Cruelty to Animals

This week we will complete a t-chart and write about whether dog fighting should be illegal.
Today reflect on a time when you've seen an animal (any animal) being mistreated. This could have been by the animals owner or someone else. For example, owners who leave their dogs in the car with the windows rolled up.

What happened?
Did you say or do anything?
If you are an animal lover, how did you feel?

If you didn't have an experience, that is OK. You can write about how this never happened you. You can still reflect on how you feel about people who treat their animals well or not.

Ways to start:
A time when I saw a person treat an animal bad/good is when...
I didn't/did say something because
What happened was...
When I saw this, I felt...

Weekend Check

Reflect on your weekend.

What went well?

What could have gone better?

Did you do anything special?

Keep it "school cool."

A routine you keep

Write about a routine that you keep in your life. In this case a routine is a process that you do the same every time. It could be a daily activity or a weekly activity that maybe you do on the weekends. It could be something you do to help around your house. It could be the way you get ready for school every day or the night before. Remember, keep it "school cool."

Ways to start:

A routine I have is that every ________ I ___________.
I enjoy this routine because_______________.
I don't enjoy this routine because_______________.
It's my favorite thing to do because_______________.

A hand-me-down story

Reflect and write about a story that has been handed down to you by someone in your family. For example a story that was told to you growing up about an ancestor or elder.

What was the point of them telling you this story?
How did it make you feel?

Ways to start:

A story that has been passed down to me by a family member is about...
In the story... (what happened)
The reason they told this story is because....
When I heard this story I felt...

Keep it "school cool"

Guess what?

Using appropriate writing, describe a place or physical thing without writing the name. Let's see how vivid and detailed you can be without writing what it is.

For example:

I use my fingers to click on the keys. I frantically extend my fingers and watch the screen as the words appear. I play games when I shouldn't and try to minimize the screens before Ms. L comes through. I push my palm over the mouse to direct the pointing arrow. Success! I finished typing the answers to CNN news and successfully completed the level without Ms. L seeing me.

You can pick something that would be harder to guess, but be descriptive without giving it away. Let's pick the best one and see if we can guess as a class.

KEEP IT SCHOOL COOL.

Joepa

Joe Paterno (Joepa) died this last week. He was Penn State's football coach for 46 years. He build a legacy there that was overshadowed by a scandal at the school involving a student and a staff member. Here is an article that discusses more about his life:

http://news.yahoo.com/fired-penn-state-coach-joe-paterno-dead-85-151950813--spt.html

You will all build a legacy of some sort in your lives. Most of us will leave a lasting affect on each other whether we got along or not. A legacy is something physical like property or money that you leave behind. It can also be a reputation (think like a family legacy).

What legacy would you like to leave behind?
What would you like to be remembered for?
Be detailed yet appropriate.

Ways you can start:
A legacy I would leave behind is...
I would be remembered for...
I feel this is where I would make my mark because...

Weekend Check

Sometimes they are never long enough. Sometimes they don't come soon enough.

Reflect on your weekend.

What went well?

What could have gone better?

Did you do anything special?

Keep it "school cool."

Four days until the next weekend

Your worst fear

It's Friday....

What is one of your worst fears? Some of you might feel like you're not afraid of anything anymore, and if you're not that's OK.  What was one of your fears growing up?

For example, mine were spiders. If I were going to write about it, I would describe how when I saw them, I would imagine them crawling on me. I could write about how when I closed my eyes sometimes I would see them, all eight legs moving in unison. When you write, help the person reading imagine what you are writing with your descriptions. Use imagery and figurative language.

It could be something physical or something psychological like being afraid of heights.

Your response should be at least five sentences. Be creative, yet appropriate.

Trying a 10-year-old as an adult

Is it fair to try juveniles as adults?

A 10-year-old Lakeside juvenile stabbed  his 12-year-old friend. Here is a link to the article: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Lakeside-Stabbing-Child-Identified--137501168.html

A police officer in the article was quoted saying:

"California law does not recognize that a child can commit a crime, so there are many different factors that come into play in this case."

Read the article and write at least a paragraph response.

Should this youth be tried as an adult?

What facts or evidence in the article influenced your perspective/opinion? Use quotes or facts from the article to support your writing the way I did above.

Two Bills To Censor the Internet

If you check out the Google homepage, you'll see that there is something black "censoring" the page. The reason why is, Google is asking people to take action on two bills that are being passed that will change the way we use the internet. Here is a link to more information

https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/


What are your thoughts on the Bill(s)?
How do you think this will affect the way you use your computer?
Have you ever experienced censorship of your opinion or perspective?

Here are ways to start:
I think the bills are good because...
I think they are bad because...
It will affect me because...
I feel....
An experience I've had with censorship was...

The Edge

Write about a time when you tried to get an advantage over something, someone or in a certain situation?
For example, an athlete who uses performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) to gain an edge in their sport in hopes of being better than everyone else.
This example doesn't necessarily have to be negative.

What was the advantage you wanted to get?
Did you handle it in a positive or negative way?
What was the outcome of the situation?

Ways you can start:
A time I tried to get an advantage over something was...
What I was hoping to do was...
What happend in the end was...
Afterwards, I felt...
When I made the decision, I felt...
During that time, I felt...

