Day 3 of Trebuchets

The auxiliary supports went on today which leaves only the throwing arm to add. With any luck we'll be flinging tin foil balls on Wednesday. One boy came up with a new use for the auxiliary supports.Here are a few pictures from today.

Where's George?

As part of our study of money for the composition this week we are conducting an experiment to see how far and fast money travels. Each student was given a specially marked dollar bill, the serial number of which I have entered onto a website that tracks the travel of currency. Our hope is that after spending the money, a kind soul will receive it and log onto the website and put the serial number in. The website is http://www.wheresgeorge.com/. Obviously no student names are used in any part of this experiment. There is an 11 percent chance that a bill will be entered into the website after its initial posting and the average wait is 29 days. I will be sure to report if any of our bills are entered. Here is a picture of the bills all together. Who knows how far they will go from here?

A New Blog Feature

I've been working on the blog some today and have added a feature that may prove of value. The blog is geared for the parents of my current students and the posts are designed to allow the parents to get a glimpse of daily life in the classroom. I cleaned up the link lists on the right hand side of the blog and added a new link. The new link is titled Calendar of Events and contains things such as upcoming composition topics (listed in red), special assemblies and field trips, the word of the week and current spelling chapter (listed on Sunday), days the school is closed or closing early, and other information. While it is certainly possible that things like composition topics may change, the thought is that parents may be better able to engage their sons in meaningful conversations about what is happening in school. To get to the current month click on the Calendar of Events link on the right which will take you to the April 2009 calendar page. I added the last few days of March at the top of the April calendar. You can also click on May 2009 at the top to see upcoming events. If you have suggestions or things you'd like to see on the calendar please let me know. This being a new feature there may be a few hiccups, but I think this could prove to be a real asset.

The Trebuchets Are Taking Shape

While the boys are working on the trebuchets we have a discussion about their construction and use. In the beginning the discussion focuses on the mechanism itself and how all of the parts work together. As I bring in other trebuchets that I have built we will discuss the difficulties in building extremely large trebuchets but the obvious benefits if the construction is successful. We also discuss their evolution and use in history. This will eventually culminate in some great activities with our completed trebuchets and a composition summarizing the history of trebuchets and our experience in building and firing them. We will also watch a Nova video in which two trebuchets are constructed using Medieval technology.
Here are a few pictures from the next stage of construction during which we added the second main support and the cross bolt which will eventually hold the throwing arm.

Great Days and Better Knights

Now that we have started learning about the medieval period in history class, the line leader get to wear a chainmail shirt and helmet during Corrections period between 8:00 and 8:30. The highlight is walking the halls to take the attendance slip to Mrs. Pietrowski. Our first line leader to wear the knight's garb did a great job. The chainmail weighs twenty five pounds and the helmet weighs twelve. If the line leader feels overburdened he can take it off at any point, but the experience lets the boys see first hand how difficult it would be to go into battle wearing protective gear in the days of knights and castles.

Day 1 of the Trebuchets and the Portcullis

Each year on the first day of school one of the first questions I am asked is, "When do we get to make the trebuchets?" In response I ask the students when they saw last year's class with trebuchets, and they can usually recall that it was near the end of the school year. I tell them that we will do likewise. We have reached Chapter 50 in A Child's History of the World which is called "Real Castles"and many important events in the life of a 9-2 student unfold...the trebuchets, the portcullis, the knight's helmet, and a new item for this year, which will be at school on Monday. I put up the portcullis before school on Tuesady, but it is only lowered during History class so we had to wait until today. At the beginning of History class I lowered the portcullis which I told the boys would stay down until someone needed to leave the room. This year set the record for how long it has stayed down on Day 1...about 45 minutes.

After History class we started the trebuchets. The first step in building the trebuchet is sanding the wood, and the boys did a fine job. After that they needed to measure to find the midpoint of the base and the midpoint of the main support so that the trebuchet will fire correctly when fully assembled. Here again the boys did a great job. Then came the best part of the day, using wood glue to join the two pieces. Judging by how well the boys did today their trebuchets should be able to fling tin foil balls into the next county when completed. Enjoy the pictures below.

