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Spring 2006
"Tell Me Something About New Orleans"
In 1718, when Sieur de la Bienville founded a strategic port city five feet below sea level near the juncture of the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico, it had to be reclaimed from a swamp. The new city was named New Orleans for Philippe, Duc d'Orléans and was French in origin and at heart. It was confined to the area we now call the French Quarter.
In 1762, Louis XV gave Louisiana to his Spanish cousin, King Charles III. Spanish rule was relatively short--lasting until 1800--but Spain left its imprint. From Spain, Louisiana was ceded back to France and was finally sold by Napoleon to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. At fifteen million dollars, it was one of the greatest real estate bargains in history.
Louisiana joined the Union and New Orleans became the state capital. The booming cotton and tobacco river trade soon transformed the port of New Orleans into the second wealthiest city (after New York) in the nation.
The war of 1812 began, culminating in the Battle of New Orleans, three years later. In 1815, British troops attacked New Orleans and tried to persuade pirate Jean Lafitte to join them. Instead, Lafitte offered his men and guns to the commander of the U.S. troops, General Andrew Jackson.
Thousands of refugees arrived from the Caribbean following the Haitian Revolution of 1791 to 1804. Following the revolution, thousands more gens de couleur libres, or free people of color, arrived in New Orleans. Most were from Senegambia, now the area in Central Africa known as Benin.
Creole society coalesced as Islanders, West Africans, slaves, free people of color and indentured servants poured into the city along with a mix of French aristocrats, merchants, farmers, soldiers, freed prisoners and nuns. Creole is a variety of tomato, an exotic cuisine, and a poetic architectural style. It also refers to people. The word Creole derives from the Spanish criollo or the Portuguese crioullo, which distinguished a native-born person. In present-day New Orleans there are people of various combinations of French, Spanish, West Indian and African ancestry who proudly call themselves Creoles.
Cajuns are descended from a group of French-speaking trappers and farmers exiled from Nova Scotia by the ruling English in 1755. Over a million people of Cajun descent live in Louisiana. Longfellow immortalized their story of loss and exile in his epic poem, "Evangeline." But Canada's expulsion was Louisiana's gain; Cajuns brought their joie de vivre, lively music, and famed cuisine.
--New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau
Focus on: Music Education
Delta Blues
"Mississippi Delta Blues is globally recognized as one of the most important musical forms of the twenty first century. Early Blues developed out of the rich fabric of black life itself and cross-fertilized the work-songs, love-songs, slow drags, rags and spirituals. Delta Blues soon became the emotional and literary voice of black singers across the south."
www.deltablues.org
www.deltabluesmuseum.org
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_blues
Music of the World
Every year, Bloomington celebrates the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival. This year, the 12th annual festival, takes place September 22-25. IU Press has issued a book and CD entitled Bringing the World to Our Neighborhood documenting the festival, including music from Asia to Zimbabwe. More information is at www.lotusfest.org.
SUDOKU
It's the latest craze from Japan. According to websudoku.com, "The rules of Sudoku are simple. Enter digits from 1 to 9 into the blank spaces. Every row must contain one of each digit. So must every column, as must every 3x3 square. Each Sudoku has a unique solution that can be reached logically without guessing." At this site, you can play online for free or print free puzzles for your students to tackle in class. See www.sudoku.org.uk for examples.
More Cool Stuff From Japan!
EXPLORE JAPAN, SAY IT IN JAPANESE, CULTURE CORNER, KIDS LIFE IN JAPAN, COOKBOOK FOR KIDS, HI-TECH JAPAN, and KIDS TRAVEL AGENCY are only some of the links on web-japan.org.
The World on the Tip of Your Tongue
~ Here's a project for students of all ages: have them go to the grocery and each pick out a food from another part of the world. Ask them to bring their finds to class and tell where the food came from. Younger children can just bring items in and the class can talk about it and look up the origins on the internet or in schoolbooks. Older students might know that many foods we think of as "American" are actually long-ago imports from other countries. Many students might NOT know that some foods we think of as "foreign" – such as chop suey – were actually invented in America!
~ Check out the Internet Public Library KidSpace section, "Language Around the World" (www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/browse/owd3000/) for links to say "Hello", "Merry Christmas" and other useful phrases in everything from American Sign Language to Zulu!
Five Great Kids' Movies From Around the World
Family Fun magazine (owned by The Walt Disney Company) recommends the following movies. The information below is taken from the May 2005 issue:
"Tell Me Something About New Orleans"
In 1718, when Sieur de la Bienville founded a strategic port city five feet below sea level near the juncture of the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico, it had to be reclaimed from a swamp. The new city was named New Orleans for Philippe, Duc d'Orléans and was French in origin and at heart. It was confined to the area we now call the French Quarter.
In 1762, Louis XV gave Louisiana to his Spanish cousin, King Charles III. Spanish rule was relatively short--lasting until 1800--but Spain left its imprint. From Spain, Louisiana was ceded back to France and was finally sold by Napoleon to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. At fifteen million dollars, it was one of the greatest real estate bargains in history.
Louisiana joined the Union and New Orleans became the state capital. The booming cotton and tobacco river trade soon transformed the port of New Orleans into the second wealthiest city (after New York) in the nation.
The war of 1812 began, culminating in the Battle of New Orleans, three years later. In 1815, British troops attacked New Orleans and tried to persuade pirate Jean Lafitte to join them. Instead, Lafitte offered his men and guns to the commander of the U.S. troops, General Andrew Jackson.
