The Dream

The Dream by Common, this was part 3 of a 4 part series. Give me your thoughts.

I’m Everyday People

Reflect on our class discussion of Everyday People today. Include the discussion as well as the poetry activities with the posters and such. Tell me what you think? Expect? Want to see? Would you like to create your own lyrical review? What theme would you use?

Life is a Highway…

Today as we listened to Life is a Highway by Rascal Flatts, we discussed how literature and life connect. Post your 3 questions here to continue our literary discussion on line.
So What?
Now, review the comments posted by your peers and answer 2 different questions can be from the same person or different people. Answer the questions using your book?
MIA…
Reflect on the RDJ 23 process. Would you like to do this on the wiki? What are your ideas for RDJs in the future?

RDJ 22… What would you say?

As we jammed out to “What would you say?” by Dave Matthews, we pumped up for our RDJ literary adventure. Your mission is to write a reflection about that adventure including the other aspects of the Gab Slab. Here are guiding questions that may help you if you find yourself stuck:
~ Which slides or bullets from the RDJ PP and/or update, did your group discuss?
~ Identify some or all of the books being read at your table? Did any of them sound interesting, why or why not?
~ Did you learn something new or did something click of which you struggled with previously? If so, why or why not?
~ How would you rate your understanding on a scale of 1 (not at all) to 10 (definitely got it) on the main idea and supporting detail info using the Science Chapter 8 material?
~ How did sharing and comparing the info from section 1 tool box help you? If it didn’t, why not?
~ How did setting up section 2 with your group work?
~ What would you change about today’s format, participation, other? Why?
~ Any improvements or suggestions for the future?

Book Order View

I’m Movin’ On and Much Ado…

First, you can see the books in a digital format offered in TAB Jan and Feb and well as TRC Jan by clicking on the link below. You can also order books right from this site or you can do it the traditional way by having your parents write a check to Scholastic Tab or pay in cash. Remember, ordering books is completely optional. As we order books, we earn points for our class, which are exchanged for more books for our classroom library. Our user name is starfishteam and our password is starfishshine. I want you to look at the books in the flyers from class or digitally through clicking on the link below and entering the password info and select your top picks (books you like). Here is the link:
(link is not working, refer to Book Order View to see books on-line, you can also order from here if interested)

Second, I just found out about a writing contest entitled Marley and Me. The deadline is Thursday. It is a contest for grades 7-9. The prompt is to write a story from an animal’s point of view. Top prizes include a $2000 gift card to Best Buy. Wowzers! If you are interested, the link for entering your story and finding out more info is below.
http://www.weeklyreader.com/marley

Third, make sure you check out the four new links on the main page. One is an awesome homework/study helper that is absolutely free. It is quality as I checked out some of the language arts links. Thank you Mrs. Haines for sharing it with us!

Venn diagram Peer Review

A different type of peer conference was used today, but nevertheless, it was an effective way to get feedback. How did you like the partner selection during the song Fall for You? Identify the pros and cons of the peer review of your Venn diagram on the novel movie comparison.

Film Critique

Language arts covers a wide spectrum when you consider our reading and writing adventures. Critically reviewing films and other media productions falls in our spectrum according the North Carolina Standard Course of Study for seventh grade. On Tuesday, January 6, we will travel to the theatre to view Marley and Me. For this week’s reading dialogue journal entry, we will focus our energy on our film review. We will discuss this in class on Monday, January 5 and Tuesday, January 6.
First, you will rate the film on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the worst and 10 being the best. You will provide rationale for your rating, which is why you feel the way you do…what supports your opinion. Using specific examples from the film make your rationale stronger.
Second, you will select 3 areas to critique while viewing the film. These areas can range from special effects to themes (life messages) to humor. The sky is wide open. The expectation is that you have 3 specific areas to hone your efforts of critical analysis of the film. You have to cleary identify each area. Explain why you selected the area and it should match your interest as a movie go-er. Rate the area using the same scale 1-10 and provide rationale remembering that specific examples from the film as well as your analysis of those examples and your area make for stronger entries. Questions, comments, post them here. You may opt to do this RDJ digitally using a word program and copy and paste it into a comment. See my example in the comments section.

My Grown Up Christmas List

Thoughts….

RDJ Update: questions, comments, concerns….

All I want for Christmas

As in the theme song for today, we are thinking beyond material items.  We are looking at gifts that are timeless.  Gifts of writing fall into this timeless and priceless category.  Use this site for brainstorming ideas for gifts of writing.