The Amazing Gatsby Race - ENG 20-1

The 20-1 class completed their novel study on The Great Gatsby. Their video assignments were incredible and their hard work definitely did not go unnoticed. Today we had our Great Gatsby party where students got to dress up in their 1920s attire, munch on some snack food, and participate in a Gatsby-like spin on The Amazing Race. Basically, I placed the students in pairs and gave them clues to specific locations around the school. At those locations they'd have a question pertaining to the novel that they'd have to answer and in that same envelope would be a clue to another location. There were 20 questions in all and two roadblocks. Roadblocks are mini challenges that the students must complete before they are given the next set of clues. One roadblock had the students meeting Mr. Sherbinin in his office and re-enacting a scene from the novel (when Tom broke Myrtle's nose). If they didn't act it out to Mr. Sherbinin's liking then they'd have to try again! They all seemed to bring their A-game today as every group only had to perform once! Dallas Hines and Madison McGuigan came out on top winning by 13 seconds! Way to go, guys! Next we'll be watching the film and cruising into our holiday break. 

ELA 9B: The Painted Door

The 9s are deep into their short story unit and the runner-up story was The Painted Door by Sinclair Ross. Because there was so much argument over the interpretation and symbolism embedded in the story, I thought it would be a good piece to use in a modified think, pair, share type of activity. The students read The Painted Door as a class, were given questions to answer individually, and then they were put into groups to discuss their answers. Each question for discussion was placed around the classroom and they had 3 minutes per question to divulge their thoughts. They then had to write key points about their answers on each question so the next group could see their answers and agree or disagree. It was an activity that took a good chunk of a period to do, but it was well worth it. Students seemed to feel more comfortable sharing their answers when we came back together as a class as I heard responses from students that don't normally like to participate in a large group setting. They also found the activity helpful because not only did they discuss answers with their groups but they got to see the thought process of other groups as they added their answers to each sheet. 

The Great Gatsby Final Projects

The 20-1 class presented their re-enactments and music videos today. It was fantastic to see all of the hard work they put into their assignments! Check out a few of the awesome vids! What a great way to head into the holidays! 

McG, Melin, Raylene, Marti, Jade, & Fame

video above by Chandler, Shane, & Kaitlyn 

MacG, Dallas, & Goulet

The 9Bs Are "Hangin' Out"

 The 9s were collaborating with their partners wonderfully via Google Hangouts today. It was great to see them communicating in such a different way than they're used to. When interacting with each other this way, they have to process what it is they need to say to their partner to get the answers and responses they desire. Some got frustrated, but after a few moments of thinking, they typed out their thoughts and voila! their partner understood! Not only is this assignment great for them to work on their communication, but I have access to all of the stuff they're working on, I can Google Hangout with the groups themselves, AND help them edit their assignment along the way. It's working fantastically! Their creative minds have come up with some pretty impressive urban legends. Maybe you'll be hearing some of them through the grapevine soon! 

The 9Bs; Spreadin' Urban Legends

The 9Bs recently finished up their short story unit and voted Vanson Hamel's The Call short story as their favorite. I think it might have been the mixture of mystery and suspense in the story that they enjoyed most. Vanson's group (Jaxon, Shaelyn, Michael, & Branden) also did a fantastic job of recreating the story in video format and left their classmates wanting more! 

The Call, to me, seemed very similar to an urban legend I've heard many times over the years. You know, the one that involves a babysitter home alone with young children who keeps receiving strange phone calls and then the call gets traced and they're coming from INSIDE THE HOUSE! dun-dun-dun! Okay, you get it, and I'm also assuming that you've heard it before too. Right? Or the one with the man on the loose with the hook hand who almost kills the young couple who are hanging out on lover's lane. Those myth-type stories are the most popular urban legends being told these days and new variations of such stories are still being spoken of around the campfire or late at night at sleepovers. Spooky. 

The grades 9s' task was to create their own urban legend, explain its origin (what year/era did it come from), and create two other variations of it as well. Not only that, but they have to research their stories to see if it would even be plausible. As urban legends go, some have a bit of credibility to them which make them even more disturbing. The stories they have started to create are phenomenal and I'm excited to see and hear what they come up with. I have a plan as to what to do with their stories next, but you'll have to stay tuned. 

The students are allowed to be in partners, but there's a twist...they can't sit or work side-by-side. The partners must create their stories and presentations via Google and discuss their terms of action on Google Hangout. This way, students have to read what their partners are doing, edit each other's work, pay attention to the assignment at hand, and really take the time to communicate with their partner to ensure understanding. It's interesting to see some struggle at first but then get a sense of how they can communicate with their partner clearly and effectively as they work their way through their assignment. It's day two and already partners have divided up the work via Google Hangout, edited their presentations, and collaborated without even speaking face-to-face. How awesome is that?! I think it's fantastic. 

The Main Event

I stumbled across this video on YouTube (link below). It's refreshing to see and hear the words that I cannot, at times, seem to get out myself. It's a pretty accurate summary of how I feel about my career. School isn't all about the academics; it's about the real-life situations our students go through day in and day out. It's about teaching them how to cope, how to deal, how to strive, and how to survive. It's about helping to guide them along the way, informing them about issues that they don't quite understand, and helping them prepare for a bright future (that I intend on them having). I understand that not every student is going to write me an intellectual, mind-blowing, scholarly essay, and hey, that's okay. Different students strive in different areas of academics. To be honest, English class wasn't my favorite, mainly because I liked to write when the moment fancied me, not when I was told to. I get that. I get that not every student will find English class fascinating, just like not every student will want to sit through social class and hear about the Aztecs, or learn about the digestive system in science. It's okay. It's all okay. Again, school is not just about the academics, it's about building relationships and a positive rapport, and making a difference in the lives of the students that walk through our doors. But not only that, it's about letting them know that at this moment, even though they think algebra and essays aren't relevant, they are. That algebra and essays are more than just numbers and words; they contain a deeper meaning and more significance than they'll ever know. We're here to make sure that our students understand that the choices they make today are important. More important than they think.

What Students Really Need to Hear - Chase Mielke

The Great Gatsby Final Assignment

The ELA 20-1 crew is currently working on their final assignment for The Great Gatsby. They were asked to create either a music video (with original lyrics pertaining to the novel), or a movie trailer. These students are working so hard on their videos and I cannot WAIT to see the final products! They are all so creative and awesome in their own way! The pictures added to this entry are of one group going all out for their video! Keep it up, 20-1s! 
(No one was injured in the making of this video) :)