Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Class Notes 1/31
Today we discussed what diplomacy is, how to be diplomatic, and why it is important in our world today. Then we all created a "delicious" account. This will be a great tool for research projects, and simply to share information with classmates and teachers. The homework tonight is to comment on the January 30th post about Concrete Cat. Have a wonderful evening!
Winning Comments
After a week of trying to decide who I would award the extra point to, I have come up with the following winners. Their responses stood out because they were unique, creative, thourough, or some combination of all three.
I know I said that I would pick ten, but I only chose eight. I felt like there were many good comments, but these are the ones that were really above and beyond. Be familiar with them because they will help you prepare for your poetry test. Congratulations to the winners, here they are in no particular order. If your response is listed here, you will be awarded the promised two bonus points on your vocab quiz from last Friday.
Delaney
As I was reading the poem “Jimmy and his TV set,” I was wondering why Silverstein decided to write this. Although I though the topic was somewhat random, he did a good job of describing it. The poem February twilight reminded me of what it is like to stand in my back yard in Colorado and watch the snow fall. I thought that both of the poems where pretty good although they weren’t the best I’ve heard. My favorite TV shows are American Idol and Hannah Montana. I like watching these shows because they are funny and some people can't sing (which is why it's funny....)American Idol is when different people come to sing. Most of them can't but it makes it good. Hannah Montana is about a girl who is famous and has to pretend like she isn't when she goes to school. i agree that watching too much TV is bad because it can become addicting.
Cristian
I like both of these poems alot, but mostly Jimmy Jet and His TV Set. I liked this poem because it was funny and it would teach little kids a lesson about tv. It showed that if you watch to much TV you might end up like Jimmy Jet. I also like the February Twilight because the way the speaker described what she was seeing which made me enjoy and feel what she was feeling. The whole poem was very relaxing and enjoyable.My favorite TV shows are American Idol and Hannah Montana. I like watching Hannah Montana because it is always funny and enjoyable. I like watching American Idol because it is funny and intense. Hannah Montana is a show about a girl who lives two lives, but one of them is top secret. She is an average girl but on stage she is a teen pop star. American Idol is a show about average people auditioning for a record deal for singing. I agree with Delaney that watching two much TV is bad for you and that you can get attached to watching TV.
Dana Grace
Hi, i do agree with the poem jimmy jet and his t.v. set, i don't think you will turn in to a t.v. set, but it is bad for you. my favorite t.v. shows to watch are, mythbusters, lost, house, hannah montanah, and whose line is it anyway. i like these shows and think they are worth watching, becasue they can teach you very valuable lessons and are fun to have a break and watch. Lost is about poeple who get in a plane crash and are stranded on an island, where thay have to unite as one to survive. whose line is it anyway, is a show about comedy and the poeple do comedy, the whole show. House is a doctor show and this doctor house is crazy, but he always finds out how to cure the pacient some crazy way. Mythbuster is a show when thay take myths and thay try to proove that thay are true and a re a myth.
Taylor
I do agree with jimmy jet that tv is bad for you.There are some shows that are worth watching. American Idol is good because you see people who try and sing in front of millons and they think they are good some of them are good and some of them aren't. You audition for a singing show.The other one is Real World Road Rules The Challenge The Duel because if you really want something alot then you will work hard for it. But if you don't want something that much then you will slack off and not care about it.This show is about you do challenges that test your mental and phyical strength.
Austin
In both poems "Febuary Twilight" and "Jimmy Jet And His TV Set" the charaters are both wathing something.In "JIMMY JET AND HIS TV SET" the boy does not feel anything.He just sits and whatches TV.All day,Every day until he turnes into a TV set.His mind is not his own,but all of his thoughts comes from what he sees on the TV.I realy liked this poem.
Caroline
Reefs are dying, So people are crying.The fish can't hide,So they are taken in by high tide.People come and goLeaving trash, althoughNot aware of what is happening deep in the ocean.Women and men Come to work togetherTo save the reefs from this human-like weather.Help to save them!
