Coming soon....

Coming Soon.. to a connections class near you....

-Holocaust background study (this links with the reading of Anne Frank in LA)

- Studying the stories of Holocaust survivors and righteous Gentiles

-Modern day Holocausts - do they exist?

-Poetry, comparative, and children's books writing

Then in March be ready for....

RESTAURANT WARS!!!

Research paper deadline is approaching!

The Multi-Genre research papers are due on Wednesday, February 1st!   The kids are starting to get nervous and feel pressure to get the paper done.  This makes me a little upset because they have had three weeks to work on this in class and their homework each night was to spend 15 minutes working on some aspect of their paper.  For weeks I've warned them about the importance of spending some time at home working on this assignment but unfortunately many kids don't take my advice.

What they don't understand is that if they don't spend small amounts of time throughout the process then they will be crunched to get it done at the last minute.  I know that in 8th grade there is A LOT going on but time management has to come into play at some point to prepare them for high school and to avoid the night before, up all night, writing marathon.

That being said this week will be spent continuing to work on their rough drafts and I will meet with each student daily to review their rough drafts with them and to sign their checklists.  What I have seen so far looks great and I'm excited to read the final products!

Teen Book Review - Speak

Speak

By Laurie Halse Anderson

What a great book! Told from the view point of a freshman in high school who takes us through her miserable first year of high school.  She has a secret that she hasn't told anyone and because of this her friends have all deserted her and she's an outcast in every way.  This book has some mature topics but is well done, interesting, and touches on feelings that many high school students feel.  I would recommend this book for mature 7th and 8th graders and high school students.

Teen Book Review - The Hunger Games Series

The Hunger Games

Catching Fire

MockingJay

 By Suzanne Collins

This series of books is AWESOME!  Once you start reading the first one you won't be able to put them down!  The stories take place in "PanAm" and revolve around a girl named Katniss.  Each year the capitol of PanAm has a drawing and chooses two children from each district to compete in the games. They train and then go to fight to the death!  These books are action packed, interesting, and fun to read!  I would recommend them to boys and girls 7th grade and up!

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie

Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie

By Jordan Sonnenblick

What a great book! Told from the perspective of an 8th grade boy, it's the story of what happens when your life gets turned upside down.  Steven, our narrator, tells us how his family copes when his younger brother is diagnosed with Leukemia.  This book is real, sad, and funny at the same time.  Steven is into girls (like all 8th grade boys) and is an accomplished drummer who also loves his family and wants his brother to get well.  I would recommend this book to both boys and girls and adults! I really enjoyed reading it!

TEEN Book Review: Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes By Chris Crutcher

Starting in 2012 I'm hoping to add book reviews for both teens and adults to my blog.  This will give students and parents a place to look for some new reading material and I will include a short summary of the book and my review as an English Teacher.  

Book: Staying Fat for Sarah Brynes

By: Chris Crutcher

This book is about two friends who consider themselves outcasts.  They come together at a young age and through thick and thin never let each other down.  A good book for 7-8th graders.  Some mature content such as religious views and child abuse but very well written.  When you read this you will not want to put it down!

A great book and I highly recommend it!

Multi Genre Research paper

    We have started horrible, the dreaded, the unusual....research paper!  It seems that during the entire duration of my life as a teacher my students have always dreaded one thing...the research paper.  I'm not sure if it's because it's an assignment that take a lot of time or because they just get nervous at hearing the name but the reaction is usually the same.  

   The research paper has been a highly debatable topic in education over the last few years.  Many feel that students need to learn how to effectively research and write a long paper where every point proves one main thesis.  Others feel that students can learn the process of researching while completing a multimedia presentation of some sort.  I am somewhere in the middle of those two opinions.  Because of this I have created the Multi Genre Research paper! 

  The multi genre research paper asks students to research a person in the world (living or deceased) that has had a great influence in some aspect of life.  Some examples of topics are Martin Luther King Jr., Hellen Keller, Jim Henson, Jackie Robinson, etc.  The students will research from at least four sources (3 online and 1 book) and will then use that information to CREATIVELY write their paper.  This is very different than a typical written paper because the students have to take what they have researched and then use their own ideas to fill in the blanks.  For example they might write a few diary entries from the viewpoint of their person or write a recipe involving that person or even creating a political cartoon about their topic.  

    While they are writing all researched information must be cited correctly in text and a works cited is also required.  They also write an introduction to that paper where they present their thesis statement and also add a notes page where they reflect on why they chose the genre pieces that they did and how those genres helped them convey the appropriate information about their topic. (There were three choices per section).   

  The students are currently in the research phase of this assignment but I'm happy to report that overall they are focused and interested.  Although a lot of work this has proved, over the years, to be one of the most difficult but most enjoyable assignments for the students to complete and will hopefully relieve some of their "research paper angst!"  I will share excerpts from their papers at the end of the month!

The full assignment can be found on my website http://www.oncoursesystems.com/school/webpage.aspx?id=517307&xpage=720406

2012: A New Year; a new post!

 Since 2012 is now in full swing I've decided that it's time to update my blog.  I apologize for not updating it in MONTHS, which was never my intention but time goes by quickly and the next thing I knew I had neglected the blog.  But it's a new year and it's time to write again!  

Students and parents, 

Here are some things you can look for in the next two marking periods:

1) Multi genre research paper (currently working on it now)

2) Holocaust survivor assignments and background

3) Restaurant Wars!!! (Yeah! They are so excited to do this!)

4) Digital footprint

5) Change the World

6) And many more interesting articles, discussions and writing! 

In just a few weeks the marking period will be over and that means we will already be halfway done with the school year - time goes by so quickly!   Here's to a great 2012 and a wonderful "end" to the school year!