Teacher Survey

https://spreadsheets3.google.com/viewform?formkey=dHc1NkNua2FjNFV6eS1rNlFzRHhTMGc6MQ

Westward Expansion Inquiry: Teaching the Class!

Part of your final project is to teach the class the most important ideas you are learning about your topic. The goal is that all of you will have a more comoplete understanding of how the United States gained power and land in the 19th century as a result of the teaching performances.

What to think about for your teaching performance:

• Vocabulary - Are there any terms the class will need to know / learn?
• People - Who are the main characters? What will you teach about them?
• Significance - What is important about your issue? Why should we learn about this?
• Geography - Where is everything taking place?
• Time Period - When is the action takin place?

Options for teaching performance:

You can choose from a number of ways to present your information:

• A skit that dramatizes the main action.
• A Powerpoint presentation that teaches and illustrates the main points
• Other ideas? Think about the lessons that work best for you!

7th Grade Assignment: "My Reading Life"

Due: Friday April 30

For a complete description of this assignment click "read more". Check out examples of strong reading reflections here and here. Also, here, here and here. These are all reflections written by last year's graduating class, the UNMS Class of '09.

7th Grade Test Prep: How do I beat the multiple choice section?

As we discussed in class today there are THREE main points to keep in mind about the multiple choice section AKA Book 1.

POINT 1: Use your brain to THINK WHILE YOU READ. Practice all of those reading strategies you've learned through the years (like visualizing, predicting, re-reading, and so on). This also includes noticing the clues in each passage that help you (like the directions, sidebars, the title, pictures, etc...).

POINT 2: The questions are the thing! We will teach you strategies to help you "translate" test questions, which are written in "super-English" into "normal English." If you do not know what the question is asking, you can't answer it, can you?

POINT 3: You must go back to the text to find evidence for your answers. Always. You must.

You also came up with the following strategies/take aways:

• Jasmine learned that we should eliminate multiple choice answers that don't make sense.
• Sydney learned how to re-read the passage to make sure her answers are correct and to make sure that the answers are coming from the passage. 
• Joslyn learned that she needs to look at key words in the question to match to the text and to the answers. 
• Christian and Dilon know they want to get better at reading questions more carefully. 
• For Djasia reading the questions first is helpful.

8th Grade Test Prep: How do I do well on the multiple choice section?

As we discussed in class today there are THREE main points to keep in mind about the multiple choice section AKA Book 1.

POINT 1: Use your brain to THINK WHILE YOU READ. Practice all of those reading strategies you've learned through the years (like visualizing, predicting, re-reading, and so on). This also includes noticing the clues in each passage that help you (like the directions, sidebars, the title, pictures, etc...).

POINT 2: The questions are the thing! We will teach you strategies to help you "translate" test questions, which are written in "super-English" into "normal English." If you do not know what the question is asking, you can't answer it, can you?

POINT 3: You must go back to the text to find evidence for your answers. Always. You must.

Other take-aways you noted today:

• Eliminating really bad answers from multiple choices improves our chances of choosing the right answer.
• Sometimes we just won't know what a word means in an answer choice. We can look carefully at the word to see if there is a smaller part of it we recognize or know. If that does not help, we can use the process of elimination to help us make a best guess.
• Some questions repeat a passage from the text and ask us to study them for what the author is doing. In these cases we have to check each answer choice to see if it makes sense.

7th Grade Test Prep - How is the test structured?

In the 7th grade you take your entire test over the course of two days. Here is how those days break down:


DAY ONE (Monday April 26)
Book One: Multiple Choice and Short Answer/ Graphic Organizer. (60 minutes) You will answer at least 26 multiple choice questions and 2 short answer/ graphic organizer questions that are spread across five passages. At least half of the passages will be nonfiction.




DAY TWO (Tuesday April 27)
Book Two: Listening and Writing (30 minutes) You will listen to one passage, almost always nonfiction and almost always about a person. Then, after the passage is read to you TWICE, you get 30 minutes to answer 4 multiple choice questions, write 2 short answer questions, and correct one editing paragraph. The editing paragraph is not connected to the passage you will be listening to.

7th Grade Test - How do I score a...

You can get up to 41 points on the entire 7th grade ELA test. The state then converts your total points into the real scores you see at the end of the year (like 2.8 or 4.0). To get a 4.0 you usually need at least 40 points.

