Table of Contents
**********************************
In This Issue ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~1-2
Movies With Emma~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~3-4
Sports With Ashley and
Lauren~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~5-6
Books With Arianna~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 7-8
Video Games with Nick~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 9-10
Music With Oliva~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~11
Technology With Rahim~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~12-13
Theater With Aliyah and Veronica~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~14-15
Dances With Ella and Denver~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~16
Fashion With Reagan~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~17-18
In This Issue…
In this issue of Smith Spotlight we are going
to talk about all things around the world! These
articles are about things other countries do
worldwide. In this issue you will learn about some of
the traditions in other parts of the world.
If you love sports, read the article about all of the
different sports from around the world. This article is called
Sports With Ashley and Lauren. This is all about the sports
in other countries, and how they are different from the ones
that we have.
If you love theater read the article, “Theater with
Aliyah and Veronica”, which talks about some of the
types of drama around the world!
For all people who love to watch movies on rainy
days, read “Movies With Emma!” She mostly talks about
the film “Monsters in Paris”, so read it if you are interested
in the movie.
If you want some fashion tips, and some good
ways to dress, then read the article “Fashion With
Reagan.” Reagan talks about clothes from other
Countries.
If you need to learn some more about all of the different
technology that people use around the world , then you should read the
article “Technology with Rahim.”
Did you know that Nintendo is the most
popular video gaming brand in Japan? If
you want to learn more, then read the
article “Video Games with Nick.” Also, the
first game was called ping-pong.
Did you know
that in the UK, they call the American
Revolution the American War of
Independance. If you want to learn more
about what other countries learn about us,
then read the article called, Books with
Arianna.
If dance is one of your interests, then read the article “Dances
With Ella and Denver.” It’s about the dances all different cultures do,
which is very interesting, and it will also teach you about ballet and the
hula!
We all hope you enjoy this exciting issue of Smith Spotlight,
about a bunch of history, traditions, culture, and beliefs all around the
world!
Movies with Emma
All Around the World
“Monsters in Paris”! Monsters in Paris
is a very popular movie for kids in
France. This
movie is rated PG
and it got over
162.9 million
dollars in the box
office.You might
not know her,
but Vanessa
Paradis is very
famous in France. She plays one of
the main characters in the movie, Lucille. Matthieu
Chedid plays Francoeur. Gad Elmaleh plays Raoul, and
François Cluzet plays Le Préfet Maynott.
Monsters in Paris
was first released on
October 12, 2011. This movie
was a 3D computer animated musical and
comedy. If you are wondering
what a 3D computer animated
movie is - have you ever heard
of the movie RIO? The movie
RIO is a 3D computer
animated musical comedy, just like Monsters in Paris. If
you don’t like 3D movies then Monsters in Pairs is also
available in 2D.
On a one through ten scale (One being this is a terrible movie, and
ten being it is the best movie ever) I would rate this movie a ten. This
movie has so many unexpected twists to it.
You may think “Oh,
this movie is all in
french, no one will
understand it.”
Well, there are
some ways to help
you understand
what is going on.
The movie can be
subtitled if you
want to know the
words the
characters are
saying. Subtitled
means ​
words
appear on the
screen during a movie, video, or television show and that are
translations of what the actors are saying.
It starts with 2 monsters. The story started when two people did
something that they were not supposed to do. They created these
monsters with potions. This movie is rated PG, meaning Parental
Guidance. There is a little bit of inappropriate language in this movie, so
be sure to ask your parents before watching it.
I hope you all get an
opportunity to see this cool French movie. I don’t know what movie I am
going to do next.​
Au Revoir! (Au Revoir is French for goodbye)
​
Sports With Ashley and Lauren ​
by: Ashley Harp and Lauren Meicht If you like sports you are going to want to read this!! These are
sports from all around the world, including
England and Mexico.
The most famous sport of northern
England is Rugby. It is a game that involves
strength, strategy, and speed to move the ball
from you to your team-mate.
Rugby’s name came from the Rugby school
where it was first played.
Rugby was invented in 1823 when a rumor
was started that during a football game, a 16 year old boy caught the
ball and ran with it towards the opponent's goal line avoiding the rules
of the game. That rumor is what created rugby!
This sport can be fun, but it can also be very
dangerous. James King underwent plastic surgery to
repair his left ear that was hanging off because of a
freak incident during his recent victory over Cardiff
Blues. This shows that rugby can be very dangerous if
you are not careful.
