Happy New Year! I think I'm off to a good start. I woke up at 5:30, ready for my first day back at school. Those of you who know me know that this is NOT normal behavior. Maybe I'm turning over a new leaf for 2011!
Here's what's happening in room 101 for this last week of the semester:
6th GOAL: Students will be working on their independent projects this week. They'll start presenting next Monday.
7th GOAL: Students will be getting the basics about National History Day and brainstorming possible topics. It's a challenging theme this year, so we have a lot of discussing and brainstorming to do. Click here for more details.
8th GOAL: Students will be presenting their independent projects. Also, on Thursday, Mrs. Flinspach will be here to talk to the 8th graders about TAG in high school.
7th Language Arts: No spelling this week as we finish up Writer's Workshop. Final drafts are due before students leave on Thursday. I edited tons of papers over break, and I'm very excited about conferencing with my budding young authors!
Rehearsals for Bye Bye Birdie also start this week. We'll meet after school today (Monday) to hand out and go over rehearsal schedules. Drama Club will meet as scheduled on Tuesday, and then we'll really get into blocking rehearsals for the show. Get those lines learned.
Have a super week, everyone!
7th Graders, Take History Day VERY seriously. This was one of my favorites and the most challenging things that you will do in GOAL. I didn't make it to State but I will tell you that I worked hard. Going to state just to support my classmates was an honor. Pour your hearts into these projects.
ReplyDeleteIf you are making an Exhibit: I didn't see ANY exhibits at State that were a single trifold. A majority of them were two trifolds stacked on eachother. Some of my favorite things were a life-sized picture of Martin Luther King Jr. in the middle of one, One that had a movie screen in it and a giant rotatable Dr. Seus Hat. GO ABOVE AND BEYOND! Mine was a rotating display that had a large Mickey Mouse head on top--It got a lot of attention at Competition but I didn't have enough information. Strive to cover all the bases as thoroughly as you can.
For a documentary, Strive to show your information in both pictures and words, both spoken and written. Try to make sure that you use more professional, topic-related transitions. It may seem like a great idea and just hilarious when your making the presentation but when your giving it and the judges are there... well... it's embarassing. Make it smooth and unique. You've got to do something that makes YOUR documentary stand out.
And if you are doing a performance, bless your soul. ;) You must convey everything through acting and/or spoken word. This is very difficult but I LOVED watching them. Even if you're not really into acting or performing like many kids in my class but we were all pretty impressed by some of the performances. My favorite was a kid who had multiple costume changes, he was GREAT! Besides... I'm sure Miss Nelson would happily give you some advice for the stage.
Whatever you decide, National History Day is an INCREDIBLE opportunity and I've redone by project millions of times in my head since that day. Make a project that you can be proud of for years to come.