Day 136-"There is no spoon." The Matrix

These last 2 days before break fell perfectly into the planning of my second semester. It actually worked out great for both 12b and creative writing. The students in 12b started watching Slaughter-House Five as my blended class did yesterday. They were also assigned to spot and note any difference in the movie from the book, which there are several. After we watched a portion of the movie, we discussed all the changed that we saw.

In creative writing, I wanted them to see the hero's journey played out, and since The Matrix was actually written to follow this cycle, we started viewing that. They were responsible for noting every aspect of the journey, and also for finding other elements such as the trickster, prophecy, goddess, lone animal going into an enchanted forest, and several others. We also discussed the elements of foreshadowing, symbolism, metaphor, and allusion that are seen in the first part of the movie.

Day 135- "“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” Albert Einstein

Last black day before break, and my student ran into a slight bump in their projects. The computer labs and the IMC were both closed today for some type of testing the school had to do, so none of my students could use iPass to work on their projects. This effected more than just my students, but I told them this is a real life situation they have to learn to adapt to, and their projects are still due Friday. The project was assigned 3 weeks ago, so it is no one's fault but their own if they waited until today to start it.

My blended class met today, and we began watching the movie version of Slaughter-House Five. We watched the first half to the movie, than spent the second half of class discussing the movie and how it contrasted the book. I noted over 50 differences between the movie and book, and we had a nice discussion of what was different. This isn't a well-done movie, but the contrast from the book is worth noting. Surprising, Vonnegut liked this movie, but I think it is actually making my students appreciate the book more.

Day 134- “The latest incarnation of Oedipus, the continued romance of Beauty and the Beast, stand this afternoon on the corner of 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue, waiting for the traffic light to change.” The Hero with 1,000 Faces

Creative writing was fun today, well, it's typically quite a bit of fun, but we delved into the hero's journey, or the monolithic journey. This theory states that most heroes go through the same process or formula, and all hero stories are in essence the same, or have the same elements. One student had heard of this before, but a few balked at the idea that all stories with a hero are similar. I went through the cycle with them, and showed them an example of how this is shown in Star Wars. I also relayed to them that almost every Disney movie follows this formula. We discussed Finding Nemo, Cars, and The Lion King and how the elements of the hero's journey tied into each. I wanted them to see this before they started writing their short stories so they had heard about it and if they wanted to write a story with a hero, they had a mold to follow.

Day 133- "What happened to your nose?/I used it to break some guy's fist." Lucky Number Slevin

Last week of class before a much needed two week spring break. It would start on a red day, which means I have two white days and my black day is on the early release day. I guess there could be worse tragedies in life. The pacing of my classes actually worked out better than I could have planned it, and I realized I was aided by a plethora of snow days, so I'll have to adapt this schedule for next year to mimic where we end up around break time.

In English 12, I gave my classes a work day in the lab to do the writing part of their projects, which are due Friday. They have had three weeks since this was assigned, but since many don't have computer access outside of school, I wanted to give them a day in the lab to write. I again informed them that short of death, they had no excuses to not turn in their projects on Friday.

In creative writing, we continued to discuss character development and how to reveal a character to a reader. Today, we discussed revealing a character through image and voice or dialogue. For dialogue, I showed them, literally from a script, some dialogue from Lucky Number Slevin. We read a scene that gives us a great picture of the character, how he acts, and his attitudes just through his dialogue. I can't show this in class because it is a little naughty, but I think them reading the dialogue instead of seeing the scene actually drives the point home anyway.

Day 132- "Would I cheat to save my soul? No. But to save my G.P.A.? Yes.” - Luna

I"m thankful for days like today. I only had one class of instruction because my blended class didn't meet and I had iPass and prep. I spent those three straight periods grading tests though, which is not much fun. At least I got all my grading done before the nine-weeks ended, so it should make my weekend a little bit easier.

Day 131- "Is this a test?" Captain America: The First Avenger

Today was a long day, but it was fairly boring day. I gave tests in all but one of my classes, and I didn't have prep today, so this was just a day that drug on and on. My blended class took the majority of the time on the test, while my second period class finished rather quickly. My last period class was about in the middle. This test was in two parts with one part being matching and the other being short answer and essay. If I had to bet, I would lay the farm on the theory that the classes that took longer to finish the test did better than those who finished it more quickly. I guess I won't know until I grade it, but I'm usually right about these sorts of things.

