Our Perceptions of the World...Starry Night

We tried our hands at interpreting art (the famous Van Gogh Painting, "Starry Night") and duplicating our own water color versions. It was cool to see how we could all see the same painting but interpret it differently. From there we wrote poetry about the art work, and it is (as you know) displayed in our room. How wonderful!

The same idea could apply to the current book we are reading together. Though we all read the same words, each of us brings our own personal experience to the story, life experiences, books, movies, stories we've heard or read about. That's what makes sharing a story together so interesting. We have so much to learn from and about each other. Stay tuned!

WOW! Sitomer Commented!... Teddy Meets Micah, G-PIP, and the Story Gets Rolling

If you haven't yet, read the comment left on our last post. The author actually left us a comment...and his well wishes! I think that's amazing...and incredibly generous of him to take the time.

As to our story... I know I'm really supposed to be rooting for Teddy at this point of the story, but I'm struggling because he's so cruel to his family and apparently ungrateful for second chances...

I'm guessing that he'll show heart sometime soon. Somehow he's got to show more depth of character...care about more than finding revenge. His father may be right: revenge may end up burning him up.

Hum...read on!

Homeboyz...Sharing a Good Read

This week we started reading Homeboyz, a book that takes us into the inner city in Los Angeles and into the lives of a family devastated by violence in their deteriorating neighborhood. The action is fast, the language is "colorful," and most of us are already glued to the page.

Some lessons seem to already be unfolding: People grieve in different ways. Our environment impacts our lives. Education is fundamental in America. Our choices impact the lives of others. There is no such thing as revenge.

We started our unit of study by surveying the class on these very issues, and with slips of paper with lines from the first chapter, we circulated the room sharing our lines and guessing what the story would bring. Some of us were able to piece together a pretty good picture of how the story would begin.

I wish there were enough of these paperbacks for each of us to have our own, but at least we have enough for each class. If you need to read at home, you'll need to visit the local book store. I'm not sure that they are available yet at the public library.

We'll be looking at various reading strategies and inquiry method as we share the journey of our new book. Stay tuned. It should be fun.

In the meantime, visit the author's website here. He has provided video introductions of his books and passages from each.

Happy weekend!

Getting Organized

Organizing paperwork can be a labor, especially when you let it get away from you...So...we spent some time this week adding to the writer's notebook ideas and creating colorful dividers which could serve for ideas to write about as well. Our new class is catching up. Everyone should have a book checked out from the library (or your own from home) to bring to class for independent reading. We are all ready to dive into a book together.

Back to some of those questions we investigated earlier: What do we find to be heroic? Who are our personal heroes? How does our culture influence the idea of heroism? How does our environment and upbringing shape who we are?

We'll be looking for the answer to those questions in our reading, both independent and the new book we'll read together in class. Stay tuned!

Powerful Passages = Great Poetry

In class this week we read a piece by comedian and writer Dick Gregory, "Not Poor, Just Broke." We read it the first time through like readers, looking for the gist or main point, but we reread it a second and third time in order to appreciate the powerful words and phrases he used. We created collaborative poetry in small groups and performed the poems for the class. It made me realize what a good writer Gregory is and what wonderful poets we have in our class. Here are just a few samples:

Ashamed

I always thought the teacher
kind of liked me.
I guess she couldn't see a kid
who made noises
because he wanted someone to know he was there.
I didn't go back often because there was shame there.
I never learned hate at home.
"We all know you don't have a daddy."


Paste
Teachers were never interested in finding out
that you couldn't concentrate
because you were so hungry.
I walked out of school that day
and for a while
I didn't go back.
Paste doesn't taste too bad when you're hungry.

So...many of the poems are still in the editing process, but you can see that good writers watch and listen for great lines.

We'll be starting a great book together next week, and we'll be sharing our observations on our journey.

The Writer's Notebook

As we enter into week five of our school year (gosh, that's hard to believe) you should be getting comfortable with ideas to write about in your writer's notebook section of your portfolio. With the mid-quarter approaching, there will no doubt be a portfolio check. Be sure you have completed your writing territories, your freewriting list of "what I'm good at" and "what I'm not good at," and today's heart map and visual writing territories.

The heart map...let's see...imagine all the things that are close to your heart, things you love. Next imagine all the things that are outside your heart, things you can't let in or don't like to think about. Either way, it's easier to write about the things you feel strongly about, so this map may help in your search for topics.

We'll talk about techniques for finding writing ideas within your reading. One we will use in class is the "cloze poetry" technique where we look at a poet's style or frame and use it for a framework for our own. The "I Meant To Tell You" template is an example of this technique.

In the meantime, I hope everyone has the Internet agreement turned in so that we can all participate in the computer lab exercise in netiquette.

Rules of the Online Road

We will share this information in class this week when we discuss rules of safety and netiquette. Click on the title The Core Rules of Netiquette to review Virginia Shea's advice in the excerpt from her book.



