test post

Something might be wrong.  Ignore this if it works.
-MrBoZ

Section 1 Parents- If you send in $6, I will buy copies of Night.

Section 1 parents, I had sent home a letter asking that students buy the book Night. 
(I pasted the letter below.)

Students said they are having trouble finding the book.  They also said it would be cheaper if they could just buy the book from me because of shipping.

If you send in $6, I will order the books using my Amazon Prime.  The shipping will be free, and the cost is only $6.  

I will order the books Monday, April 18.

I would prefer cash, but if you send a check, please make it out to me, NOT the school.

-MrBoZ

April 8, 2016

Dear Parents of Section 1 students,

            Each year in 8^th Grade, we read the book Night by Elie Wiesel.  It is a powerful book about his experiences in the Nazi concentration camps. Along with reading the play The Diary of Anne Frank and watching the BBC’s production of the diary, Night provides first person insight into the struggles of Jews during World War II.  In this memoir, Wiesel recounts his struggles to not only stay alive but to hold onto his faith- in himself, his religion, and in humanity. The imagery he paints throughout leaves lasting impressions for the reader.  This book is his legacy, his contribution to this world, and we read it so that we never forget what happened nor allow it to happen again.

            The school has purchased class sets of the book, but I am asking that my students purchase their own book for two reasons.  The first reason is I think each student should have a copy of this book in his/her personal library.  It is a book that should be read many times as one gets older.  As we gain experience with life, the lessons in the book will become more relevant. 

            The other reason I would like students to purchase the book is so they can mark them up.  Reading literature for a class is an interactive process, one students will be doing frequently when they take AP classes in high school or literature classes in college.  I teach students how to actively read a text for a purpose.  Whether it is to explore themes, identify figurative language, or note personal reactions, marking the text creates ownership of the book.  The marked book then becomes their guide as the book is scanned for citations for an essay or read again for more depth.

            I am sure the books can be bought cheaply at Barnes and Nobles in the mall or at any major book retailer for around $6.  They can also be purchased online.  If you cannot afford one, your student is welcome to use the school’s copy; however, your student will have to take notes on paper.

            If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.  If you have never read the book yourself, please buy yourself a copy and follow along with our lessons.  It is a powerful book, and it would be great if you could share your experiences reading the book with the class as well.

Bradford Bosler

Have you checked your ELA HAC grades lately?

I entered the extra credit you earned from taking notes during the abolitionists presentations.
(Mrs. Jamison has a few make-up assignments she needs to add.)

The grades for 3rd marking period are winding down!  We have done a lot of hard work this marking period.  Don't blow it now.

The big grades are done.  We will wrap up the marking period with smaller completion grades and a small quiz or two.

If you have questions, please ask me what you can do to improve your grade.

-MrBoZ

GRADES ARE UPDATED ON HAC (They are not good!)

I suggest students take the extra day off to work on their Google Classroom assignments! 

If students need the online book, it is here.  Use your lunch ID for user/password.

Students should have written the following: 

• Sheet 01 Frederick Douglas- do all but I will score question #3
• Sheet 02 Frederick Douglas- do all but I will score question #3
• Sheet 03 Frederick Douglas- do all but I will score question #1
• Sheet 04 My Friend Douglass- SECTION 1 ONLY

Over the past weeks, we have been focusing on how to write a properly constructed response.  Students were expected to use the rubric below to structure their response to a question.  Not only does the response need the proper format; ultimately, the response should demonstrate that the student fully understood the section they were to discuss.

Mrs. Jamison and I have spent HOURS scoring and making suggestions on these.  We fully expect students to revise IF THEY SCORED 70% OR BELOW.

Too many students have not even written the response! 
(I feel like I have been leading horses to water.)

