Interviewing Kevin McGill!

Today we had the pleasure of speaking with author Kevin McGill via Skype!

Like with previous guest speakers, students paired up to create interview questions, with one student asking the question at the Skype event, and the other student writing them down (oral language curriculum: speaking in a clear coherent manner AND taking notes to record key points of a speaker).

Kevin was a participant last year in my J/I Boy's Literacy Event held here at Goodfellow. He co-created guyscanread.com with buddy Luke Navarro (who was a guest speaker with our class in the fall, when we were writing our game reviews!) Kevin is the author of a teen fantasy novel 'Nikolas & Company: The Merman and the Moon Forgotten'. He recently sent his book into space! Check out the video!



Want to know how Kevin got the book down from the tree? Want to why Kevin decided to send his book into space? Want to know why he used a balloon instead of a rocket? How about what his favourite book is? We found out about that, and more...

To document today's interview session, I have created a prezi at prezi.com. Check it out to see what we found out! THANKS KEVIN FOR JOING OUR CLASS TODAY!

More About Narratives! A GUEST SPEAKER! Plus: Review Writing!

NARRATIVE HOT WRITES

We have completed our short story unit but continue to work with narratives in other ways, for example, by doing 'hot writes' (5 minute writing bursts) which focus on describing in specific detail a character or setting for the other students to guess.

Students have had a lot of fun with this activity.

They have also created 'characters from scratch' as a hot write, in other words, just describing a character for us to picture in our 'minds eye'. Some fun figurative language has naturally arisen in these writing exercises (like 'he smells like a pickle' or 'he has a beard like ZZ Top".)

NARRATIVES AS MEDIA

Rather than writing full short stories, which is a bit time consuming, students are creating short animations using the Frames 4 program. They are to write/show a narrative: it must have character, setting and--and this is the tricky part--a plot, complete with a problem and a solution. Students in this class are endlessly creative at manipulating images and coming up with unique ideas and images...but the next challenge for them is to put those images into a context that tells a story. And, of course, as a media project, they are expected to adjust pacing so it is appropriate and also to add appropriate text and music to support the narrative tale.

Also, as a media project, students are taking the idea of 'character description' and applying it to themselves, creating Who Am I? powerpoint, prezi.com or Frames 4 video. They are to describe 4 to 5 points about themselves, and include pictures...then, eventually, we will watch these and try to guess who in the class they describe!

GUEST SPEAKER! KEVIN MCGILL TO VISIT OUR CLASSROOM!

Kevin McGill,  writer of the teen fantasy novel Nikolas & Company, is going to be our guest speaker via Skype! I hope to have this occur this Friday! Recently, Kevin launched his book into space...yes, you read that correctly! He LAUNCHED HIS BOOK INTO SPACE! And we watched this video of it. As with previous guest speakers, like Luke Navarro and Chris Simon, students will be creating interview questions and 'acting like reporters' as they interview Kevin this Friday.

Kevin is also co-creator of the Guys Can Read website and podcast (along with Luke Navarro), where he reviews books, and thus can also speak to our ongoing review writing, which is the last and final point of this blog entry...

REVIEW WRITING: LAST MAJOR ASSIGNMENT!

With our short story study session completed, we will be spending quite a bit of class time on our final large writing assignment, the third in our non-fiction persuasive essays. Near the beginning of the year, students wrote a review about video games...then, in the winter, students wrote a review about one of the Romeo & Juliet movies...now, they have a choice, writing a review on either a video game, movie or book of their choice.

These are multi paragraph essays that comprise a summary section, an opinion section and a personal connection (I call these 'triple decker hamburgers' because there are three 'meat patties' aka paragraphs in the middle of two buns (an 'introduction' bun on top and a 'conclusion' bun on the bottom). As usual, students are working on including specific examples, transition words, a variety of sentences, a 'hook' to capture the readers attention (ie: by using a question as an opener).

If you are interested in seeing some of these great reviews, I have a STUDENT ON LINE PORTFOLIO that includes most of the game and movie reviews completed thus far.

As always, any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me!

