Monday, December 6, 2010
Sunday Scriptures Video
Every week for Sunday Scriptures, groups of students prepare a lesson to help the rest of the class learn about the message of the upcoming Sunday's scriptures. Claire and Lindsey made a video that shows the many ways we can be followers of Christ, especially in this Advent season.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Each week a pair of students prepares a lesson to present to the class on the upcoming Sunday's scriptures. As part of their lesson, they must do some sort of activity with the class. Sam and Michael decided to make a music video that dealt with the theme of the readings. I thought you might enjoy it (I'm thinking they should all stay in school and pursue a degree NOT in music)! ; )
Monday, October 11, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Weekly Update
English
We are focusing on commas this week. People tend to either overuse or underuse commas. I am trying to teach the students that unless they know a specific rule for using a comma, they should not use one. Hopefully, they will be able to apply these rules throughout their writing this year and firm up their knowledge of commas usage.
Literature
Since the last post, the students have read another story entitled "The Osage Orange Tree." In addition to discussing the plot, which was the focus of this story, the students looked at the characterization and setting. To demonstrate their knowledge of the plot, the students are working in groups to create a talk show in which the conflict, events, climax, and resolution of the story are explored. They will be presenting these on Monday, and I'll have video up next week!
Religion
The students are learning about St. Paul's first missionary journey this week. They are watching the movie Peter and Paul as well as reading the scripture from Acts of the Apostles to help them understand how Christianity was spread.
If you would like to see pictures from last week's 8th Grade Day at Xavier, please check out the following link: xavier.acesxavier.k12.wi.us . The links to the pictures are in the middle column on the home page. Also, as a reminder, Xavier Preview Night is tonight. This is a great way to check out the school and get your questions answered.
Next week we begin MAP testing. Your children participated in this last year, so they should be familiar with the format of the tests. We will be sharing the results at conference time. MAP tests provide great insight into your child's growth in English, reading, and math. I will be looking at each student's progress and scores to help them develop goals in English and Literature. I will also use the information to determine novel groups. I will be able to place students in groups with similar needs/goals, allowing me to work with each group and focus on their particular strengths and weaknesses.
We are focusing on commas this week. People tend to either overuse or underuse commas. I am trying to teach the students that unless they know a specific rule for using a comma, they should not use one. Hopefully, they will be able to apply these rules throughout their writing this year and firm up their knowledge of commas usage.
Since the last post, the students have read another story entitled "The Osage Orange Tree." In addition to discussing the plot, which was the focus of this story, the students looked at the characterization and setting. To demonstrate their knowledge of the plot, the students are working in groups to create a talk show in which the conflict, events, climax, and resolution of the story are explored. They will be presenting these on Monday, and I'll have video up next week!
Religion
The students are learning about St. Paul's first missionary journey this week. They are watching the movie Peter and Paul as well as reading the scripture from Acts of the Apostles to help them understand how Christianity was spread.
If you would like to see pictures from last week's 8th Grade Day at Xavier, please check out the following link: xavier.acesxavier.k12.wi.us . The links to the pictures are in the middle column on the home page. Also, as a reminder, Xavier Preview Night is tonight. This is a great way to check out the school and get your questions answered.
Next week we begin MAP testing. Your children participated in this last year, so they should be familiar with the format of the tests. We will be sharing the results at conference time. MAP tests provide great insight into your child's growth in English, reading, and math. I will be looking at each student's progress and scores to help them develop goals in English and Literature. I will also use the information to determine novel groups. I will be able to place students in groups with similar needs/goals, allowing me to work with each group and focus on their particular strengths and weaknesses.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Weekly Update
Literature
Since the last post, the students have read another story entitled "The Osage Orange Tree." In addition to discussing the plot, which was the focus of this story, the students looked at the characterization and setting. To demonstrate their knowledge of the plot, the students will be working in groups to create a talk show in which the conflict, events, climax, and resolution of the story are explored.
English
The students turned in their persuasive papers this week, and so far they look pretty good. Mrs. V. and I are both grading these--I am focusing on the sentence fluency, conventions and organization while she is reading them for the arguments and support. The class has now turned their attention to punctuation. While much of what we are doing is review, I find that they don't apply many of the rules. What they learn in this punctuation unit will be used over and over in their writing throughout the year. When they finish this particular unit, they will have an opportunity to use their punctuation skills in writing a mystery story.
Religion
This week in Religion, the students are looking at how Paul is becoming interested in spreading Christianity. The students also enjoyed a wonderful day at Xavier where they learned about opportunities available to them at Xavier High School. Even though all students will not be attending XHS, the experience still opened their eyes to what they can look forward to no matter what school they choose.
Tomorrow is our first all-system Mass and buddy activity. The students will be creating a special gift for Veterans for our November all-system Mass.
Since the last post, the students have read another story entitled "The Osage Orange Tree." In addition to discussing the plot, which was the focus of this story, the students looked at the characterization and setting. To demonstrate their knowledge of the plot, the students will be working in groups to create a talk show in which the conflict, events, climax, and resolution of the story are explored.
English
The students turned in their persuasive papers this week, and so far they look pretty good. Mrs. V. and I are both grading these--I am focusing on the sentence fluency, conventions and organization while she is reading them for the arguments and support. The class has now turned their attention to punctuation. While much of what we are doing is review, I find that they don't apply many of the rules. What they learn in this punctuation unit will be used over and over in their writing throughout the year. When they finish this particular unit, they will have an opportunity to use their punctuation skills in writing a mystery story.
Religion
This week in Religion, the students are looking at how Paul is becoming interested in spreading Christianity. The students also enjoyed a wonderful day at Xavier where they learned about opportunities available to them at Xavier High School. Even though all students will not be attending XHS, the experience still opened their eyes to what they can look forward to no matter what school they choose.