• 30 of those points come from multiple choice questions. That means that over 70% of your score is based just on the multiple choice section, which is mostly in Book 1 with a few multiple choice questions in Book 2 (the listening section). 

• All of the writing you do in Book 1 and Book 2 adds up to the another 8 points. Here is how you get those points.
• You get 2 points for each short answer question and graphic organizer you do in Book 1 and Book 2.  There are usually 4 short answer/graphic organizer questions total.

•  You can earn up to 3 points on the editing paragraph in Book 2. This is separate from the Listening Section. 

8th Grade Test Prep: How is the test scored?

You can get up to 44 points on the entire 8th grade ELA test. The state then converts your total points into the real scores you see at the end of the year (like 2.8 or 4.0).

• 26 of those points come from multiple choice questions. That means that about 60% of your score is based just on the multiple choice section, which is Book 1.

• All of the writing you do in Book 2 and Book 3 adds up to the other 18 points. Here is how you get those points:
• You get 7 points for all the writing combined you do in the Listening Section (Book 2). This includes the graphic organizer, the short-answers, and the essay.
• You get 7 points for all the writing combined you do in the Reading/Writing Section (Book 3). Again, this includes the graphic organizer, the short-answers, and the essay.
• You get 4 points based on your overall grammar in the two essays.

       

The state converts points a little bit differently each year, but here is how it broke down for the passing grades last year:

• To get a 4, students needed to score at least 43 points.
• To get a 3, students needed to score at least 31 points.

8th Grade Test Prep: How is the test structured?

In the 8th grade you take your entire test over the course of two days. Here is how those days break down:


DAY ONE (Monday April 26)
Book One: Multiple Choice (55 minutes) You will answer 26 multiple choice questions that are spread across five passages. At least half of the passages will be nonfiction.


You will get about a 5 to 10 minute break between Book 1 and Book 2


Book Two: Listening and Writing (45 minutes) You will listen to one passage, almost always nonfiction and almost always about a person. Then, after the passage is read to you TWICE, you get 45 minutes to answer one graphic organizer question, two short-answer questions, and write one essay.


DAY TWO (Tuesday April 27)
Book Three: Reading and Writing (60 minutes) You will read two passages that are connected in some way. You will answer one graphic organizer question, two short-answer questions, and write one essay that connects both passages.

The Thesis Statement

Oh, the thesis. You will be hearing about it and writing your own for at least the next ten years of your life. So, why is it SO important, especially if it seems like people STOP writing them after college?
We write thesis statements for one major reason: to gain control over our thoughts.

Okay, so it's not THAT simple, but it's really true. A thesis statement expresses our BIG idea, the PURPOSE for our writing. After the thesis, we just need to prove that our thesis is true.

Spring Break Homework

1. Your homework over Spring Break is to continue to read every night. Your reading should total roughly 300 pages over the course of the vacation.
2. We want you to take the practice tests we gave you before break started. There are different directions for 7th and 8th grade:
• 8th Grade: You have two practice tests. Form A can be taken without timing yourself. For Form B, you should time yourself as follows: Session 1 = 55 minutes; Session 2 = Skip (This is the listening section); Session 3 = 60 minutes. Links to past 8th grade exams can be found here.
• 7th Grade: You  have one practice test. You should time yourself to see how well you are able to pace yourself, as follows: Session 1 = 60 minutes; Session 2a = Skip (This is the listening section); Session2b = 10 minutes (editing paragraph). Links to past 7th grade exams can be found here.
• If you have an IEP and know how much extended time you are entitled to on the test, adust your time accordingly.

Industrialism Resources for You

Below are a number of resources to help you find evidence to support your theses. If you come across other helpful websites, please let us know so we can add them to this page. 


Wealth in America:
Andrew Carnegie - History Channel
J.P. Morgan - History Channel
John D. Rockefeller - History Channel

Food Access:
Just Food Organization  - an organization working to ensure equal access to healthy food in NYC
"Food, Inc." - website for the documentary of the same name

Immigration & Industrialism: 
"After Iowa Raid, Immigrants Fuel Labor Inquiries" - by Julia Preston in The New York Times

Workers & Industrialism:
Overview video of the Industrial Revolution - History Channel
Andrew Carnegie - History Channel
J.P. Morgan - History Channel
John D. Rockefeller - History Channel

Modern Technology:
The Digital Nation - PBS documentary about how technology is changing our lives
"Is Google Making Us Stupid?" - by Nicholas Carr in The Atlantic Monthly

Climate Change & Industrialism:
The Story of Stuff - a short video about industrialism and mass production today
"An Inconvenient Truth" - website for the documentary of the same name that illustrates how climate change works

More vs. Better

Click to check out Shah's presentation on industrialism...

