More recordings are on my website.

My goal is to finish all the recordings on Monday, if possible. 

Check this page to see if your child has made his/her recording.


I just got to the recordings today because I have been a little busy.  I went to the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear on Saturday.  I left at 6:00 a.m. and got home at 8:00 p.m..  It was awesome... if you are a fan of the two shows and/or you share their views on politics and the media.  If you went, send me an e-mail.

Grade slips were given to sections 3,4,5, and HB

I gave out grade slips to show the students approximately what they are getting for the first marking period.  I only have to add the score for the recording of the narrative.  I might get to grade a class or two's set of narrative essays by the end of the marking period.  I might just have to use the essay grades for the second marking period.

We are continuing to record our narratives. Feel free to check out the collection of recordings as it grows.  I will try to update the page daily if possible.  (Friday's might have to wait a little.  I will be a little busy this weekend.   I will be attending John Stewart's and Stephen Colbert's rallies on Saturday.)

We have begun recording the narratives.

For an awesome example, please see my classroom web page. Click on Delaney D.'s audio file on the right with the picture of a storm.  I was "blown away" by her writing talent.

Students should be practicing for their recordings.
I will update grades soon. 

I will also be posting some more awesome examples.

Eventually, I will make a page that has ALL of the recordings so you can listen to your child.

The good draft is due tomorrow! Be prepared to record!

The final draft of the essay is due tomorrow.  We practiced proofreading skills today.

I saw sections 3, 4, and HB today.  (We had testing in 5 and 6.)
I had the students practice recording using the microphone.  It is not as easy as you would think.  The students don't like to project their voices.  They try to rely on the mic.  So I kept urging them to speak up.  I told them I would do that twice and then stop when they record their piece over the next few days.

I am grading the oral presentation (25 points).  Most students will get B's.  To get an A, the student must have a good pace, yet pause as needed.  The voice has to be loud enough and clear.  But mostly, they have to sound real, like they are telling us a story.  I urged the students to practice reading to someone at home.  Maybe that person could sit across the room or down the hall to get the reader to raise his/her voice.

Here are the practice ones we did today if you are interested. 
(Maybe your child could point out which one is his/hers.)
Section 3  
Section 4   
Section HB

No vocabulary this week.

The final draft of the narrative essay is due Wednesday.  I spent today discussing the rubric I will use to score their pieces.  We also discussed punctuating dialogue.  We did some proofreading practice as well.

I would like all students to revise their papers tonight so we can get one more opportunity to fix the paper before it is due.

Here are the note I discussed today:

The goal for today is to be ready for Wednesday’s reading.

Focus on content and organization
Read your story aloud.
How does it flow?
Listener, can you follow the story?
Does it have a clear lesson learned?
Listener, what do you want to know more about?

Grammar
Spelling is usually not a problem.
Frequently confused words: there/they’re, etc.
Punctuating dialogue

John said, “I want to leave now.”
“I was wondering,” said Bill, “who will win the game.”
“I don’t really care who wins the game!”

When a new speaker begins, there is a new paragraph.

There is no vocabulary this week. We will not have time.
Upcoming grades: Rough narrative ready 5 points, Good narrative in on-time= 25 points, Read narrative to the class= 25 points if well read.

How to improve your narrative

Homework:
Narrative due Wednesday (But I would get it done earlier!)

Today:
What can you do to improve your piece?

Outline the basic events in order.
        1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th
        Do you have the basic story down?

Can you add sensory details?
Highlight 5 senses in yellow.
        Taste, feeling, hearing, seeing, smelling

Can you add any thoughts?
        Highlight your thoughts in blue.
         Do you have thoughts of when you were
            going through the event?
        Do you have thoughts now that you are
            older looking back at the event?

Does your piece have an overall purpose?
       Why are you telling us this story?

Could you include any dialogue?
      What exactly did someone say?
       It brings the people in the story alive.

Crafting a narrative continues.

Homework:
I gave students the option to take the Unit 3 quiz open book.  However, if they do, they can only earn a maximum of 85%, even if they get 100%.  The other option is to take the test normally.  Then they can earn 100%.

Students should be working on their narratives at home.  I suggest they finish a draft as soon as possible so they can get help revising.  I have finished mine.  It is 1400 words.  I am having some teachers read it to see if they can follow it.  I hope they are harsh.  I don't want to confuse people.

Today:
I discussed the idea of sea and mountain.  A narrative is where the writer is standing on the mountain observing how the event fits into the larger picture of his life.  For example, there was a poem I read to 500 people when I was a senior in high school.  Now that I am 41, I am on a mountain looking back at that moment.  From my vantage point, I see how that moment influenced me.  I loved the excitement of reading in front of people. 

Here is a rough outline of how I could tell the story.

Event: Read a poem at a graduation ceremony.

Lesson Learned: What I say can be heard by many. People like what I say.

Outline the basic events of your moment:
Before the event
         Liked to write poetry
         Wrote for fun and friends
         Somehow I volunteered to be part of event coordinating
         The idea for a poem came to my mind.
         Showed the poem to the teacher organizing event.
        He thought it would be nice to include
        (I even designed the cover of the program)

During the Event
        Sat on stage.
        500 people- Mom, Dad, girlfriend, family (Dad almost didn’t show.)
        Nervous, but did it. I have the picture Dad took.

Thoughts right after event
       I loved it!
      Appreciated the praise, but also amazed that 500 people heard my message!

Thoughts NOW on the event and why it matters
      I am sure this is one reason I love to be on stage and write.
      This is me on the mountain explaining why that event matters to me now.

Crafting a narrative

Homework:
Work on the narrative essay.
Study for the Unit 3 quiz. Be finished the whole unit.
Check updated grades online.

Today:
I discussed what a narrative is and what a narrative is not. First, a narrative is not a list of all the events of the moment in order. That is called a “bed to bed.” Yes, the events in the narrative can be in order, but a narrative is crafted.

Then I talked about crafting. One way to craft the telling of the story is to add sensory details. At moments, slow down and describe. Allow the reader to really sense the setting.

I also mentioned playing with time. Not every moment gets the same weight. Slow down some time and skip past others. Explode a moment like slow motion.

I also talked a little bit about flashbacks. My story is about a two minute event. However, I wrote 1300 words. During the event, I go back and explain why my event had so much importance to me. Then I come back and finish the original story.

Below is an example of the first step of planning a narrative that I will expand.

Event
Read a poem at a graduation ceremony.

Lesson Learned
What I say can be heard by many. People like what I say.

Outline the basic events of your moment:
Liked to write poetry
Wrote for fun and friends
Somehow I volunteered to be part of event coordinating
The idea for a poem came to my mind.
Showed the poem to the teacher organizing event.
He thought it would be nice to include
(I even designed the cover of the program)
Sat on stage.
500 people- Mom, Dad, girlfriend, family (Dad almost didn’t show.)
Nervous, but did it. I have the picture Dad took.
I loved it!
Appreciated the praise, but also amazed that 500 people heard my message!

Over the next few days, I will add snapshots, thoughtshots, and play with time to craft this narrative.

We have begun our narrative piece!

Homework:
Completing the Sentence Unit 3
Quiz on Unit 3 on Thursday
The narrative is due October 27ish

Today:
I reviewed the basic structure of a narrative.  I explained that they start with a hook, an interesting introduction that grabs the reader.  Then the piece goes through the event that is being discussed.  It ends with some sort of reflection.  A narrative is not just retelling a moment.  A narrative is more about the writer leading us through the event and the effect the event had on him.  I will discuss narrative more as we read more examples this week.

Today we read "I'm Not Ready to Be The Lord of the Wings," written by Peter Duffy.  If you read this article (which I hope is there), you will see that at least 1/3 of it is commentary on the event.  I will be teaching students techniques to improve their narrative writing craft.

Here is the assignment page from MrBoZ.com.

Have a nice weekend. (Finally, a pause in grading.)

I gave the interview summaries back to sections 6 and HB today as well as a grade slip.  I explained that grammar errors are like losing respect points.  We will continue to practice the skill, but I suggest you encourage your child to get help proofreading.  We will also read our next pieces out loud.  This will help them spot their awkward sentences.

As of now, all grades are updated accept for the homework and participation grades for this week. (I can never be totally up to date, but the big things are graded.)

October 14, 2010

Have you checked the Home Access Center lately?

Homework:
Sections 5 and 6 should be sure to have the Choosing the Right Word for Unit 3.  I did not see those classes today.

Today:
We reviewed the answers to the Choosing the Right Word.
I finished up our discussion on author's purpose for "Thank You, M'am."

Next week we will start the narrative that will be due October 27th.  I want the students to think about a moment/person in their lives that they can point to as having an impact on their lives.  For example, as I had the students pretend in class, Roger could look back on his encounter with Mrs. Jones and say that the time he spent with her impacted his life.

Here are my thoughts on the author's purpose for "Thank You, M'am."

What will you take away from the story? What do you think Langston Hughes was trying to say to us through this story?

We are all trying to live our lives on this planet. Some of us have it better than others. What do we do when we encounter someone who is struggling, maybe even trying to survive? I believe Langston Hughes was trying to get us to think about how we treat others who are in need.

Maybe it’s because I am an adult, but I am most moved by the character of Mrs. Jones. I am not so sure the focus of the story is Roger. He is one person who comes in and out of Mrs. Jones’s life, one among many because she works at the hair salon where she sees people all day. The wisdom and life experience of Mrs. Jones is at the heart of the story. Roger is us, the recipient of that knowledge. For all we know, that evening had very little impact on Roger. Maybe it had a huge impact on him. The point of the story is that we should help others regardless of how it might turn out.

What would you do? I have met plenty of homeless people through my church in Elkton. Three years later, many of them are still homeless and need help with food and clothing. You might ask why they just don’t get a job. If we keep helping them, how will they every get out of their situation? I don’t know the answer. But that night, Roger needed food and love. Mrs. Jones gave that to him because she has been there. She even gave him the money for the shoes that we know he doesn’t need, but she knows that he needs to learn some lessons for himself. So she gave him the money. I believe Langston Hughes intentionally left the outcome unknown.  He did not say that as a result of the evening Roger changed his ways.  He didn't say anything at all about Roger's future.  That is the point.  Mrs. Jones helped Roger because it was the right thing to do, and sometimes we just do what is needed.

October 13, 2010 (Was your child on a trip today?)

Homework:
Choosing the Right Word Unit 3

Today:
We are discussing the story "Thank You, M'am" by Langston Hughes.  Today I wanted the students to extend the story by thinking about what happened to Roger after the story ends.  We are discussing cause and effect as well as author's purpose.  I had them use the following notes to write a pretend narrative as Roger.  I gave them 25 minutes to write.  Any student who was absent today MUST make up this assignment.


Cause and effect:
life before → stealing purse →meeting Luella → dinner, money, and lesson → ????

Reread/skim “Thank you, M’am” now that you have seen the video. (Page 29)

Pretend you are Roger, and you are older now. You have been asked by someone to describe an incident in your life that was important to you. That incident could have been a turning point in your life, or it could just stand out as something that you will always remember. Write a short piece describing how the evening with Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones affected your life.

Step 1- Where did Roger end up?
As a result of the incident with Mrs. Jones, I ended up … becoming a cop.

Step 2- Figure out the incidents he went through to get there: before, during, after, now


Step 3- Write the story following the outline below.
As a result of the incident with Mrs. Jones, I ended up … becoming a ?????
a. Describe a little about your life before you met her. (2 sentences?)
b. Describe the incidents of that evening. (4 sentences?)
c. Include the thoughts you had as you went through the event. (2 sentences?)
d. Finally, describe where you have ended up in your life now. (2 sentences?)
e. Describe how the events of that evening had an impact on you. (2 sentences?)
f. What effect did that meeting have on your life? (What lesson did you learn?)

October 12, 2010

Homework:
Pictionaries 1-20 Unit 3
Synonyms Unit 3

Today:
We reviewed words words 1-10 Unit 3.
We discussed words 11-20 Unit 3.
We discussed what author's purpose is.  We watched this touching video and discussed the following notes.  Then we watched the video adaptation of "Thank you, M'am."

What do you think is the author’s purpose?
         (What does he/she want you to go away with?)
         Who is the author?

         What do you think the author’s purpose was for making this piece?

What medium did he/she accomplish this?
         Medium: (story, poem, video)

         In that medium, how was the message delivered?
         (Characters, dialogue, metaphor, storyline, visuals, music)

How do you connect with this piece.
         How does this piece resonate in you?
         What does it remind you of?
         What will you remember most about this piece… now.

