Freshman Academy
Enhanced English Teacher
Romeo and Juliet Mash-up
This video is a mash-up of video clips from several student groups performing their parody version of Romeo and Juliet. To watch the full performance from each group, visit our student podcast page.
R & J Tattoo Assignment
Link to the assignment: Romeo and Juliet Tattoo Assignment.
This assignment incorporates the use of graphics and formatting from the National Common Core Standards draft for the 9th grade Informative/Explanatory text.
Write informative/explanatory texts in which they:
a. Introduce a topic and organize information under broader concepts and categories to
make clear the connections and distinctions between key ideas appropriate to the
purpose; include formatting (e.g., headings) and graphics (e.g., figures, tables) when
useful to clarify ideas.
b. Develop a complex topic through well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, concrete
details, quotations, extended definitions, or other information and examples.
c. Use varied transitions and sentence structures to create cohesion, clarify information
and ideas, and link major sections in the text.
d. Use precise language and domain-specific and technical wording (when appropriate) to
manage the complexity of the topic in a style that responds to the specific discipline and
context as well as to the expertise of likely readers.
e. Provide a conclusion that follows logically from the information or explanation provided
and articulates the implications or significance of the topic.
See an example created by the teacher below.
The Second Element in the design
The symbol of an arrow represents Rosaline's upward focus and lack of attachment to earthly desires. The arrow is also a weapon of the Goddess Diana who is known as a great huntress. Additionally, an arrow is appropriate because Romeo says that, "She'll [Rosaline] not be hit with Cupid's arrow" (I, i) revealing that not even a powerful and god-like force can influence Rosaline to become interested in Romeo.
The Third Element in the design
A moon represents the play's allusion to the Goddess Diana. Romeo states that Rosaline has "Dian's wit," (I, i) which means that she possesses Diana's wisdom, so just like the maiden goddess, she will not be lured into consorting with a man. Edith Hamilton in her book Mythology states that Diana is known as "the Moon" (32). Because of Romeo's reference to the Goddess Diana, it is fitting that Rosaline would have a moon to symbolize that connection.
The Fourth Element in the design
Wings represent Rosaline's ambition to soar above the typical expectations of marriage. She does not settle for moving from her father's house to her husband's house, which is the path of women during that time period. Rosaline's ambitions represent a quest that is not traditional, and even though her vows are limiting, they still grant her an independence away from the possible subjugation of a husband. Rosaline is an early feminist who flies above what is expected.
Final Reflection
Each part of this tattoo comes together to form an entire design. The overall goal was to make the individual parts of the design fit within the shape of a cross. The cross represents Rosaline's commitment to the church. Regardless of the independent elements that can be separate to provide a deeper insight into the character of Rosaline; ultimately, she commits herself to serve a higher cause, and the complete design of the tattoo reveals that cause.
This assignment incorporates the use of graphics and formatting from the National Common Core Standards draft for the 9th grade Informative/Explanatory text.
Write informative/explanatory texts in which they:
a. Introduce a topic and organize information under broader concepts and categories to
make clear the connections and distinctions between key ideas appropriate to the
purpose; include formatting (e.g., headings) and graphics (e.g., figures, tables) when
useful to clarify ideas.
b. Develop a complex topic through well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, concrete
details, quotations, extended definitions, or other information and examples.
c. Use varied transitions and sentence structures to create cohesion, clarify information
and ideas, and link major sections in the text.
d. Use precise language and domain-specific and technical wording (when appropriate) to
manage the complexity of the topic in a style that responds to the specific discipline and
context as well as to the expertise of likely readers.
e. Provide a conclusion that follows logically from the information or explanation provided
and articulates the implications or significance of the topic.
See an example created by the teacher below.
Rosaline's Tattoo Design
by Mrs. Seale
by Mrs. Seale
Rosaline is a complicated character who is not physically present in the Shakespearean drama, Romeo and Juliet. The audience learns about Rosaline through Romeo's language as he laments that she will never love him or any man. Rosaline makes for an interesting and challenging design; she does not have actual lines in the play, and her part is brief but so relevant to the perception of women in the play.