Ending Sentences With Prepositions

During snack today the Ninth Age teachers had a great discussion about this age old question. I was in the minority in contending that it is permissible to end sentences with prepositions. One teacher insisted that ending sentences with prepositions is something up with which she will not put. I would love to hear the thoughts of the readers of the blog. You can email me or post your thoughts as a comment below this post. I sleep well at night knowing that the ultimate authority, Grammar Girl, is on my side. To see her thoughts on the subject click here.

A Very Possessive Class

Normally being possessive is a trait we try to avoid, but in grammar class we encourage all things possessive. Today the boys worked in groups of three or four searching through magazines and newspaper ads to find possessives. Each group made a collage which will be displayed in the room. The class worked together on a whole class collage (the yellow sheet) of items in print where an apostrophe was needed to form a possessive but not used. We talked about how sometimes companies don't follow the rule for aesthetic or other reasons. I have encouraged the boys to bring in more examples of possessives when they encounter them in print at home. Enjoy the slideshow and photos of our works in progress below.

One of the Many Reasons I Love My Job

At lunch today I saw a Ninth Age girl standing at the windows that overlook the Pilot/Sixth Age playground. I walked over and asked her who she was looking for. She said she was looking for her brother who within a few moments saw her. He pointed to his eye, then his heart, and then pointed at her. With a big smile she returned the gesture and they both went on their way. It is wonderful to see such affirming, positive relationships between siblings here at Calvert.

Estimating Game

What seems to be ages ago we had some great guesses in the estimating game. The champion guessers are shown below.

Another Math Site

Here is a great Concentration style game for one or two players which reinforces math skills. This is a timely game since many math groups are currently doing geometry. The game can be found by clicking here or by clicking on the Concentration link under the math links.

Erupting Volcano

After our study of Vesuvius I found this video very interesting.

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

Space Shuttle News

The Space Shuttle Discovery is set to launch at 7:43 PM tomorrow night. Nasa has indicated that people on the east coast may be able to see glow of the solid rocket fuel boosters as the shuttle ascends into orbit. Look to the south if the clouds cooperate from 7:43 until just before 8:00. Even if the shuttle is not visible tomorrow night it may be visible as it catches up to the space station on the next few nights. The chart below pertains to the International Space Station and shows the date, the time to look, the duration in minutes the station will be visible, the maximum height in degrees it will get overhead, the portion of the sky where it will enter, and the portion of the sky where it will exit. For further information or to find the tracking information for an area outside of Maryland, you can go here.

Sun Mar 15/08:20 PM, 4, 77, 10 above SW, 32 above ENE
Mon Mar 16/08:49 PM, 2, 29, 26 above WNW, 23 above N
Tue Mar 17/07:40 PM, 5, 86, 16 above SW, 10 above NE

The 100 Word Challenge

Last week in grammar we began our study of possessive nouns. Today in class I challenged the boys to write a one hundred word whimsical tale using lots of possessive nouns. One boy managed an impressive twenty two possessives in a story in which a meal goes haywire. Here is the tale:

The Old Lady's Food

There once was an old lady who put her food in the horse's bin. The horse's food was in the cow's food bowl. The cow's food was in the dog's food bowl. The dog's food was in the cat's bowl. The cat's food was in the bear's bowl. The bear's food was in the snake's bowl. The snake's food was in the lizard's bowl. The lizard's food was in the fish's tank. The fish's food was in the parrot's cage. The parrot's food was in the parakeet's cage. The parakeet's food was in the lady's bowl.

The Iditarod

In reading class most of the students read a story called Akiak which deals with the annual Iditarod race. The Iditarod is currently underway and the progress of the race and other information can be found by clicking here.

Word of the Week

In honor of our composition this week concerning Attila the Hun, the word of the week is barbarian which comes from 1338, from M.L. barbarinus, from L. barbaria "foreign country," from Gk. barbaros "foreign, strange, ignorant," from PIE base *barbar- echoic of unintelligible speech of foreigners (cf. Skt. barbara- "stammering," also "non-Aryan"). Barbaric is first recorded 1490, from O.Fr. barbarique, from L. barbaricus "foreign, strange, outlandish." Barbarous is first attested 1526.

Estimating Jar

Below are the two winners from last week. Well done fellows!!

The Metric Olympics

Today and tomorrow mark the 2009 Metric Olympics in the Ninth Age. The 66 students have been broken up into 12 teams and over the course of the two days they compete in six different events all utilizing metric measurement. Events include The Marble Grab (Mass), The Paper Plate Discus (Length), The Perimeter Walk (Length), The Sponge Squeeze (Capacity), The Paper Straw Javelin (Length), and The Big Foot (Area). Points are tabulated by subtracting your estimate in each activity from the actual answer. This is a great way to get the students thinking about, using, and becoming more familiar with the metric sysytem.

Abalones at Last

We had many, many pages without the word abalone, and then today we had lots of them. There were even two in one sentence.

Shipwrecked!!

Last week each boy pretended he had been shipwrecked on a deserted island. One amazing tale is below.

While on a solo around the world race my sailboat, The Chesapeake’s Pride, unfortunately sank. I saw storm clouds in the distance, and I knew it would be tough to sail through them. As I sailed under the foreboding clouds the wind started to blow and rain fell in sheets, and then my boat was struck by lightning two feet away from me. Water was gushing through the hull. Then another bolt of lightning struck my boat, this time on the mast splitting it in two. Then a huge wave came up, and I was washed overboard. I grabbed for the rail of the ship, but I could not reach it. Suddenly I saw another wave wash over the Chesapeake’s Pride. Then I heard a splintering sound, and she was gone. I thought all hope was lost when a flash of lightning illuminated the sky, and I could just barely make out the shape of an island in the distance. I swam as fast as I could toward the island. I could almost taste the sand on the beach. Suddenly a huge wave cascaded over my head. I was tossed and turned under the water. Then my head cracked on a rock and I blacked out. The next thing I remember was tasting the salt water sloshing in my mouth. I was suddenly wide awake. I looked up and saw that I was not more than six feet from the shore of the island I had seen the night before. I jumped for joy at being saved. Then I remembered my ship. I looked out to sea and saw the remnants of my ship, a twisted hulk of boards impaled on a rock. This was the only thing left of what had hours ago been the best vessel I had ever known. Suddenly I remembered I was still standing in the water, and I quickly waded ashore. Once there, I realized I was quite thirsty and looked around to find a suitable place to get fresh water to drink. I soon found a small stream and some berry bushes growing nearby. I ate and drank until I had had my fill. Next I decided to look at what I had on me that could help me. In my right pocket I had two packs of waterproof matches, a pair of goggles, and a waterproof pocket flashlight. In my left pocket I had a ball of string, two waterproof pens, and a pocketknife. I decided to make some weapons. First I wanted to make a bow and arrow to shoot with. I found a curved stick, and with the Phillips screwdriver attachment on my pocketknife, I bored a hole through the top of the stick and again at the bottom of it. Then I measured out some of the string in my pocket and cut it with my pocketknife. I strung the string through the holes and tied stopper knots at the ends to keep the string from coming off. Finally, I cut a notch in the middle of the bow, and it was complete. Next I found a rock and smacked it on another rock. The first rock cracked into three little pieces, and with these pieces which I saw were flint, I made arrowheads. I made them by chipping them into shape with my pocketknife. Then I tied them onto sticks with vines that I had found and cut with my knife. When that was done I decided to make a spear. I shaped another flint arrowhead and tied it to a stick with a vine. Lastly I tied another vine on the end so I could hold onto whatever I caught with my spear. With this I would be able to keep an animal that was wounded by the spear on a sort of leash. Now that I had weapons I wanted to keep a journal so that when I was rescued I would be able to retell my story with full accuracy. That is, if I was rescued. Still I wanted to make a journal so I set off to find a paper-like substance to write on. I came across a log with bark that was white and smooth. It was perfect for writing on, so I took out one of my waterproof pens and started to record the day’s events. I spent the next three days sitting by the “Scribe log” as I had decided to call it, recording the day’s events and living on berries and stream water.
After a few more days I realized I might be here for a while. By then I was low on protein. I knew this because no matter how many berries I ate I was still hungry. I took my spear down to the beach and dove into the water. There was such an incredible reef down there it took my breath away. I picked out a slow, good-sized fish not too far away from me, took aim, swam at the fish, and plunged my spear into it. I hauled my catch up on shore, cleaned it, and piled up some wood and dry grasses. Then I shoved a “Y” shaped stick on either side of the wood, stuck a stick in the fish, laid it on the “Y” shaped sticks, and lit the fire with a waterproof match. After it cooked I took it off the fire and ate it. It was delicious! With my strength regained I wanted to build a shelter. I found a rock near the stream and leaned a few logs onto it to make a lean-to. Next I rolled the Scribe log next to my shelter and it was done. I looked inside and saw that the stream ran right through one side of it so that I always would have a supply of drinking water. Next I decided to explore the island. As I looked around I saw that deeper in the jungle many fruits grew including some that I had never seen before. There were also two mountains, three lakes, two rivers, two waterfalls, one hot spring, and one volcano. I had now been on the island for thirty days, and I was down to my last match. I decided to try to contrive some plan of escape, and finally I got it. I would ride away on Scribe log until I found some ship that could take me back home. Since the ink on Scribe log was waterproof my notes would not wash off. I was in high spirits for the trip when I left. All I took with me was my spear, my bow and arrow, the things in my pockets, and a paddle. I was a mile offshore when I sighted a whale in front of me. Thinking I could catch a free ride, I hurled my spear into the whale’s side, and it carried me far. My spear didn’t hurt the whale but was like a splinter. Suddenly I saw something surface up ahead. Was it another whale? No, it was a submarine! I detached my spear from the whale and paddled to the submarine, and a U.S. Navy officer stepped on deck. I climbed aboard, told him my story, and they took me home. I am very glad I was rescued. I’m lucky to be alive.