October 11, 2010

Homework:
Pictionaries 1-10 Unit 3

Today:
We listened to and discussed words 1-10 Unit 3.
We read "Thank you, M'am" by Langston Hughes.
We discussed the ideas of internal and external conflict.
We discussed cause and effect.  I also discussed the Butterfly Effect that Dr. Carmack mentioned on the morning announcements.
We watched this video as an example of the above terms.
Notice how in the video there is external conflict between the man and the boy.  The man has internal conflict because he struggles with a solution.  The Butterfly Effect is seen through his response.  If he has patience, the effects will be passed on.  (Likewise, if he did something bad, that would be passed on as well!)

I published some recordings today if you would like to give a listen.

Current Understanding: To what extent do human beings learn about life by making connections to themselves, others, and the world around them?

Give a listen to these recordings and see if you make any connections.
(The links are on my homepage for now.)

Meaning of Life 1
Meaning of Life 2
Meaning of Life 3
Jared S. talks about his eye opening interview with his mom.
Sofia B. talks about learning about her father.
Jackie D. wrote about her mother's faith.
Nick M. did not know his dad was so interesting!
Alexa P. reads about her interview with her mom.
Lisa P. reads about her interview with her step-father.
Jeremiah B. reads about his mother's faith.
MrBoZ interview Raniya and why you should not mix whipped cream with OJ.

The Interview summary is due Thursday

Homework:
Quiz Unit 2 tomorrow
Summary piece due. See below.

Today:
We studied for the vocab quiz.
We read and discussed two summary pieces, so the students know what I am expecting.

Summary
Essential Question: To what extent do human beings learn about life by making connections to themselves, others, and the world around them?

When we listen to the interviews, we are learning from, not only the person being interviewed, we (as a class) are learning from the person who wrote the summary. We are listening for the lessons he learned. Maybe we will connect with something said.

Interview Summary Rubric

____ (25) Neatly written/typed
____ (25) 250 – 400 words
               (long enough but not too long)
____ (25) Explained focusing statement.
____ (25) More about writer’s reaction to interview
                than a summary events.
____ ( ) Number of distracting grammar/
              mechanical errors (Over 5 means
             -7 points)
_____ Total

The Interview summary is due Thursday

Homework:
Completing the Sentence Unit 2 due Wednesday
Interview summary due Thursday
Quiz Unit 2 Thursday

Today:
The goal for today was for the students to understand what is expected in the written interview summary due Thursday (rough draft Wed. if possible).  We read a student example today that wasn't quite what was needed.  In the summary, the student focused more on recounting the information learned during the interview with her sister.  While that is technically a summary, the piece did not have any life.  So I had the students help me create a focus that not only recounts the information, but, more importantly, includes the reactions of the interviewer.  Please see the notes below.  The very last piece is something I wrote for fun.  It is unedited and stupid, but it does show voice and my emotions as the interviewer.  I was showing my reaction to the interview, not simply recounting the information.

Notes
The goal of this interview was to connect through listening.
        What are your thoughts and reactions to what you learned?
         Did you connect with your person?

Do not simply relate the questions and answers discussed.
Volleyball: Fun
Family: Passing ball around
Family: Disney
Sisters: Dalmatians
Sisters: Talking
Sisters: Fighting
Volleyball: Proudest
Quality: Talkative


Suggested Outline
I interviewed my sister because she and I are really close. I discovered that I actually admire her.
           Explain the interview process quickly.
           I discovered my sister and I are close.
           I realized by the end that I admire my sister.
I interviewed my sister because she and I are really close. I discovered that I actually admire her.

(250 - 400 words in ONE paragraph)

I wrote this for fun.
           I thought I knew everything there is to know about Grandma. I was wrong! The interview started off boring enough. I figured I had to interview someone special because Mr. Bosler said I would remember this forever. Sure. So I asked Grandma to tell me about her life thinking, “I God. She is going to ramble on forever.” She started off by telling me that she was shot in the eye with a bb gun. What? Seriously? Not, “I was born in 1802?” In the eye with a bb gun. I had to know more. And there was plenty to tell! She told me that my mom shot her, Christmas morning, in 1857! Um… Really? This is when I knew that Grandmom was crazy! For the rest of the interview, I just went along for the ride. Did you know that the first president of the U.S. was a mouse? Neither did I! But Grandma did!