Every Day at the Museum of Natural History: Students, aka the Critter People

You can read about "the critter people in The New York Times. They are four students studying to get a PhD at New York's Museum of Natural History. Wouldn't it be interesting to go to school at a museum, especially one with all sorts of interesting animals saved, stuffed, and jarred from the last 200 years?



Source: The New York Times

Who Are The Worlds Best Classical Composers?

Who do you think are the best classical composers?


The New York Times wrote a series of articles about some of the best composers that there are. What they did is they made a list of composers who are the most popular. In the article the authors wrote about the composers Bach and Handel. The New York Times wrote when the composers were born and when they died. They also wrote which period the composers lived in. They talked about Bach's style and how he used harmonies and melodies. Then, they started talking about Handel's style and how he used harmonies and melodies. The photo is a photo of Handel's score of "Messiah."

It is very hard to name the top ten composers that you like the best. I would say that the top ten composers are following. You can also read my personal view on why these composers are interesting to me.

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Mozart is good at changing the mood of the listener.)
• Ludvig Van Beethoven (He has very strong and crazy melodies. Not all of them are crazy, like the first movement of "The Moonlight Sonata." But the third movement is crazy!)
• Johann Sebastian Bach (He has very joyful and happy melodies.)
• Robert Schumann (I have no idea why I like his music.)
• Franz Schubert (He has calming and peaceful melodies, like Stanchen.)
• Joseph Hayden (He has typical " Classical" music. You can't mistake his music with that of someone else.)
• Eric Alfred Leslie Satie (His music is repetitive, but the melodies are awesome.)
• Aram Khachaturian (His music is very dissonant and melodic at the same time. That is why I like his pieces, they are weird and normal at the same time.)
• Giuseppe Verdi (This guy loved tragedies. I love his opera "Il Trovatore.")
•  Antonio Salieri (I do not like Salieri. I didn't even know he was a composer until I accidentally heard his name somewhere.)

Written by Rubina H.

Kid's Newspaper Hits It Big in Paris

Ten-year-olds in Paris are subscribing to one of the most popular daily newspapers in France. The paper, Mon Quotidien, or My Daily, invites several of its readers twice weekly to help edit the paper, except for the front page, choosing stories that will be featured in its seven other pages. Read more about the paper and the kids who work on it in The New York Times.

The Colors of Our Minds

Student: Alysen

Write a story about this PhD student's scientific (and artistic) work. Collect your background information at The New York Times.

Consider the Timeline of Technology in Schools

Student: Faryn

First off, make sure you are on a Macintosh for this assignment. Then, take a look at the timeline of technology in a classroom on The New York Times website. Click through the timeline, and take notes — either in paper or on in your actual blog post — and collect screen grabs about what you see and read. (Ms. Moorhead can show you how to take a "screen grab.")

Once you finish with your report, write a visual news story about the evolution of technology in the classroom. What was the first so-called technology? What are the most surprising elements in the time line?

You will need to write at least one paragraph introduction to your story — what are you setting out to do with your story? Then, move into the five W's of your story.

Include at least five images, and do not forget to list sources and labels.

Mapping the US Census, from Your Country, to Your State and Zip Code

Play around with The New York Times' interactive package based on data from the US Census tells you about your neighborhood.

• Start broad: Consider the different states. Which one (or region), based on the census, seems most interesting to you and why?
• End local: Consider your own neighborhood. Again, what information seems most interesting to you and why?

In writing your story, introduce the US Census. What is it, and why might it matter to your audience, the readers of The Hillwood Herald? Consult the following sources below in your research:

• The New York Times census "explainer"
• US Census website

Write About the Making of ‘Mars Needs ’

Read this article on The New York Times, and watch the videos along the left side of the webpage. Write a preview of the film. Remember to answer the five W's of a good story, and include information about whether or not you think the film will be interesting to watch and why. Also, explain why the actors all have dots on their faces.

Include at least three images in your post. (Consider pulling images from the slideshow on The Times, but remember to cite your source.)

A Game for Designing RNA

Student: Zach

Finish your assignment from last week first. Next, move on to this online game for learning about RNA. This will not be an easy assignment, and you will need to both read the article and experiment with the game. Also, Ms. Moorhead will need to help you log into the game.

Within the time allotted for The Hillwood Herald, you might not entirely figure out the game, but you are still responsible for writing a post that explains the people, schools, and science behind the game. Read the About page about the game. What is RNA? Why is it important? What do RNAs do? How does playing this online game help scientists?

Remember to answer the five W's of a good news story and to include links, labels, and images to support your story.

Archiving and Researching the Civil War

Students: Rubina and Anya

Write about this New York Times video that highlights the process of archiving, researching and restoring historic documents from the Civil War. Include at least five images with captions to help tell your story. Also, highlight the significance of such archival materials. Why are letters so important in the telling of history?