"Spill Words Onto the Page"

We are so fortunate to have Mr. Richard Newsham with us for the next five Fridays to help us understand the beauty of poetry. Today he introduced us to the beginning steps of how to write poetry. He did a great job reassuring us all that we all have a voice to share with others. Today, our first session, included reading some great poems and writing one with his assistance.

and some amzing examples;

Angelina G
I Am a Stone

I am a stone
I started out in a big land
Like a mountain
Filled with other stones
Just like me

I drifted away to another land
To a beach
I was abandon
Alone
By myself
But then that person came
And picked me up
I thought he was going to throw me into the water (luckily he didn’t)

But to my surprise I was put in a moving vehicle
It drove away
We ended up in a house
He put me in a flower plant
Along with some other stones
He made a circle out of us
A circle of stones that surrounded the beautiful rose
That was yet to grow up and die

I am a stone
A stone that can never be changed
Never be caught
Never be judged
I run with the waves of fait

Maybe I will fall
And maybe I will rise
Maybe I will live
Or maybe I will die

I am a stone
A stone that can’t be tampered with
I am rough
Yet quiet
I am smooth
Yet shallow

Maybe there will be times
Times that I cannot explain
But isn’t that the purpose of life?
Isn’t that why we are here?

I guess you can say
That I have been waiting
Waiting for that right moment
When I get picked up
And thrown into the sky
I guess you can say that I have traveled
For many, many years

Years filled with memories
Hope
Destiny
And Life

Maybe I don’t want to be a stone
Maybe I just want to wait until I rise up in the air
And flop
Right
Into
The ocean

Today

Delete

Julia F
The Stone
My stone isn’t anything special.
It is kind of like an egg,
But not exactly.
It’s partially smooth on one side,
But on the other it has a rough edge,
As if grains of sand were rubbed all over it.
If I touch it,
It makes my hands feel dirty.
It doesn’t feel wanted
It’s a dull color,
Dull shape,
Nothing anybody would want.
It has a weird smell,
Almost like a beach and rainforest,
All wrapped up into one.
I spin it,
And it focuses on one part,
As if that is where its heart is.
When it stops,
The spot disappears,
As if there was that one moment of happiness,
Where this one stone is able to express its feelings.
But when the spinning stops,
His life is over again.
He’s done.
It’s unwanted.
If you stepped on it at the beach,
You wouldn’t even bother to look down.
You would just keep walking.
This stone came from a beach,
Yet it wish it hadn’t.
It was washed up into the Ocean,
Then landed on the rainforest.
No one will keep this stone,
No matter where he ends up.
It wants to be with someone,
He wants someone that loves him.
He’s just silent.
He doesn’t feel anything anymore.
Its holding a secret, that no one can recover.
He won’t tell anyone.
When I knock it on the table,
It has a lot inside.
It’s solid, but not hollow.
It definitely has a feeling,
As if there is that one memory inside that he wants to yell out,
But can’t.
This stone is too afraid.
I feel like this stone isn’t ordinary,
It’s special.
I care for this stone.
I know what it can feel like,
To feel unwanted.
I know you just go on with life.
No one is always wanted,
Nor the way it wants to be.
But this stone is itself.
Not what other people want it to be.
You may think you know who someone is,
Or who they are,
But you don’t.
In their body,
Their story is different.
This stone is different than what other people think.
He may be unwanted,
And he may not like it,
But this stone will just keep being a stone,
And that’s just the way life is.

Today

Famous Ancient Greeks!

         Today we researched the famous ancient Greeks using the internet. The famous Greeks were:
Hypatia, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Euclid, and Thucydides. Then students created a chart in their Powerpoint to explain why each person was famous and if they thought that person would have made a good friend and why. Next students choose one of the six people to make a clay model of.
After they made their clay model, they wrote a short speech that the person might have made (Circle of Viewpoints VTS strategy). Then students took a picture of their work on their ecamera and uploaded the picutre and speech into their PowerPoint slide. Finally students uploaded their work onto their Thinkqeust page for the rest of the class to enjoy.

Super Job Kids!

Mondrian and The Golden Ratio

Team teaching is fun.
Students in their math and language arts class (team teaching with Ms. Wojtak) learned about Mondrian. Then we made rectangles using the golden ratio.
Finally students made their own Mondrian inspired art.
The following pictures tell the story..

To learn more about Monderian check out the links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piet_Mondrian
http://art.pppst.com/mondrian.html

To learn more about The Goldan Ration check out the links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio
http://mathworld.wolfram.com/GoldenRatio.html

A Special thanks to Ms. Harris for bringing this awesome lesson our way!

Mondrian The Artist!

I love teaching at DATA because of that last A which stands for ART!
Working with the math and science teacher, next week we will delve into the famous artist Mondrian and connect language arts, art and math into a spectacular unit of study.
Here is a link of r some background information.
http://emptyeasel.com/2007/04/17/piet-mondrian-the-evolution-of-pure-abstract-paintings/

Check back next week to see the lesson steps and final projects the students will be creating for themselves and others to enjoy!

Gum in School?

