Blog Self-Assessment!

Now that we have written at least five blog posts this trimester, it is time to assess our blog writing skills!

Students,

Please open the emailed form from me titled: "Blog Self Asessment ~ First Trimester" - then honestly and thoughtfully reflect on you performance on the blog thus far.  This is your opportunity to persuade me what your overall grade for blogging should be this trimester.

Read each question and all of the directions carefully!



Image source: http://patriciazaballos.com/2012/05/31/how-do-kids-really-learn-to-write-2-0/

Mining Our Heart Maps

This week, the 7th grade has been working on mining their heart maps in their writer's notebooks to come up with a choice topic to write about this week on the blog.  We've  been talking about how certain topics call for different genres.  For instance, the story that I told about losing my phone during Chirstmas time and meeting Pam might make a great short story, memoir, poem, or letter, while my passion for teaching and beliefs around how I believe learning happens in the classroom would make a good essay.

We also talked about writing essays and how they could be either personal or informational.  Maybe you have a hobby on your heart map that you could inform the class about?  Perhaps you have a hidden talent that you could provide "How To" instructions for.

This week's blog is a chance for your passions, interests, and curiosities as a writer to guide your way!

Blog drafts are due on Monday 11/19 for my revisions.  Please submit for review if and only if you are ready for me to suggest revisions and corrections.  As always, your blog should reflect your best efforts and be proofread thoroughly before submitting.

American Born Chinese - Reader Response Blog Entry

Image Source: http://geneyang.com/american-born-chinese

 
This week in ELA we learned about the medium of the graphic novel (and how to read it) and began reading American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang.  It's safe to say that even though we are only on page 40, this book is already a hit!  We then discussed (and Teacher Lacey modeled) the process for composing reader response blog entries.  Together we decided that there are many strategies that we can use to respond to our reading.  Here is a list of what a Reader Response Blog can do (compiled so far by three sections of 7th grade ELA students).

A Reader Response Blog Entry Can...

• Include your thoughts and opinions on a text
• Make connections to your own feelings and experience
• Introduce and summarize the events in the text you want to write about
• Ask questions
• Include your predictions about the story
• Make inferences about the main character's problem
• Talk about how the main character feels
• Include specific details from the story
• Draw conclusions about the author's purpose and craft

 For this week's blog post, please compose your own Reader Response Blog Entry on your first impressions on the graphic novel American Born Chinese.  For this week you might also choose to focus on what you notice about the graphic novel medium and details from the panels themselves.  Alternatively, you could discuss your predictions and how they may have changed as you began reading the story.  Your blog post should be at least two paragraphs and carefully proofread.  Please include a title and, as always, you're welcome to include relevant images in your post.

Your published blog entry is due Tuesday, November 13, by 8AM.  Please be prepared to share your entry with your peers.

Stereotypes

In the above video, Kevin gives an amusing, but also thought provoking rant, about the stereotypes that he has to deal with on a daily basis.  For this week's blog post, you will reflect on the stereotypes you have to deal with.  

As always, be careful to proofread before posting.

Due: on the blog by 4PM Monday, November 5^th

Minimum: Two MEATY paragraphs

Choose one or more prompts below to reflect on your experience of and beliefs about stereotypes.

1.        Write about a time you witnessed someone being treated according to a stereotype.

2.        Have you ever been mistreated or benefitted from a stereotype that was applied to you?  Describe what happened.

3.        Write about a time that you or someone you know or heard about acted according to a stereotype.

4.        Write about a time you experienced or witnessed a racist act and how it made you feel.

Six Word Memoirs!

Students,

It's finally time to unveil our Six Word Memoir Videos!  After learning about how just six words can tell a story, 7th grade students set out on coming up with their own.  The results are passionate, funny, and heartfelt.  Please watch the following videos from each 7th grade class and feel free to leave a comment.
Thanks for watching!

Here are the commenting stems we like to use in class to keep our remarks polite and useful!


7A's Class Video:
7A Movie from lacey boland on Vimeo.
7B's Class Video:
7B 6WM Video 2012 from lacey boland on Vimeo.
7C's Class Video:
7C 6WM Movie 2012 from lacey boland on Vimeo.
7D's Class Video:
7D Movie 2012 from lacey boland on Vimeo.