Archive of ‘Mrs. McGriff’ category
What is real? Who can you trust if you cannot trust even your own memories? Finn has escaped Incarceron, the living prison, but he is not sure who he is on the Outside. As far as he is concerned, the people here are just as trapped by the Protocol, which keeps time frozen, as the prisoners are inside Incarceron. Claudia has claimed that he is Giles, prince of the Realm. Now their very lives depend upon Finn convincing the Court that he is indeed the true prince while Claudia and the Sapeint Jared work to unlock the secrets of the Portal, which is their only connection with inside Incarceron.
Meanwhile, Attia and Keiro (Finn’s oathbrother) are desperate to find their own way out of Incarceron. The prison is shifting all its power to find a way out, too. Entire sections of Incarceron are shutting down, sending the prisoners on desperate migrations. They are all looking for a magical glove. rumored to be Sapphique’s means of escape. Attia and Keiro must battle both Rix, the Dark Enchanter, and Incarceron itself for control of this glove.
Catherine Fisherhas created a world with layer upon layer of reality. I gladly got lost in its pages, wandering among the legends of Sapphique, the terrors of Incarceron, and the false granduer of the Realm. One of my favorite things in this book are the old stories and legends from our world that get changed to fit this fantasy world.
Have you read this one, or the first book Incarceron yet? Let me know what you think: How long can people survive if they live fooling themselves?
Avatars are cool. They represent you to the rest of the cyberworld. How do you want all those readers to view you? Give them a clue by giving them a visual image of you that follows you around on the web. I explored several avatar creators as part of Kickstart Activity 4 – Meet The Blog’s Brain. I know many of you have asked me how to get your own avatar, so here you go.
First , you need to choose an image. You can use a real photo of yourself (or you pet or a favorite landscape or just about anything or create an image using online tools. Be creative and let YOU shine through.
I created an user avatar (that shows up with my comments) a while back. I used photfunia to put myself in a book. Doesn’t that sound like me? Here’s what it looked like:
I love the fact I’m in a book, but you can’t really see me in this photo. I decided to update it with a close up that shows more of my face. Here’s the new and improved version:
I even learned how to make a Gravatar so that the same image shows up when I leave comments on blogs in different blogging platforms. Then just for fun, I created a Picassohead and saved it to my computer. Here’s how Picasso would draw me:
If you are interested in other online avatar creations, check out this list of sites that you can use to create your avatar. It even includes directions on how to save the images from the different sites to your computer. Here are more suggested sites by age categories (some of them are the same). Once you create an image you like, resize it to 97 by 97 pixels and save it to your computer as a .jpg file.
Once you have created and saved an image for your avatar, it’s time to upload it to your blog. If you are in the EASYADMIN, click over to ADVANCED ADMIN. Then follow these steps.
- Click on Users on the left hand side.
- Click on Your Avatar.
- Click on the Browse button to choose your file. Click Open when you find it in the pop-up window.
- Click on Upload to crop your image. If the cropping doesn’t work, go back and choose Alternate Upload instead.
I can’t wait to see how you represent yourselves to the on line world. Leave me a comment with your new avatar.
Here’s the deal. You can order great books through Scholastic. Sometimes they even give you a great deal. (Always check out the $1 book on the front page.) An even better deal, the more books you order, the more free books I can get for our classroom library. There are two ways to order:
1) Fill out the paper form and bring it with your money (checks made out to Scholastic) by Friday, January 28.
2) Order online at Scholastic (for parents only). On the parent page, click the “REGISTER” button under “First time here,” then register for your own user name and password. When prompted, enter the one-time activation code code (GPBPV). This code ensures that your orders are sent to me. Select the books you want from over 500 titles. Take advantage of on-line only discounts and specials. SEND your order to me on-line. I will deliver the books in class.