In creative writing, we moved on to how to develop a character. We discussed the ways characters are developed or revealed in a story, and we went over how to develop a main character for a story. This will be a challenge for some of them, and I hope they welcome it. I think I failed to mention this yesterday, but we are also reading through the second part of Stephen King's On Writing. I assigned the first chapter in his toolbox on Monday, and we discussed what he wrote today. The kids really loved how he writes, how blunt he is, yet how practical he is too. I hope they enjoy this book as much as I do.

Day 130- "What is writing? Telepathy, of course." On Writing

Today is Slaughter-House review day for English 12. I put them in groups and gave each group 3-4 characters and a questions they needed to answer from the book. They had to work in groups to find the answers, then discuss them and tell the rest of the class about them. I was really happy with how they did this and how it turned out. If they read the book faithfully and listened in class, they should do well on the test tomorrow.

In creative writing, we started to prep for our short story. We discussed as a class what makes good fiction and bad fiction. We did this by talking about some of our favorite stories, some of our least favorite stories, and what made us love them or hate them. We compiled a list, then we made a list of "rules" we wanted for our class short stories. We will continue to add to this list before and during our writing.

I spoke in cluster again today, and this time it was on how I teach introductions for narratives. I use movies and teach this as a narrative is just a story and movies are stories. Kids seem to relate to this, and they get it. I presented this same lesson at the Hoosier Writing Project and received great feedback on it, so I thought it would be a good one to present. The feedback I got in cluster was just as positive, and I think I may have shown my colleagues something they can actually use. Professional development at its finest.

Day 129- "Poo-twee-weet." Slaughter-House Five

Black days help alleviate the pain of white days, but I still miss my daily prep. In Read 180, the students took their workshop 6 assessment, which they did very well on. My blended class met today, and we discussed the last chapter of Slaughter-House Five, then reviewed for the test. iPass and prep followed, which were a little busier than usual. I had my coaching evaluation during prep, which again went very well. I also met with our cluster leader as I am again presenting in cluster (no, hell hasn't frozen over, but it may be getting chilly there). I could go on a rant about something that irritated me about my coaching evaluation, but I'll save that for another time and place.

Day 128- "So it goes." Slaughter-House Five

White Monday. If this day was a person, it would be the bastard child of Hitler and Stalin that was pure evil. No one likes Monday, and this is a long, long, long day. Did I mention it was long?

Once saving grace about today is that my first period blended class doesn't meet physically, but I did have students come in for help on things. My other English 12 classes finished discussing the last part of Slaughter-House Five, and I believe a some through a party that it was over. Sad, because this is such a great book. I think the ones who actually read most of it really did enjoy it. The ones who didn't or slacked off were a little lost.

In creative writing, we continued our descriptive writing theme. I had them do the writing below, and I critiqued their description. If it wasn't descriptive enough, I asked them questions that spurred them on to add more detail. Some loved this, others struggled to add enough detail for the reader so see, hear, and feel it. They are getting better, which is encouraging and exciting.

Write down a bumper sticker you like.

Describe the car (van, truck, SUV) this bumper sticker is stuck on- make, model, color, condition.

Open the door and describe the smells and textures.

Name and describe three objects you find inside the car.

Name and describe a fourth object you are surprised to find in there.

You look up, and the owner is coming. Who is he/she? How is he/she walking? What are they wearing? Are they carrying anything? What facial expression are they wearing? (Describe all of these in vivid, rich detail.)

The owners says something. What does he/she say?

Day 127- "Good description is a learned skill,one of the prime reasons you cannot succeed unless you read a lot and write a lot. " On Writing by Stephen King

Friday! I finally made it. This felt like two weeks instead of one. Ending my week on a red day is a nice gift into next week where I will have two black days and one of them being on Friday.

English 12 almost finished up chapter 9 in Slaughter-House, but I intentionally held off because I had something I wanted them to do. In the Vonnegut Library, there is a letter on display that is sealed. Vonnegut Sr. wrote this letter to his son while Kurt was in Germany. Kurt Jr. never received the letter as he was a POW, and the letter was returned to sender. When Kurt Jr. arrived home, his father gave him the unopened letter. Kurt Jr. never opened it. It was passed along to his son, and is son donated it to the library on the condition it would never be opened. For a writing activity, I explained all this to the class, then I had them write what they thought the letter said. There is an actually contest held by the library for this very activity, but I can't find any information on it for this current year.

