Merriest Christmas

The nicest thing about Christmas morning was spending it with the real heart of my family, my dad and sister. They live in northern Michigan, in Gaylord and Cheboygan, and we were all able to get together at Pat's house for a nice day of opening gifts, eating great food, nad watching some fun television together.

I am very, very lucky to have a family whom I can support and be counted on to support me in times of need. Very fortunate indeed.

Good News, Bad News

How about this story?

Yesterday our plane took off, leaving Michigan and family, headed for Colorado and friends. I was leaving behind a tech desert, no net access, no hp access. How bad is that, folks?

Ok, the plane is 20 minutes into the air and we get the announcement we must return to the airport because of mechanical difficulties. Ouch. They rebook us, but for 2 days later! Two days later! That's the bad news.

The good news is they put us in an airport hotel with hp coverage and fast internet connection. I've been able to connect with all your blog posts and leave comments.

What I've learned-
1. People are seeing Avatar and liking it...sorry Nadia P. You're in a minority.
2. People are enjoying snow and skiing.
3. People got great Christmas presents.

Now I'm going to have time to get my new camera out, get some batteries, and see how it works.

Anybody going to post any video?

Be well, and keep up the good work on the posts.

mh

Not Good Blogging Space

Well, I'm not getting started on the blog posts as well as some of the students. It has been impressive, you guys, how many of you are producing really good entries.

I’m far to the north in Michigan, staying with my sister and her husband, their big dog Ruby, in the snow and cold. I have no internet access, so I’m doing what some of you have done, using Word to construct, then hoping to get to an internet café for access. I’m sure I’ll be able to get posted, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep up with commenting on the posts of others.

It has been sobering to return to Michigan and see the results of an economy severely damaged by unemployment. Talking with brother-in-law Art, the whole of his small city has been greatly effected by closings of some industries and layoffs in others. Having a steady job I enjoy for the past two decades has been something I've taken for granted. Next year will be so different.

Blogging Break - Our Opportunity

Sixers, I'm very glad you've volunteered to write blog posts over our break. Blogging is supposed to be enjoyable, plus a way to practice and sharpen writing and tech skills.

Here are the people from each homeroom who've volunteered and the number of posts they said they'd put up. Please read their work and leave comments. We all know how interesting it is to receive meaningful comments on postings we've made. Read the work of others and react!

Remember, posts can be other media than writing. How creative can we be? That is my challenge to myself. Let's see... :-)

Teachers:
Mr. Hughes 14 posts
Ms. Swarzkoph 14 posts

Hughes Homeroom:
1. Nathan 14 posts
2. Alona 10 posts
3. Saige 15 posts
4. Kayleigh 11 posts
5. Zoe 5 posts
6. Jane 3 posts
7. Elise 5 posts
8. Amalia 12 posts
9. Kaisei 7 posts
10. Faqeera 10 posts
11. Yuki 10 posts
12. Rgee 5 posts
13. Yohannes 8 posts
14. Daniel 3 posts
15. Tobin 15 posts

Ms. Marrello's homeroom:
1. Maya 10 posts
2. Yong Hee 2 posts
3. Youngwoo 11 posts
4. Neil 7 posts
5. Ashley 4 posts
6. Nadia P 7 posts
7. Maria 10 posts
8. Emma 15 posts
9. Hyun Jin 10 posts
10. Heyang 8 posts
11. Gillian 12 posts
12. Si Won 10 posts
13. Nora 7 posts
14. Michelle 6 posts
15. Valentina 7 posts

Personal Essay: The Final

Write personal essay-students had 45 minutes to construct a personal essay on a topic of their choice. This activity culminates a quarter of work developing the essay style and construction techniques.
Vocabulary review-list 5 was reviewed with a look at student blogs displaying their visual definitions. It was amazing how many students had unique pics to show the meanings of their vocabulary words.
Library visit-time was spent in our middle school library, the book store where all the books are free. While students were able to check out any book of their choice, our visit did focus on two authors, Caroline Cooney and Lois Duncan, two writers who produce books for students who have already well developed reading skills.


Homework-
1. Read two times.
2. Consider the blogging of the break. Discussion and examples Monday.

What's a flood bucket? Ask your Sixer.

Vocabulary list for Hughes homeroom-
1. exhaustion
2. methodically
3. swoon
4. abruptly
5. muttered
6. inflammatory
7. fettered
8. prophet
9. mimicking
10. incredulous

Vocabulary list for Marrello homeroom-
1. pleadingly
2. embezzle
3. traumatic
4. adhesive
5. embankment
6. eclectic
7. lagging
8. malevolent
9. revelation
10. dejection

Writing The Personal Essay

Personal Essay-students chose their own personal essay topics for construction today. They were urged to pick a single issue, such as "Why School Is Beneficial." In the past we've focused on essays where they were choosing one pathway or another, such as, "Would you rather live in an apartment or a house?"
Vocabulary Quiz-we tested on list four of vocabulary words. This sets ourselves up for next week achieving our half century of quality vocab words for the first semester.
The Outsiders-guest reader Ms. S. was able to get time to visit and take Pony Boy and Johnny deeper into their flight from law and order. Can this story end positively?

Homework-
1. Read 20 minutes
2. Bring journal to class

Laptops For Posting Comments

The Outsiders-advancing the story of Pony Boy with special guest reader Ms. S.
Blog comments-students made comments on 6 blog posts centered on library books students have read. It gives a real look into the work of others.
Vocabulary review-a very quick review of spellings and definitions. Final quizlet tomorrow.
Personal essay river of stones-this week we will write a personal essay, student choice. Each student has their own river of essay topics. They should be focusing in on two topics they could write.

Homework-
1. Read 20 minutes
2. Have selected two personal essay topics to write
3. Study vocabulary spellings
4. Bring journal

One Participant, 3 Critical Onlookers

Organize labels-students worked at their laptops trying to bring some organization to all their blog posts.
"What were those labels we were supposed to use?"
"We were supposed to label the posts?"
"Huh?"
Mr. and Ms. Person's story-we continued to develop the history of Jakarta's water supply, beginning with a very small Jakarta and growing into today's teeming metropolis.
Vocabulary review-a very quick review of this week's 10 vocab words. Students are getting these down very well. Final quiz next Tuesday.
Library book exchange-we spent the last 25 minutes in the library, checking out books for the weekend and quietly reading in the pillows. A great way to end the school week.

Homework-Read 2 times, 20 minutes per session minimum

This Week's Vocabulary Lists

Hughes Vocabulary List
1. ambivalent
2. brisk
3. unequaled
4. placid
5. devotion
6. immaculately
7. adversity
8. wrath
9. feigning
10. subtle

Marrello Vocabulary List
1. fortuitous
2. innovation
3. lucrative
4. pavilion
5. pensive
6. premonition
7. fixated
8. seminary
9. jubilation
10. extortion

"Ball! Stay in that hole, Ball!"

Journal entry-free writing by students, but a guide was a topic we'd discussed in our morning assembly. We addressed social cruelty as it might exist in our school. Disrespect? Bullying? Teasing? To what extent are they present in our middle school community?
Four oral presentations-one more run at trying to finish up Bintaro Lama projects. Why is this taking so long?
Library visit-today is the day all items are due. They may be renewed for reading over break, but today is the day all items are to be returned. We went to the library to accomplish this task as best we could.

Homework-read 20 minutes