Person of The Year

Below are various notable people from this past year.  After 365 days, TIME magazine like to recognize the person they felt made an impact around the globe for various reasons. Below are some notable figures who may grace the cover by the end of this year.  Which one of the individuals below do you think is worthy of being Person of the Year and why?  Is there someone not listed who you think is a better choice.  If so explain why.

Person of the Year

Read about our nominees for TFK's 2012 Person of the Year, then cast your vote

NOVEMBER 30, 2012

By TIME For Kids Staff

Who was the most important newsmaker of 2012? Read on to learn about the 12 nominees and to cast your vote for the TIME FOR KIDS Person of the Year. Be sure to make your choice by January 1! We will announce the winner at timeforkids.com and in the first issue of TIME For Kids after the holiday break.

Click on the images below to read about each candidate. Then cast your vote in the poll.

Felix Baumgartner	Barack Obama	Michelle Obama	R.J. Palacio
Michael Phelps	One Direction	Mitt Romney	Scientists of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Taylor Swift	U.S. Armed Forces	Women of Team USA	Malala Yousafzai source: http://www.timeforkids.com/news/person-year/62226

Did you Ever Hear the one About...

Laughter is a cure for many ills.  Read the jokes below and decide which joke is the funniest.  Explain why you thought it was funny.  Add your own joke, but be sure to make it appropriate.

Teacher: Last night I had a dream that I ate a huge marshmallow

Student: And what happened next?

Teacher: I woke up in the morning and found my pillow gone!

Q: Who earns a living driving their customer's away?
A: A taxi cab driver.

A girl came home from school.  

Her mother asked, "Dear How was your first day at school?"And the girl replied, "First day?  You mean I have to go back tomorrow?

Q: What is the longest word in the dictionary?
A: The word smiles because there is a mile between each s.

source: http://academictips.org/blogs/jokes-for-kids/

Let's Go to the Movies

The holidays are usually a time when all sorts of movies are released.  Below is a list of kid-friendly movies you may want to see.  Read the descriptions below and in three to four sentences decide what movie you would want to see and why.  Is there something the writer did not include you want to know more about to make the movie seem even more interesting?  Is there a movie not listed you want to see?

Kid-friendly movie guide

PIXAR VIA REUTERS - One eye, but 3 Ds: Sulley and Mike return in “Monsters, Inc. 3D.”

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Published: November 30

December is a busy time with family and friends getting together, decorating for the holidays and actually celebrating. But it’s also a great chance to get the whole family together to go to the movies. Look at our list of suggestions and tell your parents you’d really like some “quality family time.”

→“Rise of the Guardians”

When it comes out: It’s in theaters now.

What it’s about: What happens when Santa, the Easter Bunny and Jack Frost team up to take down a bad guy named Pitch, who wants to steal children’s dreams. The movie is done with computer-generated animation and features the voices of actors your parents probably know, including Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman and Chris Pine.

→“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”

Rating: PG-13

When it comes out: December 14.

What it’s about: This is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s story of a nervous hobbit named Bilbo Baggins, who must go on an epic quest with a bunch of dwarves and Gandalf the Grey to recapture Lonely Mountain. For many readers, this book served as the introduction to Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. It should be full of magic, but its length (2¹ / ₂ hours) and its rating (PG-13) means it’s for older kids, preferably those who have read the book.

→“Monsters, Inc. 3D”

Rating: G

When it comes out: December 19.

What it’s about: Yes, this is a movie you have probably seen on DVD, but the adorable story of what monsters actually do when they’re not scaring little kids is a classic worthy of a family trip to the theater. (You can tell Mom and Dad that KidsPost said so!)

→“Parental Guidance”

Rating: PG

When it comes out: December 25.

What it’s about: When grandparents take on the long-term job of babysitting their grandchildren, they discover that parenting has changed a lot. This comedy is likely to be funny in different places for kids, parents and grandparents.

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Eat A Colorful Plate

Do you eat a balanced diet?  Read the article below.  Which one of the facts below do you think is the most important reason to eat your veggies?  Explain in three or more sentences.

"What Happens If  You Don't Eat 

Your Vegetables"

Photo Credit Photos.com/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images

Some children and adults alike cringe when they hear a directive about eating their veggies. In addition to their multiple health benefits, vegetables add color and texture contrasts to meals, yet many Americans still do not make room for veggies on their plates. Certain nutrients are found almost exclusively in plants. By eliminating plant products from your diet, you are doing yourself a disservice that may result in the development of chronic conditions and life-threatening illnesses. If you consume about 2,000 calories a day, you should include 2 1/2 cups of vegetables to stay healthy and prevent nutrient deficiencies. Before making dietary changes, consult your physician.