Charreria is a sport from Mexico. It is horseback
riding mixed with various versions of rodeo. It is well
known in ​
Jalisco.
Both men and women compete, wearing colorful
Mexican cowboy costumes, trimmed in silver studs.
The clothing is fitted tightly so there is no cloth
flapping to be caught by the horns of steers.
The contestants also wear bonitas (boots), so their feet don’t slip
through the stirrups.
In Charreria there are a lot of rules. The competitions are held in
Guadalajara every Sunday in different locations. Competitions last
approximately 2 hours.
There are different events for both men and women. Men have
nine events. The first event for the men is the test of the horse. They
put their horses through various commands to test the horse’s ability
and its training. The horses perform controlled slide, left and right half
- as well as full and triple turns, dismount and mount, and reverse
walk..
The second event is roping of the feet. They try to catch
a wild mare by throwing the lasso and capturing her by the
hind, or rear legs. They have three opportunities to catch the
mare. The points are given according to how many seconds it
takes for the capture.
The third event is called arena bull tailing. The rider rides
along on the left side of the bull. The rider tries to wrap its lasso
around the bull’s right leg and tries to cause the bull to fall and roll as
he rides past. The points are given for technique, time and, roll of the
bull.
The rest of the events include a team of three, Challenges are
bareback on a wild mare, roping on foot, roping from horseback, and
the pass of death.
The people who participate in this event compete in an arena
consisting of a lane 12 meters wide by 60 meters long leading in a
circle 40 meters in diameter. The Charreada itself consists of a number
of scoring events in a particular order.
As we said in the beginning, if you are interested in playing any
of these sports be careful. They can be really fun and cool, but they can
also be very dangerous.
Books With Arianna
How Other Countries Around the World Learn About Us
In school we use textbooks to help us learn about
the world around us. Well, did you know that
schools in other countries around the world do the
same thing? They have textbooks just like us, and
learn about our country.
The first thing you need to
know is that textbooks in other
countries are pretty much the same as ours. They are
full of useful information that the students will need
to be successful in class. The only difference is the
language. For some languages you write vertically (Up
and down) instead of
horizontally (left to right). Here
we write horizontally. Countries
like China and Japan used to
write vertically, so some of their
textbooks look a little different.
Because, all the countries have
different opinions on how things in history
happened, everyone is taught what happened a
little differently. Sometimes, the changes are very
large, but most times it’s just the little things that change. For example,
if they are learning about a war that was in America, it might not be
called what we refer to it as. It is like us calling the war the American
Revolution and the UK calling the war The American War of
Independence.
What you have to keep in mind is that other countries have their
own history to teach. That is why most countries don’t teach American
history as detailed as our school, or other schools teach it in the US. In
some countries, they don’t even learn about American history.
A very good example of other
countries learning American history is
the United Kingdom, learning about
the American Revolution. In England,
the United Kingdom doesn’t really
“​
study” ​
the American Revolution like
we do. For them, this isn’t a huge
event in history. Instead, they might
quickly discuss
as a class the political ideas attached to this
war. That means they talk about why they
were fighting. Just like here, the higher grade
you are in school, the more detailed you learn
things. In England, some college and high school
classes teach more about certain subjects in
history. If you chose to take these classes you
can learn more about American history, and
history in general.
So, now you know that other countries have
schools, and learn just like we do. Just like we
learn about other countries, some countries
learn about us too! Keep that in mind next time
you study another country.
Video Games With Nick
Around the World
By: Nicolas Scali
The rating E
Everyone
The rating E10+
Everyone 10 and up
The rating T
Teen
The rating M
Mature (17+)
Did you know that most of the famous games from back then
and today aren’t just made in America? Most of the popular video
games are made in Japan.
Did you know the first ever video game was called Ping-Pong? It
was a very basic video game made in 1958. It was made in New York.
Now, video games have much better AI (Artificial Intelligence).
Artificial means fake. This means video games have “fake minds.” These
“fake minds” allow video games to have
more complicated stories, making the
gameplay more fun and complex.
Action games use very advanced AI.
The complex and fun challenges are
what make these games so popular.
Action games need this advanced AI
because they have a lot of enemies in
the story mode, and other game modes.
