Tuesday, November 11, 2008

H.W’s Adventure in Germany

Introduction

Hi! My name is H.W. Pierre and I visited a lot of places in Germany. We visited Hamburg, Frankfurt, and Berlin. We discovered that Berlin is the capital of Germany. People in Germany speak German and the type of money they use is called the Euro.

Facts about Germany

Germany’s population is 83,250,000 people. We learned some words that would help us speak to people when we visit there.
Gefallen means please. Danken means thank you. Halt means to stop. We also learned the days of the week. Motag is Monday, Dichstag is Tuesday, Mittwock is Wednesday, Donnerstag is Thursday, Reibug, is Friday, Samstag is Saturday, and Sonntag is Sunday.
The German government has a president like the United States does, but they are called a Chancellor instead of a President.

Food

Germany has a lot of good food that we discovered too. They have bratwurst which is just like an American hotdog. They cook and eat it the same way. They also have yummy German Chocolate Cake. What makes it German is the type of chocolate they use to make the cake. It is topped with coconut pecan icing and is really good.

Conclusion

Pierre and I really enjoyed our journey around Germany. We learned so much together and had a lot of fun. We discovered a lot about how people over there live and how much those traditions have been brought over to the United States for people to enjoy.

K.G's Adventure in Germany - Here's What She Learned!

Germany Timeline

1933:
Adolf Hitler, an Austrian, takes power. Hitler and the Nazi party started a reign of terror.

1939-1945
The U.S. and its friends defeated 3 countries in World War II, including Germany.

1949:
Germany is divided into a Federal Republic in the West and Communist Republic in the East.

1989-1991:
The Berlin Wall is torn down and Germany becomes one united country again. Berlin was named the capital.

1999:
Officials announce plans to create a $5.2 billion fund to pay over 1 million slave workers who were forced to work under the Nazi rule.

May 2005:
Germany opens its first official Holocaust memorial dedicated to the nearly 6 million Jews that were killed between 1933 and 1945.

November 2005:
Germany elects Angela Merkel as its first female chancellor.

Facts About Germany

  • Germany’s official name is: Federal Republic of Germany
  • It is also slightly smaller than Montana.
  • The capital of Germany is Berlin.
  • Their currency is the Euro.
  • Their weather is usually mild with cool, cloudy and wet winters and summers.
  • The Germans mostly harvest potatoes, barley, wheat, sugar beets, fruit, and cabbage.
  • They also raise cattle and pigs.
  • Germany’s industrial products are iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, electronics, food and drinks, and shipbuilding textiles.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

C.S.'s Fun Field Trip

FACTS

DID YOU KNOW....
Nearly half of all Germans are fluent inEnglish, but only 3% of Germans speak
fluent French.

DID YOU KNOW....
Chimney sweeps can still be seen in German, dressed in thetraditional black suit and black top hat.

FAMILY
The Father is generally the head of the family both parents often work. Large families are not common. The average family has only one or two children. Order, responsibility, and achievement are traditional family values. Many young people like to live away from home once they get a job or go to college.

TRADITIONS
When a child loses a tooth parents sometimes tell their children to put their lost tooth
under their pillow. In the night a “Zahnfee” (a kind of elf) will take the tooth and give the child a small gift.

CLOTHING
Clothing styles are similar to those in United States, but with a little
European flavor. Traditional costumes are sometimes worn during festivals and celebrations.
Cosmetics are worn only sometimes. Sloppy and untidy clothes are inappropriate to wear in public.

SPORTS
Germany is a world leader in Tennis, track, field cycling and auto racing. Germany has many excellent sports facilities for both players and those who watch. For many years the German Sports Federation “Deutscher Sportbund” has sponsored physical fitness programs.
Swimming is very popular, in almost every town has a public “schwimmbad”. (swimming pool)

FOODS
There are many different foods the Germans eat like potatoes, noodles, dumplings, sauces, cakes, and pastries. Different places have different kinds of wurst (sausage).
The main meal is usually served at noon. Abendbrot, a light meal in the evening is usually an opened face sandwich. At the dinner table, hands must always be above the table
with their wrists resting on the edge of the table. It is considered wasteful to leave food on their plates when they are done eating. Germans do not like ice in their drinks
because they think cold drinks are not healthy.

