Research Paper Assignment

While to most of us, well - me anyway, the thought of writing a research paper sounds like a daunting task.  When this assignment came up for the Jedi all I could think was, "I just spent the last 2 years writing research papers!"  Fortunately for me, this was his assignment, not mine. 

Out of all of his writing assignments this year, this is the first time I took a hands-off approach to see what the Jedi came up with.  Well, as hands-off as I could be anyway seeing as our family visited Mesa Verde the week before he wrote this paper and we checked books out at the library together.  Anyhow, he wrote this paper by himself and handled most of the revisions. 

We're almost at the 1/2 year mark for homeschooling and I'm already noticing a drastic improvement in his writing and his desire to produce quality work.  It's not easy, but we're getting the hang of this.  I hope you enjoy his writing sample and please feel free to ask the Jedi questions about Mesa Verde. 

Mesa Verde

Mesa Verde and the Anasazi People

In southwest Colorado, Mesa Verde National Park holds historical evidence of early Native Americans.  Mesas, flat plateaus, cover this eighty-one square mile National Park.  It is a significant place that helped shape America’s Native American history.

            Mesa Verde, Spanish for “green table,” is roughly one and a half miles above sea level.  The park collects ninety inches of snow a year and has temperatures ranging from fifteen to eighty-five degrees Fahrenheit.

The Native American tribes that lived in Mesa Verde from the sixth to twelfth century were called the Anasazi people.  The word Anasazi means “ancient enemy,” but due to the negative meaning, these Native Americans became known as the Puebloans.  They came to Mesa Verde to defend themselves from their enemies, the Cheyenne Indians in the sixth century.  The Anasazi people first built their houses on top of the mesas, but they soon built houses within the cliffs along the sides of the mountain to protect themselves from rain, snow, and falling rocks.  They built the houses out of wood and stone covered with adobe, a mixture of dirt, ashes, and water used as cement.  Their religious and family events took place in kivas, which are circular dwellings built underground.

A kiva

Ladder to climb down into the kiva

The women made baskets and pottery used for storing food and water and cooking. They cooked food in the baskets by heating a stone and placing it in the basket with the food and water.  The stone would heat the food in the basket and cook it.  They cooked food in pottery by placing pots over the fire until the food was cooked.  The men planted crops on the fertile mesas and hunted bison throughout the land.

The Anasazi people believed that the sun was their god.  It is for this reason that they built their cliff dwellings facing the East, the way the sun rises.  Another reason the Anasazi faced their dwellings toward the East was to avoid wind, which blows from the West to the East, and absorb the most heat possible.  The Native Americans climbed up the mountainside to protect them from wild animals.  They scaled the mountain by making notches in the rock to grasp as they climbed.

The Anasazi tribe did not have running water and just had one spot to relieve themselves.  This caused sickening hygiene problems, which killed people because they had no cure for the infections.  Another common health problem for the Native Americans were dental complications.  A severe drought came and forced the Anasazi people to move out once and for all around 1275.

On December eighteenth, 1888, Richard Wetherill and Charles Mason were looking for lost cattle when they stumbled along Mesa Verde.  They took mummies, arrowheads, axheads, clothing, and pottery to archaeologists to study and determine the mysteries of Mesa Verde. 

On June twenty-ninth, 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Mesa Verde as a National Park. Roosevelt said he made it a National Park to “preserve the works of man”.

The people of Mesa Verde, its discovery, and its transformation into a National Park are things that both helped shape Native American history and our country’s memoir.  Preserving one of America’s National Parks is a great responsibility so the cliff dwellings can be enjoyed for generations to come.