Most of action, and other video games are created somewhere in
Asia or Japan. Have you ever heard of Nintendo? Nintendo is one of
the biggest video game companies made in Japan. Nintendo makes the
Ds Series, Wii, Wii U, Gameboy, Gamecube, Nintendo Entertainment
System, and a lot more. Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, Mario, Super Smash
Bros, Street Fighter, Minecraft, and Wii Sports are all games that were
made in other countries, just like Nintendo.
Videos games are rated by age group. However, some countries
may have different ratings. For example, another country might rate a
United States “M” rated game “T” for teen. This is because of the
different cultures and governments.
Not all popular video games were made by a company. Instead,
many were made by a single person or a few people. Anyone can make
a video game, even you!
Music With Olivia
Around the World Music
Music is popular everywhere.. You probably know
most of the popular songs in America, but do you
know any popular songs in other countries?
Music in other countries is pretty much the same as
ours. The style of music, meaning what kind of
instruments and language the song is based off of or
where the song is from are the only differences. It is
difficult to appreciate music from other countries
unless you understand the language the song is in, and have some
connection to where the song is from.
In Japan there is an artist called Yui​
.​
Her full name
is Yui Yoshioka. She is retired now but she made
many albums. Some of her songs are, Goodbye
Days, Rolling Star, and Happy Birthday to Yui Yui.
She was​
born March 26, 1987 and was raised in
Fukuoka Prefecture​
.
In France, ​
Alizée Jacotey,
is a singer. She is 31 years old and has a ten
year old daughter named Lily. Her birthday is
August 21, 1984. Alizee is known for singing
emotional songs with deep meaning. Even
though she has a singing career, she is more
interested in dancing, jazz, tap, and ballet.
Technology
​
with Rahim
Around the world
​
Here, in America we’ve been improving and using technology for
the past few years. Countries all around the world are also doing the
same. The other countries use advanced technology
like we do in America. Some countries, like Japan, even
have more advanced technology.
Japan’s technology is very impressive, and I’m
sure it will impress you too! Their technology is very
advanced. For example they have this thing called an
Internet Umbrella that acts like a photo browser by
displaying images from the internet while you're in
the rain. Another invention that Japan made was a robot. Robots are
serving customers in stores and banks.
Hoverboards are gaining popularity around the world. The Hendo
Hoverboards cost about 10,000 dollars. Most of them are made in
foreign countries, but some are made in America. The Hendo
Hoverboard works by the four disc - shaped hover engines creating a
special magnetic field which pushes against itself and makes the
hoverboard lift of the ground. The
bad thing about a hoverboard is
that it doesn’t ride like a regular
skateboard and also the hoverboard
wouldn’t work everywhere like on
water. Another bad thing about the
Hendo Hoverboard is that it can
only hover for 7 minutes.
I hope Arx Pax, the company that
made the Hendo Hoverboard,
will extend the hovering time.
The Hendo Hoverboards were made last year.
Arx Pax, is always trying to fix the problems
with the Hendo Hoverboard. Tony Hawk rode the
Hendo Hoverboard and now he is helping Arx Pax to
make a new and better version of the Hendo
Hoverboards.
The United Kingdom also has advanced
technology. Surprisingly, the United Kingdom created
the first telephone. It was invented by Alexander
Graham Bell. The first telephone call was made on
March, 10 in 1876.
Another surprising invention that United Kingdom made was the first
computer.
The first
computer
made was
very
different
from the
usual
computers
you see and
use at home.
People kept
improving
the computer and making it better, and eventually it looked like the
computer you see today.
These are some great inventions that are from other countries
with great technology. Now you know that America isn’t the only
country that can make great inventions.
Theatre With Aliyah
and Veronica
All Around The World
By : Aliyah Camacho and Veronica Bell
If you like the center stage, you are going to love this article!
There are many types of theatre for you to love. For example there are
musicals, plays, reenactments of movies, and more. Some schools have
drama club which show these kinds of theatre.
In the drama club at our school, we have warm up games. For
example, one of the activities the drama club does
is the "Machine". The "Machine" is where one
person starts with a movement, then more
people add on a movement that they come up
with. This “Machine” game helps us get loosened
up before we start going into our theatre acting.
At the drama club in Ironwood school in
Minnesota, there are usually 20 people in the
program.. Last year, they did a play called ​
Rumbo​
.
The best part was that it was the first time
being on stage for most kids.
Theaters started over 2,500 years ago.
