We are making our way through the classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus is a superb father; he continuously offers good advice to Jem, Scout, and sometimes even Dill. Most recently he said, "If you just learn a single trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it."
For extra credit, please post a response to ONE OR BOTH of the following prompts. Note that each response is worth up to 10 points! You must respond before the final unit test for this unit. Good luck!
1. Describe a piece of good advice that you have personally received from someone. This should be the sort of advice that is noteworthy. If you would like to respond to this prompt, but cannot think of any advice worthy of sharing, ask someone. Be sure to include WHO the advice came from, WHAT the advice was, and HOW the advice affected you.
2. Think about the advice Atticus gave Scout. Reflect on a time when you have had to put yourself in someone else's shoes in order to be more understanding or to get along with that person. Be sure to describe the situation, what you had to do, and how it impacted you (what did you learn from the experience).
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Peer Response to Short Stories
Excellent job getting your projects done, staying on task while checking out each others' booths, and having fun with this (or at least, acting like you had some fun). Anyway, if you can access this blog at home, please post a few comments to your two original peers whose names you drew from the envelope. Write in the form of a friendly letter (no date required). Your letter should mention which part you liked best, your critical advice, and whether or not you would like to read this short story and why. Again, great job! Way to get it done!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Love Lists
I know this looks like long, boring reading but... I thought I would share with you a glimpse of who I really am by creating a love list. Take the time to read this whenever you want. Feel free to write your own love list and add it to the comment section.
I love summer mornings when the fog’s setting in ∙ I love the damp smell of rotting leaves in the last brisk days of autumn before winter takes her turn ∙ I love sidewalk chalk ∙ I love wet doggy kisses and warm puppy breath ∙ I love the wide rivers that bring Tom and Huck to mind every time ∙ I love the smell of spring rains on warm sidewalks ∙ I love amazingly cool words like: serendipity and tableau ∙ I love the depth of color in a rainbow ∙ I love the music of distant ice cream trucks on summer evenings ∙ I love lazy cold days in baggy sweatshirt and thick socks ∙ I love coca-cola on ice cream and potato chip crumbs that stick to your fingers ∙ I love the first day of a long holiday break ∙ I love the irony of snowflakes’ miraculous singularity getting lost in white sameness ∙ I love cold sheets in the summer and warm blankets on a frigid eve ∙ I love the last moments of dusk and the darkest dark right before dawn ∙ I love French accents ∙ I love to unplug the phone and take off my watch and not have it matter ∙ I love the surreal silence of still, snowy nights ∙ I love sun’s warmth on skin and moon’s light on calm water ∙ I love the stories that aged hands tell ∙ I love the thick perfume of incense in church and the soft surprise of lilacs caught on spring’s breath ∙ I love quick wit - I love real woods-found mushrooms on medium-cooked steak ∙ I love to wash all the way to my elbows after I’ve worked in the yard - I love pants with surprise money in the pockets ∙ I love to watch unsuspecting others truly being themselves ∙ I love to sing at the top of my lungs to the delight of a stone-deaf, pretend audience ∙ I love seeing one’s unexpected personality show up when I tour their home for the first time - I love to draw in the margins ∙ I love to see someone I haven’t for a long time and feel their bear hug embrace – I love people who make eye-contact when I’m talking to them – I love to melt butter before I put it on toast with sinful amounts of sugar and cinnamon ∙ I love to think about my niece, Megan, and wonder who she’d be today - I love stone walls with creeping ivy ∙ I love children’s books that provide an unsuspecting tear - I love long hot baths on cold winter nights with only a candle lit ∙ I love to find simple answers to complex questions ∙ I love to break character in front of my students ∙ I love to perform a cannonball off of the diving board - I love to eat a whole bag of salt & vinegar kettle chips ∙ I love our flag – I love to watch a young child sing our national anthem ∙ I love fishing on breezy banks and not catching a thing because what would I do with it anyway ∙ I love Frosty and Rudolph and Burl Ives’ voice ∙ I love cereal before bed ∙ I love walking around a college campus and pretending that I’m still a student ∙ I love spreading ketchup from the ketchup packets on McDonald’s fries one fry at a time - I love to nibble on the juicy end of a long weed ∙ I love to watch my student’s faces when they see Boo Radley for the first time - I love reading gossip magazines when I’m supposed to be grading homework ∙ I love to go to bed early, read too long, and fall asleep too late ∙ I love to eat hot dogs with mustard and relish at evening baseball games ∙ I love the smell of football – I love Fair food ∙ I love Woody from Toy Story ∙ I love to walk alone at night ∙ I love caramel apples at amusement parks ∙ I love to watch animals in nature and imagine what it must be like to be them instead of me ∙ I love sheets on my bed that have been hung out on the line ∙ I love mint chocolate chip ice-cream ∙ I