Discussion question # 9

We just wrapped up our Twits projects and I'm very proud of all of you. Your performance in the videos shows that you cared about your work and you put a good amount of time and effort into them. What is more important however, is how YOU feel you did on the project. Was it your best effort? What would you do differently?

After watching your projects I have some thoughts I'd like to share.

1) When you talk you need to be louder and more clear.
2) It helps to have the entire script written out and planned before you start to film.
3) Being silly doesn't work as well as you think it will. Take your time and produce more thoughtful work.
4) Ask yourself this question before you begin the project: What is it I’m trying to show my audience? What am I trying to teach them?
5) Practice, practice, practice... the more comfortable you are with the script, the better it will sound.

Your assignment this week is to tell me what you would do differently if we filmed them again. How would you make it better and more informational.

PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION,

Mr. Dickson

Discussion Question # 8

Poetry is a part of writing and reading that we don't always spend as much time on as we should. Poets are excellent writers who find creative ways to share their feelings and thoughts. Your assignment this week is a fun one. Please read the poem below and share your thoughts about what you think it means. Explain your reasons and discuss what kinds of emotions you think the author was trying to get you to feel when he wrote it. When you have finished writing about what the poem means to you, I want you to pick your favorite verse from the poem and write about why it stood out.

We are going to use this discussion as a way to start reading, reciting, and learning the wonderful skill of poetry.

Progress not perfection,

Mr. D



Where the Sidewalk Ends
from the book "Where the Sidewalk Ends" (1974) by Shel Silverstein

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
and before the street begins,
and there the grass grows soft and white,
and there the sun burns crimson bright,
and there the moon-bird rests from his flight
to cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
and the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
we shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow
and watch where the chalk-white arrows go
to the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
and we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
for the children, they mark, and the children, they know,
the place where the sidewalk ends.

Disgusting...I mean.....Discussion question # 7

You guys have been doing an unbelievable job on this blog and in class. Your ideas and arguments are becoming more clear, and your use of details improves daily. In the spirit of Halloween, I thought it might be fun to take a break from our usual discussion and try something a little stranger...

This weeks assignment travels into your scary and fascinating minds...If you are celebrating Halloween, what is your costume? I WANT DETAILS. You are NOT allowed to write, for example, “I am going to dress up like a doctor, the end”. What you SHOULD do is write, “For Halloween I am going to be a doctor. My smock is white, but covered in blood from a nasty surgery gone horribly wrong. I am not wearing a mask, but instead my Mom is going to do my makeup. I want to have jet black hair and scary eyes. I will carry around a fake scalpel and call myself Dr. Death. My plan for Halloween is to go trick or treating with my brothers and sister. Dad is going to walk with us and wait on the sidewalk. He always tells us to say “thank you” to each person who's door we ring. I have a lucky pillow case that I usually carry to get all my candy, but this year I am going to have a bright orange, creepy pumpkin bucket”.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN,

Mr. D

Discussion Question # 6

I thought for this weeks discussion we would continue talking about our Twits project. You have been making some excellent progress, and it is almost time to begin filming. Your projects all sound very interesting, and I can't wait to see the final results when we all sit down and eat some spaghetti and watch your films.


Your assignment this week is to write about the part of your movie you are most looking forward to filming, and the part of your movie you think will be the most challenging to film. Please include your reasons as to why it is your favorite part and why it is your most challenging. Finally, write about what you hope the rest of the class learns from watching your film. Are you going to persuade, entertain, or inform? Maybe you will do a combination of those? Let us know on the blog.

PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION (Rome was not built in a day...look up the reference)

Mr. D

Discussion Question # 5

This week we have been talking about your Twits project and what it's going to look like. Your blog post this week should talk about what you and your partner have planned for the project. Our goal for this week's blog is to have you post, not only your comment, but also I want you to comment on another student's post. For example:

“My partner (Ima Kidd) and I are going to film a rap battle between Mr. and Mrs. Twit. We are going to focus on the different ways in which Mr. and Mrs. Twit were cruel to each other. I (Mr. D) will also have a speaking part as the narrator to explain what is about to happen in the scene, and Ima Kidd will be responsible for the summary. By the end of the film, everyone should have a better understanding of the book, The Twits, and also how to rap a little better.”

When I am through with writing my own post. I will now go and comment on another kid's post from my class so that I can tell them what I liked about it, as well as what I would change or add. The more we have a discussion with each other about our own work, the better the whole project will be.

As always...PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION!

Mr. D

Discussion Question # 4

In class this week we talked about adding detail to our writing. After watching the Lion Kings opening scene, we practiced adding detail to it that described what was happening. Now you are going to get that opportunity again with a different movie. Remember that the hardest part about writing is just getting started. Once you put something on paper, it is much easier to go back and edit (fix) it.

