BLOG EIGHT - 7th Grade - The History Room

BLOG EIGHT - 7th Grade

14/11/2012

Back to Africa
Deadline: Monday, November 19, 2012 by 08:00

Our African map in the classroom needs to be finished as some of your country drawings were too messy or not to scale. So if your country has not been featured on the wall, that means that is was rejected for display.

Those who do not have their African country on the wall also means they received low marks for not following directions from the previous blog post on creating a African country.

This week's blog is a blog of persuasion. Persuasion is the act of convincing or changing someone else's mind, opinion, beliefs, or actions. Take a look at the photo of the apple. How do you interpret it? Is the apple on the left persuading the apple on the right to be happy? Or is the apple on the right persuading the other apple that he or she is "happy" even when it is not the case? Both interpretations are matters of persuasion.

Now, go back to your African country and persuade me that your country is the best in the class to visit. There are over 50 African countries to choose from for my next holiday. Will I pick yours?

Your blog post this week should:

be a minimum of 100 words in length
feature the best highlights in your African country (the climate, people, food, music, sports, animals, national parks, monuments, etc.)
be creative and of course, persuasive!

If your country has had problems with natural disasters, famine, civil war, or political problems, you will have to be even more convincing as I may not want to go there. Show the very best side to your country for me to consider it. Remember, it does not matter how small or big your country is, there is always something you can find that could bring an adventurous tourist like me to come and visit.

Good luck to persuade me to visit your African country!

26 Comments

Mr. Hendricks

15/11/2012 03:58:08 pm

Dear 7th Grade,

Please check out the AMAZING response of Tinks from 6th grade. She has shown the world how to write a persuasive essay on traveling to an African country.

-Mr. H.

Kuzey

15/11/2012 09:23:06 pm

Colombia's wrong with the famous
What famous for Colombia
Colombia neleriyle famous

Emerald Mine,

Medellin, Gabriel Garcia Marquez,

The capital, Bogota,

Gold Wealth and Capital Gold Museum in Bogota (first in the world),

Nevada and Nevada del Ruiz del Tulima volcanic mountains,

Coke Tree,

Plant and export of tea,

Olmec busts,

The world's richest bird species

Mr. Hendricks

18/11/2012 01:26:40 am

Kuzey,

Colombia is NOT in Africa. It is in South America. Please refer back to your African country clues and try again:

KUZEY: Erg of Bilma / Djado Plateau / Cure Salée

-Mr. H.

Im sorry ..........

20/11/2012 02:03:26 am

'W' National Park

Take a tour of the famous 'W' National Park, outside Niamey, with its abundant wildlife including buffalos, elephants, lions, hyenas, jackals and baboons. The birdlife is also prolific.

Agadez

Climb the mosque minaret at sunset for a spectacular view of Agadez: This beautiful old Tuareg capital is still a caravan trading city: it also has a thriving tourist trade. Beautiful silver and leatherwork can be bought in the back streets.

Aïr Mountains

Venture into the Aïr Mountains, which were, until recently, home to many species not generally seen at this latitude, including leopards, lions and giraffes. However, the recent droughts have caused animal populations to dwindle rapidly.

Ayorou

Trawl the Sunday market at the old trading station in the Ayorou region on the Mali frontier or keep your eyes peeled for giraffes in the region around Tillabéri. Two-day tours are available from the capital.

Catch a festival

Celebrate the end of the rainy season with the Peulh people's lively knees up, or witness the Cure Salée, when the nomads gather their cattle to go to new pastures and the Wodaabé tribe hold the gerewol festival.

Dosso

Take a turn around the town of Dosso, founded in the 13th century by the Zarmas after the fall of Gao. It has an exceptional palace, a lively village square and celebrates many festivals with parades and official ceremonies.

Igouloulef

Arrange an expedition through the mountains to the springs at Igouloulef and Tafadek or the prehistoric site at Iferouane and beyond the Ténéré Desert and the Djado Mounta.

Maradi

See Niger's economic centre at Maradi, where the people are engaged in various activities from agriculture to diverse crafts. The Sultanate and the Mosque are well worth viewing.

KIKA

30/11/2012 04:24:35 pm

Sorry Kuzey but i put one sentence to google and i found the web site of which you copy.You copy everything from this web site : http://www.worldtravelguide.net/niger/things-to-do
Sorry Kuzey , but is not your work and its not nice just copy and finish it for 2 minutes .I did this homework 1 hour or maybe more and i didnt copy from web site .Its not fair Kuzey sorry.

