The debates are almost finished.

Winners so far!

Homework: Choosing the Right Word unit 6 vocabulary (20 points)

Can personality win over content? Yes!

Homework: Synonyms unit 6

Today:
In my HB class, we had a great example of how personality can win over content.  Whereas I scored the non-squisher as the winner, the class bought into the squisher's stories and exaggerations.  He said that ants could take over the world, break into our house, listen to our ipods, and make us their pets.  He also had a very dramatic retelling of a supposed event where he was attacked as he innocently tripped over a fire ant hill.  He dabbed his eyes with a tissue as he told us of the pain.  The non-squisher should have been all over these, but she played it straight.  That was too bad for her, I guess.  I will be discussing these artificial means of persuasion more when we begin the advertising unit.  This debate should give us something to relate to.

In my section 3 class, we had the opposite.  The squisher used an overly dramatic style, but he also had good content.  I gave him the win because of his content, but the class must not have seen his content. They only saw his antics, and they did not reward him for it.  But as I think about it a little more, maybe they were right.  As far as a debate goes, he was out of line, and maybe I, too, should have taken his presentation into account more.  It was a good lesson nonetheless.

Back to work.

The goal for this week is to finish the debates.  Along with the debates, we will be starting vocab and grammar back up.  I have posted the homework  and quiz dates on my calendar. Today we were discussing roots, prefixes, and suffixes to determine the meaning of the unit 6 words.  We did not even look at the books yet.  We did a pretest for spelling and word knowledge.  Then we discussed what they thought the words meant.  Then I clarified the definitions for them.

I did not start grading the essays yet.  I should have started them over the break, but it was a break.  Now it is back to work, and I have lots to do. 

Grades have been updated.

I entered a few grades in HAC.  Please check to see if your child has handed in his/her ant essay on-time.  The essay will be worth 130 points.  It will be scored two grades down if handed in late.  I am planning to grade some of the essays over break.

The other grade is the score on the debate.  I am only done half of the debates in most classes.  This year did not go as smoothly as I had planned for debates.  Oh well.  We will start them back up later.  If your child has "exc" on HAC, it is because he/she has not done the debate yet.

We will start vocabulary unit 6 when we return in January.  I hope the students have not lost their books.  :)

Two grades down if final draft is not in on-time!

Don't be like this!

Students must give me the final draft of the ant essay tomorrow.  This deadline has been known for over five weeks. 

We will not get all of the debates done before break.  This has happened before, and I don't like it.  Trying to start the debates up after break is hard, but it will have to be done.

We will start vocabulary after the break, so there will be more homework grades to come.

Final draft of ant essay due Wednesday!

A few more winners added!

Sections 3, 6, and HB:
I took these students to the library to type up their final drafts.  I have had too many students who did not turn in outlines and drafts on-time to risk not getting the final draft.  The ant debate is geared towards producing a great persuasive essay.  If the debates have to wait, then they wait.  Students can't learn writing if they don't write!  Too many are choosing not to write.  My job is to get them to write.  So I am making them do it right in front of me.


Sections 4 and 5 continued their debates.



Here are the requirements for the final draft:

___    P1 Create a new handshake and thesis for the introduction.

___    P2 Write a very complete body paragraph (12 sentences) that supports your position.

___    P3 Explain what your opponent would say about the issue.

___    P4 Explain how your opponent is wrong based on your research.

___    P5 Conclude the essay with a summary and a “call to action.”

___    Be sure you have 6 transitions in your essay.  Underline them.

___    Be sure your bibliography is correct. 

___    Your piece should be grammatically perfect.  Have someone else look over it.

___    Use Times New Roman font sized 12, single-spaced.

___    Indent all paragraphs. 

___    Correctly punctuate book and article titles.    

Transitions-

Similarity    Likewise,    Similarly,    Just as…    In the same way…	Contrast    On the other hand,    However,    Although…    Nevertheless…    Instead…    Not only…
Sequence    Next    After…    Finally,    First, second, third	Accumulation    Moreover,    In addition,    For example,

Twelve Types of Introductions-

Humor                                Imagery and Details

Dialogue                            Quote

Question                            Anecdote

Excite Curiosity                Bold and Challenging Statement

Pretending                        Real-Life Emotion

Nostalgia                            Amazing Fact or Statistic

  

 

Be careful punctuating titles and quotes from the book and the movie.

Use The Ant Bully or The Ant Bully because it is a movie title.

In the story Hey, Little Ant, the boy says, “Hey, little ant down in the crack,/ Can you see me, can you talk back?”

Transcribe poetry exactly as it is.  Use  a / to divide the lines.

