January 22, 2006

Homework: Completing the Sentence Unit 8
Work on the essay (was due today but is not due Wednesday)

I pushed the due date of the essay off until Wednesday. I wanted to cover a few topics important to the writing of narrative essays. Today I discussed the idea of how the introduction points towards the conclusion. I used the analogy of a bow and arrow. The writer pulls back the bow and sets the reader up to look forward towards the distant target. When the reader has the basic idea of where he is being aimed, the writer stops the intro and releases. Now the reader goes through the story and hits the target. Ideally, the target should resemble the ideas presented in the intro, or at least be in the direction the intro pointed towards. It isn't the perfect analogy, but it works.

We also looked at a sample essay for their topic. I showed the sea and mountain technique being used. Tomorrow we will look at 13 different types of introductions.

January 18, 2006

Sorry I did not blog yesterday.

Homework: Choosing the Right Word Unit 8
Work on the essay

Today: I have not been so ready to teach grammar this week when I see that I need to teach the format of the narrative essay. The three days this week have been spent teaching a variety of techniques for detailed narratives that have meaning. Today I had them practice a technique to add sensory details and thoughts.

They make three columns. The middle column contains the story in outline form: first, second, third, etc. Then, in the right column, I had them add sensory details in between the items in the middle. In other words, after they say the event, they should give sensory details to explain. Next, I had them add thoughts in the left column. This adds another layer. These thoughts come from two levels. The thoughts could be those they had during the even they are describing, or they could be the thoughts they are having now as they write from the mountain. The mountain is the perspective we look back on events from. Now that we are farther from the event, we are not in it; therefore, we can look back and reflect on how the event fits into our current lives.

Finally, I had them read the piece weaving back and forth from side to side. This way they can focus on event, sensory details, and thoughts as they tell their story. I hope they will use this technique in their next essay that is due Monday.

January 16, 2007

Homework: Pictionaries 1-10 Unit 8
Begin new essay.

Here is the topic for the next essay: Life takes surprising turns which challenge human beings to face the unexpected. Last week we read an example of a narrative essay. If you read the essay, you will see that the task of building a blue bird box has new meaning when she looks back on it. The meaning which she states at the end of the essay is that "the things you build can have a purpose greater than you imagine." When we begin to wonder what the point is, she states it at the end. Today I had a few students tell me stories, but I had to ask why they told me about them. Sure, the stories were funny, but a narrative is more than just entertainment. The story reveals something about the writer and how he/she views life.

I thought I would have a grammar day Wednesday, but I think the students need some more time to get this essay rolling. Starting the week late is difficult. The essays are the most important thing I teach. I want them to understand how to arrive at a good topic. Then I want them to see what they are to develop.

January 12, 2007

Homework: Essay due Tuesday

Today I discussed the idea of "sea and mountain" in the narrative. When we are in the moment, experiencing it, we are in the sea. We only notice what is going on. We are not even thinking about the importance of the moment. "Mountain" is when we are beyond the moment looking back. In narratives, this can be years or decades. From the mountain, we can see the moment we went through and the others that surround it. Whereas we could only experience the moment in the present while we were in it, now that time has passed, we reflect on the event and give it meaning based on our current life situation. The way we look at the moment can even change over time. For instance, the trip that I am writing about had meaning to me for the months that followed. But now that things have changed in the relationship of the person I visited, I am revisiting the trip through different eyes. I am, in a way, rewriting the narrative of the trip. This time I am emphasizing the parts that relate to my life right now. I am realizing that the trip was important to me for other reasons.

I have to finish my essay this weekend as well. I plan to write all three essays with the students. Narrative writing is my favorite. The essays we have done so far have been kind of formal. Now we can engage in introspection... my favorite! I enjoy the process of discovering what I need to say. While the formal writing process stresses outlining, these types of essays allow a writer to discover meaning and craft the final piece in stages. Sometimes what I think I am going to write is not what comes out.