Lauren A

16/11/2012 05:34:59 pm

Mr Hendricks South Sudan is an amazing country and the perfect time to visit is at the end of October. When the rainy season ends, making travel across the country easier. I would also suggest to you not to go towards the northern border of South Sudan and Sudan because you may get caught in some violence. But this shouldn't stop you from visiting because there are still many exciting things you can do visit there. Including the vast swamp region of the Sudd formed by the White Nile, waterfalls, caves, tropical forests, swamps and a savannah. Also visit one of the few places in the world where Coffea arabica grows in the wild. Also the breathtaking rapids on the White Nile, extending over 0.7 km long. You can not miss this opportunity to visit South Sudan, one of the newest countries in Africa.

Lauren.T

16/11/2012 07:17:52 pm

Dear Mr. Hendricks,
I am writing this letter, to persuade you to travel to Nigeria, in order to visit the spectacular sites of Nigeria, understand the unique cultures and traditions throughout the Nigerian people, and to compare their lives to ours.
Nigeria is none for its humid tropical climate, as it is located just North of the equator. The temperature in Nigeria generally ranges between 30 c in winter and 50 c in summer. In 2011, the population in Nigeria was 162, 470, 737, the capital city is Abuja, and the currency they use today is Nigerian naira.
One of the most famous sites in Nigeria is the wall of Benin, located in Edo State. The wall of Benin was considered the largest man-made structure, and voted the most amount of earthwork, ever built, (made up of ramparts and moats). In 1897, Britain destroyed and tore-down the wall of Benin, (The Punitive Expedition). Scattered segments of the wall still remain in Edo, and it continues to be destroyed, as the Nigerian government uses the space for real estate developments.
In present day, the Nigerian people have dug up 6,500 square kilometers, and now the wall of Benin is considered to be four times longer than the Great Wall of China. Perhaps, the largest single archaeological phenomenon on the entire planet!
There are also many other sites to see in Nigeria such as: The rop rock shelter in Jos Plateau, is an art factual shelter which stores historical tools, pottery, weapons, skeletons etc.
Lfe-lfe, is a unique city of Nigeria, and it is a very interesting place to visit. In the past, “lfe”, meant “the holy city”, as they respect all the gods and goddesses, at that time. Today, the main features of Lfe-lfe are: the natural history museum of Nigeria, Obafemi Awolowo University, and a center for farming: yams, cassava, grain, and tobacco.
The thing that makes Nigeria worthwhile to see is that it is not a complete, built-up city, but it is an incomplete, unfinished peace of art.
So instead of reading the history of Nigeria in this letter, you should go see for yourself how beautiful it is, because the history is in front of you.
Yours Sincerely.
Lauren Trotter

JAMS

17/11/2012 12:18:52 am

Dear Mr. Hendricks,
In this blog I will tell you some facts about my country, The Amazing Liberia.

The Climate: The climate in Liberia is a Tropical climate and the average temperature is from about 21 to 25 degrees celsius and never usually exceeding the temperature of 32 degreed celsius.

Food: The main types of food eaten in Liberia are, Rice with many different sauces, meats and fish and lots of snacks like, mangoes bananas, coconuts, sugarcane and citrus fruit is sometimes consumed throughout the day.

Music: There are many different types of Music, but the main ones that you should listen are African Pop and hip-hop, traditional West African folk music and R&B.

Sports: Liberia's most popular and most played sport is Football ( soccer ) and the most well known sportsman in Liberia is George Weah.

Animals: One of the native animals in Liberia is the Diana Monkey. It has a black head, legs and tail, a grey body, a red-brown rump, white neck and breast, and a white band across it's head. This Monkey is not a very still animal because it is often gliding and swinging through the trees.

I hope you decide to visit my country and enjoy it.

Marc

17/11/2012 08:27:57 pm

I think that Mali is an amazing country to visit, don’t worry if you go there and you see a lot of poor people, because this doesn’t mean that Mali is bad. Their religion is Islam one of the most common religions in Africa. There are exceptional cities to visit like Bamako that is the capital of Mali, there are great buildings to visit in the capital such as a grand mosque,BCEAO tower…, and its plentiful of turists.
Another great city is Mopti is called the Mali’s Venice and it’s very popular for turists, there are amazing mosques and an active river port.
For Mali’s culture the music is very important there are great bands that combine tradicionals Mali’s songs with blue so if you like the Music you’ll spend a great time in Mali, this is why in January there is one of the main celebrations in there called “Festival Au Desert” (festival in the desert) is celebrated as the name seas in dune Esanko in the desert of Sahara in the 12/1. In Mali’s celebration attend musicians around the world.
In January and December is the best time to go there, because the temperature is lower, it’s aroun 24Cº because during the day is very hot and during the night is very cold.
The main sport there, is futbol so there are a lot of people in the street playing futbol and they play in bad conditions but very good!

