Extra Credit Theme Practice

Read the story below. What do you think the theme is? Explain in one complete paragraph. Be sure to give an example from your life to explain your thinking.


Adapted fom the novel- Call Me Maria

There once was a greedy baker who wanted to charge a starving man for the smell of his fresh-baked goods, aromas which gave the poor manpleasure and hope. He took the beggar to court to make him pay for what he was taking from him. The judge, to everyone's amazement, agreed with the banker. "If a man enjoys the smells of your labor, good panadero, then he must pay you in kind." The judge gave the poor man some coins from his own pocket and called both men to the bench. "Now, my brother, I want you to put those coins in your pocket and jingle them so the baker can hear the sound of money and thus you will settle your debt to the baker.

Theme Practice

Explain the theme (large message/lesson about life) that the person who made this poster is trying to communicate. Explain what the theme means by giving at least two examples from your life. Make the connections specific and clear.

Walk Two Moons

"Don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins."

Reflect on this quote, what are some possible meanings of this quote? What situations might it apply to? When do people tend to judge others? Is it ever helpful?

Getting Personal in Your Personal Narrative Writing by Including Character Feelings and Reactions

I wrote a really short personal narrative that I’d like to share with you. It’s about when my car broke down one time in the school parking lot.

Yesterday, when I was leaving the school parking lot my car could go forward, but not backward. Then, all of a sudden, it worked! I drove out of the parking lot and down the street. Then, it made an odd noise and it stopped, right in the middle of the road. I quickly called for a tow truck.

Now. Look at this next one. It is the same story, but I added in my reactions and feelings. See if you can notice what is different about the writing of this small moment.

Yesterday, when I was leaving the school parking lot, I noticed my car was acting strangely. It could go forward, but not backward. I was worried. Then, all of a sudden, it worked! I drove out of the parking lot and down the street. What a relief! Then, it made an odd noise. Thump! It stopped, right in the middle of the road. I was so upset, I thought I might cry. “What am I going to do now?” I thought. I quickly called for a tow truck.


Assignment:

I want you to think about including character feelings and reactions in your writing. Remember that in order to get the highest score possible for a narrative, you need to have these types of character reactions and feelings. Retell a small moment paying close attention to character reactions and feelings.


Here is a student example from last year that earned full credit:
(I put her character reactions in bold)

brittany S. room 304 said...
Five years ago, I was helping my mom get ready for the Fourth of July. I was so excited that time was already here. We all knew that my uncle was really sick but we thought he was going to pull through because he was so strong and determined. I was happy that he might get better but I was also sad that he was sick and couldn't be here for the Fourth of July. I still kept my hopes up. Then as we were going to bed the hospital called and said that there was a drastic change and that he was doing better. I was so relieved. Then we all went to bed and we were just excited that he was doing better and that he might come around. Then just as we were going to bed and falling asleep we got another call from the hospital saying that he was doing really bad and that he might die tonight. After that we didn't sleep at all we just stayed up.I was so sad and was thinking of the worst. Then a couple hours later we got a call that he passed away. I was so sad that I started to cry, but yet I smiled because I knew that he wasn't suffering anymore. We knew that he was in a place far better than the place he was in.

Getting Started on Personal Narrative Practice

I want you to think about a time that you were super excited. Using one of the strategies that I taught you to start a personal narrative (describing the weather, describing what you were feeling, or dialogue), write the start of a personal narrative showing that you know how to do one of the three strategies. Try to do one that you have not done before.

Telling the Truth

Tell me a mini personal narrative about a time for you when 'Honesty is the best policy’ applied to your life? (Remember to use I to narrate your mini story, show what you were thinking or feeling, use similes, metaphors, good adverbs, and focus on a short period of time- like a couple of hours)

Welcome to 6th Grade and blogging!

Dear 6th Grade Students,

You will receive one blog weekly that you will be responsible for answering. Since many of you have not blogged in the past, this blog entry will be basically for you to practice how to submit a comment.

We will blog throughout the school year. I will post questions and you will share your thoughts and ideas in response in the appropriate area. When posting, please keep the following in mind:

~Please do not put your entire name. Please write your name as Jesus G. Room 302. This is posted on the internet and can be viewed by anyone. I want to ensure your safety.

~All comments go through me first. Your comment will not immediately post; I will post them. Any inappropriate comments will be deleted and will not be posted for viewing.

~Type what you are going to say in Microsoft Word first, use spell check, copy and paste it into the blog and then submit.

