Something to think about...

Here is a very popular new video that has come out from the people who made the video "The Story of Stuff". Since it talks about bottled water, I thought that it would be an appropriate addition to our unit about water and the environment. Your tasks include the following:

1.) Watch the entire video, "The Story of Bottled Water". Please keep in mind that you do not need to agree with the content of the video. You are more than welcome to agree or disagree with it, but I thought that it would be something interesting to get you thinking.

2.) Write TWO comments about your reaction to the video while you watched it. This should be done on your blog in a new post.

3.) Write TWO questions that came into your head either as you watched the video, or after you had finished watching it. These can be written along with your two comments, just be sure to separate and label them appropriately.

4.) Go onto other students' blog pages and read their comments and questions. Respond to TWO comments, and answer at least ONE question.

6 + 1 Traits Writing- Ideas, Narrowing Down Your Topic

[caption id="attachment_61" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Web Model"][/caption]

In class, we've been talking about how to narrow down writing topics from "Oversized" topics to "Manageable" topics. As a class assignment, you and a partner were to choose three oversized topics and narrow them down, using the web model that we went over in a lesson. Now I am giving you the final step of your assignment: (note: this is INDIVIDUAL work, not pair work)

You will choose one of the webs that you and your partner created. Create a Word document that illustrates your web, then take a screen shot of it. Next, you will embed the web illustration on your blog. Finally, you will write a two-paragraph reflection on the process, detailing the following information:

* Why you chose the "Oversized" topic to begin with

* The steps in which you and your partner used to narrow it down (this means that you will EXPLAIN your thought process as you walk us through the narrowing- down motions)

* Your final thoughts on why this is now a "Manageable" topic about which to write a class assignment

* What you learned from this lesson and assignment

This assignment should be categorized as "Six Traits"

NOTE: If you need help with any of these steps, there is an instruction handout that walks you through them posted in the Course Documents section of your NVS page.

I Made This!

Here is a fun little movie-making site that I found. I wanted to make one for myself to see how it works before assigning it in class. If there is an assignment that can be used with this, I think we can try it out.

This is amazing!

If you are looking for something to awaken your creative spirit, then look at this cool video on YouTube! A friend of mine showed this to me, and when I watched it, it completely blew my mind. What I find the most fascinating is the amount of planning and calculating that must have gone into this in order to have everything perfectly timed. If you have a few minutes, I highly recommend watching it, then tell me what you thought about it. Which part was your favorite?

Wordle- "Forgotten Language" by Shel Silverstein

I love this poem, and honestly, I think about it a lot as I walk around the Commons or the Dining Hall at school. The poem is a metaphor for childhood, and how once you lose it, it is gone forever. All day, I see middle school students who want to be older, look older and act older; I want to go to them and tell them that they will be older soon enough, and being older is not always much fun. I would love to tell them to enjoy being kids for a bit longer, and appreciate the fun that can be had by doing chidish things. So why don't I tell them these things? I know that they won't believe me, or listen to me. How do I know this? I know this because when I was their age, I wouldn't have, either. These are things that most people don't realize until they ARE older, but by then, it is too late. The language is forgotten.

If you are an adult, what is something that an older person told you when you were younger that you wish you'd listened to?

If you are a student, what is something that you would really like to know about being older?