Bibliography

Crewe, Sabrina and Anderson, Dale. The Anasazi Culture at Mesa Verde. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Gareth Stevens Publishing, 2003

 “Dec 18, 1888: Wetherill and Mason discover Mesa Verde,” n.d. Accessed November 27, 2012. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/wetherill-and-mason-discover-mesa-verde

“Mesa Verde National Park.” n.d. Accessed November 27, 2012.  http://www.desertusa.com/ver/du_ver_map.html

 “Stepping back in time.” 2010. Accessed November 27, 2012.

http://www.visitmesaverde.com/mesa-verde-history.aspx

How-to Writing

The past few weeks we've been working on grammar...ick.  So, when it came time to write a how-to speech, the Jedi was pretty excited.  After mulling over several Halloween crafts on Pinterest, he finally decided on an edible project, of course.

I want to spend a special shout out to the creator of the Twinkie Mummies.  They've been a hit in my home and hopefully at a Halloween party we'll be attending this evening.

Mummy Twinkie Pop  Click here to see the original version.  We made some modifications because frankly, that candy melt is super sweet and I couldn't stomach coating an entire Twinkie with it. 

Happy Halloween!  

Our Angry-Bird Pumpkin

Or, as they say in the South...

Happy Fall Y'All

Happy Halloween How-to

 

How to Make Twinkie Mummies

A Twinkie Mummy makes a quick, easy, and edible Halloween craft and snack.  All you will need are twelve ounces of white candy melts, two boxes of ten Twinkies, twenty lollipop sticks, a cookie sheet, wax paper, one Ziploc storage bag, forty candy eyes, twenty gift bags, and twenty twist ties or ribbons. 

First, dump the candy melts into a microwavable bowl.  Melt the candy in the microwave on fifty percent power, stirring every thirty seconds until the candy is entirely melted.  While the candy is melting, unwrap the Twinkies.  Lay the Twinkies on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper so that you will not ruin your workspace.  As soon as the candy is melted, dip a lollipop stick into the melt, and then stick it three-quarters of the way into the Twinkie. Then, preform this step to all twenty Twinkies.

Afterwards, pour the melted candy into a Ziploc storage bag and cut a hole in the corner of the bag.  The size of the hole depends on how thick you want your Mummy’s wrappings to be.  A small hole produces small wrappings, while a thick hole creates thick wrappings.  Squeeze the candy melt out of the bag onto the Twinkie; moving the bag back and forth to make the Mummy’s wrapping. Do not cover the Twinkie completely with the candy melt so you can still see the yellow of the Twinkie.  Next, place the candy eyes onto the top third of the wrapping.  You can choose to do this to all Twinkies at once, a few at a time, or one at a time. 

Finally, position all the Twinkies in the refrigerator.  After five minutes have passed, take the Mummies out of the refrigerator and knock off the excess candy melt from the sides of each Twinkie.  Insert the Mummies into gift bags, and use the twist tie or ribbon to close the bags up. 

Voila!  The Mummy you have just made is an appealing Halloween snack.  Enjoy making and eating these delicious Mummies with friends and family.

Persuasive Writing

The Home School Jedi has been working on his persuasive techniques in anticipation for his editorial assignment. This week, he learned how to avoid propaganda techniques.  Here are some of the topics we avoided as he wrote his piece about seeing a show at our local theatre.

Bandwagon - Everyone's going to the theatre

Flattery - Only smart people, like you, appreciate theatre and the arts

Glittering Generalities - Fulfill the American dream and see a live show

Name-calling - Don't drive all the way to NYC to see an overpriced, overhyped musical

Promises - Want to be the coolest kid in town?  People will look up to you for seeing a live show

Testimonials - Tim Tebow likes the theatre

There's Always Drama in My Town!

            

Better Than Broadway

Have you ever seen a show at the Springer Opera House, the State Theatre of Georgia? Every year, the Springer hosts a season of musicals and dramas.  Both genres are filled with exceptional shows and extraordinary actors from Columbus.

Many of the actors and directors at the Springer are from Muscogee and Harris County and all are as talented as the ones on Broadway.  In fact, Shane Hall, choreographer of the current show 9 to 5, was in a National tour of Cats as Mr. Mistofelees.  Paul Pierce, producing artistic director of the Springer for twenty-five years, has directed over two hundred shows at the Springer.

