scholarly journals Pussycat, Pussycat, Where Have You Been? by D. Bar-el & R. Maté

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Frail
Keyword(s):  
Fairy Tale ◽  
Wheat Field ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
The Road ◽  
The North ◽  
Life Lessons ◽  
Rhyme Scheme ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The University ◽  
American Geography

Bar-el, Dan, and Rae Maté. Pussycat, Pussycat, Where Have You Been? Vancouver: Simply Read Books, 2011. Print. In this superbly illustrated book, the pussycat of the classic nursery rhyme continues from his royal visit in London on to more distant and exotic adventures. He sails down the Seine in France, visits with “one of a kind” animals in Australia, kayaks with a pod of whales in the North, and discovers the mysteries of the Egyptian pyramids.  North American geography is subtly evoked as he meets a fisherman in a coastal community and takes shelter from a Prairie thunderstorm in a “soft golden” wheat field. Many elements of the book convey nostalgia and the simple joys of childhood. It features a storybook-like font and extra-large capital letters at the beginning of each stanza. The hand-painted illustrations are magnificent and have a vintage fairy-tale like appeal. However, the complexity of the ideas conveyed in the simple rhyme scheme hints at more mature life lessons and ideas. For example, when the Pussycat encounters a parade of pageant performers, his owner asks, “Did you join in?” he responds with: “If life is a circus/ Why wait to begin?”  The sense of adventure is tempered with reality; he is, on occasion, fearful, sad, or in need of assistance in his travels. He always reveals to the reader what helped him through those times: “What stopped your sorrow?” “I sang to the stars as I rode to tomorrow”. He also explains that he was able to take the “road less travelled” due to the generosity of fellow travelers: ‘…Did you get lost?’‘I strayed from the pathAt whatever the cost.’‘Pussycat, PussycatBut were you alright?’‘The kindness of strangersGave warmth to my night.’ Pussycat also talks about missing loved ones back home, in this case his owner. The adventure concludes with him inviting her to join him on his next series of imaginary adventures: “Come travel with me/ My partner, my friend.” According to the publisher’s website, this book is recommended for ages to 4-8.  It would be an excellent addition to any home, library, or school book collection. Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Kim Frail Kim is a Public Services Librarian at the H.T. Coutts Education Library at the University of Alberta. Children’s literature is a big part of her world at work and at home. She also enjoys gardening, renovating and keeping up with her two-year old.

scholarly journals Success factors in the realization of large ice projects in education

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-12
Author(s):  
Arno Pronk ◽  
Peng Luo ◽  
Qingpeng Li ◽  
Fred Sanders ◽  
Marjolein overtoom ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Success Factors ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Learning By Doing ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
The North ◽  
3D Printed ◽  
Good Learning ◽  
The University ◽  
Ice Shell ◽  
Motivation And Learning

There has been a long tradition in making ice structures, but the development of technical improvements for making ice buildings is a new field with just a handful of researchers. Most of the projects were realized by professors in cooperation with their students as part of their education in architecture and civil engineering. The following professors have realized ice projects in this setting: Heinz Isler realized some experiments since the 1950s; Tsutomu Kokawa created in the past three decades several ice domes in the north of Japan with a span up to 25 m; Lancelot Coar realized a number of fabric formed ice shell structures including fiberglass bars and hanging fabric as a mold for an ice shell in 2011 and in 2015 he produced an fabric-formed ice origami structure in cooperation with MIT (Caitlin Mueller) and VUB (Lars de Laet). Arno Pronk realized several ice projects such as the 2004 artificially cooled igloo, in 2014 and 2015 dome structures with an inflatable mold in Finland and in 2016–2019, an ice dome, several ice towers and a 3D printed gridshell of ice in Harbin (China) as a cooperation between the Universities of Eindhoven & Leuven (Pronk) and Harbin (Wu and Luo). In cooperation between the University of Alberta and Eindhoven two ice beams were realized during a workshop in 2020. In this paper we will present the motivation and learning experiences of students involved in learning-by-doing by realizing one large project in ice. The 2014–2016 projects were evaluated by Sanders and Overtoom; using questionnaires among the participants by mixed cultural teams under extreme conditions. By comparing the results in different situations and cultures we have found common rules for the success of those kinds of educational projects. In this paper we suggest that the synergy among students participating in one main project without a clear individual goal can be very large. The paper will present the success factors for projects to be perceived as a good learning experience.

scholarly journals Mingan: my village

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Writing Workshop ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Art Collections ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
North Shore ◽  
The North ◽  
The World ◽  
The University ◽  
The Village

