11.30.06

Core 1:

1. Making the N-word History.
2. What is Cresthill’s hierarchy of names?
3. Read Chapter 3 and discuss the dignity of getting even.

Core 2:

1. Look at Maus analysis on PotatoPotatoPugPug’s Blog.
2. What else do these elements (flies, dead bodies, getting smaller, mouse masks, etc.) represent. Draw a flow chart of the representation.
3. Read through “Time Flies.”
   • How do relationships change when your biggest worry is survival?

Core 3:

1. Discuss-On: How do you know which questions are important enough to ask when you are reading?
2. Continue asking questions and answering them within “After I was thrown into the river, and before I drowned.”

Core 4:

1.  Should Paul Dawson be fired?
2. Making the N-word History.
3. What is Cresthill’s hierarchy of names?

11.29.06

Core 1:

1. The context of Racial Slurs:
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     View Google Full Screen
     • Why are they so powerful? Destructive?
     • What does it mean today? What did it mean in the 1930’s?
     • Who can say them?
     • How does it change the way we look at the characters in the book?
2. Read Chapter 2.
   • What is the significance of the “burnings?”
   • Why do you think that Papa brought Mr. Morrison home?

Core 2:

1. Write-On: What is the greatest indignity someone can force upon you?
2. Read to the end of chapter 1 and write down all of the ways in which Vladek loses identity or gains it.

Core 3:

1. Discuss-On: How do you get the most out of a short story?
2. Read “After I was thrown into the river, and before I drowned.”

Core 4:

1. The context of Racial Slurs:
2. 
   
   View Google Full Screen
   • Why are they so powerful? Destructive?
   • What does it mean today? What did it mean in the 1930’s?
   • Who can say them?
   • How does it change the way we look at the characters in our books?
3. Make a case for firing or keeping the teacher at the high school.
   • How does this change your view of the story?

11.28.06

 Cores 1-4:

1. Vote on Guest Blogging Question:
   • How have you changed since you were in middle school?
   • What piece of advice do you wish you had when you were in middle school?
   • What is the most important decision you have ever made?
   • What is the one thing that you wish you could have done differently when you were in middle school?

Cores 1+4:

1. Brainstorm blogging for books.
   • What questions can we ask that would be authentic?
   • How can we make these books our own?
2. Celebrity commenting and Weekly Authentic-ing.

Core 2:

1. Brainstorm blogging for graphic novels.
   • Analyzing a frame 1.
   • Analyzing a frame 2.
   • Analyzing a frame 3.
     • What questions can we ask that would be authentic?
     • How can we make these books our own?
2. Celebrity commenting and Weekly Authentic-ing.

Core 3:

1. Celebrity commenting and Weekly Authentic-ing.

11.27.06

Core 1:

1. Write-On: Why is the novel genre so powerful?
2. Introduction to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.
3. Go over my expectations for reading and engaging in the Novel.

Core 2:

1. How big is the generation gap between you and your grandparents? How do you think your experience differs from theirs?
2. What is a Graphic Novel? And why is it the best way to express a time of absolute tragedy, chaos, and change?

Core 3:

1. Self-assess and reflection on essay writing:
   1. Think-on: Are you the best thinkers and persuaders of your generation? Why or why not?
   2. Go to http://bhwilkoff.edublogs.org
   3. Click on This Jotform Link.

Core 4:

1. Write-On: What is your cultural perspective and bias?
   1. How can we talk about race, gender, religion, etc. without becoming offensive or overly sensitive/PC?
   2. What is the root of our biases?
2. Introduction and preview of Multi-Cultural novel choices.
3. Go over the expectations for the next two weeks.

11.21.06

Cores 1-4:

1. Discuss rules for guest blogging (something simple enough that even a parent could understand them).
2. What is transliteracy? What does it challenge us to do?
3. Develop proper usage for video in your blogs.
   • What about web junk?
   • The concept of building.
   • The concept of school appropriate.
4. Nominate, Comment, Finish up and drafts before the holiday.

11.20.06

I am finally back for good. Thank you for still engaging in class even though I wasn’t here to enjoy all of the fruits of your labor. Don’t think that I forgot about any of you, though. Along with taking care of my wife and my daughter, I was still brainstorming quite a few things for us to do in the coming weeks, one of which you will see today. Although I only received good reports from the subs, I did want to remind you that my expectations are probably different than any sub’s could be. Interruptions or distractions from what we are doing in class are unacceptable. Let’s get back to what makes our language arts classes so great: focused discussion, insightful ideas, and collaboration with others.

Cores 1-4:

1. Debrief last week: What did you learn? What didn’t you get? What do you want to expand upon?
2. Introduce concept of Guest Blogging.
3. Brainstorm people to ask to be in the panel of “Adults.”
4. Brainstorm questions to ask panel of “Adults.”

(If we have time, The Authenticity Awards for last week are here.)

11.08.06

Cores 1-4:

1. Honor the new Authenticity Awards.
   

Core 1:

1. Discuss-On: What is it about Blogging is like Football that most resonates with you?
2. Go over “Choosing the right word” in the vocab books.
3. Play vocabulary basketball to review for quiz tomorrow.