Financial Literacy, Oral Language & Media

As an oral language project, students recently created a presentation...documenting a dream trip.

This task involved: a) internet research skills b) financial skills (calculating total costs based on real world amounts), c) preparing a media presentation (using the medium of their choice: Frames 4, Prezi, PowerPoint or old fashioned bristol board) and d) oral language skills (speaking to the topic using appropriate terms, clear loud voice, etc)

Students were given 'an unlimited budget' for a long weekend getaway (approximate time frame) that required air flight. They were to research flight times and costs, as well as hotel costs, and transportation at the destination. They were to plan an itinerary (things they planned to do), with incidental expenses included as needed. The total cost of their getaway was to be included (in Canadian dollars). Pictures were also to be included.

Some of the places we have visited so far include Banff, Las Vegas, Cancun, Madagascar, Paris, and Moscow. We are not quite finished, and have a few more places yet to travel to...

With each presentation, we have been noting the 'total costs' of each trip on chart paper. Our final task, once all the presentations are completed, is to look at minimum wage in Ontario and calculate how many hours it would take to work and save for each trip's final tally. Just to put some of these dream trips into perspective!

Here are photos from some of today's presentations!

Narratives...and more!

We have finally moved into a new area of reading study...narratives! This is partly as preparation for our CASI assessments in late April (CASI's are board wide reading comprehension assessment tools performed three times through out the year...the proceeding two were non-fiction, this time it will be fiction). Partly, it is also so we can deepen our discussion (started in our Romeo & Juliet study) about fiction texts.

Our focus will be on:

-explaining the characteristics of narratives and providing specific examples (of character, setting and plot).

-explaining the traits of characters (through stated and implied information) and connecting those traits to evidence in the text

-summarizing important ideas (key events of a plot, using strategies like first/next/then, who/wants/but/so or beginning/middle/end)

-determining the main idea/theme of a text, citing evidence from the text to support your opinion

We have already done quite a bit of work on SUMMARIZING...and CITING EVIDENCE FROM THE TEXT TO SUPPORT YOUR OPINION. These were key components of our last two major writing assignments....in both our video game and movie/play reviews.

In our writing assignments, I have hammered home the concept of SPECIFIC DETAILS OR EXAMPLES.  I'm hoping, by the end of this year, that I will have ingrained in student memory the high importance of being SPECIFIC, of grounding your writing responses, to whatever it may be--wether a text, movie, game, whatever--in the CONCRETE DETAILS provided there in. The more specific you are, the stronger your point/opinion/answer.  Being specific = clarity. Clarity = good communication.

Good communication is fundamentally what literacy study is all about. Understanding what others have written and in turn writing to be understood.

In our study of narratives, we started with an excerpt from the Hunger Games and are currently reading a modernized version of the Edgar Allen Poe story 'The Cask of Amontillado'. We will be reading additional short stories to examine the above concepts.

And the flip side to reading...is always WRITING!

Time permitting, I'm hoping to cap this unit off with student's exploring their own narratives through short fiction writing.

Also, narratives will be included as an option for the final persuasive writing assignment in mid April--a multi-paragraph persuasive essay/review. Students will be writing a review on a video game, movie --or narrative--of their choice as a way to exemplify and consolidate the skills we have been working on with the previous two reviews.

R&J Drama/Art Projects

One of the final assignments for our Romeo & Juliet unit, before March Break, was to choose a drama or art project from the list. This included such things as drama interpretation of the play, or a scene or scenes (in 5 minutes!), fashion design (designing clothes or a charm bracelet for a character or characters), creating a rap or song about the play, or drawing a picture book or comic (among other choices). Students could also come up with their own option...as a pair of students did, making an animation of the Tybalt/Romeo fight (see below)

I know we were a bit pressed for time, but most students were able to come up with very interesting material and thus demonstrate knowledge of the play.



I also quite enjoyed the interpretative drama performance that put the story of R&J in Gingerbread land with unicorns, or the imaginative 'Juliet & Romeo' version, where everything was opposite...

Here are some photos of other R&J themed pieces: Facebook entries, costume design, and charm bracelets...

Showcasing Student Writing!