Yellow
&
Black The First Element in the Design
Yellow and black are the colors that best represent Rosaline. Yellow is a youthful, summer color, and Rosaline is young. Romeo compares Rosaline to the Goddess Diana, goddess of young maidens. What other color would best represent young maidens than a splendid and beautiful yellow? Romeo also refers to gold, a yellowish color, as he discusses Rosaline. Romeo claims Rosaline will never love him because of her ability to resist all men including the god Zeus which he calls "saint-seducing gold" (I, i). Black is appropriate because it represents night, and Diana is also the goddess of the moon or night. Additionally, Rosaline's weighty decision to take a vow of chastity is best represented by a serious and solemn color. Black is not a cheerful or bold color, and Rosaline does not want to attract the attention of men in the lifestyle that she chooses, so black is a color that she might adorn.
Yellow
&
Black The First Element in the Design
Yellow and black are the colors that best represent Rosaline. Yellow is a youthful, summer color, and Rosaline is young. Romeo compares Rosaline to the Goddess Diana, goddess of young maidens. What other color would best represent young maidens than a splendid and beautiful yellow? Romeo also refers to gold, a yellowish color, as he discusses Rosaline. Romeo claims Rosaline will never love him because of her ability to resist all men including the god Zeus which he calls "saint-seducing gold" (I, i). Black is appropriate because it represents night, and Diana is also the goddess of the moon or night. Additionally, Rosaline's weighty decision to take a vow of chastity is best represented by a serious and solemn color. Black is not a cheerful or bold color, and Rosaline does not want to attract the attention of men in the lifestyle that she chooses, so black is a color that she might adorn.
The symbol of an arrow represents Rosaline's upward focus and lack of attachment to earthly desires. The arrow is also a weapon of the Goddess Diana who is known as a great huntress. Additionally, an arrow is appropriate because Romeo says that, "She'll [Rosaline] not be hit with Cupid's arrow" (I, i) revealing that not even a powerful and god-like force can influence Rosaline to become interested in Romeo.
A moon represents the play's allusion to the Goddess Diana. Romeo states that Rosaline has "Dian's wit," (I, i) which means that she possesses Diana's wisdom, so just like the maiden goddess, she will not be lured into consorting with a man. Edith Hamilton in her book Mythology states that Diana is known as "the Moon" (32). Because of Romeo's reference to the Goddess Diana, it is fitting that Rosaline would have a moon to symbolize that connection.
Wings represent Rosaline's ambition to soar above the typical expectations of marriage. She does not settle for moving from her father's house to her husband's house, which is the path of women during that time period. Rosaline's ambitions represent a quest that is not traditional, and even though her vows are limiting, they still grant her an independence away from the possible subjugation of a husband. Rosaline is an early feminist who flies above what is expected.
Final Reflection
Each part of this tattoo comes together to form an entire design. The overall goal was to make the individual parts of the design fit within the shape of a cross. The cross represents Rosaline's commitment to the church. Regardless of the independent elements that can be separate to provide a deeper insight into the character of Rosaline; ultimately, she commits herself to serve a higher cause, and the complete design of the tattoo reveals that cause.
Sharing a Google Doc with someone outside of Google Apps
You might want to share a Google Doc with parents or teachers outside of the Bryant School District. To do this, you will have change the permission settings. Please view the screencast below to understand how to change permission settings.
Creating links in Google Docs and on your Blog page
If you want to create a link in a Google Doc or link your Google Doc to your Blog page, watch the screencast below by clicking on the box to view the video.
Using Google Doc Folders with Students
Click on the center of the screen to begin playing the screencast.
Heroic Journey Projects
Students created videos to explain the archetypal heroic journey. I took clips from the final projects to create a mash up to highlight what they created. If you would like to view each group's heroic journey video, please visit my student podcast page. If you are interested in reading the directions for this project and watching students as the plan, please visit an earlier post: Students Working on Scripts.
How to link a Glog to your Blog or just link a URL
I created this screencast to demonstrate how to create links from Glogster to our Bryant Podcast Page. You can follow the same process to link any website.