In continuing our theme of descriptive writing in creative writing, I went back to the senses. I told my students I want to be able to hear, see, and feel the places and people they are describing in their writing. I gave each one of them a mini Milky Way bite sized candy piece. I told them I must truly love them to give away my favorite candy, so they should feel very privileged. I placed them on the desks and said they couldn't touch them. They then had to describe what they looked like and what they saw. We went through all the senses and I wrote their descriptions up on the board. I then allowed them to eat it and describe the taste. I then explained they had to write a narrative about a person who had never eaten or seen a Milky Way before and describe in vivid detail the experience. I told them from now on, I want to be able to see, hear,  and feel their writing. I then had them polish up their writing from the last day we met and use as much description as possible. This was then submitted for a grade.

Day 126-"What day is it? It's today." Winnie-the-Pooh A.A. Milne

Despite this day being an oasis for me, I was for sure it was Friday all day. Just keep thinking 6 more weeks...6 more weeks then we get to return to our normal schedule Again, I understand why were are going the extra time and I do think its the best option as I don't really want to go into June, but today, going into June sounds absolutely heavenly.

I gave my English 12 blended class my two question quiz, which some thought was hysterical that I legit had a two question quiz, but others found it less funny when they realized my quiz/tests/project grades count for 45% of the class. Guess they should read. Despite their quiz scores, the class discussion went very well and they seem have a good grasp of the novel. Actually only a couple students didn't do well on the quiz. This group tends to believe me when I tell them they need to read.

iPass and prep accounted for over three hours of my day, so I really have nothing to complain about there! I am currently all caught up on grading and have planned English 12 out until spring break. I'm just ready for a nap.

Day 125- “Description is what makes the reader a sensory participant in the story." On Writing by Stephen King

Is it Friday yet? It has to be close. I didn't think anything could be worse than a white day, but today, I found out that I was terribly wrong. Extended day white days on a Wednesday have become my new bane. I understand why we have them, but it doesn't change the fact that at the end of the day I just sat at my desk, sort of stared ahead, and was in a daze for a few minutes. Well, maybe more than a few.

English 12 kept trekking through Slaughter-House, and we are almost done. I gave them another one of my infamous "did you read quizzes" today. For this one, I had a mere two questions. 1. Did you read the assignment? 2. If so, prove it by discussing one event in the assignment. Yep, that happened. My second period class doesn't quite get I mean what I say when I tell them to read, and I have a feeling their quizzes will show that.  The students had to tell me by today what project they were doing, and they all at least have one chosen. I hope they take their time on these and they turn out well. I know some are already working on them, which is necessary. 

Creative writing was an exercise in patience, improvisation, and surprise. Our school is having a group from Advanced-Ed here today for our reaccreditation, so there could be visitors in our classrooms at anytime. Even though I knew this and was prepared, the events of this class threw me off. First, as a class we were going to listen to Capotes' A Christmas Memory as they followed along. I almost didn't print these off, but I wanted to give them the option to mark up the text. These turned out to be what saved me today because about 5 minutes into the class, our network went down. Typically this isn't a big deal, but in a class where the students have a 1-to-1 device and we use it for writing and sharing this can be a bit tragic. Unfortunately, the audio to the story was also online, but that was nothing my iPhone hooked up to my speakers couldn't solve. As we are listening to the story,  I stop it at one point to discuss his use of descriptive language, and I see a strange man in my room. Ah yes, welcome Mr. Advance-Ed person. I'm glad he wasn't packing or we would have all been dead. Guy must moonlight as a ninja though. Anyway, I've regressed. We listed to about half the story, then I showed them a scenic picture of an old rowboat next to a shore at sunset, which they had to describe to someone who wasn't there. They just started on this and I didn't expect them to finish today.

Day 124- "She was a dull person, but a sensational invitation for making babies." Slaughter-House Five

Wow these days are long. 36 minutes is truly brutal to add to a day. This will be short due to being exhausted. In English 12 we finished up chapter 8 and started into chapter 9 Slaughter-House. We discussed one of my favorite quotes in the book, which is the title of this post. Vonnegut's humor in this book shocks these kids. I told them they better read for tomorrow as there will be a reckoning, but I'm not sure they listened. In creative writing we began working on descriptive writing and really trying to put the reader in the scene they are writing. I had them write about an thrilling or anguishing moment in their lives. We then discussed descriptive writing and I read them an excerpt from a story that used very descriptive language. I then let them go back and try to make their moments more descriptive. This will definitely be a multi-day lesson.

