A Wrinkle in Time 2014

This week we've watched the movie of A Wrinkle in Time. As you have seen, the producers made a number of changes from the book. Choose at least two of the following three questions to answer in your comment. Be sure to use acceptable punctuation and capitalization in your comment.

1. What character was the most changed in the movie?  Were the changes related to appearance or personality or both?  Did the change help the movie or not?

2. Name an event that was added or greatly changed for the movie. How did this change effect the story? Do you think this was a good decision or not and why?

3. At the end of the movie, it appears that Meg has defeated the Black Thing on Camazotz, at least. How do you feel about that ending? Do you think that is what the book describes? Why or why not?

Using Verb Tenses

For Monday, you are to write a short 3-paragraph paper. In this paper, you will use past, present, and future verb tenses as you describe different activities you are involved in.  I will be grading this for using the correct tense, adding good details, and making strong word choices. 

Next week we will make Vokis like the one on the right using this paper. Be ready!!

Among the Hidden, Ch. 6

Put yourself in Luke's place. In one descriptive sentence, tell us how you would feel about the possibility of Mother going to work at the factory.

The Alcott Family

In this week's post, I want to hear your thoughts about the Alcott family, specifically Bronson, Abby, and Louisa.  Please write three sentences about one of them, telling me a bit about that person, his or her personality, and your opinion about his or her character.  Please use your best grammar and spelling. The assignment is due on Wednesday, September 18.

Reading Gifted Hands

For our first blogpost, I want to know what part of Gifted Hands you found most interesting. Describe it and then, tell us what you learned from this event or section that you can use in your own life.

Whenever you write on the blog, be sure to use complete sentences with good punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. This answer will require at least two or three sentences to be complete and answer both parts of the question. This assignment is due Friday, August 16th.

Gifted Hands

I hope you are enjoying our All School Read. I'm reading it for the second time right now. I plan to use this post as a place to collect some websites, lesson plans, and videos that relate to Gifted Hands. Feel free to take a look.

Gifted Hands (the play)

Discussion Questions

Easy Fun Lesson Plan

Unit Plan

Google Slides Presentation

Individual Learning Packet

Belle Teal

       At the end of the story, Belle Teal determines to "accentuate the positive" even though she can't "eliminate thee negative."  What are the positive elements in her life? Will they be enough to overcome the problems that still bother her?

       Answer these questions, giving your opinion and using evidence from the text. Use good mechanics; be thorough!

Nature's Classroom

I hope you enjoyed our time at Nature's Classroom as much as I did. This week I want each of you to write 3-4 sentences about something you learned while we were there. Please include some details about what activity you were doing and who else was involved. As always, use good mechanics in your comment.

A Wrinkle in Time

Now that we've read the book and watched the movie, I'm curious what you think. In your comment, tell me at least two differences you noticed between the book and the movie. Then tell which you preferred and why. Please use complete sentences with good punctuation, spelling, and capitalization.

Make Your Own Avatar

This week we are using www.voki.com to create Avatars and share our experiences during Christmas Break.

My avatar will tell you how to get started. It is in the sidebar. When you finish with your avatar, you will be able to create a link. Copy that link into a comment on this blog post. That way all of us can see your avatar!

Also, notice that there are Voki Directions in the sidebar as well.  Have fun!

The Reader as Detective

This week you are to respond to one of the following questions in your comment. Read the question carefully. Then respond in complete sentences with correct punctuation and capitalization.

If you read "The Purloined Letter," do you have any ideas about where the letter was hidden? Could the police have missed it, or might it be hidden somewhere else entirely?  Give evidence from the story section to support your answer.

If you read "The Red-Headed League," tell us what you found strange or unusual in Mr. Wilson's story.  Give evidence from the story section to support your answer.

My Daughter's Book

Thank you for your interest in Corie's book. It is written with middle school students in mind. The story is fantasy with magic and magicians, but also with battles and interesting characters.  If that sounds interesting to you, it's available for Kindle here:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ANX69HW/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_ask_UWlmE.0TG7GDE

It's only 99 cents, and I promise to make an AR test so you can count it for your outside reading.