SERЁGA DJEISHNIK DE CATALUNIA

17/11/2012 08:38:14 pm

Country-Eritrea
The Klimate-so hot country,
People-4 million,they have President
Food-Traditional recipes Eritrea different sharpness. Popular cakes of oats, "kitsch", a dish of pea flour with spices "wide" and "Full" - mess of beans, "enbasha" - a large round white bread. From fruit unusual "balyasy" - the fruit of prickly pear cactus, they are prickly and green on the outside but sweet and red on the inside. Eritrean coffee is especially fragrant, zavaryvayut coffee in an earthenware jar, and coffee in the villages pounded by hand in a mortar, pre-browned.
Anthem of Eritrea-

Eritrea, Eritrea, Eritrea,
Her enemy decimated,
and her sacrifices vindicated by liberation.
Steadfast in her goal,
symbolizing endurance,
Eritrea, the pride of her oppressed people,
proved that the truth prevails.
Eritrea, Eritrea,
holds her rightful place in the world.
Dedication that led to liberation,
Will build up and make her green,
We shall honor her with progress,
We have a word to her to embellish.
Eritrea, Eritrea,
holds her rightful place in the world.
Sport-in Eritrea people very love football
They have their league
But in Kenia disappeared Eritreas national team
Animals-
Eritrea fauna represented by various species of mammals, contains animals such as antelope, mountain goats, leopards, buffaloes. There is a large number of monkeys.
Monuments-
Despite its relative lack of development in terms of tourism development, Eritrea - a unique historical region capable in terms of mysteries and historical mysteries that lurk in its depths, to compete in Greece and Egypt. Along with Djibouti, Somalia, Yemen and Kenya, Eritrea, served as the prototype of the legendary "Land of Punt." In ancient times, it was a rich Horn of Africa, of which the Egyptian pharaohs has just raved over 2900 years before Christ. Also known as the "Land of the Gods", this was an area that traded in ancient times such popular products as gold, spices, precious myrtle, and unfortunately for the local flora and fauna, ebony, ivory and slaves. The earliest human settlement in what is now Eritrea noted in Barka valley and belongs to 8000 BC Numerous historical and unique nature of dry uplands of the country, the underground catacombs of the city-Nakfa and the underwater world of the Red Sea are attracting more and more visitors from all over the world.

Mr. Hendricks

18/11/2012 01:43:20 am

Dear Alikhan,

It is clear the first part of your blog post is your voice. Later, it is evident that the information is translated as the words are not your own. "Despite," "lurk," and "prototype" are not your words. If you wish to cite (or "quote") a website, please include the weblink and "quotations" around facts and information directly quoted from the webpage.

Your voice is needed to be persuasive, not just information!

-Mr. H.

giodi

17/11/2012 09:02:54 pm

I think that mauritania is an fantastic countriy to visit,the country is divided into 12 regions and its capital district in Nouakchoot.
Majority of mauritanias belongs to the suun sect.
Nearly 70% of the country is a desert which is growing as are results of frequent droughts.The country is spread over an area of 1030,700 sq km and has 754km long coastline.
Being a desert country the climate in mauritania is very hot and dry
69words. Mauritania is one of the most poorest countries in the world, with about 40% of its population still below the poverty line, Mauritania depends heavily on iron ore exports, fishing and off shore oil wells.

Andy Murray

17/11/2012 11:52:30 pm

Sierra Leone is a bad known country with a tropical climate and a diverse environment from savannah to rainforests.
After the Civil War (1991-2002), with more than 50.000 people dead and much of the country destroyed, Sierra Leone needs new investors in mining, rich in diamonds, gold and titanium. It needs also a big effort in education because the Civil War resulted in the destruction of 1,270 primary schools. Even if the country has three universities, it exists a lack of teachers and with the help of the U.N.and UNESCO the government is trying to attract professors and teachers in very good conditions and well paid.
I think that is it a good opportunity for young european and american teachers to accept these propositions to spent 2 or 3 years in Sierra Leone and so acquire a new experience in a African country.
If you want to spend also a good time in Sierra Leone I would recommend you to go to a beach in this country and also get a trip to a rainforest were you can see beautiful animals, for example a toucan.

Jonesy

18/11/2012 01:29:55 am

It crosses my mind that the Ivory Coast isn't the first country that you will think to go for a holiday but every country has it's own ways of being beautiful and I believe the Ivory Coast has many.