Day 123- Time is the longest distance between two places." Tennessee Williams

For the next 8 school weeks, we will be adding 36 minutes to each day. Since we have had an abundance of snow days, the state DOE has let schools get creative with how to make up the school days. They are allowing us to "bank time", which means we can add time to the day and use the extra time as banked time to make up for the days we have missed. 36 minutes only adds 6 minutes to each period, but 6 minutes added to a class feel more like 6 days. Thankfully today was a black day, so my load was lighter than usual, and I have an extra long prep, but having the end of the day hit at 2:56 after 10 years of 2:20 is a little brutal. In a cruel joke, today was the first Monday of the month, meaning we had a faculty meeting right after school. Yeah, that didn't make the day shorter.

My blended class met today, and I handed out their project requirements for Slaughter-House Five then discussed it. I laid into them a too. They are extremely lazy, and I let them know that if they didn't start working harder, then this class would cease to be blended and they would meet every single day like the regular classes. All their privileges of a blended class would be revoked and they would have to sit in class, in longer classes at that, instead of meeting virtually. They got quiet really quickly because most of them know me well enough that they know I'm dead serious. As of 10:30 tonight, my school inbox is flooded with notifications for assignments coming in. I'm hoping this is the last time I have to have this talk with them.

Day 122- "She was a junkie for the printed word. Lucky for me, I manufactured her drug of choice." Wonder Boys

Today is our last day of school ending at 2:20. Starting next week and until May 9th, we will be adding 36 minutes a day, which is roughly 6 minutes a period. I have a feeling those 6 minutes will feel more like 6 years. A few of us are going out in style at an off-site meeting place that knows us well.

I believe my seniors read today, which showed in the discussion of the assignment. I guess a few "did you read?" quizzes actually does spur them on to reading. Can't fathom not wanting to open a book and dive in until I drowned in the words, but I guess these kids are just missing out! We had a profitable discussion on the first part of chapter 8, and the kids got a good picture of one Kilgore Trout. One of my favorite lines in the book is coming up, and I hope they don't miss it!

CW was a writing day. I had them choose which one of their 1st or 3rd POVs they wanted to submit for a grade, polish it up, revise it, and submit it. I also had them do the same for one of the quick writes we did this week (finish it, polish it up, submit it). I wrote with them as well, and look forward to seeing where their writing is taking them.

Day 121- It's gonna be a really tough project. You're gonna have to use your head, your brain, and your mind, too." School of Rock

I told my seniors to read chapter 7, but they didn't listen to me. I gave them a short quiz over the short chapter, and I heard "How badly with this hurt my grade?" Many times today. One would think by now they would know I give them quizzes, but apparently they have yet to learn. Silly kids. Anyway, after I gave the quiz, I put them in groups and made them discuss what parts of the chapter they did read, then we came back together to discuss the chapter. I then handed out the paper for their project for Slaughter-House Five. They have 6 different options for the projects, and I've attached it to this post. I told them they have until the day before break to turn this in, no late work accepted. Welcome to the real world kids.

In CW, I let the students analyze my 1st person story that I wrote, and we discussed the elements of it, the drawbacks and benefits. I then had them share their first person writing with a partner and discuss it. We then took the same story, and wrote it in the 3rd person. I wanted them to see how they would have to change things and what details they would need to add to make it interesting to the reader. I again, wrote with them and made my 1st person into 3rd person. I'm excited to read what they have to write.

Slaughter-House Five Project

            To show your knowledge of the book, its concepts and themes, you will choose one of the following tasks below. You will present you project to the class, and you will present the project and written components to myself. This project is worth 100 points and will be considered as a test grade.

The Tasks (you choose one):

• Video Production Option: Film Trailer or Scene
• A Slaughter-Houser Five movie needs to be remade and updated . You (and a group of your peers, if you choose) are to produce either a trailer for the film, or a key scene from the film. This scene must be of your own creation; it can use any applicable movie software, can include filmed footage and/or still images, should include transitions, titles, and effects, and must include a slide that identifies all students who took part in the project (ex. “Directed by…”). You are encouraged to include at least one backing song or audio narration if creating a trailer. The final clip should be a minimum of 2 ½ minutes long.
• Photography/Visual Option: Movie Poster
• Create a movie poster to advertise the film. You can use computer software or physical materials to do so. The poster should be at least the size of a standard page of paper (if done with computer software) or larger. Additionally, you will include a written explanation and reflection on the choices you made in constructing the poster (ex. Explain why you presented certain images, focused on certain theme(s), character(s), etc.).
• Use the humans as a millipede concept to create a continuous motion college or picture representing a point in time. Write an analysis of why you chose this event and discuss why the Tralfamadorians would see time in this way. This must be an original creation of your own and not copied from the Internet
• Written Option: Newspaper or Blog Article
• Write a newspaper or blog-style article persuading the audience (your peers: target audience ages 17 to 25) about why they should read this book. Make sure you discuss both the theme and content of the book, and why it’s important for young audiences to see and engage with the ideas in this film. 2 pages double-spaced, minimum. Use Pages/Publisher software or the like to integrate visuals in your article.

