Your Beautiful Photos

We all have extra time to notice the majestic world around us. I've asked you to share, with the group, a glimpse of what you are seeing. 

Thank you for contributing!

Strong Vocabulary Sentences; Fascinating Questions

Henry: If I put a piece of bread in the middle of Central Park, it will surely spawn a congregation of pigeons.

Olivia T.: At night, the moonlight caused the stones in the quarry to shine. (what a beautiful image, Olivia!)

Durland: The horse was very graceful when she was galloping in the field.

And how about these excellent questions about cathedrals and architecture...

Keegan: For the cathedrals, was there any kind of glue in between the stones?

Porter: How do architects replace an arch? (very carefully?!!)

Jayden: On many or all Gothic cathedrals, there is a cross at the very top. If cranes weren't built then, how did they get the cross all the way up there? (I love this question, Jayden. Watch the video posted here to learn about the ingenious technology that medieval builders used to raise and lower stone (and other objects) while building the cathedrals.)

Musical Monday

We've all got some extra time for listening to music, so I decided to share two student recommendations for today's Musical Monday:

First, I hope you enjoy the soul searching sound of Hey There Delilah (here) by Plain White T's.

Then, we have the lovely melody and country-funky beat of High Horse (here) by Kacey Musgraves.

Lesson for March 27 and 30: How Do Arches Work?

The National Cathedral, located in Washington, DC.

For March 27 and 30, please do the following...

1. Watch the two videos posted below.

2. Review the vocabulary list posted here.

3. Watch a student's clever explanation of the way that Gothic architecture counteracts gravity and contact force, here.

4. Answer the questions posted here.

 

Lesson for March 25-26: Architecture That Inspires Us

Hello Students -- I hope that your week is going well. It has been fun to re-connect with you this week (I loved the Advisory game of Family!).

For March 25 and 26, please do the following...

1.  Participate in the live Zoom meeting for your class. The link to the meeting is posted in Veracross.

2.  Review the characteristics of Gothic architecture, here.

3.  Read this entire blog post. I think you will be impressed with the local buildings that your classmates selected as exemplars of architectural excellence.

4.  Answer the questions posted here.

 ----------

Architecture That Inspires Us

Earlier this week, I asked you to provide examples of buildings and structures that you admire and to describe the reasons you like them.

Here are photographs of some of the places that you selected, along with your descriptions:

"I like the grassy area for watching the game, and all the cool angles."

"I like the way they made the front area with the gate."

"I like the way the architecture of our school is so well-organized. It's awesome!"

"There are lots of windows, and you can see beautiful sunrises and sunsets."

"The YMCA building looks really modern, with lots of windows and a cool slanted roof."

"The Zion Union Baptist Church is not a very well known building, but I live near it. It has a triangular outline with a huge cross in front of the building. I think it one of the most grand small structures in Charlottesville."

"I like how the top of the building has the little dome thing above the triangle roof, and I like the circular windows on the sides of the dome. The different and classical look of Monticello give this house a very nice design."

 ----------

Comparing Gothic and Romanesque Styles

During today's live Zoom class, we started to discuss the differences between Romanesque and Gothic architecture.

Here's a Romanesque church

We learned that Romanesque churches tend to be short, with thick walls and few windows. The arches are rounded, and the inside space tends to be confined and a bit dark.

Another Romanesque church. This one has a rose window, but it's fairly close to the ground.

Gothic architecture, on the other hand, emphasizes height and light. 

The arches are pointed, and tall spires soar toward the sky. Flying buttresses enabled architects to build much larger windows, many of which were fitted with stained glass.

Notice the spires reaching upwards...

Now that's a serious wall of glass!

The Beatles (Take a Sad Song and Make it Better)

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your observations and opinions about Hey Jude by the Beatles.

Many people think the Beatles were the most influential band of the twentieth century!

Consisting of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, the band was formed in 1960 (the musicians were still teenagers!). Do you know the name of the English city where they first got started?

-----------

Here's a sampling of your feedback about the Beatles and Hey Jude:

Alex B.: The person playing piano [Paul McCartney] had such a cool voice!

Anonymous: This song gets stuck in your head. That's a good thing if you like it, but a bad thing if you don't!

Porter: The smooth tune and repetition of the words at the end is soothing.