Tomorrow is our first all-system Mass and buddy activity. The students will be creating a special gift for Veterans for our November all-system Mass.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Descriptive Detail Newscasts
Monday, September 20, 2010
Working on Dog Booties
Here are the pictures I promised you of the students working on dog booties. Hopefully, we'll see some of these in action when we watch some video clips of the Iditarod in March! | ||
Ripping the Cordura to size
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| Measuring the Cordura |
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| Measuring the Velstretch |
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Weekly Update
It was so nice seeing many of you last night at Back-to-School Night. I know some of you had other commitments, but you are always welcome to stop by our classroom!
English
We have been discussing the art of persuasion in class during the past week. The students have been developing arguments for hypothetical situations, which we then analyzed to determine what type of persuasive techniques they were using. Next we will be looking at a specific structure for a persuasive essay that they will be writing in response to the debate they will be witnessing in History class next week.
We also briefly departed from persuasive papers last week to work on dog booties. That's right, dog booties! As some of you might know, in February and March, we will be using the Iditarod sled dog race as a tool for learning in our language arts classes. Students will be following the race; learning about concepts such as perseverance, goal setting, and team work; reading a novel; and writing for various purposes and audiences. Since they will each be following at least one musher, it is fun to have a personal connection to the race. I am the co-founder of a volunteer group that makes dog booties to help mushers. The students assisted me by cutting fabric strips and Velcro/Velstretch so that I can begin sewing. When I am finished, I'll have them write personal messages on the booties to send off to Alaska. It's always exciting during the race to see how "our musher" is doing!
I have a few pictures on my computer at home that I'll upload later.
Literature
We are currently reading short stories and reviewing their major elements: setting, plot, characterization, and theme. In our first story, "A Mother in Mannville," we focused on setting. The students picked out descriptive details that helped to make the setting come alive and are incorporating them into a newscast. They are currently writing the script and will be performing the newscasts on Monday. Each story or feature must relate to the literature story in some way. I'll post the videos next week.
Religion
This past week we have looked at the Gospels and discussed how and why they are similar and different. I am also placing a focus on the rosary this year. This is such a beautiful Catholic tradition that I think is fading from our prayer repertoire. I know it's not something I have done regularly, but am planning to revive. To begin, the students researched how to pray the rosary and then created posters that demonstrate that. Others groups created posters for the four mysteries of the rosary and for the prayers that we pray. Then we prayed it and even involved a modern twist. Check out this website I used to lead our prayer session today:
http://www.comepraytherosary.org/
English
We have been discussing the art of persuasion in class during the past week. The students have been developing arguments for hypothetical situations, which we then analyzed to determine what type of persuasive techniques they were using. Next we will be looking at a specific structure for a persuasive essay that they will be writing in response to the debate they will be witnessing in History class next week.
We also briefly departed from persuasive papers last week to work on dog booties. That's right, dog booties! As some of you might know, in February and March, we will be using the Iditarod sled dog race as a tool for learning in our language arts classes. Students will be following the race; learning about concepts such as perseverance, goal setting, and team work; reading a novel; and writing for various purposes and audiences. Since they will each be following at least one musher, it is fun to have a personal connection to the race. I am the co-founder of a volunteer group that makes dog booties to help mushers. The students assisted me by cutting fabric strips and Velcro/Velstretch so that I can begin sewing. When I am finished, I'll have them write personal messages on the booties to send off to Alaska. It's always exciting during the race to see how "our musher" is doing!
I have a few pictures on my computer at home that I'll upload later.
Literature
We are currently reading short stories and reviewing their major elements: setting, plot, characterization, and theme. In our first story, "A Mother in Mannville," we focused on setting. The students picked out descriptive details that helped to make the setting come alive and are incorporating them into a newscast. They are currently writing the script and will be performing the newscasts on Monday. Each story or feature must relate to the literature story in some way. I'll post the videos next week.
Religion
This past week we have looked at the Gospels and discussed how and why they are similar and different. I am also placing a focus on the rosary this year. This is such a beautiful Catholic tradition that I think is fading from our prayer repertoire. I know it's not something I have done regularly, but am planning to revive. To begin, the students researched how to pray the rosary and then created posters that demonstrate that. Others groups created posters for the four mysteries of the rosary and for the prayers that we pray. Then we prayed it and even involved a modern twist. Check out this website I used to lead our prayer session today:
http://www.comepraytherosary.org/
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Welcome to 8th Grade!
Welcome to another great school year at KCSS! I am so excited to be able to work with your children and look forward to learning, creating and praying together all year. I will post weekly updates here to help you keep up to date on the happenings in my classroom. Sometimes I will even be able to share pictures and videos with you. I hope you enjoy this blog and find it to be a useful tool. I also maintain a separate blog with daily assignments posted to it as well as a website that has course guidelines, project/assignment information and worksheets (in case one or several go missing). Here's to an amazing year!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
The End
Can you believe it's the end of the year already? While I'm certainly ready to enjoy summer vacation (especially because of this heat), I can honestly say I am going to miss working with these children. They have been such a fun, creative group to teach. The projects they have created, the music they have made, and even some of their goofiness that they have bestowed upon us, have made this a truly wonderful school year. I am going to miss them a great deal! I wish each one of our eighth graders the very best of luck in high school. I will pray that God guides them in everything they do.
This week they helped me create a Jeopardy game that reviewed the last chapter in Religion class. We had a lot of fun playing that yesterday.
In Literature they are giving their "I Have a Dream" speeches. These speeches took them on a little journey through time. First, they stopped in 1963 where they listed to Dr. King give his "I Have a Dream" speech. Because they were so inspired by him, they went even further back in time to the Great Depression to speak to the characters from Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. They are sharing their hopes, wishes, and dreams with these characters and pointing out how MLK's ideals tie in with the various examples of prejudice that the book's characters have been through. The speeches have been very good so far, and I am impressed with how hard the students worked on eye contact, gestures, and articulation.
