Completed Projects

We have had so much fun working on our final projects for our Learning Circle this year.  The Places and Perspectives Projects opened our eyes to the really amazing, and strange, sites around the world.  I didn't know much about Moldova before this project, and now it is high on my list of places to visit.  We would like you to view our final projects, so please click here to see what we worked on.

In order to view the crazy pictures project from our friends in Moldova, please click here.

In order to see some sites from a national park in Tennessee, please click here.

We hope you enjoy viewing these pages.  We had fun compiling them.    

Busy, busy, busy

All of the schools have been busy working on their sponsored project for Places and Perspectives.  We have been not only work on on our two projects, but have been compiling information for our partner schools.  We have also been receiving input from them on our projects.  Here are some links to a few of the projects we received from Scott Tuffiash and his classes at Avonworth High School in Pennsylvania.

Kennywood and Mt. Washington Lookout

Pittsburgh Culture Presentation

Famous Restaurants and People

Culture Everywhere Around You

Here is the other project we received from Moldova.

IEARN Learning Circles Project Idea #1

Learning Circle Group: Places and Perspectives

Sponsoring Teacher   :  Taran Gheorghe

Sponsor School: Access Program

City: Causeni, Causeni

Country: Republic of Moldova

Name of Project:  Culture Everywhere Around You

Goal of the Project:

Moldova is full of different customs. Unique, interesting, funny and sometimes strange, but they make our daily life, that’s why we want to propose you to experience a new lifestyle via offering worthy information to those who want to learn more stuff about people living far away. There are some things you are really used to, but sometimes it is weird for the others.

Type of Writing Requested:

We would like to collect Microsoft Word files, (.doc), and/or .jpeg images. 

Description of What You Are Looking For From Other Schools:

We would want to get some information and photos about:

Ø  Traditional Costumes / Dresses, if any.

Ø  Specific Food from your region / state

Ø  Traditional Dances

Ø  National Holidays / Celebrations (may be something organized in your town/ state as a festival…)

Ø  Family Holidays / Ceremonies (here I mean Weddings or whatever may be organized in a different way from those living in other countries / regions)

Ø  ***  If you don’t have some original costumes / food / dances…  you can talk about things the local people like and enjoy (for example:  Jazz Music) ***

Detailed Instructions For Collecting Information:

Please e-mail me, tarangheorghe98@gmail.com or tarangheorghe98@mail.ru , with your information and photographs.

Ideal Number of Submissions from Each School:

We would like at least one submission from each school, but two would be perfect.

Preferred Length of Articles:

We would prefer at least two paragraphs and at least one photo for each point mentioned above. So, we wait for 5-8 articles.

Deadline for Receiving Information:

We would like to receive this information by December 1^st. 

               Thank you for your time and implication J

Crazy Pictures-Strange Places

Here is a project idea we received from Moldova.

IEARN Learning Circles Project Idea #2

Learning Circle Group:  Places and Perspectives

Sponsoring Teacher   :  Taran Gheorghe

Sponsor School: Access Program

City: Causeni,  Causeni

Country: Republic of Moldova

Name of Project:  Crazy Pictures – Strange Places

Goal of the Project:

We thought that it would be nice to have some extra stuff connected with our lifestyles . We want to propose you a really different project. The idea is to create a blog that would be funny and full of  data about your culture. It doesn’t have to look smart or serious.

Type of Writing Requested:

We would like to collect Microsoft Word files, (.doc), and/or .jpeg images. (all kinds of pictures, no matter the quality)  Please, every picture to be followed by a short description.

Description of What You Are Looking For From Other Schools:

So, we would like to get photos taken by your students (their face must appear in this picture) in some weird / strange / wild / unexpected / even stupid places that are specific for your community. Just think about the stuff others don’t have or the actions they may not make or hobbies or whatever. It is going to be an excellent blog if your students will not be embarrassed to take pictures that they wouldn’t post on their Facebook page J

Detailed Instructions For Collecting Information:

Please e-mail me, tarangheorghe98@gmail.com or tarangheorghe98@mail.ru  , with your information. You don’t have to send them all the files  in the same day or to be sent by the same person.

