Texas: What We *Think* We Know…

One of the coolest things about blogging is that you meet people from all over the world. Mrs. Kriese’s class in Austin, Texas has really set the bar high on getting to know their global neighbours. They have been learning about bloggers in New Zealand, Serbia, and us in British Columbia, with whom they had exchanged comments. First they brainstormed what they thought they knew about us, and then did some first-class research to find out more.

Well, we think that is a great formula. Below are the notes from our brainstorming session. Mrs. Kriese and Grade 7s of West Ridge Middle School–how did we do?

Created with Padlet
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23 comments

  1. Hi Mrs. Smith!

    I’m Carly from Mrs. Kriese’s class and I have to say, you got a lot right, one thing though, Austin is the capital of Texas. It is true, we do say y’all a lot but not all of us have accents. If you live in the city, things are pretty squished and we’re all pretty civilized. I have some family up in Fort Worth and there are a lot of farms there where you can see horses and cows, and that’s where the accents are at. You guys got a lot right though. You did a good job.

    1. Hi Carly, I think the idea of other people having accents is fascinating. I may believe that my family, my neighbours, and my students don’t have an accent, but of course we do! We, in this part of North America, sound different to English speaking people in New York City, or Cape Town, South Africa, or Wellington, New Zealand, or Austin, Texas. I love the cultural diversity of the world. Thanks for the compliment, and best wishes on blogging.
      ~Ms. Smith

  2. Hi,
    My name is Tatiana I’m from Mrs. Kriese’s class. I love how you guys are taking an interest in Texas. Some facts were true while some you were very close. Actually, Austin is the capital not Dallas. We do have soccer teams such as Austin Aztes, San Antoino Scorpions and many more.

    Thanks,
    Tatiana

    1. Hi Tatiana, I think Scorpions is a great name for a soccer team–I looked at their logo it is very cool! We are looking for ward to learning more about Austin, Texas, and all of you!
      ~Ms. Smith

  3. Hi, this is Pallavi, from Mrs. Kriese’s blog in Austin, Texas. You were pretty close on some of the stuff. Dallas is not our capital, Austin is (we live in the capital of Texas). Yes, they do have a lot of barns and horses in Texas. I ride horses, so I know most of the local barns. It is very hot in Texas, and our main football team is the Texas Longhorns. I am not sure if there is a soccer team, but I can look it up. Come visit my blog at:
    http://edublogs.eanesisd.net/pallahvi8352021/
    Thanks!
    Pallavi

    1. Hi Pallavi,
      Thanks for the correction about your capital. I know Owen from my class will appreciate the extra detail about the Texas Longhorns, too. We look forward to visiting you and getting to know more about Texas.
      ~Ms. Smith

    1. Hi Alita, thanks for commenting. We intend to clear up our misconceptions.Thanks for sharing your blog url. We look forward to connecting with you.
      ~Ms. Smith

  4. Hi Ms. Smith and Class,
    It is really cool to hear all of the ideas that the class have to say! I think that this is a really cool website! what is it called? I hope to hear from you soon and read future posts of yours, Thanks a lot,
    -Abby

  5. Hi Mrs. Smith!

    I’m Ella from Mrs. Kriese’s class. It’s true that in many parts of Texas there are lots of cows and horses and rodeos, but In Austin, where we live, it’s a pretty busy city with a population of almost 2 million in the city and ares around it. Also Austin the the capitol, not Dallas, but don’t worry. It’s an easy mistake. Personally I don’t really say ya’ll, but many of my teachers do, so that was right. We are in the southern part of the U.S.A above Mexico, so that was right. We are also in a drought in Austin and have had flooding the last few months. Overall you did pretty well!
    http://edublogs.eanesisd.net/eleanor8352021/

    1. Hi Ella,
      Thanks for the correct information–seems like Austin is about the same size as Vancouver, the biggest city in our province, and the third biggest in Canada. I am sorry to hear about your drought–we are having one too, even though the rains have started again. I think saying things like y’all or eh, the way some Canadians do is part of the uniqueness of our cultures. I really value it.
      Thanks for writing!
      Ms. Smith

  6. Hi Mrs Smith. I think your class have used Padlet really well to share some excellent ideas. I sometimes use Padlet or Linoit as a starting point, or at the end of a topic to find out what we have learnt.
    Your class are very knowledgeable and I have enjoyed reading their posts to find out some interesting information. Thank you all so much.

