Answers: You Shall Not Pass! Or, Will You? But How?

Last week Ms. Hoffman asked you to come up with a solution about how two trains should pass each other! Did you find it?

Here is what they really do in Battambang, Cambodia!

They have a quick way to take the trains apart and take them off the tracks. The train that has the most people or things on it gets the right of way, and the other one must get off the track and wait!

Pretty clever huh?

Answer: Clean Water and Traveling Around the World

Last week, Ms. Hoffman asked you for help in figuring out how to find clean drinking water without having to contribute to pollution with a lot of plastic water bottles. Did you come up with any ideas?

Luckily, Ms. Hoffman has found a good answer that works well for her while she is traveling. She uses a tool called a Steripen.



This tool uses something called ultraviolet, or UV, light to sterilize water. Have you heard of ultraviolet light before? The sun gives off UV light and it can sometimes be bad - it is what causes you to get a sunburn. But, it also can kill off bacteria and viruses. The bacteria and viruses are the things that can make you sick!

This has been a great tool for Ms. Hoffman.

Answers: How Much Does it Cost in Singapore?

Ms. Hoffman asked you to convert 4 Singapore Dollars to US dollars?  Did you find the answer??

1 Singapore dollar = 0.74 US dollars

4 Singapore dollars  = 4 x 0.74 dollars = $2.96

Answers: Safari in Singapore

Ms. Hoffman asked you what nocturnal meant and she gave you a picture for a clue. Did you figure it out??

Nocturnal means that an animal stays awake at night and sleeps during the day!

The special safari in Singapore was at night! It was exciting for Ms. Hoffman to see a lot of animals that are normally only awake at night! Here are a few more animals she saw.

Porcupine

Otters

Hyena

Bat

Crocodile

Answers: How Much Does it Cost in Myanmar?

Ms. Hoffman asked you to convert 2500 Myanmar kyat to US dollars. Did you get the answer?

Myanmar Kyat

1000 kyat = $1.00

2500/1000 = 2 and 500/1000 or 2.5.

It costs $2.50!

Answers: Have you heard of the Marathon?

Last week, Ms. Hoffman asked you if you had ever heard of a marathon? She also wondered if you could figure out why it was 26.2 miles?

Did you find the answer?

Ms. Hoffman found the answer here in Greece! It turns out that in 490 B.C. the Persians attacked Greece in a place called Marathon. It is just north of Athens. It is said that the Greeks won after a difficult and harrowing battle. They sent a runner back to Athens (26.2 miles!!) to share the news!

Read more about the battle here using some historical sources!

Just for fun: Here is a picture of Mr. Jean with Miltiades' helmet!

What do you know about Olives and Olive Oil? (Part 2)

Last week, Ms. Hoffman asked you all to think about olives and what people might do with them. Did you come up with some ideas?

Ms. Hoffman visited a museum in Sparta, Greece to learn more about these amazing fruits!

People have been using olives for around 3000 years. The Ancient Greeks were using them in 500 B.C. and even earlier. But what did they use them for?? 

The olive was an amazing plant that had many uses back then and today. Here is a chart that was at the museum which describes some of the uses of olives.

As you can see, they used every part of the olive tree! They used the wood to build things and to burn for heat. They used the fruit to eat and to create olive oil. We use olive oil for eating today and they did then as well, but they also used it for other things. They used it to fuel their lights and they used it for perfume. Athletes wore it to protect their skin. They used the pit of the olive to burn, to make different kinds of oil, and even to make soap! They used the leaves to feed their animals.

Can you think of another culture that makes sure to use every part of an animal or plant to live? Give some other examples!

Answers: Using Estimation to Make Math Easier!

Yesterday, Ms. Hoffman asked for your help. She thought maybe she could use estimation to make converting from Turkish Lira to US Dollars easier.

Did you think of a good way?

Here is one way:
Ms. Hoffman knows that 0.45 is close to 0.50. (Just like 45 is close to 50 when you round to the nearest 10)
$0.50 is half of $1.00.
If 1 Turkish Lira is about half of $1.00 then about 2 Turkish Lira equal $1.00. Make sense?

