Red Bull Stratos

Recently our class was given an incredible opportunity to meet and talk to Dr. Jonathan Clark. He is the medical director of the Red Bull Stratos project. Dr. Clark is a distinguished expert in the field of space medicine. He is a professor at the Baylor College of Medicine and served as the flight surgeon for the space shuttle missions. As a class, we explored the Red Bull Stratos website in an attempt to understand how humans and space interact. As you listened to Dr. Clark and explored the Red Bull Stratos site, what questions do you have for the team?

Post your questions in the comments stream. You may want to include who you would like to answer your question.

Here is an example:
"My question is for Felix: Are you scared to jump from 120,000 ft.?"

We will submit your questions to the Red Bull Stratos team and get some of our questions answered!

Thanks to Natasha for mentioning our class on the Red Bull Stratos Blog! CLICK HERE to see her post!

WHAT IS RED BULL STRATOS?

What if Martin Luther King Jr. were never born?

We have watched several videos and read about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. over the past few days. He is an American hero who overcame countless injustices. He used non-violent protests to spread the message of equality for all people regardless of race. On Monday, we will be honoring his legacy with a national holiday.

Think about the impact of Dr. King and write a short paragraph answering the question:

What if Martin Luther King Jr. were never born?

Ideas: You might want to include how he has affected your life and the life of all Americans.
You might also include ideas about how the world would be different without him.

Who are you thankful for?

Next week you will be off of school for Thanksgiving. As we think about all the loving friends and family in our lives, think about someone you are thankful for. Maybe it is your mom or dad, maybe a good friend, maybe a teacher or coach, maybe a sister or brother...

Please select one person. Once you have narrowed it down, use the questions below to write a paragraph about who you are thankful for...

1. Who are you thankful for this year?
2. Why are you thankful for this person? What has this person done to help or support you?
3. What can you do to show this person that you are thankful for them?

Do boys and girls learn better together or apart?

Think about going to school and walking into a class with only boys (or only girls). A recent article in Time For Kids debated the idea of having all girls or all boys classes.

Read this article: http://www.timeforkids.com/news/debate/16621

Form an opinion about this topic and respond to the question:

Would you like to go to a school with only boys and girls? Why or Why Not?

Please write using complete sentences, with correct punctuation.

Should Kids Use Social-Networking Sites?

In this week's Time For Kids appeared an opinion article that asked the question: Should Kids use Social-Networking Sites?

While many of these sties have rules about the age for its users, not all of these sites enforce these rules. Kids of all ages are using these sites to connect with friends and get information. Some say that people use social networking sites to write hurtful things, others say these sites are a great way to communicate with friends. What do you think?

Please share your opinion about social networking sites and kids?
1. Should kids use sites like Twitter and Facebook? Why or Why not?

Use examples support your opinion.

Would You Go to a Cyber-School?

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In our Time For Kids article this week, we read about students across the nation and world that attend school online in cyber-schools. The article talked about the pros and cons of going to school online. Watch the video above and think about what you read then respond the following questions:

1. Would you go to a Cyber-School? Why or Why Not?
2. Do you think Cyber-Schools are the schools of the future? Why?

Please write in complete sentences that display proper punctuation and capitalization.

What Makes a Good Friend?

School is now in session. It's time to see friends and get to know your new teacher. As we begin our year, think about your friends. Friends play an important role in your life at school. They can make your time at school enjoyable and fun. They can also cause you to have your feelings hurt. Take a few moments to answer these two questions and discuss your thoughts on friends.

1. What makes a good friend?
2. Why are friends important to you?

The responses need to be written in complete sentences with correct punctuation and capitalization.