Megan
I totally agree with everyone that we should save our envoriment! You aren't going to have these little critters, fishies, and the coral reefs forever! If you could just pick up a piece of trash!, that would make such a difference! Think about this:You're on a boat...a piece of trash flys out of your hands. Luckily it is in reach. You really are to tired, worn out, and don't feel like moving. Well, think about it next time...just don't leave it in the water! I mean if you are too lazy just to pick up a piece of trash! Think if you were drowning and someone was too lazy just to pick you up?! That doesn't make sense, does it?!Some people are too tired, lazy, don't feel like getting up, don't care! Those people really need to think really hard next time they leave a piece of trash on the ground! It doesn't take that much time...oh but Megan it takes time to think about it! Well then do it...you should be picking up trash atomatically...no one should have to tell you! If you are at your house and you let the trash just pile and pile up then it would eventually go to your ceiling! Think of the trash getting in the ocean, it would pile and pile and pile up just like your room. But, unlike your room you would be killing fishies, and coral reefs. That would make me personally feel bad if I killed something over being lazy.
Hillary
In the story February Twilight I thought that how quiet the night seemed was different. And how the person was watching a single star. The setting of this poem was the opposite of the poem Jimmy Jet and His TV Set. In this poem it was inside and Jimmy just sat all day and watched the TV. I thought it was weird when he had started to turn into a TV.I love American Idol because it is funny. Have the time the people can't sing. I don't agree with Jimmy Jet.
I know I said that I would pick ten, but I only chose eight. I felt like there were many good comments, but these are the ones that were really above and beyond. Be familiar with them because they will help you prepare for your poetry test. Congratulations to the winners, here they are in no particular order. If your response is listed here, you will be awarded the promised two bonus points on your vocab quiz from last Friday.
Delaney
As I was reading the poem “Jimmy and his TV set,” I was wondering why Silverstein decided to write this. Although I though the topic was somewhat random, he did a good job of describing it. The poem February twilight reminded me of what it is like to stand in my back yard in Colorado and watch the snow fall. I thought that both of the poems where pretty good although they weren’t the best I’ve heard. My favorite TV shows are American Idol and Hannah Montana. I like watching these shows because they are funny and some people can't sing (which is why it's funny....)American Idol is when different people come to sing. Most of them can't but it makes it good. Hannah Montana is about a girl who is famous and has to pretend like she isn't when she goes to school. i agree that watching too much TV is bad because it can become addicting.
Cristian
I like both of these poems alot, but mostly Jimmy Jet and His TV Set. I liked this poem because it was funny and it would teach little kids a lesson about tv. It showed that if you watch to much TV you might end up like Jimmy Jet. I also like the February Twilight because the way the speaker described what she was seeing which made me enjoy and feel what she was feeling. The whole poem was very relaxing and enjoyable.My favorite TV shows are American Idol and Hannah Montana. I like watching Hannah Montana because it is always funny and enjoyable. I like watching American Idol because it is funny and intense. Hannah Montana is a show about a girl who lives two lives, but one of them is top secret. She is an average girl but on stage she is a teen pop star. American Idol is a show about average people auditioning for a record deal for singing. I agree with Delaney that watching two much TV is bad for you and that you can get attached to watching TV.
Dana Grace
Hi, i do agree with the poem jimmy jet and his t.v. set, i don't think you will turn in to a t.v. set, but it is bad for you. my favorite t.v. shows to watch are, mythbusters, lost, house, hannah montanah, and whose line is it anyway. i like these shows and think they are worth watching, becasue they can teach you very valuable lessons and are fun to have a break and watch. Lost is about poeple who get in a plane crash and are stranded on an island, where thay have to unite as one to survive. whose line is it anyway, is a show about comedy and the poeple do comedy, the whole show. House is a doctor show and this doctor house is crazy, but he always finds out how to cure the pacient some crazy way. Mythbuster is a show when thay take myths and thay try to proove that thay are true and a re a myth.