Today, please introduce yourself and share one interesting fact about yourself that others may not know about you.

Central High School Today

Central High School on PhotoPeach

Reflections on 8th Grade

Tell the story of your favorite memory related to 8th grade. Focus on a small moment in time (not a whole day or week). Share how you felt, what you were thinking as it was happening, and how you feel looking back on that day now.

Central High School vs. Dunbar High School

The Little Rock Nine would have had to had attended Dunbar High School (one of the all black high schools in Little Rock). The buildings look exactly identical, but the classes that they offered were different. At Dunbar, one of the classes was on how to do laundry. At Central High School, they students had the option to pick from six different languages. What do you think about this difference? If you were a black student in Little Rock at the time, how would this difference influence your thinking about schools?

Interview with Melba

Go to the website below and read through the interview with Melba (as an adult):

http://pbskids.org/wayback/civilrights/buzz/index.html

What are some insights that you have as you went through the questions? What do you think about Melba's experiences and her advice?

Discuss Your Research Topic

What is your research topic? What happened in the event (give a brief explanation)? Who are the upstanders, bystanders, perpetrators and victims involved in your topic? Explain with examples.

Respond to Your Classmates

Look back at the responses from the last post about stereotypes from House on Mango Street. I want you to respond to one of your classmate's thoughts and make a connection to what he or she wrote and a judgment (share your thinking). Here is an example of what I am looking for:

Jessica Pelayo wrote:
The author thinks the stereotypes she describes come from everyone around us. We are all guilty of prejudice because we all judge people by their color or how they look. And that's how stereotypes are started. I also believe that they come from all of us, because I am sure that there is not one person out there that hasn't prejudged someone. So we need to blame ourselves. I think stereotyping can be stopped by everyone just accepting everyone else instead of the first thing they notice is the color of their skin or the way they look when you first see them and just getting to know the person a little bit more. Because we are all equal and it's not right.

Jessica,

I like you how you say that we are all guilty of judging others because we all have have looked at other people and had thoughts (many times wrong) right away. It isn't right (like you say) and I think that it holds people back from meeting some really awesome people. These types of judgments are the basis for stereotyping. For example, I am friends with someone who has a very heavy accent. A couple of my friends think it is strange that I am friends with this person, but the person is extremely funny and I am grateful for having had the opportunity to have gotten to know the person the way that I have. I could have been like my friends, this person has a heavy accent and think that the individual isn't as smart as they are, but I took the time to get to the individual. For me, trying to avoid stereotyping is an issue of fairness. I know I have many imperfections and I'd hate for someone to miss out on the chance to really get to know me because they judged me for being too tall, too white, too bookish, too beautiful (j/k), or whatever. Thanks for an insightful post.

Mr. Barr

*****Be sure to meet the length requirements for your blog entry... see the sidebar for more details if you don't remember my expectations for a developed answer*****

"Those Who Don't"

In House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros writes:

Those who don’t know any better come into our neighborhood scared. They think we’re dangerous. They think we will attack them with shiny knives. They are stupid people who are lost and got here by mistake.

But we aren’t afraid. We know the guy with the crooked eye is Davy the Baby’s brother, and the tall one next to him in the straw brim [hat], that’s Rosa’s Eddie V. and the big one that looks like a dumb grown man, he’s Fat Boy, though he’s not fat anymore nor a boy.

All brown all around, we are safe. But watch us drive into a neighborhood of another color and our knees go shakity-shake and our car windows get rolled up tight and our eyes look straight. Yeah. That is how it goes and goes.

Answer the following questions in your response. Be sure to follow the blog expectations for full credit. List the stereotypes that they have of us. List the stereotypes that we have of them. Where does the author think the stereotypes she describes come from? Where do you think they come from? How can stereotyping be stopped?

Extra Credit Blog Entry

Hate crimes like what happened to Emmitt Till still happen today. This shows us that not all groups have complete rights that we are entitled to as humans. Many times, some of us have engaged in hateful behavior without thinking about it. Watch the video below (you are going to have to do it at home or CPL because Youtube is blocked by CPS). As you watch the video, how does the teacher connect the phrases "that is so Jewish" with the phrase "that is so gay?" Talk about a time in which you have said or heard someone say "that is so gay." Why was it said and how did you react? What is the message that the phrase "that is so gay" gets across about being gay? Explain and refer to the blog expectations for full credit.

Emmitt Till

After having learned about Emmitt Till and the actions of Moses Wright, do you think Moses Wright was a bystander, upstander, victim, or perpetrator? (He can be a combination of the terms). Be sure to explain.

United We Win

In your answer, make sure you address all of the questions below:

What message do you think the poster above is trying to get across? (In your answer be sure to address the fact that there is both a white man and a black man in the poster). Why do you think this message is important during war? What might have been happening in America that might have made a poster like the one above necessary? How might a black person feel viewing this poster during WWII? How might a white person feel viewing this poster during WWII?

Aaron Elster

What do you think about his experiences so far? Please talk about specific examples from the book.

What if?

NOTE: Please read everything before you post. You can skip the link below, but I thought it was cool how the museum let me film a little message to share.

This last weekend I had the chance to go to the National World War II Museum. It was really an incredible experience. I learned a lot, but two pieces of information really stood out for me. There was one exhibit that focused on how Jews who lived in America contributed to WWII. To see me share what I learned from that exhibit, click below:

http://www.apsoluta.com/ictv/player/nww2.php?file=http://cms-videos.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ICTV_video_33_2011_2_6_13_58_56379_2011.8489892161451.flv

The second piece of information that I never knew was that by the year 1939, the United States Army was ranked number 19 (just behind Bulgaria) in terms of strength. The United States was definitely not ready to fight (much less lead) in World War II. It had a peacetime military that still relied on old technology. The picture to the left from the museum contains little soldiers, aircraft figures, and ships to show powerful each country was by 1939. See how small the American military might is compared with Japan and Germany by 1939.

Assignment:

With the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, most Americans finally realized that the United States could no longer remain neutral in World War II. Before this point, many Americans were split over tbe idea of the United States going to war. Imagine it is 1939. You are an average American. Would you be for or against America getting involved in WWII?

Here is the information you have to help makeup your mind:

• You are a young adult male/female with little money and no job (thanks to the lingering effects of the Great Depression)



• You lost an uncle in WWI. He was poisoned to death in a foxhole by mustard gas.



• You've read about how the Americans are extremely unprepared for war.

Write one paragraph telling me what you would do and why. Take into account all of the information that you have to make up your mind and explain it it factored in your decision-making.

Skimming

I want you to skim the following article and share some of the insights that you have after reading through it. Why do you think survivors share their stories?

http://www.holocaustsurvivors.org/data.show.php?di=record&da=survivors&ke=7

This blog entry is due Friday, March 4 at 4:00. Anything past that time will lose substantial credit.

An American Perspective

What do you think about his experiences? Please reflect on what you just witnessed and provide examples from the video for support.

An American Perspective

What do you think about his experiences? Please reflect with examples from the video.

Bystander Effect

Last week we read a student poem in which the poet wrote as if she was a witness to the events of the Holocaust.The person in the poem choose to just "walk away," even though the person knew that Jews were being mistreated. When someone sees wrong occuring but makes the choice not to act, that is called being a bystander.

The Holocaust is not the only time in which people were bystanders. It is a common thing that all of us have been guilty of at some points in our lives. Here is another example of someone being a bystander.

Assignment
How is the scenario below an example of someone/a group of people being bystanders? Why do you think the assistant principal responded the way he did?

The Richmond High School Incident
It happened the night of October 27, 2009. The girl’s name has not been released, as she was 15 years old at the time, but the accounts of the crime all agree, and it is beyond belief. For 2 and a half hours, while the High School Homecoming Dance was taking place inside the gymnasium, approximately 10 men gang-raped the 15-year-old student, beating her savagely the whole time, all the while 10 others stood around laughing and taking pictures with their cell phones.

The crowd eventually numbered more than 20, and no one called the police. No one went inside to tell a security guard or a policeman, several of which were on campus at the time. A little earlier, the assistant principal looked out his office window and saw 12 to 15 grown men sitting around near the scene of the crime, none of whom had identification badges, as is required, and none of whom appeared to be a teenager, and the assistant principal did not call the police, or alert any teachers or students. He returned to his job and ignored them.

The girl was severly hurt and was left for dead. She was found later by someone leaving the dance.

Images from the Holocaust

In one detailed paragraph (in which you refer back to specific parts of the video), reflect (meaning share your thoughts and feelings) on what you watched. Listen extra close when the woman speaks; she goes from being a bystander to being an upstander.

The Holocaust from Alex Brady on Vimeo.