911 Anniversary

I am going to take a break from my trip description to take a moment to talk about the anniversary of 911.  This is a time when you were too young to know what was going on but this is a day that has affected all of us. 

I heard this program yesterday when I was driving to school.  It is the description of what it was like for a girl who was in Grade Seven at the time, living in New York City.  Please listen to her story. 

I will always remember that day.  My clock radio woke me up and I thought something strange was going on because it wasn't CBC but WNBC from New York City broadcasting.  Then I heard that a plane had hit the World Trade Centre.  I rushed to the TV set and watched the second plane hit the tower.  I couldn't believe it. 
I was teaching at Moberly at the time and our classroom was on the third floor and we could watch all the planes being diverted into the airport because no international flights were landing in the USA.

For a list of events that day just hit this link and watch this video.
An excellent novel about this day is We All Fall Down by Eric Walters.  Here is the book trailer.
The picture was taken at the site of the World Trade Tower.  I have visited the site twice-so hard to believe this happened.  We have been fortunate in North America as we have not been affected by war to the extent that so much of the world has been so this day was probably even more shocking to us.  The good part is ten years later the world is still here and many good things do happen but this was a day that definitely changed history...

New Brunswick and dramatic tides

I am a bit behind with this!  We crossed into New Brunswick from Maine at St. Stephen's.  First we visited Alma where it was definitely low tide.  Our next stop on our holiday was at Hopewell Rocks in New Brunswick.  You should check out that link I just gave you-it's excellent.  Before we got there though we visited an interesting lighthouse with a spectacular view.  You could go ziplining there but I didn't! 

Here is what Hopewell Rocks looks like a low tide but in high tide you can go kayaking where we were walking.  The tide comes in really quickly when it does come in. 

Here's what it looked out in less than an hour after we left.  Stay tuned for my journey into Nova Scotia!

More travels in the East

I feel as if I have been away forever but it's only been two and a half weeks in reality.  Right now I am in Montreal after a trip to Cape Breton in Nova Scotia.  It was a great time.  And needless to say I collected a few rocks as well.

Our trip began with a little Vermont and then into New Hampshire where we stopped at a beautiful hotel called The Balsams.  That is the first place that voting results come in during American elections- Dixville Notch.   It's a very tiny population there in November.

From there we went to Gorham, New Hampshire.  When I was a child I went there lots because my aunt and uncle owned a tourist business there called Cabintown. They sold it long ago but where we stayed was just down the road and I think I saw where it used to be, but the house looks very different now so hard to know... The next photo is taken from where we stayed.  We were very close to Mount Washington, which is famous as being the windiest place on top of it in the continental United States. 

Our next stop was Bar Harbour.  Bar Harbour is on the Atlantic Coast of Maine.  It was once a place rich people spent their summers.  You used to also be able to take a ferry to Nova Scotia but not anymore.  We had a beautiful view of the ocean from our hotel room.  Here is a view from the village of Bar Harbour.  Bar Harbour is in Acadia National Park which is absolutely beautiful.

Here is a view of the swimming pool at our hotel and the beautiful scene we saw from our room. 
After a night in Bar Harbour we drove up to New Brunswick stopping in the town of Eastport, which is the farthest east town in Maine.  They once fished for sardines there.  I think I will break this off here.  Next blog will be about New Brunswick and the neat place we visited there.

Visiting the McMichael...

Well I think it's time to post again.  I am currently in Montreal, leaving tomorrow for the Maritime provinces.  I will try to post a few pictures along the way.  Last week I was in Ontario and yes, summer school students, I did go to the McMichael Gallery.  That was really enjoyable and I thought of you as I went through the collection.  One interesting thing is that all the Group of Seven artists are even buried there!  I thought I would put a picture here to prove I was there (hoho). 

This is the cabin that Tom Thompson used to work in in Toronto-imagine in the city but it looked like a cabin you would see in the country. 

They even let you see what Tom Thompson's studio would have looked like inside!

Feeling a bit sad

Summer School is almost over and I am going to miss you guys although of course I am looking forward to time off and a trip back east.  I am wondering if I can work in a trip to the McMichael Gallery to see the work of our friends, The Group of Seven.  I was there quite awhile ago and I absolutely loved it so we shall see.  No worries I will blog while I am away.

I have actually really enjoyed teaching summer school.  I think we have gotten lots done, partly because there are a lot fewer interruptions.  We have all had colds and that has been a drag of course but I am so happy with what everyone has accomplished.  I think all the seventh graders are going to be better prepared for high school and Lubna and Paolo, who are doing seventh grade math before they are even entered seventh grade officially, have done really well keeping up with everyone!

I have really enjoyed the last few days as we are reading one of my favorite stories, Call It Courage.  I am hoping we will have time to do some of my Hawaiian stations.  I am looking forward to your presentations on Polynesian islands.  I think we are all yearning to get to visit Tahiti.  I am fortunate that I have been to Hawaii, the Cook Islands, and New Zealand and when there, loved learning a bit about Polynesian culture!  One reason I love sharing it with you and hope that you will get to visit some of these places one day!!!

Thank you so much for sharing this experience with me and being such a super class! 

Summer School-Knowledge Infusions

Well we have just finished Week Two of summer school so I thought it might be time to post a few pictures.  We have had quite a bit of fun actually.  For one thing every one has enjoyed the opportunity to use the six ipads that I was able to borrow from Media Services from the school board. 
One favorite activity has been Brain Pop.  Each day there is a new video that teaches you something you something you probably didn't know and then there is a quiz to take to see how well you remembered what you learned.  There is actually a computer website as well.  Here is the link -just hit the brain pop picture. 

We have also been quite productive.  Everyone did projects on one of the artists in the Group of Seven.  Yesterday we showed them to UBC student teachers and students in Ms. Klassen's class and today with students in two other classes.  People have put together some really great glogsters, prezis, and power points.

We have also have been doing lots of math, reading, and a novel unit on the novel, Call it Courage.  We have also done creative writing and work on vocabulary and reading strategies.  It's been busy, but I think everyone actually has been having a good time.

Links to last days at Trudeau!

Here is the video that Kam put together of the year at Trudeau that she showed at the last assembly!!!  Here's Steven's presentation.  I think these are the final grad prezis from Meili and Simran as well.
Here most of you are in Gastown! Happy summer!