Product Research - Garden of Eatin' Tortilla Chips

Research:

1. What is "blue corn"? - "This saying holds true in the corn arena: Blue corn does contain more of the amino acid lysine and the antioxidant anthocyanin than "regular" yellow corn, however loses much of these nutrients when it's processed into a chip. Blue corn chips may be slightly more nutritious in this sense, but if you're trying to increase the amounts of lysine or antioxidants in your diet, fresh and whole fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins are much better sources." - goaskalice.com

- it seems that blue corn is technically better for you but making it into a chip, which means frying it, takes away most of its health value. 

2. Where does Garden of Eatin' get its corn from? - I wrote to the company and am waiting for a reply. I haven't really found any good information about this on the web.

3. Who started the company? - From the website, it seems that a man from Pennsylvania named Al Jacobson started the company. Born in the early 1900s, Al lived on a farm through his childhood, according to the website. He started the health food company in the 1970s. One interesting point - as a young man he worked for a company called "Hain Pure Foods", an organic company on the West Coast. I wonder if this company is related to Hain Celestial Group, which eventually bought Garden of Eatin'.

4. What are "corn syrup solids"? - "Dried corn syrup (derived from corn starch) is referred to as corn syrup solids. It has a relatively low level of sweetness (dextrose equivalent of 24) and bland flavor making it useful in blended mixes. Corn syrup solids are added as a flavor enhancer, stabilizer (to reduce product separation during shipping, storage, etc.), and thickener. Corn syrup solids are used in many food applicatons; baked goods, candy, ice cream, jellies, condiments, powdered sugar, and numerous beverages." - from frontiercoop.com

This website, one that focuses on organic products, does not say whether this is a good or bad thing.

Other information:
1. According to goodguide.com, a large database that provides information on the health, environmental, and social impacts of various products, Garden of Eatin' chips received a 6.9 out of 10. The product received a 10 out of 10 for health, 5.1/10 for environment, and 5.7/10 for society. It scored particularly low on quality management (4.6) and for not having many minorities or women on its board of directors (4.6). I compared its scores to other chips and found that Garden of Eatin' is kind of in the middle. While the product is quite healthy, its actions as a company (how it treats its workers and how it uses energy) is not so hot. However, as always, I wonder how these numbers are calculated. I wish this website provided more information to explain what they mean by "quality management".

2. Hain Celestial Group - Turns out it is totally separate from Hain Celestial Group. This company was actually bought by the H.J. Heinz Company (known for its ketchup) in 2000. The company owns many, many smaller brands, like Garden of Eatin'.

Product Research Resources

Below are some websites that may provide useful information as you conduct your product research. Remember to always question what you learn and double check the information that you find.

The Food and Drug Administration's official website - This is the government agency that is supposed to be protecting our food.
Food, Inc. website - This website has many links and background information on the film.
Nutritiondata.com - Great tools for learning about what's in your food! You have to sign up to access this information. Use your gmail account, BUT be careful to select "no" on the questionnaire when it asks you sign up for newsletters and magazines.
Nutri-facts.com - Provides helpful information about food nutrition.
Eatwellguide.org - Provides information about where to buy organic products in your area.
The American Diabetes Association - Lots of great information about the disease and its causes.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention website - A government agency that provides information on E. coli and other food-related illnesses.

In addition, here are some articles that might catch your interest:
"Learning What Food Looks Like Before It Goes Into The Package" - Check out this New York Times article about high school kids in Brooklyn doing a very similar project!
"Six Meaningless Claims on Food Labels" - Interesting information about the misleading advertising on food packaging.
"What are your food rules?" - Read what other kids around the country say about how they eat and add your own comments.

Jim Crow in New York City?

New York Times columnist Bob Herbert demands an end to what he calls "Jim Crow policing" in New York City. What do you think about what he has to say? Do you think it is appropriate to call this kind of policing "Jim Crow"? Why or why not? What do you make of the data Herbert presents?

Here is an excerpt. Click on the link below to read more... "The New York City Police Department needs to be restrained. The nonstop humiliation of young black and Hispanic New Yorkers, including children, by police officers who feel no obligation to treat them fairly or with any respect at all is an abomination. That many of the officers engaged in the mistreatment are black or Latino themselves is shameful."

