Is Amalia opening an in-school stationery?

The Outsiders-guest reader Ms. Schwarzkopf takes us through a very serious part of the book. Is he really dead?
Copying or Original?-ideas were expressed by some that it's ok to copy answers directly from a textbook. Not so. A piece of student work was read out illustrating the benefits of being an original author rather than a 'borrower' of someone else's efforts.
Reading-20 minutes was spent reading a novel of choice. Students looked for words appearing in text that have also been part of our vocabulary enrichment studies.
Writer's Notebook-notebooks were returned with comments on essays. Students read the comments and vowed never, ever to make the same mistakes again. (???)

Homework-
1) Read 20 minutes.
2) Go over recent blog posts changing copied work to original text.
3) Bring writing journal for Tuesday's usual entry.

Hey, how about these books!

SMART goal setting-students establish English goals for a short term. What will they like to accomplish by January 11 when we return to school after break. The goals should be measurable and attainable. Let's see how they do.
Personal essay-we discussed the personal essay, the purpose of an essay, how they are shaped, and how they read. Students constructed a personal essay on one or the other topic:
1. My mother (or father) is easier to get extra money from when I really need it.
2. It is better to receive a gift or an experience as a birthday or Christmas gift.
I'm anxious to read their essays. :-)
Bintaro Lama presentations-students were able to present their slide shows or videos made from our visit to the scavenger kampung in Bintaro Lama. Presentations were insightful to watch, and another hurdle crossed.

Homework-
1) Read 20 minutes
2) Complete Bintaro Lama writing
3) Complete other blog based assignments
4) Study vocabulary words for tomorrow's final quiz

Ivan, getting ready to clean water in UV rays

Social studies-fresh water, how much is there? We covered this material in the text. Students must interpret maps and a chart as well as non fiction text to answer the questions for tonight's homework.
Journal entry-Ms. Marrello's class caught up by getting in their 15 minute writing finished. An optional prompt was the difference in lifestyle we have and those of Kampung Bintaro Lama from the water resource point of view. The difference is vast, and I became aware of how much it impressed the students by reading their blog entries on our visit.
Vocabulary review-once again we went through our vocabulary words. Students are knowing them quite well, so it looks like the end of the week will be it for this list. 10 new ones on Monday.

Homework-
1) Complete Bintaro Lama media presentations
2) Six questions/answers from Geoactive pg. 227, 1-6
3) Complete 4 items on blog. Poetry movie, water treatment writing, Bintaro Lama writing, and Bintaro Lama media

Water to be cleaned by the sun's UV rays

Bintaro Lama projects-students spent day 1 of their allotted time in the M-7 or M-11 lab downloading their video capture into Pinnacle 12 or importing their still images into PowerPoint. Tomorrow all projects will be done and ready for presentation. Fingers crossed. (Marrello)
Student Led Conferences-we distributed schedules and reviewed goals of the day. Goal setting sheets were also distributed and discussion was held about what makes a SMART goal, and what might sound good, but not exactly meet the expected criteria. (Hughes)
The Outsiders-Ms. Swarzkopf moved us forward in the next chapter of a book that has stretched out too long. We've got to move more, faster in this novel. (Hughes)
Vocabulary review-this covering of words and concepts taken from the water unit is an important activity. The words represent more than just a part of speech, but each are actually are very large concepts in themselves. Understanding this vocabulary means understanding much of the material within the water unit. (Hughes)

Homework:
1) Read 20 minutes
2) Write up the Bintaro Lama post if not yet done (Hughes)
3) Bring journal to class (Hughes)

