Calorie Counter

We started off with a ROMOTHINK: Would you lie, cheat, and/or steal to earn more money in your career? My point is/was to get you to think about WHY you are in school, and WHY you are tasked with BBB (Boring Busy Bookwork). Sometimes it's to get a learning SKILL like reading, finding, analyzing, interpreting, presenting, etc. Yet other times it's simply to have a guide from which to study "things" you should know.

I segued into a discussion/lesson on calories and access to health. We have enough food in the world to satisfy ALL NEEDS, and there is even plenty of energy to satisfy MOST WANTS. Yet we are still full of "Haves" and "HAVE-NOTS." WHY? Is it because of liars, cheaters, and thieves? I doubt it, but the concept of deserving more and then taking it does play a part...

Sometimes when you lie, cheat, and/or steal - you end up not only hurting yourself, but others you love and return that concern for you. Don't ever forget that, at some point, we are all in this together.

Early to Bed---Miss the Surprise

Your Water test will be MONDAY. We're going to watch a short vid about cities tomorrow and maybe something about NYC or even MPLS on Friday. I think Softball/Basebeall "end" this week for some teams (or next week), and the whole swine flu (OK - H1N1) thing has passed us by so we'll be getting back into the swing of things for our remaining 3-4 weeks. You guys and gals really need to:
1. Stop stressing - NO surprises on the Water test
2. Stop using the blog for Want Ads
3. Stop using the blog as a time-waster in 3rd period Yearbook
4. Start enjoying your lives again...think of how fast this year has flown by...

Weak Brain

I need some people to prep themselves for "ROMO NOT HERE" awareness. Near the end of the year, I like to "quiz" students on norms...what would you do if I left no directions for a sub? Could you find something of interest or need to complete as a class? We'll find out next time...in E5.

Please remind me to go over your EC statement for solving a Mpls problem. I keep forgetting in order to get through the slides and prep you for future activities...

Oh. Saw something fun online: Search "Lego Zombie" and enjoy.

RIvers, Landforms, Buildings, and Cities, Oh My!

Too bad you're not Keira, Jordan, Avi, or Sam - they're earning perfect scores for the Rivers/Landforms exam and possibly some credit for cities/buildings. Fair compensation for answering the call to help us out with the Model UN on Friday.

For the rest of you, I'll have spare handouts tomorrow and we'll continue the slideshow. There are some AMAZING cityscapes yet to be seen and shared. I'd also like everyone to learn a little about Pei, Philip Johnson, and Frank Lloyd Wright. There will be some EC available.

Places, Snow, and NO

You will need at least 64MB free on your flash drive for all of the pics. We'll go through them in class over the next two days - while I give you some HW for something completely different.

Watched Dead Snow. Wow. Clever. Fun. Cool. Too many intestines though - not enough brains. I enjoyed the homages to previous films, but there were still many questions left unanswered - HOW did they BECOME zombies? My biggest pet peeve is the use of fast (albeit slow in the snow) zombies. They're dead! They should lumber, toddle, but continue pursuit at any and all costs! I heard there is gonna be a sequel set in Iraq - Dead Sand - with a bunch of zombies led by Saddam Hussein.

Am I serious? NO!!! But it does sound fun, right? Some US troops on their FINAL mission somewhere in Iraq get caught up in a fight for their lives...and they must team up with the insurgents they were hunting in order to battle the true forces of evil. I think I'm on to something here. COPYRIGHT 2009.

Can't wait to catch Star Trek sometime this week - heard it was amazing. But I'd ratehr watch the movie I just came up with on-the-fly.

City Problems

You read about three, assumed the identity of an interest group, presented your case, discussed with others, and either tried to or did come to a decision. All within 45 minutes. Wow. I was VERY impressed by everyone's efforts today. BUT...I need MORE! Before we tackle the Minneapolis Public Schools problem (money, closings, moves, boundaries, etc.), I need you to reflect on what happened today...

SO, in the COMMENTS, an email, or simply printed copy, please tell me how it went today. What did you learn? What worked? What did not work? 150-200 Words. Enjoy your weekend...Oh, "due" Monday, but I'll take it Wednesday.

The Perfect Number is 5

I have 2 GREAT candidates who have volunteered to go on the Model UN excursion May 15th. It is an all-day event and you will be excused from classes. Problem is, I need 5 students. Some who had volunteered could not make it on that day or chickened out. It will require a little bit of research on one of 3 countries. So, here is the LAST chance/request. Let me know ASAP if you want in on this opportunity.

Make sure you complete your Penny Cities Map and come to class ready to solve urban problems on Thursday.

Also - if you have a FLASH DRIVE, bring it on Monday. I will let you copy the folder of picture files to be used on the exam in 2 weeks. The physical features/water test will be next week.