In English, we have been reading the sequel to Roll of Thunder. While we won't finish Let the Circle Be Unbroken, the students have seen how some of the issues from Roll have been resolved. I would encourage the students to finish reading the book over the summer if they are interested.
REMINDERS: The kids will be cleaning out their desks tomorrow, so please send bags along. Also, we will be cleaning on Friday, so they will need a bucket, some rags, and a cleaning product.
This week they helped me create a Jeopardy game that reviewed the last chapter in Religion class. We had a lot of fun playing that yesterday.
In Literature they are giving their "I Have a Dream" speeches. These speeches took them on a little journey through time. First, they stopped in 1963 where they listed to Dr. King give his "I Have a Dream" speech. Because they were so inspired by him, they went even further back in time to the Great Depression to speak to the characters from Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. They are sharing their hopes, wishes, and dreams with these characters and pointing out how MLK's ideals tie in with the various examples of prejudice that the book's characters have been through. The speeches have been very good so far, and I am impressed with how hard the students worked on eye contact, gestures, and articulation.
In English, we have been reading the sequel to Roll of Thunder. While we won't finish Let the Circle Be Unbroken, the students have seen how some of the issues from Roll have been resolved. I would encourage the students to finish reading the book over the summer if they are interested.
REMINDERS: The kids will be cleaning out their desks tomorrow, so please send bags along. Also, we will be cleaning on Friday, so they will need a bucket, some rags, and a cleaning product.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Weekly Update
This week we've been learning about some influential people who spread Christianity to Europe. These are the people about whom the students will be creating "Cool Christians" trading cards. These will be due next Thursday.
In English the students have been creating menus to practice using adjectives in a realistic way. They must come up with three appetizers, three salads, three entrees, and three desserts. They must then write a description for each item that includes a compound adjective, a proper adjective, and a regular adjective. Additionally, they are finding a picture to go with each menu item. I have seen some great work--I've been getting hungry reading their assignments! These will be due on Tuesday.
In Literature we are beginning to tie the novel Roll of Thunder to Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech. Yesterday we watched the speech, and today the students wrote down all of Dr. King's hopes, wishes and dreams. Today we came up with a list of examples of prejudice from our novel. Now the kids are linking each example of prejudice to one of MLK's dreams. This will become the basis of their speech that they will be writing and presenting over the next two weeks.
One final note: there will be a send-off Mass for the SPIRITUS team that led our students in retreat in April. If you and your child(ren) are interested in attending this Mass, it will be at St. Edward Parish in Mackville, next Saturday, May 22 at 5:30. There will be a reception to follow.
In English the students have been creating menus to practice using adjectives in a realistic way. They must come up with three appetizers, three salads, three entrees, and three desserts. They must then write a description for each item that includes a compound adjective, a proper adjective, and a regular adjective. Additionally, they are finding a picture to go with each menu item. I have seen some great work--I've been getting hungry reading their assignments! These will be due on Tuesday.
In Literature we are beginning to tie the novel Roll of Thunder to Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech. Yesterday we watched the speech, and today the students wrote down all of Dr. King's hopes, wishes and dreams. Today we came up with a list of examples of prejudice from our novel. Now the kids are linking each example of prejudice to one of MLK's dreams. This will become the basis of their speech that they will be writing and presenting over the next two weeks.
One final note: there will be a send-off Mass for the SPIRITUS team that led our students in retreat in April. If you and your child(ren) are interested in attending this Mass, it will be at St. Edward Parish in Mackville, next Saturday, May 22 at 5:30. There will be a reception to follow.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
More Dancing Pictures!
Apparently, there were some parents who were a bit disappointed that there were no pictures of their children dancing. Mind you, I tried; however, some students just didn't want to be seen dancing! But today, I used my stealth and captured some exciting moments of Eli (and others) dancing!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Dancing With the 8th Graders
I'm sure you've heard grumblings about the dance unit in P.E. I thought I'd share the shots I took today!
Weekly Update
Wow! The kids sure are excited that it's May! We just have to keep them reigned in a little while longer. We had a really great time with them on the camping trip--what a fun group of kids!
This week in Religion we saw a presentation by the Xavier Improv Troupe. They did skits and talked about making the right choices in high school. Appropriately, Deacon Randy came in the next day and spoke about similar topics, asking the students to think about where they will turn for guidance in high school. We will be continuing our study of Christianity spreading to Europe to round out the week.
In English, we are finishing up our review of adjectives. The students will take a quiz on the chapter tomorrow before we begin our final assessment--creating a menu that uses adjectives to promote the food.
In Literature, we finished reading Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. To review what they read, the students are writing a test with their novel groups. On Monday these tests will be exchanged and the students will see how much they learned from reading the book. They have received guidelines on how to write a good test. This will count as a quiz for them. Our final assessment of the book will come in the form of a speech. More on that next week!
Thank you to all who have sent cards or gifts or food for Teacher Appreciation Week. We are so blessed to be able to work with your children! God bless!
This week in Religion we saw a presentation by the Xavier Improv Troupe. They did skits and talked about making the right choices in high school. Appropriately, Deacon Randy came in the next day and spoke about similar topics, asking the students to think about where they will turn for guidance in high school. We will be continuing our study of Christianity spreading to Europe to round out the week.
In English, we are finishing up our review of adjectives. The students will take a quiz on the chapter tomorrow before we begin our final assessment--creating a menu that uses adjectives to promote the food.
In Literature, we finished reading Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. To review what they read, the students are writing a test with their novel groups. On Monday these tests will be exchanged and the students will see how much they learned from reading the book. They have received guidelines on how to write a good test. This will count as a quiz for them. Our final assessment of the book will come in the form of a speech. More on that next week!
Thank you to all who have sent cards or gifts or food for Teacher Appreciation Week. We are so blessed to be able to work with your children! God bless!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Weekly Update
This week in English the students looked for prepositions in the example text of "Paul Revere's Ride." There are plenty of prepositional phrases in there! We then did a choral reading of the poem, highlighting the phrases when we came to them. Yesterday, they took a test on prepositional phrases, and I was very pleased with their performance. We are now moving on to a review of adjectives.
