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CONTENTS

bulletINTRODUCTION
bulletCLASS REQUIREMENTS
bulletFOR YOUR INFORMATION/TRIVIA
bulletAFRICA
bulletEUROPE

INTRODUCTION

KID LOVE TO HAVE FUN AND LEARN AT THE SAME TIME. THAT IS WHY FRANKLIN PARK IS PROUD TO BE A MIDDLE SCHOOL. ONE OF THE PERKS OF THE MIDDLE SCHOOL SYSTEM IS BEING ABLE TO EXPLORE AREAS OR SUBJECTS THAT CAN BE PRESENTED TO THE CHILD IN AN OFF BEAT FASHION. THIS APPEALS TO MANY KIDS. ONE OF THE WEAKEST SUBJECTS FOR KIDS IS GEOGRAPHY.

MR. RHODES TEACHES A NINE WEEK SEVENTH GRADE EXTENDED LEARNING CLASS THAT FOCUSES ON OUR WORLD'S GEOGRAPHY.

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CLASS REQUIREMENTS

bulletSTUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO DO ONE FIVE PAGE HAND WRITTEN REPORT ON A COUNTRY THAT IS ASSIGNED/SELF CHOSEN TO THEM BY MR. RHODES FROM THE 196 COUNTRIES AVAILABLE
bulletSTUDENTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO COLLECT IMPORTANT PAPERS, HANDOUTS, AND OUTLINES FOR THEIR PORTFOLIOS THAT WILL BE ASSESSED FOR COMPLETENESS AT THE END OF THE NINE WEEKS.
bulletSTUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE MEGA MEMORY INSTRUCTION AT BEGINNING OF CLASS TO IMPROVE THEIR MEMORY FOR RECALL STRATEGIES.
bulletSTUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN "GEOGRAPHY BASEBALL" (MAP SKILLS)
bulletSTUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE WEEKLY ASSESSMENTS/TEST (FRIDAY)
bulletSTUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE A 100 QUESTION FINAL EXAMINATION
bulletTHE FINAL EXAMINATION WILL BE WAIVED IF THE STUDENT SPONSORS A GUEST SPEAKER (M-T-W-R 2:15 P.M. 15 MINUTES-WE PROVIDE ALL A/V EQUIPMENT WITH ADVANCE NOTICE MR. RHODES WILL CREATE A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION AT NO CHARGE) WHO HAS LIVED OR TRAVELED TO ANOTHER COUNTRY. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT COMMUNITY INTERACTIVE PROJECT FOR OUR SCHOOL. WE TRY TO GET A PIC OF THE SPEAKER AND THEIR SPONSOR FOR OUR WEB SITE.

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FYI

INTERESTING TRIVIA

Alaska

        More than half of the coastline of the entire United States is in Alaska

                                      .

Amazon

                The Amazon rainforest produces more than 20% of the world's oxygen supply.

        The Amazon River pushes so much water into the Atlantic Ocean that, more

        than one hundred miles at sea off the mouth of the river, one can dip

        fresh water out of the ocean.  The volume of water in the Amazon river is

        greater than the next eight largest rivers in the world combined and

        three times the flow of all rivers in the United States .

 

Antarctica

        Antarctica is the only land on our planet that is not owned by any country...

        Ninety percent of the world's ice covers Antarctica .

        This ice also represents seventy percent of all the fresh water in the world.

        As strange as it sounds, however, Antarctica is essentially a desert;

                The average yearly total preci pitation is about two inches.

                Although covered with ice (all but 0.4% of it, ice.), Antarctica is the driest place

        on the planet, with an absolute humidity lower than the Gobi desert.

                Technically though, the driest place on Earth

                is in the valleys of the Antarctic near Ross Island .

                There has been no rainfall there for two million years.

 

  Brazil

                Brazil got its name from the nut, not the other way around.

 

 Canada

        Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world combined.

Canada is an

                 Indian word meaning ' Big Village '.

 

  Chicago

                Next to Warsaw , Chicago has the largest Polish population in the world.

 

  Detroit

        Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, carries the designation M-1,

                so named because it was the first paved road anywhere.

 

  Damascus , Syria

                Damascus, Syria, was flourishing a couple of thousand years before Rome

                was founded in 753 BC, making it the oldest continuously inhabited city in

        existence.

 

  Istanbul , Turkey

               Istanbul, Turkey, is the only city in the world located on two continents.

 

  Los Angeles

                Los Angeles ' full name is:

        El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula

                -- and can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size: L.A.

 

New York City

        The term 'The Big Apple' was coined by touring jazz musicians of the 1930s

                Who used the slang expression 'apple' for any town or city.

