STAR STUDENTS 11-22-13

 ~Congratulations to DjMon, Daniel, and Imani.  They are this week's STAR Students. They all had awesome weeks and were good examples for other Apes!

Finishing Number the Stars

Kim Malthe Bruun

We finished Number the Stars today! Many student agreed it was the best novel they have ever read! This was out third novel this year.  It was also  our first novel in our genre study of the Holocaust!  We learned about the influences that Lois Lowry had for writing this book.  She based Peter on an actual Danish resistance fighter named Kim Malthe Bruun who was executed by the Nazis for his involvement in sabotaging the Nazi operation in Copenhagen. Annemarie and Lise were based on w Danish woman named Annelise.  What an awesome experience...... reading this novel with the Ape.  We also got to listen to the man we met in the story A Child of the Warsaw Ghetto.  What an incredible story of suffering and survival!

How did the Danes fol the German dogs?

~How did the majority of Jews in Denmark escape to Sweden? The Jews were smuggled across the sea Baltic Sea (Kattegat) to Sweden in boats of local fishermen (like Henrik's). Some fishermen had built secret compartments in their boats to conceal people.These boats were often stopped in mid sea, and boarded by Nazi troops searching for Jews. One of their instruments was specially trained police dogs. To counter this, scientists in Sweden and Denmark created a mixture of dried rabbit's blood and cocaine, and laced handkerchiefs with the mixture. These were then distributed to the fishermen. When a dog smelled the rabbit's blood, it would sniff the handkerchief. Exposure to the cocaine would now temporarily destroy the dog's sense of smell. This is how the Rosens were able to escape. Tomorrow we find out other things that they have not told Annemarie. The picture below is an actual boat used by the Danish Resistance to help Jews escape across the Baltic Sea.

The Berlin Wall - Connection Section

Scenes from Porstmouth, New Hampshire

 Mr. Gibbons ran in a race up north in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It was cold.... so cold I had to wear gloves and a hat!  After the race we had a big family get together in Massachusetts.  It was a lot of fun!

Straight A's

Straight A Student for first Nine Weeks

Nw Word Study

New word study list and definitions are on the WORD STUDY tab above. Test will be next Thursday the 14th.

The cast of Number the Stars

~We started our first Holocaust genre study novel, Number the Star by Lois Lowry.  Tihs is the story of how an entire country worked to save more than 95% if its Jewish population during this horrific time!  Our main characters will be played by the following:

 Annemarie Johnasen

 Ellen Rosen

 Papa Johansen

 Uncle Henrik

 Peter Nielsen

 Mrs. Johansen and Mrs. Rosen

 Kirsti Johansen

A demonstration of INTRICATE

Main Ideas and Bessie Coleman

 ~We are focusing on finding and inferring the MAIN IDEA in text this week and next.  Today we learned about the incredible Bessie Coleman and how she became the first Black pilot in the USA.  She had to go to France to get training.  When she returned to the USA she became a rock star with her flying stunts.  Tragically, he fell out of a plane while flying over Jacksonville.

A cool video of Bessie put on by the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.

First Nine Weeks Awards!

 ~Congratulations to the Gibbon Apes who received awards for either AB Honor Roll, Straight A Honor Roll, and A Citizenship!

 

Steven made straight A's

STAR STUDENTS 11-1-13

 ~Congratulations to Ethan, Tamarian and Joshua!  They are this week's STAR Students!  All three Apes work hard, mind their business and are good examples to the rest of the Apes!  We are proud of you!