Monday, October 27, 2008

D.K.'s Virtual Field Trip

Germany
Anne Frank
Did you know that in Germany they had this famous girl named Anne Frank? On June 12th 1929, Anneliese Marie or Anne was born in Frankfurt, Germany. Then Hitler became chancellor of Germany. The first anti-Jewish laws were established. The Franks decided that they must move to the Netherlands. Then Germans invade the Netherlands. For the very first time on Anne’s 13th birthday, Anne receives a diary. Soon the Franks start hiding in the Secret Annex. Then, another family named the Van Pels joins the Secret Annex. In 1944, Anne, Margot and Mrs. Van Pels were transported to the Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp. Later, in March of 1945, Anne and Margot Frank die at the Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp within days of each other.

Fashion
Clothing styles in Germany and similar to those in the United States, yet with a distinctively European flavor that helps to set them apart. Traditional regional costumes are often worn during festivals and celebrations. Cosmetics are worn sparingly. Sloppy or untidy attire is inappropriate in public.

Food and Fun
Most of the foods that are popular in Germany can now be found in America. These include bratwurst, sauerkraut, gummy bears and black forest cake. Christmas is a very big holiday in Germany. In Germany, they celebrate Christmas for three days.

People/Origins
The Germans are descended from the various Germanic peoples who arrived in northern and central Europe at least 2,000 years ago. The origin of the Germanic peoples is unclear. Yet, they are known to have been organized into tribes that migrated to the region over a period of many centuries. They developed a common language, cultures and customs that distinguished them from other people of Europe.

European Traveler: D. K.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

T.B.'s Adventure in Germany

Napoleon and I had so much fun on our field trip through Germany. Now I’m going to tell you about everything we learned on our adventure.

Tidbits on Germany
Did you know that almost half of all Germans can speak English? But, only 3% of Germans can speak French. I thought that was an interesting fact! Even more interesting is that chimney sweeps can still be seen in Germany dressed in the traditional black suit and black top hat. I didn’t even know there was such a thing.

Fashion in Germany
People in Germany wear clothes similar to us in the United States, but with a European twist. Sloppy attire is inappropriate in public. I also learned that costumes are often worn during festivals and celebrations. Cool, isn’t it?

German Culture
Germans are very proud of the region that they are from. Most Germans have a strong classical education. This is mostly because of the nation’s rich heritage in music, history and art. Germans expect others to also appreciate their heritage. I didn’t know that!

Family
I enjoyed learning about the traditional German family. It is very similar to my family. The father is generally the head of the family and both parents often work. The average family has only one or two children. It is not common to have a large family even in the more rural areas. Most young people like to live away from home once they go on to University (here in the U.S, we call that going away to college), or get a job. This part of the field trip was what Napoleon and I liked best!

Well, that about sums up what me and Napoleon did and discovered in Germany on our field trip!
Bye 
T. B.

C.'s and Napoleon’s German Adventure

Today, Napoleon and I did some research on Germany. It contains 137,800 square miles which is similar in size to the state of Montana. It has 16 states and 82 million people. There are 5 geographical areas: the north flat lowlands, the low hills and mountains of Mittelbirge, the western and southern plateaus and mountains, the German Alpine foothills and lake country and finally the Bavarian Alps with Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain.

Lake Constance is the largest lake and it separates Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The highest elevation is Zugspitze at 2963m and the lowest point is Neuendorf bei Wilster at
3.54 m.