Drama is an art. Just like painting, drawing,
and language. There are many different
cultures that do drama. Different types of
theatre are English theater (shakespeare),
Greek theater, and Chinese theatre.
One of the most famous plays is ​
Romeo
and Juliet​
by William Shakespeare.
Shakespeare was a very good poetry writer.
Shakespeare wrote 37 plays. He wrote 154 sonnets (poems of fourteen
lines using any of a number of formal rhyme.)
Greek theater began with festivals honoring their gods. In the
beginning of their theater only one person was on stage. Later they let
three people go up at a time. The theaters that they perform in are
large open-air buildings
called theatrons. The
actors needed to have
distinct masks and
costumes. They did that
because the audience
needed to see the actors. A
large rectangular painted
stone was used as a
backdrop.
Chinese theater is very
different than the way that you
think it would be performed. ​
Early
forms of Chinese drama were simple,
but over time they incorporated
various art forms, such as music,
song, dance, martial arts, acrobatics,
and literary art forms that became
opera.​
They started with puppets.
Then they would turn the puppets in
to actors that were dressed like the
puppets.
Drama is important to most
people and their cultures. Theater is important to almost everyone in
the U.S.A. There are plays for children, teenageers and adults. We
(Aliyah and Veronica) like acting because it is like being free. We
hope you enjoyed this article and hope you learned something
new!
Dances with Ella and Denver
All around the world
By Denver And Ella
Girls, boys, men and women, everyone can dance! Did you know that
dancing started as early as 2,300 BC? The signs of dancing came from
scientists who discovered ancient cave paintings of
dancing in India.
Every Chinese New Year, people dance the Dragon
Dance and the Lion Dance. These Chinese dances (in our
opinion) are very creative because every dragon and lion
are different. The two dances are both a celebration and
are a tradition of the Chinese New Year. People practice all year to do the
dragon and lion dances for the Chinese New Year celebration. People get dressed
up in the dragon and lion costumes and parade down the street. Sometimes
there is a New Year celebration in Chinatown.
Ballet is a very elegant, slow, and beautiful dance. Ballet
can express various emotions. It can express any emotion
that the dancer wants to show. Two of the most famous
ballet dances are Swan Lake and the Nutcracker. The
Nutcracker was performed in Russia. Ballet is a type of
dance that was created in France and Italy. Ballet was
created in the 17th century (also known as the 1600s).
The Hula dance has a nice flow and fluid movement. The
hula dance is from Hawaii. There is more than one kind of hula
dance, there is the traditional dance and there is a more upbeat
version of the Hula. Both women and men perform in a hula
dance routine. Hula dances are everywhere on the hawaiian
islands. You don't always need to go to a luau (​
a Hawaiian party
or feast) ​
to see one. Kids can learn the hula dance as well, as you see in the
picture on the right.
We hope you have enjoyed our article about dances around the world.
Remember, if you ever want to get some exercise or something to do, ask your
parents to sign you up for a dance class, have fun!
Around The world
Morocco, a country in South Africa, is not a place you hear about
everyday. Well, you - should - see - what they - wear! The dresses are beautiful with
detailed designs. They are colorful with belts
around their waists. Their fabric all depends
on the weather. Summers are very hot in
Morocco, so people wear light fabrics during
this time. Winter fabrics are
a little heavier, so they can keep people warm.
The shoes look like flats but they are more
pointed at the toe. Some have backs and some don’t.
But, everything they wear is beautiful.
France is a country in Western Europe. Even
though it has been going through some hard times, it
still has great fashion. Its clothing is similar to ours
but, they add their own touch - like ruffles or lace.
Their outfits are beautiful and elegant. Light cotton in the summer and
medium weight in the winter help to fit France’s climate.
Their shoes are amazing. The shoes for women have
long high heels. Their heels have gems,
and lots of colors. The men's shoes are
like the ones we have here in the U.S.A
but, they have a lot more spikes.
Egypt is a country in the Middle East. You might think of ancient
clothing, but that is not what they wear these days. They wear simple
things, but they
add a little
excitement like a
little bit of gold
color. Their
clothing has to be
light and breezy
for their
extremely hot
climate.
Egyptian shoes are sort of like ours. The high heels are so pretty,
but they are also scarier. They have spikes and chains. The shoes that
are mainly for boys look like
the shoes kids in our school
wear.
Thanks for
reading