Student Blog entries

Welcome to our blog page. Fourth graders have been gathering information on different topics to write a blog entry.  Each week students were given an assignment on a topic and were required to write one fact about the subject.  Each week we shared the facts in class and were amazed that we learned so much.  After several weeks of researching different topics, students worked in teams to compile the facts gathered into a blog entry.  Check back often, we will continue to add entries.  Thanks.

The Battle of Gettysburg

Did you know the Battle of Gettysburg had more casualties than any other battle in the Civil War? The generals who led their men to battle were George G. Meade (Northern General) and Robert E. Lee (Southern General). George M. Meade led about ninty thousand men to battle. Robert E. Lee led about seventy five thousand men to battle. Forty three thousand men died in this battle. Twenty three thousand of Robert E. Lee's men died mostly because Lee decided to charge directly to the union's center.

by Matt. C. and Cameron

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Stone Mountain

Stone Mountain is a huge, rounded mass of light gray granite, about 16 miles east of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the largest stone mountain in North America. At its highest point it rises over 700 feet above the surrounding terrain. It measures about 2 miles long and 1 mile wide. In 1923, an ambitious sculpturing project was undertaken on Stone Mountain. Henry A. Lukeman worked on Stone Mountain. The work was discontinued in 1928 because of lack of funds. The three men of the confederacy, Stone Wall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis images are carved in Stone Mountain.

by Ericka and Seth S.

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Mt. Saint Helens

Mt. St. Helens is a mountain in Washington, state U.S.A. Mt.St. Helens elevation is 8,365 feet. On May 18th 1980 at 8:32 A.M. Mt.St. Helens erupted. Mt.St. Helens caused many deaths and enormous damage in southwestern Washington after erupting in 1980. Mt. St. Helens has erupted many times in the last 4,500 years, but it was inactive from 1857 until 1980. Hot ash and rocks from the1980 eruption started forest fires and melted snow covering the upper slopes of the mountain.

by Adam B. and Tyler A.

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Vietnam Memorial

The Vietnam Memorial is located in Washington D.C. It was designed by Maya Ying Ling. She also designed the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, AL. When The Wall was built, there were 57,159 names on the Vietnam Memorial. It contains 140 black granite panels. Eight women are listed on the wall. The first death dates back to 1956. The death of each soldier is in order from the date they died. The wall is 10 feet high. It is founded by Jan Scruggs who served in Vietnam from 1969-1970. There are more than 58,000 members of the United States armed forces who died in the Vietnam War.

by Mweyeria, Brooklyn, and Dalton H.

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The Hindenburg

The Hindenburg was a marval of the Zepplin airship design. The Hindenburg was a German passenger airship. The Hindenburg was a blimp that blew up May 6, 1937. The Hindenburg would carry a gas volume of 7,062,000 cubic feet. The gas that maybe made the Hindenburg blow up was hydrogen. The actual cause of the fire was never determined. They think the material they used to hold all the hydrogen in the Hindenburg caused a static spark which easily caused the hydrogen to ignite and it burned the Hindenburg down. Out of 97 people 35 people died in the crash. The Hindenburg was named after Paulvon Hindenburg, the president of Germany. It was the largest aircraft ever. The Hindenburg could go up to 84 miles per hour. The Hindenburg was 803.8 feet long and 135.1 feet wide.

by Jaret C. and Katie D.

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Crazy Horse

Did you know that the Crazy Horse Memorial was built by Korzak Ziolkowki? The Crazy Horse Memorial began on June 3,1948. It is in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The Crazy Horse Memorial is not a state or federal funded project. Crazy Horse was a legendary Lakota leader. The head of the Crazy Horse Memorial will be 87 feet high. By comparison of the four U.S. Presidents at Mount Rushmore which are 60 feet high.

by Logan B., Kareen B. and Jacob M.

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Mt. Saint Helens

Mt. Saint Helens is located in Washington State U.S.A. Mt. St. Helens is a volcano .One of the
Indian names for Mt. Saint Helens was Fire Mountain. It is 40,000 years old. On May 18, 1980, Mt. Saint Helens erupted, shaken by an earthquake measring 5.1 on the richer scale. It's elevation after the eruption was 8,364 feet. Mt. Saint Helens is in the Cascade Moutain Range.

by Savannah S., Connor P., and David W.