Ideal Number of Submissions from Each School:

We would like to get  at least 10 different pictures from each school. Perfectly  - 20.   ( In Causeni we want to make at least one picture for each participant, so we will have more than 20 submissions )

Preferred Length of Articles:

1-3 sentences to comment each picture + The Most Original pictures.

Deadline for Receiving Information:

We would like to receive this information by December 1^st. 

We thank you for your time and implication. We understand that it will be hard, but the result will be awesome.    J J J

The Stories You Love-Where are they from?

We have started getting project ideas from our partner schools.  Here is one idea we received from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Hello everyone - my students are studying American Literature, Rhetoric and Storytelling with me, so the project idea is to share the titles and characters with you from the stories they love the most. 

What our class would like to find out is what stories do you love? Are they movies, tv shows, novels, family stories, stories you wrote or from some other source? Please share the following:

1) the name of the story,

2) a character from that story that engages you,

3) an adjective to describe them, 

4) a picture of you where you usually watch, reading, tell, or enjoy this story and other stories.

Project Idea: Historical Perspectives and Travel Guides

Learning Circle Group: Places and Perspectives

Sponsoring Teacher   :  Ashley Rubolotta

Sponsor School: Craig High School

City: Boonton, NJ

Country: United States of America

Name of Project:  Historical Perspectives and Travel Guides

Goal of the Project:

New Jersey is a fascinating place to visit.  We, as a state, are also celebrating our 350 anniversary this year.  There are many historical sites to visit and other entertainment options throughout the state.  We would like to share these with you in the form of a travel brochure.  We are also interested in learning about the historical significance of your area and what locations are “must sees.”  We would like to complete a two-day travel itinerary for each location.

Type of Writing Requested:

We would like to collect Microsoft Word files, (.doc), and/or .jpeg images.  PowerPoint presentations (.ppt) would also be acceptable. 

Description of What You Are Looking For From Other Schools:

An example of a “must see” from your area might look like this.

Morristown, NJ is rich with history.  During the Revolutionary War, General George Washington, (also our country’s first president), used Morristown as his headquarters during two different winter encampments.  Also, Morristown is home to Speedwell Village.  This old ironworks has been restored to mimic what life was like in the 19^th century.  This village has the honor of being the first location to publicly demonstrate the telegraph in January 11, 1838, and it also provided the engine for the SS Savannah, the first steam ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean.  While enjoying the history of Morristown, please take in some local culture and cuisine.  The Mayo Performing Arts Center hosts fabulous shows and concerts.  If you prefer to spend time outside, The Frelinghuysen Arboretum is a beautiful 127-acre preserve housing formal gardens ready for you to stroll.  For a relaxed meal with family and friends, visit The Brick Oven or Millie’s Old World Pizza and Meatballs.  Both restaurants serve delicious pizza and offer outdoor seating.  If you would like something more formal, Roots Steakhouse offers not only steak, but seafood and amazing desserts.  You have to try the caramel brownie; it is fantastic! If you are in New Jersey, Morristown in a must see!

 Washington’s Headquarters (image from blog.nj.com)

Esty House in Speedwell Village (image from isabelsphotos.com)

  Dinner and dessert at Roots Steakhouse (images from tripadvisor.com and yelp.com)

 A fountain at Frelinghuysen (image from groundswelldesigngroup.com) 

Questions and/or story prompts:

For our project, we would like to collect historical information and attractions in your area.  Please consider the following questions when collecting your information.

• Where would you like to take someone who only has two days in your area?
• Would this person have to understand anything about your culture or your area to understand this destination? 
• What local restaurant or local food should they try?
• Is there an historical event that influenced the development of your region?  If so, are there surviving landmarks from this event?
• Are there famous people from your area with a museum or monument dedicated to them?

Detailed Instructions For Collecting Information:

Please e-mail me, astrogrrl138@yahoo.com , with your information. 

Ideal Number of Submissions from Each School:

We would like at least one historical place, one local restaurant or food, and one area of entertainment from each school.  More than one submission would be great!

Preferred Length of Articles:

We would prefer at least one paragraph about your historical sites, one paragraph about attractions in your area, and one paragraph about the food from your region.   A picture of each location and food item would be fantastic.

Deadline for Receiving Information:

We would like to receive this information by December 1^st.  

