Thursday night's homework - practice and know your lines for your part in the Sign of Chrysanthemum play

In both cores, we witnessed several incredible performances by our cast of actors in the part one and two ensembles. I am looking forward to, along with our classmates, a great conclusion to our play tomorrow.

Today, Core Two students offered several delicious cultural dishes before we started the play. On Thursday, we will have our Core One cultural dishes towards the end of the play before recess.

Two students still need to bring a copy of Sign of the Chrysanthemum to class tomorrow in order to avoid paying the cost of the book ($6.00 - Amazon, including tax) and not being allowed to attend the picnic. Also, if you still have not returned library books, you will not be allowed to attend the picnic as well.

Try downloading brush painting files again...

Shared Room 601 files to make a copy of OR open with Google Docs here

Try to make a file copy OR download the correct Google Drive app and open the file (which creates a copy).

I uploaded much smaller files, which may be easier to download, or make a file copy of each.

Tell me how it goes.

Finish your digital portfolio now, by next Wednesday or beforehand

Your digital portfolio files must be in the correct folder by Wednesday, May 29. The portfolio is worth 20 points.

Find all of your photographed work (from walls and oversized portfolio pieces) here and these directions...  you may also download (use the menus) the instructional movie here which goes through the process.

From the folder in the link above, 601 walls, find your pics in each of the folder of photos of work on display in the classroom, or the other folder, More portfolio pics.

Directions:
Select your first picture - check the box by the file name.
Under the more menu that pops up upon selecting a file,
Select "Open With" and
Choose Google Docs.

This will go through a copy routine, and make a copy of the file you selected.
First, rename the file with a name that describes the assignment.
Go to your root level of your Google Drive,
and select the recent option to the left of your files list.

The file you just renamed should appear at the top of your file list.
Select it.
From the more menu,
select move to.
Move it to the scanned work folder (create if necessary)
which is inside your portfolio folder.

CONTENTS of your portfolio:
Your digital portfolio must include the following folders with the correct content:
1. Scanned or photographed portfolio documents - from all year
2. Isearch Final draft with biblio and final outline
3. Litgroup assignments
4. Other pieces that you like
5. Your photographed work and slideshow from your end of year SS7 Project
6. - file: Letter to myself in 10 years.

Bring your SS7 textbook to school to turn in ASAP

The sooner the better.


- Posted by Mr. Rodgers

Core Two students that missed either part of the SS7 Test...

Makeups will be on Friday. Be prepared to take both parts of the test if you missed both parts.

Michelle Holdt, District Theater Consultant in class on Thursday, May 23

Michelle Holdt will help students block out their Sign of the Chrysanthemum scenes Thursday for most of each core class.

Sign of C Script.... New copy

Script here.

Download as to your google folder under file menu. Print only the pages that you need for your section.  Chapter 14 - 18 still need more editing, but the pages in this version have significant edits.

Study for next week's test for the SS7 Project

Link to Study Guide and Presentation folders HERE. If either your presentation or COMPLETE study guide is missing from your folder, email me ASAP.

Presentations will be completed by this Friday in class. Do not wait until the night before the test to study!!! This is mandatory study homework from May 13 - May 21.

Here are the Study guides and slideshows that you must study in order to take our SS Project Tests next Tuesday and Wednesday. You must study your own culture plus other presentations from two other cultures starting Monday Night for homework.

Next Tuesday, May 21, we will take the MC and Fill-in parts.
On Wednesday, May 22,  we will take the EQ part.

Both Days:
You must take the MC, Fill-in, and 2 EQs for the Culture you completed your project on.

Thursday:
You must choose TWO other group presentations and take the MC part of the test on Tuesday for each of these cultures. You will take your group's MC and fill-in questions as well.

Friday:
You must also answer One EQ ONLY from any two other cultures, for a total of two EQ questions. The two cultures are of your choice and must not correspond to the MC parts of the test that you took. You will answer two of the EQ from your group's EQ questions.

More portfolio photos and Homework this week

You will find a photos HERE of several items that are NOT on the walls currently including several Roman timelines, painted world maps, a few Islam booklets (page by page).

Tomorrow, we will assemble physical portfolio materials.

If you have an Islam booklet on the display wall I will take the pictures tomorrow.

The rest of the days this week:

SS7 Project presentations
Sign of Chrysanthemum play practice and revision

This week for homework:
1. Study your SS7 project materials and two other groups materials for the test (which has been moved to next Tuesday and Wednesday.)

2. Practice your lines in the play. These must be memorized by next Friday (we will go through the play everyday from here on out.)

3. Assemble your digital portfolio folder - this will be graded during the week of May 25.

Sign of Chrysanthemum Scripts available

If you need a copy so your group can edit a script:

You must be signed into your student email to view the following:

Go here and MAKE A COPY of the file you need.

Save it to your group's Sign of Chrysanthemum folder. This folder must be in your LASS7 folder and shared with your group members and Mr. Rodgers.

I strongly suggest that you work with a double spaced copy while you rehearse and revise the script.

REVISED scripts are due by Friday, May 17. 

The script must be fully memorized by Thursday, May 23.

We will rehearse each day until then...

Digital Portfolio - Round Two

For Tuesday, May 14, here are a couple of things that we need to do for our portfolios since we have the laptop cart tomorrow:

1. Check your scanned work folder - many have had their scanned work imported.

a. eliminate unnecessary scans - usually the blank side of assignments that were also saved as scans.

b. If your folder is empty, let me know at the beginning of class so that I can import these files in class with you.

2. IMPORTANT:  Go to the shared folder here, and copy the photographed images of all of your work that is currently on the class walls. Move these copied photos into your scanned work folder as well.

3. Make sure that your portfolio has the following structure:
a. it IS in your LASS7 folder.
b. The following folder exist with the correct work in each:

LA7
i. Writing Portfolio - LG1 and LG2, other poetry, selected writings, journals

SS7 -
i. Isearch - final draft, biblio, final outline

Letter to Future Self

Scanned work - this can be arranged into other folder in your portfolio

You may drag other folders into your portfolio, but it should be a SAMPLING of
1. your best work
2. work that you learned something from
3. work and writing that you think may be interesting in 10 years.
4. and anything of your choice that you find valuable in some way.

How to suggestions - SS7 Project Tests

Here are some useful suggestions for using the online resources to study for the SS7 Project tests:

First, you must sign on to your school Google account to view the study guides and slide shows.

1. Pick a slides show that seems straight forward, but covers all three of the required areas: Medieval events, Modern events, Cultural components, Important figures

2. Examine the study guide for those shows you are interested in studying for. If the study guide is missing several details from the slides show, then decide if you want to study directly from the slides show or not.

3. Remember that the same group that made the slide show, the study guide, as well as the test questions that you must also take.

LASS7 Portfolio Update...

I suggest that you copy items from your LASS7 folder that you would want to have in your digital portfolio.

IF the work is a shared document with other students or with Mr. Rodgers, such as a slide show, you MUST make a copy first before you move the copy into your portfolio.

SS7 Group Project - Grades associated with Presentation

Here are the different parts of the presentation grade that we will finish Tuesday and Wednesday:

Slide Show group process - 10 points
Slide Show - 20 points
Study Guide - 10 points
Test questions and answer key - 10 points
Presentation - 10 points

Each individual will earn points for each assignment based on their contribution to the group work load, and quality of each assignment.

The presentation should:
a. Summarize, not read slides - explain and important points and pictures
b. Poetry performance (one person)
c. Story summary (one person)
d. Smooth transitions between different topics presented in the slide show.
e. Our speaking rubric - volume, pacing, posture, emotional projection

Practice over the weekend.

Culture Test Requirements - due Thursday

As shared in class today:

10 Multiple Choice Questions - each question with four possible answers - a, b, c, d
5 fill-in the blank Questions
3 EQ questions

Typed in Google docs.

Then on the next page - An answer key for the 10 MC, 5 fill-in, 3 bullet points for each EQ


Study Guide:
Also, If your study guide was not turned in today (saved and finished in Google docs during class today), then it is late and must be completed tonight.

Google Folder Organization

Picture - how to organize Google Folders here

Due Wednesday and Thursday

We were lucky to get the computer cart today. We continued to work on our scripts, and SS7 groups had time to start their study guide in class. We also organized our Google Folders for our electronic portfolios that will be completed before school gets out.

Due - Detail (3 items)

0508 - Bring Sign of the Chrysanthemum Book to class to return

0508 - Study Guide based on slide show content (saved in shared folder for SS7 Culture Group)

The study guide must direct students to view the slide show, and offer a solid outline of how to find the important information in the slide show. The following questions must be addressed. Much of the text can be copied straight from the slide show:

The numbers in each question listed below are minimum amounts per category
1. Three important medieval events - details, dates, place, importance of event
2. Three important historical figures from Medieval and Modern time periods - dates, their historical achievement
3. Two Modern historical events - details, dates, place, importance of event
4. Three cultural elements
5.  A poem and its importance, what it means
6. A story or fable - summary and theme


0509 - Letter to future self - Four Paragraphs (saved in LASS7 portfolio folder)

1. Introduction - Hi, 23 year old me....
2. What was 7th grade like for me this year?
3. What was LASS7 with Mr. Rodgers like this year for me?
4. What's in this portfolio - some best pieces, things we did in LASS7?

If you have not spent time on your group slide show tonight, or this past week...

I have received a number of emails from some of your groups that some people feel they have had to do extra work for some members that have not completed their fair share of the work. I must remind students, that if they have not completed their fair share, by tomorrow morning, on Tuesday, May 7, then those students will not receive the same grade as the students in the group that did their fair share or even had to do extra work.

Please give the slide show some time tonight, and do what seems like a fair share compared to others. This has been homework for much of the past four school nights, with plenty of time and computer access in class.

I hope to see amazing slide shows tomorrow!!!

Some notes for Monday Night...

1. As a group, you must work on your SS group slide show. Read my previous blog entry, and the original directions about the slide show. I will scan your slide show tonight after 9 pm to see if progress is being made, and make some additional comments then. The slide show is due tomorrow, Tuesday.

2. Sign of C scripts - if you are the owner/creator of the file for your group script, please do two things this evening, ASAP.
a. make sure you change the name of your script file to: Chapter # - #, Core #
b. make sure your script is in your LASS7 folder, or a folder within that folder. There were a few scripts that I could not view.
c. make sure the name of each member of your group is listed at the top of your script in the text.

Group Slides Show Drafts examined...

I have looked at the slides show drafts. Here some things that everyone must remember to take care, when constructed your slide show

1. 15 - 40 words per minimum. Turn wordy slides into two slides, and edit large blocks of text down to size, to the key points.

2. For each picture you use,
a. it must cover about half of the slide.
b. It should relate to the slide's details in the text.
c. When using a culturally specific image that is not familiar to the general viewer, write a short caption that tells the viewer what the image is.
d. Also, it is not necessary to show the entire student assignment or downloaded image, such as a timeline. I strongly suggest that you crop the image and enlarge the image to show close up details from a map, a graphic, or events on the timeline (same effect as zooming in).
e. Image placement should be moved around from left to right, and top and bottom. Images should not always reside in the same space on each slide. Mix it up a bit.

3. I know there is slide minimum, around 20 slides, but this is not a maximum. Your team must also convey a number of areas about your culture in order to do well on the final assignment:
a. Medieval history - time period, key events, important historical figures
b. Arts, Food, Architecture, Literature and other expressions of traditional culture from the Medieval time period, if possible, or at least what is considered the traditional culture.
c. Modern events from the 20th century.
As a result, some groups may actually develop 30 or 40 slides in order to convey enough information to cover these three areas sufficiently without trying to convey an encyclopedia about your culture.

4. The order of the slides should be grouped together to explore one major idea at a time.

5. Your group must carefully edit and make all corrections in capitalization, grammar, and spelling.

Open House Year in Review - Parent-Student Interview

With Open House on May 16, less than two weeks away, I hope parents can take a few minutes this weekend to ask their son or daughter how things are going in each of their classes this year. I am sure from, time to time throughout the year, students may have shared the love, and sometimes agony, of a piece of writing, a project, a report, or studying for a test in each of their classes, including in LASS7. I am sure that this has not changed from when we went to school. Seventh grade students have busy lives with sports, dance, tutoring, practice for band and plays, and other after school activities that help fill their schedule that makes balancing the demands of doing well in school a bit of a challenge at times. Besides this, many students are becoming more socially aware of the others students in the classroom and during lunch as the whiff of summer starts to fill the school.

Here are few questions to engage your son or daughter in conversation about the year in review that focus on some of the practices and activities in my classroom this year:
1. Do you sit in the same seat most days of the week? How often do you move around in the class, for what activities and why?

2. How have writing, art, and performance been combined to help you learn? Which type of assignments do you do your best in, and which ones are a challenge for you?

3. What type of assignments or projects did you like and not like this year?

4. How has working in groups and with your fellow students helped you learn in class? When does this really work for you, and when does working with others seem to get in the way of doing your best work?

5. What typed of rubrics and standards are used in class for grading writing, art, and performance assignments?

6. What have you learned about this year that you were interested in?

7. What activities have you learned to do, or markedly improved on this year?

I will send out a survey at the beginning of next week for parents to respond to that revolve around these questions. It is not necessary that parents take this survey, but I will encourage students to engage in this discussion with their parents.



- Posted by Mr. Rodgers

For Friday - May 3

1. Your group slide show should have 15 slides with text and pictures for each slide, 15 - 40 words each slide at the beginning of the day.

2. You must bring a copy of Sign of Chrysanthemum to class for reference when you are working WITH your scripts today if you need to refer to the text. Do not leave your book at home, in your locker, and do not leave it in the classroom after class either.

3. You must bring your typed script to class so that your group can start to read the script and work out different parts and how to block out, place people on stage for each scene.

4. Bring the normal paper and writing implements. We will watch a movie clip about the way of the Samurai - notes required.

5. We will write a journal at the beginning of class and share out.

Today through Friday...

Here are our Essential Questions for this week's curriculum:

For the SS Project Slide Show:
Summarize - How do we find key details and effectively summarize this information into a concise presentation?

For the Sign of Chrysanthemum Script writing activity:
How do we dramatize a novel, by summarizing key plot points, while showing important character and tonal elements of the story?

Today -
Sign of C - Each class converted assigned Sign of C chapters into a script format with inline directions for each actor. The recorder in each group must typed up the scripts and share it with Mr. Rodgers and the members in their group.

In core one, we had our first Haiku, Tanka, Renga lesson...

Thursday -
Short Report - Don't forget to bring your typed second draft short reports to class to turn in.

Sign of C - We will continue working on our scripts, and have some time work on our SS group presentations.

Core Two will receive the first Haiku lesson.

Friday -
SS Group - A major portion, about 14 slides minimum should be completed in each SS group.

Sign of C - We will try to finish our scripts for Sign of C. The secretary should type up the script for that day and share it will all group and Mr. Rodgers.

We may engage in the second Haiku activity.

We will watch film clips from Japanese movies to get costume and movement ideas for our play.