Mr. W's Blog

Each 8th grader was given a photograph of a child who was interned during the Holocaust. You should paste the picture into your yellow journal. Use http://www.graceproducts.com/fmnc/main.htm to get some basic information and fill out the personal details.

Then write a diary from the perspective of your child.

Page 1: Before arrest/hiding

Page 2: Arrest/hiding

Page 3: First day in camp/ghetto/hiding

Page 4: Last day in camp/ghetto/hiding

Some information can be found on the website. You should elaborate on the information you find there.

Some students have yet to turn in their HR Topic Sheet! This was due a long time ago! It is the starting point of our research project!

I will be checking your research notes and your HR Research Summary on Tuesday.

Keep working hard! Let’s create some great HR movies!

Read (or listen to) this article http://www.npr.org/2012/02/15/146895947/syrian-activists-live-stream-their-revolution about reporting and freedom of speech violation in Syria. Write a one page response and upload your on Moodle.

We will be doing WW only every other week to give you plenty of time to work on your HR Research Project.

Remember, I’ll be checking your research summary on Tuesday. We will start training on Windows Movie Maker was well.

8th graders are starting to read the play The Diary of Anne Frank. We will be learning a bit about the holocaust as we study this play. To gain some background information, students should visit this website and explore the content.

http://www.annefrank.org/

Use the Secret Annex Webquest form to recieve credit for this activity.

8th graders have one month to select and read a book about the Holocaust. This should be a narrative or historical fication book of at least 150 pages. Use this form to discuss your selection with your parents .

Look for more information in future posts about your book report for this book.

The second step in our inquiry process is to use information seeking strategies. We’ll largely be using the internet. A Google search can actually be very useful, especially if you narrow down your search with specific keywords. One of the best places to start is Wikipedia. Wikipedia offers an overview of just about any topic. It is constantly being updated so new information can be found all the time. Sometimes the new information can be inaccurate, so it is best to use information that is cited in the “References” section. These references can also help you do more in depth research. Many entries also have a Bibliography section and an External Links section. These are great places to get more information and find some valuable sources.

DON’T FORGET TO RECORD ALL THE SOURCES YOU USE!!! If you download photos, record where you got these from as well.I recommend EasyBib! Don’t forget, “Google Image Search” is NOT a source.

You must turn in the HR Research Summary for credit.

The third step, of course, is to find information from these sources.

I recommend the following websites to get some information for your project

http://www.channelone.com/ – some great information in a familiar format (This site has some great information on North Korea as well.)

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http://www.hrw.org – one of the most well known sources for information on Human Rights abuses

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http://www.amnesty.org – another well known source with more of an emphasis on advocacy

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http://www.state.gov/g/drl/hr/index.htm – the United States’ official site for Human Rights

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http://www.youthforhumanrights.org/index.htm – the site much of our classroom materials come from

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http://www.humanrights.com/#/home – the mother organization of Youth For Human Rights

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http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/index.aspx – another Human Rights organization

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http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Pages/WelcomePage.aspx – the UN’s site for HR

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http://www.antislavery.org/english/default.aspx – anti-slavery organization

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http://www.omct.org – anti-torture organization

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http://www.article19.org – freedom of expression organization

Read this article http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/19/slavery-in-cocoa-fields-a-horrible-normal/ and write a response for your Wednesday Writing. While this article focuses on Human Right #4, No Slavery, it also deals with other Human Rights. It may be useful in your project, so please take some time to read it and see what you can use for your HR project. Upload your response by Wednesday, February 8.

9th graders are starting an inquiry project focusing on Human Rights. Students will choose one human right on which to focus and research the upholding and the abuse of that right in our own country and abroad. We will be using the following six steps of research:

1. Task Definition
2. Information Seeking
3. Location and Access
4. Use of Information
5. Synthesis
6. Evaluation

Task Definition

We will be creating “digital stories” about a human right for the final product of this research. Your first step is to learn about the Declaration of Human Rights and select one right that you would like to focus on. You should also pick a back-up topic in case your first choice does not work out.

What are human rights?

Watch the short documentary on human rights at http://www.youthforhumanrights.org/what-are-human-rights.html and fill out a Listening Guide.

Browse the UDHR and the ads to find a right that interests you and you would like to research. (Note: 1, 28, 29, and 30 are too broad for this research project.

Once you have selected your right, turn in the HR Topic Sheet to get credit for this first step.

 For more background information Read the rest of this entry »

8th graders. Select one of your argumentative typed drafts to revise into a better draft. Use the strategies we talked about in class. You could even have a friend help you make it better. Don’t forget to turn on “track changes” so I can see what you have done to improve your essay.

Upload your work on Moodle by January 31.

Congrats 9th graders! You’ve made it through your first “difficult text,” The Odyssey. Now you will be writing an analysis that explains how one element of literature affects another element in this work. Remember that the elements we discussed are

1. character

2. plot

3. setting

4. theme

5. p.o.v./tone

Use the rubric to guide your writing. Lit Analysis Rubric