In adition to the study of Ancient Greece, we are also working on persuasive essays this quarter (3). This week students had to take a position on "Should gum be allowed in school?" after reading an enlighting article from CNN. Then students had to support their opinion with evidence and counter arguments. These students are very persuasive, but gum is still not allowed in school. 

read:
http://articles.cnn.com/2009-04-22/health/chewing.gum.benefits_1_wrigley-science-institute-gum-eighth-grade-math-students?_s=PM:HEALTH

• Alejandro L
                                            Why Gum Should be Allowed
                   Do you think that gum should be allowed in school? I do think that gum should be allowed. I know some people will complain and that is okay because as soon as you read this essay, you will think otherwise. Scientists have proven that people chewing gum pay more attention in class. People chewing gum also have a 3% grade increase and have better final grades than non-gum chewers. Besides that, gum also helps measure your food cravings and people chewing gum have a 40-60 calorie decrease in their diet. That is why I believe that gum should be allowed in school.
                Although I want gum to be allowed in B-9, there are some people who disagree with this statement. Some people may say that gum is sticky after you chew it but what I would say to wash your hands after throwing your gum away. Then other people would say that people put gum under desks and to counter that, I would say that the person seating there would be responsible so they would scrape off the gum. Soon after some people would say that gum would get in people’s hair but to counter that I would say that if gum did get in a person’s head, the person who put the gum there would face a severe punishment and the person who has the gum stuck to their hair would have to wash it off when they get home. If the people had more complaints then one of the complaints would be that gum is bad for your teeth. In order to counter that, I would say to brush your teeth every morning and every night (you are already supposed to be doing that). Those are the counter arguments a person who disagrees with me would say.
                 In conclusion, that in my firm belief on why gum should be allowed in Room B-9. To recap, gum is 3% increase in academic scores, better final grades than non-gum chewers; gum helps measure food cravings, and 40-60 calorie decrease. That is why gum should be allowed in B-9.
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• Philip R
  To Gum, Or Not To Gum?
  
  Have you ever had gum in your hair? I haven’t, but it sounds painful! I strongly believe that we shouldn’t have gum in B-9. That’s my opinion because how many times have you stepped in it, sat in it, or felt it underneath your chair? It can get pretty annoying most of the time.
  
  Another reason is: In the 2nd grade, I was chewing gum in class and when the teacher called on me, I choked on my gum and almost vomited in the trash can (Eww). One last reason about not having gum is kind of weird, but whenever I chew gum and speak at the same time I develop a lisp. That can get in the way if somebody is trying to speak or share something they did.
  
  Some people probably say that gum raises test scores because it helps you focus, and they’re right. Me, I love gum! It’s the greatest thing since sliced bread! But I don’t think it belongs in a classroom. They also say that gum helps your teeth, and they’re right again.
  
  An argument against that is: If you chew gum in room B-9, most all other teachers won’t let you have it, so what’s the point? Math and Science, where I have to focus the most, my teacher doesn’t allow anything in your mouth. In conclusion, gum shouldn’t be allowed in room B-9, because most kids I know would take advantage of the situation and leave where it shouldn’t be left.
  
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• Sherlyn K
  Class Candy
  
                  Most people like candy including me, but should it be allowed in class? I don’t think so. The reason why I don’t think so is because it makes kids hyper and is very unhealthy. Plus in classes, kids can choke on them. This is why I don’t think that candy should be allowed in class.
  Candy is very good, but it shouldn’t be allowed in class because kids might choke on them. In some classes, kids laugh a lot and can choke on them. Another reason why I think that candy should be banned from school is because they make kids too hyper. I know candy certainty makes me hyper, so I can’t concentrate. When some people get hyper, they talk a lot. That distracts other kids too. A couple more reasons why I think candy shouldn’t be allowed here are because it is not healthy. Candy has lots of sugar so it is not healthy to have a lot of sugar in your body. These are some of the reasons why candy shouldn’t be allowed here.
  
                         Some people might think that candy should be allowed here because it sort of gives them energy to stay awake. I disagree because it is like giving an adult coffee in the morning. Coffee has caffeine so it is bad for you, just like candy. Another reason is because during tests, some teachers think that it will help them concentrate. I think that that is true, but it also creates a mess on the ground. It can leave wrappers on the ground, sticky candy on the floor, and gum under the tables. So, this is why I think that candy shouldn’t be allowed here.
  
                These are the reasons why I think that candy shouldn’t be allowed here. There are some good things about candy and bad. I love candy too, but should it be allowed here?

The Persian Empire and Pericles

As we delve further into the study of Ancient Greece, students learned about the Persian Empire. The researched and read, then summarized the information into a "news article" inlcudign the five "W"'s.
Next students read about Pericles and wrote a short speach that he might have made about himself. Students then made a beard and mast out of contruction paper to look like him. Finally students recorded themselves making their speech and uploaded it into ther Ancient Civilaization power point. Great Job Kids!

A Greek Movie (fun)

After reading the Greek Myth Daedalus and Icarus and watching some cool short video clips of the myth, students made their own one minute summary of the story. Students made props and a background, then recorded their summary. Videos were uploaded onto their thinkquest account. Parents, ask your children to show you... Super work kids!