Special Optional Blog Posts

Hi Students! You are so missed! I’m looking forward to seeing you all again later this spring. It’s been so good to hear from some of you via email-

        6 feet apart!

a question or even just a quick “Hey, what’s up, Mrs. Tisinger?” Stay safe and practice safe social distancing!

If you would like to blog while you are home,  (Heads up: upcoming weekly enrichment activities can be blogs, if you choose!) and would like to share your thoughts and feelings in a passion blog, bonus blog, self-selected response, etc. please post to your blogs. This is not an assignment- it’s just for fun, and a way for us to share while we are out of the classroom. Interested? Yay! I’d love to read your thoughts and findings, so please keep posting! If you choose to write a blog, do the following:

• Check out the links for different types of blogs and blog post codes. These are located  at the top of MY blog.

Choose a code that works for your type of blog post and then assign it a number. (Example codes: CRR, PB, BB, etc.) For example, if you write a passion blog  about how much you love soccer, your title should include PB#1 for your first passion blog, and PB#2 if it’s your second passion blog.

• Keep it school appropriate with your choice of language, content, etc.
• Publish your blog.
• Email me the name of your blog and I’ll check it out and leave a comment!

OR

• I will also create a Google Classroom announcement, and you can post the name of your blog there if you’d like other students to check it out!

BB#1 What’s your issue?

Hello, dear students! It’s time to share your thoughts: What’s your global issue?  This Bonus Blog#1  is  your opportunity to share your thoughts about the global issue you are currently researching, but this post may be completely devoid of facts, statistics, and cited sources (if you wish- you may feel free to cite facts and statistics you came across in your article research, too)!

 

Things to discuss in your (very opinionated biased, persuasive author’s tone is acceptable) post: 

• Why is this issue important to me?
• What experience(s) have I faced in my life related to this issue?
• How might this issue be of critical importance to other people in the world who are different than me? Explain.
• What do the specific region(s) of the world dealing with this global issue today look like geographically? What are my reactions to this?
• What do I want to know more about regarding this issue?
• At least 2 of the following: video, article link, photo, or gif
• 275-350 words
• Oh yes, due Monday, March 2, 2020 when you come into class.

What’s YOUR tradition? (CRR#1) Periods 2, 3 and 4

 

Hello, Student Bloggers!

Hmmmm. I´ve been thinking: Why do I make my bed in the morning, if my dog is going to jump up there during the day and mess it up? This is something I need to reconsider doing! Now, this is definitely a ROUTINE, not a tradition, but it got me thinking:

Why do we do the things we do?

Assignment: Your task is to reflect on one of your traditions and write a blog post about it!

Use your Traditions are a Part of Culture worksheet that we completed in class to write a creative blog post!

 

 

Describe this tradition in detail.  Make the tradition come to life using sensory images, figurative language and full descriptions.  Make sure that you answer these questions:

• Why is it a tradition NOT a routine? Explain what makes it special.

• Name a specific person that influenced your knowledge about this tradition. I learned about this tradition from ________________________.

• How does this tradition make you feel? What makes it SPECIAL to you personally?
• How does this tradition affect your pride in who you are?

Your blog post must have the following to get full credit:

• at least 300 words
• a creative title AND the blog post code: CRR#1
• at least one image, meme, or gif to visually represent the tradition

 

Get a little creative! (Free write!)

Please click on the following link and choose a picture to write a narrative about.  Choose the story starter to begin your story.   Add a simile and a hyperbole in your writing.

 

STORY STARTER

 

 

 

Making Meaning: HOW We Do It and WHO We Are

Greetings, students!

We’ve been studying diction and syntax this year, and our next step is to reflect on how and why we Make Meaning of text. Our blog this week is going to focus on Making Meaning in the following ways:

• HOW we read (our fluency, how we use punctuation, voice inflection, word choice)
• WHO we are/our experiences (our perspective shapes how we make meaning)

Your task for this blog is pretty open ended. After you reflect on HOW you make meaning, and WHO you are (think multiple intelligence strengths!) you can choose to do either of the following:

1. Create meaning: Write a poem or write a vignette  <—– see the link for examples, write a song, or write a paragraph that explores a topic meaningful to you.

OR

2. Reflect on meaning: find a poem, find a vignette, or find a specific passage or quote that was meaningful to you in a novel you’ve read, or a song you’ve heard, and discuss what was meaningful to you about it. Make sure you quote it or post a direct link to the passage online. 

 

Now, the analysis stuff…

After you choose to CREATE or FIND a text to connect with, your next step is to do at least ONE of the following:

• Connect your text to a big idea we discussed in our online discussion on Dotstorming
• Connect to how you personally make meaning based on your multiple intelligence strengths and life experiences
• Connect your text to a student poem posted on the wall. How do the ideas the poem explores compare with the text you found/created?

This is a short blog post: 150-200 words. Make meaning and share the meaning of the text with your readers by answering this question:

What does it mean to you based on how you make meaning and who you are? (see definitions in blue above)

and remember…

Traditions (CRR#1)

“The Lottery” isn’t a lottery I would like to win, but it got me thinking. Shirley Jackson (the author) was trying to send us a message about being careful WHY we do the things we do. Hmmmm. Why do I make my bed in the morning, if my dog is going to jump up there during the day and mess it up? This is something I need to reconsider, thank you Shirley Jackson!

You may not know how I feel about Christmas traditions, but I love them. The more traditions, the better! I like my house to look like Christmas threw up all over it! However, after reading “The Lottery,” it made me think about how weird some of these traditions are. For example, Christmas lights on the outside of our house? WHY do we do that??

