Hey All!
This week seemed to go by so fast! We have been working on getting ourselves prepared for our student led conferences, learning some techniques in incorporating quotes into our writing, and developing our analytical, persuasive, and explanatory skills. "If I Were Mayor" essays need to be turned into me--finalized with an entry form--no later than Wednesday the 13th in order to be eligible for the contest. That is also when our final drafts are due. However, if we as a class are falling behind and need an extra week we can take it. We'll be starting state testing the week after conferences, and I would hope we can get our writing done before then. Clear minds make for good testing. But again, if it does take a bit longer to make the best writing we can, we will take that time. After reading over the rough drafts I got in on Thursday, we need a little work on how to introduce and conclude our writing. So we will spend a short time on Monday and Tuesday working on some techniques for hooking our readers and wrapping up our essays in a meaningful and impactful way. You all ready?! You Got This! Mr. Ruth
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No jokes for you. No pranks. No trickery from me. Sorry. I'm not that into practical jokes and whatnot, and I already feel like I have spent way too much time on explaining this. So... This week we have been building the groundwork for our expository essays. We have a few options for you to choose from, so pick what works best for you. Check out the google classroom for more information. What makes research good? How do we do good research? What does "good" even really mean? We discussed this in class, what makes a source credible, and we are getting our thoughts together from these pieces of research. But what is "good" what makes an article online a "good" source? Seriously. How do we tell? We have to have a critical mind, be always asking questions: what is the point of this article, who is the author, what is their agenda, what website is this, is it a reputable source; you need to be aware of everything about everything to make sure that what you are reading is telling you the truth. We are truth seekers here in language arts. There is a saying that my mentor in Beaverton hung above his door. I'm not sure who originally stated it, but I think it holds true to our work these weeks. Here it is : History is written by the winners. Literature is written by the losers. This explains to us that those with the power tell us how things happened during a time in history. But those of us, we who get caught in the moment, forgotten by history, we still have a voice. We create the literature of this world that tells the story of those moments in history, those moments where not everyone is being included--not every thought or perspective can be included--especially when those who write history don't want us heard.
We need to be heard, and even more so we need to be aware of what we are being told. Are the "facts" in this world being told because they are true? or, Are we being told what those "winners" want us to believe. Be critical. Be careful. Be informed. Mr. Ruth |
Weekly HappeningsThis is where you can check and see a brief overview of what we have done as a class each week. My intention is to keep this up to date with happenings, assignments, trends, previews of the following week, and anything else that needs to be shared with my students and their families. I may not always get something written each week, but I will do my best to be disciplined in keeping you informed. Archives
May 2016
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