April 30, 2008

Homework:
None

Today:
Buzzword
We finished the quotations unit and took a brief, open-book assessment.
I handed the proverb pieces back to sections 6 and 7.

Tomorrow we will start our next unit: Scapegoats
(I have a general plan, but the springboard piece is "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street" which they read in reading class recently.)

April 29, 2008

Homework:
None

Today:
Buzzword
We are almost finished quotation marks. I will have a small assessment Thursday.
Grammar is a little boring, but it has to be done. They do not know all the rules.

We will start our next unit soon.

April 28, 2008

Homework:
None

Today:
Buzzword
Reviewed calendar
Continued to discuss quotation marks
Gave grade slips to sections 3,6,7

Sections 1 and 2 reviewed the grades I gave them for their proverb pieces. They will get grade slips tomorrow.

April 23, 2008

Homework:
Finish Unit 14
Grade slip must be signed

Today:
Buzzword
Vocab
Grammar

We are just plugging along. The goal is to finish the vocab book soon. I spaced the units out earlier in the year to place the emphasis on writing. Now I have time to focus on vocab and grammar while I finish grading the proverb papers.

For those students who are on the trip, I hope to post the work we are doing in class on my site. If not, I will have a copy of the grammar book pages for you when you come back. We will have an assessment for the quotations unit.

April 22, 2008

Homework:
Finish the synonyms
Choosing the Right Word unit 13
Get in the signed grade slip

Today:
Buzzword
Pictionaries on the board
Continued our discussion of using quotation marks. I will post the bookwork soon as a pdf.
I am grading the proverb discussion essays. I am reading them as extended responses.

April 21, 2008

Homework:
Pictionaries unit 14
Get the grade slip signed

Today:
Buzzword
Reviewed the schedule for the week
Listened to words for unit 14 vocab
Continued the lessons on quotation marks from grammar book

The goal for this week is to get the proverb pieces graded by Friday.
Students should have a notebook so they can keep the Buzzwords and grammar notes organized.

April 18, 2008

Homework:
None

Today:
Buzzword
Quiz 13
Quotes and Underlining in titles

The grade are updated, and slips will be handed out on Monday. Have a nice weekend.

Two more units to go in the vocab book!

April 17, 2008

Homework:
Quiz 13 Friday

Today:
Buzzword
Reviewed vocabulary
Made flashcards in 3,6,7
Studied for quiz

April 16, 2008

Homework:
Finish unit 13
Quiz on Friday

Today:
Buzzword
Lots of vocab
Began a short unit on the use of quotes.
I am finding that students are using quotes inconsistently on their proverb papers. I want to teach some lessons so they will understand the comments I make on their papers. I will post the worksheets as we do them. I will post the grammar rules as well.

April 15, 2008

Homework:
Choosing the right word unit 13
Section 3 must have a good draft of the proverb piece in tomorrow.

Today:
Buzzword (I will post soon)
Pictionaries on the board
Some students read their pieces to us as we sat at their feet.

I have a meeting to go to. No time to write more.

April 14, 2008

Homework:
Pictionaries 1-20 Unit 13
Good draft of the proverb piece due Tuesday

Today:
Buzzword
Spelling Notebook Quiz
Discussed words 1-20 Unit 13
Discussed sample proverb essay
Handed out grade slips to sections 1,2,3,6

I posted pictures of the proverb t-shirts. Check them out!

My proverb explanation

"Pride comes before a fall."

Pride is listed as one of the Seven Deadly Sins. When we think about the Seven Deadly Sins, though, we usually think about the extremes. However, there are some philosophies/theologies that see the inclination to do bad things as the beginning of doing something good. For example, gluttony is destructive when one eats to excess constantly. Obesity and health problems result. Yet, we do have a very strong desire to eat. Likewise, sloth is when someone has no motivation to do anything. The result is nothing gets done. Yet if we work hard, we have a strong desire to rest. It is the same way with pride. Pride motivates us to do a good job. A job well done feels good. However, the extremes of pride are arrogance and an insatiable quest for praise. Pride taken to its extreme is destructive. In other words, the Seven Deadly Sins contain both the good and the bad. The good happens when the inclination is controlled.

It’s like a car. The engine drives us, and the front wheels steer us. If the steering is weak, the car goes out of control. Remembering the proverb “Pride comes before a fall” is one way to keep those wheels pointed in the right direction. Left to my own devices, I will focus on increasing the power of the engine and forget that it is more important that my car goes in the right direction! When pride gets out of control, the results for me are a swelled head and sullen resentments. My arrogance will push people away, and I will not get the praise I feel I deserve. I recently became too prideful about my skills as a photographer.