Now it is easy! All you have to do is divide how many Turkish Lira you have by 2 to get the number of US dollars.

Let's try a problem now!

Ms. Hoffman bought a special Turkish towel. It cost 10 TL. How many dollars was it?

10 divided by 2 = 5! The towel is about 5 dollars. Remember, it is not EXACTLY 5 dollars, because we are estimating, but it is close!

Communism vs. Capitalism Part II

Last week, Ms. Hoffman asked you to think about some questions related to what life is like in the USA which has a mostly Capitalist Economy.

Today we will look at what the answers to those questions would be if you lived in a Communist Economy.

*Note for Teachers: This information comes from the information and stories I've heard in the former communist countries of the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Albania. The Communism in the former Yugoslav countries I visited of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina, and Montenegro was considerably less strict. Also keep in mind that there are currently only 5 communist countries in the world: China, Vietnam, Laos, Cuba, and North Korea. The Communism described below would only come close to describing what life is like in North Korea and Cuba. Most economies today would be described as mixed, so I have tried to describe some of the more pure examples.

	Capitalism in the USA	Communism in Late 1900s in Eastern Europe
Can you own something? Like a car or house?	Yes, you can own something as long as you have enough money to buy it. The government protects your right to own something.	In many communist countries, you cannot own something for yourself. Everything belongs to the government. You can live in an apartment, but it is not yours. You might be able to use a car, but it is not yours to buy or sell.
How do you earn money?	You earn money for providing goods or services for people. You earn money for your job from the person, people, or company that you work for.	You work for the government. The government will provide you with money or the goods and services you need to live.
Who decides what you do with your money?	You decide what you do with your money.	The government decides what goods and service you can buy with your money. It tells you how much you can buy and where to buy it.
Who decides how much things at the store cost?	The people/person/company who owns the store decides how much things cost. They set the prices based on how much they think they can sell at each price.	The government decides how much things at the store will cost. It will cost the same at every store that you are allowed to go to.
Can you change jobs when you want to?	Most of the time you can. It is your choice where you want to work. The owners of each company can choose when/if they want to hire you based on your skills, knowledge, and education.	Not often. You don’t have a lot of choice about where you work. The government will choose where they need you to work. They will likely decide the level of your job based on your loyalty to the communist government.
Can you move to another city or state if you want to?	You can always choose to move, as long as you have the money that you need to do so.	Not often. The government will decide when or if it will allow people to move.
Can you travel to another country?	Yes. If you have money and a passport.	Sometimes, but it is difficult to get permission from the government to leave your country.
When you go to the doctor, who pays for it?	You do. Sometimes you pay a health insurance company to help you pay for the doctor.	The government pays for it. You can go to the doctor for free.
Does everyone have to have a job?	No. Everyone does not have to have a job. Many people have jobs but some people want a job but have a hard time finding one.	Yes. Everyone must have a job. The government will help you find one.
Is everyone equal?	People are supposed to have equal rights. Some people have more money than others.	Everyone is supposed to be equal- everyone has the same amount of money. In many of the countries Ms. Hoffman visited, there were still people in the government who had more power and more money than others.

After learning more about the difference between Communism and Capitalism, do you have an opinion on which you would rather live under? Why do you think that most countries are no longer Communist?

Communist Images in the Czech Republic. The goal is to glorify the common worker!

Communist Imagery in Tirana, Albania

Answers: How Much Does it Cost in Turkey?

Ms. Hoffman wanted to figure out how much her new scarf costs in dollars. The scarf was 15 TL.

Did you figure out how to find the answer?

Here is one way: 15 x 0.45 = $6.75

Answers: How Long did she Wait??

Yesterday, Ms. Hoffman asked how long she had to wait for the bus in the bus stations. The first thing you need to do is figure out when she was waiting for the bus!

She left Olympia at 9:30 am. 
She arrived in a town called Pirgos at 10:43 am.
She stayed in the bus station at Pirgos till her bus to Tripoli at 3:30 pm.
She arrived in Tripoli at 6:10 pm.
She stayed in the bus station at Tripoli until her bus to Sparta at 6:55 pm.
She arrived (finally!) in Sparta at 8:05 pm.

