November 30, 2007

Homework:
None

Today:
No Daily Drill
Reviewed Completing the Sentence
Photography Friday
Continued subject/verb agreement exercise

I plan to begin grading the love essays next week. I am reading some right now to get a feel for them. I am very impressed with the essays from section 1! I hope to have students reading some samples next week.

We should be finishing the subject verb agreement this coming week. Have a nice weekend.

November 29, 2007

Homework:
Completing the Sentence Unit 5
(Must highlight the context clues.)

Today:
Buzzword
Reviewed vocabulary
Continued lessons on subject/verb agreement.

Sample sentences we are looking at:
1. All of my friends has/have had the chicken pox.
2. Everyone at the party likes/like the cottage cheese and vegetable dip.
3. Both of Fred’s brothers celebrates/celebrate their birthdays in July.

We are getting there. Some classes are progressing faster than others. But I am satisfied. The hardest part for some of the students is keeping track of the sheet they must bring to class every day! :)

November 28, 2007

Homework:
Choosing the right word
(I am requiring them to highlight the context clues.)

Today:
Buzzword
Put pictionaries on the board
Reviewed synonyms
Continued with our discussion of sub/verb agreement

Today's lesson in grammar is hard for students. Look at the following sentence:

The silence in the halls is unusual.

The verb is "is." Students can find that. The problem happens when they try to find the subject. There subject is NOT in the prepositional phrase, in the halls. The subject is silence. Here is another:

The chimes in the tower play every hour.

The verb is play, but the subject is chimes, not tower. Students will say the verb is "plays" because they think the subject is tower.

November 27, 2007

Homework:
11-20 pictionaries and synonyms unit 5

Today:
Buzzword
Listened to words 11-20 unit 5
Began subject/verb agreement lessons
Made time to check off make-up work from yesterday's grade slips

We took a little diagnostic test on subject/verb agreement. Most students got 7/10. They have room for improvement. I plan to do the exercises fast. This will not be an in-depth study. I want to expose them to the rules and move on. I will test them, though.

November 26, 2007

Homework:
Pictionaries 1-10 unit 5

Today:
Buzzword
Discussed the schedule for the week
I handed out grade slips (They did not have to be signed.)
We listened to words 1-10 unit 5
We began watching a video on grammar pitfalls.

Since the love essays are going to take so much time to grade, I have decided not to assign a new writing topic until I have graded them. I think most of December will be spent studying grammar, vocab, and applying what we are learning in short writing assignments. I plan to teach the most commons errors I notice in their writing. We will be taking notes and doing exercises from a grammar book. All the work will be done in class. I will keep a quick pace, trying to cover many subjects, but not getting into too much depth.

November 20, 2007

Homework:
Be sure the essay is ready for Monday

Today:
We took quiz 4.
No daily drill.
In most classes we played a game using the dictionary.

Have a nice Thanksgiving.

November 19, 2007

Homework:
Flashcards sections 3,6,7
Quiz unit 4
The love essay can be turned in after the break.

Today:
Daily drill
Read samples essays
Discussed how to make a bibliography

I used today to show students what they can think about when they revise their essays. We looked at two essays today. One would score a D because he did not have all the required information. The other essay would score a B-. She had all the required topics, but there was room for improvement. We discussed how each essay could be improved. I told them to bring their essays tomorrow so we could look at theirs closer.

I also showed them how to make a bibliography. I gave them a sheet that had a sample bibliography and marks explaining the required information. I also took them through www.easybib.com . This site make creating a bibliography simple. You just fill in the boxes, and the site creates the page for you. It even alphabetizes it!

I want to begin organizing grades tomorrow. I am backlogged. I probably won't have a grade update before the break.

November 16, 2007

Homework:
The good draft of the love essay is due Monday
Quiz on unit 4 Tuesday

Today:
Daily Drill
Reviewed the vocab homework
We looked at the Week in Pictures on MSNBC.com quickly
I had one last discussion about the organization of the love essay. I told the students that it would be impossible to put all the information into an essay. They need to choose what would sound best.
I gave some work time.

I must say that I am a little worried about the students getting their good drafts done for Monday. I tried very hard to keep them on track this week. I made suggestions so they would have the best chance at a good essay. Many students, it seems, are just waiting until Sunday night to write their essays. We will see on Monday how this all works out! Having the draft done on-time is a grade.

