The Visitor’s Study Hall is a place for sharing concerns (for yourself, for others, for anything) as long as they are concerns related to a class you’re taking in some practical way.

“What can a study hall be used for?” you may ask. It can serve many purposes:

• Go over vocabulary with others.
• Suggest topics for discussion.
• Share what you’re enjoying about class, a project, or a book.
• Share what you’re not enjoying.
• Post questions you have for your school mates.
• I, or other school mates, can answer your questions, give you suggestions, and keep this thing going for us all.

This Visitor’s Study Hall is a place to come together. So, if you post to Study Hall for to get help or to give it, in any way related to school, let me know.

So, if you need it. It’s here.

Study Halls have been set up for you, the visitor, too. And, students enrolled in my class(es) are encouraged to visit the Visitor Study Hall to see if they can offer help.

B.E.E.P. – Start here!

“What programs can I use to create the presentation?”

• Go to Atomic Learning through the Broward Schools website and do a search for:
  • Keynote (first priority)
  • Powerpoint (second priority)
  • Presentations

Write up your notes as follows on a sheet of paper and bring it to class:

• Name of software [Keynote or Powerpoint]
• Name of video
• Your notes
• Review of the video

Did you see a video that you found especially helpful? Post your notes here for extra credit.

Study Hall has moved to its own page. Click – The Study Hall – to go there.

It’s the one stop for sharing concerns (for yourself, for others, for anything) as long as they are concerns related to the class in some practical way.

“What can the study hall be used for?” you may ask. It can be used for many things.

• It can be a place to go over vocabulary, but it needn’t stop there.
• Sometimes, students share what they are enjoying about class, a project, or a book.
• You could post questions you have for your school mates.
• I, or other school mates, can answer your questions, give you suggestions, and keep this thing going for us all.

Hello. Thanks so much to all of you who participated in The Year of the Hangman Book Discussion. I know that I learned a lot from this process, and I hope that you also thought it was a worthwhile experience. I would love to hear your feedback on the project.

Here are some questions for you to consider for feedback. Please offer an answer to as many of the questions below as possible. The more you answer of them the better, and the more thorough your answer the better. Be specific. Be clear. Be kind.

1. What did you like about the project? Be specific.
2. What did you not like about the project? Be specific.
3. If you didn’t post often – why not?
4. What did you think of the questions each week?
5. Would you like to have seen a discussion on a topic from the book that I did not pose? If ‘yes’, then – What would you like to have discussed? Be specific.
6. Did you perfer one big question (like the one for Week 4) or would you rather have choice from multiple questions (like we did in Weeks 1 through 3)?
7. Would you like more interaction with the author?
8. Did you like the additional links to learn more about some of the topics and characters in the novel?
9. Would you like to do a project like this again? Why or why not?

I will be doing this sort of thing again soon with a book called The Book Without Words by Avi. Avi is author of the award winning novel Crispin: The Cross of Lead (Newberry Winner 2003). He has written more than fifty books for various audiences.
Check out the book blog for The Book Without Words at ___To Be Set Up Soon___ . I have some ideas that I think will make this book blog even more interactive so check it out.

Again, please drop me a line at moshej@browardschools.com if you have any comments, suggestions, or questions.

Thanks so much. Please post your response to the above questions to this discussion thread.
Mr. Moshé
Westpine Middle School
Sunrise, Florida

The Time Machine Unit

Comments and Suggestions
By posting here, you will be helping me refine the process you’ve been through for future generations.

What did you think?

. . . of the book: coment here and take the Yahoo Poll.
. . . of the assignments: coment here and take the Yahoo Poll.
. . . of the group work: coment here and take the Yahoo Poll.

Comments you can post here may deal with these categories or querries. No matter what you suggest, check your motives…don’t waste our time with fluff:

• Classroom Activities
  • What would you like to have seen happen?
    • Guest Speaker? Who? Why? How would it be connected to the book?
    • Read Aloud – Reader’s Theater Style or not
    • Art in the classroom
    • Music in the classroom
• Field Trip Opportunities
  •  Where do you want to go? Why? How would going there connect tot he novel?
• Technology Use
  • What technology? How would it be used? Any ideas? eh?
    • Laptops 
    • LCD Projector
    • Promethean Board
    • Image Scanner
    • Overhead Projector
    • DVD
    • TV
    • Cell Phones? Huh? yes. Cell Phones. Any ideas?
    • iPod
    • Cameras - SnapShot and/or Video
    • PodCasts
    • Internet Websites? Which? Why?
    • Email
    • Blogs

Here are some possible questions for your feedback:

• What did you like or dislike about the project?

• What did you not like about the project?

• If you didn’t post often – why not?

• What did you think of the questions each week?

• Did you prefer one big question (like the one for Week4) or would you rather have choice from multiple questions (like we did in Weeks 1 through 3)?

• Would you have liked interaction (or more interaction) with the author?

• Did you like the additional links to learn more about some of the characters in the novel?

• Would you do a project like this again? Why or why not?

—-I am practicing attaching files. You may also use this blog to let me know if files are attaching properly. Thanks!!

Do not ask if this is extra credit. It isn’t. This is an opportunity for you to have a hand in lesson plan and unit design.
Post to this discussion anything you would suggest to improve the unit for Freak The Mighty:

• In-class activities
• Out-of-class activities (field trips)
• Vocabulary words
• Blog Discussion Topics

Thanks for participating in the Freak The Mighty Discussion Series (for grades – hehe). If you participated, and you know who you are, you contributed to not only to your own growth, but to the growth of all those you interacted with.

Keep It Up!!

So, if you have any suggestions, post them here.