4Kids.org - Week of November 12, 2000

Week of November 12, 2000

Mass Communication at Montwood Middle School

Congratulations to Roberto Barrón, mass communications teacher at Montwood Middle School in El Paso, Texas, 4Kids.org's Teacher of the Month. Priscilla Gomez, who nominated Mr. Barrón, says that he "smiles every day." His class creates the school's Web site at http://schools.sisd.net/mom as well as the school yearbook. Priscilla says his class is both "excellent" and "exciting." She says, "I think a student would want to go to his class every day." Mr. Barrón is in his second year at Montwood and in his 11th year of teaching. He teaches as an adviser. The students learn by using the computers themselves. The class follows along as the lesson is projected on a screen. Congratulations, Mr. Barrón. Enjoy your 4Kids.org award pack.

Nominate your high-tech teacher at 4Kids.org/ nominations

Visit the Featured Web sites to find the answers

What does "SMART" stand for in the Mission Statement of the Montwood Middle School Web site?

Students at Montwood Are Really There
Some Mooses Are Really Tough
Science, Math, and Reading Together

Which dam has the biggest reservoir capacity?

Aswan High Dam
Hoover Dam
Three Gorges Dam

Which dinosaur is larger than the Tyrannosaurus Rex?

Giganotosaurus
Megasaurus
Ultrasaurus

The Sky's the Limit

Marvel at the miracles of modern engineering at the PBS site Building Big at www.pbs.org/wgbh/ buildingbig. The site features interactive labs and challenges on bridges, domes, skyscrapers, dams and tunnels. Consult the "Wonders of the World Databank" for quick facts, and then learn about the architects and engineers at "Who Builds Big." This is one BIG site.

Diggin' for Dinosaurs

Grab your fossil finder and head to the San Diego Natural History Museum's Dinosaur Dig Kids' Habitat at www.sdnhm.org/kids/dinosaur. Play the "Name That Reptile!" game, and learn about the theories of how dinosaurs became extinct at "Meteors and Mass Extinction." You'll find tons of dinosaur facts at "Dinosaur Bytes." Then tackle the challenging Jurassic Jumble, a word-search game. This site is sure to thrill all dinosaur fans.

How do you celebrate Thanksgiving?

Speak Out Here!

Dear Amy: How do you make an Indian dream catcher? --Velma, Lexington, Ky.

Dear Velma: Indian dream catchers are beautiful objects whose popularity has risen dramatically over the past few years. I found many sites on the Web with instructions for building dream catchers, one of which is http://web.onramp.ca/rivernen/build_dc.htm. There are also many sites devoted to explaining the legend of the dream catcher. A Lakota version can be found at The Gathering Place at www.cia-g.com/~gathplac/ dreamcatcher_legend.htm. Happy dream catching. (The second site is no longer available.)

Dear Amy: Where can I find information about plays? --Sally, Charleston, S.C.

Dear Sally: All the world's a stage, and drama is one of the oldest literary art forms. There are some good Web sites about plays. Many of them are about individual authors or kinds of theater. There are fewer sites with complete collections of plays. One of my favorites that features plays by many authors is The English Server Drama Collection at http://eserver.org/drama. It features online editions of some short plays, long plays, criticism and links to other sites.

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