Week of December 8

The students have been hard at work on their ABC books for the nonfiction books they read for November.  Here is a mixture of facts from all of the ABC books. 

A is for Annie, a Jewish 11 year old girl in the Second World War. 

B is for born.  Albert was born on March 14, 1879 in Ulm, Germany.

C is for crazy.  Zlata was crazy for peace because the war was driving her nuts.  She was wondering whether the war was ever going to stop. 

D is for daring.  Houdini was a daring man, as he took many risks. 

E is for education.  Education is very important for Malala.  She travels the world to make it possible. 

F is for fast food.  Fast food is really bad for you.  You should never eat it!

G is for Georgia.  It is a state and a country.  It borders Russia and Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

H is for horse drawn carriages.  Mozart had one in his final years (it cost a great deal of money), and can be called a coach too. 

I is for impromptu.  Maria had impromptu accidents.  Like in 1949 when she was performing Swan Lake her partner lifted her leg.  Then she trembled and fell over. 

J is for knowing when you get back from your job.  Many pet owners believe that their cats have extrasensory perception.  Your cat either (a) knows your schedule or (b) hears your car motor. 

K is for knowledge.  Albert died writing math. 

L is for liquid on glass.  Liquid sticking to glass is caused by surface tension. 

M is for mom.  The mom of Sini and Annie died 1 week before Hitler would have taken her away. 

N is for Nijinaska.  Maria's best ballet teacher was Madame Nijinaska.  Unlike all the other ballet teachers, she showed her how to do the ballet steps. 

O is for open minded.  Albert was open minded like a gate. 

P is for pilot.  Houdini was also a pilot before he became an escape artist. 

Q  is for Qatar.  Qatar borders U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia. 

R is for ridiculous.  A ridiculous amount of money is spent on fast food-about one trillion dollars. 

S is for sacrifices.  Zlata had to make lots of sacrifices during the war. 

T is for total simplicity.  Albert never used shaving cream. 

U is for Underbelly.  A cat shows his underbelly but attacks when  you rub it.  A sleepy cat will show its underbelly, a cat equivalent of shouting "Hey."  from the couch.  Your cat will probably look at you because it is exposing one of its weak spots.  Some cats like having their belly rubbed, if your cat lets you it probably likes you a lot. 

V is for visions with 2 eyes.  If you wonder why we only see one thing with two eyes, it's because one eye sees the object and the other perceives depth. 

W is for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Wolfie) was born on January 27, 1756 and died on December 5, 1791. 

X is for xtra fact:  Pakistan's border touches India, Iran, China, Afghanistan, and the Indian Ocean. 

Y is for youngest.  Maria was one of the youngest dancers in the Ballet Russe. 

Z is for zealous.  Mozart was zealous about music whenever he played it, composed it, or when he talked about it.