Rule 1: Remember the Human;
Rule 2: Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life;
Rule 3: Know where you are in cyberspace;
Rule 4: Respect other people's time and bandwidth;
Rule 5: Make yourself look good online;
Rule 6: Share expert knowledge;
Rule 7: Help keep flame wars under control;
Rule 8: Respect other people's privacy;
Rule 9: Don't abuse your power;
Rule 10: Be forgiving of other people's mistakes!



In addition to these seemingly common sense rules, we must also be aware of safety. Although we will be the only members of our blog, and therefore we will be the only bloggers to be able to post or comment, we will still protect our identities by not using any last names, addresses, or phone numbers. We will also refrain from mentioning the name of our high school or city. Those things probably wouldn't need to be mentioned anyway because we all know where we are.



If you decide to take on a pseudonym, only the teacher will know who you are unless you decide to tell others who you are. Pseudonyms, of course, should be classroom appropriate, since after all, we are theoretically still in our classroom! We shouldn't write anything that our grandmothers wouldn't want to read. (I'm one, remember?)

Lastly, below is a link that may be very enlightening for all of us and even our "larger audience" out there. Please click on the link to read a clarification of the difference between educational blogging and social networking. Networking sites like MySpace truly differ in content and language from educational blogging, and reading this link will clear up some of the challenges we will face as new bloggers. I hope to prevent any misunderstandings which could emerge over blogging expectations. The site covers dangers, safety, language, and benefits of a knowledge based site. Read on. We'll discuss this further in class.

http://supportblogging.wikispaces.com/Blogs+vs+Social+Networking

What Ever Happened to Good Manners?

What do Kanye West, Serena Williams, and Representative Joe Wilson have in common? USA Today ran an article this week on the demise of manners, "What Happened to Civility?" and we read about the social blunders highlighted by these three celebrities. Here's a link to the West event. You may be thinking, so what do we care, but in our classroom opinionaire, a majority of you answered "no" to the statement, "I feel like my classmates care about me!" Oh...maybe it's worth looking at how our manners affect the classroom atmosphere.

We viewed a video clip (included below) about manners published in 1953; we charted how those same customs or manners would translate to the year 2009. We will be studying about manners online, a current area of concern and one that was referred to in the article we read this week. As to the picture above, Japanese culture is known for its courteous nature.

When I lived in Japan, I was fascinated by many of the customs and manners.

• People take their shoes off when they enter a home;


• People bow instead of shaking hands;


• Soft, warm cloths are brought to the dinner table before dining;


• Gifts are given to guests who attend a wedding or funeral;


• People often practice meditation and visualization before partaking in an activity.

The last item was often referred to as shadowing. Once in a department store china department, I saw people "shadow sipping" (pretend sipping) from imaginary tea cups to see if they liked it. I saw others shadow swinging imaginary golf clubs or baseball bats. The practice, it seems, was to imagine in one's mind or visualize the event to experience what it might be like without really doing the activity. In such an overcrowded country (by my standards), it amazed me how many people had the abiltiy to "go within."

This might seem like a stretch, but I imagine the same activity might be worthwhile on our blogging. You've now been reading my posts every day, and you know, regardless of your own personal experience, what a blog post might look like...pictures, links, comments, and so forth. It's time to imagine how you want to be perceived by others, how your posts might look, how it feels to comment and to receive comments.

Soon we'll try our hand at "shadow blogging," blogging on paper instead of online. It should be fun. If you are absent, we'll have to get together and work out this activity for you!

Sayonara!

I Need a Hero...or...What is True Courage?

Our classes are investigating the question of courage and creating a collaborative model of a true hero. It's not easy, but for the sake of consensus, we are discussing traits - some admirable and some not - of true heroes. Are all heroes physically strong? Are all heroes brave? Do all heroes face danger or adversity despite the risks they themselves must face? What about people who risk their physical safety due to their jobs? How does culture or environment affect how we see these ideas?

We'll be pouring through song lyrics and reading current events to guide us through our inquiry. In this quest, you might be thinking about your own personal heroes. Who is that person in your life who fits those characteristics we've been discussing?
You'll have a chance to share this, so be thinking about who fits your definition of a hero.

Meantime, I do appreciate your cooperation and contribution to class discussions. Our classroom community is full of heroes!

Welcome Writers and Readers

I read somewhere that writing, like life itself, is a voyage of discovery. I know this to be true. Good writers are keen observers. They take notice of details; they see the unusual. That is why in these first few days of class we are each setting up our own writer's notebook, developing "writing territories," and making lists. This will all prove to help us develop ideas and make interesting choices.

Good writers are also avid readers, and in the next couple of days we'll be sharing our own favorite books and discussing how to judge a book. Don't forget to bring a favorite book to share with the class. It could be something from childhood or a book you recently read. We'll participate in a "pass and share" activity that I hope will give us some ideas for independent reading.

Tomorrow we'll be talking about books, sharing our favorites and giving them a quick overview. Be prepared to show yours to the class, and if you can't get your hands on it, at least be able to tell us a little bit about it, the author and why you enjoyed it.

We'll be writing our Reading Territories, and as you think about the kind of reading you enjoy, you may notice that your reading interests may be very similar to your Writing Territories. (For example, I couldn't leave my pets off either list.)
I hope we have time to enjoy some quiet reading during class.