Core 2:

1. Read Blogging is like Football.
2. Discussion questions:
   • What is one blog post that means something to you but might not mean much to others? (The most personally valuable post)
   • What is your personal purpose for blogging?
   • What is one example of your real life affecting your blogging life?
   • What is one post that has been written in our community (either by you or someone else) that would either get the blogger fired from a job, not hired in the first place, or simply embarrass their parents?
   • What is one event that you would not want to blog directly after because you would be to angry/emotional and you may regret some of the things that you would post?
   • What is the best “tackling fuel” that you could use to make your blogging better?
   • What is the next touchdown idea you have for your blog? (What is the one thing that you haven’t done with your blog yet that you would like to try? How can you push the boundaries of your blog?)

Core 3:

1. Critique-on: How have I Mountain Outlined my first supporting paragraph.
2. Brainstorm/Discuss transitioning from one idea to the next.

Core 4:

1. Discuss-On: What point in the football article did you most relate to and why?
2. Explore Collective Consciousness and talk about how you can influence or persuade it to your own ends.

11.07.06

Cores 1 and 2:

1. Randomly select username for celebrity commenting.
2. Write-On: Comment on one post from the “Celebrity User.” You may use a comment starter to help you make a more authentic comment.
3. Write your weekly authentic for this week and don’t forget to nominate for The Authenticity Awards.

Core 3:

1. What is “wrong” with the following sentences:
   • Harry Potter is a great character.
   • I love chocolate.
   • The creatures in The Lord of The Rings movies are scary.
2. Discuss lost vs. found sentences.
3. Talk about levels of detail in body/supporting paragraphs through Mountain Outlining.
4. Write a body paragraph for your bloggged essay.

Core 4:

1. Randomly select username for celebrity commenting.
2. Discuss the important points of the Football as Blogging Article.
3. Write your weekly authentic for this week and don’t forget to nominate for The Authenticity Awards.

11.06.06

Core 1:

1. Go over Choosing the Right word for Unit 8 vocabulary book.
2. Write-On: Write a simile/metaphor that compares blogging to an event, action, or idea. (”Blogging is like football, putting out a fire, fishing, etc.”)
3. Read Blogging is like Football.
4. What is your personal purpose for blogging, for writing your own ideas down every week.

Core 2:

1. Write out an analogy question based upon Unit 32 or The Nerd Herd Big Word Books.
2. Try to stump the teacher and all other students with your question.
3. Explore the relationships between the words of the hardest questions on the smart board.
4.  Write-On: Write a simile/metaphor that compares blogging to an event, action, or idea. (”Blogging is like football, putting out a fire, fishing, etc.”)

Core 3:

1. Look at all student generated essay writing options:
   •  What makes school meaningful?
   • Why do you get up in the morning?
   • Should kids have their own room?
   • Should there be ZAP?
   • Should teachers allow kids with after school programs more time for homework?
   • Should I wait for my cousins’ plane or do something to ensure that he gets here?
   • Should the school have open campus?
   • Should touchdown celebrations be banned?
   • Should kids have to be 16 or older to get their license?
   • Why was the internet invented?
   • Should kids have report cards?
   • Should 6th grade be in middle school in all middle schools?
   • Should abortion be allowed?
   • Should gay marriage be legal?
   • Do you think that there should be money?
   • Should homework exist?
   • Why does TV exist?
   • Should books only be printed in black and white?
   • What was the person who invented the yo-yo thinking?
   • Why do kids need grades?
2. Refine thesis statements for chosen topics.
3. Write introductory paragraph for essay making sure that it has a start-me-up sentence, packing the bags sentences, and a thesis statement (See mine for an example).

Core 4:

1. Write-On: Write a simile/metaphor that compares blogging to an event, action, or idea. (”Blogging is like football, putting out a fire, fishing, etc.”)
2. Read Blogging is like Football.
3. What is your personal purpose for blogging, for writing your own ideas down every week.
4. Work on your weekly authentic because tomorrow you will be doing the vision and hearing testing.

11.02.06

Core 1:

1. Go over Synonyms and Antonyms in Unit 8.
2. Revisit belief statements as genre:
   • Why is it important to outline your belief statements?
   • Brainstorm belief statements.
   • Refine belief statements with Standpoint.com
   • Write your own Belief Statement piece.

Core 2:

1. Do quick word work-outs using The Nerd Herd Big Word Book notes page.
2. What makes an analogy a good one?
   • Explore already written analogies.
   • Write your own equally complex relationships.

Core 3:

1. Go over Synonyms and Antonyms in Unit 2.
2. Discuss-On: What makes a topic worth writing about? What makes a topic not worth writing about?
   • Brainstorm topics to write essays on.
   • What is the difference between a topic and a thesis.
   • Develop example thesis statements for our topics.

Core 4:

1. Why is defending an indefensible position important?
2. Share defenses and select most persuasive performances?
3. How do indefensible positions/actions inform our understanding of the first amendment?