September Sky

Here is the new and improved version of my memoir.  What makes this one an effective piece of writing? 

    “Where did I put that stack of papers?” I muttered to myself as I looked for the copies of the handouts I needed to give my first class of the day.  “There they are!” I seemed to always be scrounging at the last minute to find what I needed for class.  When would I ever get organized?

     “Mrs. McGriff, did you hear what happened?  A plane ran into the World Trade Center!”  Josh told me as he came into homeroom that morning. 

     I looked at Josh in disbelief.  “Josh, you can’t believe everything you hear.  That’s how rumors get started.”  I was always amazed at how quickly news traveled around the middle school.  Somehow without radios or televisions, my students seemed to know what had happened as soon as it happened.  Of course, by the time the news made the rounds of the school, it had often changed quite a bit.  I knew from past experience that Josh–like many middle school students–was quick to pass on news, but did not often check the accuracy of what he heard first. 

     Soon homeroom was over, and students in my second period class came into the room.  Small groups of students stood around the desks, talking and laughing befroe beginning the work of the day.  I hastily checked one more time for the handouts on using commas that we would go over in a few minutes. 

     “Hey, Mrs. McGriff, did you hear that a plane ran into the World Trade Center?”  Cory asked just as the bell rang.  Several other students looked at me.

     Oh no, I thought.  Would this story not ever go away today?  But still, Cory was generally a pretty responsible student.  There was only one way to put an end to this and get on with class.

     “All right, class,”  I said.  “Let’s turn on the television.  If something like this really happened, it will be on all the channels.”  I couldn’t imagine an airplane running into the World Trade Center in New York.  It’s not like the pilot couldn’t see them from a long ways off.  And besides, I knew from my experience as a private pilot that small planes couldn’t just ride over New York and buzz the tops of apartment buildings.  With as many airplanes as flew into and out of New York, small planes weren’t even allowed without meeting specific guidelines.  I never imagined someone would deliberately fly an airplane into a building. 

     I turned on the classroom television, hoping to put an end to this latest rumor floating around school.  Little did I know that my whole world was about to change because Josh and Cory had been right.  I stepped back from the television, expecting to see one of the morning talk shows.  Instead, the somber faces of Peter Jennings and other reporters filled the screen.  The classroom grew silent as the reporters related that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center.

     Over and over again we watched the video play of the second airplane crashing into the other tower.  Plumes of white smoke poured into the bright blue sky.  I struggled to grasp the enormity of what had happened.  Before our eyes first one tower collapsed and then the other.  There was no hope for the people left inside.  The twin towers had their own zip code.  How many thousands of people were killed when the towers crashed?  What was it like for the people on the plane, knowing that they were going to crash into a building?  Did they know what was coming?  Not even the news reporters seemed sure of what was going on.  I could not get my mind around the fact that terrorists had hijacked two, three, four airplanes and deliberately crashed them into buildings.  Every time I thought of what it must have been like for the passengers on those planes, my mind ran into a brick wall.  It couldn’t be possible.

    Fear began to fill the room as other news reports filtered in.  A plane had struck the Pentagon in Washington.  Another plane was headed for the White House.  A plane crashed in Pennsylvania.  All airplanes had been ordered to land at the nearest airport.  Where was my brother?  He was a flight attendant for Delta.  Had he been working on one of the planes that crashed?

     Several students began to cry.  I looked around the classroom.  My students’ faces reflected the questions in my own mind.  I was the teacher.  I was supposed to have the answers to their questions, to know how to lead them through this crisis.  But I didn’t have the answers.  I didn’t know what to do.  All I had was more questions.  Could I cry in front of my students?  How could I listen to their questions when my mind was racing with unanswered questions of my own?  I struggled to think of what to tell them could help them cope with what was happening.

     All through the rest of the day, I watched news reports with my classes.  I still didn’t have any answers to their or my questions.  I still don’t have answers today.  I don’t know why anyone would hate our country so much that they would be willing to die and to kill so many innocent people.  As I seek to find a sense of peace and safety in a world that has been changed forever, I echo the prayer my daughter repeated before dinner each night for months after this day:  God please be with the people on the airplane and in the building.

Mrs. McGriff’s Very Bad Memoir

Here it is:  the memoir I spent two minutes writing.  Man, those bad examples are easy.  What makes this an ineffective piece of writing?

