I have just finished As Simple As Snow (Gregory Galloway), upon recommendation from Lauren J. - it was terrific. It tracks the relationship between a boy and a very mysterious girl, Anna, whose hobby is to write obituaries for all the people in her town. When she mysteriously disappears, clues pile up and leave the boy - and the town - wondering what happened.
Began reading Project 17 (Laurie Faria Stolarz) last night, couldn't put it down. It's about a teenage filmmaker wannabe who enlists a strange crew of high school classmates to star in his reality short film - to be created over the course of one night at a local mental hospital that's set to shut down soon.
I also happened upon a series that would appeal to boys who like horror/mystery called Darkside (Becker).
Also picked up Wintergirls (Laurie Halse Anderson) and will tackle that next. It examines teen anorexia.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Learn at Home - Grade 7
Use this link in addition to the work described below to fill your week - and your mind - until we get back.
http://schools.nyc.gov/Academics/learnathome/grade7.htm
This is the same link sent in a Teacherease e-mail from the administration to you and your parents.
http://schools.nyc.gov/Academics/learnathome/grade7.htm
This is the same link sent in a Teacherease e-mail from the administration to you and your parents.
Feedback
Feel free to email your scenes (see directions below) to me or Mrs. Moreno if you'd like feedback. Remember, everyone is expected to have the scenes written by Tuesday, so we can move on in the drafting process and lose as little classroom work time as possible.
You can send your scenes as Word attachments or in the body of the e-mail to:
SMarks4@schools.nyc.gov
or
MMoreno8@schools.nyc.gov
You can send your scenes as Word attachments or in the body of the e-mail to:
SMarks4@schools.nyc.gov
or
MMoreno8@schools.nyc.gov
Sunday, May 17, 2009
To Do This Week...
Mrs. Schneider would like everyone to have a productive week at home.
Read....and reflect on your reading each night. Make particular note of how your realistic fiction books conform to the genre. If you don't have a book, visit the library. Consult the list of author web sites and recommended books to the left of the post.
Write: While most of you will have probably left your Writer's Sourcebooks in your lockers, you can still lay out a plan for your stories. Create scenes (like we did for our small moment narratives).
Number each scene and identify the setting and characters involved. Then write a short description of what will happen in each scene. Attach at least 3 descriptive words and/or phrases that describe how the protagonist and/or secondary character feel(s) in each scene.
Example:
Setting: Classroom 884, I.S. 67, Bayside, NY, 11:30 AM, Monday morning.
Characters: Dylan (protagonist) and Johnny (secondary character)
Main idea of the scene: Johnny and Dylan are hard at work on their laptops. While Johnny is dilligently working on the class WebQuest, Dylan is posting a nasty message and picture on a social networking site, The Buzz. The picture shows Johnny crying and has the label "wimp" on it. Giggles emerge from several laptop stations across the room. The news is out. Only Dylan doesn't know it.
Descriptive words for the way Dylan is feeling: oblivious, will be upset/embarrassed soon.
Descriptive words for the way Johnny is feeling: powerful, bullying, vengeful.
Post to the blog with ideas and give each other feedback. When we return to school, we will be drafting from these scenes you have created this week.
Read....and reflect on your reading each night. Make particular note of how your realistic fiction books conform to the genre. If you don't have a book, visit the library. Consult the list of author web sites and recommended books to the left of the post.
Write: While most of you will have probably left your Writer's Sourcebooks in your lockers, you can still lay out a plan for your stories. Create scenes (like we did for our small moment narratives).
Number each scene and identify the setting and characters involved. Then write a short description of what will happen in each scene. Attach at least 3 descriptive words and/or phrases that describe how the protagonist and/or secondary character feel(s) in each scene.
Example:
Setting: Classroom 884, I.S. 67, Bayside, NY, 11:30 AM, Monday morning.
Characters: Dylan (protagonist) and Johnny (secondary character)
Main idea of the scene: Johnny and Dylan are hard at work on their laptops. While Johnny is dilligently working on the class WebQuest, Dylan is posting a nasty message and picture on a social networking site, The Buzz. The picture shows Johnny crying and has the label "wimp" on it. Giggles emerge from several laptop stations across the room. The news is out. Only Dylan doesn't know it.
Descriptive words for the way Dylan is feeling: oblivious, will be upset/embarrassed soon.
Descriptive words for the way Johnny is feeling: powerful, bullying, vengeful.
Post to the blog with ideas and give each other feedback. When we return to school, we will be drafting from these scenes you have created this week.
School Closed This Week
NOTE: I.S. 25 (and therefore WJPS) will be closed this week because of some minor reports of swine flu. We are set to return Tuesday (after Memorial Day). The building will be sanitized this week.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Character Study
Mrs. Moreno and I are impressed with the quality of work you are doing in building characters, but please remember that class work time is for just that - work. Do not waste time chatting unaccountably (off topic)...and any work not completed in class should be completed at home for homework.
A reminder: Please bring loose leaf paper each day with you, or contribute a stack to the class and keep it in the room. We are moving out of our sourcebooks for drafting, but you will still need them each day for the mini-lesson and notes.
Both classes will begin the drafting process tomorrow. We will revisit the plot maps and see if any revisions to our original ideas are necessary. Then, we will figure out the sequence, the order in which we want to unfold the story to the reader. The plot map is an essential tool -- so
please bring this with you to class each day.
A reminder: Please bring loose leaf paper each day with you, or contribute a stack to the class and keep it in the room. We are moving out of our sourcebooks for drafting, but you will still need them each day for the mini-lesson and notes.
Both classes will begin the drafting process tomorrow. We will revisit the plot maps and see if any revisions to our original ideas are necessary. Then, we will figure out the sequence, the order in which we want to unfold the story to the reader. The plot map is an essential tool -- so
please bring this with you to class each day.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Reader's Sourcebooks, Character Building, Submitting work to Teen Ink
Reader's Sourcebooks will be collected Thursday, May 11 for grading. Mrs. Moreno and I will be looking for evidence of reading, planning, taking notes, and reflecting on lit circles books.
702 did an amazing job of building characters today. 731 will start the process on Wed.
Tomorrow, 702 will look at what we know vs. what we think about people we know. Then we will assign our characters names, speech, and relationships.
Remember, you can post original work (poems, stories, etc.) to Teenink.com. Register on the site and upload. There have been many many great pieces written in room 302 - let's share them.
702 did an amazing job of building characters today. 731 will start the process on Wed.
Tomorrow, 702 will look at what we know vs. what we think about people we know. Then we will assign our characters names, speech, and relationships.
Remember, you can post original work (poems, stories, etc.) to Teenink.com. Register on the site and upload. There have been many many great pieces written in room 302 - let's share them.
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