See you next year!

Have a wonderful holiday break!  I hope you take time to explore the outdoors and to read.  I will see you in the new year!

Pepere Played the Fiddle

Pepere Played the Fiddle is a short book, but to
understand the story one needs to know something
about Metis culture.

Use these resources to answer the questions:

1.  Which Montana tribe is Metis?
http://www.littleshelltribe.com/miscdocs/history/1st_Indians_Montana.shtml

2.  There is an annual Metis celebration in Lewistown, Montana.  What activities are included in the celebration?
http://www.examiner.com/international-travel-in-billings/lewistown-highlights-metis-celebration-during-labor-day-weekend

3.  Michif is a language of the Metis people of the United States and Canada.  Michif comes mainly from the Cree and French languages. 
     There are Michif words in the story.  

     What does "pepere" mean?
     http://french.about.com/od/vocabulary/g/pepere.htm
     What does "memere" mean?
     http://french.about.com/od/vocabulary/g/memere.htm

4.  There is a Montana group that plays Metis music.  What is the name of the group?
http://infinitynation.blogspot.com/2008/07/fox-family-fiddle.html

Metis fiddle music is unique, rhythmic and wonderful.
Enjoy these samples:

Sierra's Song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGtckNUY7b8&list=PL57A9DD7A75C5D746&index=1&feature=plpp_video
Trent Freeman and Ry Moran
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZtIL5k2gPM&feature=autoplay&list=PL57A9DD7A75C5D746&lf=plpp_video&playnext=1
Cree Fiddlers at the International Music Festival
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5Vh9BQ4jmw&feature=bf_next&list=PL57A9DD7A75C5D746&lf=plpp_video
Red River Jig
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8VYxEZOGRE&feature=bf_next&list=PL57A9DD7A75C5D746&lf=plpp_video

Dec. 7, 1941

Dec. 7, 2011 marks the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

You can view a 2-minute video about the Pearl Harbor bombing by using World Book Online.  (Remember to type in the secret Rose Park password if your computer asks for it).  
Use this link:
Attack on Pearl Harbor


Then, you can check out one of the nonfiction or historical-fiction books about Pearl Harbor and World War II in the Rose Park Library!

READ the movie!

 

Have you read the book that inspired the movie "Hugo" ?

Have you viewed "A Trip to the Moon," the

1902 silent movie by George Melies that inspired the book?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JDaOOw0MEE

This WWI tale isn't just a movie--it is a Rose Park Library book.

Christopher Paolini is coming to Billings!

Montana author Christopher Paolini has completed his series,
'The Inheritance Cycle" with the recent publication of his 4th book,
Inheritance.


Read about the author and his books at:
http://www.alagaesia.com/

See the author IN PERSON in the Billings Holiday Parade.

When:  Friday night, 7:00 p.m., November 25th

Where:  Downtown Billings

Look for Christopher on the dragon float leading the parade!

Read about it in the Billings Gazette at:
http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/article_b780523a-a970-59e2-b3a9-9915e7e8342e.html

And then meet him at a booksigning in Barjon's Bookstore after the parade, 8:00 p.m., downtown.

http://barjonsbooks.com/contest/

View The Inheritance trailer at:

http://www.alagaesia.com/video.php 

Social networking safety

5th & 6th graders,
Read this cartoon.  Then use the information at the end to solve your library assignment:

"How Much is Too Much?"

Extra time?   Try this:

Internet Safety Hangman Game

 

Hatchet Jeopardy

Fifth Graders have read Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.

Now, try the "Hatchet Jeopardy" challenge.

You will need a team of two players

and a team to compete against.

Those four people share one computer and use this link:

HATCHET JEOPARDY

Set the number of teams to 2 teams and click on start.
Give your team a plus when you get a question right;
click on the minus if you get a question wrong.

Good luck!

Yay!!! A new Parmly Library!

Library design by Will Bruder, architect.

Billings is getting a new public library!
Thank you, Billings voters!

Book Fair! Nov. 1,2,3

Book Fair Time! Nov. 1, 2, 3

What's in all those boxes?  Unpacking the Book Fair has begun!

(If you see blank white space instead of videos here, you need to get past Barracuda, or view from home):

What happens when kids visit the Book Fair?  Let's find out!

See the Book Fair for yourself:

Tuesday, Nov. 1st          7:30-8:15 a.m.  and 2:15-4:00 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 2nd    7:30-8:15 a.m. and 12:00-4:00 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 3rd         7:30-8:15 a.m. and 12:00-6:00 p.m.

Caught reading!

Chinese monikers

In order of appearance:  Maycie, Abby, Sam, McKenzie, Nathan, Matthew, Kaitlyn, Hayley, Katie, Issa, Megan, Jazz, Alyssa

Get a Chinese name

Did you know that almost 10% of the Montana population was Chinese in 1870?  At that time, the Chinese in Montana were almost all men.  There were 500-1,000 Chinese miners in Virginia City alone.

Chinese gold miners in California, 1852. 
Photo from the California State Library.

Read about the Chinese in Montana, especially Virginia City, at:
http://www.montanakids.com/cool_stories/ghost_towns/chinese.htm 



University of Montana archaeologists have discovered Chinese artifacts in German Gulch, a 19th century mining area near Butte.  German Gulch was named for the German miners who discovered gold there in 1864.  By the 1870s, the Chinese were mining German Gulch. 
See archaeological finds in 3-D!
http://www.cas.umt.edu/germangulch 



The British Museum has information on Chinese writing.  Read the information on the Museum's web page and then try the Symbols Game.   Try at least three rounds.  Can you get four out of four right?
http://www.ancientchina.co.uk/writing/challenge/cha_set.html

Now, get a Chinese name for yourself at:
http://www.mandarintools.com/chinesename.html
or
http://chineseculture.about.com/library/name/blname.htm

Montana rocks!

A Montana kid collected and identified these rocks-- over 60 years ago!  Rock collecting is still fun and fascinating.

Rocks in this collection include copper sulfide, calcite, calcite crystals, and claystone.
Do you know which rock is which?

1.

2.

2. (side view)

3.

4.

Explore Earth Sciences with Montana Tech.

Gems, rocks, volcanoes & meteorites from the Smithsonian. 

The rocks in the photos above are   1.Calcite  2.Calcite crystals  3.Claystone  4.Copper sulfide