Education in the USA

At USA school starts at 8.20 am and finishes at 3.15 pm. The lunch time is from 11.00am to 12.00am, students can eat at the cafeteria or bring a bag lunch from their houses.

There are some compulsory subjects like English, Math, History or Science, but students can also choose some electives, for example Choir, P.E, Art, Technology, Music…

In USA, each teacher has his/her own classroom and students have to move from class to class (7-8 times a day). So that’s the reason why a lot of teachers personalize their classes.

Homeschooling

It is more common than in Spain, but it isn’t very usual. When children are taught at home, they get the 6^th grade and then they go to school to continue studying.

 

Differences between Spain and USA

        Spain                         USA                      

Children’s age is taken from Jan. to Dec                        Children’s age is taken from Sept. to Aug.

Children start primary school at the age of 6               Children start school when on 1^st Sept they are 5

Students can stop studying when they are 16              Students usually stop studying when they are 18

Students call teachers by their first name                     Students call teachers Mr. or Mrs.

Students are graded from 0 to 8                                     Students are graded by letters (A,B,C,D,F)

They need a 5 to pass                                                       They need a C to pass and an A or a B to have a job

You can go to school until you are 20                            You can go to school until you are 18

3-6 “infantil”                                                                       3-5 pre-school (you have to pay for it)

6-12 primary school                                                          5-11 Elementary School (5 grades)

12-16 “ESO”                                                                        11-14 Middle School (3 grades)

16-18 “bachillerato”                                                         14-18 High School & College/University

Eden Prairie High School

                There are 3500 students (from 9^th grade to 12^th grade)

                About 850 students graduate each year

                It has 2 PAC, 5 gyms and 2 lunch rooms

                There are 3 school dances each year                                                                         

                

Story cubes game

Last Tuesday we did a dice game with story cubes.
The rules of the game were that each one had to roll a dice with six different pictures on it by turns. The first one started a story with his picture, the next one had to continue that story including her picture and so on. It was fun and we had a great time creating strange and crazy stories.

Pets!

Adoption

 Why is adoption better than buying?                 

                   Adoption is better than buying because when you adopt a pet it doesn’t matter if it is a dog, a cat or any other animal you are giving it a second opportunity because they are living at that shelters is because, before, they had been abandoned and they had to live on the streets. By contrast if you buy, for example, a dog, you are giving your money to a breeder who is breeding the dog you want, that’s not bad, but if you can safe an animal, and, with your money help other animals, why are you going to make someone to “create” a dog for you?

 

Animals at home

            

Our own pets

    I have a dog called Pipo; he’s one year old and loves play with me. I took him from the shelter in my town, he was going to be sacrificed because he had a problem in his legs and they didn't have medicine or space for him. We take him to the vet and give him some vitamins and now he is healthy and big.

Favorite pets

                I love animals and I would like to have a pet, but not a fish or a turtle because you can’t play with them.  I would like to have a parakeet (that is also called lovebird), or a cat. I’m scared of snakes and spiders so I’ll never have one as a pet.

Restrictions

                We can’t have any cats or dogs at home because my mother is allergic to animal’s hair, we can neither have a bird because it would mess around with its feathers. We may have a fish and, actually, we have two fish, but they are very boring. When I grow older I’ll maybe have a pet.

Cool Creatures

Giraffe:

 The giraffe is a ruminant animal that lives at the Savannah. It has a very long neck to reach the leaves at the top of the trees. It drools a lot because, being a ruminant, it is chewing all the day.

One curious fact is that this cool animal has an extremely long tongue (around 50 cm), so they can clean any orifice on their body with their tongue.

 

Fly:

Flies are those annoying flying insects that appear in the warmer months. Land on our food after having been perched on feces, eating them and then vomit all what they have eaten over our food.

But their maggots are good, they are used in medicine (after being sterilized) to eat the dead flesh wounds of patients.

 

Worms:

Worms are a few simple, elongated animals. One of the most common worms is dust worm that eats soil and makes holes in it so that when it rains, the water reaches lower layers.

