Weekly Update for 11/7/14

Blog Posting for 10/31/2014

This week news4kids.org aired the following stories:

Jungle Marathon K-2

Kid’s Circus School in Cuba 3-5

New Baby Dolphin at SeaWorld K-2

Saving Tigers in Russia 3-5

Newscast: Jungle Marathon K-2

Essential Question: What is the Jungle Marathon?

Vocabulary: Tapajos National Forest, humidity, piranhas, jaguar, legendary

Learning Objectives:

         – Define a traditional marathon as a 26.2-mile race.

– Identify the Jungle Marathon as a uniquely difficult marathon that takes place in             the Brazilian rainforest.

Summary: Recently, the world’s toughest endurance athletes from 17 countries competed in the Jungle Marathon. The race took place in the Tapajos National Forest, deep within the Brazilian rainforest. This year’s mens winner was the legendary ultra-runner Widy Grego from Guadeloupe. The female winner was Josie Benson from the United Kingdom.

 

Newscast: Kid’s Circus School in Cuba 3-5

Essential Question: What do students do at the circus school?

Vocabulary: Havana, Cubacirco, acrobatics, diabolos, abandoned, communist, Fidel Castro, salary, arena

Learning Objectives:

         – Explain some acts that are performed in a circus and why a child might take           classes at a circus school.

– Name Havana as the capital of Cuba.

– Identify Fidel Castro as the communist leader of Cuba.

Summary: Inside an abandoned movie theater on a noisy avenue in Havana, the capital of Cuba, about 70 Cuban children as young as nine years old are pursuing their dream of joining the circus. The children at the Cubacirco circus school take classes in different circus arts, such as acrobatics, juggling, clownery, and rope-climbing for three hours every day. Many of these students commute over two hours per day to get to the abandoned building.

 

Newscast: New Baby Dolphin at SeaWorld K-2

Essential Question: What characterizes a bottlenose dolphin?

Vocabulary: calf, mammal, gill, blowhole, bottlenose, crustacean, squid, dorsal, pectoral, temperate

Learning Objectives:

         – Identify a dolphin as a mammal that has a blowhole on top of its head so it can    breathe above water.

– Define a bottlenose dolphin as having a long snout for eating small fish.

– Explain how dolphins talk to each other using squawks, whistles, clicks, and        squeaks.

Summary: Recently, a brand new bottlenose dolphin was born at SeaWorld in San Diego. In the next couple weeks, officials at SeaWorld will discover the gender of the new calf and give him or her a new name. The baby dolphin will spend lots of time learning from its mom, swimming, and maybe one day performing at SeaWorld.

 

Newscast: Saving Tigers in Russia 3-5

Essential Question: Why are Siberian tigers endangered?

Vocabulary: Amur, Siberian, endangered, extinct, coarse, deforestation, Vladimir Putin, summit, conservation

Learning Objectives:

         – Identify Amur tigers, also called Siberian tigers, as an endangered species that is   native to Siberia.

– Identify Siberia as a region in Russia that is known for being extremely cold         year round.

– List some reasons why Siberian tigers are endangered and what steps the Russian government is taking to protect them.

Summary: Ten rare Amur tiger cubs are being raised in the Taigan Safari Park on the Crimean peninsula. These tigers were born in the park but are being prepared for an eventual release into the wild. At the park, the tiger cubs live in an environment that closely mirrors conditions in the wild. Trainers teach the tiger cubs important survival skills, such as how to hunt, listen for danger, and find a dry place to sleep. The young tigers are also watched over by an adult tigress that acts as both their mother and teacher.

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