Today, in some classes, we finished our IDEAL SCHOOL presentations, and began our new class novel, The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis. The novel is a powerfully credible account of a fictionalized journey of 11-year old Parvana in her quest to courageously stand up to the Taliban regime and help her family survive.
Our word of the day today is CREDIBILITY, which means trustworthiness, or the ability to inspire belief, respect, and trust. And example is: Because of her work in Afghanistan. author Deborah Ellis has a lot of credibility in her writing of the novel The Breadwinner.
For tonight, share a brief response to the following question: what do you think is one of the most important values of a government and why?
Showing posts with label Ideal School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ideal School. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Presentation Time!
It was a blast listening to the first rounds of Ideal School presentations today. In each class, I felt as though I was on a school board listening to proposals for a brand new school--and so many of your schools are imbued with creativity, hands-on learning, and fascinating field trips!
I am looking forward to continuing to hear and see more of your schools in the upcoming days!
Our word of the day today is RESILIENCE, which means the ability to keep going in the face of obstacles or failure. We used the example of J.K. Rowling and her 13 rejections from the book Harry Potter as an example of resilience!
Peace!
Mr. R
I am looking forward to continuing to hear and see more of your schools in the upcoming days!
Our word of the day today is RESILIENCE, which means the ability to keep going in the face of obstacles or failure. We used the example of J.K. Rowling and her 13 rejections from the book Harry Potter as an example of resilience!
Peace!
Mr. R
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Schools and Creativity
Today is our last day in the library to workshop and craft our ideal school projects. Remember that they are due on Wednesday, January 20. We will each have the chance to share two of our slides with the rest of the class (or more!0 beginning Wednesday.
Here is the overview of the Ideal School mission--be sure to check your slides against the list of required slides--and then creatively craft your other slides!
And here is the model we explored in class of a powerful Ideal School presentation from last year.
For tomorrow, be sure to review our last five words for our creative vocab quiz: IMBUE, PERFIDIOUS, MOROSE, EMPATHY, and APOPLECTIC.
Have an awesome evening, and good luck working on your IDEAL SCHOOL projects!
Here is the overview of the Ideal School mission--be sure to check your slides against the list of required slides--and then creatively craft your other slides!
And here is the model we explored in class of a powerful Ideal School presentation from last year.
For tomorrow, be sure to review our last five words for our creative vocab quiz: IMBUE, PERFIDIOUS, MOROSE, EMPATHY, and APOPLECTIC.
Have an awesome evening, and good luck working on your IDEAL SCHOOL projects!
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Creating Your Ideal School
After reading the powerful novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and screening the inspiring film Glory Road, and then delving into the brilliant mind of Socrates with "Plato's Allegory of the Cave," we are digging into our creative projects today in the library: making an IDEAL SCHOOL!
Here is the link to the Ideal School mission overview.
And here is a link to an example IDEAL SCHOOL project from one of last year's students.
Be sure to check it out for examples and inspiration, and I am thrilled and excited to see what you come up with!
Peace,
Mr. R
Here is the link to the Ideal School mission overview.
And here is a link to an example IDEAL SCHOOL project from one of last year's students.
Be sure to check it out for examples and inspiration, and I am thrilled and excited to see what you come up with!
Peace,
Mr. R
Monday, January 5, 2015
Outside or Inside...Or Neither?
Welcome back! It has been great to see you each today, and to dive back into English class with a Quick Write and a few more Ideal School presentations. Your presentations are engaging, thought-provoking, and insightful. What strikes me most is that in almost every single Ideal School you have created, hands-on, active learning is a theme.
Our word for the day, today, is LACONIC, which is an adjective that means using few words. It is the opposite of one of our previous vocabulary words, LOQUACIOUS, which means highly talkative. Here is an example of the word LACONIC in a sentence: The shy student seemed laconic at first, but once he got to know everyone, he became downright loquacious!
Read the following quote from the novel Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye, and then share your ideas about the question that follows it (in the response section of our blog):
"Let's believe together in a world where no one is either inside or outside, yes?"
Even though we have not yet read Nye's novel, if you had to make a guess, what do you think this quote is suggesting? Why?
