Week of February 11, On Turning Ten

Hi everyone,

This week we are going to reread the poem called "On Turning Ten" by poet laureate Billy Collins.

On Turning Ten by Billy Collins

The whole idea of it makes me feel

like I'm coming down with something,
something worse than any stomach ache
or the headaches I get from reading in bad light--
a kind of measles of the spirit,
a mumps of the psyche,
a disfiguring chicken pox of the soul.

You tell me it is too early to be looking back,
but that is because you have forgotten
the perfect simplicity of being one
and the beautiful complexity introduced by two.
But I can lie on my bed and remember every digit.
At four I was an Arabian wizard.
I could make myself invisible
by drinking a glass of milk a certain way.
At seven I was a soldier, at nine a prince.

But now I am mostly at the window
watching the late afternoon light.
Back then it never fell so solemnly
against the side of my tree house,
and my bicycle never leaned against the garage
as it does today,
all the dark blue speed drained out of it.

This is the beginning of sadness, I say to myself,
as I walk through the universe in my sneakers.
It is time to say good-bye to my imaginary friends,
time to turn the first big number.

It seems only yesterday I used to believe
there was nothing under my skin but light.
If you cut me I could shine.
But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life,
I skin my knees. I bleed.

Directions Part I: Answer the questions below, in google docs:

1. What is your favorite line in the poem and why?
2. What were your favorite things to do when you were ten?
3. What does the poet feel is the difference between being ten and being younger? Do you agree and why?
4. What do you wish you could still believe or do today that you believed or did when you were younger?

Directions Part II: Write a story about the boy in “On Turning Ten”. You can write about his birthday party, about what happens after he turns 10, about his 11^th birthday, etc. You decide.

Guidelines:

1. Use 10 vocabulary words from the poem (highlighted, underlined or circled)
2. Make sure you include details from the poem and show me that you understand his character.
3. Include the following literary elements and techniques

• Conflict (internal or external)
• At least two examples of figurative language (such as simile, metaphor, personification)

Now post your answers to the questions and your creative story to our blog.

Finally, read the posts of two other classmates and do the following:

1. What do you like about his/her post and why?
2. Answer their question if you can.

Week of February 4, Welcome to Our Class Blog

Hi everyone,

This week we are going to become familiar with using a class blog.

Each week we will be using our blog to share our ideas about the literature we read and the themes we discuss in class.

Requirements:

• Headphones
• Gmail account (click here to get a gmail account) (make sure you choose a user name and password that you will remember because you will have to sign in often)
• Google docs account (comes with gmail and is free)
• Internet at home

I will expect you to finish the assignments on this blog each week. If you do not, you will have to finish them for homework.

This week, please use google docs to answer the questions below:

1. How do you feel about using technology (computers, internet, smart boards, etc.) in theclassroom and why?
2. What experience do you have using blogs as part of your classes?
3. Why is it important to learn to use a blog for our class?
4. How will using this blog help you in the future as a college student and when you are aprofessional adult?

Once you have answered the questions below, please paste your answer into a comment to our blog. Be sure to put your first and last name on your post so we know who you are. Please do not use a nickname because this can be confusing.

Then, read two classmate's comments and write a comment to them answering the questions below:

1. What do you like about their blog post and why?


2. What did you find interesting and why?

January 18, Grades for Marking Period 3

January 18, Grades for Marking Period 3

Hi everyone,

Today we will think about grades for the third and final marking period.

• I am using a program called Engrade to calculate your grades. Please go to the Engrade website to register and see your grades. You need your access code to do this.

• Now please answer the questions below in Google Docs:

• Please give me feedback (comments/suggestions) about your experience in the class. Please be specific and honest as this will help make the class better for you and everyone else in the coming semester.

1. What did you enjoy about class this marking period?  Why?  Please refer to specific activities, projects, workshops, etc.
2. What didn't you enjoy and why?  Please be specific.
3. Were there any activities/projects/topics that we didn't cover that you want us to cover?  Which ones? 
4. What can I do to make the class better for you (aside from no homework J )?  Please be specific.
5. Has your English improved since the class began?  If yes, how?  If no, why not? Please think carefully about this.
6. When and where do you usually do your homework?
7. Do you find it difficult to do your homework? Why?
8. How much time do you spend looking at your class notes each week?
9. What can you do to improve your class participation?
10. How do you study for tests and quizzes?
11. Do you feel that the grade you are getting right now is the best you can do? Why?
12. What strategies will you use to get a better grade next marking period?
13. What advice can you give to your classmates to make their experience in this class more meaningful?
14. Fill in the blanks..."From class this marking period, one thing I will take is _______________ and one thing I will give is ________________."

Week of January 16, Letters to James McBride

Hi everyone,

Write a letter to James McBride. This is a formal letter, and it should be typed.  Please use the format below.  I will mail the letters to him and maybe he will write us back!  In your letter, please do the following:

Begin with a formal greeting, “Dear Mr. McBride”

Paragraph 1:    Introduce yourself, name, country of origin, grade in school, how long you’ve been in the US, and why you’re writing to him (in my ESL class, we just finished your memoir, The Color of Water)

Paragraph 2:    Tell him what the book meant to you. Tell him what you enjoyed about it and why, how it made you feel and why, and any text to self connections you made as you read. Be specific.  Refer to actual quotes from the memoir (go back to your reading logs to do this, and look at your double entry journals).