Your assignment this week is to watch the below clip and write a description of the scene. Remember, the more detail you provide, the more clear a picture you paint in the readers mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhHwnrlZRus&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL586E3C7470FE0D1B



PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION!


Mr. D

Discussion Question # 3

Once again I am impressed with the amount of improvement many of you are making. Last week you showed that you can really share your thoughts and put forth a great effort when doing so. I am pleased with your hard work and look forward to reading your responses this week!

The question this week is about making predictions. Good readers are always making predictions about what they think will happen next in the story they are reading. When you make a prediction, you are challenging your brain to try and tell the future. Even though none of us have the ability to magically tell what is going to happen in the future, when you use all the information the story has already given you, often times you can correctly predict what will happen next. It is always fun to try, and there is no penalty if you are wrong. One of my favorite moments any time I read is when I predict something that is going to happen and i get it right!!

Your mission this week is to make a prediction about the story you are currently reading. As always, write the author and the book title. After you make a prediction, share 2-3 sentences from the book that helped you make your prediction.

example: I am currently reading "Sluggers: Magic in the Outfield" by Phil Bildner (who is also the visiting author at BHE this week!). It is a story about a traveling baseball team and the struggles they go through to make money and survive on the road. My prediction after reading the first chapter is that Uncle Owen (the main characters great uncle) will be murdered soon and force Griffith (his oldest nephew) to take run away with his brothers and sisters. The reason I made this prediction is because of a conversation Uncle Owen has with one of his nephews named Griffith. "Uncle Owen lifted his hand and placed it on Griffith's cheek. "Griff, great danger lies ahead." What kind of danger?" Griffith's eyes met his uncle's. "An unspeakable kind". Uncle Owen choked on his words."

Remember: Try your very best in everything you do.

PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION,

Mr. Dickson

Discussion question #2 - summarizing

Let me just say first and foremost how PROUD I am of you for last weeks responses! I thought the majority of you did a wonderful job of following the example and really sharing your thoughts. I know your responses will continue to improve and I can't wait to see what you'll write next!

This week we've been working on summarizing. Summarizing is the art of taking A LOT of information from a story or article and shrinking it down to point of the most important facts. We use summarizing all the time to give information to people quickly. Your assignment due Thursday is to write a one paragraph summary of the book you are currently reading at home.  For the purpose of this assignment, your paragraph should consist of 5-7 sentences. Remember, focus on the "need to know" instead of the "nice to know" information.

Example (as always, include the book you are reading and the author's name):

I am reading Lone Survivor: The eyewitness account of Operation Redwing and the lost heroes of SEAL team 10. It is a true story, that like many books about the Navy SEALs, starts out right in the middle of the action. There is a bit of a lead up to this and it starts with Marcus Luttrell, the lone survivor, going through his tough, country style upbringing in Texas. At a very young age Luttrell decides he wants to become a Navy Seal, seeking out help and training from a former Green Beret named Billy Shelton. The difficult challenges that he faces while training to become a SEAL are shown in a lot of detail from the physical, mental, and emotional point of view.


I'm looking forward to your responses. Remember, we just began learning how to summarize, so don't get upset if you don't get it exactly right the first time. PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION!!

Mr. Dickson

Discussion Question # 1

In class we have been discussing the importance of descriptive writing. When an author uses a good desription to paint a picture in your mind, it really helps you enjoy the book. In the book that we are currently reading in class, "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George, the author uses wonderful descriptions of the wilderness and the mountains to make the reader feel like you are surving in the wild along with the main character, Sam Gribley.

Here is an example from the book, where Sam is describing his tree house, "My bed is on the right as you enter, and is made of ash slats and covered with deerskin. On the left is a small fireplace about knee high. It is made of clay and stones. It has a chimney that leads the smoke through a knothole. I chipped out three other knotholes to let fresh air in. The air coming in is bitter cold. It must be below zero outside, and yet I can sit here inside my tree and write with bare hands. The fire is small too. It doesn't take much fire to warm this tree room."

Your assignment this week is to find a description from the book you are currently reading, and post it on this blog. Explain in several sentences why you chose the description. Be sure to include the title of the book and the author.

Have fun!!

Mr. Dickson

Welcome back to another great year 2011-12

Dear parents and students,

Welcome to our classroom blog! The purpose of this blog is to share what we have been working on in class with friends and family at home. Your students will post on here once a week for a reading discussion question. When we have big classroom projects or video presentations, we will be posting those as well. There is also a challenge club that poses 100 seperate challenges for the students. Their progress will be monitored in class. It is optional, but I always encourage your kids to really go for it and challenge themselves, even outside of the classroom!

I look forward to an amazing year, and can't wait to see all that your children accomplish!

enthusiastically,

Mr. Dickson