• Music Option: Film Soundtrack
• Create a soundtrack for the film. The songs should tie in with the novel’s themes, characters, and key scenes. Consider all aspects of the songs when choosing those that connect to the film/novel, including but not limited to lyrics, mood, and the genre of music. You should include a minimum of 6 songs: 2 connected to different themes, 2 connected to different characters, and 2 connected to different key scenes.
• Additionally, you will include a written explanation and analysis of why you chose each song (Specifically, for each song, identify the artist and song title, identify the aspect of the novel it’s connected to, and explain, in one or two developed paragraphs, how the song connects lyrically, in terms of mood, etc.).
• You are not required to do so, but you may burn a copy of the songs onto a CD and submit this for bonus points on the assignment.
• Construction
• Based on the description of a Tralfamadorian, construct a life-sized replica of the alien species. Additionally, you will write a description of how you built the replica and you will discuss, in writing, how their bodies contrast with their abilities to see in four dimensions.

This project will be graded holistically (i.e. a letter grade that considers the project’s attention to all required elements) on the following elements:

• Completion of all listed project requirements
• Project’s representation of novel’s theme(s) and content
• Originality and creativity of ideas
• Professional presentation

If you have any further questions about the requirements or allowances of the project, or would like assistance with using any of the software, please see me.

Day 120- Cry havoc said he who fought chaos with chaos and let slip the dogs of war." House of Cards (with a little Julius Caesar)

From a teaching standpoint, today was a very non-stressful day. Read 180 and the lab were solid, and the students are really, for the most part, finally understanding how to write an engaging introduction. We will keep working on this as I know they haven't written much in their entire lives.

My blended class met today, and we discussed all of chapter 6, and I gave them a "you need to work harder and turn your stuff in or you won't graduate" talk. They are starting to get lazy, which means I need to light a fire under them. F's tend to do that, so a pop quiz may be coming soon. They are all ready for spring break, which is 3 weeks away. This group will be tough to keep going after break, but I'm hoping the fear of failure will spur them on since wanting to be successful is not.

Today, hell froze over and I led cluster. Yes, I actually led cluster. I'm not kidding! I presented how I attack a prompt and help my students learn to how break it down and answer it. I started the presentation by discussing how I teach writing and I don't use gimmicks like a 5 paragraph essay or anything like that. I teach writing using 4 questions: who am I writing to, what am I writing, why am I writing, how am I going to write. I feel by answering these 4 questions, a person can write for anything, whether it be a test, ECA, creative writing, or composition. I told the group why I believe this and gave examples, then applied this philosophy to writing to a prompt. I modeled how I teach my kids to do this through asking these questions, then we discussed in groups. The feedback I received was all extremely positive, and one teacher even told me they felt cluster should be like that every week. The cluster leader wants to collaborate with me for the rest of the writing unit because he told me he learned more from two conversations with me that he did in all his weeks of research. It was really hard for me to not say "I told you so", but I somehow accomplished this feat. I think I deserve a medal. Its also possible I may have raised my professionalism score to a "1", which is allegedly the lowest a person can receive, but I'm pretty sure I broke new ground and hit "0" a few months ago. I guess I can only go up!

Day 119- "Now just think... if you had any class or style like me, somebody might've mistaken you for somebody." Band of Brothers

In English 12, we discussed chapter 6 in Slaughter-House, and I showed them a video from Band of Brothers that depicted a concentration camp. I assigned them chapter 7, and told them they better read. One would think when I make threats like that they will listen, but I'm not sure they are getting the idea I can give a quiz any day.

In CW, we started going into point of view and the benefits and drawbacks of 1st and 3rd person POV. I showed them a video that depicted this well, then we had a nice discussion. I then had them write a 1st POV depicting a person who was sitting outside of their boss's or principal's office, and they were in trouble awaiting their fate. During class, I wrote with them. I love that I get to write with my students daily. Hopefully we can all grow together as writers.

Day 118- Partial sick day...again

I only went in for first period today, then I had to leave because my wife woke up with a high fever. I've missed more days this year than ever before. Hopefully this trend will cease quickly.

I had my Eng 12 students work in groups to discuss the first part of chapter 6, and my CW students were to find a weird news story online and write the backstory for it. They appeared to have fun with this when I read over their writings they submitted.