Personal Essay - Time to Process

       We have been reading personal essays for the past three weeks. By reading mentor text, we can better understand how to write this new powerful genre. From reading Tony Hawk's "Do What you Love,"  Macklin Levine's "The Beatles Live On," and YingYing Yu's "Duty to Family, Country," we have learned that a personal essay is best when it has meaning that is of personal significance. Personal essay topics vary as they give a glimpse to the reader into your life experiences. We generated ideas using our reading, from our past notebook ideas, and from what we have experience or faced in our own lives.

One topic I have been grabbling with is the idea of free time and how society is not understanding it's importance. Take a look at the four drafts and see how I raised the level of writing each time.

My Pick - Fire Girl

       After seeing and hearing Ainsley's book talk on Fire Girl by Tony Abott, I got so excited that I decided to reread this book. My take away from this book was that when we do even the smallest act of kindness toward someone we never know what impact we may have on someone. So be kind!

Book Talks - Presents to Ourselves

     

Tis the season to be jolly and giving gifts. And what wonderful gifts we have

given each other with our book talks. Such gifts as Fire Girl, The One and Only Ivan, Toby Alone, The Miraculous Adventures of Edward Tulane, Turtle in Paradise, Found, Mockingbird, Red Kayak, Out of My Mind, So B. It, Mick Harte Was Here, Esperanza Raising, and Revolution is Not a Dinner Party to name a few.

     Do you have a favorite? There are so many to chose from. Which one are you going to choose to take with you on your holiday to read? Maybe you can take two or three. What a fantastic gift.

   Did I mention that I was so proud of your book talks? Take a look at our I can statements and see which ones you are able to complete. I realized that some of you have never given a book talk before, while some of you are regular pros at it. It was great to see your confidence, clarity, and eye contact come through. Overall I was impressed with your enthusiasm as you delivered your hooks and gave wonderful succinct summaries. The excerpts that you read were well chosen and most picked a stand out idea to share. I can't wait to pick up one of these amazing books.

Character Extension Project - Freak the Mighty

Let’s face it - everyone has pressures in their lives. True, some people’s burdens are heavier than others, but it is how we deal with these pressures that matters. Dealing with these difficulties can define us and make a difference in how we see life. When we meet these stressors head on we can learn about ourselves, others, and life in general. In Freak the Mighty, by Rodman Philbrick, Kevin has several pressures in his life, but one is so extremely difficult and yet, he deals with it so eloquently that he ends up teaching those around him life lessons.

In this book Maxwell Kane, a large, slow, kind-hearted eighth grader, meets his new neighbor, Kevin Avery, an extremely intelligent physically disabled boy (nicknamed Freak), and the two become fast friends.  Max just wants to live a normal life, while Kevin is looking to make a friend and make the best of his situation. Perhaps it is their oddities, Max’s learning disabilities, and Kevin’s physical disability- that bring them together, but these two misfits set out on many grand adventures together conquering anything put in their path. It is through the obstacles and pressures that they both face that we learn what it means to be strong.

Kevin’s has many pressure that afflict him. First of all, his father skipped out on him and his mom, the Fair Gwen, right after he was born. Loretta said, “Right after you was born. He (referring to his dad) must be a magician, because as soon as he heard the words ‘birth defect,’ he disappeared.” (pg. 71)  Another pressure for Kevin is that he struggles to make friends and is often bullied by others. When Max and Kevin are walking to watch the fireworks works on the 4th of July , Tony D and his gang start bullying them. Tony says, “Hey you! Mutt and Jeff! Frankenstein and Igor! Don’t look around, I’m talking to you, bone heads. What is this, a freak show?” (pg. 29) A third pressure for Kevin is his mother constantly worrying about him. The Fair Gwen is hugging Freak and she is saying, “I told you to stay in that car, didn’t I? Didn’t I? (pg. 134).

But those pressure are not even the worst of what Kevin has to handle. Kevin’s main pressure is that he suffers from Morquio Syndrome - a rare hereditary disease that causes deformity of the bones or skeleton and dwarfing. So how does Kevin deal with all of these pressures? He lives each day to the fullest using his imagination. It all started when Max puts Kevin on his shoulder - the two become Freak the Mighty - and go on quests slaying dragons and fools and walking high above the world(pg 40). But Kevin also creates this elaborate idea that he shares with Max. “I will enter that lab and become the first bionically improved human.” (pg 51)  After Kevin dies, Dr. Spivak explains to Max Kevin’s motivation behind the idea. She said, “I think he needed something to hope for and so he invented this rather remarkable fantasy you describe. Everybody needs something to hope for. Don’t call it a lie. Kevin wasn’t a liar.” (pg 157).
When examining how Kevin deals with these pressures, he serves as a mentor for all of us.  Even though he has a life more difficult than most can imagine, he sees the glass full and lives life to its fullest. We need to learn from Kevin and see all the possibilities life has to offer. We need to use our imagination and be the best that we can be.

