Mr. Moshé’s Critically Thinking . . . Are You?

Over the course of the last three weeks, and culminating this Friday, students in Mr. Moshe’s 8th Grade Language Arts classes have been running student created activities designed to help them learn for themselves and teach to others one of eight Thinking Maps: Tree, Bubble, Double Bubble, Circle, Flow, Multi-flow, Brace, and Bridge.

The word in the hallways is that they are going over very well. One student was quoted as saying, “That was fun!!!”

The last of the activities will happen this Monday, May 4.

If you were there, do us a favor and tell us which activity you liked best, and why you liked it. Remember, when posting to an online discussion use only your first name and last initial. Never use your full name….

9TH BLOCK - Today you will take notes in one of many ways. You decide which of the these links to use:

• • Context Clue Notes (all 4 types) and Excercise at CSU Pamona
  • A Handout with Notes and Examples of the 4 types of Context Clues from ReadWriteThink.org
  • Watch a PowerPoint on the 4 Types of Context Clues.  : Practice in Context Clues offered in a smooth frame by frame practice session with still snap shots.
  • Just click along. Take notes from each slide as needed. Make sure your notes include answers to the following questions:

Personal Daily Reading – You should by this point all have personal novels. Each day when you show up, you are to

• Grab your novel. If you do not have your personal novel, then you have to use a newspaper. and read for a minimum of 15 minutes. Out of this reading, you must:
  • By the end of the week, you should have
    • Written a short summary of the portion you’ve read over the course of the week.
    • Written 1 of each type of Marzano/Bloom question (7 total)
    • Written the appropriate answer for each question.
      • Write the question into the answer; reword the question in the answer
      • Give you answer.
      • Provide details and/or information from the reading to support your answer.

Character Recognition - You all begin with 100/100 points in this grade. This new grade is a reflection of how much you take an interest in your own achievement as well as that of others. When the class is supposed to be doing something -say silently reading novels, newspapers, etc. – then you should exemplify the right thing to do by doing that. This grade will be based on the your display of character traits and character building behaviors such as:

• responsibility, open-mindedness, honesty, courage, perseverance, self-honesty, willingness, loyalty, seflless service, faith, integrity, humility, altruism, justice, spirituality,  get it?
• You lose 1 point each time I see/talk to you about your not exeplifying character or character building behaviors.

Other Goings On and Options

• Enter the American Library of Poetry Annual POETRY CONTEST
  • First, read the rules first.
  • Then, enter the contest.

Classwork, Classwork, Classwork (and sometimes Homework)

• LANGUAGE ARTS – This week we begin work on Anne Frank and the Holocaust.
  • First, we will go to the Anne Frank Webquest. Once there, we’ll follow the steps to complete the 3 tasks.
  • At home:
  • FOR HOMEWORK, reserach and/or provide answers to these questions:
    • What do you know about World War II?
    • What do you know about Hitler and Nazi Germany?
    • Are you interested in stories about real-life heroes?
    • Would you ever treat someone badly because of his or her race or religion?
    • Are you interested in stories that reveal injustice?
    • Would you be able to spend more than two years hiding in an attic?
    • Are you interested in stories about real teens that must cope with evil?
    • Would you allow others to destroy your life because they do not like you rrace or religion?
  • Then, and intermitently, we will
    • listen to, work on The Diary of Anne Frank Study Guide Questions, and
    • discuss the drama by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hacket, The Diary of Anne Frank. The drama is based closely on is based on the actual diary Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl.
  • Ultimately we will close with a discussion of tolerance, open-mindedness and our society.

As you all know, the Approach Paper assignment for the 3rd Quarter was cancelled to give you time to work on your Argumentative Research Projects.

I did not cancel the Approach Papers for the rest of the year . . . . . . only for the 3rd Quarter.

This means you should all have some form (fiction or nonfiction) of personal book length reading that you are doing for the 4th Quarter.

Your 4th Quarter Approach Papers are due May 15th.

Outlines for the assignment are available in the classroom, and at the following p[age on MY website (the very website you are at right now).

• Approach Paper – Fiction
• Approach Paper – Nonfiction