 September 11

        It all started during homeroom that morning.  A student told me that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center.  I didn’t believe him.

        During 2nd period another student told me the same thing.  After that I turned on the television to see if it was really true.  It was.  Two airplanes had crashed into the World Trade Center.  Another crashed into the Pentagon.  Another one crashed in Pennsylvania.  Then the World Trade Center collapsed.  Thousands of people died in the worst terrorist attack in the United States.  It was the worst day ever.

Who’s Reading What Memoir

Do you want to know who else in other classes is reading the same memoir you are?  Now you can!  Click on the links to their blogs to leave your thoughts about the book as you read and discuss it together.  You can also learn some valuable background information by clicking on the NetTrekker link for each memoir.  Watch the video or explore the website to learn more.  Remember the username is middle123 and the password is student. 

Boy by Roald Dahl:  Courtney B., Zach T., JD D., Charity A., Adam Dr., Maverick C., Austin Mu., Austin Ma., Isaiah W.  Click here to learn more about Roald Dahl–his life and books. 

Going Solo by Roald Dahl:  Whitney B., Neal N., Gee M.  Click here to learn more about Roald Dahl–his life and works. 

Finding Fish by Antwone Fisher:  Mickey B., Preston F., Anthony E., Hank J.  Click here to learn more about Antwone Fisher.  Explore Antwone Fisher’s website to learn more about him. 

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank:  Sara V., Brittany H., Patience E., Jessi R., Baylee K., Baylee W., Ashton B., Maddy H., Carleesa B., Ariel G., Paige G., Tiffany B.  Watch a BrainPop video to learn why Anne’s diary is so important. 

Soul Surfer by Bethany Hamilton:  Hunter S., Kamryn S., Sydney K.  Watch a video about how science applies to surfing

Facing the Lion by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton:  Alan D.,   Harrison F., Dalton C., Adam Do., Hayden D., Adam G., Donavon B., Wyatt C.  Click here to get to a video of the African landscape near where Joseph grew up.  You will even see some Maasai children. 

Bad Boy by Walter Dean Myers:  Elliott H., Austin F., Ethan A., Larry E.  Explore Walter Dean Myer’s life and books at his website

Caught by the Sea by Gary Paulsen:  Keegan B., Micahel C., Kayli P., Karlie R., Monica E., Meegan V., Blake C., Cole B.  Click here to to learn about sailing

My Life in Dog Years by Gary Paulsen:  Vyran P., Evan P., Kyle H., Wyatt D., Cory G., Ashley B., Dylan D., Alicea H.  Learn more about Gary Paulsen here

The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer:  Tequila L, Audrey W., Dakota R., Marissa W., Ariana Z., Emily R., Brianna S., Brooklyn M., Brooke S., Alyssa D., Andy S., Devin K., Emma W., Megan M., Shania Si., Cheyanne H., Trinaty H. Brittany P., Shelby G., Shelbi N.,  Abby W., Kassidy F., Taylor W. , Mak N.,  Michelle F., Kerri B., Mike C., Kayla M., Adi. G., Ryan H., Mistina H.   Learn more about Dave Pelzer on his website. 

The Cage by Ruth Minsky Sender:  Courtney H., Maia K., Emily D., Emily S.  Watch a BrainPop video to learn more about Holocaust. 

Night by Elie Wiesel:  Emily P., Tara T., Shania Sp., Katelyn P., Scarlett S., Justin W., Garret S., Ali B., Dariyn C., Keenan C., Tim G., Mel M., Dylan L., Riley O., Allie V., Kate E., Chase S., Matt C.   Watch a BrainPop video to learn more about the Holocaust.

Words are powerful

Words are powerful.  The American Revolution was won as much with the words of Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin, Thomas Paine and John Adams as it was with the soldiers of George Washington. Ruth Minsky Sender survived the Holocaust because she wrote poetry that touched the heart of the camp Commandant. (Read about it in her memoir The Cage).   There are many more examples of words that have inspired change throughout our history.