In Literature, we are continuing reading Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. This is beginning to tie in with the Civil Rights unit they are studying in History class.
In Religion, the students are exploring the continuation of the spread of the Christian Church as it moves into Europe. I also collected their travel guides for the previous unit, and I am quite happy with the effort on that project. The students did a great job of sharing what they learned in a fun format.
I also want to thank those of you who have been praying for my husband and our family. His surgery went very well yesterday. The tumor on his thyroid was benign, and the surgeon only had to remove a small part of the thyroid, allowing him to stay away from the nerves that control the vocal cords, which is great because Jon is a great singer (if I must say so myself)! So God continues to shed his blessings upon us and help us grow in our faith. And that St. Blaise isn't bad either!
God bless!
In Literature, we are continuing reading Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. This is beginning to tie in with the Civil Rights unit they are studying in History class.
In Religion, the students are exploring the continuation of the spread of the Christian Church as it moves into Europe. I also collected their travel guides for the previous unit, and I am quite happy with the effort on that project. The students did a great job of sharing what they learned in a fun format.
I also want to thank those of you who have been praying for my husband and our family. His surgery went very well yesterday. The tumor on his thyroid was benign, and the surgeon only had to remove a small part of the thyroid, allowing him to stay away from the nerves that control the vocal cords, which is great because Jon is a great singer (if I must say so myself)! So God continues to shed his blessings upon us and help us grow in our faith. And that St. Blaise isn't bad either!
God bless!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Weekly Update
Another nice spring week is upon us!
Yesterday was a wonderful day of spiritual growth for the 8th graders. They really seemed to enjoy the retreat at Mt. Tabor, which was led by the "Spiritus Team," which is a group of young people who have chosen to spend nine months of their lives doing retreats for young people all over the state. If you'd like to read more about them, check out the website: http://www.mttabor.net/spiritus/index.htm.
They also have a nice YouTube video that captures their passion for Christ: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpQo7WpJcok.
They had a great way of bonding with our boys and girls and opened our 8th graders up to sharing about their faith lives. We were so proud of our kids--they participated fully and were very well behaved.
This week we are also working on finishing up our current Religion unit. The students should completing their travel guide to the Roman Empire (300-500 A.D.). This travel guide will highlight all of the people and places that were important to the Church during this time.
In English we are finishing up prepositions. On Monday the students played preposition charades to demonstrate their knowledge of prepositions and their objects. They will be reviewing for their test this week, with the test being next Tuesday.
In Literature we are continuing to read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. With this novel we are looking at examples of prejudice and also discussing appropriate ways to stand up for ourselves.
Yesterday was a wonderful day of spiritual growth for the 8th graders. They really seemed to enjoy the retreat at Mt. Tabor, which was led by the "Spiritus Team," which is a group of young people who have chosen to spend nine months of their lives doing retreats for young people all over the state. If you'd like to read more about them, check out the website: http://www.mttabor.net/spiritus/index.htm.
They also have a nice YouTube video that captures their passion for Christ: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpQo7WpJcok.
They had a great way of bonding with our boys and girls and opened our 8th graders up to sharing about their faith lives. We were so proud of our kids--they participated fully and were very well behaved.
This week we are also working on finishing up our current Religion unit. The students should completing their travel guide to the Roman Empire (300-500 A.D.). This travel guide will highlight all of the people and places that were important to the Church during this time.
In English we are finishing up prepositions. On Monday the students played preposition charades to demonstrate their knowledge of prepositions and their objects. They will be reviewing for their test this week, with the test being next Tuesday.
In Literature we are continuing to read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. With this novel we are looking at examples of prejudice and also discussing appropriate ways to stand up for ourselves.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Weekly Update
I hope everyone had a blessed Easter!
Now that we're back into the swing of things, the kids are buckling down and studying hard. In Literature, we are reading the novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. The students are exploring the effects of racism on children as they reflect on and discuss this book.
During English we have been reviewing prepositions and talking specifically about how they can affect our writing, depending on which preposition we choose. Next week, in addition to participating in some fun preposition activities (it's possible), they will take a quiz to help prepare them for the test the following week.
In Religion, the students are learning about the founding fathers of our Church. They are also working on their long-term assessment project of creating a travel guide that would assist visitors to the Roman Empire between the years of 300-500 A.D. This travel guide includes all of the important people and events that we have been studying. It also includes things to watch out for like heresies and invading tribes that threatened both the Church and the Empire.
Now that we're back into the swing of things, the kids are buckling down and studying hard. In Literature, we are reading the novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. The students are exploring the effects of racism on children as they reflect on and discuss this book.
During English we have been reviewing prepositions and talking specifically about how they can affect our writing, depending on which preposition we choose. Next week, in addition to participating in some fun preposition activities (it's possible), they will take a quiz to help prepare them for the test the following week.
In Religion, the students are learning about the founding fathers of our Church. They are also working on their long-term assessment project of creating a travel guide that would assist visitors to the Roman Empire between the years of 300-500 A.D. This travel guide includes all of the important people and events that we have been studying. It also includes things to watch out for like heresies and invading tribes that threatened both the Church and the Empire.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Weekly Update
It's hard to believe Lent is almost over and that we will be entering Holy Week very soon. Today in Sunday Scriptures, one group asked the students to reflect upon which day of Holy Week is their favorite. This lead to a nice discussion about why the different days are so important to each of us. Some students reflected that Good Friday gets us in touch with our sins and helps us repent and become closer to God. Others said Holy Thursday is nice because we are reminded of our call to go out and do as Jesus did. And of course there are those who relish the celebration of New Life for Easter.
This week in Religion we also talked about the many heresies that were spread in the expanding Christian church and the need to develop a creed to counteract those falsehoods. In keeping with that idea, the students examined the Nicene Creed and created a list of beliefs that it contains and also wrote down what falsehood each belief could be targeting.