1.     First line indent and all other lines at left margin-  

2.     Restate prompt correctly- State your claim (What you will prove)

3.     Example One cite relevant evidence -

4.     Clarify example one with sentences relevant to evidence and claim-

5.     Example Two cite relevant evidence -

6.     Clarify example two with sentences relevant to evidence and claim-

7.     Conclusion sentence which restates what you proved.-

8.     Grammar- All sentences cap/end punctuation-

SECTION 1: Revisions on Constructed Repsonses

SECTION 1
At this point, I have scored the four sheets you were to have done.  Please go onto Google Classroom and review your scores.  IF you have a 70% or below, you may rewrite.  I have put lots of feedback on sheets 1, 2, and 3.  Sheet 4 looked good... for those who did it!

If you want me to regrade your paragraph, please type REVISED in the Private Comments part of each assignment. (See picture below.)

We are now using Google Classroom in Mr. Bosler's ELA classes!

It's been a while since I have posted to my blog.  The main reasons is everything you would need to know is on www.mrboz.com under Today in Class.

I want to use this post to briefly explain the basics of Google Classroom.  The students at H.B. have been given Schoology and Google accounts.  Google Classroom is the portal for students to complete their independent work in my class. (FYI- gmail is not turned on by default.)

When students logon, they see a screens like these below.  They can see the work that is due as well as the due date.  They can also see the scores they recieved from the teacher and icons to show that the teacher has made comments.

 But Google Classroom is more than just an electronic book for collecting work and grading.  In the last picture, you see what I see, which is who is done.  Google is the BEST platform for collaboration. At any time, I can pop in on students to see how their work is going.  I can make suggestions.  I can provide comments.  I can even turn a paper back for them to fix and resubmit!  Google provides a way for me to give one-on-one feedback on their writing, not just when I grade it, but as they write.

I am learning how to do this ON MY OWN.  I have had training on Schoology, by I prefer Google. There will be many MORE adjustments as we go.

HOWEVER, the dates on the assignments should be enough time for students who sit down and really do their work.  If students want more time, they should work on this at home.  Each student has an online book at https://my.hrw.com/  Their username and password are their lunch numbers... roughly.

If you have questions, please e-mail me.  My school Google email is bradford.bosler   @  redclayschools.com (broken up because this is public).

Grades are submitted. We are finished with the horror genre.

All Sections
On Tuesday, we will start our next unit on slavery and the Civil War.  My goal for today is to organize the resources students will need for their oral presentation due February 8th. 

Section 1
I entered your score for the oral reading.  The highest score a student received from the class was a 95%, so I averaged what the class gave you and added five points. Hopefully you can see the third marking period grades.  If not, the score will be there Tuesday.

I totaled up the points for the two readings. Group 2 won with 5606 points with Group 1 scoring 5550 points.

See yesterday's blog entry to view the recordings.

Sections 2 and 3
There are some 3rd marking period grades on HAC.  I assume you can see them.  If not, they will be there Tuesday.

Section 1 Recordings: The Outsider

Because we had extra time in section 1, we studied the short story The Outsider by H.P. Lovecraft.  It is a strange story whose message is unclear throughout.  After the students mapped the basic story, I assigned students sections of the story.  They were to become experts on their section by drawing a picture and reading their section aloud to us.  Below are the recordings we made.  Enjoy!

Group 1 Recording of The Outsider

Group 2 Recording of The Outsider

Tying up the loose ends

Section 1:
Be sure to complete unit 7 in vocab.
Maybe we will have the unit 7 quiz tomorrow?
We will wrap up reading aloud tomorrow and listen to the recordings Thursday.
Quizlet?

Sections 2 and 3:
We are finishing up the horror unit by doing some packets on The Tell-Tale Heart.  These will be the first grades of the second marking period.
We will watch three versions of Tell-Tale Heart soon.

All Classes: 
We will start a new performance task/unit Tuesday. I have the unit lined up.
You will be happy: IT'S NOT AN ESSAY!

The grades are pretty much done.  I just have a little homework for section 1 and unit 7 quiz.
I also need to look over a few essays that students made corrections on.