Today's History Test

If you'd like to see the History Test click here. The boys are doing it as I write this and seem comfortable with the format. Since this is a new kind of test I will have lots of grace (if needed). The material lent itself very easily to this kind of test and I prepared the boys in class for this test.

Estimating Game

I forgot to take a picture of last week's winner, so here he is with the new item to estimate. Way to go great estimator and good luck to all this week!!

Google Virtual Earth

I have been playing around with Google Virtual Earth this afternoon, and it is awesome. If you copy and paste the extremely long web address found below into your browser it will take you to what looks like a normal overhead shot of Calvert. Click on Bird's eye, then zoom in with the controls on the left and pan around the building with the controls beneath the zoom. You can click on the then x on the left in the light blue shaded box to make the screen larger. If it is working properly you should be able to see a 3D version of the school. The mind-blowing aspect for me was the ability to pan around the building and see each view with full detail. The other amazing thing is the program was a small, free download that installed in about thirty seconds. I can't wait to get to school to see if this will project onto the big screen with the same quality. I was going to paste a screenshot of the picture but was unable to do so. I went low-tech and took a picture of my computer screen. That is the image seen below. This should come in handy in geography and history class. I can't wait!!

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCC&cp=39.337644~-76.621155&style=h&lvl=17&tilt=-39.0345454036044&dir=179.962041440932&alt=722.96029286366&cam=39.346254~-76.622141&scene=31864506&phx=-0.0637548484226077&phy=-0.41501467296107&phscl=3.47888377681082&encType=1