Another reason you should see a show at the Springer is because they are always entertaining.  Ron Anderson, director of the Springer Children’s Theatre and Academy, is an extremely funny person.  He has an ability to make anybody laugh.  The shows at the Springer Children’s Theatre are sometimes based on books.  Mr. Ron has adapted many books into plays for the stage.  Two of my favorite works by Mr. Ron are Little-Baby-Snoogle-Fleejer based on the book by Jimmy Carter and Oliviatown by Allen Levi.  The show that is currently on stage, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, is based on the novel by Judy Blume.

           

The shows at the Springer Opera House are educational as they teach a lesson in every show.  Last season’s show show, Amazing Grace, taught listeners not to judge people on the outside or by their skin color.  Damn Yankees taught the audience to be content with who you are and what you have.  

The State Theatre of Georgia is a historic landmark.  Columbus should be proud to have a theatre rich with history, filled with abundant talent, and packed with entertainment.  If you’ve never seen a show at the Springer, call Becky, my friend at the box office, today!  You will be glad you did!

springeroperahouse.org

Reflections on Month #1

It has been 4 weeks since I began home schooling and I though I'd post some honest reflections about it...

Surprisingly, I am really enjoying it!  I like being the one who decides what my son will learn and protecting the influences in his life.  He and I have always been close, but I feel like we've grown closer this month as we've figured out this home schooling thing together.

In the beginning, I didn't give him enough work to do.  I didn't think I was setting the bar low, seeing as I was moving much more quickly than he ever had in school.  However, what I realized is that he honestly wanted to learn.  The passion, desire, and hunger for knowledge, wisdom, and understanding that is deeply rooted in me is at his core as well.  Perhaps I underestimated the young Jedi...perhaps I underestimate more people than I realize?

When God looks at us He sees His creation and He knows our potential because He gifted each one of us specifically for His purpose.  My Pastor says that when God looks at us He sees a perfect 10 because He see's us through the filter of His Son, Jesus.  I think I've underestimated myself.

I didn't think I could do this, any of this:
Home school, get a Masters, heck - even be a good parent.  These were all things I'm genuinely surprised that I am able to do, but God isn't surprised one bit.

I journal everyday.  Every single day.  I cannot live without writing and I don't know why because it's only a recent discovery.  Honestly, my journal is a sloppy mess and it's certainly not in the American Psychological Associate (APA) format and it's safe sitting beside my bed because it's entirely indecipherable.  One of the reasons I like to journal is so I can see where I've been and how God has answered not only my prayers, but has blessed me beyond what I even knew was possible months or years after I cried out to Him.

As it hit me today that this was the one-month mark of home schooling, I flipped back to read what I wrote in my journal as I was preparing to start being a teacher.  I'll admit, it wasn't pretty.  That week I had two papers to write for my own school too.  I'll share an excerpt with you...I was praying through Proverbs 2:

"Please Lord God, I turn my ear towards wisdom and I'm applying my heart to understanding, but I'm getting burned out.  I need you in every single area of my life.  I'm calling out for insight, crying out for understanding, looking for it as for silver and searching for it as for hidden treasure.  Please, help me to find what I'm looking for - a greater knowledge and understanding of you Lord Jesus."

I remember clinging to the Lord that week knowing that I could not do this alone.   Here I am a month later and I cannot say He's opened my eyes to vast wisdom and understanding, but I have experienced a peace that transcends all understanding (Phil 4:7).  I don't feel any smarter or better equipped, but I've made it a month.  I didn't make it by the skin of my teeth, hanging by a thread, or by any other cliche.  I can almost say I've thrived. 

God didn't underestimate me when He called me to all of this.  

If He didn't underestimate His child, why would I underestimate mine?  

Watch out young Jedi, God has high hopes for both of us!