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The Vietnam War Memorial

The Vietnam War Memorial is a wall with soldiers names that lost their life in the Vietnam War. It was founded by Diane Carlson Evens. It is located in Washington D.C. It is made up of two black granite walls. They are 246 feet & 9 in. long. The wall was designed by Mia Ying Lin. 58,256 names are on the wall today & also 1,200 of these names have a cross beside them, which means they are missing in action. It was dedicated in 1982.

by Peytan D. and Savannah L.
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Stone Mountain

Stone Mountain is granite dome is Georgia. It measures about 2 miles long and 1 mile wide.
Stone Mountain is the result of the upwelling magma from within the earth's crust.
The elevatation of Stone Mountain is 1,683 feet and it is more than 5 miles in circumference.
Three figures of the Confederate states of Amercia are carved in the mountain Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis. The carving was begun by Gutzon Borglum but was finished by Walter Kirtland.

by Juwan B. and Tanner S.

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Battle of Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg was fought in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania during the Civil War. The Battle of Gettysburg lasted three days. The days were July 1st though July 3rd of 1863. Abraham Lincoln was the president. The confederates had a total of 46,457 soilders, and in war 4,708 were killed, 12,693 were wounded and 5,830 were captured or missing. After the war, Lincoln gave the Gettyburg Address.

by Kaleigh F. and Grant B.

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Mt. Rushmore

October 4,1927 through October 31,1941 a man named Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers started to create Mt.Rushmore. Mt.Rushmore removed over 8,000 pounds of stone. Over 90% of Mt.Rushmore was carved by using dynamite. The location of Mt.Rushmore is in South Dakota. It took 14 years to carve the four faces of four presidents which are Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and George Washington.

by Matt R. and Tad B.

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Mt. Rushmore

Mt.Rushmore is in South Dakota and represents people with ideas that changed the world. The sculptor of Mt.Rushmore was Gutzon Borglum. After Mr.Borglum died his son finished the mountain.
Mt.Rushmore is a huge carving on a granite cliff. The carving of Mt.Rushmore actually began on August 10,1927, and spanned a length of 14 years. Only six and a half years were spent carving the mountain. The rest of the time was spent on weather debays. Mt.Rushmore has the faces of 4 presidents carved into the mountain. They are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt.

by Justin S. and Sarah K.

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The Battle of Gettysburg

The most famous and most important Civil War Battle occured over 3 hot summer days. July 1 to July 3, 1863 around the small market town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. General George G. Meade led a Northern army of about 90,000 men to victory against General Robert E. Lee's Southern army of about 75,000,. Four months after the battle, visiting journalists reported that the Earth at Gettysgurg remained blood-soaked in places. It stopped the last attempt of confederate forces to invade the North. The battle of Gettysgurg had over 162,000 men in it.

by Julian P. and Sergio F.
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The Hindenburg

The Hindenburg was the largest aircraft ever built. During it's second year of service it was destroyed by a fire while landing at Lakehurst Navel Air Station in New Jersey. Thirty five people died in the horrible fire. The Hindenburg's nick name was the Titanic of the sky. It was 804 feet long. The Titanic is only 78 feet longer. The Hindenburg was named after Paul Von Hindenburg, the Presedent of Germany.

by Akela G. and Zac G.

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Stone Mountain

Stone Mountain is a granite dome located in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Stone Mt. was started by Gutzon Borglum. It was finished by Walker Kirtland Hancock. It rises more than 700 feet. It measures about 2 miles long and 1 mile wide. On the sculpture of Stone Mt. are the faces of Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewell Jackson on horses backs. In Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech he mentions Stone Mt. ... Let freedom ring from Stone Mt. of Georgia.

by Mikaela M., Abbey W. and Keely S.
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Crazy Horse

Did you know the Crazy Horse Memorial is a mountain monument in the black hills of South Dakota? Crazy Horse Memorial has been in progess since 1948 and is still far from completion. Korezak Ziolkowsi began craving Crazy Horse Memorial . It is a mountain that is still in the craving stage and needs 16.5 millon dollars to keep going. Crazy Horses head is 87 feet & 6 inches high.

by Dalton W. and Taylor B.

