St. Augustine

This fin de semana I went to St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest European-founded city in the United States. I was able to visit the Castillo de San Marcos and I drank from the Fountain of Youth. Did you notice how youthful I looked on Tuesday?

The Castillo de San Marcos was built by the Spanish to protect against attacks from the British. They began construction in 1668 and finished the fort in 1672. The fort was originally controlled by the Spanish, then by the British, the Spanish (again) and finally was handed over to the United States in 1819 when Spain yielded Florida to the United States.

The name most often associated with the Fountain of Youth is that of Ponce de León. There is a statue of him located in the Fountain of Youth National Archaelogical Park in St. Augustine. However, Ponce de León was not the first Spaniard to write of this legend, and he wasn't associated with the legend until after his death. The Fountain of Youth was written about by explorers like Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo (1535), Francisco López de Gómara (1551) and Hernando D'Escalante Fontaneda (1575). Ponce de León never found the fountain of youth, but he did make an important contribution to the exploration of the New World when he claimed "la Florida" for the king of Spain. Although the site in St. Augustine isn't the real Fountain of Youth, many people (including Señorita Payne) drink from the spring.

Visit these sites to learn more about St. Augustine and its attractions:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Augustine%2C_Florida

http://www.fountainofyouthflorida.com/index.html

http://www.oldcity.com/

http://www.nps.gov/casa/

El fin del año escolar

¡Ay ay ay! The end of the year has come so quickly! This has been such a great year for me at Lakeview. Gracias a todos for making this year so wonderful. We still have a couple of weeks left in the school year and we have a few things to do to get us to the end of the year.

• Don't forget to get your permission slip for the movie signed by Tuesday May 27. If it's not turned in by Tuesday, you won't be watching the movie with us:(
• Please bring back the Spanish textbook that you were given (Sí, I wrote the numbers down) at the beginning of the year to take home. It needs to be back by May 27th at the LATEST. If you bring it in before that, then you won't have to worry about it:)
• Your workbook needs to be turned in. Please make sure that your name is in your workbook before you turn it in.

Have a wonderful and safe Memorial Day weekend!

El Morro, Puerto Rico

Officially named Castillo San Felipe del Morro, this fortress overlooks the San Juan Bay in Puerto Rico. It was built in 1540 by the Spanish, but wasn't finished until 1787. The fortress has been attacked many times. It was attacked by Sir Francis Drake, the Dutch and even American ships! If you visit Puerto Rico you can go inside el Morro and explore the many hidden passages and sit on the lawn where the Spanish soldiers used to march.

Visit these sites to learn more about el Morro:

http://www.gotopuertorico.com/puerto-rico-fort-san-felipe.php

http://www.nps.gov/saju/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_San_Felipe_del_Morro

La mitad del mundo

¡Vamos a Ecuador! The 8th grade students just began a unit on Ecuador. Ecuador got its name because it lies on el ecuador-the equator. Just outside of the capital city of Quito sits a monument with a 5 ton globe at the top. The latitude at the location of the monument is zero degrees. During the spring and fall equinoxes, nothing at this location projects ANY shadow. ¡Que interesante!