Final Reflection:Austria

1. How did Google Earth, Google Maps, and Blogger help you learn about your country? I think using these specific applications are a mandatory resource. It is important that we can explore our country through our own eyes, looking at different landmarks and geographical information. Not a lot of websites show this kind of information. With this we can find certain locations.If we didn't have these applications, we probably wouldn't even know what our country looked like. Blogger, itself didn't really help me learn about my country. But it was useful to have a certain place to post information about it. This way people can have the chance to look at it.

2. How did you find information about your country using the Internet? What sites did you use to help you? Hannah and I found information about our country in many ways. One of the resources we had was my Mother.She has traveled to Austria before. She gave me some helpful information about different kinds of food and landmarks. We also used CIA.gov, the world fact book. This website lets you choose your country, and gives you a detailed overview about everything. We used this for economic research and geography. Something we also did was google search things. We used it when we needed to find a quick answer to a question, it was very useful.

3. Do you think your presentation inspired others to learn more about your country? And, why? Yes, I think people were inspired. We taught our audience a formal Austrian Dance. They had a lot of fun, and I could tell they would have liked to learn more. We also told them Austria is famous for their chocolate. That my friend, gets everyone excited.

4. How can you use the tools you learned in the future when planning a trip abroad? I can you use these tools in many ways. I could use them to find a nice hotel, give directions to certain landmarks, find landmarks, and good restaurants. I could even prepare a google earth tour showing travelers where they would be staying and what sites they would see.

5. What specifically helped you learn the most about your country? And, what was the most interesting thing you learned or gained from the experience? The most helpful resource to me was Google maps. It helped me look up certain landmarks and I could use street view to really see what it looked like. It was easy to explore Austria and its many beautiful scenery. I could look at restaurants and many hotels. The reason I wouldn't use Google Earth as much is because it is not as easy to use. I couldn't explore Austria as much as Google Maps. Sites were blurry, and flat. There weren't many pictures either. I didn't really get an " Austrian feel" with Google Earth. It was good to look up geographical information though, but not so much sites and landmarks. Something extremely interesting to me about Austria was the fact it is so beautiful. It has buildings with old architecture and details. There is lush green grass with views of the Alps behind it. There are monstrous castles, with room to explore. There are so many beautiful things in Austria, and I LOVE learning about this fantastic country!

I'll Miss You Miss.Randall!!

Austrian Food for holiday party!

I am making Austrian chocolate balls. They are filled with rich chocolate and are dipped in a chocolate glaze. It is a traditional Austrian dessert, considering they are known for their chocolate. Here is the recipe:
Austrian Chocolate Balls

2 ounces chocolate
1/3 cup butter
1 cup Sugar
1 Egg + 1 yolk
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1 1/3 cups Flour
1/2 cup Nuts -- finely chopped
1 ounce chocolate
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla
1 cup Confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Melt together chocolate and butter in medium saucepan. Remove from heat stir in sugar, egg and yolk and vanilla. Mix well, then stir in flour and nuts. Shape into 3/4 inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350ºF for 8-12 minutes. Melt 1 ounce chocolate and butter. Remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients. Blend well. Dip cookies into glaze to cover. Allow to dry completely before storing in tightly covered container with waxed paper between layers.

What I Learned about Austria

What type of biomes do you have? Temperate Deciduous Forest.

What types of food are in this country? Austrian Food: Bratwurst, Sausage.

What are some famous landmarks to visit in your country? Salzburg Museum. This museum displays information about the composer, Mozart. You can even visit his birth house. You can also visit the coffee shop he went to every morning.

What religions exist in your country? Catholic, Protestant, Lutheran.

What are some natural disasters your country is prone to? Avalanches and Landslides.

Who is a famous person from your country? Julie Andrews.

What natural resources are available in your country? Natural Gas, Oil, Metal.

What are your major exports that come from your country? Machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and part,paper and paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel,textiles, foodstuffs.

What type of currency do you have in your country? Euros.

What are your neighboring countries? Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary, Switzerland, Croatia.

What is the capital of your country? Vienna.

What is happening now in your country that is significant to the population? The stocks are going down and banks are in need of financial aid.

What is one native animal to your country? Black Bear.

What continent is your country in? Europe.

What is the most populous city in your country? Salzburg.

What is the main language spoken in your country? German.

Team Photo

Look at us!

Austria Presentation:Dance

Native Austrian Dance: Heel and Toe Polka
This is a Native Dance in Austria. It is one of the formal dances you are expected to learn in Austria. It is performed at many formal gatherings. It consists of different steps. Here they are:
Heel
Toe
Step, Step, Step
(Repeat four Times)
Girl: Take your left foot out
Boy: Takes right foot out
Skip and Switch
Here is an example on how to do it
Go to Songza.com and type in "Heel and Toe Polka"

Austria Site Map

View Larger Map

Letter to a Friend

Dear Wolfgang O.,

Hello, my name is Kylie Cherin. I live in San Diego, California. I go to a wonderful school called High Tech Middle Media Arts. I’m learning a lot there in the sixth grade. My school is different than other American schools. We believe in project-based learning. One of the projects I’m working on involves contacting someone from another country, that’s you.

I was born in San Diego and have lived here all my life. Your lifestyle might be very different from mine, but what I enjoy is acting, reading, writing, art, and playing with my dog, Audie. Your country intrigues me for many reasons. A few examples are, the beautiful scenery, old architecture, and rainy climate. It must be very fun to live there. I also am a chocolate lover and I know your country is famous for that.