Archetype of a Mean Teacher
One of my students caught me on film as I chastised his group, and I couldn't resist using it as an example of the Mean Teacher archetype.:)
Google Teacher Academy Video
Click on the center of the screen to watch my Google Teacher Academy video. A big thank you to my 1st period students for all your help in creating this video.
How to upload a video
by Tara Seale
This screencast demonstrates how to upload a video to your Bryant Podcast Producer blog page. Please watch the video and leave me a comment if you have any questions.
This screencast demonstrates how to upload a video to your Bryant Podcast Producer blog page. Please watch the video and leave me a comment if you have any questions.
Students working on scripts
by Tara Seale
Students are creating scripts using Google Docs to collaborate. In this video, I interview students as they are creating their scripts. If you are interested in reading my lesson plan, you can view it here: Heroic Journey Movie Assignment
Students are creating scripts using Google Docs to collaborate. In this video, I interview students as they are creating their scripts. If you are interested in reading my lesson plan, you can view it here: Heroic Journey Movie Assignment
Setting up your blog page
by Tara Seale
Please watch the video to set up your blog page. Once you have a page, your URL (web address) will be http://podcast.bryantschools.org/users/tseale/ Except your first initial and last name will be in place of my name. You can share that link with parents and students to view what you have written or any videos that you post.
To begin creating your blog page, go to: http://podcast.bryantschools.org/
To see the other Bryant Podcast Producer Users, go to: http://podcast.bryantschools.org/users/
You must have the video portion of the post centered on your screen to watch the video. It will not show the video part if you cannot see the full screen. Not sure why, but I just figured that out.
Please watch the video to set up your blog page. Once you have a page, your URL (web address) will be http://podcast.bryantschools.org/users/tseale/ Except your first initial and last name will be in place of my name. You can share that link with parents and students to view what you have written or any videos that you post.
To begin creating your blog page, go to: http://podcast.bryantschools.org/
To see the other Bryant Podcast Producer Users, go to: http://podcast.bryantschools.org/users/
You must have the video portion of the post centered on your screen to watch the video. It will not show the video part if you cannot see the full screen. Not sure why, but I just figured that out.
Archetypes
by Tara Seale
Students worked in small groups to brainstorm archetypal characters, settings, and situations. Students then presented their ideas to the class.
Students worked in small groups to brainstorm archetypal characters, settings, and situations. Students then presented their ideas to the class.
Glogster
by Tara Seale
I decided to copy and paste my blog entry from the NCTE to this blog as well. I know that several of you are interested in using Glogster, so I thought you might want to see the blog entry that I created that explains how I used it in class. I also have links to student examples in this post, so that could serve as part of my student portfolio.
Have you heard of a Glog? I recently used Glogster in my classroom to allow students to display a short, descriptive paragraph before we embarked on a long narrative.
I wanted my students to be able to describe a place to create a setting, usually essential for a great narrative. I do not teach Pre-AP or AP English, so for regular 9th grade English students, a model sentence is usually the best way to start.
The sentence below, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is absolutely the best model sentence that I have found to use in describing the location of a place.
There are a few minor differences but basically the same structure. Next, I discuss the difference between showing and telling sentences. I always share Mark Twain's famous quote:
"Don't tell me the lady screamed. Bring her on and let her scream!"
After my students are satisfied with their descriptive paragraph, we record their voices reading the paragraph. I am fortunate enough to have a class set of ipods with voice recorder capablities, but if you aren't, you can always use Audacity, which is a free open source software used for recordings. This assignment made me realize how important it is for students to hear themselves reading out loud. Even though my students read their own writing, they still had to read it several times to develop fluency.
Next, we uploaded everything to Glogster. Students selected images that best represented their paragraph. I discussed Fair Use and Creative Commons Licensing. We practiced using Google's Advanced Search by clicking on Google Search > Images > Advanced Search and under usage rights, we changed the default to labeled for reuse.