January 11, 2007

Homework: Essay due Tuesday

Today we took the quiz on Unit 7. I also handed out the graded ant debate essays to sections 2,3, and 6. I handed those students an updated grade slip to show the impact of not handing in an essay, although I have already notified them many times that they have not handed in the essay. I can only do so much. Missing 100 points has a huge impact on the grade.

The marking period is over January 19.

January 10, 2007

Homework: Sections 3,6,7 make flashcards
Quiz Unit 7 Thursday
Work on essay if you have time.

First, sorry I did not get to blog yesterday. I forgot. I don't really have that much to say. We have had two days to work on the current writing topic. Tomorrow we will take a quiz and continue working on grammar. Finally, Friday will be used as writing time for the essay. The final draft is due next Tuesday. (I am writing one as well.) Students should be working on the essay at home. I am only giving them some time in class. Quiet time should be provided for the students to organize their thoughts into a quality essay. Thanks.

January 8, 2006

Homework: Synonyms and Choosing the Right Word Unit 7
Essay #1 is Due January 16 (They must keep a copy.)

I handed out grades in class today. It was a small update. I also sent e-mails to parents with the grades. If you are not receiving them, you should send me an e-mail so I can add you to the list.

Today we began the first essay. I stressed that a narrative should be more about the writer than the topic. What I mean is, even though the essay is to be about an event, I am not interested in the details of the even as much as I am interested in how the event exemplifies something the writer has learned about him/herself.

January 5, 2007

I will have the grades updated Monday morning. I will send out an e-mail when I am done.

The results of the ant debates are also posted online:
(If you have been there before, you might have to hit "Refresh" on your browser.)
Honors 1
Honors 2
Academic 3
Academic 6
Academic 7

I don't know if the students notice all the factors that went into getting a win. Since the winner is decided by the class, each student in the class scores the debate. When the debate was over, I then entered all their scores into a spreadsheet which totaled the points and revealed the winner. The class and I didn't always match. There was only one time where I overruled the class and determined the winner. Sure, sometimes students added points for their friends. Sometimes they just made up scores that sounded like those around them. Other times students weren't really being critical, and they gave points for everything that was said no matter how silly it was. In summary, the votes they cast are as accurate as some of the votes we cast when we vote!

I don't know what each participant takes away from the debate experience. They stand in front of the class, deliver a presentation on a fictitious ant's fate, rebut an opponent that might have terrible supports, and then they are scored and given a 100 point grade! How crazy is that? But it is an experience they won't forget. I hope they remember the lesson when they are asked to write a persuasive speech in the future.

I will be reading the essays soon. I look forward to seeing how all of the preparation has resulted in intelligent, well thought out essays. That is what I will be scoring them on.

January 4, 2007

Homework: be finished 1-20 pictionaries unit 7
get a notebook for grammar and "Daily Buzzwords"

There were not as many debates left as I thought. Therefore, I will be getting some grades into the book soon. Look for a grade update early next week. I have to add in the ant essay turned in (25 pts), the 4-6 quiz (35 pts), and the results of the debate (100pts).

Today, some classes started grammar. I plan to complete unit 11 in the grammar book we are using. It covers nouns, adjectives, and pronouns. It may sound simple, but the book is not. This is an "old-school" grammar book (no pictures!). Discussing these parts of speech allows discussion of all parts of the sentence.

I also put up the first of three essay topics. You can see the assignment here: http://www.mrboz.com/school/assignments/assignment_essay1_january_writing_month.html . I will be having the students write three essays. They will then choose one to read to the class and have scored. Since I want their full effort on each essay, I will not put up the next topic until the first one is handed in. I don't need them blowing off two essays and only writing one. They should do their best on each one. I will be giving them time to write more in class.

January 3, 2007

We are back! But what a long day it was! I discussed the upcoming schedule. First, we will finish up a few ant debates. Some might not get to go. I timed the presentations wrong.