According to the article “Ants Defeat Enemies,” ants defeat their enemies!

I only saw two classes today.

We did not get through many debates today because there was a rewards movie.  This puts me a little behind.  I sure hope I can get through all the debates next week! 

Today I had one debate where both students scored at the A level; however, as I said from the beginning, only the winner gets the A.  (The loser gets a B+++++)  So far, very FEW students have taken advantage of the visuals option!  The boy who got the B today could have won if he had brought in visuals.  I keep saying this over and over!

There was another debate where the students chose the winner, but I did not agree with them.  The student had said the ants were here to help humans, basically like little fairy helpers.  There were three times I did not give him points because he was being ridiculous.  But the kids bought it because he has a great personality.  We discussed this for a few minutes.  It is very human to overlook logic for a smooth talker.  (The boy who lost earned a B while the winner earned a C+.  Weird, huh?)

The debates have begun!

Winners will be updated daily!

The first day of debates is always rough.  I have had students who were not prepared at all who received a D.  Then, in my last class, I had two students who were so prepared that after 25 minutes I had to cut them off! 

There are so many skills involved in debating.  The students have to know what they will say, be prepared to rebut (which means they have to listen and write quickly), refer to their visuals, and be exciting as a speaker.  All of this is done in front of the class who will determine the winner... and loser. 

I am not cruel, but I am sure a few kids think I am today!  I lead the students through the first day.  Now we pick up the pace.  You could help your child by having him/her present to you and practice the rhythm of the presentation.

Debates start tomorrow!

I had students make a card like below so they would not get lost in the papers they bring up.  They should know what they are going to say!

 

1. The boy should squish the ant because ANTS ARE RUDE!

- Steal our food

- Swear at us!

- Wear bad t-shirts

2. The boy should squish the ant because ANTS SCREAM.

-

-

-

3. The boy should squish the ant because ANTS VOTE.

-

-

Also, I had the students copy these notes to make sure their good drafts are correct with transitions:

To improve your rough draft, be sure to have transitions.

Be sure to have complete sentences:    For example, you need to make sure you have a complete sentence.    However, if you are not careful, you will have a fragment. Use these between reasons.  Use between paragraphs, especially when you transition to the opponent’s reasons. Please use at least 4-6 transitions and underline them.
Similarity    Likewise,    Similarly,    Just as…    In the same way…	Contrast    On the other hand,    However,    Although…    Nevertheless…    Instead…    Not only…
Sequence    Next    After…    Finally,    First, second, third	Accumulation    Moreover,    In addition,    For example,

Be careful punctuating titles and quotes from the book and the movie.

Use The Ant Bully or The Ant Bully because it is a movie title.

In the story Hey, Little Ant, the boy says, “Hey, little ant down in the crack,/ Can you see me, can you talk back?”  

Transcribe poetry exactly as it is.  Use  a / to divide the lines.

According to the article “Ants Defeat Enemies,” ants defeat their enemies!

The rough drafts of the ant essays are due tomorrow.

Parents, please do whatever you can to make sure that your child is ready for tomorrow.  I am doing all I can to help them do well on this project.  Today we read two example papers.

Here are twelve suggested handshake ideas for the introduction paragraph:

(Handshake) The boy in the story has a decision to make: should he squish the ant or not? After researching ants and exploring the topic, (Thesis) I am going to prove to you that the boy in the story should squish the ant. He should squish because reason 1, reason 2, reason 3.

12 Types of introductions Grab our attention. Walk us out the board.  THEN tell us exactly what you will prove.
Humor	Imagery and Details
Dialogue	Quote
Question	Anecdote
Excite Curiosity	Bold, Challenging Statement
Amazing Fact or Statistic	Real-Life Emotion
Nostalgia	Pretending

Apparently, "Your outline is due Monday" means something else to the students!

Too many students did not turn in the completed outline.  I will accept them tomorrow for two grades down.  Please check HAC to see if your child was one of those who "misunderstood" what I meant.

The rough draft of the essay is due on Wednesday.  It needs to be legible so we can see what needs improvement.

Today, we watched a practice debate so the students know what to expect.  Below is the sheet I discussed.  I will probably give them a copy tomorrow.  (Maybe I will make it available for those who care.)  I guess I am frustrated because I am leading horses to water, but they are refusing to drink.  I don't want to see students earn low grades.  I work so hard to get them prepared.

Ant Debate Scoring

This is the tally sheet the audience uses while listening to the debate.  See the suggestions below for assigning points.  Every point counts.  To win, you should have a strategy.  Try to get all the points you can.  Even if you don’t have lots of strong facts, a smooth presentation with visuals could get you a win!