Cancer Connection

Antioxidants have been in the news quite a bit lately and have been idealized as a sort of panacea for all kinds of ailments. These compounds, which include vitamins C and E and the beta-carotene found in carrots, protect against cancer by interacting with and preventing free radicals from harming cellular structures. Free radicals can come from the environment as well as form naturally in the body as a result of chemical processes occurring in cells. When free radicals are released from cells, they float around in the body and interact with substances such as DNA and the membranes that cover cells, destroying and mutating structures.

Cardiovascular Health

Along with cigarette smoking and an unhealthy body weight, a diet low in plant products can have detrimental effects on your heart and brain. In areas where people consume diets high in vegetation, rates of cardiovascular-related diseases remain at low levels. Conversely, people who eat very little plant products have the highest incidences of blood vessel blockages, resulting in heart attacks and strokes. Phytonutrients -- chemicals originating in plants -- have protective effects on the heart and blood vessels. Among phytonutrients are the carotenoids that impart yellow or orange hues to fruits and vegetables and the flavonoids found in fruits, vegetables, tea and wine.

Diabetes and Blood Sugar Levels

Green vegetables replete with leaves can protect you from developing type 2 diabetes, which primarily affects adults. By consuming an additional 1 1/2 servings of these vegetables per day, you can decrease your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 14 percent, according to a 2010 study published in the “British Medical Journal.”
Unborn babies can also benefit from mothers eating a diet filled with vegetables. Children with type 1 diabetes carry antibodies in their blood that attack cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, a hormone that regulates the amount of sugar in your blood. In a 2009 study published in the journal “Pediatric Diabetes,” Dr. Hilde Brekke found that mothers who reported eating vegetables every day had a lower risk of giving birth to children who possessed these destructive antibodies.

Digestive Health

You should take in about 14 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories you consume daily, according to the federal government's 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans; however, the average American consumes less than half the recommended amount. Meat and dairy products contain no fiber; you can find fiber only in foods that come from plants. Because fiber cannot be broken down by your digestive system, it allows wastes to move easily through your digestive tract, eliminating constipation and inflammation along your digestive tract. This plant-derived substance also contributes to colon health, reducing your likelihood of developing colon cancer.

Weight Implications

Because plant matter contains significant bulk in the form of water and fiber, vegetables fill you up without adding many calories to your meals. Vegetables fall into the lowest energy-density food group, where items yield between 0 and 1.5 calories per gram, as compared to high energy-density foods, which contain between 4 and 9 calories per gram. By consuming diets filled with vegetables, you take in fewer calories relative to the amount of food you eat, thereby maintaining a healthy weight. Always check with your physician before you change your dietary habits.

Nutrient Deficiency

About 90 percent of your daily intake of vitamin C originates from fruit and vegetables. A deficiency in vitamin C causes a disease called scurvy and compromises your immune system and your body’s ability to heal itself. Dark-green and orange vegetables are good sources of vitamin A, which promotes cardiovascular health and guards against night blindness and cataracts -- the clouding of the eye’s lens. Vitamin K, found in green vegetables, aids in blood clotting. The vitamin E of nuts and green, leafy vegetables protects you from heart disease and cancer. By eating solely meat products, you can cause your body irreparable harm by excluding a significant amount of nutrients your body needs to function properly.

source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/541395-what-happens-when-a-human-does-not-eat-vegetables/

A Day of Thanks and Remebrence

Thanksgiving is a day for turkey, travel, and family.  After reading explain the fact from the text that surprised you and why?  Reread the last paragraph and think about whose perspective you would adopt as far as celebrating Thanksgiving, American's who came from all over the world as settler's or the Native Americans.  Would this be a festive time for you or a time for remembrance and why?  

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On the fourth Thursday of November, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, a national holiday honoring the early settlers and their harvest feast known as the first Thanksgiving.

Native AmericansLong before settlers came to the East Coast of the United States, the area was inhabited by many Native American tribes. The area surrounding the site of the first Thanksgiving, now known as southeastern Massachusetts and eastern Rhode Island had been the home of the Wampanoag people for over 12,000 years, and had been visited by other European settlers before the arrival of the Mayflower. The native people knew the land well and had fished, hunted, and harvested for thousands of generations.

The SettlersThe people who comprised the Plymouth Colony were a group of English Protestants who wanted to break away from the Church of England. These ‘separatists’ initially moved to Holland and after 12 years of financial problems, they received funding from English merchants to sail across the Atlantic to settle in a ‘New World.' A ship carrying 101 men, women, and children spent 66 days traveling the Atlantic Ocean, intending to land where New York City is now located. Due to the windy conditions, the group had to cut their trip short and settle at what is now called Cape Cod.

Settling and Exploring
As the Puritans prepared for winter, they gathered anything they could find, including Wampanoag supplies.

