Wednesday, September 22 - “KENYA”
grades 4-12
Join photographer Stacey Irwin and take a “virtual’ tour of the beautiful country of Kenya. The students will learn about the physical attributes and location of Kenya and hear about the language, clothing, houses, and food in Kenya. Kenya is a very beautiful country with diverse wildlife and a rich cultural heritage. Kenya is located on the East Coast of Africa, and the equator runs through the middle of it. Kenya is considered a tropical area because it is hot and humid. There are sandy beaches, lagoons, rain forests, and swamps. The average temperature is 80 degrees all year long. Most (3/4) of Kenya consists of plains. It's very dry and the soil isn't very good for farming. The plains receive about ten to thirty inches of rainfall each year. There aren't any major cities here, but nomads roam the land tending their flocks. There is a highland area in the southwest that receives enough rainfall (forty to fifty inches a year) and has enough good soil to support farming. The majority of the people live here. There are forests and grasslands, and Nairobi, the capital city, is located in the highland area. Most of the people in Kenya live in rural areas, but many people go to the cities every year. The people in rural areas farm and raise livestock. Some people live as nomads, and they travel the land with their herds to find food and water. The Nandi people are an example of a nomad group; they live in Western Kenya, in the plains, and they keep cattle, sheep, and goats as their way of life.
Thursday, September 23 – “Learn and Remember SEPTEMBER 11th”
grades 5-12
In the early hours of September 11, 2001, the day's tragic events began to unfold. Now nine years have passed since those first unbelievable reports came that a plane, then another plane, had crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center. The twin towers of World Trade Center in New York were hit by two hijacked Boeing 767 aircrafts, collapsing the building and killing over 3500 people. Two other planes were used to attack the Pentagon and the White House. Soon this was followed by a crash from a hijacked Boeing 757 slamming into the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93 crashing in a field in southwest Pennsylvania.
For millions of Americans, December 7, 1941, is permanently linked to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. November 22, 1963, is instantly synonymous with John F. Kennedy's assassination. Now one more date has been added to the list of dark days indelibly etched in Americans' minds and memories: September 11, 2001. In this videoconference, Dr. James Booth, Vanderbilt University professor, will explore the morality and politics of memory: How do we do justice to the dead, especially those who were victims of political crime? There is no simple answer to this question, because forgetting and reconciliation, as well as justice, are sometimes called for. Remembering 9/11 belongs to the shaping of the American national identity and reflects a moral responsibility to the victims of that terrorist attack. Professor Booth states that "remembering" in a democratic society, reflects the diversity and political nature of that community. Remembering is a vital part of what makes us a community. The anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, offers a time to remember, to reflect about this unforgettable moment in history, and to reconsider the effect that September 11 has had on our country and the world.
TIMES:
We offer two sessions for each Vanderbilt Virtual School videoconference: one session at 9:00 AM CENTRAL TIME and one session at 10:00 AM CENTRAL TIME .
COST:
The cost for a videoconference session is $75. This charge covers some of our expenses in preparing your videoconference and testing and delivering your videoconference.
FORMAT:
All videoconferences are approximately 45 minutes in length. The format is about 25-30 minutes for the presentation and 15-20 minutes for an interactive question and answer session with the students and presenter.
Join us soon at Vanderbilt Virtual School,
Patsy
Patsy Partin, M.Ed
Director, Virtual School
Vanderbilt University
2007 Terrace Place
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 322-6384
