Class Procedures and Reminders:
Storybook stack. As of Tuesday afternoon, I had gotten caught up with all the Storybooks that had been turned in. As always, you can check the contents of the stack to make sure I have received your assignment!
Week 15 schedule. (repeat announcement) The schedule for Week 15 is compressed because of finals. Instead of lasting for the whole week and the weekend, Week 15 will end at NOON on FRIDAY, May 2. If you are turning in a Week 15 Storybook, please try to do that today or on Thursday so that I can get it returned to you BEFORE Friday, and that way you will know just what you need to get done if you are still doing any assignments on Friday morning.
Finishing the class. (repeat announcement) For those of you who are not done with the class yet, make sure you have a plan in place for the assignments that you will complete. Then, when you reach the points you need for your final grade in this class — 410 points for an A, 360 points for a B, 320 points for a C — let me know, and I'll record the letter grade for you there in the Desire2Learn Gradebook.
The following items are for fun and exploration:
Online Resource: Virtual Choir. I thought you might enjoy thie video of Eric Whitacre's virtual choir, composed of thousands of voices singing together to tell a beautiful story: Fly to Paradise. You can learn more at Eric Whitacre's website.
Words to Watch: Today's words to watch out for are PRAY and PREY. For details, see this blog post.
Featured Storybook: Why the Bee Stays Busy: Lessons Learned from Laziness. Katie's Storybook for this semester might have some lessons for those of you who are busy as bees during the end of the semester! :-)
Words of Wisdom: Today's proverb poster is When the bee comes to your house, let her have beer; you may want to visit the bee’s house some day (a Congolese proverb). Details at the Proverb Lab. This proverb assures us that the bee is not always busy working: even bees need a break!
Mahabharata Image: Today's Mahabharata image is Damayanti's swayamwara, when the gods attempted to trick her by disguising themselves as her beloved Nala.
Wednesday Event on Campus: Take a break with free snow cones and a Bounce House on the east lawn of the Union, 12PM-2PM (details). Find out more about this and other events at the Campus Calendar online.
April 30: Walpurgis Night. The night of April 30 is celebrated as Walpurgis Night in many countries of northern and central Europe, often with bonfires late into the night. Also known as "May Day's Eve," the holiday has many carnival-like aspects, and it is associated with magic and witchcraft (it even shows up in the Harry Potter books, where the Death-Eaters are referred to as the "Knights of Walpurgis," which is a play on words with "Walpurgis Night"). You can read about the ways in which Walpurgis Night is celebrated in Germany, Finland, and other countries in this Wikipedia article, which is also the source for this image of a Walpurgis Night bonfire in Sweden:
Note: You can page back through older blog posts to see any announcements you might have missed.