One day, Samoset, a leader of the Abenaki, and Tisquantum (better known as Squanto) visited the settlers. Squanto was a Wampanoag who had experience with other settlers and knew English. Squanto helped the settlers grow corn and use fish to fertilize their fields. After several meetings, a formal agreement was made between the sttlers and the native people and they joined together to protect each other from other tribes in March of 1621.

The Celebration
One day that fall, four settlers were sent to hunt for food for a harvest celebration. The Wampanoag heard gunshots and alerted their leader, Massasoit, who thought the English might be preparing for war. Massasoit visited the English settlement with 90 of his men to see if the war rumor was true. Soon after their visit, the Native Americans realized that the English were only hunting for the harvest celebration. Massasoit sent some of his own men to hunt deer for the feast and for three days, the English and native men, women, and children ate together. The meal consisted of deer, corn, shellfish, and roasted meat, far from today's traditional Thanksgiving feast.

They played ball games, sang, and danced. Much of what most modern Americans eat on Thanksgiving was not available in 1621.

Although prayers and thanks were probably offered at the 1621 harvest gathering, the first recorded religious Thanksgiving Day in Plymouth happened two years later in 1623. On this occasion, the colonists gave thanks to God for rain after a two-month drought.

The Myths
Believe it or not, the settlers didn't have silver buckles on their shoes. Nor did they wear somber, black clothing. Their attire was actually bright and cheerful. Many portrayals of this harvest celebration also show the Native Americans wearing woven blankets on their shoulders and large, feathered headdresses, which is not true. The Englishmen didn’t even call themselves Pilgrims.

Modern Thanksgiving
In the 19th century, the modern Thanksgiving holiday started to take shape. In 1846, Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of a magazine called Godley’s Lady’s Book, campaigned for an annual national thanksgiving holiday after a passage about the harvest gathering of 1621 was discovered and incorrectly labeled as the first Thanksgiving.

It wasn't until 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln declared two national Thanksgivings; one in August to commemorate the Battle of Gettysburg and the other in November to give thanks for "general blessings."

Native Americans and Thanksgiving
The peace between the Native Americans and settlers lasted for only a generation. The Wampanoag people do not share in the popular reverence for the traditional New England Thanksgiving. For them, the holiday is a reminder of betrayal and bloodshed. Since 1970, many native people have gathered at the statue of Massasoit in Plymouth, Massachusetts each Thanksgiving Day to remember their ancestors and the strength of the Wampanoag.

source: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/history/first-thanksgiving/

High and Lifted Up by Mike Krath

Read the story below about a young boy's adventure.  In three to four sentences explain what you think the old leaf meant.  If you were Tommy which leaf would you have followed and why?

High and Lifted Up

It was a windy day.

     The mailman barely made it to the front door. When the door opened, Mrs. Pennington said, "hello", but, before she had a real chance to say "thank you", the mail blew out of the mailman's hands, into the house and the front door slammed in his face. Mrs. Pennington ran to pick up the mail.

     "Oh my," she said.

     Tommy was watching the shutters open and then shut, open and then shut.

     "Mom," he said, "may I go outside?"

     "Be careful," she said. "It's so windy today."

     Tommy crawled down from the window-seat and ran to the door. He opened it with a bang. The wind blew fiercely and snatched the newly recovered mail from Mrs. Pennington's hands and blew it even further into the house.

     "Oh my," she said again. Tommy ran outside and the door slammed shut.

     Outside, yellow, gold, and red leaves were leaping from swaying trees, landing on the roof, jumping off the roof, and then chasing one another down the street in tiny whirlwinds of merriment.

     Tommy watched in fascination.

     "If I was a leaf, I would fly clear across the world," Tommy thought and then ran out into the yard among the swirl of colors.

     Mrs. Pennington came to the front porch.

     "Tommy, I have your jacket. Please put it on."

     However, there was no Tommy in the front yard.

     "Tommy?"

     Tommy was a leaf. He was blowing down the street with the rest of his play-mates.

     A maple leaf came close-by, touched him and moved ahead. Tommy met him shortly, brushed against him, and moved further ahead. They swirled around and around, hit cars and poles, flew up into the air and then down again.

      "This is fun," Tommy thought.

     The maple leaf blew in front of him. It was bright red with well-defined veins. The sun-light shone through it giving it a brilliance never before seen by a little boy's eyes.

     "Where do you think we are going?" Tommy asked the leaf.

     "Does it matter?" the leaf replied. "Have fun. Life is short."

     "I beg to differ," an older leaf said suddenly coming beside them. "The journey may be short, but the end is the beginning."

     Tommy pondered this the best a leaf could ponder.

     "Where do we end up?"

     "If the wind blows you in that direction," the old leaf said, "you will end up in the city dump."