Merry Christmas to you all!

Direct objects

For your comment, write three Pattern 2 sentences. Remember that Pattern 2 sentences have a direct object. Also, be sure you use correct punctuation and capitalization. List your sentences and number them, like this:

1.

2.

3.

Thanksgiving

While Thanksgiving is over for another year, I hope you continue to be thankful for your many blessings.  It is fairly simple to say you are thankful, but if you are thankful, how do you show that? Complete the following sentence: "I always thank people when they do something for me or give me a gift, but I also..."  Tell us how you show your gratitude beyond a simple thank you.  Give an example from your own life.

Here is mine:  For my birthday this year, my aunt gave me a necklace. It is lovely, but not something I would usually wear.  When I went to lunch with her, I planned my outfit around that necklace and wore it so that she would be able to see that I truly appreciated her gift.

Among the Hidden

Now that we've finished the book, I'm interested in your reaction to it.  It is a page-turner for most of us. What makes the story so interesting?  What devices does the author use to keep the reader involved?  Give examples in your comment.

Also, do you think this could ever happen here?  Is the story realistic or fantasy?

Your answer should be at least two short paragraphs.  This assignment is due Monday, November 12th.

Wonderfully Made

Every once in a great while, I read a book that I know will stay with me for a long time. It's a book that I immediately imagine having conversations with my students about. Wonder by R. J. Palacio is one of those books.

I first read it last winter as we searched for an All-School Read for our middle school. We had spent Spring Semester focusing on stopping bullying in our school. This seemed like a great way to continue the discussion. After considering a number of books, our principal made the decision to use Wonder. It has been an exciting, even moving, experience to see our students, and quite a few parents, read the book and be so touched by it.

The book is becoming part of our culture as all of our faculty look for ways to incorporate the book and its lessons into our classes. We chose Psalm 139:14, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well," as our theme verse for the year. For our Character Counts lessons, we have Wonderful Man (who is too good looking to take off his helmet!) Our PE teacher, who is also a wonderful photographer, created a bulletin board next to the office featuring our precious students and Wonder.

Practically everyone has had a time when he or she felt excluded or ignored. August's story shows us just how hurtful that can be, but it also demonstrates how to handle it with dignity and humor. By showing events from multiple points of view, Ms. Palacio reminds us that each of us comes from the sum of our experiences, and that there is always a reason for the way people act.

This is a book I plan to read with my students for many years to come. I look forward to hearing their thoughts and sharing our precepts. Thank you, Ms. Palacio, for creating August and sharing his story with us.

You can see other teachers' blogs about Wonder at www.choosekind.tumblr.com

The Final Adventure

On Friday, we went to Nashville Children's Theatre and saw Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure.  Many of you commented that it was creepy or scary. What about the play made it that way? Even if you weren't scared, there were intense moments. How did they create that effect? Was it the story or the staging? Write at least three sentences explaining your ideas. This is due on Wednesday.

Buddy Biographies

Now that we have begun our Buddy Biographies Unit, I'd like you to share a little about your person. As you read, I hope you are learning some interesting facts about him or her. This week, please share one of those interesting facts in a comment. As always, use good mechanics. The comment is due on Friday.

Parts of Speech

For this week's blog post, I want each of you to complete the following in your comment. I would like you to make three lists, numbered 1-5.  The first list is of five nouns, the second is of five verbs, and the last list is of five prepositions. Please be honest and think of your own; don't use my examples or another student's list.

Here are my example lists:

Nouns
1.  penguin
2.  fabric
3.  yarn
4.  desert
5.  Lipscomb Academy

Verbs
1. evade
2. sing
3. whisper
4. describe
5. sew

Prepositions
1. behind
2. past
3. from
4. except
5. toward

As always, only use your first name and number when you post.  This assignment is due Thursday, September 13.

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Now that we have read the story and watched the movie, I'd like to know how you felt about them. Did you like one of them better? What differences did you notice? Please use at least three complete sentences with enough details that we can understand which parts you are describing.  This assignment is due on Friday, August 31.