    Mr Rockey
    Head teacher, Westwood with Iford School, UK
    http://head.westwoodblogs.org

    1. Hi Mr. Rockey,
      I had not heard of Linoit so of course I had to check it out… and I went sideways for a while. It’s another interesting tool for us to use. Thanks for the suggestion. And thank you too for the compliments. I am very proud of my students 🙂
      Cheers,
      Ms. Jan Smith

  7. Hi Mrs. Smith,

    Y’all got a lot of things right, but one thing I have to say is that Austin is the capital of Texas, not Dallas. I’m very impressed by how much y’all know about Texas and I hope the comments left by the rest of my classmates informed you about Texas more!

    Come visit my blog in Texas: http://edublogs.eanesisd.net/kristen8382021/

  8. Hey Mrs. Smiths class! This is Greyson. I love all of the facts that you know, but there are some that aren’t quite correct. 1. Austin is the capitol[Where we are]. 2. About 3 years ago, we were in a MAJOR drought. Thankfully we have filled up most of our lakes. 3. Austin doesn’t have much farms, but I like them. We have chickens and some food growing in my backyard. Most of other Texas has lots of farms.

    P.S. Y’all are right about the hogs ;]

  9. Hi this is Arnold from Mrs.Schoch’s class In Austin, Texas. I love how you are brainstorming so much about Texas and many of your Ideas, and some were a bit close. Here are some things about Texas. Texas snow but rarely (It did once in 2011), and Texas do have deserts but we are not in a drought(that is actually California), another thing is that Texas actually isn’t all about guns and accents in fact most do not have Texan accents, also Texas actually isn’t all that hot sometimes it’s really cold one time it was below freezing point(in fact it is quite cold right now), oh and I almost forgot Austin is actually the Capitol, and also yes there are snakes and from what I heard Texas may Have the most posinous snakes in North America, and yes students who said Texas is in the southern part of U.S. You are right good job, and Ben you are right Jim Parson actor of Sheldon in Big Bang grew up in Huoston, Texas, oh yeah Owen nailed it you are right on almost everything the only thing is that Austin is the Capitol everything and no Texas doesn’t have a MLS team anyways great job,

  10. Hi Mrs. Smith! I am Hunter from Mrs. Kriese’s class. I am surprised to see how much you guys know about Texas. We don’t really have accents, but it is really hot here! I actually play soccer in the spring and fall. I live in Austin where it is green and there aren’t many farms, but in other parts of Texas it is dry and there is a lot of farmland. There are poisonous snakes in Texas. I had a rattlesnake and a coral snake in my yard just a few months ago. I think it’s really cool I can read other classes’ blogs from around the world. It’s interesting to see how our lives are similar and different in many ways.
    -Hunter
    http://edublogs.eanesisd.net/hunter8592021/

  11. Hi! I’m Milly. The rodeo and hog things are so true! And the farms!
    I LOVE rodeos! I go to a few every year! Also, my daddy says when I graduate college, I get 5 cows of my own! I want to be rancher when I grow up. 🙂
    The hogs overpopulate so many areas here, that you don’t even have to have a hunting license or permission. I love to hunt, and I’m trying to go hog hunting this year! I went deer hunting this fall, but we saw nothing. I love being a Texan, and I’m proud of it! Not many people in Austin like small town living, but I’m a small town girl. Well, I live on the very edge of the city, in the suburbs, but I want to move into the real country parts of Texas as soon as I graduate. I will let y’all know if I go hog hunting!
    http://edublogs.eanesisd.net/milayna8502021/
    Milly:)

  12. Hello Mrs. Smith’s class!
    I’m Tae-Kyung from Mrs. Kriese’s class. I looked at what others wrote, and I couldn’t stop laughing. In answer to the thoughts above:
    #1 We don’t say Y’all a lot. Some kids and teachers do, but it’s not every time. The accents aren’t that commonly used.
    #2 There aren’t many rattlesnakes in Austin, but we do have a lot of deer, scorpions, and silverfishes.
    #3 Ranches don’t dominate the area we live in. It’s mainly just buildings and suburban homes. There are cattle and farms every other place though.
    If you have any thoughts or questions come visit my blog.
    Link i down here.
    http://edublogs.eanesisd.net/tae-kyung9132021/
    Thanks.

  13. Hello

    Here some facts that I know about Texas is.

    1. The Alamo was the last outpost that wasn’t destroyed.

    2. Texas is the richest state in the United States

    3. Texas is the biggest state in the United States

    4. Texas has huge rodeo festivals

    5. Texas has the biggest ranches in the United States.

  14. Hello everyone

    I do not know much about Texas, but I definitely do know that it is the biggest state in United States (other than Alaska, of course). I also know that it is the home of many sports teams. I think that there are a lot of ranches there. They also wear cowboy boots. It seems like our two schools seem very different. Oh and the capital is Austin I think.

    -James

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