     "I don't want that," Tommy said.

     "If you are blown in that direction, you will fly high into the air and see things that no leaf has seen before."

     "Follow me to the city dump," the maple leaf said. "Most of my friends are there."

     The wind blew Tommy and the maple leaf along. Tommy thought of his choices. He wanted to continue to play.

     "Okay," Tommy said, "I will go with you to the dump."

     The winds shifted and Tommy and the leaf were blown in the direction of the city dump.

     The old leaf didn't follow. He was blown further down the block and suddenly lifted up high into the air.

     "Hey," he called out, "the sights up here. They are spectacular. Come and see."

 Tommy and the maple leaf ignored him.

     "I see something. I see the dump." The old leaf cried out. "I see smoke. Come up here. I see fire."

     "I see nothing," the maple leaf said.

     Tommy saw the fence that surrounded the city dump. He was happy to be with his friend. They would have fun in the dump.

     Suddenly, a car pulled up. It was Tommy's mom. Mrs. Pennington wasn't about to let her little boy run into the city dump.

     "Not so fast," she said getting out of the car. "You are not allowed to play in there. Don't you see the smoke?"

     Tommy watched the maple leaf blow against the wall and struggle to get over. He ran over to get it but was unable to reach it.

     Mrs. Pennington walked over and took the leaf. She put it in her pocket.

     "There," she said, "it will be safe until we get home."

     Tommy smiled, ran to the car and got in. He rolled down the back window and looked up into the sky. He wondered where the old leaf had gone. Perhaps one day he would see what the old leaf had seen - perhaps.

source: http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/HighLift.shtml

Election Time

It is now time to vote for various issues including new laws, and oh, president.  In a long campaign the candidates can often use negative ads to try to tell voters why they should not vote for the other person.  Read the article below and add your opinion.  In three to four sentences explain a negative campaign advertisement you have heard or seen and how you feel about it.  Did it change your mind, was it unfair, or too mean?  Explain.

On Election Day, kids say ‘no’ to negative campaign ads

Today is Election Day, when Americans will choose the next president of the United States. At KidsPost, we’ve written a lot about the election to help kids understand what they were seeing in other parts of the newspaper or on television. We explained presidential debates; we even came up with an art project you can do Tuesday night while you watch election results with your family.

But it was our story about political advertising that prompted Catherine Odey’s sixth-grade students at Rocky Hill Middle School in Montgomery County to write us letters with their opinions on negative ads.

(YouTube) - An ad run by President Obama‘s campaign attacks Romney for saying he would end government funding for PBS.

Regardless of who wins the presidential election, we hope all the politicians in the United States will pay attention to what these kids have to say:

“After reading the KidsPost article “Selling the President,” our class had a very intense discussion about the commercials. . . . I think that they are annoying and they are wasting money. For example, when I was watching ‘Jeopardy!’ one day, when it went to commercial break, the commercials went from Obama to Romney to Tim Kaine to George Allen! And since 99 percent of the things are bogus, they are wasting lots of money!”

— Arpan Barua, 11

“These ads are just stupid. The candidates are acting like a bunch of 3-year-olds fighting over a toy. Doing campaigns like the Big Bird commercials and saying the other candidate is telling lies is low. The candidates should be showing that they are honorable, kind, hardworking people.”

— Brittany Love, 11

“Negative ads are bad because not everything is true so they mislead voters.”

— Emma McGrath, 11

“I think candidates spend too much money on ads. I think that ads give false information and people can just tune in to the debates or read credible articles.”

— Cedric Starks, 11

“I feel that the ads are annoying and untrue. They don’t put anything new, and they never say anything positive about themselves. They only focus on the bad stuff about the person they’re running against.”

— Angela Grey-Theriot, 11

“Just because you say bad things about the other person doesn’t mean that the public will change their minds. Also, I think while President Obama and Governor Romney waste millions and millions of dollars on the ads that people don’t even listen to, they should help schools.”

— Lisa Patel, 12

“Instead of ads that attack each other, why not let people better understand their motives? They spend millions of dollars just for attacking and defending, like football. So let’s make the ads positive so we can really move forward.”

— Mei Lu, 12

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/kids-say-no-to-negative-ads/2012/11/05/a49089b4-21cd-11e2-ac85-e669876c6a24_story.html

Welcome

This is where you will have an opportunity to respond to literature.  You will read the writing prompt and respond in a well thought out and written response.  I, Ms. Abbas, and your peers will be able to read and respond to your posts.  Please make sure you are responding to all of the questions and writing appropriate responses.  This assignment will replace the daily writing prompts and is graded so make sure you include your full name and section number when you post below. 
To make sure you know how to post please post your name section number and I posted below.  See the sample.