Athens and Sparta

Athens and Sparta, in ancient Greece, had many differences and a few similarities. The education of children in these two city-states was very different from one another. However, the food that the ancient Greeks ate was pretty uniform throughout the country.  The government styles between Athens and Sparta varied greatly from each other.  Even though, these two city-states were in the same country, they were very different.

Education in Athens was primarily for the boys. At the age of six the boys started school. They studied math, writing, reading, music and spent a good portion of the day in the gymnasium learning sports.  The boys studied epic poems by Homer and learned to dance.  The arts were very important to the Athenians. The continued in this schooling until the age of sixteen. From the age of sixteen to twenty they attended a government sponsored gymnasium.

In Sparta, the boys were taken from their homes at the age of seven. They lived cruel lives in barracks. The boys were not allowed to go home. The boys were fed little and encouraged to steal food, cheat and lie.  Their education was to be trained as a soldier. The Spartans wanted to have war-like citizens, who were tough and cunning.

The people of Athens and Sparta ate similar foods.  Common foods for this time were, bread, olives, figs, cheese, fruit, vegetables, wheat, barley, cakes and porridge and dried fish. Beef was rarely eaten because it was expensive.

Athens became the most successful democracy in ancient Greece. Every male Athenian had the right to vote. The voters also elected Athenian generals.

Sparta was the most powerful oligarchy of ancient Greece. Most people were serfs who farmed. Citizens only made up ten percent of the population. Two kings headed the army of the Spartans.

Although, Athens and Sparta were both city-states in Greece they were very different from each other.  Their differences were so great that they did not get along. Those who lived in Athens thought their way of life was superior to the Spartans and the Spartans felt the same about Athens.  Their varied ways of life caused strife between the two cities.

My Stream

The ground slopes to the waters edge. There the water is contained in a small pond, which flows over the dam made of swamp grass, sticks, rocks and mud. The water continues to flow between banks covered with wildflowers, on it’s never ending journey across the road. There it collects in a swamp full of life.

I Am

 

I am a boy who loves God.

I wonder how long before Jesus comes.

I will hear trumpets sound, here He comes.

I see a bright cloud, here He comes.

I want to see Jesus.

I am a boy who loves God.

I pretend to play the Civil War.

I feel like I’m really there.

I touch the cold metal of my gun.

I worry about all the men that died.

I’m sad that all weren’t Christians.

I’m a boy who loves God.

I understand God is always there.

I say God is the only One.

I dream about Heaven.

I try to understand God.

I hope Jesus will come soon.

I am a boy who loves God.

Hunting Season in 2009

The hunting this year hasn't gone well at all. My grandpa got a four point, my uncle Matt shot a doe but we couldn't find it, my other grandpa got a six point, my dad got two does and a three point, and my friend got a huge doe. I haven't got one yet. But I'm still working on it. I saw a eight point, three does, and a big ten point opening morning of shotgun season. My dad also missed two eight points, but it happen to all of the best hunters once in a while. My dad's friend shot a wild sow in his woods. It weighed 400 pounds! The hide itself of the wild sow weighed 100 pounds.

                                                 

This is the three point my dad got.

This is where we process our deer.

 

This is where we looked for my uncle Matt's deer. This is the neighbors. I wish this was ours too. Hunting is really fun and you get to listen to all the sounds in the woods and you get to see lots of different animals, especially squirrels.

 

Now I thought this was pretty funny!

The Homeschool Advantage

Homeschooling has advantages as well as public schools, but in homeschooling there are many more. In homeschooling you can ask questions whenever you need help.  If I have a question or am struggling with a problem, I only have to ask my mom for help and we go over it right away.  I don't have to wait till after the class is over or meet the teacher the next morning or e-mail my teacher if I have a question. In homeschooling you can ask whenever you need help and get it quickly. Another advantage to homeschooling is that you can have  lessons on the Bible, but in public schools there aren't any Bible lessons. The Bible is a good way to find help when you are having a hard day of school. It teaches you about God and His words for our lives. In public schools you are around bad influences all the time, such as smoking, drugs, and bad language. In homeschooling  your around your brothers, sisters and parents and are not so likely to be tempted to do things of the world.  That's why I feel homeschooling is an advantage.

Russia and Iraq

Did you know Russia has gold and silver among its natural resources, and Iraq has oil, natural gas and salt? Russia and Iraq may sit upon the same continent but, when comparing the inventions, natural resources, and the economy of these two countries, many differences and a few similarities can be found.

In the area of natural resources Russia and Iraq are very different. The only similarity these two countries have in the area of natural resources in natural gas.

Iraq has many natural resources. One is oil. Oil has played a vital role in Iraq since the 1950's. Oil is the most used natural resource in Iraq. Most of Iraq’s oil is found in the south near Kuwait. And in the north by Kirkuk. Other natural resources are petroleum, natural gas, salt, and gypsum.

Russia’s natural resources are gold, silver, nickel, copper, natural gas and diamonds. Amber comes from the sap of  conifer trees. Amber is used for trading, jewelry, and people polish it and keep it. Diamonds are found in a town called Mirny. The town has 40,000 people who all are in the mining business.  Russia has a lot of fossil fuels.  They are coal, oil, peat and natural gas.  Fur trapping is still done. Fishing for Sturgeon is common.  Russia’s long rivers generate over 10% of the world’s hydroelectric power. 

The inventions of Russia and Iraq show even more difference between these two countries.  Russia’s inventions were scientific while Iraq’s inventions were used for everyday living and education.

The Russians invented the radio, the hot air balloon, and the rocket, Sputnik I.  Sputnik I was built by Sergi Korolev and Valentin Glushko in 1957. Sputnik I  was the first artificial satellite. It made one full orbit around the earth. The radio and antennae was built by Alexander Popov in 1895. He made a radio that could send a message. This invention greatly improved ship to shore communications. The hot air balloon was invented by Dmitry Mendeleyev in 1887. He used the hot air balloon to get closer to a solar eclipse so he could get pictures of the it.

The Sumerians ( ancient people of Iraq ) invented the wheel, writing, counting, the calender, the plow and the planter. These were invented some time between 3500 to 3000 B.C.. Oxen were used to pull the planter and the plow. They used a funnel for the seeds to go down into the soil. The first wheels were solid and were made out of clay. Writing on clay tablets was how they use to write, they used reeds to write the tablets. Writing on clay tablets was hard, because they couldn’t make curved lines. They solved the problem by using a system of straight lines called cuneiform writing. 

When comparing Russia’s and Iraq’s economy a similarity surfaces.  Both of these countries struggle with financial difficulties.

Before 1991, during the reign of the Soviet Union, the government owned all the farms, factories, and private business were illegal. In 1991 the Soviet union fell apart, and so did the Russian government . One of the worst things that happened was the shortage of so many goods. To stop this problem the Russian government removed all Soviet Union controls from the country. These changes brought goods back to the shops. But the prices went up. The government tried to get inflation and the budget under control. In 1998 the country had a major money crisis. The government started more a cautious economic policy.

The export of oil in Iraq has played a vital role since 1950's. However, Iraq has tried to overcome being dependent on the exportation of oil by adding to the industrial sector. During the 1970's, Iraq’s economy prospered.. But the war with Iran in the 1980's, the Persian Gulf war of 1991 and the Iraq war of 2003, greatly damaged the government. In addition the UN Trade Embargo imposed in August 1990 halted all oil exports from Iraq. As of July 2009, Iraq’s oil exports have reached 2.1 million barrels per day, the Finance Minister said this would put Iraq on track for the largest month since the 2003 U.S. led invasion.

Russia and Iraq have many differences when comparing natural resources and inventions. They do share the common natural resource of natural gas, but all other resources between the two countries are different. The inventions created by the Russians where scientific, while the inventions of Iraq were used in education and everyday uses. Therefore there are no similarities between these two countries when comparing their inventions. They have some similarities in their economies. The economies of these two countries are similar in that they are both struggling with financial issues. Both governments are working to become more stable financially, but those who live in these countries have had to deal with poverty and lack of substantial goods.  So, as shown in this report, although Russia and Iraq are on the same continent, these two countries are very different.

 

Works Cited

Gall Le, Michel, Iraq, The World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia,Version 8.0.1 Development World Book, Inc., 2008

Murrel, Kathleen, Russia, Singapore:

Foster, Leila, Iraq,  New York: Children Press, 1998.

 

 

 

Personification Poem

Amusement

Is tall with skinny legs
His brown curly hair looks like wheat noodles
His blues eyes shine like the stars
Always happy he walks through the trees laughing, giggling and smiling
I was entertained