Now, I want you to think about traditions you do (or traditions you researched) and write a blog post about them! You can choose to do one of the following:

• Top 5 traditions I would get rid of and why

OR

• Top 5 traditions I want to pass on to my family/friends and why

Also, do this:

•  focus on tone and mood in your writing. SHOW your tone and how you feel about traditions with your descriptive language.
• Use these 5 vocabulary words (from “The Lottery”)in your post:
  • • 1. Paraphernalia
      2. Boisterous
      3. Jovial
      4. Profusley
      5. Defiant

 

Your blog post must have the following to get full credit:

• at least 250 words
• a creative title AND the blog post code: CRR #1
• at least one image, meme, or gif

Okay, students! Get to writing about traditions!

Extra, extra, read all about ______! Passion Blog (PB #1)

E x t r a. In our slang, diction-y sense of the word, being called extra conveys a feeling of being a bit too much. However, this week we embrace being extra!

Extra can be cause for celebration! Often, it means you are passionate about the subject. Sooooo, for your blog post this week, your task is to figure out what you are passionate about; what makes you *extra* so to speak? Being passionate doesn’t necessarily have to be something you love. Don’t simply gush or bash your topic. Your goal is to share your knowledge, your         e x p e r t i s e, your savvy aplomb about a subject that is meaningful to you.

How do you know it’s your passion?

Well, when someone mentions  __________, suddenly…

Your normal good sense and ability to follow accepted social norms is taken over and now you are excitedly jumping up and down, gesturing wildly, your eyeballs bug out, you are chattering a mile a minute, and shouting everything-you-know-about-__________ to your unsuspecting friend, who really just wanted a yes or no answer to _____________.

You. Are. Extra. 

This week, embrace the extra. Write about your inspirations, motivations, or passions about a topic of your choice.

Requirements:

• Creative title and label it (PB #1)
• 450-600 words
• Your reader should FEEL your passion. Talk to your reader. Use precise, thoughtful diction to convey how you feel about your topic.
• Syntax counts. Creatively weave your Tale of Extra using a mix of simple, compound,  and complex sentences (or compound-complex sentences when needed to really prove your point!)
• Don’t write a loooong, boooring, essay. Break up your sentences with gifs, images, blank space, and creative sentence structure.

 

Identity and Alter Egos– CRR periods 1 and 6 only

Begin by reading the two articles linked in this blog post. The first article is about Alter Egos. The second blog post is about Frank Abagnale, a man who created an alter ego in real life. Think through all the reasons why someone creates an alter ego. 

Choose one of the two options below to write your blog post:

1. Create your own alter ego. What is your alter-ego’s name? Describe your personality, your strengths and weaknesses, your physical characteristics. Think about the life that character would lead. How do others see you? How do you see yourself as your alter-ego? Include an image, photo, quote, or link to a song that captures the nature of your alter-ego. Explain how this photo, quote, image, or song fits your alter ego’s characteristics. Connect back to what you learned about alter egos in the two articles.

     2. Choose a character from a book, movie, comic, or a celebrity performer that has a known alter-ego. Describe his/her alter-ego vs. his/her “real-life” identity. Describe their personality, their strengths and weaknesses, their physical characteristics. Think about the life their alter-ego leads. How do others see the alter-ego? How does the alter-ego view himself? Include an image, photo, quote, or link to a song that captures the nature of your alter-ego. Explain how this photo, quote, image, or song fits your alter ego’s characteristics. Connect back to what you learned about alter egos in the two articles.

For your blog post:  

1. Create an interesting title. Label it CRR #1.

Example title: Meeting my Alter Ego- I am…   (CRR#1)

2. 400-650 words.

3. Include an visual image, photo, quote, video, etc.

4. Remember: You MUST meet the requirements for a Class Related Response (CRR) post. See Mrs. Tisinger’s blog for the requirements.

5. Writing Style: Vary your sentence structure. Use a mix of simple, compound, and complex sentences!

Click here to view/print the scoring rubric. 🙂 

I like what I SEE!

Before we really get into the blogging swing, I want you to have a chance to check out some student blogs and to reflect on what YOU will or will not consider when you build yours.

Below you will find links to some awesome blogs with you to look at.

Check out this blog. The blogger’s voice is fantastic- he “talks” to his audience. HOWEVER…

There are waaaaay too many distractions in the post! This 2nd blog has some great ideas and photos, but it can be done better.  Can you find 3 things that are distracting or that can be done better on these blogs?

In your writer’s notebook, make notes as you analyze and reflect on strengths, weaknesses (things you won’t do!), areas of improvement, and things you’ll want to remember.

Now, here are some links to great blogs that are visually appealing. They use images, links, photos, videos, etc., themes, and color to make their posts interesting and CONNECT with their audience- the readers. They TALK to them in a conversational tone, but still have strong CONTENT. 

Find 3 things in the blogs below that they did well. When you create your blog, do those things. 🙂

 

Here are a few blogs to check out. They all have some elements of greatness!

Blog 1

Blog 2

Blog 3

Blog 4

Blog 5

Blog 6

Blog 7

Blog 8

Six Word Memoirs

“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

Taking after Ernest Hemingway, who was once challenged to make a short story in only six words:

• Make your own six word memoir on a google slide.

• Add original artwork or photos/graphics if you can, or choose your graphics wisely to enhance your message.

• Stay way from overused catch-phrases or trendy sayings.  Choose words that truly reflect your unique self at this place in time.

• Share it with ktisinger@ohsd.net.

• See the rubric and videos below for requirements:

MAKE IT PERSONAL!  MAKE IT CREATIVE!  MAKE IT ABOUT YOU!

6 Word Memoir Video

2nd Six Word Memoir Video

Six Word Memoirs Rubric14 (2)