 But there are also worms that live in water, they are called leeches, and if they live in the sea are called nereids. The latter are very curious because if you cut off the worm, it will continue swimming, each part in its own way.

 

Snakes:

Snakes are cold-blooded reptiles that can do almost anything without legs.

There is a great diversity of snakes ; there are from 10cm to 10 or 15 meters , can be land or live in water , can be poisonous or not having poison ...

St. Patrick's Day

• St. Patrick was a Christian missionary and is known as the patron saint of Ireland, together with St. Bridget and St. Columba. It was a preacher and religious of Britain, traditionally considered the introducer of Christianity on the island. St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated the 17^th of March in Ireland, because it is the date of his death.

• This is a type clover that encloses magical and legendary connotations inherited from the Celtic tradition. It is a representation of the culture of the island of Ireland and his exaltation is visible in the celebrations of St. Patrick's Day.

• The absence of snakes in Ireland gave rise to the legend that they had all been banished by St. Patrick chasing them into the sea after they attacked him during a 40-day fast he was undertaking on top of a hill.

• Widespread tradition of green on this holiday commemorates his use St. Patrick Shamrock though, curiously, the color originally associated with their clothes off blue.

• Green also related to the predominant color in the Irish landscape, greenery that gave rise to the nickname "Emerald Isle" with which Ireland is known.

• A popular legend in Ireland states that the "Celtic” Cross was introduced by Saint Patrick for the evangelization of the pagans of the island, but there is no longer cross from those early days . It also says that St. Patrick joined circular sun or moon Christian symbol representation, thus linking the meaning of the cross pagan spirituality to better convey your message.

• A leprechaun is a type of elf or fairy men living in the island of Ireland.

Art and museums in the USA

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Location: New York City

Bordering NYC's Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is the largest museum in the United States, housing more than two million pieces in its permanent collection curated from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. In late 2011 and early 2012, The Met re-opened its renovated galleries of American Art and Islamic Art. Also housed here is the Costume Institute, which contains examples of fashions through the centuries. Must-See Works of Art: Hokusai's "The Great Wave off Kanagawa (left), is a signature piece of The Met's Asian Art collection. The Egyptian Collection includes the Temple of Dendur, an original temple from 15BC. The small European Collection contains works from some of the biggest names - Caravaggio, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Renoir, Gauguin, Monet.

National Gallery of Art

Location: Washington, DC

The National Gallery of Art, established in 1937, is the United States' national collection of fine art housed on the National Mall in Washington, DC. The museum is split into West and East Buildings, with the former containing the bulk of the museum's American and European Collections and the latter containing mostly modern art and special exhibition space. Entry to the National Gallery is free. (Note: The National Gallery of Art is not under the jurisdiction of the Smithsonian Institution.) Must-See Works of Art: The NGA's prized posession is the portrait of Ginevra de' Benci by Leonardo da Vinci (left). This is the only Leonardo painting in the Americas.

Museum of Modern Art

Location: New York City

The Museum of Modern Art in Midtown Manhattan contains a vast collection of Modernist art and organizes regular exhibitions of contemporary art in its recently remodeled galleries. Some of the 20th Century's most recognizable paintings by the likes of Van Gogh, Rousseau, Pollock, and Picasso grace the walls of the MoMA. Visitor's Tips for the MoMA: Note that admission to the MoMA is free on Fridays from 4-8 p.m. (expect crowds). The Modern, the restaurant that is open only to museum patrons, is one of New York City's Michelin-starred restaurants The Modern does not accept reservations. Must-See Works of Art: Vincent Van Gogh's "Starry Night" is incredible to see in person. Other must-see works include "The Sleeping Gypsy" by Henri Rousseau; "Number 31" by Jackson Pollock; "Flag" by Jasper Johns; Andy Warhol's "Campbell Soup Cans."