Starting next week, we will begin the first of three essays the students will write this month. On February 6th, we will read one of them to the class and record it as we did earlier in the year. I will have the prompts up one at a time when I give them to the students. We will be spending more time writing in class this month.

We will also be doing more grammar. By the end of the month, the students will have covered a few parts of speech. This is further prep for diagramming sentences. We will cover as much as we can.

I will update the calendar soon.

December 21, 2006

I collected the essays in class. We continued the debates. Two classes are finished. One class is almost finished. The two honors classes, because they are so large, have about 5 more debates to go. We will have to finish them after the break.

After the break we will begin a new essay. I think it will be a compare contrast essay. The topic will not need to be studied so much, so we will have time for sentence diagramming... for real this time. We will have time to work the whole period, not just the little daily drill time. I mentioned the essay topic in an earlier blog. I THINK it might be something comparing what goals parents have for their children and how the children think they are measuring up to those goals, or something like that.

I will grade the ant debate essays after the break. They will be quicker to grade because I will just score them based on the lessons I have been teaching about organizing persuasive essays.

Have a nice break (students). I will not be blogging over the break. If you have a real desire to know what I am up to, you can check out my mobile blog: http://mrbozmobile.blogspot.com/ . I post pictures from my cell phone.

December 19, 2006

Homework: pages 80-83 in the vocab book
Quiz on units 4-6 tomorrow
Ant essay due Thursday

Vacation has not started yet! The debates are rolling along now. The first ones are so hard, but now that we have scored a few, it is getting quicker. The idea behind having the debates it to see the strategies needed to effectively persuade. When they are in front of the class, they see how strong (or weak) their arguments are, especially when they see their scores. My hope is they will use that experience to strengthen their essays. There is so much that could be used in the essays. Unfortunately, too many students are only using a fraction of what was discussed.

December 18, 2006

Homework: Pages 78 and 79 in vocab
Be ready for the debate (which too many are not!)
Have the essay written by Thursday

I had too many students not ready for the debates! Even when we have had three weeks to prepare, too many students are standing in front of the class like they have no idea what to talk about. I am disappointed.

The essay has a format that I am asking them to follow. It is the standard format for a persuasive essay:
p1 Introduction
p2 Discuss your position fully
p3 Discuss the opponent's position
p4 Rebut the opponent's position point by point
p5 Maybe have a final strong paragraph
p6 Conclusion

The essay should have some passion to it, unlike too many of the debates.
(I am just frustrated. Oh, well. It is their grade.)

December 15, 2006

The debates are in full swing! Some are amusing, while others are disappointing. I can't emphasize this enough: be prepared! I suggest students deliver their presentation to someone beforehand. When they are ready to present should NOT be the first time they have spoken their research to someone! If you are interested, here are some things to consider about the scoring:

You get extra points for a proper introduction. (5 points total)
You should have four main reasons for your side with two explanations each. (12 points minimum)
You get two points for each rebuttal. If the other side said four points, that is 8 points.
There is another round for rebuttals (maybe 6 more points)
A good conclusion that incorporates the opponent's weaknesses gets 5 points
Visuals can give you three points
Eye contact can give you five points.

Here are the grades:
30 = A
20 = B
15 = C
14 + 13 = C-
How could one even get a D?

If you look above at the way they get points, it is hard to see how a student could not get an A! Only the winner gets the A, though. The winner gets 5 points for winning. That can push the grade up to the next grade.

December 13, 2006

Sorry I did not blog yesterday. I guess I forgot.

Homework: pages 76 and 77 in the vocab book
I assigned an outline for the essay in sections 3,6,7
They should be working on their debate presentations and essays

By tomorrow, all classes will be in full swing with the debates. They are fascinating to see, really. Some students are good at presenting their position. Others come up unprepared. Still others don't really turn it on until the rebuttals. But when the class gives me the results, we see who won.