Stuart: I like how it's smooth and quiet but then gets more upbeat.

Keira: It's old school rock and roll - not really my kind of music.

Can: All of the musicians have long hair!

Charlie: For 3 and a half minutes they kept on saying the same line -- which is very unusual because that is how long songs are nowadays.

Chaney: It was cool to hear the Beatles as someone's choice for Musical Monday.

Anonymous: I loved how upbeat this song was!

A fun detail about Hey Jude is that two of you recommended this song for Musical Monday. 

Personally, I love the Beatles and I love the song. I thought it was a perfect choice to help our spirits during a challenging week.

So far, the most popular guesses are Daniel, Molly, Davis O., Ginny, and Henry. These are excellent guesses!

BUT ... do you think it was one of them, or do you think it was someone else?

Lesson for March 23-24: Introduction to Architecture

Hello Students -- and Welcome Back. 

I wish I could see you all in person. For now, I will be running our class on the class blog. All of the necessary links and resources will be posted here. There will always be links on Veracross to the blog, but you can also just start here directly.

For March 23 and 24, please do the following...

1. Watch the two videos posted below.

2. Read this article: What is Architecture?

3. Watch today's Musical Monday selection, here.

4. Answer the questions posted here.

The Lotus Temple

I hope that you enjoy Landon's catchy song about the Lotus Temple.

Happy Spring Break!

Building With Wood; Building With Blocks

For his project, Porter built a wooden Khanda. The detailed artistry of his creation is awesome.

Porter describes his work as follows:

The design as a whole is called the Khanda, and it represents many of Sikhism’s most important beliefs.  The circle part is called the Chakra. It is infinite meaning. It has no beginning or an end, so it symbolizes that your soul will never die. The crossed swords are a reminder that all Sikhs should be ready to defend their religion from nonbelievers and anyone who sins. The double-edged sword is called the Khanda and gives the whole symbol its name. It represents the power of the truth and how it can never hurt you.

The process of building the Khanda was fun but hard. The original plan was to make the Khanda smaller but every time my Dad and I tried the small pieces would snap off. So we ended up upsizing the whole design and cutting it out with the jig-saw at my house. After that, we went to my family’s horse farm and used my Grandpa’s electric sander to smooth down the edges. When we were done with the electric sander my Dad gave me some sandpaper to smooth out the rough edges. When I finally finished sanding the whole Khanda was very smooth and nice to feel.  

Next: I hope you enjoy Carter K.'s masterful reconstruction of the Lotus Temple in India:

Here is a portion of Carter's description of his project:

For my Minecraft building, I designed and constructed the newest temple for the religion of the Baha'i faith. This temple was made on November 13, 1986, and it stands in India. (Mine didn’t and will never do either of those things, but what do you expect?!)

This temple as is custom for the Baha'i religion has nine sides. They believe that the number nine is a sign of completeness as it is the highest one-digit number. That gives the number a special meaning for all Baha’is. The Temple stands at a mountainous 112 feet tall. It has nine pools, nine fountains, nine doors, nine petals, and nine more petals that form into one dome. That one dome represents the unity of all religions. This dome also features a skylight. In this temple, Baha’i will find seats for people to meditate on their thoughts and pray. Baha'i has only three prayers a follower can choose from, but they are required to say one of these prayers every day.

A Beautiful Torii; A Beautiful Song; A Beautiful Poster

Caroline built this beautiful model of a Shinto torii. The details on the model are spectacular!

In her explanation of the model, Caroline explained that Shinto shrines are often marked by an arch called a torii. She wrote that "it is believed that the archway separates the sacred world of the shrine from the world outside." She also taught me that, at Amaterasu's shrine, even the torii is rebuilt every twenty first year!

The quality of Keira's song about the Baha'i Faith speaks for itself. More accurately, I should say that it sings for itself. Keira: the lyrics are so informative, and your singing is simply fantastic!!

For the past week and a half, Cort has worked diligently on his poster about Shintoism. He planned the layout, wrote and carefully revised his descriptive paragraphs, selected relevant images, and methodically put everything together. He worked hard during class, and he came to the classroom during multiple breaks to get everything just right. The result is truly impressive.

A Song About Shinto; A Digital Tour of the Golden Temple

The students are working diligently on their group projects. It is fun to watch the students display their creativity in a variety of formats.