love to wear baseball caps ∙ I love to sit by creeks and watch the water swirl around fallen tree limbs ∙ I love to shop for things I don’t need - I love rainy mornings when I can lie in bed and listen to the thunder ∙ I love bon fires on beaches ∙ I love small candles lit in my room ∙ I love to watch ants carry their weight and more, unaware of my human amazement - I love Wisconsin birch bark trees ∙ I love stained glass ∙ I love orange and purple sunsets painted across calm skies ∙ I love book stores that sell coffee ∙ I love planting spring flowers in warm dirt ∙ I love orangeish-yellowish-reddish leaves ∙ I love church bells ringing over the city ∙ I love old cemeteries and the mysteries they bring to mind ∙ I love to peep through holes in fences ∙ I love to lie on my back and watch the stars and feel like I’m falling because it’s so grand ∙ I love sun tea ∙ I love my mom’s cinnamon candy at Christmas ∙ I love the warmth of a fire and the peaceful reach of its glow ∙ I love pretty smells in my bath ∙ I love hot tea with lemony honey on bitter nights ∙ I love snow when it sticks to trees and electric lines and stacks up on mailboxes ∙ I love to sit in the dark except for a glimmer of light from a candle, a fireplace or twinkling Christmas lights ∙ I love homemade salsa and lime tortilla chips ∙ I love the excitement and mystery of wrapped gifts under a tree ∙ I love the stars on clear winter nights when it’s too cold to be out and my nose hairs freeze ∙ I love covered bridges ∙ I love to amuse myself even when others don’t see what’s so amusing ∙ I love to drive alone in the evening or at night, windows down, music blaring ∙ I love when I finally find the time to be neat and organized, especially to the point that others become annoyed ∙ I love rearranging furniture and freshly washed woodwork ∙ I love when my mom, my sister and I laugh so hard that we wet our pants - I love the apples and Indian corn and pumpkins and cider on a Fall day when I can still wear shorts but I almost need a sweater ∙ I love my husband when he’s loving our kids - I love friends, family . . . and God above all.
I love summer mornings when the fog’s setting in ∙ I love the damp smell of rotting leaves in the last brisk days of autumn before winter takes her turn ∙ I love sidewalk chalk ∙ I love wet doggy kisses and warm puppy breath ∙ I love the wide rivers that bring Tom and Huck to mind every time ∙ I love the smell of spring rains on warm sidewalks ∙ I love amazingly cool words like: serendipity and tableau ∙ I love the depth of color in a rainbow ∙ I love the music of distant ice cream trucks on summer evenings ∙ I love lazy cold days in baggy sweatshirt and thick socks ∙ I love coca-cola on ice cream and potato chip crumbs that stick to your fingers ∙ I love the first day of a long holiday break ∙ I love the irony of snowflakes’ miraculous singularity getting lost in white sameness ∙ I love cold sheets in the summer and warm blankets on a frigid eve ∙ I love the last moments of dusk and the darkest dark right before dawn ∙ I love French accents ∙ I love to unplug the phone and take off my watch and not have it matter ∙ I love the surreal silence of still, snowy nights ∙ I love sun’s warmth on skin and moon’s light on calm water ∙ I love the stories that aged hands tell ∙ I love the thick perfume of incense in church and the soft surprise of lilacs caught on spring’s breath ∙ I love quick wit - I love real woods-found mushrooms on medium-cooked steak ∙ I love to wash all the way to my elbows after I’ve worked in the yard - I love pants with surprise money in the pockets ∙ I love to watch unsuspecting others truly being themselves ∙ I love to sing at the top of my lungs to the delight of a stone-deaf, pretend audience ∙ I love seeing one’s unexpected personality show up when I tour their home for the first time - I love to draw in the margins ∙ I love to see someone I haven’t for a long time and feel their bear hug embrace – I love people who make eye-contact when I’m talking to them – I love to melt butter before I put it on toast with sinful amounts of sugar and cinnamon ∙ I love to think about my niece, Megan, and wonder who she’d be today - I love stone walls with creeping ivy ∙ I love children’s books that provide an unsuspecting tear - I love long hot baths on cold winter nights with only a candle lit ∙ I love to find simple answers to complex questions ∙ I love to break character in front of my students ∙ I love to perform a cannonball off of the diving board - I love to eat a whole bag of salt & vinegar kettle chips ∙ I love our flag – I love to watch a young child sing our national anthem ∙ I love fishing on breezy banks and not catching a thing because what would I do with it anyway ∙ I love Frosty and Rudolph and Burl Ives’ voice ∙ I love cereal before bed ∙ I love walking around a college campus and pretending that I’m still a student ∙ I love spreading ketchup from the ketchup packets on McDonald’s fries one fry at a time - I love to nibble on the juicy end of a long weed ∙ I love to watch my student’s faces when they see Boo Radley for the first time - I love reading gossip magazines when I’m supposed to be grading homework ∙ I love to go to bed early, read too long, and fall asleep too late ∙ I love to eat hot dogs with mustard and relish at evening baseball games ∙ I love the smell of football – I love Fair food ∙ I love Woody from Toy Story ∙ I love to walk alone at night ∙ I love caramel apples at amusement parks ∙ I love to watch animals in nature and imagine what it must be like to be them instead of me ∙ I love sheets on my bed that have been hung out on the line ∙ I love mint chocolate chip