Maya Angelou – The Official Website

Today we read a good book by Patricia Polacco.  I want you to think about what you liked about this book.  What would it be like if you had to go fight a war when you were only14?  Would you be scared?  Who was your favorite character in the book?  You can email your responses through our ePAL accounts. 

 Miss Roche

The History of Jim Crow

Students’ City Scape.. Impressions of living in a big city…..
Now hanging at 400 First Ave, NYC, NY

 I was perusing Hatchet « Stuff From Room 311 and I started reading one of their blogs about Emmett Till.  Do any of you know anything about this young man?  I thought it to be important to do some research about him.  Below are some web sites that you will find information on. 

 Emmett Till Blog

 American Experience | The Murder of Emmett Till

The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till

 Miss Klopfer has found our website and commented on our Emmett Till blog.  She invites us to visit her website where we can find more information about the Civil Rights Movement, Emmett Till and others.

Read Miss Klopfer’s comment’s below:

http://missroche127.wordpress.com/2007/01/25/who-is-emmett-till/

Visit Author Susan Klopfer’s website here:

http://emmett-till.blogspot.com/

On January 15 we celebrate Martin Luther King’s birthday. 

I Have a Dream…

Martin Luther King was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. We celebrate his birthday on the third Monday in January. Martin Luther King was a Baptist minister who used peaceful methods to counteract the inequalities of laws and society.

MLK Word Search Puzzle

Interactive Timeline

What’s Yours?

New Year’s Day — History, Traditions, and Customs

New Years Resolution Quiz – What New Years Resolution?

Dante: I’m going to try to compose myself when I find I’m getting mad.  I will try to do a little bit of homework for my grandparents.

Anastasia: I would like to not talk out all the time.  I want to learn to stop myself from calling out and respect others.

Michael: I would like to be a better student by working at completing my task faster and paying attention more.

Devin: I will be considerate of others if I need to make myself more comfortable.  I understand that this is selfish.

Tyla: I want to refocus myself when I see I begin to drift away from what’s going on in the class or at home.

Nickolas: I want to stop beating up and cursing at my brother. I want to be a better big brother to him so how I can show how to a better person.

Chayanne: Achieving my goals, by doing my schoolwork faster.

Daijore: I would like to be a better student by arriving on time, completing all of my tasks, and completing my homework.

• What is the Islam Religion?

• The word Islam comes from an Arabic root words meaning ‘peace’ and ‘submission.  Islam teaches that one can only find peace in one’s life by submitting to Almighty god (Allah) in heart, soul and deed.  The same Arabic root word gives us “Salaam alaykum’ which means ‘Peace be with you. ”which is the universal Muslim greeting.

• Islam is a major world religion, with over 1 billion followers worldwide (1/5 of the world population).  IT is considered one of the Abrahamic, monotheistic faiths, along with Judaism and Christianity.  Although associated with the Arabs of the Middle East, less than 10% of Muslims are in fact Arab.  Muslims are found all over the world, of every nation, color and race.

• Who is Muslim?
• A person who believes in and follows Islamic beliefs is called a Muslim, also from the same root word.  So, the religion is called “Islam” and a person who believes in and follows it is a “Muslim”.

• What is Allah?
• Allah is the proper name for the Almighty God and is often translated merely as “God”.  Allah has that are used to describe his characteristics: the Creator, the Sustainer, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

• What is the Islamic lunar calendar?  (Hijrah)
• This calendar has 12 lunar months, the beginnings and endings of which are determined by the sighting of the crescent moon.

• The Islamic calendar is the official calendar in many Muslim countries.  However some Muslims also use the Gregorian calendar however for religious purposes they use the Islamic Calendar.

• What is Hijrah?
• This is when the Prophet Muhammad migrated from Mecca to Madhinah.

• The ‘five pillars’ of Islam:  In Islam, faith and good works go hand in hand.  A mere verbal declaration of faith is not enough for belief in Allah makes obedience to Him a duty.

• Testimony of faith (Kalima)
• Prayer (Salat)
• Almsgiving (Zakat)
• Fasting (Sawm)
• Pilgrimage (Hajj)

• Ramadan:
• What is Ramadan?

• Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic Lunar Calendar.  Every day during this month, Muslims around the world spend the daylight hours in a complete fast.

• It is a time for inner reflection, devotion to God, and self-control. Muslims think of it as a kind of tune-up for their spiritual lives. There are as many meanings of Ramadan as there are Muslims.
• Ramadan is also a time of intensive worship, reading of the Qur’an, giving charity, purifying one’s behavior, and doing good deeds.
• The third “pillar” or religious obligation of Islam, fasting has many special benefits. Among these, the most important is that it is a means of learning self-control.

• Ramadan begins in the ninth month of the lunar calendar and at the first sighting of the new moon.  The ending of Ramadan is marked by the celebration of ‘Eid-ul-Fitr, is similarly determined.

• What is ‘Eid-ul-Fitr?

• ‘Eid-ul-Fitr, the Festival of Fast-Breaking. The celebration at the end of Ramadan is called ‘Eid-ul-Fitr (the Festival of Fast-Breaking). It is a joyous occasion, similar to Christmas in its celebration but with strong religious significance. The giving of a special charity for this occasion is obligatory. Muslims dress in holiday attire, attend a special community prayer in the morning, and visit friends and relatives. Greetings of “‘Eid mubarak,” or “a blessed ‘Eid” are exchanged. In some places, children are given gifts or money by their parents and relatives.
• The celebration of ‘Eid-ul-Fitr lasts three days, although the main festivities occur on the first day. In Fort Collins, Muslims gather in a community center for prayer and a community breakfast. Students and workers of all ages take time off from school and work whenever possible. Muslims in the United States are trying to gain recognition of ‘Eid-ul-Fitr, one of their two main festivals, as an official holiday.

• When does fasting (sawm) begin?

• The daily period of fasting starts at the breaking of dawn and ends at the setting of the sun. In between — that is, during the daylight hours — Muslims totally abstain from food, drink, smoking.  This is to demonstrate self discipline.   The usual practice is to have a pre-fast meal (suhoor) before dawn and a post-fast meal (iftar) after sunset.

• A secondary goal, fasting is a way of experiencing hunger and developing sympathy for the less fortunate, and learning to thankfulness and appreciation for all of God’s bounties. Fasting is also beneficial to the health and provides a break in the cycle of rigid habits or overindulgence.

• What is a Qu’ran (Koran)?

• The Qur’an is the central religious Verbal-Book of Islam, also sometimes transliterated as Quran, Kuran, Koran, Qur’ān, Coran or al-Qur’ān. It is widely regarded as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language. Muslims hold that the Qur’an is the verbal divine guidance and moral direction for mankind. Muslims also consider the original Arabic verbal text to be the final revelation of God.]
• Muslims holds that the Qur’an was repeatedly revealed from Allah to Muhammad verbally through the angel Jibrīl (Gabriel) over a period of approximately twenty-three years, beginning in 610 CE, when he was forty, and concluding in 632 CE, the year of his death.