January 7, 2010

Homework:
None

Today:
Yes, we watched Dirty Jobs!  The ant unit is over, and we are starting a creative writing unit on science fiction.  To start the kids thinking, I thought we would start with an old technology before we study new technologies.  The video is on making velum, or parchment, which is made from animal skin.  It is the material used by people hundreds of years ago for documents.  We are so used to paper, but I want the kids to understand that we didn't always use paper as the medium for storing information. 

Next, I will have the students brainstorm the future of information transmittal and storage.  I want to model how the students should start thinking of a topic for their next piece, which will be a piece of fiction.  I want that piece to include some future technology.  Ideally, just as science fiction stories do, I would like their pieces to comment on or reflect on the problems we have today and how technology can be a solution.  I am still thinking of where I want this to go.  I am very excited to begin this because it is something I have not done before.  We will read lots of examples of fiction from Teen Ink.  I will discuss this more as the unit progresses.

Oh... I had said that the honors classes were going to enter the DuPont Challenge.  I have decide that the honors students have researched enough this year.  They wrote a research paper for Science, and they also wrote a persuasive essay for the ant debate.  Both papers were research heavy, and I don't want the creative writers in my honors classes missing out on the chance to shine.