Taylor
I do agree with jimmy jet that tv is bad for you.There are some shows that are worth watching. American Idol is good because you see people who try and sing in front of millons and they think they are good some of them are good and some of them aren't. You audition for a singing show.The other one is Real World Road Rules The Challenge The Duel because if you really want something alot then you will work hard for it. But if you don't want something that much then you will slack off and not care about it.This show is about you do challenges that test your mental and phyical strength.
Austin
In both poems "Febuary Twilight" and "Jimmy Jet And His TV Set" the charaters are both wathing something.In "JIMMY JET AND HIS TV SET" the boy does not feel anything.He just sits and whatches TV.All day,Every day until he turnes into a TV set.His mind is not his own,but all of his thoughts comes from what he sees on the TV.I realy liked this poem.
Caroline
Reefs are dying, So people are crying.The fish can't hide,So they are taken in by high tide.People come and goLeaving trash, althoughNot aware of what is happening deep in the ocean.Women and men Come to work togetherTo save the reefs from this human-like weather.Help to save them!
Megan
I totally agree with everyone that we should save our envoriment! You aren't going to have these little critters, fishies, and the coral reefs forever! If you could just pick up a piece of trash!, that would make such a difference! Think about this:You're on a boat...a piece of trash flys out of your hands. Luckily it is in reach. You really are to tired, worn out, and don't feel like moving. Well, think about it next time...just don't leave it in the water! I mean if you are too lazy just to pick up a piece of trash! Think if you were drowning and someone was too lazy just to pick you up?! That doesn't make sense, does it?!Some people are too tired, lazy, don't feel like getting up, don't care! Those people really need to think really hard next time they leave a piece of trash on the ground! It doesn't take that much time...oh but Megan it takes time to think about it! Well then do it...you should be picking up trash atomatically...no one should have to tell you! If you are at your house and you let the trash just pile and pile up then it would eventually go to your ceiling! Think of the trash getting in the ocean, it would pile and pile and pile up just like your room. But, unlike your room you would be killing fishies, and coral reefs. That would make me personally feel bad if I killed something over being lazy.
Hillary
In the story February Twilight I thought that how quiet the night seemed was different. And how the person was watching a single star. The setting of this poem was the opposite of the poem Jimmy Jet and His TV Set. In this poem it was inside and Jimmy just sat all day and watched the TV. I thought it was weird when he had started to turn into a TV.I love American Idol because it is funny. Have the time the people can't sing. I don't agree with Jimmy Jet.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Class notes...
In class today, I introduced the newest features on this page and then we learned about possessive pronouns. Here are the notes:
4.4 Possessive Pronouns
-You often use personal pronouns to replace nouns that are subjects or objects in sentences. You can use pronouns in place of possessive nouns too.
-A possessive pronoun is a pronoun that shows who or what has something. It takes the place of a possessive noun.
Ex. Lisa’s class is performing a play. Her class is performing a play.
Ex. This idea was Lisa’s. The idea was hers.
-Possessive pronouns are not written with apostrophes.Don’t confuse the possessive pronoun its with the word it’s. It’s is a contraction, or shortened form, of it is or it has.
Ex. Its popularity is growing. (possessive pronoun)
Ex. It’s popular with many students. (contraction of it is)
Ex. It’s succeeded on the stage. (contraction of it has)
After that we did numbers one through ten on page 128 in the grammar book and went over them. Then we checked our answers on the haiku and limerick poetry and added to our notes.Please feel free to post your journal responses on the haiku and limerick poems on the comments below, and respond the following question:
Is "Concrete Cat" a work of art, a poem, or both? Explain.See you tomorrow!
4.4 Possessive Pronouns
-You often use personal pronouns to replace nouns that are subjects or objects in sentences. You can use pronouns in place of possessive nouns too.
-A possessive pronoun is a pronoun that shows who or what has something. It takes the place of a possessive noun.
Ex. Lisa’s class is performing a play. Her class is performing a play.
Ex. This idea was Lisa’s. The idea was hers.
-Possessive pronouns are not written with apostrophes.Don’t confuse the possessive pronoun its with the word it’s. It’s is a contraction, or shortened form, of it is or it has.