Squisher:			You determine the winner.  I am teaching you how to be critical.  Don’t just sit there!	Nonsquisher:
Introduction (1-5) _____			They must have a handshake and thesis. 2 if not prepared and uses the one provided 3 if uses mine 4 if modified mine 5 uses own	Introduction (1-5) _____
Good points (plus 1)		False or lame (minus 1)	Use tally marks.  After each statement made, decide where a mark belongs.	Good points (plus 1)		False or lame (minus 1)
			Main Argument I give them a tally mark for the statement and one each for every support they give for the statement. Ex. 1. Reason one     support     support     support                    = 4 points
Good rebuttal points (plus 1)	False or lame (minus 1)		Rebuttal The main focus of this section should be to comment on the other side, but they can bring in  new supports. One point for repeating a point the opponent made. One point for  each worthy supporting rebuttal statement.	Good rebuttal points (plus 1)	False or lame (minus 1)
Good rebuttal points (plus 1)	False or lame (minus 1)		Rebut the rebuttals & Sum up No tally marks during the summary part.  They already said these reasons.	Good rebuttal points (plus 1)	False or lame (minus 1)
Conclusion (1-5) _____	There should be a review of the main points they had. 5- sums up and has a clear, powerful conclusion AND mentions opponent’s points from debate.		4- sums up and has a clear, powerful conclusion 3- sums up the three main points only. 2- just ends	Conclusion (1-5) _____
Eye contact (1-5) _____	Did you feel like they were talking to you?		Most are 4’s and 3’s.  Save the 5 for someone who looks at you and addresses you.	Eye contact (1-5) _____
Visuals (0-3) _____	Any cheesy visual gets at least 1 point.		For more points they must have two other good visuals and refer to them	Visuals 0-3) _____
Total:	Mentioned Book            yes/ no (-1) Movie          yes/ no (-1) Article title   yes/ no (-1)		The class determines the winner as long as it is close to mine– even if we disagree!	Total:	Mentioned Book            yes/ no (-1) Movie          yes/ no (-1) Article title   yes/ no (-1)

Suggestions for points

Introduction:

2 if not prepared with the one provided

3 if uses mine

4 if modified mine

5 uses own (and is good)

Intro:

 
       The boy in the story has a decision to make: should he squish the ant or not? After researching ants and exploring the topic,  I am going to prove to you that the boy in the story should (not) squish the ant. He should (not) squish because reason 1, reason 2, reason 3.

Supports

            I put one tally mark for each good support I hear that is not repeated.

            I give tally marks for supports backed up by a reference to a source

Rebuttal

            Each person should refer to each other as “my opponent” and talk to the audience

Conclusion

            3 if just uses my conclusion

            4 if my conclusion and a little more

            5 if does 1,2,3 and states a few points he/she has discussed from opponent

               and gives the listeners a directive, something to do now that they have heard the

               debate (I.E., we should vote for you because you had the better argument.)

Conclusion:

  I have proven to you that the boy in the story should (not) squish the ant. He should (not) squish because reason 1, reason 2, reason 3. I have also discussed how… (list some of the points you covered in the part where you refuted the other side.)

Relevant Details

-You are to stick to the story Hey, Little Ant.  Remember, you must have three

  main points.  You may not just list any detail you can think about regarding ants! 

-You must mention the book “Hey, Little Ant” by name. 

-You must mention the title of an article as a source for at least one detail.

Visuals

            1 tally mark up to three for using the visual to explain a support

Grades

A+  = 40

A    = 30 (must earn)

B    = 25

C    = 20

D    = 15

Only the winner of the debate can receive the A if both students earn an A!

There are a lot of points in the next two weeks!

Monday: Outline due (25 points)
Wednesday: Rough draft due(25 points)
Thursday: Debates begin (100 points- only the winner can earn an A)
Dec. 21: Final draft of the ant essay (at least 125 points)


All of the work we have done over the last three weeks will be put together into these projects.  Vacation starts AFTER all of these are complete.

-MrBoZ

December 8th

Somehow this did not get sent.

 Students MUST have their outlines on Monday.  However, too many students keep saying they do not know what they should be doing.  There is no way they do not know what is expected of them at this time.  There are a lot of points coming up next week.  I hope they are ready.

If you would like to help your child do a good job, ask him/her to explain how he/she will convince us that the boy in the story should or should not squish the ant in the story.  If your child cannot do this without any notes, then he/she is not ready to go!

Please see this website if you need more information about the assignment. 

-MrBoZ

Can I Keep Him? - a lesson on the importance of knowing your opponent

(I moved the outline due date to Monday.  We could use a little more time.)

Today I taught the students how to think ahead in persuasion.  A good persuasive essay is not just a collection of all the reasons you have for your position.  That would make you appear as if you are not aware of all the positions of a topic.  I taught them that it is best to show why your reasons are right AND why the opponent's reasons are wrong.  


I had them brainstorm this chart for one of the animals:

		What would your mom’s reasons be for NOT keeping the following found animals as pets?	How would you rebut your mother’s objections to keeping the animal?	What objections might she have against what you just said?
1	Dog?
2	Kitten?
3	Baby deer?
4	Bear cub?
5	Tiger cub?
6	Large python?
7	Thawed dinosaur?

Then I had them fill in this script:

Mom,

         I found this animal on the way home, and I think we should keep it for the following reasons:

1.

2.

3.

Now, I know you are going to have a few objections:

1.

2.

But, I can convince you that your objections are wrong.

1.

2.

Then I weighed all the reasons presented and decided who won.  


Then we I read them this book.  The boy keeps trying to get better at anticipating what objections his mother will have.  His best question was, "He just moved down the street.  He doesn't bark, he has no fur, he has no hoofs, he smells like us, he doesn't eat much, he doesn't shed, his name is Ralph, and he says he'll be my friend.  Can I keep him?"  


That is a pretty good question.  He is trying to take care of every objection right off the bat.  

This is the outline which is due Thursday.

Today I discussed points in the debate.  These will be posted here later.  The students should be sure to take advantage of these opportunities.  One is to make a visual and refer to it in three different ways.

 

Paragraph 1

The boy in the story has a decision to make: should he squish the ant or not? After researching ants and exploring the topic, I am going to prove to you that the boy in the story should squish the ant. He should squish because reason 1, reason 2, reason 3.

Paragraph 2

(The results of your research.)

1. The first reason he should squish the ant is because …. ANTS ARE RUDE!

            - what do you mean?

            - how does this relate to our story?

            - what research have you found?

2. The second reason he should squish the ant is because….. ANTS SCREAM.

            - what do you mean?

            - how does this relate to our story?

            - what research have you found?

3. The third reason he should squish the ant is because…. ANTS VOTE.

            - what do you mean?

            - how does this relate to our story?

            - what research have you found?

Paragraph 3

Explain how you fully understand the other position.

Reason for not squishing the ant. 

            Why do they feel this is the correct thing to do?

Reason for not squishing the ant.

            Why do they feel this is the correct thing to do?

Reason for not squishing the ant.

            Why do they feel this is the correct thing to do?

Paragraph 4

Explain how their argument is wrong.

They said that …, but they are wrong because …

They said that …, but they are wrong because …

They said that …, but they are wrong because …

Add any strong arguments that you feel are needed.

Maybe you want to end with a bang!

P5: Conclusion

I have proven to you that the boy in the story should (not) squish the ant. He should (not) squish because reason 1, reason 2, reason 3. I have also discussed how… (list some of the points you covered in the part where you refuted the other side.)

Research in the library is finished

Here is what I collected today:
(I am "grading" the notes and bibliography to provide feedback on the quality of the research completed. I have entered sections 4 and 5 into HAC.  The others will be in soon.)

Monday, December 5: Let’s wrap up the research.

1. Print out the following documents:

        Document 1:  Describe_the_ant_in_Hey_Little_Ant.doc

         Document 2:  Facts_about_ants_worksheet_2011.doc

         Document 3:  determining_the_truthfulness_of_statements_in_Hey_little_ant.doc

2. Create your bibliography using www.easybib.com

        I have created a started document for you: Starter_Bibliography_Ant_Essay_2011.doc

        Only include the ones you have used for your research.

        Print out your bibliography

3. Start filling in your outline: short version of ant essay outline.doc   (Due Thursday!)

        P1 - Intro

        P2- Your three main reasons

        P3- What your opponent would say

        P4- How your opponent is wrong.

        P5- Conclusion

4. Ant Simulator- The chemistry of communication

We are almost finished our time in the library.

Parents,
For the past three days, I was teaching students how to get started and how to read articles for supports.  Today, I told them to spend their time researching and collecting information that will support their position.  Near the end of the class, I asked them to put one of their best facts into a Google form I created.  When they hit submit, the data was put into a spreadsheet that we viewed together on the projector.  Tomorrow, I want to explain what they will need for the debates and give them one last day to gather material.  They will also print out all their sheets and make their bibliography.

I would expect the better students to continue their research over the weekend, and the next week for that matter!  The more prepared the better!