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Canku
Ota
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(Many
Paths)
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An
Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America
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August 2017 -
Volume 15 Number 8
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Favorite
Web Sites
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collected
by Paul and Vicki
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Giraffe
Heroes Project
The mission of the Giraffe Heroes Project is to move people
to stick their necks out for the common good, and to give them
tools to succeed. We find and honor Giraffe Heroesmen,
women and young people sticking their necks out to help solve
significant public problems, including poverty, injustice, corruption,
gang violence, crimes against women, assaults on the environment
and much more. We then tell the stories of these amazing people
over both traditional and social media. Others see and hear
these inspiring stories and are motivated to take action too.
http://www.giraffe.org |
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Alutiiq
Museum
The Alutiiq Museums work spans the globe, but we have
a deep commitment to the Kodiak Archipelago the museums
home and the geographic center of the Alutiiq world. We work
diligently to involve people of all heritages in educational
programming and original research archaeological studies,
language documentation, and collections investigations. By engaging
everyone in the celebration of Alutiiq heritage, we reduce cultural
isolation, reawaken cultural traditions, build intergenerational
ties that broaden cultural understanding, and create a welcoming
environment for discovery.
https://alutiiqmuseum.org |
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Minnesota
Wildflowers: a field guide to the flora of Minnesota
Our mission is to educate Minnesotans on our native plants,
raise awareness on threats like invasive species, and inspire
people to explore our great state, appreciate its natural heritage,
and become involved in preserving it.
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info |
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Tomaquag
Museum
Tomaquag Museum was first founded as the Tomaquag Indian Memorial
Museum by archaeologist Eva Butler and Narragansett/Pokanoket
Wampanoag historian and educator Mary E. Glasko, also known
as Princess Red Wing of the Seven Crescents, first opening in
1958 in Tomaquag Valley, a hamlet in Ashaway Rhode Island.
https://www.tomaquagmuseum.org |
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Beatrix
Potter
Beatrix Potter (1866 1943) was an English author, illustrator,
and conservationist best known for her childrens books
featuring Peter Rabbit and other animal characters. The first
draft of The Story of Peter Rabbit was based on
a letter she wrote to a little boy sick in bed, the son of
a favorite governess who had cared for Potter in her childhood.
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Literary
Traveler: Beatrix Potter - More Than Just Bunnies
"A product of Victorian times, she [Beatrix Potter] far
surpassed societal expectations of women of her era and class.
She was an accomplished botanical illustrator, a sheep breeder
and farmer, a wife, and a conservationist greatly devoted to
her home, the Lake District of England." Visit Literary
Traveler for a terrific Beatrix Potter bio. Other authors in
their Children's Literature section include E.B. White, Faith
Ringgold, and Lewis Carroll.
http://www.literarytraveler.com/articles/beatrix-potter-lake-district/
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MentalFloss:
15 Things You Might Not Know About Beatrix Potter
Wow! Not only was she an illustrator, author, and conservationist,
Potter also understood merchandising. "In 1903 Potter,
recognizing the merchandising opportunities offered by her success,
made her own Peter Rabbit doll, which she registered at the
Patent Office. A Peter Rabbit board game and wallpaper were
also produced in her lifetime."
http://mentalfloss.com/article/75166/15-things-you-might-not-know-about-beatrix-potter
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Peter
Rabbit: About Beatrix Potter
This official Peter Rabbit site from Penguin Books is my Beatrix
Potter pick of the day. The Beatrix Potter section covers her
life and her art, including a display of several pages from
her childhood sketchbooks. For oodles of activities that will
charm young Peter Rabbit fans, click on over to Play for printable
downloads. Visit Animation for videos starring Peter and all
his friends.
http://www.peterrabbit.com/about-beatrix-potter/ |
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Project
Gutenberg: Beatrix Potter
Project Gutenberg hosts twenty, free Beatrix Potter e-books
in three formats: HTML with original illustrations, plain old
ASCII text, and Plucker for use on a Palm device. There are
also two audio books ("The Tale of Peter Rabbit" and
"Great Big Treasury of Beatrix Potter") in MP3. Project
Gutenberg is a non-profit organization and even donations of
"pennies, nickels and dimes" are appreciated.