Paragraph 3:    Ask him questions you have about the book. Make sure you are respectful and only ask appropriate questions.

Then thank him for reading your letter and writing the memoir.  

Close with “Sincerely” and then print your name and sign the letter.

Layout for a formal letter:

Your name

Street Address

City, State Zip Code

Today’s date

Dear Mr. McBride,

My name is…(see above for all details from Paragraph 1).

Your memoir The Color Water meant so much to me… (see above for all details from Paragraph 2).

I have some questions about the memoir…(see above for Paragraph 3).

Thank you for your time reading my letter and for writing the memoir.

Sincerely,

Sign your name

Print your name

See my letter below for an example of what it looks like:

James McBride

PO BOX 829

NEW YORK, NY   10108

January 7, 2013

Dear Mr. McBride,

My students and I wanted to write and thank you for your incredible memoir, The Color of Water.  We thoroughly enjoyed reading it together, experiencing your history and your mother’s history, as told by you with such humor, warmth and love.

My students are all new immigrants, from over 50 different countries, and they too have had no easy childhood. They easily identify with the pain you experienced as you learned about your mother’s past.  Many of them were separated from their parents at a young age, and are only now meeting them, here in a new country, as if for the first time.  Also, many of them experience great discrimination due to their document status, race, language abilities, accents, cultural differences, and xenophobia.

I have taught your memoir many times over the years, and every time, it’s as if I’m reading it for the first time. My daughter, who is now eight, is also from parents of different races and religions (I’m Jewish and my husband is West Indian). I easily identify with your story, and can’t wait for the day when she is old enough to read it.

Please enjoy my students’ letters and thank you again for your work.

With warm sincerity,

Julie Mann, ESL teacher, Newcomers High School

Week of December 19, James Book Project

PICTURE BOOK PROJECT based on

The Color of Water by James McBride

What is it like to be James?   Now that you have finished the memoir, you know James’s character very well.  Think back about some of the important events that happened throughout the book.  Try to see the world through James’s eyes?

Your Task:  Pretend that you are James.  You don’t want your experiences to be forgotten and you want readers of your book to understand the way you see things and the way that you think.  Write another version of your book, but this time use pictures.  In your book you get to record how you felt, the things you saw, the people you met along the way, and the experiences you had.

HERE IS WHAT WILL GO INTO YOUR BOOK

Your book must have between 8 and 10 pictures.  Each picture must be accompanied by a caption explaining what is happening and how you felt at the time.  Captions should be at least 3 sentences long.

Your story must be told in chronological order.  That means that you will have to decide which important events from his story you want to include and you will have to put them in order.

Your pictures must be big and clear with enough details that your readers will be able to see what is happening.  You can either draw scenes from the story or you can use images collected from the internet or magazines/newspapers.

Your project must be done on nice paper.  It should not be paper ripped from your notebook.  Used colored paper, make a cover for your work and put it together neatly and with care.  Try to have fun and be creative.

HOW TO PUT YOUR BOOK TOGETHER

Cover:  Your cover should have artwork on it that is clearly connected to James and his story.  It should have a title that is written neatly.  Make up your own new title.  You should also have your teacher’s name, the class, and the date in the bottom right hand corner.

Letter to the Reader:  Your book should have an introductory letter to the person who will be reading it.  If you were James, what would you want people to know about you, and about what it’s like to be you?  Give a brief explanation of who you are (as James) and what the reader will find inside the book.

Table of Contents:  You must have a table of contents.  This will tell the reader what he or she will find on each page.  Each page must have a number.

Maps: You must include maps of the areas in NY and Virginia where James and Ruth lived.

Letters to James’ mother:  Include a letter to James’ mother at the end of your book.  Make sure you edit it carefully.  It should be written from James’s point of view (Dear Mom…)

Place for comments from the Readers:  The last two pages of your book should be blank.   This is where readers can sign their names and leave comments about how they felt about your book.  Put a heading on the top of these pages that says COMMENTS FROM READERS.

Your work will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Requirement	Points	Your score
Cover:  Has title, is neat and artwork is clearly connected to your story.  Includes your name, teacher’s name, class section, and date.	10
Letter to Reader:  Introduces you, lets the readers know what they will find in the book.  This writing must be edited and checked for grammar, spelling, and capitalization.	10
Pictures with captions:  Pictures must be put together thoughtfully and they must be clear.  Captions must be well written.  They should be checked for grammar, spelling, and capitalization.	40
Maps:  include maps of the neighborhoods where James lived in NY, where Ruth lived in NY and  Virginia	10
Letters to James’ mom:  Includes letter to James’ mom.  They should be edited and checked well.	10
Table of contents, maps and comments pages	10
Total possible score:	100