Thesis Statements: CONTEXT, SUBJECT, CLAIM...

Happy Monday Y'all,

      I'll try to make this short and sweet.  There are three words for this week:


CONTEXT
SUBJECT
CLAIM

Thesis Statement Media

     
      Where's Max when you need him?  Just like STOP, THINK, REACT, the three words for this week will carry us into next week's visit to Waukesha West.  Next Tuesday we will be visiting our Sophomore friends so we can share our writing with other students.

From the cluttered minds of C 7 Dubbs, Teachers
School District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy

Finishing American Indian Story: Sources and Essays...

Happy Camel Day,

      Below are the targets that are our focus this week.  Please reread them and commit them to memory.  Our challenge this week is to look deeply at the sources we are using.  When we analyze a source there are a few things we must keep in mind:

-Point of view
-Author's Purpose
-Credibility  


I can deconstruct sources to reveal an author's point of view and purpose.
I can evaluate the credibility of a source.
I can analyze the relationship among diverse sources on the same topic.
I can select specific evidence to support an interpretation.
      Our "to-do" list is as follows...
1. Pass Back Rubrics from Seminar
2. Print Mosaics and place in text sets
3. Discuss "Weekly Contributions"
4. Finish Geronimo Story/History
5. Comp/Contrast with other source

Engage.  Plug in.  Connect.   CONTRIBUTE.  Enjoy and have a great day Kiddies.


From the cluttered minds of C & Dubbs, Teachers
School District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy

BAM, FOX RIVER!!!

Happy Field Trip Day Y'all,

      Here is the post from yesterday which includes reminders, time frame, and the Survival Structures design brief.  Enjoy and have fun!

Blog Post from yesterday.

From the cluttered minds of C & Dubbs, Teacher
School District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy

Fox River and Survival Structures...

Happy Monday Again Gang,

Please look at the reminders below so you have a heads up for tomorrow. Also, the design brief for the Bear Grylls Survival Structures is posted below. Please survey the information.

-Dress for the weather!  Forecast: 30 degrees and a good chance of rain.
-Pack a cold lunch!  No cold lunch = you don't eat.
-Take a pencil or pen along.
-We are walking to the FRS.  DO NOT BE LATE TO SCHOOL.  We will leave at 7:30 a.m.

-We will eat lunch at the FRS.
-We will return around 12:30-12:45.
-Once we get back:
1) mock election
2) STEaM. FC competitors: Sim Computers will probably NOT be available, so be prepared to work on your essay, research or city planning.

Click Here: Bear Grylls Builds a Structure!

Collecting, GATHERING, and Observing
Bark
Leaves
Sticks
Grass
Pine Cones

Survival Structures: Sheltering Structures

In order to survive in an outdoor environment, one must be able to use what they have access to.  We will be bringing materials with us, but we must also use the materials nature provides.  We will need to use our observation skills along with our skills in gathering.  Think back to our buddy Bear Grylls.  Remember that a survival structure must keep a person warm and dry.  Warm enough to keep us from freezing or exposure.  Key words: WARM, DRY, and INSULATED.

Linking & Binding

Design Challenge: 
Design a survival structure that will keep a person warm and dry using the resources you have at your disposal.  The trick with building this structure at the E.B. Shutz Nature Sanctuary is that we cannot use any living plant matter or wildlife.  DUE TO THE FACT RESOURCES ARE LIMITED, PLEASE REALIZE THAT OTHER GROUPS MAY BORROW PIECES FROM YOUR STRUCTURE AS THE ROTATIONS PROCEED.  

1.We will start out by taking 10-15 minutes to spread out and gather materials in nature.  

2. When the timer goes off, you will then be given 5-10 minutes to brainstorm and sketch with your group.  

3. The remainder of the time during this center is to get to building.

Warm, Dry, and Insulated

Criteria: 
The structure you build must:
- Have a sketch of your structure
- Be three-dimentional
- Incorporate 2-3 items you have found in your natural surroundings.
- Incorporate 2-3 items we have brought with us.
- Be free standing for the duration of the rotation

Materials:  Items from natural surroundings whatever can be gathered.
Tape, Aluminum Foil, Rubber Bands, Paper Clips
Tools: Your hands

From the cluttered minds of C & Dubbs, Teachers

School District of Waukesha 

Waukesha STEM Academy

Geronimo Part II: 5 Paragraph Essays & Deconstructing Sources...