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/292 |
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Women
Children's Book Illustrators: Beatrix Potter
"Beatrix Potter was considered an amateur artist by some
because of her lack of training, but her natural affection
for animals and rich imagination made up for any deficiencies
she may have had and manifested themselves through her illustrations."
Created for college credit by illustrator Denise Ortakales,
this Beatrix Potter biography is part of her Women Children's
Book Illustrators site. It includes a chronological list of
Potter's books and a gallery page of sketches and illustrations.
http://home.metrocast.net/~tortak/illustrators/index.html
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Apollo
11
I remember that summer night, July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong
and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. I tell my kids this story,
and I know that for them, it is a story from another lifetime.
They grew up knowing that man can walk on the moon, explore
the surface of Mars, and that a computer is something you
carry in your pocket, or wear on your wrist.
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Contact
Light
This web site offers "a nostalgic and personal look back
at man's first voyages to the Moon, not from the perspective
of a participant, nor from that of a historian, but instead
from my own perspective as a young teenager and avid follower
of the space program and Project Apollo." Kipp Teague recalls
his thirteenth birthday. He remembers the embarrassment of the
singing Black Angus waitresses as they delivered a cupcake topped
with a sparkler, and the thrill of watching the "black
& white images as Armstrong and Aldrin hopped about on the
moon." "At about 1 a.m., I switched off the TV. July
20, 1969 had come to an end, and along with it had also ended
my first day as a teenager."
http://www.retroweb.com/apollo_retrospective.html |
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NASA:
Apollo 11
"The primary objective of Apollo 11 was to complete a national
goal set by President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961: perform
a crewed lunar landing and return to Earth." This NASA
site is my Apollo 11 pick of the day. It includes mission overviews,
an archive of stories, a photo gallery, audio, and HD videos.
"An estimated 530 million people watched Armstrong's televised
image and heard his voice describe the event as he took '...one
small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind' on July 20,
1969."
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/apollo-11.html
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Smithsonian
Air and Space: Apollo Lunar Module
"The Apollo Lunar Module (LM) was a two-stage vehicle designed
by Grumman to ferry two astronauts from lunar orbit to the lunar
surface and back." Explore this online exhibition with
seventeen annotated photos (top of the page), and then scroll
down for more articles. "President Kennedy challenged the
United States to get to the Moon, and it was up to the staff
of the Apollo Program to figure out how to do it."
https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/lunar-module-2-apollo
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We
Choose the Moon
From the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, We
Choose the Moon tells the dramatic story of Apollo 11 with animation,
photos, video and mission audio. Move through the eleven stages
of the mission using the Mission Tracker or navigation tabs.
Make sure your speakers are on, and for the best effect, click
the "full screen" icon in the upper right-hand corner.
At the end of your journey (after returning to Earth) you can
personalize and print a certificate of completion.
http://wechoosethemoon.org |
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Where
Were You?
"The first dusty footprints left by men on the moon were
also indelible footprints left on the hearts and imaginations
of the human race." Where Were You? is a collection of
first-person stories submitted by readers about where they
were when Apollo 11 landed on the moon on July 20, 1969. The
stories are categorized into eight chapters that are listed
in the left-hand navigation menu. Do you (or someone else
in your family) have a good story to add? Just follow the
instructions on the "Send us Your Story" page.
http://www.wherewereyou.com
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To
Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee published her first novel in 1960, at the age of
thirty-four. It won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction the following
year. To Kill a Mockingbird tells two stories
at once: one about attorney Atticus Finchs defense of
a black man accused of rape, and the second about his young
daughters coming of age.
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CliffsNotes:
To Kill a Mockingbird
CliffsNotes does a bang-up job with their literature study guides.
Visit for a book summary, Harper Lee biography, character analysis,
a handful of critical essays, famous quotes, and a chapter-by-chapter
summary. They also include a glossary ("obstreperous: noisy,
boisterous, or unruly, esp. in resisting or opposing"),
a fifteen-question interactive quiz, and five ideas for "To
Kill a Mockingbird" projects. "Select a song that
represents one of the themes in To Kill a Mockingbird. Play
the song for your class and discuss your choice and the theme
it represents."
https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/t/to-kill-a-mockingbird/to-kill-a-mockingbird-at-a-glance
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NEA
The Big Read: to Kill a Mockingbird
The Big Read is a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) program
addressing the decline of reading for pleasure by bringing together
communities to read and "celebrate books and writers."