Now I have a few questions for you.
What are some of the historical sights in
Austria?
Have you ever visited one of the castles?
What is your favorite Austrian food?
What is the most popular sport in Austria?
What are your hobbies?
How many kids are in your class and how long is your school day?
· What kind of subjects do school children learn?

Thank you for reading my letter. I hope that we can contact each other and learn about our cultures. I am excited to hear back!

Sincerely,
Kylie Cherin

Breaking News:Austria

UniCredit's Bank Austria May Seek State Money

Austria's Bank UniCredit seems to be having financial problems and are seeking 2.6 billion dollars from Vienna tax payers.
They are still yet to figure out if the Government will make the loan and if they do how the loan will be repaid.Analysts think the Bank is getting too good of a deal based on the proposals being discussed. If this deal is approved they assume other Austrian banks will mimic their moves. Current proposals have the bank paying the loan with eight percent interest. UniCredit needs money and may get a good deal, but potentially at the expense of tax payers.

Austria Wins World Cup Series

Austria wins Super-G on November 30, 2008! Hermann Maier wins World Cup Race for Austria. With a time of 1:29 seconds, Maier wiped out the competition. The race was held on Lake Louise in Alberta. This is Hermann Maier skiing his way to victory!

What I Know So Far: Austria

What I know so far about Austria:

The Sound of Music was filmed in Vienna, Austria
The capital of Austria is Vienna
The Famous Alps Mountains are in South Western Austria
The country of Austria is smaller in size then Maine
There are many rivers that are in Austria, and one of them is the Danube River
In Austria, they speak two languages: Austrian and German Some students learn English as another language
Austria is NOT in Australia, It is in Europe
Arnold Schwarzenegger is from Graz, Austria.

Day In the Life of an Austrian Child

(From Child's Perspective)

I wake up, feeling cold.
I look out the window and I see lush, green grass and snowy mountains. I roll out of my bed and throw on some faded jeans, a long sleeve shirt, a scarf, beanie, heavy jacket, and some ugg boots. I walk on the hard wood floors to the stove to keep warm. I whip up some omelets for my family and sit down on the rough, wood table and begin enjoying my meal. My Dad and I get in our Jeep and head for school. I look at all the trees we pass as I feel the bumps from the dirt road. I arrive at school and dash to my class. I blow air into my hands and put on my mittens. School is over and I stay inside until my Mom picks me up. I get home and my parents start making some wiener schnitzel for dinner. I get into my bed and put on loads of blankets and fall asleep...

Possible Contacts

Susanne K. - Austria
From: Susanne | Posted On: November 07, 2008
I'm a mother of an 11-year-old daughter,who attends Grammar School.We live in Austria - about 100km west of Vienna. We would like to get in contact with other English speaking families around the world. Julia really loves reading books and...

andrea m. - Austria
From: Andrea | Posted On: July 09, 2008
I have a nine year old son. We live in Vienna. My son is in a public school. Although they are very ambitious they teaches not very much in English. So therefore we would like to correspond with other families. I thought on tandem learning..

Nina P. - Austria
From: parentalpal | Posted On: June 12, 2008
Our private life, our business and most of our thinking is all about kids, families, global playgrounds and listening to people who give us feedback on these issues. This is never finished of course and it's never boring either. What the...

Christine G. - Austria
From: Zweisprachiges Bundesgymnasium | Posted On: May 14, 2008
Ich unterrichte Mädchen und Buben im Alter zwischen 11-16 Jahren. Die Schülerinnen und Schüler wachsen zweisprachig (bilingual) auf - Deutsch/Kroatisch oder Deutsch/Ungarisch. In der Schule lernen sie noch Englisch und manche auch...

Peter L. - Austria
From: MHS Oberwölz | Posted On: April 29, 2008
My students are between 11 and 14 years old. Our first language is German and we learn English as a foreign language. We are looking for ePals in order to communicate with them about our country/city, our habits, our hobbies, and...


Jess D. - Austria
From: Mrs. Fauland's Class | Posted On: January 25, 2008
My students are in a 4th grade class. German is their native language, but they are learning English and French. This year, we are doing a project on cocoa and are interested in communicating through letter writing with other students,...

Wolfgang O. - Austria
From: Hauptschule Aspach | Posted On: January 25, 2007
My students are between 11 and 12 years old. They learn English as a second language, their mother tongue is German. We are interested in writing English. The pupils want to exchange information about every-day life here in Austria and...

Ulrike T. - Austria
From: Hauptschule Frastanz | Posted On: January 10, 2007
Meine Schüler sind in der 6. Schulstufe der Hauptschule Frastanz. Ihre Muttersprache ist Deutsch. Sie erlernen Englisch als Fremdsprache. Wir möchten mit den Schülern von Katja Bone in Slowenien E-Mails austauschen und somit einen Einblick...

Thomas D. - Austria
From: Volksschule im Lichtental | Posted On: November 13, 2006
Wir sind eine kleine Volksschule im Alsergrund, dem 9. Bezirk Wiens. Seit dem Schuljahr 2001/2002 sind wir eine Global Education Primary School mit den Schwerpunkten 'Englisch als (zusätzliche) Arbeitssprache ab der 1. Klasse' und...

Introduction

This Blog is for a project I am doing for school. We will be researching different regions and learning about their culture. My partner for this project is Hannah. We are researching Austria. We hope to learn how the people in Austria live. Please leave comments if you have any information. Thank you!