I am very pleased with the Glogster results. Click on the links below to see some of my favorites (be sure to click on the player to hear the student read his or her paragraph):
I try to model every assignment I provide for my students, so see the Glog I created below:
I decided to copy and paste my blog entry from the NCTE to this blog as well. I know that several of you are interested in using Glogster, so I thought you might want to see the blog entry that I created that explains how I used it in class. I also have links to student examples in this post, so that could serve as part of my student portfolio.
Have you heard of a Glog? I recently used Glogster in my classroom to allow students to display a short, descriptive paragraph before we embarked on a long narrative.
I wanted my students to be able to describe a place to create a setting, usually essential for a great narrative. I do not teach Pre-AP or AP English, so for regular 9th grade English students, a model sentence is usually the best way to start.
The sentence below, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is absolutely the best model sentence that I have found to use in describing the location of a place.
On the pleasant shore of the French Riviera, about halfway between Marseilles and the Italian border, stands a large, proud, rose-colored hotel.I like this sentence because it starts with three prepositional phrases, and most 9th graders can write prepositional phrases even if they do not usually incorporate prepositional phrases into their writing. I also like that this sentence starts with a general idea of the location and moves toward a more specific location, so I instruct my students to do the same. After the prepositional phrases, this sentence has a verb. Hopefully, all 9th grade students can supply a verb. Then the sentence uses adjectives that describe the subject, which allows me to teach comma rules related to adjectives. The last word in the sentence is the subject. Most of my students do not write sentences in which the last word is the subject. It is usually the first word in most of their sentences. This model sentence forces my students to explore how to end a sentence with the subject. I usually have great success with students who are trying to duplicate F. Scott Fitzgerald's sentence. See some examples below:F. Scott Fitzgerald
- At the top of the wooden stairs and down the hall to the right, the loud sound of music filling the air, waits a large, cologne-filled room with clothes and junk all over the floor.
- Through the wide turns around beautiful trees, about seventy-five miles from Little Rock, stands the two-story house, aging.
- In the dim light of the afternoon sun, just through the back door, is my old, warm kitchen.
There are a few minor differences but basically the same structure. Next, I discuss the difference between showing and telling sentences. I always share Mark Twain's famous quote:
"Don't tell me the lady screamed. Bring her on and let her scream!"
After my students are satisfied with their descriptive paragraph, we record their voices reading the paragraph. I am fortunate enough to have a class set of ipods with voice recorder capablities, but if you aren't, you can always use Audacity, which is a free open source software used for recordings. This assignment made me realize how important it is for students to hear themselves reading out loud. Even though my students read their own writing, they still had to read it several times to develop fluency.
Next, we uploaded everything to Glogster. Students selected images that best represented their paragraph. I discussed Fair Use and Creative Commons Licensing. We practiced using Google's Advanced Search by clicking on Google Search > Images > Advanced Search and under usage rights, we changed the default to labeled for reuse.
I am very pleased with the Glogster results. Click on the links below to see some of my favorites (be sure to click on the player to hear the student read his or her paragraph):
1st Student Example Glog
2nd Student Example Glog
3rd Studnet Example Glog
4th Student Example Glog
5th Student Example Glog
I try to model every assignment I provide for my students, so see the Glog I created below:
Blogs, Wikis, Nings, Google, Podcast Producer....
Wow - just a few years ago, I thought it would be great if I could just get email addresses for my students, and now, I have many, many choices.
I am not a big fan of video, unless it is a screencast or you only hear my voice. I don't like the way I look in a video, but I don't mind producing audio, and I, of course, love a blog. I am planning to use Podcast Producer to create some video, and maybe the more I work with video, the more comfortable I will become. I hope we can all learn from one another as we explore Podcast Producer. Be sure to share your great ideas and what you learn with the Mac Team Group!
I am not a big fan of video, unless it is a screencast or you only hear my voice. I don't like the way I look in a video, but I don't mind producing audio, and I, of course, love a blog. I am planning to use Podcast Producer to create some video, and maybe the more I work with video, the more comfortable I will become. I hope we can all learn from one another as we explore Podcast Producer. Be sure to share your great ideas and what you learn with the Mac Team Group!