"To Kill a Mockingbird" is one of about twenty books
already on their website, with more "coming soon."
For readers, the The Big Read gives us discussion questions,
an author biography, and a short piece about the Jim Crow South
for historical context. For teachers, they provide lesson plans,
project ideas, and essay topics.
http://www.neabigread.org/books/mockingbird/ |
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PBS
Thirteen: To Kill a Mockingbird: Book Club Discussion
With a nod to the New York Public Library, PBS Thirteen has
"put together a list of questions to help guide both first-time
and re-readers through the major themes of the novel."
Who was the mockingbird? How was the mockingbird killed?
http://www.thirteen.org/program-content/to-kill-a-mockingbird-book-club-discussion/
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Reading
Group Guides: To Kill a Mockingbird: Discussion Questions
Whether for a book club or a classroom, these nine questions
are sure to generate discussion. "What elements of this
book did you find especially memorable, humorous, or inspiring?
Are there individual characters whose beliefs, acts, or motives
especially impressed or surprised you?" Look in the left-hand
vertical menu for links to a PDF reading guide, a book excerpt,
and critical praise.
http://www.readinggroupguides.com/reviews/to-kill-a-mockingbird/guide
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SparkNotes:
To Kill a Mockingbird
SparkNotes covers all the bases with a plot overview, character
analysis, chapter summaries, and a discussion of themes, symbols,
and motifs. "Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts,
or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the
text's major themes." They also explain five key quotations,
suggest ten questions/essay topics, and provide a reading
list of five books of literary criticism. And for those of
you who like quizzes, their's is a doozy with twenty-five
multiple-choice questions.
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/mocking/
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World
Population
World population surpassed seven billion in 2011. And even
though population growth rate is declining,at the moment,
projections show continual growth ahead. What does this mean
for our future? What should we do about it? Learn more with
these population resources.
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Annenberg
Lerner: Human Population Dynamics
This population course is part of Annenberg Learner's The
Habitable Planet multimedia environmental science course for
teachers and other adult learners, providing access to "content
and activities developed by leading scientists and researchers
in the field." It includes nine lessons (from Introduction
to Further Reading), videos, a PDF textbook, and an interactive
lab.
https://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/unit/text.php?unit=5&secNum=0
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National
Geographic: Calculating Population Density
"Where are the greatest concentrations of people in the
United States?" This population activity from National
Geographic Education is a forty-five minute exercise for middle-school
and high-school students. Using recommended web resources,
"students calculate population density in the United
States and describe some of the patterns in the results"
on a downloadable worksheet. Below the interactive exercise,
you'll find instructions for teachers, links to additional
activities, and a glossary.
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/activity/calculating-population-density/
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PRB:
World Population Data
"Every year, Population Reference Bureau (PRB) provides
the latest demographic data for the world, global regions,
and more than 200 countries." Explore the data in an
interactive map or with charts and tables. There is also a
PDF data sheet and lesson plan for teachers. "PRB Projects
World Population Rising 33 Percent by 2050 to Nearly 10 Billion"
http://www.worldpopdata.org
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U.S.
Census: Current Population Clock
These two population clocks (one for the U.S. and one for
the world) are updated continuously for the first minute you
stay on the page. "The populations displayed on the clock
are not intended to imply that the population of the world
is known to the last person. Rather, the clock is the Census
Bureau's estimate of the world population size and an indication
of how fast it is growing." To view the calculations
behind the current rate of population growth, follow the links
below the counters.
https://www.census.gov/popclock/
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World
of 7 Billion
"While humans have walked the Earth for 200,000 years,
it has only been in the last 200 years that our numbers have
soared." World of 7 Billion is a K-through-12 curriculum
developed by Population Connection, a non-profit advocacy
organization. The site contains teacher resources for middle-school
and high-school classrooms that include a Quick Trip to 7
Billion wall chart.
https://www.worldof7billion.org
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