Kevin's Pressures: Glogster

Max's Makeover: I-Movie

Max's Turning Points: Fakebook

Halloween Fun!

Air Ball

Personal Narrative Characteristics

After reading your personal narrative drafts, I want to review how writers choose to develop topics that are valuable or meaningful.  In other words, consider a story’s potential and why to tell that particular story.  

To do this, answer these questions:

• 

  Make sure you have all
  these characteristics
  in your personal narrative

  Which generating ideas do I have the most to say about?
• What mattered the most to me?
• Which story creates vivid images?

Let me show you how I did this with my drafts.

Which generating ideas do I have the most to say about?

• Playing basketball with Teresa - shirt/embarrassing moment
• Frank - my first love
• Richard - gingerbread houses

What mattered the most to me? Or why does this story matter?

• Frank
• Basketball - shirt/embarrassing moment

What did I learn/How did I grow from this experience? Which creates vivid images?

• Basketball - shirt/embarrassing moment

Now, I am ready to write my draft of my small moment about playing basketball with Teresa and loosing my shirt. Oh, how embarrassing!

Partner Talk

Now that we are reading the same book as our partner, it is time to talk about our books but to go beyond retelling and to really dig into our books.

In order to be successful with this we need to have the mini-lesson SOS in mind.

• Supplies - be sure to have the supplies that you need - book, reader's notebook, stickies, your log, pencil.
• On top of Reading - be sure to be on the same page as your partner. Do not read ahead!
• Something to say - be prepared with something to say. Use your stickies to make a strong claim and then find evidence (a quote) to support your claim.

Let the conversations begin. By having this in-depth conversation about your book, did you walk away with new ideas and thinking? I hope so!

Reading Responses - Stop Light Approach

When responding to our reading try using the stop light approach. Good readers respond to their reading by:

• Making strong claims
• Citing the text to support the claim
• Explaining the claim and quote in own words

In class we read "What's So Funny Mr. Scieskza?" and I provided samples of responses ( a low, medium, and high).  As you continue to write responses to your reading, use these samples to guide you. 

Low

Medium

High

About the Author

As a middle schooler, Mrs. Haas remembers getting her papers returned to her marked up in red ink clearly identifying her abuses of the written language: spellings slip-ups, grammatical gaffes and punctuation booboos.  Needless to say, author was not on her career choice list. However, encouraged by her large family of teachers (father and 7 out of 11 siblings), Mrs. Haas learned that writing is really about expressing the heart and not discovering errors. In fact, her childhood school experiences, frenzied family life, and past and current students provide her with a wealth of writing inspirations.  Some day she hopes to have her book about Third Culture Kids - Home published, but for now, she is content with her students being her audience. Mrs. Haas currently lives in Singapore with her mathematical marvel husband, Jim; gymnastic genius daughter, Taylor; and sport enthusiast son, Eli.

Poetry by Me!

After reading Locomotion a novel in verse, by Jacqueline Woodson,
we decided to try to write our own story using poetry.

Introduction to Poetry

Poetry is an extremely special genre.  Through poems we can experience joy, grief, and wonder, but they also invite us to see every day life in a new light.  In "Introduction to Poetry," Billy Collins reveals a fascinating explanation of what poetry can do and how to enjoy it.  

To begin with,  Collins creates images through the use of similes and metaphors helping the reader understand his ideas.  By looking through the light of a colored slide, I can see the poem's meaning and by pressing an ear against its hive, I can learn to hear the sweetness the poem holds. From walking inside a poem's room looking for a light switch to gliding as a waterskier across the poem, I can get the feeling of experiencing the poem firsthand.

Later, Collins ends the poem with a change in mood and tone.  After his bright images of how a poem should be read, he ends his poem with, "But all they want to do/is tie the poem to a chair with rope and torture a confession out of it."  This personification of a poem being tortured shows how forcing an interpretation out of a poem can be a criminal act.