Book Fair-Always A Big Day

Book fair-Today was our allotted 30 minute stint at this year's book fair. Three local vendors plus the PTA had tables of books on display for reduced rate prices. Students explored the many options and made their purchases. We certainly had to return to class for a nice read of the new material.
Field trip discussion-we spent a good time processing what students had observed at the water treatment plant yesterday. Students made observations of the treating of water on a large scale, but also were guided to make connections to the kampung observed last week. There are many connections, with the issue of water cleanliness being dealt with on a large scale and also the household level. (Hughes only)
Teaching movie making-students worked with one of Ms. Whiteley's group, helping them perform a poem, film it, then go through the video editing process in the M11 and M12 labs. All of this is in preparation for Monday and Tuesday's editing of the videos taken at the Bintaro Lama kampung yesterday. (Marrello only)

Homework-
1) Read 20 minutes, twice
2) Create a social studies blog post about the water treatment trip. This should be 7 paragraphs long, with a graphic included. (Hughes only)

Cleaning water bottles at Bintaro Lama

Kampung Bintaro Lama-Ms Marrello's house visited a scavenger community called Bintaro Lama. There residents drill their own wells and clean their own water. They use a variety of methods, such as a basic rock, sand, and charcoal filter, displaying water so ultra violet rays of the sun kill bacteria, and also using inexpensive chemicals to remove harmful substances from their water. Ask a student from Ms. Marrello's homeroom, and get the info from the field trip participant.
Water Purification Plant-homeroom Hughes visited a water plant operating on a very large scale, producing almost 5,000 liters of drinking water per second. They as well use sand filters, alum and charcoal to purify the water of the West Tarum canal from unclean, to clean, to drinking standard. Students spent the morning observing the process and should be able to talk about what they've learned. If you know someone from the Q2 homeroom, ask they for an explanation.

Homework-
1) Read 20 minutes from a favorite book.
2) Remember money for the book fair.

Bintaro Lama Videos/Slideshows-Last Day

Journal entry-15 minutes was spent writing in students' private journals. An interesting question was posed for a possible entry, "What profession might you choose that your parents would be very proud of you for doing?" Also the opposite was explored, "What profession might you take up that would cause your parents to be disappointed?" Of course these are private journals, so the answers to the questions remain a mystery. (Marrello only)
The Outsiders-we found 20 minutes to revisit an old favorite. Ms. Swarzkopf gave us her usual fine oral rendition of this favorite, yet now old, novel. (Marrello only)
Water treatment writings-last night's homework assignment was explored, questions asked of those who had not yet completed their work, and showing fine examples of people who had. (Marrello only)
Finish editing video-students were given the full 90 minutes in the computer labs to finish editing and finalizing their project video or slideshow taken at the Kampung Bintaro. Many of these pieces will be published on student blogs. They have worked intensely for two days and it will be gratifying to see what they've accomplished. (Hughes only)

Homework-prepare a blog post with the questions from the Geoactive book, page 227. The questions are all that is necessary. We will cover the content in class, then adjourn to the lab to fill in the answers.

Creating Bintaro Lama Slide Shows, Movies

Work on the field trip movie-students (Hughes) went to the computer labs in the M module and began working with Pinnacle 12 or PowerPoint to create their version of last week's field trip to Bintaro Lama kampung. There we studied their ways of improving public health by taking care of their drinking water. Each student was able to observe three methods, and their video or slide show should depict this learning experience. We will have two complete sessions for this, so tomorrow we should finish this experience. We are all anxious to see the finished products.
Vocabulary work-20 minutes were spent reviewing the vocabulary words for this week, each taken from our social studies and science units on fresh water.
Reading-24 minutes were taken reading novels. Students were requested to read, looking for a phrase that is uniquely written, with interesting vocabulary or imagery. Some students were able to find examples, others were unable.
Slide shows, Movies-we looked at sample slide shows and videos that were poorly done. Too much text, too much reading, cameras too jittery, inconsistent or missing audio. After analyzing the poorly done samples, we looked at some done much better. With this background, students should create their products with higher standards.

Homework-
1) Bring journal to class for our Tuesday writing
2) Blog entry-Hughes on the Bintaro Lama field trip, and Marrello on the trip to the water treatment center.