Section 1: Be ready to read Tuesday.

Well, today did not quite go as planned with the readings.  Tomorrow, please be ready to read.  The focus will be on reading smoothly, clearly, with no mistakes.  NONE! You have had plenty of time to do well with your section. Your reading should also convey some of the emotions in the story.

Homework: Completing the Sentence Unit 7

FYI on the benchmark scores on HAC

I wanted to explain the grades on HAC that deal with the district benchmark test.  The district has scheduled two common assessments this year for 8^th Grade ELA.  These tests are slightly modified versions of the collection (unit) tests that come with the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Collections book we are using.  The tests are designed to assess the students’ acquisition of the skills taught during a collection (unit). 

The students were to read three texts and answer questions.  The test is comprised of 36 multiple choice questions and two written questions.  I took the test and was surprised when I earned a 76% on the multiple choice part.  (I would have done very well on the written questions.)  My point in telling you my score is to let you know that the questions were hard.  I know I am not perfect.  I accept that.  But these questions were seriously hard.

The written questions were scored either a 2, 1, or 0 (100%, 75%, 50% on HAC). 

The multiple choice score I put on HAC was taken from only the questions on the information I was able to teach the students before the required window when we had to give the test.  (The district will see all the scores.)

I hope this blog entry helps you understand what the scores mean on HAC.  I made the scores very small formatives because these tests are designed to give us feedback on students’ progress. 

If you have further questions, please contact me through e-mail.

-MrBoZ

Section 1 Important Information

Section 1: There is some good information below.  If you would like to hear how to read an H.P. Lovecraft text, check out this page!

Learning Objectives:  We have studied the required pieces of literature, so we have time for a challenge piece!  The objective for this piece is to challenge the students to visualize the horror the narrator in H.P. Lovecraft's The Outsider. Monday 1/11- We will record the class reading of "The Outsider."  Details can be found here. Whole Group Lesson Small Group work and/or Lesson Concept clarification. Assessment/Important Upcoming dates SRI Testing Friday: 1/8 End of Marking Period: 1/14

January 6, 2016 Today’s Agenda 1. Warm-up:     Check Drawing    Capitalization #12. Enter Vocabulary in responders 3. Review Unit 7 words 4. Watch 15 minutes of this documentary on H.P Lovecraft.(If you would like to explore more of H.P. Lovecraft's work, check out this page!) 5. Work time Vocabulary Vocab Homework Schedule: Monday 1/4 - Pictionaries Unit 7 Tuesday 1/5 - Choosing the Right Word Unit 7 Wednesday 1/6 Synonyms and Antonyms Unit 7 Thursday 1/7 Be sure to have finished one Quizlet for Unit 7 Monday 1/11 Completing the Sentence Unit 7 Tuesday 1/12 Finish the Unit Wednesday 1/13 Be sure to have finished a second Quizlet for Unit 7 Thursday 1/14 QUIZ UNIT 7 Homework Monday 1/11- We will record the class reading of "The Outsider."  Details can be found here.

Section 1 Assignments for the next two weeks

(I am still planning for sections 2 and 3.)

Section 1

You are to make a map for the short story "The Outsider" on page 21 of your Close Reader.

This is the link for your assigned sections of "The Outsider."
    My goal for this week is to have the students figure out the short story on their own. 

    We will start filming on Monday, January 11

Vocab Homework Schedule:

Monday 1/4 - Pictionaries Unit 7

Tuesday 1/5 - Choosing the Right Word Unit 7

Wednesday 1/6 Synonyms and Antonyms Unit 7

Thursday 1/7 Be sure to have finished one Quizlet for Unit 7

Monday 1/11 Completing the Sentence Unit 7

Tuesday 1/12 Finish the Unit

Wednesday 1/13 Be sure to have finished a second Quizlet for Unit 7

Thursday 1/14 QUIZ UNIT 7

Section 1 Horror Genre essays are graded. The grades are in HAC.