Mingan:  my village. Illus. Rogé. Trans. Solange Messier.  Markham, ON:  Fifth House Publishers, 2014.  Print.This is one of the most unusual Canadian Indigenous children’s books to have been published recently.  It is an art book composed of fifteen of illustrator Rogé's portraits of Innu children from the village of Mingan (“Ekuantshit” in the Innu-aimun language) on the North Shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.  The images are accompanied by fifteen poems written by the children.  Each of the portraits covers an 8.5 X 14’ page and is an almost life-sized likeness painted from a photograph.  The images are mainly sepia tones with some orange, blue and red highlights.  These portraits will allow children elsewhere in the world to see what an Innu child looks like. The poems are the result of a poetry writing workshop led by Laurel Morali and Rita Mestokosho at Mingan.  They are also published in the back of the book in Innu-aimun.  The works are simple, unsophisticated and present a child’s view of the world.  Nature and grandparents figure prominently in the works.   For example:                        In the wind's light, the pain of the heart                        The blue river                        When I listen                        I have a memory of my grandfather                        He tells me he is well                        This comforts me                        I know he protects me                        That he watches me                        I cry when he is not beside me                                                                       Sabrina                       Overall this is a striking work that could fit both in to art collections and children’s libraries as well as those collecting Canadian Indigenous materials. Highly recommended: 4 stars out of 4Reviewer:  Sandy CampbellSandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines.  Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give. 

scholarly journals The Highway Rat by J. Donaldson

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Feisst
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
School Library ◽  
The Other ◽  
Young Adult Fiction ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
The Road ◽  
Poetic Justice ◽  
Narrative Poem ◽  
The University ◽  
Adult Reader

Donaldson, Julia. The Highway Rat. Illus. Axel Scheffler. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2013. Print.The children’s literature dream team of author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler are at it again with this delightful take on Alfred Noyes’ classic narrative poem, “The Highwayman.” Donaldson and Scheffler, best known for their popular Gruffalo series as well as Room on the Broom, have created a lush narrative replete with repetitive phrases and rich illustrations that will captivate children while engaging the adult reader in an intelligent manner.“The Highway Rat was a baddie; the Highway Rat was a beast. He took what he wanted and ate what he took…” Indeed!  The Highway Rat holds up fellow travelers and those he meets along the way with a voracious attitude and pointy sword.  Though he prefers sweets, he takes anything –even a bunch of clover deemed tasteless and dull –to satisfy his greed and without a morsel of regret. As the other creatures along the road grew thinner and thinner, the Highway Rat grows plump until one plucky duck delivers poetic justice and some just ‘desserts’ to this nasty rat. Children will be pleased with the appropriate comeuppance for the Highway Rat that arrives with a healthy message of kindness and sharing.Fans of Donaldson and Scheffler’s previous work will not be disappointed, in particular those who have encountered “The Highwayman” as younger readers.  This rollicking book will make a nice addition to any elementary school library collection and is best suited for students in K-3. Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Debbie FeisstDebbie is a Public Services Librarian at the H.T. Coutts Education Library at the University of Alberta.  When not renovating, she enjoys travel, fitness and young adult fiction.

scholarly journals Arctic Thunder: A Novel by R. Feagan

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Point Of View ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The South ◽  
Traffic Light ◽  
Basketball Players ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
The North ◽  
Western Arctic ◽  
Turn Over ◽  
The University

Feagan, Robert. Arctic Thunder: A Novel. Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2010. Print. St. Albert is a small city, just north of Edmonton in Central Alberta.  In the opening pages of this book, thirteen-year-old Mike Watson and his team, the St. Albert Rams, win the Alberta Bantam Provincial box lacrosse championship.  Then his father, an RCMP officer, announces that they’ve been posted to Inuvik, which Mike describes as a place “somewhere inside the Arctic Circle and makes winter in St. Albert seem like summer”. The author, Robert Feagan, who lives in St. Albert, but spent much of his youth in RCMP posts across the Canadian Western Arctic, does a good job of presenting the struggles of a thirteen year old boy from the South trying to fit into the largely Inuit and Dene community in Inuvik. The story is definitely told from the point of view of a “white kid from the South”, except that Mike is part Zulu, so he sort of looks like he might fit in. Mike finds that teenagers are teenagers everywhere and when he goes to school he meets: the bully, the nerd whom everyone avoids and the super athletes, who in this case compete in the Arctic Games.  There is even a beautiful female nemesis, Gwen, who is one of the best basketball players Mike has every encountered. While well written and engaging, Feagan sometimes becomes a little didactic in educating the reader about the North.  Characters occasionally launch into unnaturally detailed explanations about things northern. Much of the tension between characters is also resolved too neatly.  Most of the core characters acquire self-understanding, turn over new leaves, and apologize to each other within a very few pages.  Much more realistic is the portrayal of the typical teenager, Mike, whispering a “Thank-you” to his Mom, long after she’s out of earshot. Through the course of the book, Mike (and the reader) come to appreciate what Inuvik, with its single traffic light and one retail store, has to offer.  Feagan works in a sensitive treatment of the role of the elders in the community and the healthy effects of living close to the land.  Of course, lacrosse, which no one plays in Inuvik, is an important thread through the story. Adult readers should not be put off by the fact that this is a young adult novel; it is a good Arctic read for anyone. Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Sandy Campbell Sandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines.  Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give. 