In the end, this poem leaves a lasting impression. I chose it because I always used to think that there were secret interpretations of a poem that need to be found.  Instead, Collins knows how important it is for readers to find their own meanings and connections in the poems they read.

Informed Argument Clubs - Video sources

Now that we understand how to read through sources 
to find out about issues, it's time to "read" the first source.  

View the video the first time with the first two or three "S's" in 
mind. One your second viewing, take note on the fourth "S" -
Some people think... Some people think...  Be prepared to 
discuss the issue with your group.

1. Cell Phones in the Classroom

Source:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/12/cellphone-use-in-schools-_n_2116723.htm

2. Dodgeball

N.H. School Removes Dodgeball, Other 'Human Target' Activities

http://youtu.be/bZ_B6HB2dxg

Source:  Look at bottom of screen at the beginning of the clip. 

3. Facebook

Facebook may allow kids under age 13

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/local/facebook-may-allow-kids-under-age-13

4. Green Energy - Hydropower

Nepal Micro-Hydro

http://youtu.be/MXYJYNZpPmo

Source:United Nations Development Project

5. Recycling

Why Recycle?.flv

http://youtu.be/pOFKuvNpqWo

Source:  http://www.repak.ie/ 

6. Teaching Cursive Writing

Cursive Writing Slowly Being Scribbled Out of The Classroom

http://video.foxnews.com/v/1696722093001/cursive-writing-being-scribbled-out-of-classrooms/

Source:  http://video.foxnews.com/v/1696722093001/cursive-writing-being-scribbled-out-of-classrooms/

About the Author

As a middle schooler, Mrs. Haas remembers getting her papers returned to her marked up in red ink clearly identifying her abuses of the written language: spellings slip-ups, grammatical gaffes and punctuation booboos.  Needless to say, author was not on her career choice list. However, encouraged by her large family of teachers (father and 7 out of 11 siblings), Mrs. Haas learned that writing is really about expressing the heart and not discovering errors. In fact, her childhood school experiences, frenzied family life, and past and current students provide her with a wealth of writing inspirations.  Some day she hopes to have her book about Third Culture Kids - Home published, but for now, she is content with her students being her audience. Mrs. Haas currently lives in Singapore with her mathematical marvel husband, Jim; gymnastic genius daughter, Taylor; and sport enthusiast son, Eli.

Being Safe on the Net

Coming from a large family, my parents always talked about having a good reputation. I heard them say, “Don’t do that” or “what were you thinking when you did that? "or even “what will the neighbors think?” Honestly, I hadn’t given it much thought. I guess I didn’t really understand what having a bad or good reputation meant. Your reputation is how the public views you and as a result treats you in a certain way. Therefore, a person’s reputation is important. Here’s a video clip from Commoncraft explaining protecting one’s reputation online.

I think this quote sums up a great deal. “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” (Warren Buffett)


So now that we've have extended our learning into cyberspace with our blog work, it's worth spending time thinking about how to keep safe and protect ourselves from the unexpected.

We've already done some important work on this with our POST filters.  We learned to "think before you post" by defining the following with everything we put online:

• P--Purpose
• O--Offer new insight
• S--Skillful writing
• T--The Core Values

When researching other ways to be safe online, I came across this video and list of tips fromcommonsense media.

Rules of the Road for Kids

1. Guard your privacy. What people know about you is up to you.

2. Protect your reputation. Self-reflect before you self-reveal. What’s funny or edgy today could cost you tomorrow.

3. Nothing is private online. Anything you say or do can be copied, pasted, and sent to gazillions of people without your permission.

4. Assume everyone is watching. There’s a huge, vast audience out there. If someone is your friend’s friend, they can see everything.

5. Apply the Golden Rule. If you don’t want it done to you, don’t do it to someone else.

6. Watch the clock.  Don't spend too much time looking at screens.

7. Choose wisely. Not all content is appropriate. You know what we mean.

8. Don't hide. Using anonymity to cloak your actions doesn’t turn you into a trustworthy, responsible human being.

9. Think about what you see. Just because it’s online doesn’t make it true.

10. Be smart, be safe. Not everyone is who they say they are. But you know that.

I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to protect your reputation and be safe online.  It's why we ask you not to publish your last name.  It's why we don't want you to publish photos that misrepresent you or those close to you.  It's also why I'm asking you to make an avatar.  

