Monthly Archives: January 2017

LA Update — Week of 1/30/17

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We will be creating our personalized video book reviews!   Here are upcoming dates of note:

  • Monday (1/30):  Narrative spreadsheets should be complete.  This includes all pictures/images/videos.
  • Tuesday and Wednesday (1/31 and 2/1):  We’ll be recording and creating our videos in class.
  • Thursday (2/2):  Book of Will at the DCPA.  Students should dress nicely.  No class.
  • ALSO Thursday (2/2).  Author’s Night.  8th graders will be reading pieces from 6pm-7pm.  Required for 8th graders.  All others welcome!
  • Friday (2/3):  ADI #1.  No Class
  • Monday and Tuesday (2/6 and 2/7).  We’ll be putting final touches on videos.  Trimester self evaluations due.
  • Wednesday (2/8): Videos due at beginning of class to Padlet.    Book Film Festival Day 1
  • Thursday (2/9):  Last day of the trimester.  Book Film Festival Day 2
  • Monday (2/13):  8th Grade seminar begins.  6th and 7th graders will have a new LA teacher for 3rd trimester.

Have a great week!  -JF

Shark Tank Update 1/30/17

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We are headed to the Chinese Joyous Cultural Center on Friday.  We’ll be leaving around 9:15am and returning around 2pm.  Lunch will be provided.  To prepare for our visit, our focus will be on China this week.  We’ll be creating a class encyclopedia about some of the major dynasties, events, people, religions in Chinese history.

We’ll also be working on our business plan as students will be learning about demographics as well as writing up imaginary customers for their product.  Here’s a description that explains this in greater detail.  

Upcoming due dates:

  1. Monday:  Entrepreneur Essay should be complete. (Question #1 on business plan)
  2. Wednesday:  Encyclopedia slides should be written.
  3. Monday, February 6th:  Customer Profiles should be written (Question #4 on business plan.)

If you have entrepreneurial experience and are interested in helping to mentor students, please let me know.

Thank you so much!   -JF

Co-Op Update — 2/2/17

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Here’s what’s happening this week:

  1. Students should be working on whatever follow up needs to happen based on conferences. A quick thank you to everyone for your participation at conferences — really enjoyed getting to connect with each and every one of you.
  2. We’ll be headed to the DCPA performance of “The Book of Will” on Thursday, February 2nd.  Students should pack a sack lunch and dress nicely for the event.
  3. Thursday night the 2nd is also Author’s Night.  8th Graders will be presenting their writing between 6pm-7pm.  All are encouraged to attend.
  4. Friday, February 3rd is our 1st ADI of semester #2.  If you have science, you should pack a sack lunch.  If you have a social studies, lunch will be provided.
  5. Friendly reminder that there is no school on February 10th.  February 9th is the last day of the 2nd trimester.  Depending on the student’s grade level / teacher — they may be switching LA teachers for the final trimester.

Have a great week!  -JF

Shark Tank Update 1/23/17

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Hi Everyone,

We are BUSY in the Shark Tank.  Here are a few questions you can ask your student:

  1. What country did you create?  What was the system of government?  Religion?  Laws?  Geography?  What did you learn about making  a country?
  2. What is Kiva?  How does it work? Who are you advocating for as our class loan recipient?  What have you learned about their home country?    (For a full task description, click here.)
  3. Any ideas yet for a business?
  4. What are your greatest entrepreneurial traits?  What makes a good entrepreneur?

We’ll be working on the first part of our LTP next week (Entrepreneurial Essay) as well as our Country Kiva Reports.  Later in the week, we’ll be conducting an Asian Trade Scenario as we get closer to our first ADI to the Chinese Joyous Cultural Center.

Have a great week!  -JF

 

LA Update — Week of 1/23

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We will be working on writing our narratives for our personalized video book reviews this week.  If you are interested, here are a few protocols that we’ll be using to scaffold this process.   Elements Protocol.  Peer Critique Protocol

Upcoming due dates:

Monday:  “Read This Book” due at the BEGINNING of class.  This should include a stapled packet with rubric, twenty questions, plot mountain, drawing, and character map.

Monday:  (8th graders only) — Identify one piece of writing you want to share for author’s night.

Thursday:  Strong draft of Narrative.

Have a great week!  -JF

 

Co-Op Update 1/23/17

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Hi Everyone,

Students should have their portfolios ready to go for mid-year conferences.  This includes getting signed off on their PSRs for LA and Math among other tasks.   Students must have these signatures prior to conferences.

Our next field trips are on February 2nd (DCPA Play — “The Book of Will”)  and February 3rd (ADI #1).  There is a new requirement about parent permission forms and field trips so look for that update in the CHOICE Weekly soon.

Have a great week!  -JF

 

 

Shark Tank Update — Week of 1/16/17

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Class is off to a fantastic start.  We are exploring the following:

  1. The different types of government (Oligarchy vs. Representative Democracy vs. Theocracy.)
  2. What makes a country?  Students have been working in groups to create our own country.
  3. What are our passions?  What type of business would we like to start?  What is our cause?
  4. How does Kiva.org work?  Why is entrepreneurialism important throughout the world?
  5. Exploration of Eastern Hemisphere History through research of specific countries. (They’ll be choosing that later in the week.)

Create a Country reports will be presented Wednesday.

If you have entrepreneurial experience and you are interested in being a mentor, please email me at joshua.feiger@bvsd.org — I’d love your help!

Have a great week!  -JF

LA Update — Week of 1/16/17

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Hi Everyone,

We are beginning work on our Personalized Video Book Review (PVBR) project.  Students have selected their favorite book that they’ve read since August and will be creating a video based on that text.  Creating the PVBRs is a three step process.  The first step of this process is to get to know your book REALLY well by answering 20 questions about that book in a “Read This Book” sheet.  Some of the questions can be answered in five seconds.  Others will take quite a bit of thinking.  We’ll use this thinking to create a narrative that shares the way the book changed the way they see the world.

Upcoming due dates:

  • Every day:  Students should be reading their choice novel and bringing their project novel to school.
  • Friday, January 13th:  Questions #1-7 on the “Read This Book” sheet.
  • Wednesday, January 18th: Questions #8-#15 due “Read This Book” sheet.
  • Friday, January 20th:  “Read This Book” with all pictures, plot mountains, character maps, etc. should be complete.  It should be turned in via paper copy.

Have a great week!  -Josh

LA Update — January 4, 2017

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Welcome back!  I’m so excited to see everyone tomorrow.  This week, we’ll be starting with a mini “procedure writing” project.  Click here for a task description!

A few other notes:

  • The book plan is intended as a living, breathing document.  Students have enjoyed class-time to update these plans.  They should both reflect their current reading and their progress in reading the required genres.  Students will be sharing these book plans at their mid-year conferences.
  • This is the time of year where students may be running low on pens and pencils.  It may be time to boost their supply.
  • Friendly reminder that on February 9th will be the last day of this class as currently constituted.  After that time, I’ll be teaching the 8th grade seminar, while sixth and seventh graders will be taught by either Mr. Morrow or Ms. Matthews for the final trimester.

Upcoming due dates:

  • Thursday (1/5):  Rough draft of procedure due.
  • Tuesday (1/10): Final draft of procedure due.
  • Also Tuesday (1/10):  Book selected and brought to class for book review project.  This should be a book that they have read since August.
  • Friday (1/13): Reading plan AND PSR (signed off) should be complete for conferences.

Have a fantastic week!  -JF