                Therefore, to play New York City is to play the big time

The Big Apple.

                There are more Irish in New York City than in Dublin, Ireland;

                More Italians in New York City than in Rome, Italy;

                And more Jews in New York City than in Tel Aviv, Israel.

 

  Ohio

        There are no natural lakes in the state of Ohio , every one is manmade.

 

  Pitcairn Island

                The smallest island with country status is Pitcairn in Polynesia ,

        at just 1.75 sq. Miles/4,53 sq. Km.

 

  Rome

                The first city to reach a population of 1 million people was Rome, Italy in 133 B.C.

                There is a city called Rome on every continent.

 

  Siberia

                Siberia contains more than 25% of the world's forests.

 

  S.M.O.M.

                The actual smallest sovereign entity in the world

                is the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (S.M.O.M).

                It is located in the city of Rome, Italy,

                has an area of two tennis courts

                And, as of 2001, has a population of 80 -- 20 less people than the Vatican ..

                It is a sovereign entity under international law, just as the Vatican is.

 

  Sahara Desert

        In the Sahara Desert , there is a town named Tidikelt , Algeria ,

                Which did not receive a drop of rain for ten years.

 

                Technically though, the driest place on Earth

                is in the valleys of the Antarctic near Ross Island .

                There has been no rainfall there for two million years.

  Spain

        Spain literally means 'the land of rabbits'.

 

  St. Paul , Minnesota

                St. Paul , Minnesota , was originally called Pig's Eye after a man named

        Pierre 'Pig's Eye' Parrant who set up the first business there.

 

  Roads

        Chances that a road is unpaved:

                            in the U.S.A.  =  1%

                            in Canada =  75%

 

  Russia

                The deepest hole ever drilled by man is the Kola Superdeep Borehole, in Russia.

                 It reached a depth of 12,261 meters (about 40,226 feet or 7.62 miles).

                It was drilled for scientific research and gave up some unexpected discoveries,

                 one of which was a huge deposit of hydrogen - so massive that the mud coming

        from the hole was boiling with it.

  United States

                The Eisenhower interstate system requires that one mile in every five must be straight.

                These straight sections are usable as airstrip in times of war or other emergencies.

 

  Waterfalls

                The water of Angel Falls (the world's highest) in Venezuela drops 3,212 feet (979 meters).

                It is 15 times higher than Niagara Falls .

 

AFRICA

DID YOU KNOW THIS ABOUT AFRICA?....

bulletTHERE ARE 40 COUNTRIES
bulletTHERE ARE OVER 500 LANGUAGES
bulletTHERE ARE ONLY 2 SEASONS RAINY & DRY.
bulletSIU's MASCOT IS A SALUKI, A DOG THAT COMES FROM EGYPT
bulletCAIRO IS A TOWN IN ILLINOIS, BUT ALSO THE CAPITAL OF EGYPT

EUROPE

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CONDITIONS IN THE YEAR 1903-100 YEARS AGO

Here are some of the U.S. statistics for 1903....

Only 14 % of the homes had a bathtub, only 8 % of the homes had a telephone, 95 % of all children were born at home and only 6 % of Americans had graduated from high school. The average death age was forty-seven. The average wage in the US was 22 cents an hour and the average worker made between $200 and $400 annually.

A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost $ 11.

There were only 8,000 cars in the US and only 144 miles of paved roads.

Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee each had more people than
1.4 million in California. It was only the 21st most populous state.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.

An accountant earned $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

Ninety % of US physicians had no college education but did attend medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as "substandard."

Sugar cost four cents/lb. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. Coffee cost fifteen cents/lb.

Most women washed their hair only once a month and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Canada passed a law prohibiting poor people from entering the country for any reason.

The five leading causes of death in the US were: 1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis 3. Diarrhea 4. Heart disease 5. Stroke

The American flag had only 45 stars since Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii and
Alaska had not been admitted yet.

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was 30.

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea had not been invented.

There were no Mother's Day or Father's Day.

Coca Cola contained cocaine. Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at corner drugstores The ads said that "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and the bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."

Eighteen % of homes in the US had one full-time servant or domestic.

There were only 230 reported murders in the entire US.

Just think what it will be like in another 100 years. It boggles the mind...

SPECIAL THANKS TO MR. RHODES' GOOD FRIEND DR. HORSLEY OF SIUC GEOGRAPHY DEPT.

GEOGRAPHY STUDENT OF THE WEEK

MARC

GET A THUMBS UP

FROM MR. RHODES' FRIEND HULK HOGAN

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