In Literature and English, we finished up our Iditarod unit. I received some nice feedback from students and parents about how much they enjoyed this unit. It was really nice to hear about families following the race together and watching the live finish last week. I am currently correcting the students' questions from the novel Woodsong, and I just finished grading their comparison/contrast papers that addressed the similarities and differences found in the movie Balto and the true facts of the 1925 Serum Run to Nome. I found that the students did an excellent job using transitions in their papers. This has been a major focus of their writing this year. We will now be moving on to the novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, which deals with racial discrimination in the South. And in English we are going to be tackling prepositions.
Since next week is going to be so short, I will not be updating my blog, so I want to wish everyone a very blessed Easter.
This week in Religion we also talked about the many heresies that were spread in the expanding Christian church and the need to develop a creed to counteract those falsehoods. In keeping with that idea, the students examined the Nicene Creed and created a list of beliefs that it contains and also wrote down what falsehood each belief could be targeting.
In Literature and English, we finished up our Iditarod unit. I received some nice feedback from students and parents about how much they enjoyed this unit. It was really nice to hear about families following the race together and watching the live finish last week. I am currently correcting the students' questions from the novel Woodsong, and I just finished grading their comparison/contrast papers that addressed the similarities and differences found in the movie Balto and the true facts of the 1925 Serum Run to Nome. I found that the students did an excellent job using transitions in their papers. This has been a major focus of their writing this year. We will now be moving on to the novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, which deals with racial discrimination in the South. And in English we are going to be tackling prepositions.
Since next week is going to be so short, I will not be updating my blog, so I want to wish everyone a very blessed Easter.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
LInk to Live Broadcast
The Insider crashed (at least for now). www.ktuu.com is also covering. Click on the big, red, banner!
Viewing the finish
From the Tech. Support at Iditarod:
A common problem has been for users of Vista and some version of Internet Explorer. From another user with a similar problem:
I had the same issue - Vista Ultimate, IE7, Windows Media Player. I found that the "default program" was set to use my "current media player" not the WMP.
In Vista - click the start button, select Default Programs from the menu. Select "Set Program Access and computer defaults" . Click the down arrow on the Custom menu and make sure the media player is set to Windows Media Player.
That fixed it for me.
A common problem has been for users of Vista and some version of Internet Explorer. From another user with a similar problem:
I had the same issue - Vista Ultimate, IE7, Windows Media Player. I found that the "default program" was set to use my "current media player" not the WMP.
In Vista - click the start button, select Default Programs from the menu. Select "Set Program Access and computer defaults" . Click the down arrow on the Custom menu and make sure the media player is set to Windows Media Player.
That fixed it for me.
Iditarod Winner in Sight!
Lance Mackey is closing in on Nome! I will update this when I know he is very close and coverage will be starting. My estimate is 5:30 our time.
If you'd like to check out the "Nome Cam" to see the finish chute, click here: http://visitnomealaska.com/nome-web-cam.html. You'll be able to check this over the next few days to try and catch a glimpse of your mushers coming in.
Furthermore, the live finish will be broadcast by the Iditarod Insider: http://insider.iditarod.com/. There is a link to click that allows you to check if your media player is up-to-date so you can watch the finish. When the broadcast goes live, you will see it listed under "Live Events," and there will be a little button to the right that says "Live."
If you'd like to check out the "Nome Cam" to see the finish chute, click here: http://visitnomealaska.com/nome-web-cam.html. You'll be able to check this over the next few days to try and catch a glimpse of your mushers coming in.
Furthermore, the live finish will be broadcast by the Iditarod Insider: http://insider.iditarod.com/. There is a link to click that allows you to check if your media player is up-to-date so you can watch the finish. When the broadcast goes live, you will see it listed under "Live Events," and there will be a little button to the right that says "Live."
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Weekly Update
I don't know about you, but this week is just flying by!
We are fully-immersed in our Iditarod unit. The students are seeing just how all of those traits that we've been talking about--perseverence, determination, independence--really come into play during the race. As we learn about situations that call for these traits on the trail, we are talking about how they apply in our own lives. The students are also enjoying following their mushers and moving them along the map we have in our room. Additionally, each evening, the students need to watch at least two videos on the Iditarod Insider and write down what they learned or enjoyed from the clips. They also have to locate their musher on the GPS Tracker and record their mushers' GPS coordinates, speed and the temperature.
The Iditarod display in our room. The students check the race standings several times throughout the day and move their paw prints from check poin to checkpoint.
In English we are looking at the idea of media and how it often does not portray facts accurately, and that we need to realize that just because we see something in a movie or on TV, it isn't necessarily true. If you ask most people about the "Balto" story, they will probably tell you what they have seen in the cartoon movie by the same name or what they have heard from people (who have probably learned their information from the movie). As you might imagine, the movie doesn't tell the entire truth about Balto and the 1925 Serum Run to Nome. What we are doing this week and next, is watching the Weather Channel-produced documentary When Weather Changed History: Run to Nome and the movie Balto. While watching both videos, the students are taking notes. Then they are going to write a comparison/contrast paper showing the similarities and differences between the true facts and the movie. More on that next week.
In Religion we are studying the Roman Empire from 300-500. During this time, the Christians found that they went from being persecuted to being "cool." We are looking at what this new-found freedom meant for Christians and the spread of the faith.
Tomorrow at Mass, we will be collecting gently-used toys for our Lenten collection. And tomorrow afternoon, we will be participating in a school-wide stations of the cross service at 2:15. You are welcome to join us.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
I'm a Musher!
