Latitude and Longitude

Here is a video to help you understand Latitude & Longitude:

MLS Cup!!

Sounders advance to MLS Cup, defeating Colorado Rapids 1-0!

Nico Lodeiro

Roman and Herculez

Coach Schmetzer

Jordan Morris' Winning Goal

Photo credits: Major League Soccer, Major League Soccer, Sounders FC, Sounders FC, Major League Soccer, Q13FOX, MLS Watercolors, Joe Towner

Surabhi Mundada: Science Hero!!

Surabhi Mundada is a senior at Olympia High School and a NOVA graduate. In this video she discusses her MyHealth and MyGlove project. Surabhi has devoted over 100 hours per month over the past year working on this project. So very impressive, Surabhi!

Leonard Cohen 1934-2016

Leonard Cohen, a truly great poet and musician, passed away today at the age of 82. He wrote many, many great songs, and I've posted a few favorites below. If you're intrigued I'd encourage you to explore YouTube; there are so many Leonard Cohen gems. Cohen's most recent album, You Want It Darker, was released just three weeks ago. The song below, "It Seemed a Better Way," is from this album. Leonard Cohen will be missed.

Battleground Map

Mr. Gacek created this map using the website 270toWin.com. Click on the map below to create your prognostication for the 2016 United States Presidential Election.

Click the map to create your own at 270toWin.com

Chicago Cast of Hamilton Sings "Go Cubs Go!"

It has come to my attention that some members of the sixth grade class are fans of the musical "Hamilton." I thought you might enjoy this rendition of the Chicago Cubs' theme song "Go Cubs Go!" as sung by the Chicago cast. Enjoy!

Dia de los Muertos 2016

Sounders 'Til I Die

Happy Halloween 2016!!

To see this year's eighth graders as sixth graders on Halloween click here.

Gerrymandering Explained

The Washington Post's Christopher Ingraham wrote an excellent article about gerrymandering and how it will affect the 435 elections for the House of Representatives on November 8. Watch the video first and then read the article here.

The Hip-Hop Story of Henrietta Lacks

"The Immortal Rap of Henrietta Lacks" was written and produced by eighth grade students from KIPP Bridge Charter School in Oakland, California. To learn the background of Henrietta Lacks and the production of the video, read this article from PBS. If you want to read the full story of Henrietta Lacks, please read the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot.

Senator Al Franken drawing map of United States from memory

Senator Al Franken from Minnesota has gained some renown for his ability to draw the United States quickly from memory. Watch him in action!

Schoolhouse Rock: Nouns

I saw the Schoolhouse Rock shorts many times while watching Saturday morning cartoons during my childhood. The tunes are still familiar these many years later. "A Noun is a Person, Place, or Thing" was created in 1973 (the year Mr. Gacek was born). In 1973, for some reason, abstract nouns were not included in the basic definition of noun.



And, for the record, this is Chubby Checker.

Map of the Day: United States River Basins

This is a stunning map of the river basins of the United States created using GIS software. I highly recommend this article from the Daily Mail (U.K.). Yes, maps can be art. Bonus: Knowing these rivers will be helpful for the Geography Bee.

Country Travelogues 2016

Here are the Links to the Projects created by 2016 Geography students:

Aaron: Mongolia
Andrea: Iceland
Annette: Poland
Aris: New Zealand
Arshawn: Ecuador
Arthur: Germany
Aspen: Spain
Avery: Greece
Ben: Peru
Bryn: Japan
Eliza: Egypt
Ella: Thailand
Ellen: Czech Republic
Evan: Finland
Freja: Croatia
Gabby: Russia
George: Sweden
Jacob: Nepal
Kaito: Mexico
Kate: Romania
Labib: Austria
Lucia: Italy
Madison: Jordan
Malcolm: France
Mia: Brazil
Nadia: India
Naomi: Belgium
Nate: China
Oliver: Netherlands
Sadie: Switzerland
Sahej: United Kingdom
Sam: Chile
Spencer: Tanzania
Uli: Australia
Zack: Ecuador

Southeast Asia Study Set

White Tigers at the Singapore Zoo (Wikimedia Commons)

Country Quiz Links

Trimester 1 Geo Review

1. authoritarian
2. communism
3. socialism
4. Bernie Sanders
5. Sahel
6. savanna
7. groundnut
8. gross domestic product
9. GDP per capita
10. Uluru
11. Ohio
12. California
13. Texas
14. Democratic Republic of Congo
15. physical feature
16. region
17. tertiary
18. map scale
19. Antarctica
20. Indian Ocean
21. Europe
22. French
23. China
24. refugee
25. animals
26. table of contents
27. index
28. climate
29. North Dakota
30 Missouri

How cool is this? You can rent Big Pink!

If you ever find yourself in West Saugerties, New York (near Woodstock, of course), you can rent Big Pink, the house in which The Band lived and where they and Bob Dylan recorded The Basement Tapes and Music from Big Pink. The cost is $650/night for up to nine people. Sweet! The actual basement, however, is off limits. Here is the listing for the rental. (h/t Consequence of Sound)

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.