Classroom Ideas, Current Event Connection, Main

11 Things We Learned This Week

What did you learn this week? We learned …

… how red and green became Christmas colors.

Christmas trees make great mulch!Photograph by Rebecca Hale, National Geographic
Christmas trees make great mulch!
Photograph by Rebecca Hale, National Geographic

How well do you know the holidays?

 

… the last sugar mill in Hawaii just closed.

This 1916 photo depicts a vanished way of life—a Hawaiian sugar plantation. Photograph by A. Nielen, National Geographic. Public domain
This 1916 photo depicts a vanished way of life—a Hawaiian sugar plantation.
Photograph by A. Nielen, National Geographic. Public domain

How did the sugar industry influence the cultural geography of Hawaii?

 

… the Balkan Peninsula has a rich mariachi tradition.

What a great photo! Mariachi music is one of the most familiar and enjoyable symbols of Cinco de Mayo, Mexico, and Mexican-American culture. Photograph by Elidealista, courtesy Wikimedia. Public domain.
What a great photo! Mariachi music is one of the most familiar and enjoyable symbols of Cinco de Mayo, Mexico, and Mexican-American culture.
Photograph by Elidealista, courtesy Wikimedia. Public domain.

What other musical traditions have traveled the globe?

 

… how whales got so big, why they went deep, and what barnacles have to do with it.

Take a look at the many faces of Leviathan. Map by National Geographic
Take a look at the many faces of Leviathan.
Map by National Geographic

How big do whales get?

 

… the Fed director affirmed the value of a college degree.

How can geography help you get that degree?

 

… as Arctic ice vanishes, so too do Native Alaskan cultures.

Alaska Natives begin a whale hunt in this beautifully evocative image from 1930. Photograph by Edward S. Curtis, National Geographic
Alaska Natives begin a whale hunt in this beautifully evocative image from 1930.
Photograph by Edward S. Curtis, National Geographic

What did Alaska look like 100 years ago?

 

… there’s a jet stream in the Earth’s core.

The Earth is divided into three main layers: the dense, hot inner core (yellow), the molten outer core (orange), the mantle (red), and the thin crust (brown), which supports all life in the known universe. Download a PDF version this poster here! Illustration by Mary Crooks, National Geographic
Click here to download this great poster of Earth’s interior. Illustration by Mary Crooks, National Geographic

Get to the core of the matter with our great resource.

 

… what ants can teach humans about tyranny, co-operation, and the division of labor.

Soldier ants guard a column of marching worker ants hunting for food. Photograph by Gilbert M. Grosvenor, National Geographic
Soldier ants guard a column of marching worker ants hunting for food.
Photograph by Gilbert M. Grosvenor, National Geographic

Ants also have something to teach us about traffic jams!

 

… Silicon Valley tech workers are using an ancient philosophy designed for Greek slaves as a life hack.

Zeno was the founder of the Stoic school of philosophy, which emphasizes gaining peace-of-mind. Photograph by shakko, courtesy Wikimedia. CC-BY-SA-3.0
Zeno was the founder of the Stoic school of philosophy, which emphasizes gaining peace-of-mind.
Photograph by shakko, courtesy Wikimedia. CC-BY-SA-3.0

Add some color to Ancient Greece with our coloring pages.

 

… how your cashmere sweater is decimating Mongolia’s grasslands.

Mongolian shepherds keep track of their goats in the Gobi Desert. Photograph by hbieser, courtesy Pixabay. Public domain
Mongolian shepherds keep track of their goats in the Gobi Desert.
Photograph by hbieser, courtesy Pixabay. Public domain

How else might cashmere be used?

 

… what the best maps of 2016 are.

Zoom in on one of the best maps of the year, from National Geographic magazine’s May issue. Map by Martin Gamache, National Geographic
Zoom in on one of the best maps of the year, from National Geographic magazine’s May issue.
Map by Martin Gamache, National Geographic

What’s your favorite map from our library?

2 thoughts on “11 Things We Learned This Week”

  2. So credit for Santa Claus goes to Coca Cola.. A sweet fatty loving man in red robe.. Who brings smile to faces of children.. Well it’s such a very cute and loving image and the colors in Christmas tree is always fascinating..

    That might be a very emotional moment for the workers of Hawaii on that sugar mill where they have been working for centuries… I hope they will find their new jobs and will get over to it.. Good luck to them..

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