Journal Question #36 (2010-2011)

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial beginning of summer in New England - and much of North America as well.  While I want all of you to continue to work hard on school work, it's not too early to thin about summer activities, such as sitting in a comfortable chair overlooking a pretty view on a late afternoon.  Write about your favorite summer activities.  What do you like to do best when you have free time in the summer? 

Journal Question #35 (2010-2011)

This is a common sight at this time of year - graves of veterans with American flags stuck in the ground next to them.  Next Monday is Memorial Day, which is a holiday when Americans remember soldiers who died fighting in wars, starting with the Revolutionary War in the 18th century all the way up to our current war in Afghanistan.  Unfortunately, America has been involved in a lot of wars and has therefore lost a lot of young men and women in the process. Does your country have its own "Memorial Day"?  Write your thoughts about wars and soldiers and the ways countries remember their veterans - both alive and dead.  

Journal Question #34 (2010-2011)

It's a good time to talk about movies because summer is coming and lots of movies arrive in summertime.  So, tell me about your favorite movies, or favorite kind of movies.  Do you prefer action, romance, drama, sci-fi...?  What have been your best movie experiences?  If you want, you can recommend a movie that is out in the theaters now.

Journal Question #33 (2010-2011)

Vincent Van Gogh, the French Impressionist painter, loved irises, and he painted them many times, including the ones above.   This time of year, many flowers begin to bloom, including irises.  When you walk outside, do you notice or appreciate the blossoms around you?  Or do you walk right past them without even looking?  Do you have a favorite flower?  Write about why you like, dislike, or don't care about the blossoming plants that surround us these days. 

Journal Question #32 (2010-2011)

Osama Bin Laden is dead, killed by American Special Forces in Pakistan yesterday.  As you know, Bin Laden was the leader of Al Queda, the terrorist organization responsible for the attack on the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington D.C. on September 11, 2001.  Al Queda has also killed any number of people around the world, especially in the Middle East, so Bin Laden can be seen as a mass-murderer. Americans are celebrating his death.  How about you?  What are your feelings on the death of one of the most infamous and violent men in the world?