Highway Rest Stop takes a rest

Hello English 9 people... our class is done, and I'm taking a break from teaching English for a while, so... thanks for being a part of the blog activities this year and good luck in you future (English) classes as you continue to read, write, study, reflect, create, express, and understand.

Final Set of Posts

Choose some (3 or more) of the following on your own blog:
1. complete a post you missed from an earlier unit
2. a reflection on your favorite assignment from the course
3. a review of the book you completed for your independent novel study
4. an opinion piece: pick an issue that is important to you and offer a few views on the topic before offering your own opinion
5. debate: pick two sides to an interesting issue and offer a fair representation of each side
6. top ten list: what are ten things a grade 8 student should know before going in to grade 9?
7. top ten list: what are ten things every student should know about surviving high school (DPTS)?
8. your choice

keep it positive, keep it interesting, & visit your classmates' blogs

Poetry Media Project

Note: This "lab" assignment is a follow-up to our poetry chapbooks and is time-sensitive (limited amount of time to finish)

Goal: Find a poem you like and make a brief media presentation out of it. Use the "ilife Poetry activity" -- http://www.apple.com/ca/education/ilife/howto/ as a starting point for your lab assignment. This link is the basis of the lab assignment.

Examples: a short slideshow with the poem narrated and some music in the background, or an imovie with photos, transitions, sounds, and voice which shows the poem in a different way than simplty reading it on the page.

Suggestions: You can use photos, sound, voice-over, and video edits to make your presentation. You can use imovie, iphoto, itunes, etc. to build your presentation. Some of these links will help you...

ilife Poetry activity -- http://www.apple.com/ca/education/ilife/howto/

How to use ilife programs -- http://www.apple.com/ca/education/ilife/howto/

Other activities with ilife -- http://education.apple.com/education/ilife/

A similar poetry activity -- http://www.apple.com/education/garageband/lesson_plans/high_school.html -- click on Poetry, the Music of Our Lives

Time: 4 blocks in computer lab, due at end of fourth block -- place your final product in the Hand-In folder (drag a copy into it -- it's in "Thielmann" inside the Classwork forlder on your desktop)

Ideas for new posts

On your blog, make a two or more posts on one of these topics:
1. Your "critical" opinion on the book The Pigman
2. Your "critical" opinion on the movie The Notebook
3. Compare the theme of The Notebook to the theme of The Pigman
4. Share some of your plans for your biography assignment
5. Write an update on what you're reading from the library these days

As always, you are also encouraged to make other relevant posts related to your thoughts and work in English, and leave respectful and useful comments on your classmates' blogs.

Website questions for you

Optional... if you have advice or opinions on web design, read the "Website help needed" post at my main (thielmann) blog

"The Wave" Response

Choose one of the following topics on which to write a critical response (post it on your blog):

Option 1. What is the central message of The Wave? What was the purpose of the class experiment? What have you learned from reading it, or what should others hope to learn by reading it?

Option 2. How was The Wave classroom experiment similar (and/or different) from what happened in Nazi Germany before and during WWII?

A full-mark response will use clear, precise writing in sentences and paragraphs (usually 300-400 words or more) and will make use of references to the book (one or two quotes). 30 marks - due Thursday, March 17th (posted on your blog). Comment here if you have any questions about this assignment.

Deleting Unwanted Comments

If someone leaves a comment you don't want on your blog, you can delete it. Also if you've left a comment you want to remove, you can delete it. Make sure you're logged in to blogger, then go find the comment you want to remove. Click the trash can. I'm very impressed with the quality of the class blogs so far, although I've seen one or two comments which are inappropriate and should be deleted (e.g. stuff with offensive language).

addresses & 3 required posts

Your blog addresses have been posted and appear on the right sidebar! Please test them to make sure they work -- if they don't, comment here with your correct blog address. By next week (ie. Tues., Mar. 8th), your blog should contain at least three posts:
1. Introducing yourself or your ideas (this could be based on the bio you shared with the class)
2. Your Snow Woman response
3. Your choice -- I would suggest either an update on the novel you are reading (from the library) or a response to "The Bamboo Trap," "The Story-Teller," or something original related to "English" (maybe a spider story or a poem or the results of one of your image wheels)

Snow Woman Response

First class-assignment-related post! On your blog, post your personal response to the story "The Snow Woman" by Norah Burke. In your response, you should answer some of the questions from p. 47 in "Imagine" (especially 1, 3, and 4). Put all of your thoughts together in a well-organized paragraph. Feel free to look at other students' responses and post a comment.

Let's get it started!

Now that you've started a blog, there are a few things to take care of, a few ideas to try out...

1. let the teacher know your blog address

2. edit your profile and post an introduction on your blog (remember not to reveal personal information about yourself... this is a school blog!)

3. start posting "evidence" from class (highlights from what you have learned or studied) -- start with the results of one of your image wheels, or whatyou've learned about critical and personal responses

4. keep posting stuff on your blog as you get the chance -- your blog entries will be evaluated for marks

5. Visit other classmates' blogs and leave (nice) comments on their posts. This is a good way to learn from others and support each other. All done? Read a story at www.fanfiction.net

teaching at the school of rock

Back in the day when I met Ray

Welcome to English 9

Here's the place to post or comment on class topics