I guess I procrastinated too much!  It took me five hours to finish this class today.  I will try to get to the other sections as soon as possible.

See you tomorrow! 

Only two weeks left in the marking period!  

-MrBoZ

Here is one of many amazing essays:

One of the main ways the horror genre appeals to people is by its use of suspense and tension. According to “What is the Horror Genre?” while many other genres can utilize suspense, in horror, the suspense is intensified by our knowledge of what usually occurs in the genre. “The Monkey’s Paw” is a horror story that uses tension and suspense in both its original book form and in a video adaptation. However, I think the video does a better job of creating suspense and tension than the written version.

Firstly, the movie uses plot that is not in the original written story to add extra tension and suspense. One way this is done is in the very beginning of the story, in which, instead of beginning in the un-suspenseful location of the Whites’ cottage, it starts with Morris receiving the paw from the Fakir in India. The reader does not know what the paw can do, or what is happening, and this creates tension as things that are unknown create tension very well. The movie also adds a flashback of the death of the paw’s first owner in India, rather than simply having Morris describe it like in the original. Again, this allows the video to create more suspense than the book, since his death conveys a sense of the paw being dangerous and deadly to its owners, and the viewer might find himself wondering if this will happen to one of the other characters.

Additionally, the video adds another layer of tension through the use of music and sound, which the book form is unable to do. One way that it does this is by assigning different events musical themes. For example, whenever someone has just died, or death is about to occur, bells are heard. A violin plays when the monkey’s paw is shown, or during the effects of its wishes. These themes create suspense by clueing in the listener on what is going to happen next, such as the violin playing when the factory servant walks up to the house, indicating that what will happen is an effect of a wish. Sounds are deployed to create suspense as well. One sound that is used is that of a dog howling, which is heard several times throughout the video. Since dogs are known to be able to sense danger before humans can, this creates tension by letting the viewer know that something dangerous is about to occur. Moreover, the dog howl and other realistic sound effects make the world of the story more believable. Also, the movie-makers convey tension through the use of dialogue. One example of this is when Morris says that he wished for “things that cannot be undone”, creating suspense by foreshadowing that the Whites will later want their wishes to be undone. Finally, more tension is created by the characters’ tone of voice. One instance of this is when the Whites are seeking information about the monkey’s paw. In the original, the suspense was mainly created by the reader knowing that the Whites shouldn’t be asking Morris for the paw. The movie uses this as well, and adds extra tension by the contrast between Morris’s harsh voice tone when he tells them not to use the paw and to throw it onto the fire, and Mr. White’s inquiring voice tone when he asks to keep it.

Another way the video creates more suspense is through visual effects, which the written version is also unable to use. A visual effect used throughout the film is a shaky camera. This creates a sense of fear, as it seems like the camera-man is afraid of what is happening. Close-ups are also utilized in the movie. The way they convey tension by making the viewer feel more close and connected to the events. Finally, recurring visual themes are seen. For example, when Morris enters the Whites’ house, he walks through a wall of smoke. Later, when he leaves the house, he comes back out through that same wall of smoke, and the scenes look very similar. Another visual theme is dark clouds, which are seen throughout the video. They appear when Morris is traveling on the train, when Herbert is being buried, when Herbert is brought back to life, and when Mrs. White opens the door to find that Herbert is not there. Both of these visual techniques add suspense because, like in the musical themes, the listener can use them to infer what will happen next. The movie also uses the setting to create suspense better than the book does. The book’s main setting description is in the very beginning, where Mr, White complains about how “Pathway’s a bog, and road’s a torrent”. The movie allows the viewer to actually see the setting, creating more suspense, and it adds details such as lightning, smoke, and hail.

In conclusion, while both the original book version and the video adaptation of “The Monkey’s Paw” make good use of tension and suspense, the movie version uses several techniques that the written version does not use in order to do a better job of this, and therefore it is a better example of the horror genre.