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The Hindenburg

Did you know that the Hindenburg was 804 feet long?
On May 6, 1937 the Hindenburg was approaching its landing station when it mysteriously burst into flames.
The Hindenburg was 804 feet long and 135 feet wide.
When the Hindenburg blew up it killed 35 people either by the people jumping off or being burned by the flames.
Of the 97 people on board only 62 lived.

by Symber L., Tanner B., and Emanuel K.

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Vietnam Memorial

Did you know that there is a model of the Vietnam Memorial that is shown all over the U.S. ?
But the real Vietnam Memorial is located in Washington D.C. and honors men and women who fought and died in the Vietnam war.
The designer of the Vietnam Memorial is Maya Lin. It is made of black granite.
At the Vietnam Memorial there is more than three million visitors a year.
When there is a cross by the engraved name that means they are still missing in action. If there is a diamond by their name it means their body has been recovered.

Madasyn G. and Jeremy B.

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Mt. Saint Helens

Did you know that Mt. Saint Helens is a volcano in Washington State?
It's last eruptian was in 2004. Mt. Saint Helens caused many deaths and enormous
damages in Southwestern Washington after erupting in 1980. Mt. Saint Helens eruption
killed 57 people .

by: Jordan W. and Matt B.

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Crazy Horse

Crazy Horse is a monument in South Dakota. It was made in the honor of the Native American Crazy Horse. When finished it will be the largest sculpture ever made. It will be Crazy Horse on his horse pointing his finger in the distance. The creator of the sculpture, Crazy Horse, was sculpturer Korzack Ziolkowski. The Crazy Horse Monument was started in 1948. When it is finished it will be 641 feet wide and 563 feet high.

by
Jackson B.

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Mt. Rushmore

Mt.Rushmore is a mountain that has four presidents sculpted on it. They are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. Gutzon Borglum was the sculpter of Mt.Rushmore. He began drilling in 1927. He sculpted for 14 years but he died and his son took over, but never finished. Mt.Rushmore is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Mt.Rushmore is named after prominent New York lawyer Charles E. Rushmore.
by
Andrew F. and Braiden H.

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My Favorite

My favorite part of the trip was Harper's Ferry. The John Brown wax museum was great, he helped a lot of slaves, even though he was captured and killed, he died a good man. The food was yummy. The view of the river was beautiful. We took many pictures. I liked the building where you could listen to the voices. I learned a lot about the town's history. They had a hard time. The bookshop was great. There were a lot to choose from. I had a blast.

Kerri M.

Oct. 22, 2007

Today we went to the Jefferson Memorial, the Capitol, the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, and the White House. We ate lunch at the Dept. of Agr. We went to the Washington Monument, shopping and then caught a plane home.
Savannah G.

We saw the inside of the D.C. Capitol. We also saw the statue of Thomas Jefferson.
Madison C.


Got my girls up at 6:15 am We boarded the bus at 7:00 with our new bus driver, Wendy, for our final day. Our first stop in D.C. today was at the Thomas Jefferson Monument. I have always thought it to be one of the most beautiful monuments.
Our second stop was the capitol. There were lots of Police, Secret Service, helicopters and other security. We went through more security to get into the Capitol. The tour was of the rotundra, the old Congress Hall (where they have the statues now) and downstairs in the Hall of Presidents. The best part of the Capitol was when we got outside. The kids laid down in an AL and Mrs. Waters was the period.
Our third stop was a photo shoot of the White House.
Our fourth stop was at the Vietnam Memorial. The children completed their rubbing of Mr. Robert H. Littlefield. He was a soldier from Alabama who lost his life in Vietnam. The students had researched him and contacted his widow. They did a rubbing to send to her also. We returned to the bus, drove by the "big white pointy thing" and ate lunch at the Dept. of Agricultural. It was nice, at least it wasn't McDonalds.
Our 6th stop was walking to the Washington Monument for a tour. We found out all about the "Big, White, Pointy Thing."
It was back on the bus and off to the airport. We are all tired, ready to be in our own beds, seen lots and lots of neat things, and really will miss the "Big, White, Pointy Thing."
Margorie G.

