Friday, May 22, 2009

Animoto



Have a wonderful summer!! I miss you already:)

Monday, May 11, 2009

Research Topics

The 5th grade boys have been researching a topic of their choice.

5A Boys:
King Louis 16th and the Fall of the French Monarchy
Why Hershey is such a Great Company
Why Pixar is the Best Animation Studio
The History of Native American Lacrosse
The History of the Yo-yo
Why Being on Ski Patrol is so Challenging
Why the Yo-Yo is the Best Toy Ever Invented
Why Yellowstone National Park is World Famous
Why Modern Day Zoos Are Better Than Zoos of the Past
Why the Masters is One of the Best Tournaments in Professional Golf
Why Duke University Has the Best Basketball Program in the Nation
The Effects of Autism
Why Lacrosse is the Best Sport Ever
The Importance of Going Green With Solar Energy
How the Dust Bowl was Caused by the Average Farmer and Not by the Forces of Nature
Hurricanes: Causes and Effects
How Computers are Beneficial Today

5B Boys:
Why Performance Enhancing Drugs Should Not Be Allowed
How Antartica is Being Affected By Global Warming
Why Street Racing is an Intense Pass Time
How the Death of a Loved One Can Affect You
The Causes and Effects of Global Warming
How Pancreatic Cancer Affects Lives
The History of Basketball
Why the Credit Crash Affects America
How Brain Tumors Affect People
How Space Travel Has Improved Over the Years
How Going Green Can Affect the U.S.
How F-16's and A-300's are Alike and Different
Obesity: An American Epidemic
The History of ALS
How Navy Seals are Trained for Sea Hijacking
How the Stock Market Affects the United States


5C Boys:
How Smoking Can Affect the Lives of Ordinary People
How the Technology of World War II Affected Its Outcome
Why the Velociraptor is the Deadliest Animal of All Living Creatures
The Affects of Smallpox: Then and Now
How the Armenian Genocide Was the Worst of ALL Time
Why the Deep Sea is Rarely Explored by Humans
Why Mount Everest is the Hardest Feat for Climbers to Conquer
What Happened for the Fight for Fallujah to Unfold
Why O.C.D. is Very Challenging
Why Slamball is the Next Up and Coming Sport
How Cigarettes are Associated to Lung Cancer
How Smoking is Ruining American Lives
How the Beatles are the Best Rock-N-Roll Band of All Time
How Lives are Affected by Dwarfism
The Importance of Creating Better Photos
The Causes and Effects of Diabetes
Leo Frank Murder Case: Innocent or Guilty?

5D Boys:
Why a Dog is a Man's Best Friend
The Curse of the Great Bambino
Bigfoot: Legend or Reality
Why the History of Comics is the Best
How the X-43 is the Fastest Jet on Earth
How Knowing God Improves One's Quality of Life
Why the Cuttlefish is the Most Amazing Animal Known
How Aspirin is Beneficial
Why the Traditions of the Masters Make it the Best Tournament of All Time
Why Computers are Becoming an Essential Part of Life
Why the Yankees is the Best Baseball Team in Major League History
Why the Who was one of the Greatest Rock Bands of all Time
How Modern Day Pirates are an Immense Threat to Every Docking Point in Samalia
UFOs: Fact or Fiction
Big Bang Theory: Myth or Reality
Why Dogs are the Best Animals/Pets Ever


Check out my new digital learning website: GrammarCloud!


Sunday, May 3, 2009

Plagiarism


The following information came from *plagiarism.org

Many people think of plagiarism as copying another's work, or borrowing someone else's original ideas. But terms like "copying" and "borrowing" can disguise the seriousness of the offense:
According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, to "plagiarize" means

1. to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own
2. to use (another's production) without crediting the source
3. to commit literary theft
4. to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.

In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else's work and lying about it afterward.
But can words and ideas really be stolen?

According to U.S. law, the answer is yes. The expression of original ideas is considered intellectual property, and is protected by copyright laws, just like original inventions. Almost all forms of expression fall under copyright protection as long as they are recorded in some way (such as a book or a computer file).
All of the following are considered plagiarism:

* turning in someone else's work as your own
* copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit
* failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
* giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
* changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit
* copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not (see our section on "fair use" rules)

Most cases of plagiarism can be avoided, however, by citing sources. Simply acknowledging that certain material has been borrowed, and providing your audience with the information necessary to find that source, is usually enough to prevent plagiarism. See our section on citation for more information on how to cite sources properly.

Example for using quotations

Example for using paraphrasing

*What is Plagiarism? (n.d.) Retrieved May 4th, 2009
http://www.plagiarism.org/learning_center/what_is_plagiarism.html