Here are my picks from the January TAB and the Winter TEENRC (Teen Reader’s Club). Some of them I’ve read. Some I want to read.
from the Winter TEENRC:
- The Pluto Files by Neil DeGrasse
- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
- Sapphique by Catherine Fisher
- Zach’s Lie and Jack’s Run by Roland Smith
- Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
- Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
- Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg
- Potentially Catastrophic Science by Sean Conolly
- Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
- Dead Is a State of Mind by Marlene Perez
- Death by Latte and Death by Denim by Linda Gerber
- Everlost and Everwild by Neal Shusterman
- Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld
- Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
- Monster and Riot by Walter Dean Myers
- Does My Head Look Big in This by Randa Abdel-Fattah
- Vladimir Todd series by Heather Brewer
- Forged by Fire and Tears of a Tiger by Sharon Draper
- Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork
from the January TAB:
- The Bar Code Tattoo by Suzanne Weyn – only $1
- Chasing Lincoln’s Killer and Bloody Times by James L. Swanson
- Radiance by Alyson Noel
- Spilling Ink: A Young Writer’s Handbook by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter
- Alex Rider Crocodile Tears by Anthony Horowitz
- Gallagher Girls Spy Set by Ally Carter
- Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine
- A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine’ L’Engle
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
- Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau
- The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
- The Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings
- Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikealsen
- The Outsiders by SE Hinton
- The Cruisers by Walter Dean Myers
- The Lost Hero and The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
- Hero by Mike Lupica
What books would you like me to order for our classroom library?
I hadn’t looked at my About page–or the other pages–in quite some time, so this week’s Kickstart Activity 3 – Add Some Muscle to Your Blog for the Edublogs Teacher Challenge was just what I needed.
Back at the beginning of the school year, I dumped the letter I send home to parents on my About page. I like the content of the letter (which tells a little about me and what to expect from my class), but it was obviously just a copy of an assignment. I also included a poem I wrote that shares my vision for myself, my students, and the class we create together. I liked the basics, but it could definitley use some spring cleaning.
One of the best features I found while browsing through other bloggers’ About pages was pictures–especially of the teacher then and now. I saw it on several blogs, so I’m not sure who had the original idea. Since I teach 8th grade, I dug through old pictures until I found one of me from way back when. I also discovered that my friends and I took really bad pictures. I also included a recent photo from last summer’s vacation. Check it out on my new and improved About page. The other changes were editing the text to take out the assignment part and explaining what the poem is. I also added links where I could.
I next spruced up the other pages. I have one page where my students can download extra copies of handouts in for their Language Arts Binder. I also added some links to the Publishing Opportunities page. I am always looking for new places my students can publish their writing. What are your favorite publishing opportunities for students?
What do you think of the spruced up pages?
I finally got my hands on a copy of Across the Universeby Beth Revis. WOW~ I sat down with it Sunday afternoon and did not get up until I turned the last page.
Amy gives up everything on Earth to follow her parents on the spaceship Godspeed. They are flash frozen (cryogenics) for the 300 year journey to a new planet. Amy’s parents are Very Important People, but Amy is listed as unessential cargo. Then Amy is unexpectly “thawed out” fifty years before the spaceship is to land. Now she has no one to trust and once her parents wake up, she will be older than they are. Even though Amy is newly awakened, she soon realizes that things are not as they should be on the ship. Can she trust Elder to help her find the answers as to who is killing the frozen colonists before her parents are next?
Elder has his own worries. He will one day take over leadership of everyone on the ship, but the current Eldest is not sharing knowledge or control. Elder decides to search for the answers himself and turns to Amy. Once they discover the truth, what will they do with it?
Even though the story takes place on a spacehip, the nuts and bolts of space travel are not the focus. Revis tells just enough about the ship to make it believable, but the heart of the story is in the characters, especially the relationship between Amy and Elder. She also raises questions about truth and power–some of my favorite themes in stories. This is a ship powered by lies. What will knowing the truth do to it and the people who live in it?
Ali discovers a picture of her mom and aunt as girls at the lake in Maine, but a third girl has been ripped from the photograph. Neither of them will talk about the photo or their past at the lake, but Ali is determined to figure it out. She gets her chance when Aunt Dulcie asks Ali to babysit Emma at the lake all summer long. Once at the lake, Ali uncovers more questions but few answers. Then there is Sissy, the spiteful, angry girl who always shows up and ruins things. Who is Sissy and what secrets does she hold the answer to?
