Grade 7 English- Poetry Anthology

Hey guys,

As we begin to get ready to organize out poetry books. Here is a great resource about some of styles of poems you will write:

Poetry Anthology

Below you will find the checklist. Please download this file to your computer and begin to check off the poems you have completed.You can ask me question at any time, by leaving comments for this post.

Your Anthology Checklist

Peace Park Poems

Hey Language B! How are you guys? Still here in Hong Kong, but have a new assignment for you guys until I get back.

You all did a great job with your rhythm poems, and I was very impressed with your "It All Depends Upon," poems as well, so I want you to try to take the skills you learned:

• Using words to create rhythm
• Using descriptive words like adjectives to make your poems have feeling and details

and see if you can write a poem from scratch. Please go back to the Google Doc we created the day we went outside and find a section, an image, a feeling, a sentence, even a few words that you connect with and see if you can turn them into a poem. Try to show us details of what the image feels like, smells like, looks like and sounds like. See if you can write what the image is. If you are having trouble take a look at these images I have posted for some help:

Don't worry too much about getting it "right." Just play with what you see and try to attach the feelings, details, and images to words. Don't think too much, just write down anything that comes to mind. If you finish one early, then try a few more. Please post the final products on your blogs, tag them as Poetry, Peace Park.

If you finished writing at least three poems, continue to work on your custom header. This assignment is only for grade 7 Language B. Everyone else continue with your work from yesterday.

If you have questions ask them in the comments and I will try and get to them when you are on class.

While I Am Away

Hello everyone,

Like I told you on Monday I am in Hong Kong for a conference, but I am sure you are good hands. I have tried to give each of  you clear instructions on what to do for the few days I am gone. Please do not rush through the assignments. Take your time and do good work. I know last time it took us a few days to crate the Adjective videos, but now that you know what you are doing it should be easier.

I hope you all came to class today with your six photos or a camera. Please create a short movie using the photos to tell the story of what you everyday. Be sure to edit your photos, use clear text, and make an original soundtrack. Here is an example Mrs. Raisdana has made for her class. You can read her blog for step-by-step instructions but I think you can all handle it. Should you have any questions, there is at least one person in each class who can help you: Shareen, Wi Sung, Yun Soo, Ivonne

I am not sure how long it will take each of you to complete this task, but here is a list of things that need to be done when you are finished:

1. Post your video to your blog with a short description of what you did and a reflection. Be sure to include what you learned about taking photos: What makes a photograph interesting? 
2. Continue work on your custom header and post it on your blog (If you have questions ask your peers)
3. Make sure your profile including a picture and about me is complete
4. Read some of your classmates blogs in any grade and add some comments. You can read this great post for ideas on how to leave better comments.
5. Write a blog post about anything you want. Be sure to include a link and a photo. Need some help with ideas? Write about procrastination- a fancy word for wasting time. How do you procrastinate or do other things when you should be working?  Watch this video and share your thoughts on your blog: 

Procrastination from Johnny Kelly on Vimeo.

That should keep you busy for the few days I am gone... Finally I will be in touch through this blog and Facebook so stay tuned for random assignments. I may even Skype into class. Stay tuned.

Grammar Review #1 (Parts of Speech and Nouns)

Flickr CC

Just came across this great Flickr Search Engine. Go to Flickr CC and find lots of high quality Creative Commons images you can use!

All the information you need about the image is on the right-hand side so don't forget to cite your sources. Happy image hunting.

Excited about Curiousity?

I have asked all of my students to write about a time when they were curious about something, a time they were caring, or a time they took a risk, and because I believe that what I am asking them to do is important, I have decided to write a paragraph or two as well.

I am a very curious person. I am always asking myself questions in my head and I love getting to the bottom of something. I think the world is such a fascinating and mysterious place, that I can't believe it is so difficult to get you to be curious. So I am curious about how to make middle school students curious and excited about the world, life and learning.

I know that younger students are very animated and excited to try new things, ask questions, and explore different ideas, but middle school students tend to be much more quiet and bored by school. How can we change this? I have been curious about this idea for some time now, but recently I have really been thinking about. Every night before I fall asleep, I try and think about it for a few minutes.

I think back to when I was in school and remember how boring school was and how I wasn't interested in almost anything, but I was always curious. I always had questions and did a lot of reading and listening to music. I spoke to my dad a lot about the world and politics. I have always been interested in how people interact.

So I guess, my main questions is- How can we get you to look at yourself, find what you are interested in and help you to start learning about it too? Any ideas? Can you help me?

Grammar and The Learner Profile

One of the assessments for our new Grammar Unit will be a major edit to a piece of writing based on the IB Learner Profile. I have listed the descriptions of all ten profiles here. You can find them at anytime, by clicking on the tab IB Learner Profile at the top of this blog.

Don't worry too much, right now, about understanding exactly what all the descriptors mean. Truly understanding the profiles is a task we will be working on for the whole year. For now, I want you to take a look at just three: Inquirer, Risk Taker, and Caring.

Yesterday in class, we began to look at some basic ideas about the profiles:

1.) Being an inquirer means that you are curious about life and try to learn about it. It means that when you see or hear about something that is interesting to you, you do things to help you know more about it: do internet research, ask someone, read a book or magazine article about it, watch a video, etc.

2.) Being a caring person means that you show respect and compassion to others. It also means that you try to make a positive difference for other people, animals, or places.

3.) Being a risk taker means that you try new things and explore new situations. Risk takers are brave and don’t worry about embarrassing themselves or doing things the wrong way, they just want to have new experiences.

Please choose one of the following questions and leave a short answer here in the comments. After you have done that, you can begin writing your longer piece on your blog.
1. Describe the last time that you were curious about something. What did you do about it?

2. Describe a time when you were a caring person. What was the situation, and what did you do to try and make the situation better?

3. Describe a time when you were a risk taker. What new thing did you try? How did it turn out in the end?

If you are a teacher or a student sent here by your teacher, please add your answers to the comments, so we can have a nice list of experiences to learn from.