There are outdoor activities that some people would dream of visiting and I know I am one of those people. Some examples are : the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace. This Basilica is from Roman Catholic times, they dedicated this monument to ' Our Lady of Peace '. It was named The World's Largest Church in the Guinness World Records. It is a structure that you will see very rarely where ever you will travel. You can also visit the Tai National Park, one of the last of primary rainforests in West Africa. In this exotic piece of land you can find many endangered species that you will hardly discover in the rest of the World, such as : Pygmy Hippopotamus, Olive Colobus Monkeys, Chimpanzees, Leopards and Jentink's Duiker. Simple things like watching the sun set may change your day ! There are many other places that people are eager to see in the Ivory Coast, but you will have to discover them by yourself ...

For outdoor activities you need an enjoyable climate and I can guarantee you that the Ivory Coast has a comfortable climate with temperatures ranging from 76-83 degrees fahrenheit. However, if you visit the Northern Savanna, temperature reaches to 120 degrees
( fahrenheit ). The Ivory Coast is mildly hot and humid, but they do receive a between 76-120 inches of rainfall a year, excluding Tropical rainforests .

Food in the Ivory Coast is very original, there are plates that may look different but have an original taste, for example : Kedjenou ( Chicken with braised vegetables ) and Attieke ( cassava ground into couscous-like grains and eaten with fish or meat ). Sometimes we just fancy a snack, so don't worry there are some delicious appetisers, like Aloko, which is fried banana served with onions and chillies, remember you can't judge a book by its cover. In other parts of the world peanuts are classed as snacks, but along the Ivory Coast they went the extra mile. " Foods are cooked in peanut oil (rather than butter), giving meat and fish a distinctive flavour. And since meat and fish are often served with a sauce, peanuts ground with chillies and tomato make a common spicy accompaniment. " ( http://www.our-africa.org/ivory-coast/food-daily-life ).

Ivorians like to be involved with sport. Like many African countries, the major sport in the Ivory Coast is Football. There is a football pitch situated in every town and each city has at least 1 football team existing. Ivorians are interested in basketball and rugby, they also have a baseball federation. A large number of athletes are attracted to tennis. You may not know but the Ivory Coast has participated in the Davis Cup tournament in the past. The country was first recognised for sport in Tokyo at the 1964 Olympic Games as they took part for the first time in the Olympic Games and they were entered into the African Nations Cup weeks later. Gabriel Tiacoh made his country proud by winning the first olympic medal ( silver ) for his country, at the Los Angeles games in 1984.

The currency of the Ivory Coast is West African CFA franc. The economy in the Ivory Coast is the largest in West African Economic and Monetary Union. The Ivory coast is the largest country for exporting cocoa, and the forth largest trader for good in general. Their economy is stable and still growing.

In the Ivory Coast music is a large factor for them in life, each ethnic group has their own traditional folk music, that mostly contain strong vocal polyphony ( melodies containing 2 or more independent voices ). In the Ivory coast I can promise you, you will experience many flourished cultures.

If you are looking for a country with a comfortable climate, beautiful scenery ( with wildlife ) , original food and history, then I think that the Ivory Coast is the perfect place for you. Who doesn't want these factors for an enjoyable holiday ?

Mr. Hendricks

18/11/2012 01:35:15 am

Dear Jonesey,

A well-written persuasive essay! Cote D'Ivoire is a serious contender for my upcoming African holiday.

-Mr. H.

Jonesy

18/11/2012 11:54:42 pm

Thanks Mr.H !! hahahaha did u see my comments on the other bolgs ???? ps : its Jonesy !!!

kika

19/11/2012 05:02:27 am

this is really nice!!!i love it!amazing work Jonesy!!!i think this is the best post !!!!hehehe

Kika

18/11/2012 03:40:41 am

Mr. Hendricks i think my country Chad is very interesting to go there.There is the Zakouma National Park.The Zakouma National Park is a national park in Chad.This national park was created because of the poaching that destroyed the wildlife.The best its when to visit this National park during March and April.Because most of the animals congregate around watering holes .You can also visit The Tibesti mountains.The Tibesti mountains is of volcanic origin.The Tibesti Mountains are located in the desert region of northern Chad. The capital city of Chad is N’djamena.This city has population 2 million people.In Chad are people eating maize, grains, tomatoes, onions,sesame,potatoes, rice, meat, milk from cows and more...The most popular sport in Chad is Football.Chad is one of the poorest counties in Afric but Mr.Hendricks you can enjoy there amazing wildlife.In Chad are two dominantly religions.Islam is the first one and Christianity is the second one.Islam is the first most dominatly religion in Chad with interesting culture and traditions.If you speak French or Arabic its very good for you because People in Chad speaking French and Arabic.
Thank you for reading.
Kristína Bašková.

