Poetry Slam and Favorite Poem Project

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june00/poetryboxlessonplan.html

This is a great site for teaching poetry in a high school. It contains a great lesson plan idea. It has students reading, listening to, and writing poetry. Students will first listen to and read poetry. They will find their favorites and also discover what they like in poems. They will then write their own poems. All who wish to will share their poem in front of the class. This is where the "Poetry Slam" part comes in. The lesson plan suggests that students rate each other on their poems with a system similar to that of Olympic Ice Skating judges (holding up cards with a score on it). I don't so much like this idea of students rating each other - it seems like feelings could easily be hurt, or students might change their minds about sharing if they know that they will be scored by their peers. However, this idea provides a way for students to be immersed in poetry, and it could be a fun activity for the classroom.

The second link is called the "Favorite Poem Project". In 1997, Robert Pinsky, the 39th Poet Laureate of the United States, invited all Americans to submit their favorite poems. On the video section of this site, one can watch videos of people telling a little bit about themselves and their favorite poem. They then read the poem. It is a great resource for teachers!

Internet Safety Project (continued)

For my internet safety assignment, I read an article by President Monson in the October 2008 New Era entitled, "Standards of Strength". I also read a message fround in the August 2001 issue of the Ensign called “Tips for Internet Safety. ” It was written by Eric L. Denna who was then a stake president of a BYU stake.I taught my sister-in-law's two sisters. One is in junior high and the other is in high school. I basically just went over some of the basic tips (be careful sharing information online, be careful who you form relationships with online, let your parents know what you are doing). I also shared with them the video I found. They also commented on the "Tracking Teresa" part (the same part of the video that really stood out to me). They mentioned it was a little bit scary. Because I know them pretty well, and the older sister, who uses Facebook, is already very careful about what information she posts, I also mentioned the value of sharing what they know with their friends.

Interesting

I think this is interesting. It is actually about some of the downsides to using technology in teaching language:
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/controversies-using-technology-language-teaching
Last week in class, we discussed when it is appropriate to use technology in a classroom. Pete Sharma, the author of the article and co-author of the book Blended Learning, considers the role of a teacher when it comes to technology integration in the classroom. He outlines four principles:

1) Separate the role of the teacher. It is important to understand the respective roles played by the teacher and the technology in the learning process; the teacher could deal with the ‘fuzzy’ areas mentioned above, for instance.
2) Teach in a principled way. Whenever a new technology emerges (such as, say, podcasting), it is important to go beyond the ‘wow’ factor and think about the pedagogical reasons for using it.
3) Use the technology to complement and enhance what the teacher does
4) 'It’s not what it is, it’s what you do with it.' (Jones 1986.) So it is not the interactive whiteboard per se which could improve the learning experience, but how it is used.

Internet Safety Assignment

First of all, I watched a few videos - some funny public service announcements and home made videos. However, the best one I found was actually from TeacherTube.


http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=24390&title=Internet_Safety
There is part of this video (the section about Tracking Teresa) that really opened my eyes to some of the things we do or share that we might not even think about.
I read a message from President Monson that was in the October 2008 Ensign. He reminds us that the admonition of Paul is to seek after "anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy". If we use this as our guide, we can avoid many of the dangerous and addicting snares we may run into on the Internet. President Monson counsels young people to not only follow the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet when establishing standards, but also (and especially) to follow the guidance of the Holy Ghost. He gives a wonderful guide for each of us to follow: Precious young people, make every decision you contemplate pass this test. He encourages us to ask ourselves a few questions when making decisions. These same questions apply when considering what we should be involving ourselves with when it comes to the Internet: "What does it do to me? What does it do for me?" He continues. "And let your code of conduct emphasize not 'What will others think?' but rather 'What will I think of myself?' Be influenced by that still, small voice."
I am grateful that not only are there concerned parents, teachers, and leaders that are willing to help everyone remember how to be safe on the Internet, we also have a prophet who is called of God to remind us to guide us to make good decisions in general and to live by certain "standards of strength".

My photo (About Me page)

I just saw the announcement asking me to post what I did to my photo. I used Picnik and started out by cropping it (It is actually a picture of me and two other people). I then lightened it and changed the sharpness a little.

Slavery - Preparation for Pudd'nhead Wilson

Watch this video and fill out the answers for Part 1.

http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=21276&title=The_Road_to_Freedom




Pictures. See Part 2 of the worksheet. Answer the questions:




Here is the Worksheet:
https://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dc2wrh89_2cshdvdcb

Getting To Know You Questionnaire

Getting To Know You Questionnaire

Class Calendar

About Ms. Leatham

My name is Jessica Leatham. I am from Carson City, Nevada. I am the fourth of six children, and I have four brothers and one sister. My sister and I always got along well, and my brothers and I...get along really well now. I love reading and writing (what I call the "Top Two for all English Educators). I also love music! I love to listen to it, play it, compose it - anything. I love football but only as a spectator. I follow BYU football faithfully (It's where I attended college - Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah). More than anything, though, my favorite pasttime is hanging out with my family. One goal of mine is to visit New Zealand. I would love to see the beautiful landscape and learn more about the history of the native people (the Maoris). It has always fascinated me.
I attended middle school at Eagle Valley Middle School in Carson City. Although Eagle Valley Middle School and Canyon View Junior High School are not the same school, I can remember some of the challenges and triumphs that I faced during this stage of my life, and I hope that my experiences will help me to get to know each of you better as you go through this time in your life. I remember that I often felt challenged in my classes, and I believe that I grew because of that. It is my opinion that when a teacher expects great things from her students and is willing to help every step of the way and when students are willing to work hard to reach those expectations, great things can happen. I pledge to expect great things and help you in every possible way. Students,will you pledge to live up to those expecations by working hard? Parents, will you help your child by understanding these expectations (via this class website) and helping them to reach those expectations by encouraging them to work hard? If we all do our part, great things can happen. That's my promise to all of you for this school year.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. My e-mail address is jessicaleatham@hotmail.com
Here is a map for Canyon View Junior High School:

View My Saved Places in a larger map