Op-Ed Columnist - Jim Crow Policing - NYTimes.com

Food and the Achievement Gap

How is the food we eat related to the achievement gap? I'll let you draw your own conclusions. Here are some journal articles and other reports that raise some pretty interesting questions... Dig in :

• Good Food in the City by Anthony Geraci The Baltimore City School District improved its "cafeteria food" with some far-reaching farm-to-school innovations. (from Educational Leadership)
  

• Those Persistent Gaps by Paul E. Barton and Richard J. Coley Unequal school conditions are just part of the problem. Poor nutrition, lead poisoning, and too much TV watching also negatively influence achievement. (from Educational Leadership)
  

• Farmer in Chief By MICHAEL POLLAN What the next president can and should do to remake the way we grow and eat our food. (from the New York Times)

• Special New York Times section on Food Prices and Supply
• 
  

Brand New Reports on School (De)Segregation

The new issue of Teaching Tolerance magazine just came out and it's all about... you guessed it... looking back at the Brown v. Board decision and evaluating how far we have (or have not) come since then. Some articles you will definitely want to check out include:

• How We Live Our Lives: "The great promise of the 1954 landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education was that children would grow up together in integrated schools. They would prove the segregationists wrong. Black children and white children would learn to respect one another as equals and bring down the walls of racial separation. Through the efforts of our children, our nation would live up to the ideals of equality and justice for all... That’s just not what happened..." Read more.

• The Only One: "Where schools are still separate and unequal, parents often look beyond their local school for solutions. But when you’re the only person of color in your class, school can become a struggle between two worlds." Read more.
  

• Unmaking Brown: "America’s schools are more segregated now than they were in the late 1960s. More than 50 years after Brown v. Board of Education, we need to radically rethink the meaning of 'school choice.'” Read more.

• Homo High: "Some people argue “gay-friendly” schools offer needless segregation. Others say they’re the only chance some kids have to make it." Read more.
  
  
  

Segregation Data for New York City

Last week I went to a Facing History and Ourselves workshop about civil rights in America. We use a lot of Facing History tools in our classroom, especially as we studied school integration in Little Rock, Arkansas. It was a great workshop and it made me ask a lot of questions about the way we teach history. However, one of the most interesting parts of the workshop was a session in the afternoon on segregation in New York City. If you are interested, take a look at the website below and play with the census maps to see just how segregated (or integrated) New York is. You can also compare this to other parts of the country.

• Is New York City segregated? Take a look at this interactive map at the Anti-Discrimination Center website.
• Go to "2000 Congress. Districts"
• Then click on "race"
• Then play with the different %
• Lastly, zoom in on New York City. What do you notice? Zoom in on other cities to make comparisons.
  

Grammar Quick Fixes...

Bloggers, as you work on your posts this week, here's a checklist of grammar issues that everyone needs to watch out for.

1. Capitalize "i"! You are important!

2. Make sure you use punctuation to separate sentences.

3. Make sure you have a space after punctuation marks.For example,always have a space after a period and comma (notice I made a mistake in this sentence).

4. I know there is no spell check, so re-read your blogs VERY SLOWLY to find spelling errors.

5. "Would of" should be "would have"/ "could of" should be "could have"

Responding to Haiti

Sometimes a major event happens that we need to address in class no matter what else we are doing. This is the case with the devastating earthquake that crushed the country of Haiti this week. You are not required to post about this, but you may want to. If you're not sure exactly what is going on or you want to learn more and find out what you can do about this tragedy, the New York Times has created a page for students and teachers to respond together here.

Resources for Civil Rights Blogs

Here are some news articles and other sources that you may want to use to extend and deepen your reflections about modern civil rights issues in America:

• New York Times: A Prom Divided (from May 2009)
• Teaching Tolerance: Crossing the Gap (from Spring 2009)
• Teaching Tolerance: Interview with Minnijean Brown (from Fall 2007)
• Teaching Tolerance: We Must Persevere (Segregation and the Supreme Court today) (from Fall 2007)
• Teach For America: What one organization is doing to try to close the achievement gap. Check out their site. Did you know that Ms. Giusto and Ms. P. both came up through TFA?
• Facing History: Justice of the Peace Won't Marry Interracial Couple (from Oct. 2009)
• Facing History: School Prom Integration In 2008 (from May 2009)