Election Day

Have you ever wondered about how the president of the United States is actually elected? It is not as simple as winning the majority of votes cast on election day. Watch this video made by The Common Craft Show that explains our election process in very simple terms.

Electing a US President in Plain English

Stranded with a Good Book

Have you ever been stuck at the airport waiting for the weather to clear so that your flight can take off? That was the situation I was in recently, and thank goodness I had a good book to keep my mind off of the wait. In fact, the book I was reading transported me to India rather than Chicago which was my desired destination.

Kashmira Sheth, the author of Keeping Corner, tells the story of Leela, a widow at the age of twelve. In fact, Leela was engaged at age two, married at age ten and just before her anu ceremony, her husband was bitten by a poisonous snake. When Leela's husband died, she was looked upon as bad luck. She needed to spend a year keeping corner, which was an Indian tradition. During this year, Leela could not go out of the house, had to wear drab clothing and keep her head shaved. According to Indian tradition, Leela was to not marry again.

Can you imagine what life was like for Leela? Although things looked grim, Leela's brother fought for her right to an education and this opened new doors for her. This break with tradition occurred as Ghandi was encouraging the Indian people to break with tradition and fight against English oppression.

I learned quite a bit about Indian traditions and history while I waited for the flight departure to be announced. What good books have helped you through a long wait?

November 4th

Why is November 4th the most important day of the year? It's the day of the presidential election and the day that the people of America get to choose the leader of our nation for the next 4 years. Everytime you turn on the television, radio or computer, the topic of the day seems to be the presidential election. As a kid, you may tune this stuff out and think "I'm not old enough to vote, so why should I care?". According to PBS.com, young people who vote , do so because they learned about the importance of elections when they were kids and they grew to believe it was an honor and a privilege. The internet is a great way to learn about the presidential candidates and the election, but it is important to to know where your information is coming from. Since anyone can post anything on the web, it's best to learn from reliable, un-biased sources.
So, if you'd like to learn more about the election, here are some good websites:
Time for Kids Election Connection 2008
Scholastic News Online Election 2008
Rock the Vote
Kid's Voting USA
PBS Democracy Project
Ben's Guide to Government for Kids

Do you like suspense?

If you are a fan of suspense novels, I have two suggestions for you. Caroline Cooney's latest novels Diamonds in the Shadow and Code Orange kept me on the edge of my seat!

Diamonds in the Shadow has an interesting connection to stories we heard when Mawi Asgedom was visiting. Like Mawi's experience, a refugee family from Africa is sponsored by a church group and moves to the United States. Unfortunately, the apartment rented for this family, the Amabos, is no longer available so they have to move in with Jared, his sister, mom and dad. After the two families live together for a couple of weeks, Jared and his sister Mopsy begin to suspect that these refugees are not who they claim to be. Jared also discovers that the son Mattu is hiding "blood diamonds." To make the story even more suspenseful, a fifth refugee, who arrived at the same time as the Amabos, begins to hunt for them and readers are left wondering why.

Code Orange is just as suspenseful, especially if you can picture what would happen if the smallpox disease began to spread again. As a high school sophomore, Mitty has perfected the art of avoiding homework. However, in order to stay in the same class as a girl he likes, Mitty is told he must complete the research paper on an infectious disease that his biology teacher assigned. While flipping through some medical books in the basement, Mitty runs across an envelope. He opens the flap and scabs fall out in his palm. As Mitty continues his research, he realizes that these scabs were from the smallpox epidemic that hit the U.S. over 100 years ago. Mitty starts to experience some of the symptoms of smallpox and is afraid that he has contracted the disease. Not only is the thought of infecting others with smallpox or dying of the disease himself, Mitty is afraid some terrorists are interested in getting their hands on the scabs themselves.

What suspense novels have you read in the past that you would recommend to your friends?

A new language

SUP
RU in2 IM or txtng?
If you are a text-savvy teen, you are part of a generation that is creating a brand new language of abbreviations being used on cell phones and computers. The problem is that many of these acronyms are finding their way into the writing habits of American youth.

Many teachers have seen the use of IM abbreviations creeping into the written work of their students. The problem is that so many students are becoming accustomed to writing in this type of shorthand language, and they don’t even realize they are doing it. This problem is starting to filter into the real-world as employers are even starting to see the internet lingo used on job applications.

This doesn’t mean that the IM and texting language is all bad news. Many educators feel that this quick writing language has inspired the creativity in many of their students. These teachers also see it as an opportunity to teach students when and where it is appropriate to use these abbreviations.

So, what are your thoughts? Where is it appropriate to use IM or texting language? Is it ever appropriate to use it in school work? How about when commenting on a blog or responding in the online classroom?

Books You Can't Put Down

This week I was torn between rooting on the White Sox and reading a book that was tough to put down. So, I had to compromise. Between innings I would find myself back in the time of King Arthur, Lancelot and Merlin.

Seventeen-year-old Elaine of Ascolat joined the soldiers living at Arthur's camp after her mother was killed by the Saxons. As the only girl at camp, Elaine's life of learning to be a proper lady quickly faded. The real adventure begins when she is captured by the Saxon warriors.

What are some of the books you have read that you couldn't put down? What was it about them that captured your attention?

Books and Technology

Looking for some books on technology? Then look no further than our Prairie library. There are many choices for our enthusiastic technological learners:

Digital Art - Painting with Pixels by Ron Miller

Digital Art is all around us, but did you ever wonder where it came from, or how it works? This book is written by a professional digital artist who answers these questions. If you are interested in a career in digital art, or just want to learn more about various digital arts, this book is for you. Some of the topics include: computer-aided drawing (CAD), graphic arts, 3-D modeling, animation, and special effects.

Virtual Reality - Computers Mimic the Physical World by Sean M. Grady

Virtual Reality makes computer users seems as if they have stepped into another world. It uses a combination of high-speed computers, programming, and interactive devices. This book dives into this world, explaining the history of development, description of the virtual reality concept, how it applies to our everyday life, and the future implications of virtual reality in our world.

People in the News - Bill Gates by Adam Woog

Everyone knows Bill Gates is the most powerful figure in the computer business, but who really is this "ordinary person" who co-founded Microsoft? This biography profiles Bill Gates, offering insight into his life and the impact he has made in our modern world. This book starts with Mr. Gates' childhood, including his behavior issues in school! It follows the discovery of his interest in computers and eventually how Microsoft was formed, before his 20th birthday! It is a great inspirational story and gives good insight into how this computer giant evolved.