I have finally finished grading all the adversity essays. I will write my love essay after I have compiled the first grade update for the second marking period. The update will probably be given out after the break. I will try to get it done as soon as possible. Grading essays backs me up.

November 15, 2007

Homework:
Finish unit 4 vocab unit
I suggested that students be done writing half of their love essay for tomorrow.

Today:
We discussed using commas in compound sentences.
We reviewed the answers to the choosing the right word.

I will try to quickly summarize what I told the students the love essay should sound like. It should start off with one of the six introductions we have discussed so far. The intro should state something about the fact that we were studying the song from HSM2, and the teacher told them they have to write an essay on love. For 3/4 of the paper, then, I think they should be taking the reader through the many definitions and ideas about love that they have learned. I suggested they organize all the details from the chart into paragraphs, either by row or by column. I had them take the info straight off of the chart and make an outline. From the outline, they have to figure out the smoothest way to present all the info.

The most important paragraph of the paper will be the second to last. After they have listed the numerous ideas about love, it is now time for them to say what they think love is. The paragraph will bring the important ideas from above together into THEIR own view of love. Maybe their view will be none of what was written above! Then they will write a conclusion.

The good draft is due Monday. I told the kids this essay will be a lot of work. I hope they step up and get it done on-time! I have led them step by step through this. There are no excuses for not knowing what to do.

November 14, 2007

Homework:
Choosing the right word
Make an outline for the love essay

Today:
I only saw sections 1,2, and 3 because of testing. Section 3 started their outlines. I will have them work on the outline more in class tomorrow. I asked sections 1 and 2 to have an outline ready for tomorrow's class. There are many things I need to teach for this essay; however, the students are still responsible for the essay on Monday. I hope they are writing at home!

November 13, 2007

Homework:
1-20 Pictionaries and Synonyms unit 4
Make an outline for love essay

Today:
Listened to unit 4 words
daily drill on compound sentences
Discussed how to organize the essay (group by columns or by rows)
Discussed the upcoming schedule (I will post it on-line soon)

Essay Due Monday.
Final Draft due Tuesday.
Quiz 4 Next Tuesday.

(Sorry. I have no time for today's entry.)

November 9, 2007

Homework:
All research is due Tuesday, Nov. 13.
The chart must be completed.

Today:
We were in the computer lab. These are the activities I wanted them to work on.

Have a nice weekend. I am hoping to get a lot of grading done. One set of essays takes about 20 hours to grade. That is a lot of time to find in the normal workday when you still have to plan.

November 8, 2007

Homework:
Continue to research love!

Today:
We took quiz 3.
We discussed different types of love by looking at the way love is presented in song lyrics. A thought came to mind as we saw so many variations on love: is there a universal love, a single love? Just because everyone has their own definition of love, can everyone be right? Is love only what we think it is? I don't know. I am going to explore that some more and ask around.

Tomorrow we will be on the computers. We will get quotes and research the topic some more. All the research should be done by Tuesday. I would like to spend next week organizing all the data they have accumulated. I am still shooting for Nov. 20th as the due date. That should be tight!

November 7, 2007

Homework:
Sections 3,6,7 Flashcards
Study for Unit 3 Quiz
Bring in song lyrics about love

Today:
We are almost finished discussing the song "You Are the Music in Me." Today we discussed the song by putting the lyrics into the appropriate column in a chart. This chart should be use for all the research for the next paper. I told the students that they should bring a lot of data on Tuesday, when the chart is due. This way they will have something to write about.

In our discussions, we really focused on how you know you are in love. We made a checklist of sorts from the chart. If you recognize these things happening, you might be in love! We also discussed the different stages they will go through. We agreed that the first love they know is that of family love. Eventually children leave their parents for a mate. Between family love and marriage love are lots of stages. There is "liking" someone. Then there is "puppy love." Next is a more real love. And I am not sure if Troy and Gabriella are in the real love stage or the next stage above that. There is romance in the song. No class really nailed down exactly what stage comes after real love. Being 38, married for 15 years, and having two children, I know love has more stages that what I knew in high school!

November 6, 2007

IMPORTANT:
www.mrboz.com is now located at http://web.mac.com/bozmd/MrBoZ/Main.html. Refresh your browser window if you are not automatically redirected from the original location.

Homework:
Finish Unit 3
Research the questions from the love prompt
Bring song lyrics on Thursday

Today:
We began discussing these questions as they relate to the performances of "You Are the Music in Me" in HSM2 (about love): What is it? What does it look like? What does it feel like? How do we recognize it? Are there different types of love? We began by examining the color coding of the lyrics. They saw that Sharpay's version is sung mostly by here while the other version has many people singing. Then we began with the idea that if love is a grape, the Troy and Gabrielle version is big a juicy, while the Sharpay and Troy version is like a raisin. The love that fills the first song is sort of dried up or sucked out in the Sharpay version. We watched the videos muted and observed what love looks like. In some classes we started looking at the imagery in the song: "And like a common thread/hmm, you're pulling me." We also started discussing how there are different types of love.

This is a research project. I am requiring students to gather as many viewpoints of love as possible. If I just wanted an essay on what they know, I would sit them down and have them pump out an essay from their heads. I want them to explore the topic itself! I want the students to grow as a result of writing the essay. I am excited to write mine!

November 5, 2007

Homework:
Completing the Sentence unit 3
Finish color-coding the lyrics for "You Are The Music in Me"
begin researching the next writing topic

Today:
Today was fun! We began the next unit by listening to the lyrics of the song "You Are The Music in Me." The Troy and Gabrielle version is a mixture of voices, while the Sharpay and Troy version is mostly just her. We will discuss why the two songs are so different tomorrow. The discussion will be one of many on the next topic, love.

If you are interested, you can check out the next writing topic here. When I discussed the topic with another teacher, she wondered how much kids this age will know about love. She even wondered if what they know is correct. I said that it didn't matter what they know; I want the essay to be about just that! Over the course of this week, we will be exploring the topic. Also, as the students do their research on the topic, they will discover different views of love. In the end, the students will be defining what love means to them. I think it is a very worthwhile assignment. The boys did not seem to keen about writing on it; however, love is not just a feminine emotion. We all feel love. It is what makes us human.

November 2, 2007

Homework:
None

Today:
**MrBoZ.com is being revised and moved. The new site will be located here for a while. You can listen to the vocab recordings from there.**

We reviewed the Choosing the Right Word from the vocab book.

Today's Photography Friday focused on making a choice. After looking at each picture, the students divided into groups based on the picture they chose. This way they could answer the questions together and see why each person chose that picture. Since there were 12 pictures to choose from, being together with someone else who chose your same picture should have been interesting. Not many chose the picture I liked. I found that curious. The objective behind this activity is to teach students to be aware of their thoughts as they view photography as art. We discuss the intentions of the photographer as well. The whole exercise involves reflective, critical thinking.

I believe students' writing suffers, not from a weakness in organizing their thoughts, but from a lack of deep thought about a topic. If you get a child talking about a topic that interests them, he can go on and on. I find students don't know how to explore a topic deep enough to really have something intelligent to say. That is why my writing topics are so different from the typical writing prompt. Those prompts are so boring! I would like to think I am teaching students how to explore those plain topics and make them interesting. I am teaching the students how to think, not just how to write. We don't always appreciate an artist for his ability. Many times we admire how he has thought about life and how he presents it to us. I am teaching appreciation: for writing, photography, and for life. "The unexamined life is not worth living."-Socrates Furthermore, I would say the unexamined life is not worth writing about!

November 1, 2007

Homework:
Choosing the right word unit 2
(Context clues must be highlighted)

Today:
I had the students copy a few comma rules into their notebooks. We will discuss them in the next few daily drills.

We listened to the recordings from the other day. I will post them soon. I discussed how we can improve them for next time. In general, I don't think the students knew what to expect when they recorded. Now they do. I think the next recording will be better.

We played pictionary with the unit 2 words.

My first marking period grades are done. In the past, I would e-mail them out to parents, but I can't do that right now. I am also beginning to grade the adversity essays. We will start our new writing topic on Monday. It will be on love. The students will research what love means to them and others. The paper will gather the findings together into a thoughtful paper. It should be interesting!