Check out the weird animals I found online!  Are these real animals?  For each animal, answer two questions:

1)  Is this a real animal?

2) How can you prove that it?

Leave your answers as a comment.

Stick Insect

http://www.brookview.karoo.net/Stick_Insects/ 

Antlion

http://www.ivyhall.district96.k12.il.us/4th/KKhp/1insects/antlion.html

Jackalope

http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/tall-tales/jackalope.html

Hoopoe

http://www.montereybay.com/creagrus/hoopoes.html

Brandy, my dog, is sick and tired of chasing squirrels around here, and needs a vacation.  A friend sent me three websites for dog vacation places, but said she’s not sure if they are all for real. 

Can you check out the sites and decide which ones, if any, are for real? 

And can you explain to me how you decided if each one was real?

Leave your answer in a comment.
1. Dog Island http://www.thedogisland.com/
2. Camp Winnaribbun http://www.campw.com/

3.  Camp Gone-to-the-Dogs http://camp-gone-tothe-dogs.com/html/home.html

4. Camp Lucky Dog http://www.campluckydog.com/

We will use these sites to evaluate the trustworthiness of a website.

#1
http://poemuseum.org/

#2
http://eapoe.org/

#3
http://pambytes.com/poe/poe_links.html

Many people have strong opinions about boxing.  Some people feel boxing shoud be banned (made illegal or forbidden.)  Other feel boxing is a valuable sport.  You will read several sites that express opinions about boxing.

1.  Read each site to decide whether it is for or against boxing.

2.  Find one more site that is in favor of boxing and one more site that is against boxing.

3.  Decide the reasons for or against boxing at each site.

4.  Summarize the reasons that people are for boxing or against boxing.

5. Based on the arguments, explain your view on boxing and provide support for your position.

Site #1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing#Medical_concerns

Site #2

http://www.ozboxing.org/health/antibox.htm

Site #3

http://www.usaboxing.org/92_1239.htm

Site #4

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/medical_notes/363957.stm

Site #5

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/1076689.stm

Site #6

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/41288.php

Site #7

http://www.girlsinthering.com/youth.html

Your challenge for today is to complete the following:
Locate 2 websites that provide the whole short story, The Cask of Amontillado, by Edgar Allen Poe.

Post the web address, site name, and site author for EACH site in the comments section of your Wise Wildcats blog. (Hint: This requires multiple windows to be open to move easily back and forth for copying and pasting.)

Choose one sentence (not the first sentence) from your first site with the story, and copy it into the your blog comment under its web address (URL) or name.

Find the same sentence on the other website and copy it under its web address (URL) or name. Hint: Use the Edit/Find feature for searching in Safari to find the sentence quickly.)

Post/upload the comment!

Extra challenge: What does URL stand for?

What did this challenge help me learn? Checking one site’s information against another is a beginning step to critical evaluation.

These videos may be blocked…but…give them a try. If they don’t work today, they may work soon.

Piri Thomas has had a long and interesting life.  Go online to read about his life.  Then do the following in a comment: 

1.  When you find a site with good information, please copy and paste it into your comment so we can all check it out.

2.  Identify at least three events or factors in Thomas’ life that might have influenced the story, “Amigo Brothers.”  For example, why do you think he chose the setting for the story?  Did something happen in his life that made him center the story around boxing?  Write about it in your comment.   

Work in pairs to find the answers to these questions using Paul Fleischman’s official website.

1. How did Paul Fleishman’s parents influence the book Seedfolks?

2. What other books has Paul Fleishman written? What is the title of his latest book?

3. How can students contact Paul Fleishman with questions or comments?

4. What advice does Paul Fleishman offer young writers?

5. Is the character Virgil in the book
Seedfolks a boy or girl?

6. Why did Paul Fleishman choose Cleveland as the setting for the novel Seedfolks?

7. Which two characters did Fleishman reject and why?

8. How did Fleishman get the ideas for Virgil, Maricela, Sae Young, Nora, and Sam?

9. What are community gardens/therapy gardens?

10. In what performing group did Paul Fleishman participate?

Now that you have finished the quiz, go back to the Poe site, read some more about Mr. Poe, and create 3 questions that were not part of the quiz. If you have a good question, we’ll use it later to challenge the class!

Post your questions on the blog by clicking on “Comments?” You can use your epals address for the e-mail.

Reflect on the progress you have made in your independent reading. Questions to consider: 1. Have you been reading daily? 2. Have you chosen challenging reading material? 3. Have you been logging regularly? 4. How can you improve your performance and achievement in this area? 5. What grade do you think you deserve and why?

“Just as the lone individual can do much harm in society, Cotton Mather says, the lone individual can also do much good, and this theme subtly dominates Seedfolks” (From http://www.bookrags.com/shortguide-seedfolks/themesandcharacters.html)

Below are three questions to read and respond to…

1) How can one individual do great harm in a society? Can you think of examples?

2) How can one individual do good in society? Can you think of examples?

3) How could YOU do great harm or great good for society?

Be sure to respond to ALL THREE QUESTIONS by clicking on “Comments.” Use the e-mail address tgnierlich@gmail.com for the e-mail address.