What do you want to talk about from Act 4? Share what you want to discuss as well as your feelings about it. Then reply to at least two others' comments. This will blog entry will be graded. Use my comment as an example for a "10".
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Witness - Act 4
What do you want to talk about from Act 4? Share what you want to discuss as well as your feelings about it. Then reply to at least two others' comments. This will blog entry will be graded. Use my comment as an example for a "10".
Thursday, December 10, 2015
KKK - Short Research Project
You've been learning a lot about the KKK while you're reading Witness. We also have a book about the history of the KKK in our book club book collection. It is titled, They Called Themselves the KKK - The Birth of an American Terrorist Group by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. For the next two days, we are going to complete a very brief research project using a K-W-H-L chart. You will research to find the answer to one things that you want to know about the KKK. You should get most of the chart done on our first day of research. You will finish it up on our second day and share what you've learned.
Share your question and what you learned about it in a comment on this post so that we can all learn new things about the KKK.
K-W-H-L Sheet
Witness - Act 2
ACT 2
What do you most want to talk about from Act 2. Take a moment to describe the part you want to discuss in your comment. Tell your thoughts about it. Then reply to others.
Like this:
I was interested in the friendship between Mr. Fields and Leonora. He's white, but he's super nice to her. At first, when he was describing the Civil War I was worried that he might be racist, but I now I think that he isn't. What do you guys think?
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Holiday Traditions
What's your favorite holiday tradition? How did it start? Take some time to find the origins of your favorite holiday tradition. Write about it as a comment to this post. Then read about other traditions. Reply to others' posts if you have a thought you'd like to share.
Your comment should look like this:
Tradition: Sending Christmas Cards
How it started: The tradition started in London, England in 1843. It had become a lot cheaper to send things in the post office at that time, and Sir Henry Cole hired and illustrator to make cards to send to his friends and family. He also sold them. Things have changed a bit since then, but that's where the tradition started.
Sunday, November 29, 2015
World War Two - Research Projects
Week of November 30th
This week, we're going to be doing a little bit of research about World War Two. We have several book club options that were written about different aspects of World War Two. In this assignment, we'll be working on a few skills:
- Learning enough about a topic to decide if you want to read more about it.
- Choose an area to focus your research on - choose subtopics
- Write a summary of your research using Step Up to Writing
- Use Diigo to annotate your research
Topics:
African Americans in WW2
Japanese Internment Camps
Heroes of the Holocaust
Creating the Atomic Bomb
Finding Nazis after WW2
Franklin Roosevelt
Grading Rubric
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
6 Word Summaries
Today we will be learning how to comment and reply on the blog. You will be taking some time to read, either your free choice book or a magazine. Then you will create a 6 word summary of what you read. Give the title of what you read. You will put that summary in a comment on this blog.
Example:
Title: The Giver
They think it's perfect - it's not!
Monday, November 2, 2015
Biography Summaries
You are going to be taking some time to learn more about your choice of one of these four influential people who each have an interesting story to tell. Click on their names below to begin the process. You will then read an article and watch a video about that person. You will use that information to write a summary of their life. The summary will be graded with the summary rubric which is a part of the worksheet.
Why are we doing this? Biographies of all 4 of these individuals are book club choices.
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
The Giver - Chapters 19 and 20
Share a quote that you think is important or signifiant in these two chapters. Then share your ideas about it. Reply to others. Join the conversation. I've got one started.....
Friday, October 2, 2015
The Giver - Chapter 16
There are a lot of things in this chapter that shocked me, made me smile, and really made me crazy. I can't wait to talk about them. I'm betting that it is the same for you. Write a comment that talks about something you REALLY need to talk about with your class. Then reply to your classmates' discussion questions.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
The Giver - What is a Utopia?
The society in the Giver is a Utopia. You might be wondering, What is a Utopia?!?! Well, today's activity will help you figure it out. You can work with a partner on it. Make a copy of the activity and then share it with me when you are done!
Would you like to live in a Utopia? When you are done with the questions, comment on this post. Tell your feelings. Then reply to your classmates.
Utopia Activity Link
Monday, September 21, 2015
The Giver - Chapter 8
What do you want to talk about from this chapter? Explain your thought and ask your friends a question. Then reply to each other.
Friday, September 18, 2015
The Giver - Chapter 6
In Chapter 6, we found out that the Committee of Elders not only picks your job, it also picks your spouse. What do you think about that?
Before you blog, think about these things:
- Are there any advantages to it?
- Have you ever heard of anything like this in our society?
- How would you feel if you had a spouse assigned to you?
Sunday, September 13, 2015
The Giver - Chapter 4
In Chapters 1-4, we get to see a lot of the rules in this society. Are they right? Are they wrong? Could you live in this society?
Write a comment that tells your classmates whether or not you could live in this society. Make sure to give at least 2 pros or cons from the book to back up your opinion.
Reply to others' comments.
The Giver - Chapter 3
In Chapter 3, we find out about the SPEAKER system in this society. When someone breaks a rule, the speaker reminds everyone what the rule is and how to follow it - even the people who aren't breaking the rule. How do you feel about this? Reply to others' ideas as well.
Some things to consider in your answer:
-What about the fact that they announce it to everyone, not just the rule breaker?
- How do you think they know that someone broke the rules?
- Do you think it's an effective way to keep people following the rules?
Friday, May 15, 2015
Digital Detective's Report
Our last project will allow you to work alone or in a group of 2 or 3 to research a topic that interests you. You will be splitting the topic up into 2-3 subtopics and researching it. Because our Chromebooks will be handed in on May 28th, the project will be a little scaled back. I've got a template made for both A Day and B Day kids. You will follow the directions on the template to complete your multimodal report. If you want to go over and above to make a different type of multimodal experience, you can do that. However, it will probably mean more time working outside of class on the project. The grading rubric is a part of the template.
There is a schedule for what needs to be done on each of your 3 work days included in the template as well.
When you have decided your topic, share it here in a comment so that we can see what everyone is researching!
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Civil Rights Movement
CCSS Addressed: ELA W7.7 & 7.8, ELA SL7.1 & 7.6, ELA RI7.2,7.4,7.6 & 7.9
Several of the book options for our second round of online book clubs are about the Civil Rights Movement. In this project, you will be choosing one of six different aspects of the Civil Rights movement to investigate. We will talk about each option for a bit before you pick a topic to research.
You will be working in a group of 3 or 4 people who also want to research this topic. After you do your research you will be presenting your topic to the class. Complete instructions are on the sheet.
If you find out something that you think is really interesting, put it in a comment on this post. Reply to other facts you find interesting!
Topics:
March on Washington
Marches from Selma to Montgomery
Ruby Bridges attends a desegregated school
16th Street Church Bombing - Birmingham, Alabama
Children's Marches - Birmingham, Alabama
Rosa Parks & The Montgomery Bus Boycotts
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Should We Read Three Cups of Tea?
ELA Common Core Standards W.7.1 A-E, RI.7.1,6&8
We've got copies of Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson to use in our next book club session, but should we really read them? At first Greg was seen as a humanitarian and hero. He was even nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. All along, there were some parts of his story that didn't make sense to some people that were actually there. In 2011, information came out that suggested Mortenson actually lied about what happened to him and his charity was misusing its money.
So, now it's up to you. Your job is to investigate what happened and decide whether or not this book will be one of our choices for our next round of book clubs. You will write a written argument, and we will have a debate in class. Together, we will decide if this book will be one that we read.
Videos we watched in class:
Some interesting websites that can be used in addition to your own research:
What you need to do the assignment:
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