Adaptation - by James Wang

Animals and plants will have to adapt to the changing climates, conditions, and challenges of the future.
Birds
Insects
Animals
Insects will have to evolve to survive in deserts as Pangea II dawns. Insects will have to evolve to survive in salt flats as the inland seas evaporate.Some birds will have their eyes on turrets to help them see predators and prey easier.Some birds will evolve four wings to fly in different biomes.Animals will have to have thicker fur to survive the upcoming ice age. Animals will have to have smaller noses to avoid losing heat to the ice age.

Funny Bloopers & Possible Project

Have fun figuring out why these bloopers are funny.......

I have an idea. What if we start collecting our own mistakes and start recording them? If we have enough by the end of the year we can write a mini-book and self-publish it.

We'll need people with varying talents:
- those who are organized enough to collect and record unintentional mistakes,

- some imaginative people to see in their minds what pictures would be funny,

- those with artistic intelligence to draw these pictures and a great cover,

- computer-savvy people who know how or want to learn how to use programs like Paint Shop,

- some willing to learn how to publish a book....etc.

- more computer-savvy Captain Jack Sparrow's to upload documents and images (now do you understand why Captain Jack used "savvy" in the Pirates movies?)

- those with interpersonal intelligence to get everyone working together effectively (which makes you VERY valuable or "marketable" in life after school!)

Oh, and others good enough at spelling to actually realize errors have been made,
and/or a good enough command of our language to see that how words/sentences have been used have taken on an unintentional hilarity.

DREAM BIG! ~ Serena and Summer from last year's class did most of the illustrations for my book, Ten Little Numbers Jumping on the Bed (click on the title to see the book - it's free to download).

These are students who roamed the same room as you are now who are now forever part of a published book. What talents do you have or could have that you can offer to this project?

DO BIG! ~ This is an extra project, meaning you have to be competent enough in the 5th grade benchmarks to free yourself to work on this. Or even better.........be intelligent enough to figure out how to incorporate the benchmarks into the working on this book (intra personal intelligence). Wouldn't that be fun?


What if you could?

Christian Bulletin Bloopers

· Ushers will eat latecomers.

· She sang "I Will Not Pass This Way Again," giving much pleasure to the congregation.

· The patient is having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of Pastor Jack's sermons.

· Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say "hell " to someone who doesn't care much about you.

· A letter to the men’s fellowship reads: "All members are requested to bring their wives and one other covered dish to the annual banquet."

And my personal favorite.......

· Sermon this morning: Jesus Walks on the Water. Sermon tonight: Searching for Jesus.

~ Learning and Laughter should occur at the same time as often as possible ~

Nobel Prize Winners

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - France's Albert Fert and German Peter Gruenberg won the 2007 Nobel Prize in physics on Tuesday for a discovery that lets billions of computer users store reams of data on computer hard drives.

The technology "can also be considered one of the first real applications of the promising field of nanotechnology," which deals with extremely small devices, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said in its citation.

"Applications of this phenomenon have revolutionized techniques for retrieving data from hard disks," the prize citation said. "The discovery also plays a major role in various magnetic sensors as well as for the development of a new generation of electronics."

In 1988 Fert and Gruenberg each independently discovered a physical effect called giant magnetoresistance. In this effect, very weak changes in magnetism generate larger changes in electrical resistance. This is how information stored magnetically on a hard disk can be converted to electrical signals that the computer reads.

"The development of computers showed in the last years that this was an important contribution," Gruenberg told Sweden's TV4 channel shortly after being told he was sharing the prize with Fert.

Last year, Americans John C. Mather and George F. Smoot won for their work examining the infancy of the universe, studies that have aided the understanding of galaxies and stars and increasing support for the Big Bang theory of the beginning of the universe.

On Monday, two American scientists, Mario R. Capecchi and Oliver Smithies, and Briton Sir Martin J. Evans, won the 2007 Nobel Prize in medicine for groundbreaking discoveries that led to a powerful technique for manipulating mouse genes.

