STAR WARS

A Review of Star Wars by Mihir: Star Wars by George Lucas tells how the Sith (the bad guys) slowly take control of the Galactic Republic and reorganize it into the Galactic Empire in episodes 1-3, and in episodes 4-6 tells about a boy called Luke Skywalker who joins a rebellion vowing to bring peace and justice back into the galaxy, along with many unforgettable allies such as Obi Wan Kenobi the Jedi knight, Han Solo the smuggler, and the robots C3PO and R2D2. Along the way, Luke discovers that Darth Vader, a Sith lord, is actually his father! Next, he learns that Vader had been a Jedi Knight once, as the apprentice of Obi Wan. Later Vader was seduced by the dark side of the force (the special power the Jedi and Sith use) and had turned back on the Jedi, helping the Sith take control of the galaxy. After learning this, Luke thinks there is still good in his father, and sets out to bring Vader back to the light side of the force, and succeeds with much difficulty. I hope you will enjoy reading the Star Wars books and enjoy watching the movies!

Presidents!!

By: Jeffrey President's Day is coming up! The great presidents from George Washington to Abraham Lincoln, from Thomas Jefferson to Theodore Roosevelt, and from John Fitzgerald Kennedy to Barack Hussein Obama have worked hard to earn their presidency. President's Day is to honor all these great presidents. This Thursday, Abraham Lincoln is turning 200 yrs. old! Former President Ronald Reagan turned 98 on the 6th of February, and George Washington is turning 276 the same day I am turning 10 on February 22nd! Four very famous Inaugural speeches were made by John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, and our current president Barack Hussein Obama. "And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country," -John Fitzeragald Kennedy. "The only thing to fear is to fear itself,"- Franklin Delano Roosevelt

" We are not enemies, but friends,"-Abraham Lincoln " Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down, and start in remaking America," -Barack Obama. Some Interesting Facts:

1. The Washington Monument was built to honor our first president.

2. The 36 columns around the Lincoln Memorial symbolize each of the states of the Union in existence at the time of Lincoln's death.

3.Between 1927 and 1941, sculptor, Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers sculpted the busts of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln into the mountainside to represent the first 150 years of American history. Please tell us who is your favorite president and why.

Zoooooooooooom In!!

Have you wondered who were exactly there at the Inauguration Ceremony? I am not sure, who can see that far from the crowd? Besides, there must be millions of people there right? I can't even see our new president! Wait a second, maybe, just maybe, I could zoom in to have a better view?? Let's see...... http://gigapan.org/viewGigapanFullscreen.php?auth=033ef14483ee899496648c2b4b0 6233c Yes! It does work! Now you have to see it yourself. Enjoy it Room 24!!

Bottlenose Dolphins

By: Rishita Hi Room 24! We have been studying Island of the Blue Dolphins in class, but how much do you know about dolphins? Bottlenose dolphins are really interesting aquatic mammals! Unlike human, they have a very cool way of communicating by making high-pitch whistles, clicks, and using body language. Bottlenose dolphins are like the acrobats of the sea. They can swim really fast to the surface and then leap out of the water. They do all this just to breathe! They jump about five feet in the air at one time! To do this, dolphins must swim at a speed of twelve miles per hour. That is high for just one dolphin! Most dolphins go around together in groups called schools, or pods. It’s basically like a herd, with a few males and females grouped together. Did you know? 1. Bottlenose dolphin is an endangered species. 2. Bottlenose dolphin has its name because its beak is shaped like the neck of a bottle. 3. Dolphins don’t mean to save anyone; they just like to push objects around. Now that you have read this article, please tell us if you like bottlenose dolphins? Why or why not?

Career Day!

By: Ishan Career day is coming up! There are millions of jobs in the world from doctors to football players, and mailmen to the CEO stars of business! What are you going to dress up as? If you’re still wondering what YOU’RE going to be, you should choose something that really interests you. For example, I’m going to dress up as an aerospace engineer because engineering really interests me (I like fixing stuff) and I have a super-high interest in planes! It would also help if you were good or had experience at the job you’re doing. You don’t want to be those people who hate their jobs, waking up miserably everyday waiting for the weekends to come! I bet teachers love their jobs because they love spending time with children! Which job (or jobs) will you dress up with and why? How do you think you would keep up with the jobs? Well, any job or jobs you choose, good luck with them!

New Year's Resolutions

Do you have a New Year's Resolution? You might have a few, but do you know what is a resolution? It means a firm decision to DO or NOT TO DO something. Here is the link to find out the most popular New Year's Resolutions in our nation. http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/New_Years_Resolutions.shtml Tell us one of your resolutions! Why is it important to you and how do you plan to make it work?

Scott O'Dell

Read about Scott O'Dell, find out what he says about himself at http://scottodell.com/lifebks.html Have you ever thought of becoming a writer one day? Have you wondered what it takes to become one? Tell us what you think after reading his story.

What Is Your Favorite Book?

Let's find out what our favorite books are. What are some books that you would strongly recommend to your friends? What is so special about it that really impresses you, inspires you, or simply makes you laugh or cry? My favorites include the Dragon series by Dav Pilkey. Dragon is such a silly fellow yet full of heart for others. I laugh when Dragon actually believes that he could make friend with an apple, yet feel the sorrow too when Dragon mourn for the death of the apple. Tell us your favorite book and a few words about it. We will add it to the list of our classroom favorite books and watch how fast the list grows!!

5th Grade Math Dream Bedroom Project

Here is a sample of poster designed by a 6th grader from last year. We have started our new project on 1/23 and it is due on Friday, 2/27. Have fun designing your own dream bedroom!! Be creative, future architects!! Don't forget to apply all the math skills you have learned for measurement and scale. Share with us any tips you might have for a better design, whether it's an idea, or a cool website!!

Taipei, Here I Am!

What has happened to our classroom blogsite? Has Mrs. Yu forgotten how to edit or poblish a post? How disappointing! No, I did not forget how, but simply could not find a good time to update our blogs. Ever since we started our school in August, time flies quickly and everyday is filled with more work or more things to do on my list. Finally, a break for me and I chose to come back to visit my family here in Taipei, Taiwan. No homework or test to grade (after spending ten hours to grade all 58 social studies tests, and 29 math quiz, I think I deserve a break!), no lessons to prepare, no emails to send reminders or reply, whew!! So what exactly do I do in Taipei for eight days? Well, first of all, I got plenty of relatives to visit. I also had a chance to see two great movies made by Taiwanese directors, and they are both enertaining as well as inspiring. Did I go shopping? You bet I did! I have a hard time thinking what I could buy for my famlies or students because almost everything is available in San Jose nowaday. I bought more origami papers, but they will be saved for next year when we work on Sadako. Tomorrow I am going to join the flag raising ceremony early in the morning to pay respect to the Independence Day of Taiwan. We refer to it as Double Ten Holiday, because it's on 10/10. I have not had a chance to be here during October since 1986, that's 22 years ago. How is your life during the break? Did you go to any special place or do anything interesting? If you are visiting someplace new to us, why not bring some postcards back to show us? I will bring some home with me too!!