scholarly journals Puppet by E. Wiseman

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorden Smith
Keyword(s):  
Religious Community ◽  
Her Family ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Adverse Conditions ◽  
Anti Semitism ◽  
Blood Libel ◽  
Good People ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The University

Wiseman, Eva. Puppet. Toronto: Tundra Books. 2009. Print. Worthy of its numerous awards, Puppet delivers an intriguing narrative of a notorious “blood libel” case in Hungary. Negotiating cultural divides and morality, the protagonist explores her own beliefs to make sense of the horror she personally observes in her community. Loosely based on historical events, Wiseman explores a tragic incident of anti-Semitism and the crippling effects of blind hatred. Set in Hungary during the late 19th century, the story is told from the perspective of Julie, a teenager whose mother is dying of cancer and whose alcoholic father is prone to violence. Julie’s love of her mother and sister sustains her throughout the adverse conditions she faces. Although aware of a latent tension based on religious differences in her quaint village, Julie is accustomed to anti-Semitic sentiments but does not comprehend the potential seriousness of the issue. Julie seems indifferent and confused by the comments she hears; her family has been helped by the Jewish doctor in town and she believes them to be good people regardless of their religion. When Julie’s friend, Esther, disappears one morning, the community seeks suspects and sets their sights on the synagogue. Driven by malicious detectives, members of the community conspire to accuse five Jewish men of using the girl’s blood for a Passover ceremony. Morris Scarf, a Jewish boy, is coerced into accusing his father and four other men of “blood libel”; although the accusation will save him from abuse at the hands of his captors, it separates him from his family and religious community. Julie witnesses, first-hand, the manipulation and abuse used to coerce testimony from Morris and his brother. She does what she can to stop the gossip and coercion, however as her community falls apart around her, Julie struggles to deal with her own tragedies. Losing her mother, separated from her sister, and removed from her home by her abusive father, Julie bonds with Morris through their respective suffering. Julie pursues work in a nearby town, where Morris is being held and does what she can to help him. Wiseman weaves the tragedies of Julie and Morris together through a series of too-convenient coincidences that are easy to overlook as the tension builds. As Julie learns about the balance of survival and morality, she finds the inner strength to stand up for her beliefs—whatever the cost. Wiseman’s choice of historical incident is fascinating and her retelling is compelling. As a protagonist, Julie is an intelligent and resourceful young woman; she survives the abuses rained upon her, rises to continual challenges, and stands up for truth. I would recommend this book for teens able to cope with scenes and suggestions of violence, and those interested in the history of Judaism in Europe. Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Jorden SmithJorden Smith joins the team as a book reviewer. Jorden is a Public Services Librarian in Rutherford Humanities and Social Sciences Library at the University of Alberta.  She is an avid fiction reader and subscribes to Hemingway’s belief that “there is no friend as loyal as a book.”

Riverbank stability study at the University of Alberta, Edmonton

1970 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Thomson
Keyword(s):  
Stability Study ◽  
Strength Parameters ◽  
Infinite Slope ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
The North ◽  
Piezometric Surface ◽  
Geologic Map ◽  
Western Side ◽  
The Stability ◽  
The University

The need for new building sites at the University of Alberta required an investigation of the stability of the valley wall of the North Saskatchewan River within the limits of the campus.A geologic map and stratigraphic sections were drawn which show Upper Cretaceous shales and sandstones overlain by preglacial sands and gravels which, in turn, are overlain by till and glacial lake sediments.A large, buried preglacial valley on the western side of the study area enhances slope stability because it lowers the piezometric surface. Landslide analyses in this area indicate that effective strength parameters near peak values are being mobilized.On the eastern side of the study area old landslides are revealed by subdued slump topography. Residual strength parameters used in an infinite slope analysis result in low factors of safety.

scholarly journals The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe’s Very First Case by A. McCall Smith

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Quirk
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Alexander The Great ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Young Readers ◽  
Special Collections ◽  
First Case ◽  
Life Lessons ◽  
The University ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Lunch Time