I am finally getting to this project, which has been on my mind for a while...an online class writing portfolio!

This is partly for parents, so they can see student work. I currently don't send home completed writings. Instead students keep all their writing in one book/folder, so they can notice progress and trends in their work over time. It's important to keep all this work, as part of the reflection process inherent in writing. This writing book will go home at the end of the year (but in the meantime, check out a few samples on the online portfolio!)

This is also for students, so they have a broader audience for their writing...it isn't just for the teacher, you know! Your parents, your peers, and other educators (who are, frankly, curious and intrigued by some of the projects we have been doing, like the gaming reviews!) might like to see what's going on, the different writing styles, opinions and approaches.

And knowing you will be 'published' for a wider audience is a great motivator!

This online portfolio is really no different than hanging class work in the hallway...though it allows parents and others easier access. They don't have to come to the school physically to view it!

Please note that I keep it quite private, however, in the sense that I only use student initials and I do not include grades or teacher comments. That is private to the individual. If parents would like to discuss the work on display in more detail, please do not hesitate to contact me!

Also please keep in mind that this is a work in progress...I do not yet have all students, or all examples, on the site. I will email parents once this is more conclusive.

I just wanted to explain and share the idea!

Regards,
Julie Johnson

Revised Due Dates

With the two snow days from last week, the skiing trip this week, and the assembly on Weds. morning (which eats into most of our literacy block), I've changed the due dates for the R&J projects. Hoping to have all projects and assignments completed for end of day Thursday but Friday will also do.

I would like all assignments handed in before March Break!

"The Mushroom is Bathazar!"

Yesterday we finished watching Gnomeo & Juliet and it was very interesting to hear student observations about this movie after having studied Romeo & Juliet and watched the 1996 film version of Romeo + Juliet.

Students made all kinds of fabulous comparisons! Some were obvious...the rival families are now red and blue garden gnomes, Tybalt is still an angry and vengeful Tybalt, 'Benny' is Benvolio, the street brawl scene is now a lawn mower race, the  ending is happier and no one dies!...

And then there were the subtler observations:

The frog is like the Nurse...
Instead of swords or guns they fight with lawn mowers...
The flamengo is like Friar Lawrence...
The cutting of the flower is like Mercutio being stabbed...
The mushroom is Bathazar, Romeo's loyal friend....

And many more...

Students were very observant and detailed in making comparisons between the two. Almost every scene brought a round of 'what does this represent', 'what part of the play is this', 'who is missing' and 'who is this character supposed to be?'. Great!

Afterwards, we read a movie review, discussing (and justifying) our own opinion of the movie in comparison to what this reviewer said. Students were (and are) encouraged to provide *very specific* details to support their reasoning, referencing examples/evidence from the film/play.

Students will soon be writing their own movie reviews, choosing either this one or the 1996 film starring Leonardo Di Caprio.

I look forward to reading these!

Back on Track!

Whew! Am I glad to be back! For those that don't know, I was ill for an entire week with a terrible stomach virus. Not only was this very unpleasant for me personally, but it delayed some of the Romeo & Juliet activities I wanted to get to!

My goal is still to have two assignments completed before March Break:

1. writing assignment (a movie review (click to download or view), that includes a comparison between the play and either Romeo + Juliet (1996),  Gnomio & Juliet, or West Side Story) GOOD COPY DUE WEDS MARCH 7th

2. a drama/art project which involves students demonstrating an understanding of the play (character, plot) through a project of their choice (such as creating a picture book, comic book, flipbook, dramatic interpretation, commercial, soundtrack, rap song...etc) (click here to download or view assignment options document) *please note, a project checklist will be provided to students in class  DUE MONDAY MARCH 5th for presentation

These are still on the agenda! But to make that happen, I have had to 'speed up' our approach to the play. This means we will not be able to do all the Character related Facebook entries I had hoped to do, or the closer words-in-context studies using Shakespeare in Bits. :(

Right now, we are focusing on completing our understanding of the play, by filling out our R&J question booklet (click to download or view). Next, we will be watching the various movies and looking at a variety of movie reviews (written by actual 'real life' reviewers) as preparation for writing our own reviews. Students should be choosing their drama/art project by this coming Monday! (and we'll be taking a look at some projects created at other schools or by other people, as evidenced on youtube...these are in the links sections in the sidebar!).