ice-cream ∙ I love to wear baseball caps ∙ I love to sit by creeks and watch the water swirl around fallen tree limbs ∙ I love to shop for things I don’t need - I love rainy mornings when I can lie in bed and listen to the thunder ∙ I love bon fires on beaches ∙ I love small candles lit in my room ∙ I love to watch ants carry their weight and more, unaware of my human amazement - I love Wisconsin birch bark trees ∙ I love stained glass ∙ I love orange and purple sunsets painted across calm skies ∙ I love book stores that sell coffee ∙ I love planting spring flowers in warm dirt ∙ I love orangeish-yellowish-reddish leaves ∙ I love church bells ringing over the city ∙ I love old cemeteries and the mysteries they bring to mind ∙ I love to peep through holes in fences ∙ I love to lie on my back and watch the stars and feel like I’m falling because it’s so grand ∙ I love sun tea ∙ I love my mom’s cinnamon candy at Christmas ∙ I love the warmth of a fire and the peaceful reach of its glow ∙ I love pretty smells in my bath ∙ I love hot tea with lemony honey on bitter nights ∙ I love snow when it sticks to trees and electric lines and stacks up on mailboxes ∙ I love to sit in the dark except for a glimmer of light from a candle, a fireplace or twinkling Christmas lights ∙ I love homemade salsa and lime tortilla chips ∙ I love the excitement and mystery of wrapped gifts under a tree ∙ I love the stars on clear winter nights when it’s too cold to be out and my nose hairs freeze ∙ I love covered bridges ∙ I love to amuse myself even when others don’t see what’s so amusing ∙ I love to drive alone in the evening or at night, windows down, music blaring ∙ I love when I finally find the time to be neat and organized, especially to the point that others become annoyed ∙ I love rearranging furniture and freshly washed woodwork ∙ I love when my mom, my sister and I laugh so hard that we wet our pants - I love the apples and Indian corn and pumpkins and cider on a Fall day when I can still wear shorts but I almost need a sweater ∙ I love my husband when he’s loving our kids - I love friends, family . . . and God above all.
Text Talk
I know you're all wondering if it's okay to use "text talk" on our blog. 1st of ll, knw dat as an en teacha, dis hol IDa of butchrN wrds S a lil hrd on me. I'm tryN 2 gt W it, bt Ive 2 considA job security, u knw? So hrs d bott line: txt tlk is NFM. If I'm wilN 2 cept txt cmnts, IL let u knw; otherwiz, humor me by stikN 2 stndrd en. ThO I won't grade u, plz wach u caps, pnktu8n, n sp 2. W'r nt ltd on char space hre, N i do av feelNz aftr ll.
L8RG8R
L8RG8R
Be Wise on the Net!
Okay, so I really should be writing lesson plans, so I can bless you all with great wisdom and knowledge this upcoming week, but I've gotten a little sidetracked for now.
Cruising around myspace.com, I found a heap of you and see that too many of you haven't made your profiles private. Have we learned nothing about Internet safety? Hello!
If having your English teacher hunt you down and find you doesn't scare you into keeping your profiles private, then I can't imagine what will.
I'll try not to nag you all too much; after all, it is your personal business (that you put out there for public viewing), but some of the stuff you guys put on your sites is scary! What's with the gang garbage and foul words?
I know, I know . . . I should butt out. It's your time and your life to do with what you want, but you've got too many smarts and too much education under your belt to go to waste, so here's my loving reminder that you might conduct yourselves with greater dignity (or at least remember smart Net rules):
If you don't want a future employer (or your grandmother!) to see or read your wild side, then don't put it on the Web. Your choices of words, pictures and videos are reflections of you, so be sure you can be proud of what you see in the mirror. (Okay. The lecture is over!)
Cruising around myspace.com, I found a heap of you and see that too many of you haven't made your profiles private. Have we learned nothing about Internet safety? Hello!
If having your English teacher hunt you down and find you doesn't scare you into keeping your profiles private, then I can't imagine what will.
I'll try not to nag you all too much; after all, it is your personal business (that you put out there for public viewing), but some of the stuff you guys put on your sites is scary! What's with the gang garbage and foul words?
I know, I know . . . I should butt out. It's your time and your life to do with what you want, but you've got too many smarts and too much education under your belt to go to waste, so here's my loving reminder that you might conduct yourselves with greater dignity (or at least remember smart Net rules):
If you don't want a future employer (or your grandmother!) to see or read your wild side, then don't put it on the Web. Your choices of words, pictures and videos are reflections of you, so be sure you can be proud of what you see in the mirror. (Okay. The lecture is over!)
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Short Story Posts
We are getting ready for the first annual Short Story Book Fair! Da, Da, Daaaa!!! Hopefully you have paced yourselves, read your story by now, and have your five projects well underway. I would like for you to post a few general statements about your story. Begin with the title and author. Distinguish your story by providing the genre. Rate your short story using stars (one being the worst, five being the best). I hope you all read 5-Star Stories (*****)! Be sure to use ONLY your first name and last initial when posting!
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