Bear's Daily Buzz

Happy Friday!

In order to continue honing our comprehension skills with a focus on using context clues, inferencing, and answering “right there” questions, students read the story of Gilgamesh and then answered a variety of different comprehension questions.

Following that, I answered lingering questions about the upcoming Profiles in Courage teaching episodes and provided a tutorial on how to use Prezi for their presentations if students decide to use that online presentation tool instead of PowerPoint.  If you were absent and want to learn how, please see me during I/E early next week.

I also distributed the post-research reflection guide and rubric.  The reflections must be submitted by Thursday, 5/24.  See attached. Post-research reflection

We ended class with a visit to the book fair, which ends today.

Homework:

• Post-research reflection deadline is Thursday, 5/24
• Profiles in Courage teaching episodes begin on 6/4

We began class with our weekly Free Rice mechanics/conventions competition.  Blocks 1 & 3 are currently in the lead!  Can they remain in the lead, or will Block 4 catch up to them?

Students finished their Art is… presentations today.  Following that, I distributed the project guide and rubric for the Profiles in Courage teaching episodes that students will complete during the last week of school.  The attached guide provides everything you need to know in order to complete the project.  See me immediately with any lingering questions or confusions.Profiles in Courage presentation rubric

We finished class with our introduction to Todd Strasser’s The Wave by discussing what fascism by looking at Hitler’s rise to power via fascist ideas and propaganda.

Homework:

• Profiles in Courage teaching episodes must be ready by 6/4
• Book fair visit tomorrow

We started class today with a review for tomorrow’s Word of the Day quiz.  Please be sure that you study carefully tonight.

I collected students’ Art is… open-ended response and 3-column research notes for the Profiles in Courage project.  If you were absent, be sure to submit those two items to me upon your return.  Also, information about next Thursday’s presentation by Mr. Severin Fayerman, a survivor of the Holocaust, was provided to students and will require a parent signature.  Please be sure to return those ASAP.

As we prepare for Mr. Fayerman’s visit and our reading of The Wave, students worked today with an essay written by Elizabeth Chase called “The Swastika in My Binder”.  As they were reading, they focused on what their definition for a hate crime is and if Elizabeth was the victim of a hate crime.

Following that, we discussed what fascism was and applied that knowledge as we viewed a short video segment on Hitler’s rise to power, paying careful attention to evidence of fascism and propaganda.  Students will need this knowledge as we begin reading The Wave.

Homework:

• Word of the Day quiz tomorrow
• Art is… presentations tomorrow
• Return Holocaust presentation signed slip ASAP

Welcome to Friday!

We began class with our Word of the Day (zeal).  Be prepared for a Word of the Day quiz on Wednesday, 5/16.  Following that, we played the next round of our Free Rice competition.

Students began composing their open-ended response about their definition of art.  They were provided class time with the understanding the work not completed would be finished in class on Monday. Art is… open-ended response

Homework:

• 3-column research notes due on Tuesday, 5/15

We began class with a new Word of the Day (waft).  Following that, I reviewed students’ ideas for the “Art is…” project.  Please be sure that I have reviewed yours ASAP if you were not ready today.

Before continuing our research for the Profiles in Courage project, students viewed a video minute about stereotyping and bias.  Following the video minute, students composed a short sneeze about whether “mindset matters”.  We will continue to spend a bit of class time every day with an activity about events of the Holocaust in preparation for Mr. Fayerman’s visit at the end of the month.

The remainder of class was spent completing a student survey for Dr. Richardson and then continuing our P.I.C research.

Homework:

• Art idea due ASAP!
• Research 3-column notes due Tuesday, 5/15

Today was a work day with laptops/desktops as students continued creating their Chasing Vermeer restaurant menu projects.  Following that, students continued conducting research, finding 3 credible sources for their Profiles in Courage research project.

Homework:

• Art idea must be reviewed by me by end of day tomorrow
• Research 3-column notes due Tuesday, 5/15

Happy Monday!

We started class today with our Word of the Day (vigilant).  Following that we reviewed all of the Word of the Days this year via a rousing round of “Back Words”.

Having just finished Chasing Vermeer, a mystery about an art theft, students were challenged to determine what their personal definition for art is and find an image/object that provides rationale for their definition.  Between now and Wednesday at the end of the day, students need to provide me with their definition and the object/image they will be using.  The next phase will involve the crafting of paragraph using the skills learned this year (informal outline, IVF, key/star ideas, details/examples/explanation, etc.).  Following the composition of the paragraph, students will present their object/image and their definition and key/star ideas to the class.  This will provide an excellent rehearsal for the Profiles in Courage teaching episodes at the end of the year.Work of Art Project (3)

We finished class with work time on our Chasing Vermeer restaurant menus.

Homework:

• Art idea/definition must be reviewed before Thursday, 5/10
• 3-column research notes due on Tuesday, 5/15

Ready for research?  Today students spent class in the computer lab where they received a very helpful lesson by Mrs. Spencer, a high school media center specialist, on how to conduct effective internet searches.  Following that, Mrs. Spencer coached students on how to use Noodle Tools, an excellent tool for source citations.  Using the strategies give by Mrs. Spencer, the students began their research on their Profiles in Courage project topic, being sure to document their findings using the attached 3-column notes.  2-Column Notes

Homework:

• Continue research on your P.I.C. research question

Today students engaged in our final book club discussions for the novel Chasing Vermeer.  Students’ discussions were focused on their reactions to the end of the book and the solving of the mystery.  Following their discussions, students completed the dessert portion of the novel’s restaurant menu and created a title for their Chasing Vermeer restaurant using a major theme from the novel.

Homework:

• Pre-research reflections due to Moodle by 5/4 at 8am

Welcome to May!

Students spent the first part of class in the computer lab updating their persuasive essays with all of their latest revisions.  Students then uploaded the final draft file to Moodle so that I can begin assessing them.

The remainder of class was spent working with a reading minute that detailed the poor results revealed after natural born American citizens were asked a variety of different civics/government-related questions.  Students discussed the issue and then composed a short writing sneeze about their thoughts on requiring civics to be taught to students.

Homework:

• Pre-research reflection due to Moodle by 5/4 at 8am
• Book club meeting on 5/3