You have several things to do today to get ready for a Thanksgiving feast.

1)  Find out what was really eaten at the first Thanksgiving feast by checking at least two websites.  In a comment, list FIVE things that were eaten at the first Thanksgiving, and include the links to the pages where you found your information.

2)  Turkey has become a tradition at Thanksgiving.  I have a 20 pound turkey to cook.  Look at at least two websites to find out how long I should cook the turkey and what temperature I should cook it at.  Leave the directions AND the websites where you found the information in a comment.

3)  Mashed potatoes are always popular at Thanksgiving.  But there are a bunch of different kinds of potatoes.  Look online to find the names of as many different kinds of potatoes as you can.  In a comment, leave your list of potatoes AND the websites where you found the information.  When I come back in December, I’ll reward the person or pair with the most potatoes on their list, as long as you include the sites where you got your information, so I can check your list.

4)  I know there will be a few football games played on Thanksgiving.  Find out who is playing, where they are playing, and what time they are playing.  Leave the information in a comment. 

5)  Which President made Thanksgiving a national holiday?  When?  Check AT LEAST TWO SITES to get your answer.  In your comment, include the site where you found your information.  (I’ve seen at least two different answers…)

6)  Every year, someone raises a few turkeys to be part of the official White House Thanksgiving dinner.  And every year, the President “pardons” the turkey, so that it won’t be killed and eaten.  Who was the first President to pardon a turkey, and what year was it?  Leave your answer AND the site where you found your information in a comment. 

Can you find out who said each of these quotes?  In a comment, tell the number of the quote, who said it, and where you found the information.

#1  “Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first. ”

#2  “I wish I could write as mysterious as a cat.”

#3 “All that we see or seem, Is but a dream within a dream.”

#4 “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

#5 “Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn’t.”

Remember, look online to figure out who said each of these.  In a comment, tell the number of the quote, who said it, and copy and paste the link where you found your information.  

Many websites have structure a lot like a textbook.  Today we are going to check that structure out on several sites.   You will need this text_chart.pdf chart.  Click on it to download it. 

Site # 1

http://www.mbgnet.net/

Site #2

http://www.geographia.com/

Site #3

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/6-8/index.html

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?