Good Morning 8th Graders,

      Please view the short Brainpop that is linked below before or after Community Circle.

5 PARAGRAPH ESSAY

     Think back to Friday.  We started viewing a media source that took a deep look into the life of a Native American by the name of Geronimo.

      Geronimo lived from June 16, 1829 – February 17, 1909.  He was a prominent leader of the Bedonkohe Apache who fought against Mexico and the United States for their expansion into Apache tribal lands for several decades during the Apache Wars. "Geronimo" was the name given to him during a battle with Mexican soldiers. His Chiricahua name is often rendered as Goyathlay or Goyahkla in English.

After an attack by a company of Mexican soldiers killed his mother, wife and three children in 1858, Geronimo joined revenge attacks on the Mexicans. During his career as a war chief, he was notorious for consistently urging raids upon Mexican Provinces and their towns, and later against American locations across Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas

In 1886 Geronimo surrendered to U.S. authorities after a lengthy pursuit. As a prisoner of war in old age he became a celebrity and appeared in fairs but was never allowed to return to the land of his birth. He later regretted his surrender and claimed the conditions he made had been ignored. Geronimo died in 1909 from complications of pneumonia at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

      Please get out your Cornell Notes from last Friday and continue them today as we finish.  Below are the 4 learning targets we are trying to focus on.  Read them to try and understand what they mean:

I can deconstruct sources to reveal an author's point of view and purpose.
I can evaluate the credibility of a source.
I can analyze the relationship among diverse sources on the same topic.
I can select specific evidence to support an interpretation.

Sincerely,
C & Dubbs

From the cluttered minds of C & Dubbs, Teachers
School District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy

A Day for You to Read!

“We read to know that we are not alone.”
― William Nicholson

Good Morning!  We have had a week full of hard work, deep thinking, failures, and accomplishments.  As we sit down to confer with you, Mr. C. and I are consistently amazed at what we learn about you as learners.  Keep getting connected and plugging in, keep staying engaged and challenging your mind, keep creating meaning and collaborating with each other.  The journey may be long, and bumpy at times but believe us when we tell you, it's worth it. 

In Lang. Arts today, please finish your Mosaic of Thought and then you may move onto free reading of a book of your choosing, as long as it is a just right book for you.  Take your time on your Mosaic of Thought as we really look to these pieces of your thinking to help us plan next steps for you all.  The thoughtful time you spend on it is more important than the due date (today)!

We will see you all this afternoon!
Dubbs

"I was living peaceably when people
 began to speak bad of me"

      Side note from C...

      The previous two paragraphs could not have been said any better.  We are so very proud of you all, your thinking, your abilities, and your latent potential just waiting to be unleashed.  Please remember...  IT'S NOT A WORKSHEET!!  IT'S NOT ABOUT COMPREHENSION.  IT'S ABOUT CONSTRUCTING MEANING, SYNTHESIS, & INQUIRY.

"I cannot think that we are useless or God
would not have created us."  

      You will be watching a documentary on Geronimo.  Please take at least ONE FULL PAGE of CORNELL NOTES!!  

"The soldiers never explained to the government
when an Indian was wronged, but
reported the misdeeds of the Indians."   

ONE FULL PAGE.
ONE FULL PAGE.

Seminar: Moving Forward...

Please survey the information below...


Inquiry:
- Levels of Questions
Examples:  Costa, Bloom, Marzano

- Skilled Questioning

-Socratic Seminars, discussions

   

-Critical Thinking Activities

- Student ownership of learning

               through critical thinking skills,       

               through writing questions

-Analyzing a prompt, question or academic task  (fr. ACR) *   

Please view the following videos with a partner:
True Grit

Inquiry Skills: 5 E's

Mosaic of Thought 1
Mosaic of Thought 2



From the cluttered mind of C & Dubbs, Teachers
School District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy

Seminar: Moving Forward...

Happy Camel Day to You All,

      Your teachers are immensely proud of you.  Most of you were pushed out of your comfort zones yesterday.  Some of you were pushed to your limits.  Some of you had breakdowns.  GREAT!  Now is the time for us to learn.

      BREAKDOWNS LEAD TO TO BREAKTHROUGHS!!