Before spring break, I led the students through a unit on portraits. The final product of the lesson was a color portrait taken with professional lights and background. The results were wonderful. They were the best pictures I have ever taken of someone indoors! For the students, the experience was daunting, but the results were rewarding. After I showed them the results of our hard work and some students learned their pictures were among those I chose as the best, I felt satisfied. I had achieved my goals and produced some quality portraits for my students. My skill as a photographer produced nice results. I was proud of what I had accomplished.

But I wanted praise, not just the feeling of a job well done. But not enough came to satisfy my swelled ego. Only two parents thanked me by replying to my e-mail suggesting they view our results. I got one complaint which subsequently resulted in the removal of all the pictures from my website. And one student even demanded that I print out her pictures for free and complained that there were not enough pictures of her in the slideshow. Yet what happened to the satisfaction I felt when we had finished? It was swallowed up in the desire for more praise! Once again, pride comes before a fall, and I fell hard… again.

April 11, 2008

Homework:
Good draft of the proverb piece due Tuesday
Notebook Quiz on Monday- See spelling words on my website

Today:
Took Quiz 12
I took pictures of all the proverb t-shirts, and the students stood up and said their proverb. I will make a gallery of the shirts after I have finished cropping out the faces.
In most classes I read my example and discussed a possible outline. Most classes had time to read someone else's. Section 3 did not.

The basic outline is an introduction that states the proverb, an explanation of the proverb, and the anecdote that gives an example of the proverb in the student's life. I will post my piece when I finish proofreading it. I have a few changes to make.

I will be handing out grade slips on Monday. Have a nice weekend!

April 10, 2008

Homework:
Quiz 12 Friday
T-shirt with proverb due tomorrow. I will photograph them all and post the best on the assignment page. (I will ensure privacy but chopping heads off or blacking out the eyes.)
Rough draft of proverb explanation due

Today:
Last spelling list!
Discussed vocab
Sections 3,6,7 made flashcards
Gave the classes some time to write.

I should have my piece written by class time tomorrow as an example. I told the students I expect them to be able to teach us something tomorrow. We will sit on the floor as they tell us a proverb and explain its meaning to us. We should be so much wiser by the end of class!

The students were complaining about 500 words being too many. Honestly, I find 500 words limiting. I will grade their pieces based on how well they explain their proverb. The more detailed the answer the better. I do expect the pieces to have some flow to them. They should not be the answers to the questions placed one after another.

DuPont Challenge Winner from H.B.

Eighth grade student Claire Yang won the Junior Division of the DuPont Challenge, a nationwide contest that received thousands of entries. As you remember, I had all my students write essays for that writing contest in January. Even though none of my students won, I am still hoping for some honorable mentions. What really matters, though, is that a student from H.B. won! We have many outstanding students at our school! I am very blessed to be teaching at such a great school.

April 9, 2008

Homework:
Finish Unit 12
T-shirt due Friday
Written piece due Friday

Today:
Spelling
Reviewed vocabulary
Discussed the proverb card they submitted yesterday for approval.
Explained the written piece.

Here is the rough introduction I am using so far for my piece:

A student was wearing a t-shirt today that boldly asked, "Got Pride?" When I looked on the back I learned that the pride the shirt was asking about was for A.I. High School. If you went there, I guess the correct answer would be yes. But that's not how I read the shirt. I took the phrase as an excruciating condemnation. Yes! I have pride! And too many times in my life pride has been my biggest source of frustration and pain!

April 8, 2008

Homework:
Chosing the Right Word Unit 12
T-shirt due Friday
500 word piece

Today:
Spelling
Put the pictionaries on the Board
Did the Synonyms together
Handed out the requirements for the t-shirt and written piece
Students wrote their proverbs on index cards for comments by other students. I will review them before class tomorrow so we can have some discussion about the truth of their proverbs. Tomorrow I will give the students time to start writing their pieces. I will begin my own as well.

April 7, 2008

Homework:
Pictionaries 1-20 unit 12
Must have proverb for class discussion tomorrow.
T-shirt and written piece are due Friday

Today:
Spelling (notebook quiz on this next Monday)
Reviewed schedule for the week
Discussed words 1-20 unit 12
Continued our discussion of proverbs.
Here is the sheet I will give them Tuesday.

The proverb they chose must be...
1. Important to them
2. Meaningful enough that they think others should study it
3. Universally true, not just to one group of people
4. Appropriate

April 4, 2008

Homework:
Students should be finding a proverb that fits them.

Today:
Spelling
Vocab Quiz on Unit 11
Discussed proverbs.

Each section is at a different stage of the discussion. Basically we are discussing what a proverb is and what I expect them to chose. Today in section 1, we stumbled upon some proverbs that are really not worth discussing. (Reading the list would have helped, and I changed the list for the rest of the classes, but we did have to question the "wisdom" of some proverbs! -Live and learn. Hey, that's a proverb!) As a result, the lesson I began to teach in each class had to do with the audience of the proverb and the appropriateness of statements.

We will look at how some proverbs on the list were clearly aimed at teaching their own cultural group ideas they would find important. We discussed how the students' own proverbs can not be specific to one group of people. Their proverbs must have a universal truth. The wisdom must be something we can all agree is true and worth knowing.

April 3, 2008

Homework:
Study for the Unit 11 Quiz
Begin thinking about a proverb for the next writing piece

Today:
Spelling
Reviewed vocabulary
Sections 3,6,7 made flashcards in class
Sections 1 and 2 began our discussion of proverbs. You can see the handout here.

After too much struggle, the next writing assignment is finalized. The students will pick a proverb that is important to them and important enough to share with others. They will write the proverb on a t-shirt to be worn in class next Friday. They will write a 500 word piece explaining the relationships and/or life events that have helped them to understand the truth behind their proverb. The written piece will be shared with someone, whether it is for the whole class or in a small group.

Students should have their proverbs chosen by Monday. We will discuss each one to see if it is really worthy of proverb status. The proverb does not have to be famous, but the idea has to be universally true.

April 2, 2008

Homework:
Finish unit 11 in vocab

Today:
Spelling
Reviewed vocabulary
Continued to discuss the lessons from HSM2

After struggling to get a topic from the last song of the movie, I have decided on a shorter piece instead of a full blown essay. Just when I think I know how students will react to something I create, the first class I give it to always gives me a reality check. What I thought would be easy to write apparently was not. The proverbs from the song were not as easy for the students to explain as I thought they were. Many students did not know the characters and the story of the movie as well as I thought, even though we have studied all the songs throughout the year! So, with the feedback of one of my classes, I have decided upon the following project.

The students must find a quote that is important to them, one that represents how they understand or feel about how to live life right now. An example from the song is, "There's more to life when we listen to our hearts." The quote should also be one that they would be willing to wear on a t-shirt. I say this because t-shirt slogans are usually an outward expression of some inner idea that we want to proclaim to others. Therefore, the quote should be something they feel is relevant to how they feel about life yet important enough that others should read it and think about it.

The writing part of this will be a 500 word piece that explains why the quote is important to them. The enduring understanding for this month is, "Relationships and life lessons continually mold an individual's character." The piece should explain how relationships and/or life experiences have influences them to believe that this quote is an expression of how they feel about how to live life.

I am mulling over ways to publish the pieces. I would love to make actual t-shirts, even if they use markers and an old shirt. Maybe we could tape paper onto shirts for the period. Ideally, I would like to see them wearing the shirts around school. (Yeah. Like that will happen!)

The writers of the movie had some messages they wanted the viewers to go away with. As writers, we, too, want people to leave our pieces with a message. This assignment is pretty much just what message do you want to tell other people? There's no poem, song, or narrative. Just tell me what you understand in a short message. After that, explain to me why that short statement expresses how you see life and how you came to that understanding.

April 1, 2008

(Sorry. I did not get to enter this at the end of the day.)

Homework:
Choosing the Right Word unit 11

Today:
Spelling
Reviewed vocabulary
Watched the last song of High School Musical 2

The next writing prompt is almost done. I will post it on the website within the next day. It has been a little while since we have written an essay, so I want this last piece to be meaningful. The last song of the movie, however, contains very little meaning besides having a good rest of the summer for the characters in the movie. Because the last song is so shallow, I showed the end of the movie to get it over with. Now we can begin our last topic.

The song "Every Day" has many nuggets of wisdom in it. The characters have grown as a result of their experiences, and the song sums up what they have learned. The last piece we will write will be a discussion of one of those nuggets. We will explain one of the lyrics from the song and discuss what it means for the characters and what it means to us. We will give examples from the movie, our lives, and other sources that support why we agree with the lyric. Basically, the essay will be explaining a statement we can use to explain how we live our lives. Here is an example: "No matter where we're going, it starts from where we are."