Day 2
Napoleon and I decided to try some sports that are popular in Germany. In the winter, they enjoy skiing in the Alps. They have won many Olympic medals in the Winter sports including the luge, bobsled and speed skating. The national sport is soccer (fussball) and we were able to watch the pro’s play. Tennis is also very popular thanks to athletes like Steffi Graf and Boris Becker. Later we enjoyed a nice hike through some trails in the mountains and rode our bikes along a river.

Day 3
On our adventure today we went to school to learn more about the language. The official language is German however many understand English as well. A few of the words we learned were:
Guten tag-----hello
Hallo-----------hello, casual
Guten morgen----good morning
Guten abend----good evening
Guten nacht-----good night
Auf Wiedersehen---good bye

Day 4
Our day started with a trip to the Berlin Wall. This was a wall that divided Germany into East and West. It was erected in 1961 to seal off East Germany from the rest. It divided families who could no longer see each other. It began to fall in Nov, 1989 and the Germanys reunited in 1990.

Next we went to the famous Neuschwanstein Castle made by Ludwig the second of Bavaria. He was known as Mad King Ludwig and he commissioned many castles during his reign. The castle is located in Fussen. If it looks familiar it is because Cinderella’s castle in Disney World is fashioned after this famous landmark.

Finally our day ended in Munich for the biggest party of the year called Oktoberfest. We were able to enjoy many of Germany favorite foods and drinks including bratwurst and apple streudel.

We have enjoyed Germany but boy are we tired. We are ready to head back home!

German Foods by B.T.

Enjoy B.'s PowerPoint of German Foods! Yummy!

Monday, October 20, 2008

Pierre’s trip to Germany with S.G.

Germany
Did you know Germany has lots of cool stuff ? Well here are some of the everyday life Germans have.

Germany has different things like sports that in America we play like soccer. Soccer is called Futball in Germany. People play it so well in Germany. Germany has lots of sports to play in the Worldcup . Germany host the Worldcup. The Germans have sport like gymnastics, cycling, tennis, and many more!

The Germans have Christmas too. They have Christmas trees and carols and everything we have in America. Christmas is a huge holiday in Germany. Some carols come from Germany. Germans have Christmas on the 24 of December right before dinner and they still get to ceiebrate two more days!

In Germany kids speak German instead of English. In Germany there are different types of food. Germans have sausage, different types of desserts, and many more! Lots of food like Gummy Bears origanaly came from Germany.

Germans wear different types of clothes and wear traditional clothes at a certain time. The women wear Dirndles and men wear leaderhoses. All of these are wonderful sights to see!

Germans have famous music and games. Germany has famous bands that have CD’s. Many games in Germany are the same things we have here in America, but they’re translated in German and have different names.

Germany has a capital like in America the fifty states have a capital. Berlin is the capital of Germany. Germany lives in the Government of the Fedral Republic. As you know Germans speak German. The Currency is a Eurro. The area is 357,021 square km.

Did you know Germans have lots of famous people? Some of them are Heidi Klum, Dirk Nowizki, and Michal Schmacher. Heidi Klum is a famous super model. Dirk is a basketball player and so is Michal. Who knew that there are many different people are getting famous!

Germans have many books that are published in America. Some are the same. Some are different. Some are really old and worn out that they make new ones. We have lots of similar things as Germany!

G.G's Adventure in Germany


Pierre from Germany
Pierre and I visited lots of sites on my computer to find out information about Germany. Did you know 82,400,996 is the population? Gutantag is hello in German. The father is head of the family. The climate is 46 Fahrenheit (that is chilly!)

German people like to eat yogurt, fruit, breads, bratwust and sauerkraut. They don’t wear uniforms to school they might wear what they want. They often walk, ride bikes or take the buses to school.

What they do for birthdays is they light candles and make wishes just like the. USA. German people also play tennis, track, field and cycling. German currency is called the euro and more than half of Germans speak English. That is another thing we have in common. Pierre and I plan to take a ride this weekend or maybe just swing on my swing set.
European Traveler: G.G.