      There is a word known to some in education called "GRIT".  Grit is what is needed to pick yourself up after a fall.  Grit is what is needed to try again if a first try doesn't go your way.  Grit is perseverance.  Grit is the "I Can..." attitude.  Please take this with you as you go through your day today.

   

BREAKDOWNS LEAD TO TO BREAKTHROUGHS!!

      Moving forward, there are three things we need to think about:
1.  Go over and pore over the "Back Channel" transcripts.
2.  Conclude our seminar with FINAL THOUGHTS.
3.  SELF-EVALUATE: How did you meet the learning targets and how would you evaluate yourself?


The Learning Targets:
I can effectively communicate in a variety of settings in a way that is
appropriate for the task, purpose, and audience.

I can identify main ideas, analyze supporting details, and
evaluate inferences.



From the cluttered mind of C & Dubbs, Teacher
School District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy

Socratic Seminar Is Here!!

Happy Tuesday to you,

The present meets the past with Socrates and Socratic Seminars!!

      We would like to extend a warm and heartfelt welcome to our friends from Waukesha West.  Thank you Mr. Jonas and all the students who have come to not only visit us but also to work along side us.  Without further ado, here is what our day will look like:

7:25-8:58  Electives
9:01-10:00 Core1
10:03 - 11:00 Core 3
11:00 -11:30 Lunch
11:30 - 12:00 Core 2 Connect

12:00-1:15  Core 2 

1:18-2:31 Core 4

Notes on our day...
**West Folks arrive in two shifts: Approx. 9 a.m. and 11:45ish**

Each core will be broken up into 3 parts
1.  We have a meet/ greet session.  Once you have a pair or triad we will engage in the Tribes activity One-Minute History.  Think about the question.  "If you could choose a line in a song that represents you, what would it be and why?"  

2.  Socratic seminar begins (approx. 30-45 minutes). Waukesha West kids will be using the evidence gathering sheet and other resources to document what they observe and provide suggestions/ feedback.  Waukesha STEM kids will be using their text sets & NOTE CARDS to drive the Academic Conversation.  

3.  Break at the 30 min. point of the seminar (if we feel necessary - if the pox is on, let the blood continue to flow!). This would be a time for partners to give feedback/ suggestions on evidence, position, lines of argument, etc.

Here are the Socratic Seminar questions.

The Seminar Questions:
What exactly is "genocide"?  How is it defined?  What are the warning signs?

What evidence throughout history proves that the Holocaust is an example of genocide?

Decide whether you think what happened to the American Indians was a true genocide or not.  If not, what label would you use to describe what happened to the American Indians.  Either way, what evidence throughout history supports your position?

The Back Channels
Histlit 1
Histlit 2
Histlit 3
Histlit 4
Histlit 5
Histlit 6
Histlit 7
Histlit 8
Histlit 9

The Learning Targets:

I can effectively communicate in a variety of settings in a way that is
appropriate for the task, purpose, and audience.

I can identify main ideas, analyze supporting details, and
evaluate inferences.

The Text:
What is Genocide?




From the cluttered mind of C & Dubbs, Teachers
School District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy

Socratic Seminar II: Guidelines & Contributions

Happy Monday,

      We hope you all had a great weekend, and can't wait to hear about it in circle.  Please read through the blog carefully and click on the links provided.  You will see a Youtube video, the blog post from Thursday last week, the seminar questions, and 11 contributions that Beth and I will be grading you on tomorrow during seminar.  Enjoy reading and have a great Monday!

What is a Socratic Seminar and what is it not?

Blog post from last Thursday. TALKING POINTS

The Seminar Questions:
What exactly is "genocide"?  How is it defined?  What are the warning signs?

What evidence throughout history proves that the Holocaust is an example of genocide?

Decide whether you think what happened to the American Indians was a true genocide or not.  If not, what label would you use to describe what happened to the American Indians.  Either way, what evidence throughout history supports your position?

11 Contributions to academic conversations and your evaluation:

1. Adds new ideas

2. Gives evidence to support by referring to text and/or media

3. Asks questions

4. Starts conversation

5. Gives positive comments/affirmations

6. Agrees or Disagrees appropriately

7. Builds on or challenges partners ideas

8. Elaborates or clarifies

9. Paraphrases

10. Actively listens

11. Exhibits distracting behavior

From the cluttered minds of C & Dubbs, Teachers
School District of Waukesha
Waukesha STEM Academy