Prizes for chemistry, literature, peace and economics will be announced through Oct. 15.

The peace award is announced in Oslo, while the other prizes are announced in Stockholm. The prizes, each of which carries a cash prize of $1.5 million, were established in the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel.

The Nobel prizes are always presented to the winners on the Dec. 10 anniversary of the death of its creator.

___

http://www.nobelprize.org

Fighting for Fun

Taneicea, I will never give up on you. You can doubt yourself in angle-tangle all you want, but I never will

Whose class are you in?

Are you allowed to fail?

No one ever has,
and no one ever will...........

.....especially not you





Little Miggs, you doubt yourself in science, not taking notes that could help you go from the bottom of the barrell, to the top of the apple tree.

"Whose class are you in in, where giving up isn't allowed? Who doesn't see you as a failure, and refuses to let you fail? Who will keep believing in and pushing you, until you do the same for yourself?"

So here, borrow my strength and belief I have for you, borrow it as long as you need to, until you have the same confidence in yourself as I do in you.

The only form of failure history has ever known, is when you quit, give up, and stop trying.....I don't think I'll be lettin' any of you lads and lassies be doin' that anytime soon (and I'm saying this in my Shrek voice).

And if you don't have the strength at the moment, you may borrow mine. I may be just an ugly ogre, but my strength is fine. Together we'll see you're highest self this year.

The fight for your highest self must go on! Only then can the real fun begin.

Looking good Drew, looking good.

(Why the bandanna the past two days?....Why not?...Actually I've overslept Thursday and went to school forgetting it was on my head. Today I got a creme pie in my face on the morning news to promote a fund raiser and my hair is all sticky.)

So....What Are You Trying to Say?

I appreciate your gift
I truly do

But the title of the book
Makes me a little confused

"100 Words to Make You Sound Smart"

Are you trying to say....

....I'm a fool????

- Adam Stuart (Oct, 2007)

Making History in the Present

History DOES NOT have to be a boring list of facts and dates. MAKE IT COME ALIVE by making it applicable to your life, right now, in the present. I find this especially easy to do with historical people. These are people who lived their lives fully, overcame great obstacles, and made a difference in the world.

And the historical pattern will show, that usually the greater the obstacles a person overcame in their lives, the greater they became by it.


Overcome your obstacles today. Be strong! Seek them out! Attack your problems versus letting them attack you.

LEARN FROM and become INSPIRED BY the past!

1. What does this quote mean to you? (KNOWLEDGE-COMPREHENSION-APPLICATION)
2. How can you apply this meaning to your own life, and MAKE HISTORY - TODAY? (APPLICATION-ANALYSIS-SYNTHESIS)


"If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightening."

- Frederick Douglass
(1817-1895)

Thor's Travels

This is from Sandeep. He is an incredible student and an even more incredible person from last year. Although the smallest kid in the class, just as I was up until high school, he was so big inside that I called him Thor's Hammer. He is going to help you guys learn geography in a fun way.

Hi Mr. Stuart well I am going to make a question for the "Thor's Travels" and here it is:

Hi students how are you doing? Well here is your question. The place is in Europe and it's around Germany and not in Germany. It's at the bottom right of Germany and it's a country. Another hint is the first letter is an "A".

p.s. Oh ya don't tell me there is no such place. I have been there before. Also if you need help, go on google maps or google earth at home.

Pick Your Favorite Crayon (Learning Style)

Don't have the time to write a full write about everything about these pictures that is so right. It would be wrong to force this when it comes better in a flow.



Yesterday's dancing and goofing off;
a free flow of happiness and love ~
dancing to believe it or not - Bobby Brown



Every Little Step I take.......