Ex. Its popularity is growing. (possessive pronoun)
Ex. It’s popular with many students. (contraction of it is)
Ex. It’s succeeded on the stage. (contraction of it has)
After that we did numbers one through ten on page 128 in the grammar book and went over them. Then we checked our answers on the haiku and limerick poetry and added to our notes.Please feel free to post your journal responses on the haiku and limerick poems on the comments below, and respond the following question:
Is "Concrete Cat" a work of art, a poem, or both? Explain.See you tomorrow!
Monday, January 29, 2007
Classroom Notes
Today in class everyone emailed their book reviews to me. Then we worked on Haiku and Limerick poetry in groups. Your homework for tonight is to finish your poetry questions if you didn't in class and write a journal response. Tomorrow we'll be starting possessive pronouns, but don't worry...I think you'll have fun with them. After that, we're going to review the haiku and limerick poetry work. See you in class!
Friday, January 26, 2007
Weekend Banter
Business First:
Monday-have book review progress or book review done...DON'T EMAIL IT UNTIL MONDAY.
And now a topic for debate over the weekend...
I feel that it is very important to have every student in the same uniform. This makes it easy to identify strangers on campus, and easy for us to identify each other on field trips. Also, it sure is nice to not have to worry about what to wear in the mornings, you just pull out your uniform and go!
Monday-have book review progress or book review done...DON'T EMAIL IT UNTIL MONDAY.
And now a topic for debate over the weekend...
I feel that it is very important to have every student in the same uniform. This makes it easy to identify strangers on campus, and easy for us to identify each other on field trips. Also, it sure is nice to not have to worry about what to wear in the mornings, you just pull out your uniform and go!
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Our Troubled Oceans
I went to hear Dr. Brian Lapointe, leading world authority on water quality, speak last week in the Waxlax, and left feeling quite depressed. Florida has no living reefs left. OK, there is the odd piece of living coral around, but for a reef to be considered "living", there has to be more than five percent that is actually alive. The main reason for this is water runoff into the ocean. This water gathers nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates on its way out to the ocean and then they are deposited on our reefs. Nutrient rich water may not seem like a bad thing-after all don't corals need nutrients to survive? Well...yes and no. These nutrients are not the same kind that are beneficial to corals. They cause algae and other harmful epiphytes to grow over and eventually kill the corals. In essence, not only are we heating up our environment with global warming, but we're fertilizing it too!
Is this a problem? Of course it is. Even if you choose to ignore the fact that fish are not able survive these recent changes, (Some scientists estimate that by 2040 commercial fishing will no longer exist) the fact remains that eventually the loss of reef habitat will hit Floridians right in the wallet. We live in a state where our economy is driven by tourism. Do you think anyone will come visit a dead reef with no fish for a scuba diving vacation? I have a hard time believing families will take week long vacations to beaches with water which has become too toxic to swim in.
You can help. Buy organic foods grown with no fertilizers or pesticides. When you go to the beach, take a bag with you and go for a walk. As you walk, fill the bag with plastic, cigarette butts, and other materials you find that could be harmful to marine life. The most powerful thing you can do to help is become educated and share the word.
Is this a problem? Of course it is. Even if you choose to ignore the fact that fish are not able survive these recent changes, (Some scientists estimate that by 2040 commercial fishing will no longer exist) the fact remains that eventually the loss of reef habitat will hit Floridians right in the wallet. We live in a state where our economy is driven by tourism. Do you think anyone will come visit a dead reef with no fish for a scuba diving vacation? I have a hard time believing families will take week long vacations to beaches with water which has become too toxic to swim in.
You can help. Buy organic foods grown with no fertilizers or pesticides. When you go to the beach, take a bag with you and go for a walk. As you walk, fill the bag with plastic, cigarette butts, and other materials you find that could be harmful to marine life. The most powerful thing you can do to help is become educated and share the word.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Jimmy Jet and His TV Set
Shel Silverstein's poem seems to show the reader that television is a bad thing. Do you agree? Are there any shows you think are worth watching? Why? Describe them.
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