Oct. 21, 2007

Our day started off early again, but we got a lot done. We started off at the White House gift shop, from there we went to Arlington. It is so beautiful and so surreal at the same time. We saw the changing of the guards. We also went to the World War II Memorial and Iwo Jima Memorial. We had lunch in D.C. and again we ate at McDonalds. We are not eating at McDonalds for a month when we return home. In the afternoon we visited Mt. Vernon. It was overwhelming how beautiful it was. The adults were getting a little loopy by the afternoon but we were really having a great time. The kids of course are having a blast. We came back in D.C. for dinner. After dinner we went back to Alexandria for our ghost stories tour. Dalton will be writing about the ghost stories since I think that was his favorite part of the day.
Angie H.

We went on a ghost tour and it was funny when Madison K. screamed.
yours truly Dalton H.

Oct. 20, 2007

It's really mind boggling to think of all we did today from the Gettysburg Battle grounds to the Smithsonian Museums to the Memorials dedicated to Vietnam Veterans, Korean Veterans and our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. And I failed to include the Einstein Memorial.
The magnitude of Gettysburg Battle Grounds blew me away as we seemed to pass a monument every 1/2 mile. We learned that over 50,00 soldiers were killed during the three day battle and those losing their life during those 3 days ranged in age from 7 to 88. The guide did have quite a sense of humor and was quite knowledgeable of the battle. Back at the Smithsonian's, the Natural History Museum had quite a mammal exhibit and the dinosaur exhibit wasn't half bad either. We managed to sneed a peek at the Hope Diamond but Paul was rather disappointed that the insect exhibit was not open. We slipped into the National Museum of Art for a few minutes and that was interesting as there were quite a variety of pieces. A bus delay provided an opportunity to walk to Union Station and get our first close encounter with the Capitol. The sun was setting behind the Washington Memorial providing yet more photo ops. The Vietnam and Korean memorial were very moving as we thought about the sacrifice those young men made so we can continue to enjoy our freedoms we sometimes take for granted. The Lincoln Memorial is one that we are all familiar with but as they say "pictures don't do it justice."
Jonathan K. Uncle Jon to Paul

Oct. 20, 207

Today we woke up at 6:00 am and left for Gettysburg, Penn. at about 7:00. When we arrived at Gettysburg we walked through the National Cemetery and regrouped at the Visitor's Center. There was an awesome exhibit on firearms and clothing of the Civil War. After we left the visitor's center we went on a driving tour of the battlefield. The guide was extremely funny and accurate. When we left Gettysburg we heade on to the National Archives. We saw the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. After that we moved on the to Museum of Natural History. We walked around 1 mile and met the bus very close to Union Station where we ate. Then we left and took a night tour of the Vietnam Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and Korean War Memorial.
Paul B.

Oct. 19, 2007

We went to IHOP and ate breakfast, then we went to Harper's Ferry to see where three different states come together. We were able to walk from Virginia to West Virginia and to Maryland in about 10 minutes. We walked through the town and saw many different museums. The place was awesome. The part that sticks out in my mind is how John Brown had so much compassion and fought to free slaves. We moved on from there to see the Antietam Battlefield. We climbed a 72 step tower and then we went to see Burnside Bridge. We ate dinner at Gina's place then we headed to the hotel.
Madison K. and Madasyn G

It is really nice to learn history. It has been a great experience to put it all together again. To see the battlefields and to visualize how the battles took place. Can't wait to see how the rest of this experience unfolds.
Jane G.

Oct. 18, 2007

It all started when we were at the airport, 5:00 am. They wanted to split us up into 2 groups. That was not a good idea. So we decided to be an hour late into D.C. We started from B'ham, AL, then to Charlotte, N.C. Then we were on to D.C. When we were on the first one, we were on a puddle jumper, then the 2nd ride we rode on a nice, cozy palne. When we landed it was about lunch time. We all went to McDonald's. After we got done we went on to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. My mom, Madison K. and I went through almost all the different departments. Then we went to the Civil War Battlefield of Bull Run in Manassas. We took all kinds of pictures.
Madisyn R.


Hmmm....Where do I begin? I awoke at 4:00am packed and ready to go, only I didn't get very far upon arriving at the airport. Yikes! Our flight was DELAYED!!! ARGH!!! Luckily Mrs. H2os cam to the rescue and we only fell 1 hour behind. (whew!) Anyhoo, after several more "waiting periods" between flight changes and bus loading and unloading, we finally got to the Smithsonian. The exhibits were awesome. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I ould be that close to Archie Bunker's chair!!! Now all I can think about is what to see there when we return.
Terry C.