If you are still looking for book titles, check out this book award link. It will take you to lists of award winners, and I've gotten lots of ideas there.

Discovering Myself as a Writer

As early as I can remember, I think I've always viewed writing as something artistic and imaginative. The first time a teacher asked me to write a story was back in first grade. She wanted Halloween pumpkin stories from us, complete with illustrations. I tried my best to be surprising and different - and I really do remember the effort. After reading the stories, though, the teacher expressed alarm, worried that there might be something wrong with me because my main character (a jack 'o lantern) ended up being baked in a Thanksgiving pie. I thought it was clever and that it made sense with the food chain and all. I tried the best I could that year to be more predictably like the other kids. I wonder how many times teachers unwittingly do that sort of thing to their students.

My writing has naturally evolved since those days, but I hope to recapture that childlike imagination that should be limitless and free. I don't often write fiction, but I love to read it, and I'm very interested in the process of writing it. I think that it would be a fascinating way to explore my own life by creating a fictional account of some of my own experiences. I have had some unusual events in my life. I've lived in Mexico, Canada, Japan, and several cities in the U.S. I was married to a professional baseball player and have even been on a television talk show. I have two kids (both in college now),two dogs, two cats, and lots of friends.

Whatever your circumstances, I believe each one of us has a story to tell. Most of what I write these days is nonfiction, though. I have a collection of memoirs I keep doodling with, and I've been working on a series of articles reflecting research on new digital literacies (the weblog). I like to utilize writing and reading workshop strategies in our classroom. For those of you familiar with "workshop," you already know that this means that the class is student centered and that your writing needs will dictate what we focus on in the class. You will be setting goals, and together we will evaluate your growth as readers and writers and independent thinkers. You will challenge yourself to develop further, and I'm happy to be on that path with you.

In closing, I'm anxious to read what you have to say in the letters you'll be turning in this week. Some of you, I know, will have more extensive and positive experiences with reading and writing than others. What matters, though, is your desire. Wherever you are on that scale of experience, you must be willing to push yourself. I can't wait. It's such a worthwhile journey!

"We are such stuff as dreams are made on" ~ William Shakespeare

Welcome to room 185, a reading and writing workshop and home to reading and English II classes. To those of us who will spend time here this year, I hope it will be a place where we can explore and share ideas, read deeply, find voice in our writing, and learn more about ourselves, each other, and the world beyond. A workshop is a collaborative effort. We serve as a safe audience to each other, taking risks in our writing and our thinking. We will respect and attempt to understand each other's point of view. Our collective intelligence is far more powerful than one mind alone. The quote above appears in the center of our longest classroom wall. I've saved lots of bare space for student work. I can't wait!

As you enter our room, you'll pass a cabinet covered with magnetic poetry words. After class today a group of poets gathered, and I'm anxious to see what they will create. (They didn't have time to finish...) Students can also check the two white boards (pictured here) for weekly agendas, homeplay (work), and learning objectives. Of course, visiting this site will also provide the same information...

Below is a picture of a quiet reading area. (I'll try to get another picture. This one is not taken at a good enough angle for you to see the floor pillows and carpet.) There is a large, empty leather box to store reading pillows for students who'd like to bring their own. The catch is (isn't there always a catch?) that this space is reserved for serious readers!

To the right is a space behind the door where students can find additional literature sets, baskets of class notebooks, and extra daily handouts. Above the cabinet is a collection of pictures of my beloved dog friends. They are dressed in costume, patiently modeling many of the characters we may get to know in books.

So stayed tuned. I hope you'll get in the habit of checking out this site to see what we're doing in class. If you are absent, it's a great way to stay in touch. If you simply have a comment or question, you may enter it at the bottom of each post, and I'll check and get back to you.

That's all for my picture tour. The first day agenda for English II included a review of our syllabus, a PowerPoint overview of freewriting to be included in the writer's notebook section of our portfolios. Homeplay included a "literary history" letter to me, which is due next Monday or Tuesday (depending on your schedule). Sample letters were passed out to everyone, and extras are available in the weekly work stack.

If I wish nothing else for you this year, it is that you seize opportunity to learn all that you can. You must know the saying, "No pain, no gain." It is through the practice of writing that we become better writers, and it is through the practice of reading that we become better readers. My expectations are high, and yours should be, too. Anything is possible if you set your mind to it. We will be talking more about your choices, your hopes, your dreams. We'll be setting goals in this regard. I wish you the best as I remind you of a quote from Shakespeare, "We are such stuff as dreams are made on" (The Tempest).

The Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step

Welcome Vikings! I'm proud to be taking this literacy journey with you this year. And who knows where it will lead us...but that's the exciting part, isn't it?

I've taught for a number of years, but as this school year begins, I still feel new, and I still feel there is so much for us all to learn, myself included.

Please know my door is always open. I will do all I can to help you find success at school...and in life.

Pictured above are my best friends, Hailey and Katie. When I am frustrated or confused or lonely (because, once again, I am new), they remind me that the journey is truly a joy!

So...Happy New School Year, Vikings, and may the journey begin!