That should, hopefully, get us back on track!

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Romeo & Juliet Jeopardy Game!

We are now nearing the end of Act 1 in our study of Romeo & Juliet, reaching the point where Romeo & Juliet meet! To celebrate, I created a Jeopardy game (using this great site jeopardylabs.com) which we played in class today using the Smartboard. Students were divided into teams, and took turns choosing Jeopardy questions to win points. It was quite clear from this game that students really understand the play so far!

The categories were: Characters, Settings, Motivations, The Movie Version I, The Movie Version II.

As we read the play, we have been watching the 1996 Romeo + Juliet movie which is a modern adaptation using original Shakespearean language. It has been very interesting to see the differences between the original play and the movie, and to see how the director of that film has chosen to represent characters, setting, etc. The film is highly visual, and filled with symbolism. It is almost a 'visual poem' in and of itself.  Even the signs in the backgrounds have meaning, as explained in this blog post and this one.

We have also been discussing such deep matters as: innocence vs. corruption, isolation,  relationships within families, hatred and prejudice.  The play touches on these themes, and more. As does the film.

We will continue, getting into Act 2 next week!

Here is the link to the Jeopardy game.

If Romeo & Juliet were on Facebook...

Today we completed Act 1 Scene 1 of Romeo & Juliet using the fabulous software Shakespeare In Bits (SIB). We have now role played the street brawl scene (using SIB audio to guide us), explored some of the characters' qualities (Tybalt is NOT someone you want to have angry at you), and have written/drawn a quick summary of the scene's key points.

I also had students brainstorm what Romeo would write on his Facebook page at the end of Act 1 Scene 1. At this point, Romeo is moping about, depressed because the girl he loves (or thinks he loves?) doesn't love him back. (This is Rosaline, not Juliet. He hasn't met Juliet yet.)

Here are some suggested Facebook postings for Romeo at this point in time:

Love sucks!
My life is over. I will never find another love.
Why doesn't she love me?
I'm in love. My love doesn't want anything to do with me. What do I do?
Nobody loves me!
I am very confused and heart broken.


Several students also suggested that Romeo would post some sad song lyrics... Hmmm, I wonder which lyrics? We'll have to find him a suitable song! (Here's my suggestion! Let's figure out some others next week.)

We will be doing this Facebook role play often through out the play as a way to connect with the characters on a personal level and to succinctly summarize their point of view.  I will be putting them all in our hallway so that at a glance, as you walk by, you will be able to see their 'posts'...

Van Gogh Interpretation: ART

In one of our ART tasks, we created our own versions of Van Gogh's famous STARRY NIGHT painting. Students were to keep the feel of the original, but add their own interpretations.

These look really fantastic and are showcased in our hallway. I wanted to share them here! Everyone's in presented here, either right here on the blog or in one of the two videos.

The videos were created in animoto.com, where I have a free account to make 30 second videos. To fit them all into 30 secs, I created two different types of videos...which style do you like the best?

Romeo & Juliet Movies

Today a letter went home notifying parents and guardians of the movies we will be seeing. Please let me know if you did not receive this letter or if you have any questions.

The 3 movies we will be watching are:

Romeo + Juliet (1996) Rated PG-13
Gnomeo and Juliet (2011) Rated G
West Side Story (1961) Rated PG

These links go to the IMDB movie data base.

If there are any movies on this list that you do not want your child watching (such as Romeo + Juliet, which is rated PG 13) please let me know by MONDAY JANUARY 30 and I will make alternate arrangements. Also, if students find material in this particular movie uncomfortable (as it is rated PG-13 for "scenes of contemporary violence and some sensuality"),  I will have in place arrangements for them to leave and do a supervised activity elsewhere.

Students will be writing a movie review about one of these movies, comparing the movie to the original play as part of their review.

Please let me know if you have any questions,

Mrs. Johnson