She was waiting at the Pirgos bus station from 10:43 am to 3:30 pm.

She was waiting at the Tripoli bus station from 6:10 pm to 6:55 pm.

No figure out how much time that was all together!

She waited 5 hrs and 32 min!

Answers: How Much Time on a Bus?

Ms. Hoffman asked how much time she was on a bus. The first thing you have to do is figure out when she was on the bus.

She left Olympia at 9:30 am. 
She arrived in a town called Pirgos at 10:43 am.
She stayed in the bus station at Pirgos till her bus to Tripoli at 3:30 pm.
She arrived in Tripoli at 6:10 pm.
She stayed in the bus station at Tripoli until her bus to Sparta at 6:55 pm.
She arrived (finally!) in Sparta at 8:05 pm.

She was on the bus from 9:30 am to 10:43 am when she traveled from Olympia to Pirgos.

Then she was on the bus from 3:30 pm to 6:10 pm when she traveled from Pirgos to Tripoli.

Finally she was on the bus from 6:55 pm to 8:05 pm when she traveled from Tripoli to Sparta.

Let's figure out how much each of those were, and then how much it was in all!
1 hr 13 min + 2 hrs 40 min + 1 hr 10 min = 4 hrs 63 min
But wait! If you have 63 min, is that more than 1 hour?? Yes! How many minutes in 1 hour? 60, right?
63 min - 60 min (1 hr) = 3 min.

The answer is 5 hours and 3 min!

Answers: Why Did They Build That City There?

Last week, Ms. Hoffman asked why certain cities were built in their locations. The answer she heard in the cities is that they were built along rivers. Every major city in Central Europe was built by a river. Why do you think it is important to be near a river?

If you said for water, you are right!

But what about for transportation and trade? Do you think those could be reasons too?

Ms. Hoffman has traveled to even more cities now, and she has found more that are near the ocean and rivers. Do you think this is important?? Is your city near a river or ocean? If not, why do you think they built your city where it is?

Here are maps of some other cities Ms. Hoffman visited:

Zagreb, Croatia


Dubrovnik, Croatia


Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Answers: How Much Does it Cost in Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Greece, and many more countries??

Ms. Hoffman wanted to know how many dollars were equal to 24 euros.

Here is one way to do it:
24 x 0.78 = $18.72

Can you explain how she found that answer??

Answers: How Far Is That?

Ms. Hoffman knows that 1 km = 0.6 mi.

There are several ways to do this problem. Ms. Hoffman did it like this.

Can you think of any other way?

Answers: How Much Does it Cost in Poland?

Ms. Hoffman's meal cost 18 zlotys. She knows there are about 3 zlotys in 1 dollar.

She did 18 divided by 3 = 6.

Her meal cost about $6!

Answers: Why is there a city called Cape Town?

The trip to Indonesia from Amsterdam was a very long one by ship. Sometimes it would take a year to travel! Can you imagine being in a small ship for a year?? People would get tired and sick. There was no such thing as a refrigerator back then, so it was hard to keep good food on the ship for a whole year as well. They would start to run out of food! The ships would sometimes begin to wear and things would break. The Dutch needed a place like Cape Town right in the middle of the journey. That way the people on the ships to get on land, eat good food, and get better if they were sick. The ships could also pick up more fresh food to take on their way. People could also fix the parts of the ships that were broken.

That is why there is a city called Cape Town!

Answers: How Tall is That??

Ms. Hoffman knows that there are about 3 feet in ever meter.

So she multiplied, 19 m times 3 = 57. The altar is about 57 ft high! That is very high!

What is a Castle? (Part 2)

Check out some pictures of castles that Ms. Hoffman has seen on her trip. Do they look like what you drew?

What is the same about all of them? What is different between them?

Did you notice that many of the castles are on a hill? Why do you think that is?

Did you notice that the castles had big walls around them? Why?

Did you notice that many of the castles had water (a moat) around them? Why do you think that is?

Did you see that one of the castles had bears in the moat? Why?

Castle in Cape Town, South Africa - Castle of Good Hope

Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic

Cesky Krumlov Castle in Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic