Section 6 should have a rough draft for Tuesday.
Section 2 can be working on their written piece due at the end of next week. The piece is explained on the Ant Debate page on MrBoZ.com.
Section 7 just finished their debates today. I will introduce the essay to them next week. No deadline yet.
Section 3 handed in their essays this week, but I have not be able to get to them yet. I will grade them next week.
Section 1 is STILL doing debates. I have not assigned the written piece, but it is at the bottom of the Ant Debate page if you are interested.
I will have grades updated by Wednesday of next week. I will give them to the students.
Have a nice weekend.
-MrBoZ
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
January 29, 2009
Quick-
All classes have a vocab quiz Friday.
Sections 3 made flashcards in class today.
Sections 6, and 7 should have their flascards tomorrow.
I told section 6 that a good rough draft is due Tuesday of the essay I assigned.
Each class is on a different schedule.
All classes have a vocab quiz Friday.
Sections 3 made flashcards in class today.
Sections 6, and 7 should have their flascards tomorrow.
I told section 6 that a good rough draft is due Tuesday of the essay I assigned.
Each class is on a different schedule.
Monday, January 26, 2009
January 26, 2009
Homework
All:
Completing the Sentence
Be ready for debates.
Today
Pretty much the same as what we have been doing: vocab and debates.
As classes wrap up the debates, I will be assigning an essay. Section 3 students have already written theirs. We will be moving into a grammar unit on sentence structure after the essays are written.
All:
Completing the Sentence
Be ready for debates.
Today
Pretty much the same as what we have been doing: vocab and debates.
As classes wrap up the debates, I will be assigning an essay. Section 3 students have already written theirs. We will be moving into a grammar unit on sentence structure after the essays are written.
Friday, January 23, 2009
January 23, 2009
Have a nice weekend. The students should be prepared for their debates if they did not go yet.
Next week I will officially assign the writing piece for the ant debate. Sections 1 and 2 will do something different from sections 6 and 7.
Sections 6 and 7 will write a 5 paragraph essay. I will explain this to the students next week. The students will be required to include details from The Ant Bully movie, Hey, Little Ant, and details from their research. They will have a bibliography as well. The essay will be due February 3.
Sections 1 and 2 will have their piece due February 3 as well... as far as I can see now.
Next week I will officially assign the writing piece for the ant debate. Sections 1 and 2 will do something different from sections 6 and 7.
Sections 6 and 7 will write a 5 paragraph essay. I will explain this to the students next week. The students will be required to include details from The Ant Bully movie, Hey, Little Ant, and details from their research. They will have a bibliography as well. The essay will be due February 3.
Sections 1 and 2 will have their piece due February 3 as well... as far as I can see now.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
January 22, 2009
Homework:
All classes have Choosing the Right Word for homework.
Students presenting in the debates should be prepared to go.
Section 3 students should have their essays ready to hand in tomorrow,
Special Notice for Sections 1 and 2 students:
Please be sure you have submitted your DuPont Challenge essays. You can't win if you don't submit.
Also, Mrs. Eros would like students to give her the revised plays so they can be performed in the spring. She needs them as soon as possible.
Today:
We reviewed the vocab and continued the debates. Throughout the debate I am stressing how students need to explain what they mean. It is not enough to say that the boy should squish the ant because there are plenty of others. What does that mean? The way students earn points is meant to be an incentive to say more. I also showed the academic classes an example of what proper explanation looks like.
I will start posting the winners on my website.
All classes have Choosing the Right Word for homework.
Students presenting in the debates should be prepared to go.
Section 3 students should have their essays ready to hand in tomorrow,
Special Notice for Sections 1 and 2 students:
Please be sure you have submitted your DuPont Challenge essays. You can't win if you don't submit.
Also, Mrs. Eros would like students to give her the revised plays so they can be performed in the spring. She needs them as soon as possible.
Today:
We reviewed the vocab and continued the debates. Throughout the debate I am stressing how students need to explain what they mean. It is not enough to say that the boy should squish the ant because there are plenty of others. What does that mean? The way students earn points is meant to be an incentive to say more. I also showed the academic classes an example of what proper explanation looks like.
I will start posting the winners on my website.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
January 20, 2009
Homework
All:
Pictionaries 1-10 (Sections 3,6,7 are on unit 7.)
Students should be prepared for their debates.
Today
All:
Each day this week we will be be starting the class with vocabulary. Then we will have debates. This will continue until we are done. Section 1 did not get to start their debates. We watched the Inauguration. (That's unfortunate because they are such a large class, and we need all the time we can get!)
I hope the students realize now how much they need to be prepared for their debates! They have to earn their grades! There are no gifts!
All:
Pictionaries 1-10 (Sections 3,6,7 are on unit 7.)
Students should be prepared for their debates.
Today
All:
Each day this week we will be be starting the class with vocabulary. Then we will have debates. This will continue until we are done. Section 1 did not get to start their debates. We watched the Inauguration. (That's unfortunate because they are such a large class, and we need all the time we can get!)
I hope the students realize now how much they need to be prepared for their debates! They have to earn their grades! There are no gifts!
Friday, January 16, 2009
January 16, 2009
Debates start Monday! Those students in the first four groups in each class should be prepared to present. Please see the Ant Debate page on www.MrBoZ.com.
Have a nice weekend! Grades are updated for sections 1, 2, and 3.
Have a nice weekend! Grades are updated for sections 1, 2, and 3.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
January 14, 2009
Homework
All:
Vocab quiz tomorrow
Keep researching for the ant debate
Figure out your strategy for winning the debate
Today:
Sections 1 and 2
I handed back the DuPont Challenge essays and explained how I would like some of them to sumbit. Not all were up to the standards of the essay contest, however. That's ok. Almost every one of the essays showed how hard the students worked. I was pleased. The submissions are due by January 31. I will be notified when a student submits.
Sections 6 and 7
I explained the way they will be scored for the ant debate. They will need to develop a strategy for winning. I showed them that they must write an introduction and a conclusion just as they would for an essay. They can also earn points for eye contact and having a visual. Furthermore, only the winner will get an A, even if both participants earned enough points to get an A! That's the inspiration to win!
Section 3
We made flashcards and started the brainstorming for the ant debate essay. I will have the students write the essay before we start the debate. This way I know they will be prepared. For the essay, students can take either side. For the debate, the students must argue for the position I assigned to them.
All:
Vocab quiz tomorrow
Keep researching for the ant debate
Figure out your strategy for winning the debate
Today:
Sections 1 and 2
I handed back the DuPont Challenge essays and explained how I would like some of them to sumbit. Not all were up to the standards of the essay contest, however. That's ok. Almost every one of the essays showed how hard the students worked. I was pleased. The submissions are due by January 31. I will be notified when a student submits.
Sections 6 and 7
I explained the way they will be scored for the ant debate. They will need to develop a strategy for winning. I showed them that they must write an introduction and a conclusion just as they would for an essay. They can also earn points for eye contact and having a visual. Furthermore, only the winner will get an A, even if both participants earned enough points to get an A! That's the inspiration to win!
Section 3
We made flashcards and started the brainstorming for the ant debate essay. I will have the students write the essay before we start the debate. This way I know they will be prepared. For the essay, students can take either side. For the debate, the students must argue for the position I assigned to them.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
January 13, 2009
Homework
All:
Finish the unit
Prepare for the quiz on Thursday
Continue organizing details for the ant debate
Today
All:
Daily Drill
Reviewed Completing the Sentence
Today we discussed the idea of artificial means of persuasion, the idea that there are ways to influence someone to see your point of view that do not use logic and reason. These techniques are used by advertisers where, many times, there is no good reason to purchase their brand over another: bandwagon, bribery, fear, flattery, lie, maybe, repetition, and scientific evidence. In the story we read, Earrings, by Judith Viorst, the parents and the girl present very few logical reasons why she should or should not get earrings. The goal for tomorrow, then, is to write something where one side argues logically for their position. This activity always proves to be interesting!
All:
Finish the unit
Prepare for the quiz on Thursday
Continue organizing details for the ant debate
Today
All:
Daily Drill
Reviewed Completing the Sentence
Today we discussed the idea of artificial means of persuasion, the idea that there are ways to influence someone to see your point of view that do not use logic and reason. These techniques are used by advertisers where, many times, there is no good reason to purchase their brand over another: bandwagon, bribery, fear, flattery, lie, maybe, repetition, and scientific evidence. In the story we read, Earrings, by Judith Viorst, the parents and the girl present very few logical reasons why she should or should not get earrings. The goal for tomorrow, then, is to write something where one side argues logically for their position. This activity always proves to be interesting!
Monday, January 12, 2009
January 12, 2009
(Full moon today?)
Homework:
Completing the Sentence (all classes)
Continue to organize your points for your ant debate
Debates begin next Tuesday, January 20
Today:
Daily Drill
Reviewed the calendar for the week
Reviewed vocab unit we are currently on, reviewed answers to the choosing, and started the completing.
We read a story called "Earrings" by Judith Viorst. In the story (a picture book for children), the girl is arguing with her parents to get earrings. We will go through each of her reasons and the parents' reasons and discuss how good their reasons are. Many of them are opinions. Many of the reasons are just plain lame! This is preparation for the debates. I want the students to get into a critical mindset where they think about rebuttals for every argument.
Homework:
Completing the Sentence (all classes)
Continue to organize your points for your ant debate
Debates begin next Tuesday, January 20
Today:
Daily Drill
Reviewed the calendar for the week
Reviewed vocab unit we are currently on, reviewed answers to the choosing, and started the completing.
We read a story called "Earrings" by Judith Viorst. In the story (a picture book for children), the girl is arguing with her parents to get earrings. We will go through each of her reasons and the parents' reasons and discuss how good their reasons are. Many of them are opinions. Many of the reasons are just plain lame! This is preparation for the debates. I want the students to get into a critical mindset where they think about rebuttals for every argument.
Friday, January 09, 2009
January 9, 2009
On Monday, I expect the students to come to class with all their research for the ant debates completed. I told them they should have two columns that list the reasons why the boy should squish the ant and why the boy should not squish the ant. These reasons are from the research.
They should also have a bibliography of their sources. They were taught how to do this in Science when they did their genetic reports. This is not the final bibliography. I just want them to know that writing down the source information is important.
Next week I will get the students focusing on how to argue. I need the squishers to pay close attention because they have the toughest job. However, I made some links on my web page. I will also share how they will be scored during the debate so they can create a strategy for winning. The winner is not always the one who talks the longest. I will be teaching students how to discern if the arguments presented are actually good. They don't get points whenever they open their mouths.
By the end of these debates, the students should have more than enough information to write a killer persuasive paper.
They should also have a bibliography of their sources. They were taught how to do this in Science when they did their genetic reports. This is not the final bibliography. I just want them to know that writing down the source information is important.
Next week I will get the students focusing on how to argue. I need the squishers to pay close attention because they have the toughest job. However, I made some links on my web page. I will also share how they will be scored during the debate so they can create a strategy for winning. The winner is not always the one who talks the longest. I will be teaching students how to discern if the arguments presented are actually good. They don't get points whenever they open their mouths.
By the end of these debates, the students should have more than enough information to write a killer persuasive paper.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
January 7, 2009
Homework:
Sections 1 and 2: Choosing the Right Word unit 7
Sections 6 and 7: Chossing the Right Word unit 6
All classes should be researching for the ant debate each night.
The research and bibliography are due on Monday.
Today
All:
Daily Drill
Checked and reviewed pictionaries and synonyms
Started choosing highlighting the context clues
We finished the article on the cow killer ant. We determined that the ant in the story is NOT a cow killer. If it were, the boy might have some good reasons to kill it. However, even if it were a cow killer, we still think the boy should not kill it because the cow killer will only sting if it is attacked.
Since our ant is not a cow killer ant, we need to determine what type of ant it is. Determining what type of ant it is MIGHT help in the debate because we can explain what the ant was doing in the story. Over the next two days in the library, I hope the students gather facts about ants that will support their position.
Sections 1 and 2: Choosing the Right Word unit 7
Sections 6 and 7: Chossing the Right Word unit 6
All classes should be researching for the ant debate each night.
The research and bibliography are due on Monday.
Today
All:
Daily Drill
Checked and reviewed pictionaries and synonyms
Started choosing highlighting the context clues
We finished the article on the cow killer ant. We determined that the ant in the story is NOT a cow killer. If it were, the boy might have some good reasons to kill it. However, even if it were a cow killer, we still think the boy should not kill it because the cow killer will only sting if it is attacked.
Since our ant is not a cow killer ant, we need to determine what type of ant it is. Determining what type of ant it is MIGHT help in the debate because we can explain what the ant was doing in the story. Over the next two days in the library, I hope the students gather facts about ants that will support their position.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
January 6, 2009
Homework:
Sections 1 and 2: Pictionaries and Synonyms unit 7
Sections 6 and 7: Pictionaries and Synonyms unit 6
Today:
Daily Drill
Finished reviewing the words for the current vocab unit
We began discussing an article on the cow killer ant. The article should provide good discussion on how to support a position using information from an article. I think the article supports the non-squishers the best, but with a little twisting, I think the squishers could also use the information to defend their position. This exercise is used to prepare them for their time in the library on Thursday and Friday.
We also practiced how to write a bibliography entry. Whenever they take one note, they must write down the bibliography entry. I will expect the students to have a list of their sources and all of their information ready for Monday, January 12.
Sections 1 and 2: Pictionaries and Synonyms unit 7
Sections 6 and 7: Pictionaries and Synonyms unit 6
Today:
Daily Drill
Finished reviewing the words for the current vocab unit
We began discussing an article on the cow killer ant. The article should provide good discussion on how to support a position using information from an article. I think the article supports the non-squishers the best, but with a little twisting, I think the squishers could also use the information to defend their position. This exercise is used to prepare them for their time in the library on Thursday and Friday.
We also practiced how to write a bibliography entry. Whenever they take one note, they must write down the bibliography entry. I will expect the students to have a list of their sources and all of their information ready for Monday, January 12.
Monday, January 05, 2009
January 5, 2009
All classes:
We are starting the research for the ant debate. All classes have research due next Monday. I am going to give the students some time to research on Thursday and Friday of this week in the library, but that will not be enough time! The students need to remember that to win a debate, they will need to be well prepared to defend their position. If they have nothing to say, they will have a tough time winning!
Homework:
All classes should be researching for the ant debate.
Sections 1 and 2 have pictionaries for unit 7
Sections 6 and 7 have pictionaries for unit 6
We are starting the research for the ant debate. All classes have research due next Monday. I am going to give the students some time to research on Thursday and Friday of this week in the library, but that will not be enough time! The students need to remember that to win a debate, they will need to be well prepared to defend their position. If they have nothing to say, they will have a tough time winning!
Homework:
All classes should be researching for the ant debate.
Sections 1 and 2 have pictionaries for unit 7
Sections 6 and 7 have pictionaries for unit 6
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