Summer…

I just wanted to let everybody know that I miss them.

That is all.

Krystina

ITHACA BOOK SALE!!!

So, Autumn, my boyfriend and I went to the book sale in Ithaca yesterday.

It was wonderful.

After at least two hours holding a full box, I bought 35 books for $15.60!!! GREAT DEAL. The sale is going on today, tomorrow, and Tuesday as well. The prices decrease everyday, and the last day you can get a bag of books for a dollar. That’s a steal

I bought many, many great books for no more than fifty cents a piece.

I even got a book of short stories by censored authors that was SIGNED by Judy Blume!!!!!

Most of the books that I bought, by authors such as Toni Morrison, Robert Cormier, Robert Frost, and William Golding.

I just got SO many great resources for my classroom, including ATWELL’s In the Middle and Coming to Know: Writing to Learn in the Intermediate Grades. (FOR FIFTY CENTS EACH)

Probably the coolest thing that I found was the same book that Mrs. Triplett got by Rudy-ard! I was so excited to find that!

The point of this post is to persuade ALL OF YOU to go to that book sale. There as a TON on the teaching of writing, as well as contemporary fiction.. every category you could imagine.

GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Krystina

SO EXCITED!!!!

I met with the host teacher for my first placement today, and I have just been re-energized!

I’m going to teach three sections of 9th grade honors, as well as two sections of 10th grade regular classes. This means two different, exciting unit plans!

For the 9th grade classes, I’m teaching an awesome book: Monster by Walter Dean Myers. You HAVE to check out this link , as it shows some of the book. It’s multigenre-ish, and is written as a narrative and sort of a screen play. I’m SO excited. I can’t stress that enough!

For the 10th grade classes, I’m teaching Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. This link provides an introduction to the book, in case you have not read it. If you haven’t you MUST.  I have loved this book since the first time I read it in high school. For more on Anderson, one of my favorite YA authors to date, check out her blog. What do you think of her writing challenge? Shall we participate?

I’m so excited to be able to teach texts that I am overly passionate about. I love the classics, but I see contemporary YA fiction as much more meaningful for students.

Along with these novels, I have freedom to do WHATEVER I WANT! I’m going to incorporate poems as well as short stories into my units, and I am being encouraged to do creative activities with the students. I’m SO happy to be working with Mrs. McKenney in the fall… She seems like the “dream” host teacher!

Krystina

Today in The Post Standard

This morning (Sunday) I opened to the second page of The Post Standard and look what I found!

“The collective history of Syracuse, six words at a time.”  SIX WORD MEMOIRS!

Culture:

• “industry changed swamp to city, fading”
• “a clean lake is our Destiny”
• “salt, potatoes, air contioning went south”

Seasons:

• “Two seaons, winter, fourth of July”
• “Winter and SUmmer only two seaons”
• “Where old clouds go to die”

Precipitation:

• “Salt, snow…More Snow…More Salt”
• “Snow, more snow, still more snow”

If anyone is interested in submitting additions to this piece, because it will be a continuous article, you can sent your work to: page2@syracuse.com

Kristin

FreeRice.com!!!

Check out this website. It’s FreeRice.com. This website was developed inorder to provide English vocabulary for everyone for free and to help fight world hunger! This site is great. This would be a great exercise for students. When you get to the main page there is a word, and you are asked to click on the word below it that best describes the word. If you get it right you receive a harder word.  For each correct word a person gets right the organization donates 20 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program! This is a great tool that will help improve students vocabulary all while fighting a good cause. Let me know what you think!

 

Kaitlyn

Taylor Mali!!

Last night, Stacia and I attended the Taylor Mali event.  I was laughing hysterically when I watched him on youtube about a year ago, so you can only imagine the condition I was in last night.  He is such an amazing public speaker and has the ability to capture attention in an instant.  His use of body language and variety of pitches he spoke in only encouraged me to remain focused, as if the content of his writing wasn’t enough to do so.  I am so happy I took the time to go to this event, because opportunities to see someone, do what I desire to do, is not something that occurs every day.  He is an inspiring man and encouraged me to keep writing, if not for me, than at least for my future students.

Kristin

My mini-lesson.

Unfortunately, I won’t be able to do my Mini-lesson until Monday April 28th due to aquity testing! The good news is that I will be there for a full day that day so I will be able to give the lesson to all of her classes. I am extremely excited about doing it. My host teacher and I sat down Friday afternoon and discussed a few options. She suggested I have them read an article that she has about white supremacy and discrimination, and then have them write two paragraphs about a time they had been discriminated against or someone they know has been. They will be sure to include specific details, which is what they need the most work on. Before the lesson I will be showing them an examples thats I wrote which included specific details and one that doesnt. They will then continue to write two more paragraphs about the article, and how they knew it was discrimination, etc. Since they don’t really have a district wide final exam, my host teacher suggested this would be perfect in preparation for her exam. What do you guys think? There still is a little fine tuning to do, but this is the central idea. Well I am off to observing now. Everyone have a good day!

 

Kaitlyn

Tommy :(

Just wanted to let everyone know (if you didn’t already get it in an email) the tickets for Tommy on Saturday at 8pm are sold out! I think there are about 20 left for Sunday, but they are selling fast! I won’t be able to go now since I will be at Bomb-itty, but I hope that someone was able to go so that we can hear about it! And how was Bomb-itty?!?!

Stacia

As You Like It!

I found out that As You Like It at Cornell University Apri 24th-26th, and May 1st -3rd at 7:30 pm. and May 3rd at 2pm. The cost is $8 for students and $10 for the general public! What a deal! We should all definately plan to go!

Kaitlyn

I Love My Hair!

After doing a little more research and finding a few books about African American hair, I am so excited about my multi-genre paper! I found the books, Nappy Hair by Caroline Herron, Happy to be Nappy, by Bell Hooks, and a few others. I never thought such a simple topic would be so interesting and complex. I need start embracing such a unique attribute I have!

Kaitlyn