There are books today that are inspiring change in the people who read them.  Too many times, censors want to pull these books from libraries and schools because they fear the power of words and find these books dangerous.  Ellen Hopkins is one writer who inspires and encourages students with her books, but finds them challenged.  This past summer Ellen was disinvited from a teen literary festival because some adults found her books objectionable.  Just this past week, the school district where she lives pulled all of her novels off the library shelves of its middle school in a knee-jerk response to one parent’s complaint (and without following district policy on challenging books). 

Ellen’s books are powerful, but they are not putting the students who read in danger.  Yes, they deal with difficult subjuects:  meth addiction, incest, abuse.  Hopkins in no way glorifies these difficult problems, but instead offers hope and encouragement to her readers.  Unfortunately, too many of our students live in these difficult situations.  Reading Hopkins’ books offers a way out of their isolation by showing they are not alone.  For students who have been blessed to be born in healthy families, these books can awaken empathy for classmates.  They also offer strong discouragement.  I have not had a single student read Crank (the story of a girl sucked into meth addiction) come up and say, “That sounds like fun.”  No, the universal reaction is the opposite:  I never want anything to do with meth after reading what it can do to you. 

Wha powerful books have you read lately?  What will you do to keep those books in the hands of the readers who need them?

Week at a Glance: September 27 – October 1

Monday

You get your memoirs to read today.  Once you have your book and introduce yourself to the people in your book club, figure out your weekly reading assignments.  You should read approximately 1/3 of the book each week–by Friday of that week.  Figure out how many pages you need to read each night to meet this week’s goal.  Read the first couple of pages and discuss with your group.  I want to make sure you are all off to a good start. 
HOMEWORK:  Read 30 minutes.  Choose five words for Weekly Word Study. 

Tuesday

Check out the post below titled “Who’s Reading What Memoir?”  Find the memoir you are reading.  Click the link to watch a video or explore a website to learn more background information to help you better understand your memoir.  Once you have explored the video or website, you may finish posting your two poems from last week on your blog, write a post about your memoir so far, or read.
HOMEWORK:  Read 30 minutes

Wednesday

Read my very-bad-on-purpose memoir.  What makes it a bad memoir?  Read my new and improved version of the same memoir.  What makes it a good memoir?  List on a piece of paper for one of your pages of writing this week.
Homework:  Read 30 minutes

Thursday

A memoir is a piece of writing about a memory.  Use the Questions for Memoirists to generate a list of possible memoir topics.  What experiences from your life might be worthy of a memoir? 
HOMEWORK:  Word Study due today.  Three-five pages of writing due today!  Read 30 minutes.  Get your reading log signed.

Friday

You will have your first book club discussion today.  In order to have lots of ideas to talk about, take some time to collect your thoughts on paper.  Fold a piece of paper in half hotdog style to create a bookmark. Divide both the front and back into two sections.  In one section write any questions you have from the first third of the book.  These should be real questions about things that confuse you or things that you wonder.  In the second section, write down the page number of an important passage from the book.  This should be a passage that made you think or feel something strongly.  In the third section write down what you noticed about the author’s craft:  style, language, point of view, literary devices, structures used to create the story.  In the fourth section, write down your personal response to what you have read.  Once everyone has collected their thoughts, begin discussing your book in your groups.  I will be listening in, and these discussions will be graded. 
HOMEWORK:   Reading Log due TODAY.  Read over the weekend.

Awesome cover

finsareforevercover

Here it is, my big secret.  I have a picture of the cover for Fins Are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs.  This sequel to Forgive My Fins is coming out soon!  Isn’t it beautiful?

Help!

Do you want to learn how to make the most out of your blog?  Check out the help section at Edublogs and make your blog shine!

Check out the New User Guide to learn the basics. Most of you have got this (writing new posts), but you might check out the difference between posts and pages. 

When you are ready for the Advanced features, click on the Activate Advanced Admin and click over to the Complete User Guide.  Learn how to change the appearance of your blog and add widgets.  What, you don’t know what a widget is?  Well, click on over and learn!  Some features are only available to Pro and Campus (paid) users, but there are still lots of things you can do. 

Several of you have asked about how to add a map to your blog.  Click here for step by step directions.

Free Stuff

You know what I like about YA authors?  Besides writing great books, they like to give books away!  Check out Elana Johnson’s blog for a contest to win free books!  Even if the book doesn’t sound good to you, enter.  If you win and don’t like the book, you can donate it to our classroom library!  I’m entering.  How about you?

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