Monday, March 17, 2008

Today you will work with a partner to create a series of illustrated similes in a PowerPoint slideshow to be shared on our classroom blog.

See an example below.

View Upload your own

Step one: Work with your partner and write three similes. Use an animal for the first one, either the word "happy" or "mad" for the second one, and use your creativity for the third.

Step two: Open a new PowerPoint project and make one slide for each simile. Add a title slide and a slide for your credits. Use either clipart or images from pics4learning. (No free search.)

This will appear on our blog, so remember to check your spelling and keep it clean.

Save your PowerPoint file where you can find it.

Step three: Go to SlideShare and log in. Username: serms_student. Password: titans.

Step four: Upload your slideshow.

Step five: Check out the work of other serms_students on SlideShare.

Content Objective: 5.01 Increase fluency, comprehension, and insight through a meaningful and comprehensive literacy program by leading small group discussions, discussing the effects of such literary devices as figurative language, and extending understanding by creating products for different purposes, different audiences, and within various contexts.

Language Objective: Participate in the small group discussion necessary for the creation of a simile PowerPoint slideshow to be posted online.

Essential Question: Is this an example of the future of education?

Homework: SSR.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Content Objective: 5.01 Increase fluency, comprehension, and insight through a meaningful and comprehensive literacy program by reading literature and other materials selected by the teacher, taking an active role in whole class seminars, and discussing the effects of such literary devices as figurative language. 5.02 Study the characteristics of literary genres (drama) through reading a play.

Language Objective: Take a part in the reading of a play.

Essential Question: What happens to a dream deferred?

Today in class we checked the reading comprehension questions from the excerpt from The Cay. We made up a few similes and I discussed Monday's lesson. Then we shared the reading of A Raisin in the Sun and I cast it pretty well. I enjoyed it all four times. My homeroom came back at the end of the day to enjoy their prize for winning a poster contest: a soda party with the added bonus of watching the UNC/FSU game on TV. I broke out the Scrabble games and they were a hit around the room. I'll be sure to keep that going.

Homework: SSR.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Content Objective: 3.03 Evaluate and create arguments that persuade by: understanding the importance of the engagement of audience, developing a controlling idea that makes a clear and knowledgeable judgment, arranging details, reasons, and examples effectively and persuasively, anticipating and addressing reader concerns and counterarguments, and creating an organizing structure appropriate to purpose, audience, and context.

Language Objective: Participate in the process of creating a persuasive argument while in pairs and small groups.

Essential Question: Can I create an argument so effective that my teacher will allow my class to watch the ACC Tournament on TV tomorrow afternoon?

Today's class discussed how to be persuasive. First, we tried the Word Splash activity again. This time "ACC Tournament" was surrounded by words like education, motivation, peace, America, etc. and student pairs made their own connections. Next, students worked together in small groups brainstorming supporting details for a persuasive argument, anticipating counter-arguments, and preparing rebuttals. Participation levels were high because students had both a clear purpose and an audience which was well-known. This is a great assignment to generate quality writing samples from across the classroom spectrum.

Homework: SSR.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Content Objective: 2.01 Analyze and evaluate informational materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by monitoring comprehension for understanding of what is read, heard and/or viewed, recognizing the characteristics of informational materials, summarizing information, determining the importance and accuracy of information, making connections to related topics/information, drawing inferences and/or conclusions, generating questions, and extending ideas.
Language Objective: Actively engage in discussion as a member of a small group.

Essential Questions: What is the difference between Scrabble and Scrabulous, what's the problem, and on which side do I stand?

Today in class students worked together in groups of four. We began with a review of the concept of the board game Scrabble. Then we did a Word Splash activity that I was introduced to yesterday by our Literacy Coach. Students worked together to find connections between seemingly random words like tiles, architect, Macy's, and Great Depression with the key word Scrabble. Students then rearranged sentences to form a paragraph about the creation of Scrabble; a volunteer summarized for the class. After a short discussion, students turned to the completion of a T-M-R chart; students were given four relevant, but for the most part unknown, terms. They had a short discussion about these terms and each team member wrote: what the group Thought the terms meant, what the terms Might mean, and a Random definition. This was all prelude to an activity in which students in each group read an article and discussed it. Then one member from the group summarized it for the class. We began with Facebook, then moved to Scrabulous, and finally an article about the video made by TastesLikeTV in response to a request from the owners of Scrabble to remove the Scrabulous application from Facebook. We watched the video, and students had a chance to compete by creating words using Scrabble tiles. The lesson was fun and fast-paced; students processed a lot of information and were able to synthesize, evaluate, and generate questions of their own.

Homework: SSR.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Content Objectives: 6.01 Model an understanding of conventional written and spoken expression. 6.02 Continue to identify and edit errors in written and spoken English.

Language Objective: With a partner, discuss and create dialogue for various characters.

Essential Question: How are quotation marks used?

Today in class, a review of quotation marks began with a demonstration using PowerPoint. Students gave answers and discussed the proper usage. Then they found partners and were given the choice of characters for whom to create dialogue: Eli Manning/Tom Brady & Tyler Hansbrough/Coach K, Batman/Superman & Bart/Homer, or Molly Cyrus/Joe Jonas & Chris Brown/Rihanna. The emphasis was to be on punctuaton, but some students got too involved with the dialogue. As is common in an eighth grade classroom, the humor was sometimes crude (but funny). Students performed their dialogues for the class.

Homework: The Cay reading comprehension practice; SSR.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Content Objectives: 2.02 Create a research product in both written and presentational form by: researching and organizing information to achieve purpose, selecting presentational format, using notes and/or memory aids, and employing charts and diagrams to enhance communication.6.02 Continue to identify and edit errors in written and spoken English.

Language Objective: Make a verbal presentation, and generate questions during the presentation process.

Essential Question: How will I make an effective presentation of my research?

After a trip to the media center for checkout, students who were either off-campus or unprepared on Friday presented their research projects today. Two classes reviewed usage rules for quotation marks. In anticipation for a Scrabulous lesson I devised last night, I introduced the concept of Scrabble by giving the students the task to work in pairs to find as many words as possible from a scrambled seven letter word. The class took to it and had fun; the unverified record was 53 words made from the letters in climate.

Homework: Complete quotation marks usage practice; SSR