Show Don't Tell!

In class today, we discussed "Show Don't Tell" strategies. Students are becoming more aware of how to write a text without listing words and emotions while adding deeper descriptions. We also went over what similes and metaphors are.

Here's what they did today on the subject:

Happy (students 2, 10, 21, 23)

Standing at the top of the mountain, feeling the thrills rush through me, I am looking down at all the tiny skiers below. As I pick up speed I smile as I go off the jump laughing freely and cry out “Yeah!” in mid air. While I speed down the mountain I feel like I am leaving all my stress and worries behind. No matter how tired I am, this moment couldn't be more amazing.

 

Sad (students 1, 7, 14, 17)

We are in the outskirt of Germany in 1941. I was standing in the middle of the battlefield, as I reach into my pocket and pulled out a picture of my wife. My heart fell a thousand feet as I thought of her. Tear drops flowed down my cheeks and dropped off my chin like a raindrop slowly trickling down a flower petal.

Fearful / Scared (students 5, 19, 22, 25)

I started backing up. My heart was pounding. Sweat was pouring down my face. I gathered my courage, put my hand on the doorknob and went in.

Mad (students 4, 9, 20, 24)

Jeremy stomps up to his room. With no hesitation, he kicks his door wide open. Feeling a rush of adrenaline, he leaps onto his bed, and starts punching his pillow, like a boxer punching his punching bag. He growls at it. His heart starts speeding up, faster, and faster. He's out of breath.

Lonely (students 6, 12, 26, 28)

I felt like I was the only person stranded on Earth. Everyone had died. I had no help whatsoever. So many questions were on my mind, but nobody could answer them.

Excited (students 8, 11, 15, 27)

My heart raced, I could not wait. I jumped up and down like a startled rabbit. My eyes gleamed with tears of relief. I would see my family soon, I was going home.

The man couldn't wait to go home...

Shy (students 3, 13, 18)

I wish I were a ghost. In a room full of vacant stares, a wave of humility washes over me.

 

On a different note, there is a Remembrance Day assembly tomorrow after recess. Division 3 students' work will be displayed on the walls near the entrance of the gym. You should come, it will be worth it!

See you tomorrow (I hope)!

Character Analysis - Bubbl

Here's something we did in class this morning. Students are welcome to use this tool to help them brainstorm ideas and 'dig deeper'.

Division 3 students can write!

Awhile

This is what I see when one of you takes awhile to remember how to spell a while.

Merci à Jacqueline pour le joli dessin!

Proud!

I'm so proud of all my Grade 7 students! You all looked amazing this evening. Beautiful dresses, shirts and smiles, inspiring and touching speeches. Thanks to all the Grade 6 students who chose to help and donate their time. You rock!

Of special note this evening:

1. Worldometers

2. Build Your Wild Self

3. Ninja Words

4. Wolfram Alpha

5. Phras.in

6. Tip of My Tongue


I have a special surprise for you tomorrow. The event will take place between lunch and recess...

Alot of Talking Dogs?

Today in class we discussed skateboarding in Afghanistan. This site will give you alot of information on the subject.

There are alot of other things I'd like to say this evening but it will have to wait until another time as I have alot of work to do!

Here's a little something from Aidan...

Wordle

This is what happened when I put the url of our blog into Wordle. Cool, isn't it?

School Wide Write + Cooking With my Kid

This is such a great blog that I thought I'd share it with you.  Let me know if you try any of the recipes.  There is a "School Lunch" section, if you are looking for some new ideas.  I'm getting hungry just looking at the pictures!

On a more serious note, students recently wrote a persuasive essay and I'm done marking them.  Every student at JQ went through the writing process and teachers used the Ministry's Performance Standards to mark students' work.  All of the rubrics can be found here.

No video today, I'm taking a break! :-)

Writers' Toolbox

I've been talking about 'thesis statements' for a while now and I thought this website could be useful to some of you.

There are many more useful tips given on the site so feel free to browse through.

-Effective Titles

-Introductory Paragraphs

-Thesis Statements

-Development

-Unity and Coherence

-Conclusion

-The Basic Principles of Persuasive Writing

This is also a great site if you wish to know more about writing.

Facebook, Bullying, Writing Tools and Christmas

Good morning everyone!

I've been collecting a bunch of interesting articles and cool websites, so before my list gets too long, I'd like to share a few with you. All links will also be added to the 'Liens Intéressants' section of this blog if they are targeted at students.

Facebook

Did you know that children under age 13 are not supposed to be on Facebook?

This was taken straight from their site:

No information from children under age 13. If you are under age 13, please do not attempt to register for Facebook or provide any personal information about yourself to us. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under age 13, we will delete that information as quickly as possible. If you believe that we might have any information from a child under age 13, please contact us through this help page.

Parental participation. We strongly recommend that minors 13 years of age or older ask their parents for permission before sending any information about themselves to anyone over the Internet and we encourage parents to teach their children about safe internet use practices. Materials to help parents talk to their children about safe internet use can be found on this help page.  

If your child already has a Facebook account and you're fine with it, I recommend following these steps:

1. Read this article. I found it in Today's Parent magazine. Great article! It's a must read for all parents and teachers alike.

2. Visit the links I've included in the 'For Parents' section of this blog, under 'Internet Safety'.

3. Open your own Facebook account (if you don't have one already).

4. Discuss Facebook usage with your child (if he/she has his/her own account)

5. Know your child's password. (discussed in article listed in #1)
6. Discuss the consequences of postings pictures and saying 'inappropriate stuff' online (Facebook,  emails, etc.).

Writing Tools

Students are really lucky to have access to such terrific online tools. Here are some of my latest discoveries:

1. Here is a great (and quick!) online dictionary everyone will enjoy using. It even keeps a history of all the words searched.

Ninja Words

2. Celui-ci n'est pas aussi rapide mais tout aussi utile:

Le dictionnaire

3. For those who don't always have the name of something they are trying to describe:

Le dictionnaire visuel

Visual Dictionary

4. When having trouble deciding between two similar phrases:

Phras.in

5. For those of us who can't seem to remember the entire word and get obsessed with it. If only they had one like this for songs!

Tip of My Tongue

Christmas

And to end this on a funny note, I'd like to share this cute video with you. Have a great weekend!

Writing Tools

Brainstorming ideas and planning a written response isn't always easy. Whether your child has mastered these two skills or not, he/she is encouraged to use this great (and free) web application when working from home.

This would be a perfect tool to use when preparing for a home reading reflective entry. These entries are due every Wednesday and are being evaluated using parts of the  BC Performance Standards for Writing.


Site: http://bubbl.us/

Rubrics used: