Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Literature Connections 
with Mr. Huber

Students read Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.
13-year old Brian is riding in a two-person aircraft when the pilot suddenly dies of a heart attack! The plane crashes, but Brian survives only to face the relentless wilderness alone and with few supplies. He learnes to become a young man while living off the land and coming to terms with his parents' recent divorce.


They visited the media center to use Destiny OPAC for web research and to find print research materials.

Some were amazed to find how cool the books are! These students were looking at the diagrams of antique planes.

This student was reading about first aid techniques. Now she's ready for an emergency!

Thursday, December 1, 2011

First Semester is Almost Over?





How is it possible the year is going by so quickly? It is not a secret that all schools are struggling with staffing shortages and diminishing budgets. So what are we doing to survive this year?


I like to think I thrive, rather than survive. I have had some successful collaboration with teachers for meaningful projects. 8th grade Language Arts did an in-depth author study, critically thinking about the influences in the author's life and the subsequent reflection in their writing style. Many students were excited to see their "boring" authors had some controversial books which have been banned or challenged in their history. 


8th Grade Language Arts also researched newspaper databases and print resources to develop and argue a topic for a persuasive essay. Students struggled through the process of using recommended resources and learning to navigate with keyword banks. The end product was a success! Many were able to write critically about their topic with solid research to back up their opinions.


7th Grade Social Studies had a fun project creating Egyptian pharaoh Facebook pages. They used quality research resources, cited them properly and formatted a Powerpoint slide to look like Facebook pages. My favorite was a student's choice to put Cleopatra's relationship status as "complicated". They really got it!


Our most recent success was a risky experiment with Skype in the Classroom. We connected with E. Cary Middle's 8th Grade Language Arts class to ask and answer questions about Holocaust survivors. Some shared their favorite books and why they recommended them. Students had a feedback session, giving their plus/deltas to review and implement on our next Skype lesson.


Add in quality guest speakers, like David Hamilton of Weather Predict Consulting, Inc. who spoke to 7th graders about the technology of weather information systems,  and you could surmise that we have been holding our own. 


Maybe the winds will change to allow more opportunities for allowing me to get back into the classroom. I am thankful for a dynamic staff who are willing to try innovative lessons. We get together to analyze data, finding ways to make educational experiences more meaningful for our students. We have a top-notch Media and Technology Advisory Committee who are diligent in seeking out new educational technologies, acquiring and testing them for smooth transition to the classroom. 


We are proud to be the Wendell Middle Community. I can't wait to post our new adventures soon!