We are working on Chapter 5: Urban Sprawl in class Thurs/Fri. For HW (due Monday), I want you to identify and define 3 problems we are facing (or possibly will face) in Minneapolis. There will be an EC opportunity for you to explain YOUR solution to the problem - explained next week.

Is the Snow Living or Dead?

Any reviews yet for our movie? For Tuesday's class, simply watch the video about LA. Pay close attention to the people and places. Consider the Five Themes of Geography and how you can apply their use in the video. We'll have to figure out the Skype thing so I can give you directions from my staff development site...oh well. Maybe next year.

Wondering Why I Hope You Know Where Countries Are?

Which would you rather eat?

Lame, I know

We watched two short videos about urbanization. You had taken notes for 2 days - I figured you needed a break. We'll finish up tomorrow or Friday. On Friday, you will enter your World Test selections and do some BBB. I will be out next Tuesday (4 days without each other - woo hoo!) for staff development. I'll have to come up with something you can do on your own - I pity the sub.

Below is my call for help:

Late, But Worth It

As we continue the Urbanization/Environmentalism slideshow/unit in class, I though some of you might enjoy this cool site that allows you to make movies! It's easy and fun. For example, the following film took very little time...and yes, I received permission from Amanda BEFORE posting it. I'll make it a regular bit - you can be sure Adnan and Audrey M. will turn up at some point.

VIDEO REMOVED AS PER AGREEMENT

Send me yours (If you make any) and I'll post them on the blog. Eventually, maybe you can make something like the one below. Wow.

Bathtub IV from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

Casserole vs. Hot Dish

In 6th period today, we had a brief discussion regarding the Minnesota Hot Dish. I hate it. Yuck. Seriously, would you eat this? Ugh. Blech. Ick. That's why we use "dish" in MInnesota - to make sure "ish" is in there somewhere. Blah.

We started the Urban Geography slideshow today. We should finish it tomrrow, and I'll have you do some BBB - remember what that stands for? - on Wednesday after entering the World Test selections for scoring. Everyone should take their textbook tomorrow - I think we'll have you turn them in on Thursday or Friday. I hate them, we hardly ever use them, and they take up space.

What?

Words cannot describe. Simply watch and try to keep your mouth closed because this is jawdropping. I love short films and I love films without spoken words. This does both. Amazing. And if you want to see a cleaner version, watch the ad here.

My new movie site is down today - so no original clip. If anyone wants to read how the posted video was filmed, read about it here.

The Whole World is in Your Hands

Yup - we finished the movie today (except for 5th period). Regardless - you will be taking the World exam tomorrow. Whole class period. Hard copy AND clicker entry. No extensions. Please remember to be quiet when finished. Bring a book, some other classwork, or a pillow. So long as you are not disruptive, I do not care what you are doing (NO MP3 PLAYERS!).

Romo Must Be Crazy

So, we're into day 3 of "The Gods Must Be Crazy." You have hopefully been keeping track of the plot, sequence of events, characters (including objects), and interactions between everything/everyone. You'll be making a poster depicting these connections on Friday.

I distributed two handouts (white = cities and gold = sites/buildings) for you to study from for a test in a couple of weeks. The left-hand column is for WHERE, while the right-hand column is for a description. The test will be based on photo identification. There will be a slide-show with a picture asking you to either indicate the WHERE or NAME of what is being shown.

Check out these amazing photos of the Saturn system by the Cassini spacecraft

I think Cartman has been listening to Adnan too much...

Spending vs. Saving

Go and dig around the furniture in your house and car. A GREAT OPPORTUNITY is up for sale on eBay. I wouldn't be interested - not my style. Maybe you can pool your resources together for a bid...and don't forget to leave your comments in previous posts!

ET says "Ouch"

Ouch - this hurts. Did you gain anything from what I did with you over the last 3 weeks last quarter? Make the previous post for criticisms and this post for positives. Thanks. Oh, and BTW - the posters look GREAT on the wall (thanks to Porter for cleaning it up a bit). After scanning them again after school, I continue to be proud of you.

Comments About Model UN?

Digging Deeper (UNearthing more)

A final rah-rah for tomorrow:


Remember when I talked about solving the Piracy Problem around the Horn of Africa? So many people wanted to increase a military presence on the seas, destroy the bases on the Somali coast, blah, blah, blah. Dig Deeper! What CAUSED the pirates to emerge? They are willing and able (think economics - DEMAND) to risk their lives to seize ships at sea rather than stay ashore and work/run businesses. WHY?

Always DIG DEEPER. Ask WHY. Find out more. RESEARCH!!!

Last week's NCAA Frozen Four reminded me of the BEST college hockey goal...ever. Unfortunately, it was against our Gophers...