Thousands of refugees arrived from the Caribbean following the Haitian Revolution of 1791 to 1804. Following the revolution, thousands more gens de couleur libres, or free people of color, arrived in New Orleans. Most were from Senegambia, now the area in Central Africa known as Benin.
Creole society coalesced as Islanders, West Africans, slaves, free people of color and indentured servants poured into the city along with a mix of French aristocrats, merchants, farmers, soldiers, freed prisoners and nuns. Creole is a variety of tomato, an exotic cuisine, and a poetic architectural style. It also refers to people. The word Creole derives from the Spanish criollo or the Portuguese crioullo, which distinguished a native-born person. In present-day New Orleans there are people of various combinations of French, Spanish, West Indian and African ancestry who proudly call themselves Creoles.
Cajuns are descended from a group of French-speaking trappers and farmers exiled from Nova Scotia by the ruling English in 1755. Over a million people of Cajun descent live in Louisiana. Longfellow immortalized their story of loss and exile in his epic poem, "Evangeline." But Canada's expulsion was Louisiana's gain; Cajuns brought their joie de vivre, lively music, and famed cuisine.
--New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau
Delta Blues
www.deltablues.org
www.deltabluesmuseum.org
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_blues
SUDOKU
It's the latest craze from Japan. According to websudoku.com, "The rules of Sudoku are simple. Enter digits from 1 to 9 into the blank spaces. Every row must contain one of each digit. So must every column, as must every 3x3 square. Each Sudoku has a unique solution that can be reached logically without guessing." At this site, you can play online for free or print free puzzles for your students to tackle in class. See www.sudoku.org.uk for examples.
More Cool Stuff From Japan!
EXPLORE JAPAN, SAY IT IN JAPANESE, CULTURE CORNER, KIDS LIFE IN JAPAN, COOKBOOK FOR KIDS, HI-TECH JAPAN, and KIDS TRAVEL AGENCY are only some of the links on web-japan.org.
The World on the Tip of Your Tongue
~ Here's a project for students of all ages: have them go to the grocery and each pick out a food from another part of the world. Ask them to bring their finds to class and tell where the food came from. Younger children can just bring items in and the class can talk about it and look up the origins on the internet or in schoolbooks. Older students might know that many foods we think of as "American" are actually long-ago imports from other countries. Many students might NOT know that some foods we think of as "foreign" – such as chop suey – were actually invented in America!
~ Check out the Internet Public Library KidSpace section, "Language Around the World" (www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/browse/owd3000/) for links to say "Hello", "Merry Christmas" and other useful phrases in everything from American Sign Language to Zulu!
Five Great Kids' Movies From Around the World
Family Fun magazine (owned by The Walt Disney Company) recommends the following movies. The information below is taken from the May 2005 issue:
- Ponette - An exploration of Life and Death from the point-of-view of four-year-old French child Ponette, whose mother has just died. Recommended for ages 8 and up. Contains material on mortality and religion. Subtitled.
- The Silence - A ten-year-old blind boy in Tajikistan earns money by tuning stringed instruments. Imagination and music help him overcome his life's challenges. Recommended for ages 5 and up. Subtitled.
- Together - a 13-year-old violin prodigy goes to Beijing, where he finds a mentor and runs up against super-competitors as well as class and cultural barriers. Recommended for ages 8 and up. Subtitled.
- The Way Home - A media-addicted seven-year-old learns a new way of life from his grandmother in rural South Korea. Recommended for ages 6 and up. Some subtitles.
- Whale Rider - A modern-day Maori preteen in New Zealand struggles against her male-dominated tribal culture. The lead actress was nominated for an Oscar. Recommended for ages 8 and up. Some profanity, depiction of alcoholism.
Animals and Humanity
Children who are cruel to animals often grow up to be adults who are cruel to people. Children learn kindness and compassion, and it can begin with learning to be kind and compassionate to animals. The American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) offers lessons on two websites:
www.animalessons.org
www.animaland.org.
Harrison County's own shelter says, "We can always use volunteers to interact with the animals, clean cages, feed and give water, bathe and groom the animals. Volunteers should be over 13 and must sign a waiver, or must be accompanied by a parent or guardian." They can also use collections of supplies: towels and washcloths, dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent, bleach, paper towels, cat litter, alcohol, and hydrogen peroxide. Their address is 3132 Hope Lane NW, phone 812-738-8163. Their hours of operation are Monday through Friday: 3:30 pm - 6:30 pm, Saturday 11 am - 2 pm. They are officially closed on Sunday, but they come in to clean and feed the animals.
A Few Facts On Schoolyard Bullying
An article in The Sydney Morning Herald, "Beating The Schoolyard Bully" conducted in Australia dug up some compelling details. For instance, victims of school bullying had a high instance of mouth sores which are indicative of stress. Such victims have less successful relationships later in life and are more likely to experience depression. They are also more likely to become bullies themselves. Children who bully others are more likely to have a criminal record by the age of twenty-five. The good news is that a 'whole school' approach that involves everyone from the kids on up to the principal in a program of recognizing inappropriate behavior and raising awareness through role-playing works effectively at overcoming such problems.
Some Awesome Sites!
www.kids.gov/k_funstuff.htm First Gov for Kids -- Jam-packed with links to youth-oriented sites relating to NASA, the U.S. Mint, Coast Guard, National Gallery of Art and many more kid-friendly sites, with everything from coloring pages to lessons in making and breaking codes.
www.justgive.org/html/kidscorner/inspiringkids.html Inspiring Kids Making a Difference -- Kids making a difference for animals, kids, and the environment.
These newsletters are produced with funds from Community Unity and Harrison County Community Foundation