Mary Downing Hahn weaves a spooky ghost story with Deep and Dark and Dangerous. The gloomy weather and the dark and dangerous waters of the rocky lake add to the suspense. It’s not too hard to figure out who the ghost is, but the suspense builds as Ali tries to figure out what Sissy wants before history can repeat itself.
Monday
Yes, we have school today, thanks to the snow back in December. Transitions are like signposts. They direct your reader through your writing so they don’t get lost. If you haven’t finished a rough draft yet, you need to finish it today–at least everything up to the conclusion!
HOMEWORK: Read 30 minutes. Choose five words for Weekly Word Study.
Tuesday
End strong. The ending is the hardest part of writing for me. We’ll look at several strategies you can try as well as examples. Yes, they match the leads you read last week. No, I don’t have the middle parts of those essays.
HOMEWORK: Read 30 minutes.
Wednesday
Peer conferences. You will meet with your writing groups. Each person will read their editorial outloud. The responnders should listen carefully. Point out one thing from the editorial that works well. Ask questions about things that confuse you or you want to know more about. Grab and editing checksheet to edit your editorial before you turn it in. It is due Friday, but you will not have any more class time to work on it.
Homework: Read 30 minutes. Word Study due tomorrow.
Thursday
Snow day.
HOMEWORK: Word Study due today. Three-five pages of writing due today! Read 30 minutes. Get your reading log signed.
Friday
Snow day. Yes, you will turn in your editorials on Monday!
HOMEWORK: Reading Log due TODAY. Read over the weekend. Turn in your editorial!
How can you write a better blog post–one that gets people commenting and clicking the “like” button to share with all their friends? Here are eight steps I came up with from completing Kickstart Activty 2 – Posts! The Heartbeat of the Blog to get you on your way to better blogging:
- Write from your heart: You will write much better if you write about what you know and love. You are an expert on something. Share your passion with the world whether it is music or the outdoors or books. Bill Howard’s Outdoors shares a love of hunting and fishing of all types.
- Hook your reader: Craft a title or headlline that creates curiosity in your reader. Follow that with a lead that grabs your reader by the shoulders and drags them into your post. Elana Johnson dares to bare all in “Tell the Truth Tuesday: Confession.”
- Connect with other blogs or websites: Don’t just tell about great resources you’ve found. Create a link that can direct your reader there, too. Mrs. Anderson brings together students, books, GoodReads and a writer in her student interview with Julia Karr.
- Go easy on your reader: Break up your writing into short paragraphs. Use bullets or numbers or headings to break up big chunks and direct your reader through your post. Check out Beth Revis’s review for the Bookinistas.
- Be conventional: You know how distracting it is to read something with lots of spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes. Take time to get it right before you publish. Remember you can edit later if you find a mistake.
- Include visuals: Go ahead and embed that video or add a picture. You can even add music. Make the most of the web. See Tessa Gratton get a tattoo in honor of Blood Magic, her first novel. However,
- Respect other people’s creative work: Take advantage of Creative Commons licenses that give you rights to use images and music in your posts. Give credit to the creator. Stealing others words and ideas hurts, as Saundra Mitchell shares.
- Ask a question: What response do you want from your readers? Ask for it! Then respond to their comments to keep the conversation going. The bloggers at the League of Extraordinary Writers are awesome at this.
What tips do you have for writing a great blog post?
Way back when we were writing poetry, some of you got brave and entered the poetry contest sponsored by Creative Communication. For four students, it paid off! These guys will all have their poems published in the next anthology.
Check them out for yourself–
Way to go, guys! Now it’s your turn. Get over to Creative Communication and enter a contest for poetry or essays (either memoir or editorial).
I don’t know about you, but I enjoyed my two days off from school this week. Here’s what I did….
I played games with my buddy Kam (he’s six, so he got to choose the games).
I worked on my scrapbook. 2009 is officially started in my records.
I welcomed Nessie, the Loch Ness monster, to Indiana. Why build a snowman when you can build a mythological creature?
And, of course, I read. That’s my new Kindle on top!
What did you do on your snow days?