I'm not talking about the movie.  I'm talking about a graphic representation of yourself.  To protect our own image, we can create avatars to be our online picture.  We can add it as our blogger profile picture, and it will show up when we leave comments on other peoples' blogs.  Let's try it out.  Here are some simple avatar makers that are fun to use.  See if you can capture your image and maybe even something you like to do with an object or piece of clothing.  Once you have one you like, take a screen shot of it and upload it to your blogger profile.

So, does this look a bit like me?

http://www.reasonablyclever.com/mini-mizers/mini-mizer-2-0/
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2006/10/mii.swf
http://clayyourself.com/
http://www.buildyourwildself.com/
http://www.manga.com/content/avatar-face-maker

Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10324217@N08/3217044145/">maria.benitezmontero</a> via <a href="http://compfight.com">Compfight</a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/help/general/#147">cc</a>

Mountains of Grit

Down sleeping bag, check. Thermal ski cap, check. Walking stick, check. Camera, check. Guide and porters, check. We were ready for our great trekking adventure in Nepal. Our family trip was going to be a venture of a lifetime: we were going to trek up 12000 feet to Madri Himal high camp and sleep in tents for five nights during the coldest time of the year. Little did I know that after all the discussions we had about perseverance and grit in home base the previous several weeks, it would take all the grit I could muster up to make it to the peak.

Working out three times a week with my trainer set my muscles up for the first day’s grueling four-hour uphill climb, but ascending 800 feet was difficult for my lungs. It was a tough beginning, but I have grit, although the frost on my tent the next morning had me shaking both physically and mentally.  I was unaware that we hadn’t yet reached the pinnacle of the altitude or cold. I was in for a shock.

Setting out on the third day to low camp was to be an easy day; only a three-hour climb of about 1000 feet and then a full afternoon to rest up for the big day ahead when we would climb to high camp. After lunch at low camp, the clouds came in and engulfed us. Yes, we were literally in the clouds; we were that high up. The temperature dropped twenty degrees as the sun disappeared, and it was too early to snuggle into our sleeping bags, so we huddled around an illegal campfire. Crouching around the fire for several hours, dodging the smoke, and battling the wind became so tiring that we ended up eating an early dinner and going to bed in order to stay warm. Knowing we were going to get up extremely early to get to High Camp the next day and not wanting to deal with the exceedingly cold, we went to bed with as many layers as we could.

We got up at 4:30 am so that we would reach High Camp before the clouds and with the wakening of the sun. My hot water bottle was still warm, so getting out of the sleeping bag, where even in the tent my breath could be seen as I exhaled, took an act of tenacity I didn’t think I had in me. Two layers on the bottom, three layers on top, plus a down jacket, neck warmer, gloves, and a wool hat: I was out of the tent and looking for something to keep me warm. A full moon surrounded by clouds in the sky made us wonder if we would be making this climb only to have a view of nothing but clouds rather than some of the most majestic mountains on earth. Was it possible that we had come all this way and would miss the magic moment we had worked so hard to experience?

We knew we had to go for it and hope the clouds would clear. After some warm soup, we took off with our headlamps lighting one step at a time. It was thrilling and scary at the same time as we were not really sure of our surroundings. At times the wind blew so fiercely that I thought I might be blown off the narrow precipice. My eyes watered and my fingers were tingling, but my mind was clear and it forced me onwards. Gradually, the sun started to peek over the horizon that almost seemed to be below us. I felt that I was on top of the world. It was a glorious sight.

 We still had another two hours of hiking before we would reach high camp and I was determined to make it. Through the cold, shortness of breath, and tired aching body, I finally reached the top where colorful prayer flags blew in the breeze. The view was amazing as the clouds waited below in the valley letting us take in two of the highest mountains in the Annapurna region of the Himalayas – Annapurna South and Machapuchare (otherwise known as Fishtail). We had reached an elevation of over 12,000 ft. With so many elements and obstacles to overcome, the resolve and indomitable spirit inside of me took over allowing me to make this incredible journey. It felt incredibly satisfying to reach the top.

After taking in the view, and a much-needed snack, we finished taking a few photos, before heading back down. We were far from finished for the day.  We still had to hike back down two hours to low camp, pack up our gear and trek another three hours before making camp for the last night. However, the long trek down gave me plenty of time to reflect upon all that I had experienced and accomplished over the past five days. I learned to take one step at a time. I learned to concentrate on the task right in front of me. I knew that if I stayed in the moment, believed in my own determination, had a hope or a vision of a possible positive outcome that I could do what I set out to do – and that it would be worth it.