J.B's Field Trip to Germany

GERMANY
Berlin is the capital of Germany.It is also the most biggest city and the most famous city of Germany. If you go to the southern part of Germany, Munich is where a giant Oktoberfest happens every year. It is the biggest party in the world! In Germany there are lots of castles, cathedrals, and even universities and other famous buildings that are hundreds of years old.
THE BERLIN WALL
Germany was divided after the World War ll. The government of East Germany built a wall around West Berlin in 1961 and sealed off East Germany from the West. When people couldn't go pass the East and West Germany that meant that people who had family members on both sides could no longer see each other.The Wall stayed in place for 28 years.The Berlin Wall began to fall after weeks of protest to take it down.On October 3, 1990, East and West Germany officially reunited.
Clothing
In Germany they have the same types of clothes as Americans. They only dress up on special holidays like Christmas or Thanksgivings. Women wear something called a Dirndl ( a traditional women's dress ). Men wear something called a Lederhose ( a traditional men's leather shorts ).
SPORTS
Some of their sports are soccer,tennis,track,field,swimming,cycling,and formula one auto racing. Swimming is very popular to the Germans. Their National sport,soccer (fussball), is played at thousands of amateur clubs,while professional matches are regularly attended by thousands of spectators every week. Tennis is also popular,thanks to players such as Borris Becker and Steffi Graf.In the summer and the winter Cycling is the popular sport.
FOOD
Food in Germany is very different from food here in the United States of America . Some of their breakfast foods are hazelnut omelet, bauernfruststuck, and kartoffein puffer. some of their desserts are Banana Chocolate Cake,German Chocolate Cake, Almond Poppyseed Cookies. The last one is their soups they are Snail soup, Cabbage soup, and Beans and sausage soup.
CONCLUSION
I had a fun virtual field trip with Napoleon. I learned a lot about Germany, for example The Berlin Wall, Sports, Clothing, foods also I learned about the Berlin Oktoberfest that they have every year. I can't wait till it's my turn to learn about our next state!

European Traveler: J.B.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Welcome, Pierre & Napoleon!

Hi Kiddos,

Are you ready for an exciting learning adventure? Are you ready to explore Europe without ever leaving Jacksonville? Together, we will set off on virtual field trips as we travel through different European destinations. This month, we are headed to Germany.

On top of learning in class, you may be selected to take Pierre (Mrs. Bass' homeroom) and Napoleon (Ms. Beaudreau's homeroom) to further explore Germany through online destinations that transport you there. (Just take a peek at the posting below to see what I mean!) Students, you will become the class experts and teach the rest of us everything you learned. Actually, it is even better than that! You will write about everything that you learned through the eyes of Pierre or Napoleon. Since our new foreign exchange students haven't mastered the art of writing, you will be their scribes and write about everything you both learned.

There is a detailed letter coming home that clearly explains the new learning adventure. Please read and sign the letter so your child can be selected to set off on his or her first virtual field trip.

Students, we can't wait to read your travel journals! Once you've written about the learning experience, you will e-mail Ms. Beaudreau all of your fabulous writing, and your travel journal will be posted on this new blog. How exciting! You will be a published writer(along with the help of Pierre and Napoleon!).

Have fun exploring the Flowgram below. (Read the post below to find out more.) There are also website links on the right hand side of this blog.

Germany Country Information

Hi Students,

Are you ready to learn everything you wanted to know about Germany...and more? Lucky you, I have created a Flowgram to introduce you to all of the neat sites that are filled with wonderful information about our country of study, Germany. Just hit the arrow button to begin exploring the sites. You will hear my voice as I explain what the websites are all about. You may also click on the website links on the right hand side of this blog. Each one will take you to a different educational website about Germany. Remember, each website is FILLED with valuable information. Take your time and have fun exploring the different links to more detailed information on each site.


We can't wait to see what you kiddos (with the help of Pierrre & Napoleon) discover.


Set sail on your new, virtual learning adventure!