McCall Smith, Alexander.  The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe’s Very First Case.  Illus. Iain McIntosh. New York: Anchor, 2012. Print.Adult readers around the world have been charmed by the best-selling “No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” series, in which Mma Ramotswe tackles the troubling mysteries and personal problems of ordinary people, and does so by relying on her sharp wit and her extraordinary insight into human nature.  In this book, young readers will be introduced to a school girl who is destined to become a great detective.  Here, Precious Ramotswe – “one of the nicest girls in Botswana”  challenges her classmates’ assumptions in order to solve her first case. The story begins when Precious asks her beloved father to recount her favourite story: an account of the time he was “nearly eaten by a lion”.  Since young Precious can tell which parts of his story really happened and which parts are made up, her father suggests that she might become a detective someday.  His idea is soon put to the test when her classmates begin to notice that their lunch-time treats are being stolen from the outside shelf where they leave their bags during school.  When the children scapegoat a shy boy with a sweet tooth, Precious realizes that she will need to do more than find the truth, she will need to prove it.This book has the charm of the original series, and is recommended for readers aged 7-10 years old.  It offers an engaging story and several life lessons.  Further, the story offers young readers a glimpse of ordinary daily life in Africa, and the author hopes it “will inspire them to read more about that wonderful continent and its remarkable people” .In a note addressed to the reader at the back of the book, the author tells us that families have been reading his “No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” series aloud together, but acknowledges that the series would be challenging for young readers to read on their own, and so this book has been written with young readers in mind.  Teachers and librarians who are fans of Mma Ramotswe will enjoy sharing her adventures with young readers, and will be pleased to find various curriculum materials at the back of the book.Highly recommended: 4 stars out of 4 Reviewer: Linda QuirkLinda is Assistant Special Collections Librarian at the Bruce Peel Special Collections Library at the University of Alberta.

scholarly journals Viivi’s New Kamiks by N. Mike

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Feisst
Keyword(s):  
Reading Program ◽  
Informational Texts ◽  
Elementary Grades ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
The North ◽  
School Based ◽  
Grade 3 ◽  
Simple Sentences ◽  
The University

Mike, Nadia. Viivi’s New Kamiks, illustrated by Ali Hinch, Inhabit Education, 2016. This delightful book is part of Iqaluit-based Inhabit Education’s Nunavummi Reading Series, a made-in-Nunavut approach to a levelled reading program which aligns to the curricular outcomes in Nunavut but also fits with more southerly educators’ needs to infuse daily activities with multiple perspectives including Inuit. The series is appropriate for lower elementary grades and provides both fiction and non-fiction titles ranging from level 4 (late kindergarten) to level 11 (grade 3) which build on readers’ skills as they move progressively from simple sentences to more complex short stories and informational texts. All titles in the series are written from an Arctic, and most often an Inuit, perspective. The titles are also levelled using the widely accepted Fountas & Pinnell Text Level Gradient to grade guided reading materials.Viivi’s New Kamiks, a Level 9 in the series, follows Viivi as she prepares for her ninth birthday. She is very excited and wants a pair of kamiks, traditional Inuit caribou and seal skin boots still worn in the North. Viivi needs to show her parents that she is responsible enough to own a pair of kamiks, as they require care. Can Viivi prove to her parents that she can care for these beautiful boots?This and other titles in the Nunavummi Series would be excellent additions to all elementary school libraries as well as school-based levelled reading programs. Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Debbie FeisstDebbie is a Public Services Librarian at the H.T. Coutts Education Library at the University of Alberta.  When not renovating, she enjoys travel, practicing her Spanish language skills and the Edmonton amateur music scene.

Excavations at Sphagion in Cyprus

1954 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 22-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. B. Hennessy
Keyword(s):  
Surface Soil ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Slaughter House ◽  
Australian Institute ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The University ◽  
The Village

The Cemetery at Sphagion was excavated during the last week of August 1951, under the auspices of the Ashmolean Museum—Sydney University expedition to Cyprus with the aid of funds contributed jointly by the University of Sydney and the Australian Institute of Archaeology, Melbourne, which now possesses the finds allotted to the expedition by the Department of Antiquities. Tomb 17 is in the Cyprus Museum. The University of Sydney has made a generous grant towards the cost of illustration.The site at Sphagion (so called because of a nearby slaughter-house) lies on the outskirts of the village of Myrtou (Kyrenia District) in North-west Cyprus (fig. 1). It is situated immediately to the North of the main Myrtou-Nicosia road, within a few metres of the 20-mile post from Nicosia. The narrow, flat tract of land, now used for the cultivation of vines and olives, has a shallow surface soil overlying the soft white limestone into which the graves were cut. The land belongs to Eleni Hadji Sophokli of the village of Myrtou.

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