Project Idea: Local and Urban Legends

Learning Circle Group: Places and Perspectives

Sponsoring Teacher   :  Ashley Rubolotta

Sponsor School: Craig High School

City: Boonton, NJ

Country: United States of America

Name of Project:  Local and Urban Legends

Goal of the Project:

New Jersey is filled with strange local stories and legends, so we would like to share our stories with you and learn about local legends from your area.  We hope to see how local landforms, historical figures, and regional cultures influence stories from that area.

Type of Writing Requested:

We would like to collect Microsoft Word files, (.doc), and/or .jpeg images.  PowerPoint presentations (.ppt) would also be acceptable. 

Description of What You Are Looking For From Other Schools:

An example of a local legend from your area might look like this.

It’s amazing that a patch of woods and a few piles of rocks right off of Route 23 in West Milford, NJ could be the source of so many rumors and tall tales.  Where else can you find a place where Satan worshippers hide behind every tree, sacrificed goats and chickens litter the woods like leftover barbecue, and black trucks driven by escaped lunatics chase innocent teenagers over dark, pothole-ridden roads?  Where else have so many people reported the eerie sensation of being watched by something in the woods, strange lights beating white streaks on their cars, or hearing disembodied childish laughter emanate from a remote playground?  Where else do ghostly boys with quarters, and snakes alternately appear on the streets?  And has it always had such a bad reputation?

Rumors of bad vibes have been floating in the area since it was first settled.  In 1905, J. Percy Crayon wrote about the woods just beyond the Clinton Furnace: “It was never advisable to pass through the “five mile woods” after dark, for…tradition tells us they were infested with bands of robbers, and counterfeiters, to say nothing of the witches that held their nightly dances and carousels at Green Island, and the ghosts that then made their appearance in such frightful forms, that it was more terrifying to the peaceful inhabitants than wild animals or even the Indians, that often passed.”

Once upon a time there was an actual castle in the woods off of Clinton Road.  Most who remember it liken the edifice to something out of a fairy tale or Gothic English novel, rising from the mist.  Clinton, or Cross Castle is how most locals remember it, named for the man who had it built – Richard J. Cross, but Cross himself and his family called the place Bearfort, after the mountain range it was nestled in.  In 1905 Cross bought heavily forested land around Newfoundland, NJ, and began construction of the castle-like mansion.  Its walls, which have intrigued so many people over the years, were 3-stories high.  You can see remnants of the concrete today.

(Image of Cross Castle Walls as it once looked)

Cross died in 1917, and the family sold the property to the City of Newark in 1919.  A fire eventually destroyed much of the remaining wooden structure, leaving the stone walls intact as a place where hikers, teenagers, and the occasional Satan worshippers could congregate.  Those walls, eventually painted over with graffiti and picked apart for souvenirs, were knocked down in 1988 when the Newark Watershed Commission deemed the structure unsound. –Joanne Austin 

originally posted on http://weirdnj.com/stories/clinton-road/

 Questions and/or story prompts:

For our project, we would like to collect local legends from your area.  If you have a strange or unique story about your area or surrounding towns or villages, we would love to hear it.  Please be as detailed as possible with town names and people involved in the story, if any.  Please also send us a picture to accompany your story.

In addition, older members of your community may be valuable resources for you to collect stories.  You can interview an older family member or friend and ask the following questions.

1. What was the community like in the past? 
2. Who lived here and why did they settle in this area? 
3. Did they bring any local customs or beliefs to this area that are prevalent today?
4. Are there any local legends that give an historical view of the surroundings?
5. What was life like before the modern buildings and technology?

Detailed Instructions For Collecting Information:

Please either e-mail me, astrogrrl138@yahoo.com , with your story or complete this survey.  You can click the link or copy and paste it into your web browser.  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1J-VCnwkDrT2jYNusFDvu3aKxcR2_kbVv6r-Avo4HbxY/viewform?c=0&w=1

Ideal Number of Submissions from Each School:

We would like at least one submission from each school, but three would be ideal.  If you would like to send more than three stories, we would love to hear them!

Preferred Length of Articles:

We would prefer at least two paragraphs about your legend or local story.  We would like to gather main story elements as well, so characters, (if any), and origins of your legend or story are appreciated.  Plot points or conflicts would be appreciated as well.  A picture of the location or the person would be fantastic.

Deadline for Receiving Information:

We would like to receive this information by December 1^st.