I'm Back!! I can't wait to hear your project proposal ideas...

Good Morning, and in case I don't see all of you, good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight,

      High Tech High

      The link above is a video that was made by one of the schools we saw in Appleton yesterday.  The School is in San Diego and is a charter school like ours.  The reason I am showing this video to you is because the philosophies, ideas, students, and teachers reminded me of who we are.  I received blog posts yesteray while TWO HOURS away from you.  I could see most of you were taking leadership of your own learning whether I was here or not.  DO YOU KNOW HOW POWERFUL THAT IS!?  DO YOU KNOW HOW UNIQUE THAT MAKES ALL OF YOU!? 

      I tried to send this message via text message yesterday but for some reason there were technical dificulties.  So, here it is today...
Ladies and Gentlemen... I have received your blog comments here in Appleton! Thank you to the Filthy Brits and Bloody Americans. Thank you to Rob Tyndall. Thank you to Moosey. Thank you to Karin McBride. Thank you to Jacob Stankowski. You all have shown how to use the blog and how to LEAD YOUR OWN LEARNING!! Your project proposals sound absolutely phenomenal!! I can't wait to help facilitate your ideas!!
Sincerely,
C
P.S. my phone is on me and I am getting updates. Keep your messages coming.

Sent from my iPhone

Here are your new learning targets unveiled below:
History:  I can understand historical perspective by applying content in order to evaluate relationships of people and ideas as well as draw conclusions. 
Reading & Literacy:  I can identify main ideas, analyze supporting details, and evaluation inferences within discipline specific reading, text, and media. 
Writing:  I can produce clear and coherent communication in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose and audience. 
Writing:  I can develop a thesis, support it with multiple forms of evidence, and provide anaylsis with an explanation in written form. 
 
Sincerely,


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

Guest Teacher Today...

Good Morning and Good Afternoon (Core 3),

      Today is your day!  I have poked, prodded, got you in groups, forced you into tribes activities, and even walked you through the Declaration of Independence.  Yesterday you all did 3 hours of testing for crying out loud!  So today is your day.  ACADEMIC CHOICE. 


      Here is what I mean...


      1.  Some of you are ready to go with your projects.  Great! Get a start.


      2.  Some have not selected projects Great!  Select one you like.


      3.  Some would like to propose different project ideas.  Great! Write up a proposal with      you or a friend and submit one to me.   


      4.  Some need time to read and annotate text.  Great! Highlighters, post its, pens, text, and paper are at your disposal. 


      5.  Some would like to create or discover a persona for debates or reenactments.  Great! Begin the research you need to create a persona you like. 

      Today is your day to either choose your work, start your work, or continue your work.  Please make sure that you are interacting with some text of your choosing today. 
    
*Special note to CORE 2:  First, let me start by sharing good old fashioned appreciation for all of you.  From those of you who don’t like me very much to those who share laughs and smiles with me on a daily basis I say thank you.  Thank you for taking the discussion yesterday to heart.  Thank you for contributing and listening even if what was being said confused you, irritated you, or frustrated you.  Thank you for trusting me as not only your teacher, but also as an adult in your life who is trying to make your experiences better (and by better I mean engaging). Whether you all want to accept it or not I do have your best interests at heart. 

      Now, back to all my CORES, here is the rest of my message.  This is not my feeble attempt at sarcasm.  This is what I see as a teacher.  You are all brilliant and capable: I believe this and I expect you to prove me right.

Sincerely,

C
P.S. Why do some of you draw the correlation that writing more papers, reports, and assignments will help you to become an engaging writer?  
Do you know how to problem solve?  All of you do, yet we do not have a problem solving CORE here at STEM because we problem solve all day.
Do you know how to present a presentation?  All of you do, because you are asked to show your learning at least once a week. 
Do you know how to watch a movie and formulate an opinion based on what you saw?  You know you all do yet we don't have a movie watching skills class here at STEM. 

From the cluttered mind of C, Teacher

School District of Waukesha

Waukesha STEM Academy

Debates or Comparative Literary Analysis: You Decide...

Hey Gang,

      You all know how we are kicking off our day today.  We have one final step to finish up ARGUING BOTH SIDES.  We will get together with our argument partners and come to a consensus that would be mutually beneficial for both teachers and students when it comes to cell phones in the classroom.  Use your notes and evidence from the text as well as your own innovative thinking. 
      In each CORE today Miss Holsen and I will be launching the next project for Historical Literacy.  Miss Holsen will be showing us how we might go about selecting books for a COMPARATIVE LITERARY ANALYSIS.  I will be handing out the rubrics and the 8 debate topic there are to choose from.  So by the end of tomorrow you must select either the COMPARATIVE LITERARY ANALYSIS or THE DEBATE.

MUST DO's. Vs. CAN DO's for Both ProjectsMust read... Can be primary source or historical fiction
Must write... Can be letters to opponents or another persuasive writing piece
Must revisit the America Revolution... Can be through nonfiction or Historical fiction

Books for comparative literary analysis 

      We will wrap up class with time to look at the different books and the primary sources so you can make an educated decision as to which path you wish to take.  Your learning targets can be found below in red.  Enjoy!

READING:  I can evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text; assess the reasoning and evidence for relevancy.

WRITING:  I can write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

Sincerely,
C

From my iPhone...

Sometimes the biggest thing that gets in the way of students is THE TEACHER!

From Philosophical Chairs to Arguing Both Sides...

Hello there,

      So we meet again debators.  Now that you all have had a taste of defending a point/perspective in a debate-like activity, let's take our skills to the next level.  Today we are going to do a debate preparation activity called ARGUING BOTH SIDES.  As you enter the room and read this blog post please grab a piece of blank paper and fold it right down the middle from top to bottom.  Across the top please write "Why Cell Phones Should Be banned in School".  Label the left column "Reasons" and the right-hand column "Examples". 

      When you have this set up you are ready for circle.  Please check out the learning targets for the day and figure out how you might want to go about hitting them. 

READING:  I can evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text; assess the reasoning and evidence for relevancy.

WRITING:  I can write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

Yours Truly,

C

From the cluttered mind of C, Teacher

School District of Waukesha

Waukesha STEM Academy