...you will be there

every little step I make

...we'll be together



Such a cool labor of love on Labor Day
between a father and daughter

Making the father feel he is nothing....nothing but a spirit....






and around certain people his spirit is wild and free...and his daughter is one of these people.

yesterday was an explosion of more than "love", it was a connection within myself, perhaps my highest self....


...allowing me to pick up vibes of connection elsewhere in the universe...







and laugh....













....and play











...and go to bed, saying.....






"Today, a day that started off not so very good....










....ended up being a very very good day




AND....our Italian lesson for the day was "Dove andate alla scuola? (Where do you go to school?)...

Answer - Alla scuola del mio papà. (At my Daddy's school.)



Where he visits me in class and learns from my teacher Mrs. Munoz about picking our favorite color crayon to learn, and has his students pick their favorite way to learn.

*There's strong evidence that the only grade left where natural and real long-term learning is in Kindergarten. After that there is too much pressure on teachers to teach and "prepare" students to do well on state testing, versus allowing students to learn and build long-term knowledge and problem-solving skills. You know, the kind that actually allows them to operate and thrive in life after school.

Teaching today is tougher than ever. I recognize this. But my answer is...So what! Young dreamers depend on our ability to get tough with it. Confidence is being created and destroyed every day. We are meant to be creators. (I am so jazzed by this picture. Thank you Sofia for being who and what you are.)

Practice Laughter and Love

I came across these pictures while looking for some to include with the "Winners Learn to Like Themselves Through Practice" post I was doing on my students' web page.

All three of these girls are among the best in the nation, and perhaps the world, in at least one area. After seeing the pictures of this "Dream Team", Three Musketeers, Tres Amigos, etc.......three words began to sound off in my head as to how they got this way:

"Practice", "Laughter" and "Love."

While pouring a cup of coffee with this chanting still in my head, I realized this was the reason for their remarkable success. As I drank to this epiphany, the words began changing order. They went from:





PRACTICE











LAUGHTER







LOVE








to






LOVE PRACTICE











PRACTICE LOVE






LOVE LAUGHTER




and when things don't work out




PRACTICE LAUGHTER






LAUGH LOVINGLY








LOVINGLY PRACTICE


*and just rinse and repeat as necessary, UNTIL the desired results are reached. This simple formula works whether you're a child or adult, between children and adults, children, and adults.


And most importantly, it works with ourselves. We are humans "being". This takes practice. Nature has evolved through 4.6 billion years of practice. It must have laughed at some of the things it's created. And it certainly must have loved so many of the beautiful things it's loved and laughed into existence through practice.

We, "(wo)man", are universal babies, barely 3.6 million years old. We owe it to ourselves to never give up on who we are, and who we are capable of becoming.

We are all so much more than we give ourselves credit for. What race, sex, religion, nationality we are and income we have has nothing to do with our capabilities. I've personally seen this (or maybe personally seen to it) happen in every type of classroom among every type of student.

So let's practice laughter and love with each other, and most importantly, with ourselves. Our evolution requires it. We don't evolve through hate or victimization. We grow through practice, or struggle. And there's no better way to do this than with the water of laughter and the sunshine of love.

Impossible growth IS possible, miraculous results ARE achievable, and the human species making the world a better place IS attainable.

WE CAN DO IT!
WE ARE DOING IT!

"...You are here....Life exists...Let the powerful play go on that you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?"
- from Dead Poets Society (you can see Robin Williams' photo in the LAUGHTER and PRACTICE pictures, which he signed, "To Mr. Stuart's class, DREAM BIG!", using a photo from the movie. I'd say he is contributing a GREAT verse to our play. Thank you, Robin!

Math Trick from Your New Zealand Fan Tui

UNBELIEVABLE MATH TRICK

Here is a math trick so unbelievable that it will stump
you. Personally I would like to know who came up with
this and why that person is not running the country.
Grab a calculator (you won't be able to do this one
in your head)


1. Key in the first three digits of your phone number
(NOT the Area Code...)

2. Multiply by 80

3. Add 1

4. Multiply by 250

5. Add to this the last 4 digits of your phone number

6. Add to this the last 4 digits of your phone number
again

7. Subtract 250

8. Divide number by 2


Do you recognize the answer??