J. Paul Getty Museum

Location: Los Angeles, California

The J. Paul Getty Museum is located in two locations in Los Angeles. The Getty Center, in Brentwood, is the home for the collection of pre-20th Century European paintings, sculpture, and furnishings and 19th and 20th Century photographs from Europe and North America. It is housed in a building designed by architect Richard Meier, and its Central Garden was designed by Robert Irwin. The Getty Center receives the bulk of the Getty Museum's total visitors, but the Getty Villa, located in Pacific Palisades, is also impressive. Here is where the Getty displays its collection of antiquities, some of which have been controversial (see the book "Chasing Aphrodite" [Compare Prices]). Must-See Works of Art:Van Gogh's "Irises;" "Venus Reclining on a Sea Monster with Cupid" by John Deare; "The Supper at Emmaus" by Bartolomeo Cavarozzi.

Art Institute of Chicago

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Art are the highlights of the collection at The Art Institute of Chicago, a renowned museum located in the city's Grant Park. The Art Institute also has a collection of African American art. Must-See Works of Art: Georges Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" (left) is a famous piece in the Art Institute's collection. Additionally, there are numerous paintings from Monet, Manet, Cézanne, Renoir, and Cassatt. In its American Collection, look for Grant Wood's "American Gothic."

Museum of Fine Arts Boston

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

The more than 450,000 works of art that make up the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston make it one of the largest museums in the United States. Its most renowned collections are its American Art, Egyptian Art, and French Impressionist paintings. Thanks to Boston's twinning with the city of Nagoya, Japan, the MFA's Japanese art collection (the Edward S. Morse Collection) is the most extensive outside of Japan. Chinese art is also on display. Must-See Works of Art: John Singleton Copley's portrait of Paul Revere (left). Also noteworthy are Copley's "Watson and the Shark;" Gilbert Stuart's portrait of George Washington; works by Gauguin, Cézanne, Monet.

Young Museum

Location: San Francisco, California

This fine arts institution in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park is renowned for its American Art collection, including a focus on art specifically from California. The de Young museum also has a broad collection of art from the Americas, ranging from pre-Columbian times to the 20th century, and art from Oceania. More than 13,000 textiles and costumes make up the de Young's significant textiles collection. Must-See Works of Art:Wayne Thiebaud's "Three Machines" (left); "Prometheus Bound" by Thomas Cole; Edward Hicks' "Peaceable Kingdom;" and "California Spring" by Albert Bierstadt.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Location: Los Angeles, California

The LACMA, as it is usually called, is the largest art museum west of Chicago, with an estimated 100,000 works of art dating from ancient times to present day. Its best known for its American galleries, which focus on pre-Columbian and Latin American art. Thanks to perpetually fine weather, the LACMA has numerous temporary and permanent outdoor installations. Also noteworthy are the Asian art collections, particular its Korean art collection, which is the largest outside of Korea, and some elaborate religious pieces from South Asia. Must-See Works of Art: LACMA's newest star artwork is "Levitated Mass," a boulder sculpture realized by artist Michael Heizer. "Urban Light" (left) by Chris Burden is another iconic installation.

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

Location: New York City

Set in a distinctive, Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is known for its modern artworks. Originally called The Museum of Non-Objective Painting when it opened in 1939, the Guggenheim started with a collection of American and European abstract and non-objective works. Renamed after its founder in 1952, the Guggenheim now displays its core abstract collection along with works from all manner of contemporary art genres, among them Dada, Impressionism, Pop Art, and Surrealism. Must-See Works of Art: Any number of works by Vasily Kandinsky, an artist for whom a whole gallery is dedicated. "Paris Through the Window" by Marc Chagall; Amedeo Modigliani's "Nude;" the Robert Mapplethorpe Photography Collection.

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Location: Washington, DC

The Smithsonian Institution's most popular museum is the American Art Museum, which is situated in downtown Washington, DC, at Gallery Place. Housed here are works from all genres, from Colonial-era painting to Folk Art, and representing all regions of the United States. Must-See Works of Art:Albert Bierstadt's "Among the Sierra Nevada" (left); "Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii," a nation-shaped video installation by artist Nam June Paik; Georgia O'Keefe's "Manhattan;" and "Cape Cod Morning" by Edward Hopper.