Here are the students' biographies as they might appear in the official Iditarod race program. I encouraged them to be creative, so be prepared!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Weekly Update
This week in Literature and English we have been getting ready for the Iditarod. On Monday the students participated in the musher draw--they each selected a more experienced musher, and a back-of-the pack musher to follow throughout the race. Then they read and summarized their mushers' biographies. Now the students are doing some creative writing and writing their own biographies as if they were participating in the Iditarod. These biographies are going into a Power Point slide show that I will share with you soon. Additionally, each students has been researching a checkpoint along the Iditarod trail and creating a brochure to advertise it. And in keeping with reading non-fiction, they have been reading articles about the history of the race to gather information for creating a timeline of "The Last Great Race on Earth."
If you are interested in watching any of the race action this weekend, please check out my website (www.ovdmush.co.nr) for the login information for "Iditarod Insider." The ceremonial start will begin on Saturday at 12:45 and the re-start (when timing begins) will be on Sunday at 5:00 P.M. Both events will be carried live via the Insider. There are also webcams available if you just want to see what the downtown start looks like on Saturday. Once the race gets underway, I will have a link on my website that takes you to the current standings.
In Religion this week, Mrs. Ricker was in for guidance class, and Fr. Tom will be coming in tomorrow to introduce our new unit and discuss heresies in the early Christian Church. Since we had one day between Mrs. Ricker and Fr. Tom, we played Catholic Jeopardy in class yesterday. It was a fun way to review some of our Catholic knowledge!
Tomorrow our Lenten collection at Mass will be money for St. Vincents.
If you are interested in watching any of the race action this weekend, please check out my website (www.ovdmush.co.nr) for the login information for "Iditarod Insider." The ceremonial start will begin on Saturday at 12:45 and the re-start (when timing begins) will be on Sunday at 5:00 P.M. Both events will be carried live via the Insider. There are also webcams available if you just want to see what the downtown start looks like on Saturday. Once the race gets underway, I will have a link on my website that takes you to the current standings.
In Religion this week, Mrs. Ricker was in for guidance class, and Fr. Tom will be coming in tomorrow to introduce our new unit and discuss heresies in the early Christian Church. Since we had one day between Mrs. Ricker and Fr. Tom, we played Catholic Jeopardy in class yesterday. It was a fun way to review some of our Catholic knowledge!
Tomorrow our Lenten collection at Mass will be money for St. Vincents.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Weekly Update
It's the most wonderful time of the year! No, not Christmas...Iditarod! In addition to lighthouses, my other addiction is the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. I got hooked on it about twelves years ago, and have been using it in my classroom ever since. The Iditarod offers students a chance to learn about something new and hopefully exciting. It teaches them about hard work, perseverance, determination, and overcoming obstacles. Within the context of that, we do numerous reading and writing activities that coincide with the language arts curriculum.
Last week the students had an opportunity to watch the video of last year's race. This week we talked about qualities that mushers must have to run the Iditarod and then discussed what qualitites they, as individuals, need to accomplish their goals in life. The students created stars with those goals and traits, and they are now hanging from the ceiling. They also wrote acrostic poems using the letters I-D-I-T-A-R-O-D to describe traits that describe both mushers and themselves. They then wrote an essay describing those qualities.
Another skill that is important in life is being able to read and comprehend non-fiction. To that end, we are reading the rules of the 2010 Iditarod and applying them to various scenarios. This activity should help students see the incredible care these dogs are given to help them safely do what they love--run!
The final activity the students are working on this week is to research a checkpoint along the Iditarod trail and create a travel brochure to share that information.
Please feel free to check out my Iditarod website: www.ovdmush.co.nr. It has many interesting links on it for following "The Last Great Race." On the main page you will find information about "Iditarod Insider." This is a subscription-based service that our Home and School graciously purchased for our classroom. Because it is a classroom subscription, students will be able to log on at home and check out videos from past years, daily videos from this year, the live start, the restart, the live finish, and check in on their mushers at any time using the GPS tracker! In the past, many families have found this to be a fun activity to follow together. Thank you Home and School!
In Religion this week, we were able to watch the infomercials together. I hope you had a chance to check them out. I have uploaded on late-comer. There may or may not be some audio problems with this one. It works fine on my computer at home, but at school, there are parts that are barely audible. Check it out anyhow--Josh and Andy did a great job!
I hope to see you all at the Beach Bash on Saturday. Come and take your best shot at dunking me in the dunk tank! I'll be there from 4:00-4:30.
Last week the students had an opportunity to watch the video of last year's race. This week we talked about qualities that mushers must have to run the Iditarod and then discussed what qualitites they, as individuals, need to accomplish their goals in life. The students created stars with those goals and traits, and they are now hanging from the ceiling. They also wrote acrostic poems using the letters I-D-I-T-A-R-O-D to describe traits that describe both mushers and themselves. They then wrote an essay describing those qualities.
Another skill that is important in life is being able to read and comprehend non-fiction. To that end, we are reading the rules of the 2010 Iditarod and applying them to various scenarios. This activity should help students see the incredible care these dogs are given to help them safely do what they love--run!
The final activity the students are working on this week is to research a checkpoint along the Iditarod trail and create a travel brochure to share that information.
Please feel free to check out my Iditarod website: www.ovdmush.co.nr. It has many interesting links on it for following "The Last Great Race." On the main page you will find information about "Iditarod Insider." This is a subscription-based service that our Home and School graciously purchased for our classroom. Because it is a classroom subscription, students will be able to log on at home and check out videos from past years, daily videos from this year, the live start, the restart, the live finish, and check in on their mushers at any time using the GPS tracker! In the past, many families have found this to be a fun activity to follow together. Thank you Home and School!
In Religion this week, we were able to watch the infomercials together. I hope you had a chance to check them out. I have uploaded on late-comer. There may or may not be some audio problems with this one. It works fine on my computer at home, but at school, there are parts that are barely audible. Check it out anyhow--Josh and Andy did a great job!