It's the Size of the FIGHT in the Cat

You guys have heard this before from me. Since the cat's in the picture instead of the dog, I changed it a little.

They say it's not the size of the cat in the fight, but the size of fight in the cat that determines the outcome.

This is more than true for us humans as well. Anyone who has studied history can tell you numerous stories of those with great desire accomplishing great things.

Think back on the times when you were able to accomplish something you didn't think you could this past year. You and I know it was because you had great desire.

I was the smallest kid in my class up till high school. After I grew Freshman year I was still the skinniest kid. At home I used to ask my one-year-older sister to pretend she was a girl at school coming down the hallway, and ask her if she could tell if I had any muscles.

She was nice, but honest, and told me "no". I kept asking her, pretending to open my locker and "flexing" my arms, but still no muscles could be seen. After three years she said maybe I needed to lose all my fat before I could gain muscle. I had no fat to lose, and gave up asking her.

But I loved football and wanted to play so badly (and did for three years) that I ran my summer workouts with a weight jacket and asked every big guy at the local YMCA about their workouts. I finally made the varsity team my Senior Year, and we even made the playoffs for the first time in years.

I ran the next summer workouts again with a weight jacket and never missed going to the gym. I ended up being the only one from my high school to go on to play college ball, even though I only played varsity in high school one year.

"I didn't have any special gift, and I'll say that to anyone out there who thinks they need a special gift. Focus, and a little bit of obsession helps. When I was young I thought 'there will be a changing of the guard and someone is going to take over'. Why not me?" - Steve Martin

Someone today is going to take one step closer to achieving their dreams. Why not you?

The Power of Attitude - The Movie

I know it's summer but here's a great short movie on the power of attitude. It's definitely worth checking out. See how many things you recognize from our year together.

The Power of Attitude Movie

I Believe In You

104 years ago today the Ford Motor Company was created by Henry Ford and 11 associate investors. Ford cars are everywhere, a reality today that didn't exist just 100 short years ago. You were not a reality just 10-11 short years ago.

Now you are. You are here. There has never been another you. There never will be another you.

You are very special, and very magnificent. I saw this confirmed and learned this past year in your eyes and actions and test results (boy do I miss you guys as I'm remembering seeing this).

What special and magnificent things will you do with your lives? You are capable of incredible things. One way to gain insight and inspiration into how to make this happen is to study those who have already done it. Henry Ford might be one of these people for you.

Henry Ford.
Ford Motor Company

born July 30, 1863, Wayne county, Mich., U.S.
died April 7, 1947, Dearborn, Mich.

(I included the state where he was born mainly for Malcolm and Dallas, as much as it hurt me to do this :-)

He was an American industrialist who revolutionized factory production with his assembly-line methods.

Ford spent most of his life making headlines, good, bad, but never indifferent. Celebrated as both a technological genius and a folk hero, Ford was the creative force behind an industry of unprecedented size and wealth.

Remember, find those who have what you want, do what they did, and you'll get what they got.

I miss and love you all, not just for who you already are, but for who you are in the process of becoming. Never give up on yourself. Never shrink from a challenge to become more.

Never, never, become less.

You are a special gift to this world. Develop your highest self and give the gift of yourself, your unique talents and genius to the world, and make it an even better place than it already is!

When do you do it? Today. You do it every today by believing you can.

I believe in you, today, and every today.

Mr. Stuart

Your teacher whenever you still need me.

I decided to copy this post to all three other weblogs, getting the message of your confidence and courage to as many people as possible. Thank you for believing in yourselves and working as hard as much as I believed in and worked with you.

I invited them to read your comments. You DO make a difference in the world. I thank you for paying attention to how you spell those words (hint, hint :-)