d most like to read about.

This essay will have three parts. Each part should have multiple paragraphs.

Please include a title and heading on your paper. Use 1.5 line-spacing and size 14 Calibri font.

Each section of the essay must include one quote directly from one of the books (three quotes total minimum). You must quote from both books. Please record the page number the quote comes from.

A. Define the concept of dystopias. How and why are they formed? What are common characteristics of dystopias? How do dystopias differ from utopias? Explain why the societies in your two books/series are considered dystopias.

Gattaca

B. Describe the relationship between the individual and society in your two books/series. What happens to the individual in a dystopia? Is the disappearance of the individual a bad thing? What problems are avoided when people conform? What new problems does conformity create? How important is it for people to have choices? Use examples from the books to illustrate your answers to these questions.

C. Which book/series do you think has the strongest message? What is that message? Why is this message important to you? How does this message relate to the society in which you live? What is the message in the second book? What makes this message less strong and resonant? Use examples from the books to illustrate your answers to these questions.

Blade Runner

Tuesday, January 13:  Reading Completed

Monday, January 19:  Part A due

Friday, January 23: Part B due

Thursday, January 29: Part C due

12.13.14 Virtual Kombucha/Bob Dylan Celebration

Hooray! This very special day is finally here. 12.13.14 only comes around once every hundred years. To celebrate this momentous occasion, on 12.13.14 at 15:16:17 military time (that's 3:16 p.m. and 17 seconds), please take a drink of kombucha or any other type of delicious juice or soda and listen to a Bob Dylan song, preferably "Forever Young." Oh yeah, December 13 is also Mr. Gacek's birthday. Happy Birthday, Mr. Gacek! (It's number 41, but who's counting?) Please leave a comment on or after 12.13.14 15:16:17 to tell us how you marked this very special occasion.

Dystopian Fiction Reading List

Reading Requirement: At least 2 books from this list

One must be a book you have not read in a new series.

One may be a re-read or a sequel to a previously-read book

→The Giver, Lois Lowry (companion books: Gathering Blue, Messenger, The Son)

→The City of Ember, Jeanne DuPrau (sequels: The People of Sparks, The Prophet of Yonwood, The Diamond of Darkhold)

→Uglies, Scott Westerfeld (sequels: Pretties, Specials; companion: Extras)

→Matched, Ally Condie (sequels: Crossed, Reached)

→The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins (sequels: Catching Fire, Mockingjay)

→Divergent, Veronica Roth (sequels: Insurgent, Allegiant)

→The Maze Runner, James Dashner (sequels: The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure; prequel: The Kill Order)

→Legend, Marie Lu (sequels: Prodigy, Champion)

→Blood Red Road, Moira Young (sequels: Rebel Heart, Raging Star)

→Incarceron, Catherine Fisher (sequel: Sapphique)

→Lockdown: Escape from Furnace, Alexander Gordon Smith (sequels: Solitary, Death Sentence, Fugitives, Execution)

TV Review: Doctor Who, Season 1, epidosdes 1-3 (2005)

 Yes, this was my introduction to Doctor Who. I've been aware of the fandom, both on a global scale and a NOVA scale, for quite some time, but I had never actually sat down and watched the show before. So I decided to start at the beginning, or at least the beginning of the re-boot.

I watched three episodes: "Rose," "The End of the World," and "The Unquiet Dead."

"Rose" introduces us to our heroine, Rose Tyler, played by a very young Billie Piper. Rose is a normal London girl who works in a department store and lives with her mum. However, her life is upended when one night the mannequins in the department store come alive and ominously move to attack her. However, Rose is in luck because the Doctor appears to save the day. So begins the adventure. This episode's story is very cheeky, mixing humor with mild amounts of action and suspense. But it's all good fun, and Christopher Eccleston makes an excellent Doctor.

In "The End of the World," the Doctor and Rose travel 5 billion years into the future to witness the destruction of Planet Earth. This episode features a parade of bizarre aliens, in what I'm guessing is a nod to the somewhat campy sci-fi roots of the series. Once again the Doctor and Rose are in great peril, and this time the Doctor must evade some giant propeller blades to flip a switch to reset the system which will protect the ship from the exploding Earth. That's right, 5 billion years in the future manual switches are the only way to reset computer operating systems. Another fun episode.

In "The Unquiet Dead," the Doctor and Rose travel back in time to 1869 Belfast. This one is a ghost story, only the ghosts are aliens, and Charles Dickens is one of the key supporting characters. Fun period details, and this time Charles Dickens saves the day.

While these episodes were fun, they're still rather lightweight. My sense is that the most-loved episodes in the series are yet to come. I like the series so far, but...I don't know that I'll ever be a hard-core Whovian. I'm just not sure Doctor Who will be able to enter my pantheon of all-time great shows: The Wire, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Freaks and Geeks, Twin Peaks, et al. But we'll see--I'm enjoying the series so far.

¡Hay una fiesta en mi panza!

Happy Chadian Freedom and Democracy Day, everyone!