I hope to see you all at the Beach Bash on Saturday. Come and take your best shot at dunking me in the dunk tank! I'll be there from 4:00-4:30.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Christianity Infomercials
Here are the students' Christianity Infomercials that they worked so hard on. I was impressed with how creative they were and with how well they worked with me to overcome the technology challenges we ran into. I am very proud of them, and I hope you are too!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Weekly Update
Boy, you should see the creativity flowing around here!
One of the projects the students are working really hard on is the Christianity Infomercial. I gave them a list of things they needed to cover in their Movie Maker production, and they just went all out with filming video, recording voice-overs, and writing text. I never imagined the projects would get this big, but it's really exciting to see them coming together! I can't wait to view all of them next Tuesday. You can be sure I'll post them here for you to see.
The other project is the children's story that they are writing. These stories take place at the lighthouse that they researched. The students are using the pictures that we took during our field trip and manipulating them using photo-editing software. I think the St. Al's children will definitely enjoy hearing these stories at our next Buddy Time.
Finally, we are reading the play The Diary of Anne Frank in Literature. I think the students are starting to realize just how difficult being a Jew in hiding must have been. I look forward to reading their diaries that they are writing, reflecting a person who lived during the Holocaust.
One of the projects the students are working really hard on is the Christianity Infomercial. I gave them a list of things they needed to cover in their Movie Maker production, and they just went all out with filming video, recording voice-overs, and writing text. I never imagined the projects would get this big, but it's really exciting to see them coming together! I can't wait to view all of them next Tuesday. You can be sure I'll post them here for you to see.
The other project is the children's story that they are writing. These stories take place at the lighthouse that they researched. The students are using the pictures that we took during our field trip and manipulating them using photo-editing software. I think the St. Al's children will definitely enjoy hearing these stories at our next Buddy Time.
Finally, we are reading the play The Diary of Anne Frank in Literature. I think the students are starting to realize just how difficult being a Jew in hiding must have been. I look forward to reading their diaries that they are writing, reflecting a person who lived during the Holocaust.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Weekly Update
Happy Catholic Schools Week! This has been my status on Facebook this week, and it is my greeting now:
We've been having a great week celebrating the fact that we have such an amazing school system! Among all the festivities, we have even managed to sneak a little learning in!
The students are busy working on their Christianity infomercials. I have been very impressed with their work so far--they are finding some creative ways to share the history of the Christian church. They will be presenting these next week, and I'll be posting them here!
In Literature, we are reading The Diary of Anne Frank. The students have begun working on their diary project as well.
During English classes this week, I had the students use an online resource to create conflict, resolution, character, and setting maps to prepare for writing their children's stories. These should hopefully be completed by next week.
God bless!
Happy Catholic Schools Week! Thanks to all of my amazing students and their parents for making KCSS a wonderful family to be a part of! I LOVE my job! ♥
We've been having a great week celebrating the fact that we have such an amazing school system! Among all the festivities, we have even managed to sneak a little learning in!
The students are busy working on their Christianity infomercials. I have been very impressed with their work so far--they are finding some creative ways to share the history of the Christian church. They will be presenting these next week, and I'll be posting them here!
In Literature, we are reading The Diary of Anne Frank. The students have begun working on their diary project as well.
During English classes this week, I had the students use an online resource to create conflict, resolution, character, and setting maps to prepare for writing their children's stories. These should hopefully be completed by next week.
God bless!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Weekly Update
Literature
In Literature this week, the students have been preparing to read the play The Diary of Anne Frank. We started out by creating a KWL chart (Know, Want to know and Learned). The kids shared some of their knowledge that they had and also some really good questions that we should be able to answer as we read the play. Then we went to the computer lab where they perused an online scrapbook of Anne's life that can be found at www.annefrank.com. They completed a worksheet as they explored the site.
The major project for this unit will be to complete a diary that reflects the life of somebody who may have lived during the Holocaust. The students have been researching names for themselves and for anybody else who they may mention in their diary. They also explored some online journal entries that were similar in nature to the role they selected. If you'd like to read more about the project, all directions can be found on my website. This is a project I developed back when I was teaching at St. Mary's, and it is always one of my favorites to grade--the students usually create some pretty poignant diaries.
English
In English, we have moved on from the research portion of our lighthouse unit to the writing of the children's story. The students will be writing a story that is set at their chosen lighthouse. To prepare for this, I read two lighthouse children's stories to the classes, and we then created guidelines for plots, characters, illustrations, and themes. In terms of illustrations, the students will be using their pictures from our trip to Port Washington. They will be manipulating them using programs such as paint.net or Picnik.
Religion
We finished up our unit on the early Church in the Roman Empire. The students will now be embarking on a mission to create an infomercial that "sells" Christianity based on the aspects that we have studied in this unit.
Catholic Schools Week
We have many exciting things planned next week. Be sure to check out the information found on the school's website.
In Literature this week, the students have been preparing to read the play The Diary of Anne Frank. We started out by creating a KWL chart (Know, Want to know and Learned). The kids shared some of their knowledge that they had and also some really good questions that we should be able to answer as we read the play. Then we went to the computer lab where they perused an online scrapbook of Anne's life that can be found at www.annefrank.com. They completed a worksheet as they explored the site.
The major project for this unit will be to complete a diary that reflects the life of somebody who may have lived during the Holocaust. The students have been researching names for themselves and for anybody else who they may mention in their diary. They also explored some online journal entries that were similar in nature to the role they selected. If you'd like to read more about the project, all directions can be found on my website. This is a project I developed back when I was teaching at St. Mary's, and it is always one of my favorites to grade--the students usually create some pretty poignant diaries.
English
In English, we have moved on from the research portion of our lighthouse unit to the writing of the children's story. The students will be writing a story that is set at their chosen lighthouse. To prepare for this, I read two lighthouse children's stories to the classes, and we then created guidelines for plots, characters, illustrations, and themes. In terms of illustrations, the students will be using their pictures from our trip to Port Washington. They will be manipulating them using programs such as paint.net or Picnik.
