Rhythm & Retention

Today we are venturing out from school and into the field to make music. Using a diverse mix of percussion instruments, we are translating the work we did yesterday on thematic statements into actual musical movements that correlate to The Breadwinner.

I am loving hearing your musical creativity and seeing how you tie in Deborah Ellis's message in the novel to the musical themes you create to match it.

Here is the project overview of the Rhythm & Retention musical mission that we've worked on yesterday and are continuing today. 

This past Monday, we did a prediction-oriented writing activity where you each tried to write Chapter 4 from The Breadwinner from the point of view of a character in the story--inferring what may happen next. Here is the link to that creative writing mission. 

Our word of the day from yesterday was THEME, which refers to both the subject / big idea of a novel, song, or film AND the author's message in any of these (the thematic statement is often how the author's message is characterized). 

And our word of the day from Tuesday was FALLACY, which means a mistake in thinking or logic as in this sentence: when I thought that people who drove mini-vans were criminals, that was a fallacy from my five-year old days.

Have an awesome day!

Peace,

Mr. R

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

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!

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

Revision in Action!!

Today, we dove into deep revisions on the first drafts of our creative short story assignments. First, we explored some of the key symbols for grammar and structural changes in our writing. (These all relate to our 13 Rules for Writing, which we discussed yesterday--click here for that list of rules!).

Here is a snapshot of our class board from today with these symbols:

In order to practice using these AWESOME symbols and finding these grammatical and structural issues, we then did a group revision of the start of a story about a character named Juku. Here is the Smartboard snapshot of our group revision:

And then you each had a partner in which to practice by helping one another find areas for growth in these first drafts of your short stories. It was fabulous to interact and watch as you did that beautiful thing: REVISION!

For tonight, start making some of the changes in your rough draft (no need to print off a new copy yet). 

Our word of the day is RECEDE, which means to lessen or decrease; to fade or back away. An example is: Mr. R's painful memories of riding the school bus in second grade have receded now that he is older. 

Have an awesome evening!

Peace,

Mr. R

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!

Breaking Free!

Today, we crafted inspiring and creative folders for all of our formal writing that we'll do this year. Prior to getting elbow deep in paper scraps, inspiring quotes, construction paper, glue sticks, and New Yorker magazine clippings, we also shared one of our four powerful quotes that you found last night.

Your writing folders are incredibly beautiful and inspiring to me! I loved watching you create with cleverness and joy.

Over this weekend, be sure to read through the end of Chapter 24 in The Absolute Value of Mike.

Our word for the day, today, was OBLITERATE, which means to destroy completely. An example of the word in a line is: Every summer, when I was growing up, my brothers and I would create the biggest sandcastle we possibly could; then the tide moved in to OBLITERATE it.

Our word for the day from yesterday was COPIOUS, which is an adjective which means very plentiful. An example of the word in a line is: You all have COPIOUS amounts of insight when we discuss our class novel.

After reading through Chapter 24 in Mike, share your insights regarding this question: What do you think enables people who are stuck--like Poppy--to break free? What inspires them to move past their walls?

Bringing Words to Life with Love (or Laughter)

Today, you explored Mike and his dad's relationship from The Absolute Value of Mike. You each wrote a scene--in true theater format--that envisioned what a meeting of Mike and his did would be like at this point in the novel.

Your scenes have been creative, funny, heartbreaking, sad, redemptive, and joyful. You used all of our words for the week within your creative scenes, and you began acting out your scenes in pairs today. Tomorrow, we will finish performing our scenes.

Our word for the day was EPIPHANY, which is a noun. An EPIPHANY is a sudden insight, a moment of tremendous clarity, or a great awakening of the mind. We don;t use the word epiphany for any small growth or understanding--but it is used for something truly life-changing. I shared with you all my own epiphany about what it means to succeed--but this epiphany did not occur until college!

Here's my example with the word in context: When I was a senior in college, I had an epiphany: success meant far more than obtaining great grades and winning sports' games. Success was about the kind of relationships I formed and the kindness and boldness with which I tried to live life.

And....3--2--1...our board from today!

For tonight, be sure to read Chapter 18 in the Absolute Value of Mike. Have an awesome evening--get outside and enjoy some of this warmth and sunshine!

Giving Our Characters Quandaries...

Yesterday and today we dove into our first big writing mission of the year: your own, creative, original short stories. I am so thrilled about this project, and I can't wait to see what each of you comes up with.

Today we explored various possibilities, and I shared how ideas come to me when I try and craft stories. We also shared with each other, and then you each began to journey through some questions to get you thinking about the kind of characters, settings, and problems you want to give your characters. We accentuated the idea that our characters must face many struggles in order to build suspense and action, and to engage the reader. Think of what Harry Potter would have been like if his parents had not died, there were no bullies at school, and no grand evil forces with which to reckon!

Our word of the day was Quandary, which means: to be in a state of doubt or confusion. And remember, we want out characters to be in a state of confusion or doubt at times within our stories!

Here is the short story mission, in case you need an extra copy, or want to read through it online, or have forgotten it at school, or you rolled it up into a sword-like creation in order to fend off a garlic-shooting dragon who threaten to steal your shoelaces...

The homework for tonight is to write the first page of your short story. This can be typed or handwritten. And it does not have to be in final draft format! We are trying to get the engines inside our heads and hearts turning, so even if you think your idea is not (yet) a great one, just get that first page down, and I promise it's going to get stronger. Remember: all good writing is rewriting!