No wrong answers--share your thoughts below! Peace! Mr. R.
Our word for the day, today, is LACONIC, which is an adjective that means using few words. It is the opposite of one of our previous vocabulary words, LOQUACIOUS, which means highly talkative. Here is an example of the word LACONIC in a sentence: The shy student seemed laconic at first, but once he got to know everyone, he became downright loquacious!
Read the following quote from the novel Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye, and then share your ideas about the question that follows it (in the response section of our blog):
"Let's believe together in a world where no one is either inside or outside, yes?"
Even though we have not yet read Nye's novel, if you had to make a guess, what do you think this quote is suggesting? Why?
No wrong answers--share your thoughts below! Peace! Mr. R.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Your Ideal School!
What do a research experiment cone in February of this year and an allegory composed in 450 BC have in common? The short answer is: a lot! Today, we crafted a compare and contrast chart on our board to analyze the similarities and differences between Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" (which, we know really entailed a story from Socrates!) and some recent research on what makes a meaningful life.
I loved hearing your ideas!
We then pushed forward and began thinking about our IDEAL SCHOOL project. For this project, you are in charge! Let your wildest imaginings come to fruition! Think outside of what we are used to, and consider what kind of school you would create if anything were possible.
How would the days run? Who would lead? How would decisions be made? Would subjects be taught together? Would students teach one another? Would classes be bigger or smaller? Would "school" be a forest or a museum or an ongoing field trip?
As you brainstorm and plan your ideas tonight, be thinking about connections to the "Allegory of the Cave" and also to our novel, Nothing but the Truth.
Here is the link to the IDEAL SCHOOL project in case you need another copy, or in case you want to print out a copy on which to draw a thousand hearts and laminate it and then frame it and then put it right next to your bathroom mirror.
Our word of the day today is ADVOCATE (verb) which means to support a person or a cause. And our word of the day from yesterday was ALLEGORY (noun) which means a story that illustrates an important life message or symbolizes a greater truth.
I loved hearing your ideas!
We then pushed forward and began thinking about our IDEAL SCHOOL project. For this project, you are in charge! Let your wildest imaginings come to fruition! Think outside of what we are used to, and consider what kind of school you would create if anything were possible.
How would the days run? Who would lead? How would decisions be made? Would subjects be taught together? Would students teach one another? Would classes be bigger or smaller? Would "school" be a forest or a museum or an ongoing field trip?
As you brainstorm and plan your ideas tonight, be thinking about connections to the "Allegory of the Cave" and also to our novel, Nothing but the Truth.
Here is the link to the IDEAL SCHOOL project in case you need another copy, or in case you want to print out a copy on which to draw a thousand hearts and laminate it and then frame it and then put it right next to your bathroom mirror.
Our word of the day today is ADVOCATE (verb) which means to support a person or a cause. And our word of the day from yesterday was ALLEGORY (noun) which means a story that illustrates an important life message or symbolizes a greater truth.
Monday, December 15, 2014
Seeing Past Shadows
Today was downright riveting. Awesome. Fabulous. I absolutely loved working through "Plato's Allegory of the Cave" with you all. Though it's a difficult text, you did a great job or connecting the ideas from the allegory to our own lives, and now we will push forward!
Tomorrow, we will discuss how the novel Nothing But the Truth by Avi, and "Plato's Allegory of the Cave" apply to a highly creative project. Your challenge will be to do what Socrates suggests and get beyond shadows and think widely about what is possible.
You will use our texts as a springboard and then leap into your own ideas about what learning is really all about. Here is a link to our project on the ideal school. We will discuss it tomorrow and then have a workshop feel for two of our classes this week, in the library.
Excited!
Tomorrow, we will discuss how the novel Nothing But the Truth by Avi, and "Plato's Allegory of the Cave" apply to a highly creative project. Your challenge will be to do what Socrates suggests and get beyond shadows and think widely about what is possible.
You will use our texts as a springboard and then leap into your own ideas about what learning is really all about. Here is a link to our project on the ideal school. We will discuss it tomorrow and then have a workshop feel for two of our classes this week, in the library.
Excited!
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