The debates teach the students lessons for writing. I stress good introductions and conclusions. Debate after debate forces the students to observe good organization and bad. They also evaluate the effectiveness of the supports given. It is like every student gets to be the teacher; they give the scores for the debates. For all the time this takes, I think the lessons learned are great. Look for the winners and losers off of the ant debate page on MrBoZ.com.

December 11, 2006

Homework: pages 72 and 73 in the vocab book
work on the debate
maybe they want to start writing the essay that is due next week

The debates are getting closer every day! Today I discussed how the debates will be scored. It's hard, really, to explain how they will be scored until they see it in action. I wanted to show them, though, that they need to have a lot to say. They get points for each good reason and/or explanation of that reason. The more they say, the more points they get. They also get points for a unique introduction, eye contact, visuals, and solid conclusion. They will need to listen during the debate to earn points during the rebuttal round where they refute what the opponent has said.

The essay will be a written version of the debate format. There will be an introduction, a discussion of the main reasons they have for their position, a discussion of the opposition, rebuttal of that opposition, and a strong conclusion. The essay and debate should show depth of thought and a consideration of both sides.

December 6, 2006

Homework: Keep researching for the ant debate.
Use the sheet I gave you to organize rebuttals for "Hey, Little Ant."

Today we finished the movie in all classes. I had them finish the sheet I created to go along with the movie. I see three themes discussed in the movie: education eliminates prejudice, the world we live in varies as a result of our perspective, and what would the world be like if we discovered "the ant with-in?" I do not have time to write a paper on how each of these is seen in the movie. Like many children's movies, though, this one has plenty for adults to think about. The children will not catch the deeper, spiritual quest that is encourage throughout the movie. This self actualization and guidance is realized through a supernatural belief that the ants have.

Interestingly, the "religion," if you will, of the ants resembles many world religions all in one. Sure, the boys learns that ants are not just stupid. But if you enjoy looking for deeper meanings in a movie, check this one out! (I did not spend much time at all on the religion part. I merely mentioned that the ant religion seems to be comprised of many ideas from many world religions.)

December 5, 2006

Homework: Flashcards sections 3,6, and 7
Study for quiz 6
Continue researching for the ant debate

Most of the classes are finishing The Ant Bully. I look forward to seeing how the movie will be used in the debates. I see many ways to argue whether the ant should be squished. In some ways, the factual information can help. But since the book is fictional, and the ant is more human, the details from The Ant Bully will help. However, those aren't the only angles that can be discussed. What about bullies? What about morals and ethics? What about laws, both human and in the movie? What about larger guiding ideas, sort of univeral laws?

No, I do not have one specific answer that I want to hear. What I do want to do for the students is teach them how to write a well thoughtout piece that not only proves their position but explains how they are more correct when both sides are considered. It is a big task, and the debates help them to see the many positions. In their minds, they are right. Once they see how many ways this can be argued, they will have to rethink their positions.

Oh, I forgot. The essay position DOES NOT have to be the same position they took during the debate.

December 4, 2006

Homework: Finish Unit 6 vocabulary

I checked the progress of the students today. As expected, some are doing just fine with the research, but too many don't really have much to show. Many had a proper bibliography, but they were lacking abundant notes.

I told the students that they would be standing in front of the class delivering a speech. I don't know how else to put this. If they do not have research, they will look pretty silly! We are watching The Ant Bully examining prejudice and "the ant within." I look forward to how this movie will be incorporated into their debates. Although the movie shows what ants do, not everything is true to life. There are many ways to attack the opponent in the debate. I hope by showing them multiple angles of attack, they will produce a thought out debate with and equally impressive essay that follows.

December 1, 2006

Homework: Be finished taking notes. Have a bibliography ready to show me that you have been researching. Use http://www.easybib.com to format your sources.

All classes are in the middle of watching The Ant Bully. I have created a worksheet that goes with the movie. If you are interested, you can look at it from the assignment page for the ant debate. The goal for the coming week is to finish the movie, do more sentence diagramming, and develop strategies for organizing their essays and debates.