KILA

24/11/2012 01:09:54 am

I think it nice

KIKA

30/11/2012 04:20:02 pm

hahahaha Thank you "KILA"

Alexia

18/11/2012 04:25:15 am

I am writing a persuasive essay to show you, that Sudan is the best place to visit in whole Africa.
Sudan is bordered by Egypt to the North, Red Sea to the Northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the East, South Sudan to the South, Central African Republic (CAR) to the Southwest, Chad to the west and Libya to the Northwest. So, by that you can see that Sudan is surrounded by very know countries, which has brought many tourists. Also Sudan is often considered to be a part of Middle East.
It is a good country to visit, because it has a long history extending from antiquity, which is intertwined with the history of Egypt. Sudan suffered 17 years of Civil War during the First Sudanese Civil War (1955-1972) followed by ethnic, religious and economic conflicts between the Muslim Arabs of Northern Sudan and the Christian Nilotes of Southern Sudan. Which caused lots of measure problems to the society.
There is legacy left over after 2 civil wars, which makes Sudan a very good country to visit, especially of you are a historian.
Sudan is a member of United Nations, and it also maintains membership with African Union, Arab League, Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Non-Aligned Movement.
Sudan is a democratic, religious and historical country, which makes Sudan the most interesting country to visit in Africa.
P.S. Sudan’s Capital is Khatoum, President Omar al-Bashir, Vice President Ali Osman Taha, Population of 30, 894, 000 people.

luca

19/11/2012 02:00:34 am

Dear Mr Hendricks this is what you are going to say after you have read my post."Dear santa for christmas i want a plane ticket to Guinea and stay there for ever and ever.

Anyway today im going to convince you to go to Guinea for a holiday. Guinea has had some really different kinds of things to what you would expect. For example there was a huge Monster called "Conakry Monster", when i saw that my eyes melted into my face. i said "thats a really cool place!" When i saw the Conakry monster its like a giant lizard fish thing.

The capital of Guinea is Conakry and is also the largest city in Guinea with a population of 10,057,975 people. Guinea also has a motto and it is Travail, Justice, Solidarité" which is french for "Work, Justice, Solidarity".

There is a very nice highland called Fouta Djallon: The Fouta Djallon is a highland in Guinea that is "an average elevation of about 900m (3,000 ft)".(from weebly post)

There is a famous concentration camp in Guinea:
Camp Boiro: Camp Boiro is a consentration camp in Guinea. While President Ahmed Sékou Touré was ruling the country, many political defenders were imprisoned at the this concentration camp.(also from weebly post.

There is a monument in Guinea. It has no official name but it is a statue to commemorate a victory during the Portuguese invasion.

I hope this blog post has made you decide whether you are going to go there or not. so where are you going, that is the question on everybody's mind.

sincerely Luca

Jonesy

19/11/2012 02:15:09 am

HAHAHAHA LOVE THE START LUCA !!!!!

Chrissss

19/11/2012 02:32:51 am

It’s planting season in one of the harshest environments in Africa: Northern Ghana. I thing that ghana is a good place to go to vicit because there are alot of mountains and farmers.
As farming families prepare the land, they face not just climactic challenges but also some simple, logistical ones.
I thing that you have to go to my contry Ghana because is a new experence in Your first time in africa.
WHAT YO CAN DO?
To get a feel for how a modern Ashanti ruler lives, visit Manhyia Palace and its museum off Antoa Rd, up the hill north from Kejetia Circle. The palace was built by the British in 1925 to receive Prempeh I when he returned from a quarter of a century of exile in the Seychelles to resume residence in Kumasi. It was used by the Ashanti kings until 1974.

On display is the original furniture, including Ashantiland's first TV, and various artefacts from the royals, including evocative photos of the time.

Of course, Ghana is no paradise. But it is the only place on earth we can call our own. And so the impatience of some of us should be understood.

kika

19/11/2012 05:06:32 am

chris there are some grammar mistakes but its really creative and nice !

Jonesy

19/11/2012 05:59:27 pm

Chris, I can tell some of the work is yours and other parts seem vey complicated in english for you ... If it is you then very well done !

7TH GRADE

The rules are simple:

1. Check this blog every Monday. Blog writing is part of your homework grade.

2. Write a comment of 5 sentences or more on the weekly blog post or on another student's response.

3. Use correct capitalization and punctuation when writing.

4. Go back and read your comment again OUT LOUD. (This can be to your computer screen or to your dog, if you have one). Edit your mistakes.

5. Make sure your commentary is clean and respectful.