Choose ONE of the online newspapers created by Mr. Nekrosius's project groups and spend fifteen minutes browsing through the various pages (you can find links to the two newspapers here). When have finished reading the newspaper, create a post that contains three things you learned from your reading and one question you have for the authors. If you are in Mr. Nekrosius's project groups, you should post on the other class's newspaper.

Remember:

You should include ONLY your first name and your class period (NO LAST NAMES) at the end of your blog post.

Also, remember to be positive and detailed in your responses! Your posts are due Thursday, December 2nd.

American Born Chinese Themes Assignment

Now that you have read over half of American Born Chinese, you should now be able to see certain themes emerging that appear in all three different story lines within the graphic novel. Your assignment is to describe one of those emerging themes and explain, using specific examples from the text, how you see each of the three story lines embodying or developing that theme. Your post should be at least six sentences long. You may choose to write your answer in paragraph form if you wish. If you are unsure on what the definition of "theme" is, consult your literary term glossary at the back of Social Justice. Your comment is due by the start of class on Wednesday.


Remember--read the post, and then click on the word "comments" just below that post. After you have written your post, add your first name, then "Nekrosius," then your period (so, Frodo Nekrosius 34). Then, select "Anonymous" for your identity and click "publish your comment."

First Blog Post Assignment for 2010 -- "The Box"

We have spent the past week and a half discussing questions surrounding identity. As part of those discussions, we have read several stories, listened to music, performed poetry, written in journals, and created identity collages to express your own unique cultural identifiers. We have also discussed various examples of "the box," which is a metaphor for any obstacles or barriers that might isolate, frustrate, enclose, or sometimes protect someone from a larger world.

Think back over everything we have read so far for this unit ("Theme for English B," "High Yellow White Trash," "Crickets," the "Phone Booth" poem, "and "Sylvia's Story" from National Public Radio). Your task now is to write and post a comment in this forum in which you describe a connection between TWO of these works, focusing on the role of "the box." Think about how different characters face similar or different challenges. Think about similarities or differences in the kinds of disguises characters wear. Do you think these characters will escape from their boxes?

When you have made a connection between two works, write a post describing that connection. Make sure to mention specific characters/narrators, and to be clear about how the "boxes" they experience are similar. Your post does not have to be long; four or five sentences is plenty. You should feel free to respond to your classmates' posts, as well as to ask your classmates questions.


*** Remember to use your first name, "Nekrosius," and your class period number when you sign your post (do NOT put your last name). Also, if you choose to respond to what another classmate wrote, please do so in a respectful manner.

Welcome Back Autumn 2010

The 2010-11 school year officially begins tomorrow. I'm excited to get back into the classroom and to meet all of my new students. I have had a wonderful summer--I've posted some pictures here of some of my favorite adventures from the past three months--but the weather's getting cooler, soccer practices have already started, and my thoughts turn to the year ahead. We will start off with the identity unit, one of my favorite units to teach, and there's a lot to look forward to. For students and parents who have found there way here, you can look forward to periodic posts and occasional assignments for my advisees and Humanities students. For now, if you have any questions or comments about 7th grade Humanities, me, or anything at all, feel free to post them as comments!

Babysitting for my parents' cows and their puppy in Wisconsin:



A (more or less) successfully built and launched rocket, nicknamed "The Flying Dutchman":




My sister and I brave the dinosaur exhibit at the Wisconsin State Fair:




Beautiful views at Dinosaur National Monument:



Mills Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park:

Go West, Young Seventh Graders!

This past week my two seventh grade humanities classes have been learning about Lewis and Clark. Having read about, mapped, and discussed the Corps of Discovery, the time came for them to set out on a voyage of their own. So, amidst lovely spring weather, we explored our way over to the Osaka Garden, just south of the Museum of Science and Industry. Along the way they kept maps of our journey, wrote notes about what they saw, and drew pictures of the flora and fauna they encountered. Here are a few pictures of the journey: