Welcome Back!

The 2013-14 school year officially begins on Monday. I'm excited to get back into the classroom and to meet all of my new students. I have had a wonderful summer, spending lots of meaningful time with friends and family. My humanities colleagues and I have moved into our new offices, and in the midst of the hustle and bustle of construction around school there's a lot of positive energy building toward the return of students. I'm really excited for the first day and the chance to get back to teaching.

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 their 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. Below, I have posted a picture of a giant rock my father asked my brother and me to move--see what you think it looks like:

Students in Mr. Nekrosius's humanities project groups recently researched, wrote, and designed online newspapers about the Salem Witch Trials. To learn more, there is a link to the newspapers below.

For Mr. Nekrosius's humanities classes, here is your blog post assignment:


Choose ONE of the online newspapers created by Mr. Nekrosius's project groups and spend twenty minutes browsing through the various pages (you can find links to the two newspapers here). When have finished reading the newspaper, post a comment in which you write the following:

1.Three things you learned about the trials and/or the people of Salem--be specific, and be thorough.
2. A detailed connection between the events of Salem and the events you studied for your project (or, if you are in Mr. Nekrosius's project group, a connection between something you read and something you wrote for your own article.)
3. One question for an author or one of the designers of the newspapers.

(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, constructive, and detailed in your responses! Your posts are due Thursday, November 29th.

Columbus Then, Columbus Now

Over the past week we have discussed the different ways in which the story of Christopher Columbus's voyage/arrival/discovery/conquest has been told. We have learned about the presence of bias in each of these interpretations. Your question to answer here is, how do you think the story of Christopher Columbus should be taught to seventh graders? What is the overall historical narrative that seventh graders should learn about this pivotal period in history? What are some historical "facts" that should be emphasized? Your comment should take the form of a paragraph. State your main argumentative idea clearly in your topic sentence. Prove your argument using evidence (a quote) from one of this week's readings, and make sure to analyze thoroughly how that quote proves your topic sentence. End with a concluding sentence that wraps up your main idea and adds the "so what" larger context. Your comment is due by the start of class on Monday.


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, a comma, then "Nekrosius," then your period (example: Frodo, Nekrosius 12). Then, select "Anonymous" for your identity and click "publish your comment."

Even MORE debatable!

Tonight the second presidential debate between President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney will take place at Hofstra University in New York. The debate will take place from 8:00 - 9:30 Central Time. This debate will have a different look and feel from the first presidential debate and the vice presidential debate, as it will take place in what is called a Town Hall format. This means that members of the audience will have a chance to ask the candidates questions. If you would like to post a comment about your own questions, your thoughts on the candidates' ideas, or the style of the debate, feel free to do so. Please remember to proofread your comments before posting, and as always, make sure that your comments are thoughtful and polite!

---As always, remember to sign in as "Anonymous" and to sign your FIRST name, then a comma, then Nekrosius (for example--Frodo, Nekrosius).---

It's (Vice Presidentially) Debatable!

This Thursday evening from 8:00 to 9:30 the two candidates for the office of VICE President will have a debate; the debate will take place in Danville, Kentucky, and address topics concerning both foreign and domestic policy. I encourage you to watch at least fifteen minutes of the debate to get a sense of the candidates' perspectives and to see how tonight's debate looks, sounds, and feels different from the first Presidential debate (again, several major networks and cable networks will carry the debates--it's worth switching to see the ways in which different channels choose to broadcast the event). If you are interested, watch at least fifteen minutes about the debate and then write a brief comment to this post. Your comment can address the following questions, but please do not just write a list of answers--instead, write your thoughts in a brief paragraph. 1. What questions do you have about the Vice Presidential candidates' ideas? 2. What questions would you like to ask of both the candidates? 3. How did tonight's debate look, sound, and feel similar and different to the first Presidential debate? 4. Anything else you would like to add? As a reminder, this is NOT an opportunity for you to voice your support of one candidate or another--please keep your comments focused on questions and the important elements of the debate as a way for the candidates to convey their ideas. Also, remember to sign in as "Anonymous" and to sign your FIRST name, then a comma, then Nekrosius (for example--Frodo, Nekrosius). Enjoy the debate!

ABC Blog Post Assignment--Due Thursday 10/4

Now that you have read over half of American Born Chinese, you should 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, a comma, then "Nekrosius," then your period (so, Frodo, Nekrosius 12). Then, select "Anonymous" for your identity and click "publish your comment."

Extra Credit--It's Debatable!

This Wednesday evening from 8:00 to 9:30 the two candidates for the office of President will have a debate about domestic policy. The debate will take place in Denver, Colorado, which is a "swing state" (one of your recent election terms). The moderator, Jim Lehrer, will ask the two candidates questions about the economy, health care, and the role of government in American society. I encourage you to watch at least fifteen minutes of the debate to get a sense of the candidates' perspectives and how a debate works in general (several major networks and cable networks will carry the debates--it's worth switching to see the ways in which different channels choose to broadcast the event). If you are interested, watch at least fifteen minutes about the debate and then write a brief comment here about the following: 1. What questions do you have about the candidates' ideas? 2. What questions would you like to ask of both the candidates? 3. What stood out as important or surprising about the debate format in general? 4. Anything else you would like to add? As a reminder, this is NOT an opportunity for you to voice your support of one candidate or another--please keep your comments focused on questions and the important elements of the debate as a way for the candidates to convey their ideas. Also, remember to sign in as "Anonymous" and to sign your FIRST name, then a comma, then Nekrosius (for example--Frodo, Nekrosius). Enjoy the debate!

First Blog Post Assignment: The Box

We have spent the past week and a half discussing questions surrounding identity. As part of those discussions, we have read stories, listened to music, 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," "American History," "Alone And All Together," the song "Little Boxes,""Sylvia's Story" from National Public Radio, and "Crickets"). 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?

Once you have made a connection between two works, post a comment 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). Use the "anonymous" identity, and remember that after you click the "Publish your comment" button your comment will not appear until after I have approved it as the moderator. Also, if you choose to respond to what another classmate wrote, please do so in a respectful manner.

Welcome Back!

The 2012-13 school year officially begins on Monday. I'm excited to get back into the classroom and to meet all of my new students. I have had a wonderful summer--I got to do a lot of traveling, reading, and resting. I tried out some new recipes, and I attended a wonderful Gilder Lerhman Institute seminar about America's founding era. I'm excited to bring what I learned there and from all of my experiences to my students in 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 their 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. Below, I have posted just a few pictures from my summer--see you soon!

This is a picture of a Metro station in Washington, D.C., but as a big science fiction fan, I can't help but think that it could double as the launching tube for an X-Wing.

Here you see one of the more devilish machines ever devised--the Zipper. I saw this particular example at the Wisconsin State Fair, a favorite summer event I try to fit in every year.

Last but not least, here's a picture of me in front of James Madison's Montpelier home.

In The Footsteps Of Lewis And Clark

Today the seventh grade embarked upon a momentous journey of exploration. Following in the footsteps of the Corps of Discovery, we went forth into strange and wondrous new territory, making maps and taking observations of flora and fauna along the way. Although we did not find the Northwest Passage, we did encounter large, angry birds, a few tiny shoots of green here and there, and at the end of our journey, a beautiful garden. See below for some pictures of the intrepid explorers in action:

Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Salem Witch Trials Newspapers Now Available!

Students in Mr. Nekrosius's humanities project groups recently researched, wrote, and designed online newspapers about the Salem Witch Trials. To learn more, there is a link to the newspapers below.

For Mr. Nekrosius's humanities classes, here is your blog post assignment:


Choose ONE of the online newspapers created by Mr. Nekrosius's project groups and spend twenty minutes browsing through the various pages (you can find links to the two newspapers here). When have finished reading the newspaper, post a comment in which you write the following:

1.Three things you learned about the trials and/or the people of Salem--be specific, and be thorough.
2. A detailed connection between the events of Salem and the events you studied for your project (or, if you are in Mr. Nekrosius's project group, a connection between something you read and something you wrote for your own article.)
3. One question for an author or one of the designers of the newspapers.

(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, constructive, and detailed in your responses! Your posts are due Thursday, December 1st.

Tricks and Treats Via 7th Graders at Lab

Halloween is here again, and along with it a wide array of ghouls, goblins, Gumbies, and goodness knows what else. My advisory put forth a particularly strong showing in the annual 7th grade costume contest, and with various parades, scary music groove-a-thons, and ghost stories happening, this is shaping up to be quite a day here at Lab. Here's a selection of some of the costumes--the creativity and humor of the kids here is so wonderful to see (and there's a great shot of my whole advisory at the bottom):

Seventh Grade Boys Soccer Season Comes To A Close

This afternoon the seventh grade boys soccer team capped off a wonderful season with a convincing win over Latin. Thanks to the guys for all of their hard work throughout this autumn. They persevered through some difficult stretches, and they all made impressive strides in terms of both skills and fitness. Here are a few pictures to sum up the season . . .

Dunes Day!

This past Monday the entire 7th grade traveled to the Indiana Dunes to see succession in action and to make observations about biotic and abiotic factors. Their science teachers know more about what that data will become upon analysis. The day itself was beautiful, with blue skies, breezes, and all sorts of interesting flora and fauna to see. Here are a few pictures that tell the tale of the day . . .

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 12). Then, select "Anonymous" for your identity and click "publish your comment." Also, remember to click "Publish your comment" twice to be sure that it gets sent to Mr. Nekrosius to moderate.

First Blog Posting Assignment for 2011 -- "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.

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.