MLK

Monday is not just another day off. We are off from school or work to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and legacy. I'm sure you've heard a lot of his famous quotes.


Here is one:
"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education."


What do you think of when you read this quote?
How do you feel when you read it?
What does it mean to you?


Ways to start:
When I read this quote, I feel....
This quote makes me think of my experience when...

A Vivid Dream

Sometimes dreams can be so vivid. When I say vivid, I mean a dream feels like it's really happening in real life because it's so clear or powerful in your mind.

Write about your most recent dream that you remember that was "school cool" but odd or crazy.
What happened?
How did you feel when you woke up?

Have you ever had the dream where you are falling and get startled or scared into waking up like you really hit the ground?

Ways to start are:
A vivid dream I've had is...
In the dream I...
When I woke up I felt....
This dream was important to me because...
This dream didn't phase me because...

Three Pictures, Three words

We are going to continue working on our I AM poems. Today we are going to add pictures to our collage. A collage is a collection of pictures that are stuck together and overlap each other on a piece of paper. In this case, the pictures will relate to your poem. 

Find three pictures that are "school cool" and post them to your blog. Next to them write one word that relates to you, the picture or the poem. Make sure they are saved to your picture folder so we can use them later.

Example: 

                                                                     

                              struggle

Your Best Quality

Yesterday you wrote about two adjectives that describe you. We plan to use these to complete a poetry project to display in the class. Today, describe your best quality. What is it about you that is special. Tell a story of when you put this quality of yours into action. For example if you chose "loyal," you can write about how you had your friends back when there was drama.

Here are some good ways to start:

One of my best qualities is that I am.....
This quality really comes out when....
This quality really came out when....
I use this quality often when...


I trust you to keep it school cool!

My two adjectives

This week we will be working on a poem and collage that represents you. To get us started, think of two words, adjectives that really describe and represent you. For example, mine might be motivational and diligent (hard-working). Explain why you chose these two.

Also, find two pictures that are school-friendly and appropriate for class that represent you. Google your two adjectives and see what images you find. Again, I trust you all to use good judgement when choosing photos. Here are some sample adjectives to motivate you to find yours.

adorable

adventurous

aggressive

alert

attractive

beautiful

blue-eyed 

blushing

bright

clean

clear

cloudy

colorful

cute

distinct

elegant

excited

fancy

glamorous

gleaming

gorgeous

graceful

handsome

homely

light

magnificent

misty

motionless

old-fashioned

plain

poised

precious

quaint

shiny

smoggy

sparkling

spotless

stormy

unusual

wide-eyed

alive

brainy

breakable

busy

careful

cautious

clever

clumsy

concerned

crazy

curious

different

difficult

famous

fragile

frail

gifted

helpful

important

impossible

innocent

inquisitive

modern

mushy

outstanding

powerful

puzzled

real

rich

shy

sleepy

super

talented

tame

tender

tough

wandering

wild

agreeable

amused

brave

calm

charming

cheerful

comfortable

cooperative

courageous

delightful

determined

eager

elated

enchanting

encouraging

energetic

enthusiastic

excited

exuberant

fair

faithful

fantastic

friendly

funny

gentle

glorious

good

happy

healthy

helpful

hilarious

jolly

joyous

kind

lively

lovely

lucky

nice

perfect

pleasant

proud

relieved

silly

smiling

splendid

successful

thankful

thoughtful

victorious

vivacious

witty

wonderful

zealous

zany

The "dis" in Discrimination

With the Arizona immigration law still a hot debate, we have gotten glimpses of both sides of the argument. Some call it racial profiling and some deem it necessary to protect our country and border.

However discrimination doesn't always have to be about the color of your skin. Write about a time when you have felt that someone has passed judgment on you. For example, the way you are dressed or the way you have your hair, or even what they "think" your race is. This could have been in your academic career or a general experience out in the world.

How did you handle it?

How did you prove them wrong?

What are your feeling when this happens to you?

I look forward to reading your great writing but keep it appropriate. 

The Animal Inside

If you could be any animal, what would it be? Why did you choose this animal? What are qualities that you know about this animal that you wish you had. For example, I want to be a giraffe because it's a tall animal and I could see for miles from where I stand. Or I would be a cat because they are the most visually keen, meaning they are born with special eyes that allow them to move and hunt in complete darkness.

Keep it appropriate

Your responses should be at least five sentences.

If I would be an animal, it would be...
I chose this animal because....
A special quality/ability this animal has is...
I feel....
Another interesting fact about "cats" is...

The Best Advice

What is the best advice someone has given you?  Did you use it or not. What were the results?
What about advice you have given someone. Did they use it or not? What were the results?


The best advice someone has given me is....
I took it and the results were....
I didn't take it and the results were...
I thought it was good advice because....
I didn't think it was good advice because....

Setting goals / New Years Resolution

Wikipedia defines a resolution as  a commitment that a person makes to one or more lasting personal goals, projects, or the reforming of a habit. This goal must be reached by the next New Year. Keep in mind that this is a goal, not a wish and should be something that you as a person could strive for.

I know that some of you briefly wrote about your goals in your last blog. For today I'd like you to read this article and blog about detailed goals you have and how you are going to achieve them. Have you already started?

http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/siegle/SelfEfficacy/Jordan.html

We will discuss it before you start