Religion
We finished up our unit on the early Church in the Roman Empire. The students will now be embarking on a mission to create an infomercial that "sells" Christianity based on the aspects that we have studied in this unit.
Catholic Schools Week
We have many exciting things planned next week. Be sure to check out the information found on the school's website.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Weekly Update
There are a lot of things happening in Literature, English, and Religion this week!
In Literature, the students are working in their novel groups to create a newspaper that reflects all of the events that happened in the novel Animal Farm. The students are being asked to think like the animals and really understand how those under oppression must feel. Each student is responsible for writing three stories or features, and the entire group must write two articles that focus on propaganda and symbolism.
In English, we are finishing up the research paper. I first met with each student to conference about their notes. Then they wrote the outline for the paper, and I met with students individually again to discuss the organization of their papers. They are now working on the rough draft, which is due on Monday. Next week the students will engage in peer revision so that the final paper will be of the best quality possible. While these papers will end of being fairly short, the goal of the assignment was to practice the research process, which I think the students did a great job with.
In religion, we are finishing up the unit on martyrs and the legalization of Christianity in the Roman Empire. Next week the kids will work with a partner to create an infomercial that "sells" Christianity and highlights all of the concepts we learned about in this unit.
Finally, the quarter ends on Friday. Hopefully, you have been keeping up-to-date with your child's progress on Infinite Campus. We will be sending report cards and papers home next Thursday. Please be sure to sign and return them after you have looked everything over.
In Literature, the students are working in their novel groups to create a newspaper that reflects all of the events that happened in the novel Animal Farm. The students are being asked to think like the animals and really understand how those under oppression must feel. Each student is responsible for writing three stories or features, and the entire group must write two articles that focus on propaganda and symbolism.
In English, we are finishing up the research paper. I first met with each student to conference about their notes. Then they wrote the outline for the paper, and I met with students individually again to discuss the organization of their papers. They are now working on the rough draft, which is due on Monday. Next week the students will engage in peer revision so that the final paper will be of the best quality possible. While these papers will end of being fairly short, the goal of the assignment was to practice the research process, which I think the students did a great job with.
In religion, we are finishing up the unit on martyrs and the legalization of Christianity in the Roman Empire. Next week the kids will work with a partner to create an infomercial that "sells" Christianity and highlights all of the concepts we learned about in this unit.
Finally, the quarter ends on Friday. Hopefully, you have been keeping up-to-date with your child's progress on Infinite Campus. We will be sending report cards and papers home next Thursday. Please be sure to sign and return them after you have looked everything over.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Lighthouse Photosynth
Austin Hartzheim, our resident computer guru, approached me before our field trip about creating a Photosynth of the Port Washington Lighthouse. A Photosynth uses amazing technology to basically weave many pictures of one place or object together to create a 3-D, panoramic viewing experience. By using your mouse or the controls on the screen, you are able to "move" around a building, inside and out, to see it from various angles. You can even zoom in for a close-up view.
Austin gave the students some pointers before the field trip and encouraged them to take a lot of pictures. They came through. What I liked so much about this idea, is that it took everybody's pictures and created one project.
This is a screen shot of the project. Click here explore!
Austin gave the students some pointers before the field trip and encouraged them to take a lot of pictures. They came through. What I liked so much about this idea, is that it took everybody's pictures and created one project.
This is a screen shot of the project. Click here explore!
You will need to install a small program called Silverlight. It is perfectly safe and will allow you to experience this really cool technology! Who knows, maybe you'll want to do a synth of your own! I know I'm going to pick out the perfect lighthouse on our summer trip to create a synth!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Weekly Update
We had a wonderful field trip yesterday! The kids were so well behaved, polite, and showed a great deal of interest at both the lighthouse and the Maritime Museum. They really enjoyed climbing the tower and looking out over Lake Michigan. At the museum the highlight was touring the submarine, the U.S.S. Cobia.
Back in the classroom, they will now be able to relate the WWII information that they learned at the museum to what they are learning in History. And as the continue to work on their research papers, they will have a better understanding of the workings of a lighthouse. Additionally, the pictures they took at the lighthouse will be manipulated and used to illustrate their children's story that they will be writing. More on that later! In the meantime, enjoy this brief slide show of the field trip:
Back in the classroom, they will now be able to relate the WWII information that they learned at the museum to what they are learning in History. And as the continue to work on their research papers, they will have a better understanding of the workings of a lighthouse. Additionally, the pictures they took at the lighthouse will be manipulated and used to illustrate their children's story that they will be writing. More on that later! In the meantime, enjoy this brief slide show of the field trip:
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Weekly Update
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas vacation! I know I did, but it's good to be back with the students.
This week the students have been busy researching and taking notes on their Great Lakes Lighthouses. They are finding out some interesting information. Next week we will be taking our field trip to the Port Washington Light Station, which will give them the opportunity to see a real lighthouse and climb into the lantern room. I did send out a reminder on Monday with important information. Please review that before the trip.
In Literature the students are finishing up the novel Animal Farm. Since they began their WWII unit in History this week, they have been noticing some very interesting parallels between the novel and the war.
In Religion we are studying the age of persecution in Christianity. We have been talking about martyrs that helped to spread our faith long ago as well as modern-day martyrs. The students will be researching a modern-day martyr next week.
God bless!
This week the students have been busy researching and taking notes on their Great Lakes Lighthouses. They are finding out some interesting information. Next week we will be taking our field trip to the Port Washington Light Station, which will give them the opportunity to see a real lighthouse and climb into the lantern room. I did send out a reminder on Monday with important information. Please review that before the trip.
In Literature the students are finishing up the novel Animal Farm. Since they began their WWII unit in History this week, they have been noticing some very interesting parallels between the novel and the war.
In Religion we are studying the age of persecution in Christianity. We have been talking about martyrs that helped to spread our faith long ago as well as modern-day martyrs. The students will be researching a modern-day martyr next week.
God bless!
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