Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Quiet desperation or barbaric yawping?


Create interactive meetings at Poll Everywhere

Self Reliance

Enjoy discussing the article and Emerson's "Self-Reliance"; remember that you're aiming to participate thoughtfully and frequently, and bring in textual passages when possible.

Friday, October 31, 2008

"The Minister's Black Veil": Live Blogging

This is your final fishbowl, so enjoy it, make me proud, and have a happy Halloween!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

"A Rose for Emily": Live Blogging

Enjoy discussing the twisted tale of Emily Grierson!

Friday, October 24, 2008

"William Wilson": Live Blogging


Enjoy discussing "William Wilson" on the outer circle. Feel free to ask questions, make comments, refer to textual passages when possible, and make connections to today's lesson on the uncanny. Remember to use proper grammar and spelling.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

"The Tell-Tale Heart": Live Blogging


Enjoy your discussion of Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart." Remember to uphold our standards of professionalism (capitalization, grammar, etc.), and to bring in textual passages when possible.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

"Fall of the House of Usher": Live Blogging

Participate thoughtfully and frequently on the outer circle by posting your questions and comments here. Try to bring in passages from the text when possible, and when responding to someone, address him/her by name.

Remember to uphold our class's standards of professionalism.

Enjoy!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

The Village: Day 2

Now that you've watched the first half of The Village, what are you taking from the film so far? What symbols and motifs are you noticing? What connections do you see to The Crucible or to any of the articles we've read?

This is a space to pose questions, offer thoughts, and respond to others' interpretations.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Evil, The Crucible, and Us

If you asked Arthur Miller to define "evil," what do you think he would say?

How would you define "evil" (if you believe in it)?

Thinking about the articles we've read and their connections to The Crucible, what do you think is the greatest "evil" that our society faces today? Explain your thinking.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

The Stanford Prison Experiment

Please click on this link to read about one of the most controversial experiments of our time: The Stanford prison experiment. Read meticulously, as some of the most fascinating (and disturbing) elements of this experiment are in the little details.

When you have finished reading, I'd like you to use the blog to respond to what you have read. I'm not going to give you guiding questions this time; instead, I'd like you to ask your own questions and offer your own, authentic responses. Tomorrow in class we will be connecting this experiment to The Crucible.

Remember that the blog is space to have a conversation, so read others' comments, respond to others' questions, and react to others' reactions.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Crucible, Act 1: Live Blogging


Remember that your responses should be formal (use proper grammar and spelling), and that you should bring in specific examples whenever possible.


When students use actual quotations in their responses, it makes Ms. Leclaire the happiest teacher on the planet.


Enjoy!


(Use the F5 key to refresh.)

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Live Blogging: Unnatural Killers

As you listen to the inner circle discussion, offer your own thoughts and comments here. The outer circle can and should use the blog to have its discussion; as always, be sure to clarify to whom you are responding.

Please follow professional blogging guidelines: Use proper punctuation, capitalization, and complete sentences. Hit the F5 key to refresh so that you can see new comments.

Have fun!

Monday, August 25, 2008

Early Thoughts on Cultural Identity

Think about what you discussed today with your small group and with the class. Then, finish the following sentence and give a brief explanation of your response:

Americans in our generation value....

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

If You Really Knew Me...

In an effort to get to know each other and trust each other, I'd like you to take a little risk and post five things that you'd like other people in the class to know about you. The quirkier/more unique and personal, the better.

Here are my five:
1. I am a terrible sport and throw a fit when I lose--especially when it comes to board and card games.
2. I have a phobia of people throwing up.
3. I like to watch one rerun of "Scrubs" before going to bed because I find it relaxing.
4. Sometimes I'd rather curl up in bed and read a book than go out and socialize. I would have never admitted this in high school because I used to think that it made me a dork. Now I'm automatically a dork because I'm old and a teacher, so I don't really care.
5. I tell everybody that my knee never hurts and that ACL surgery wasn't that big of a deal, but my knee actually hurts everyday. I think I'm scared that it will never go back to normal, and I don't want everyone to think that I'm a whiner.

Your turn!

Your Ideal Classroom

What are three characteristics that would be part of a "perfect school" five years from now? Think about the roles of the student, teacher, and technology as you describe your ideal learning climate. As you consider this question, you might also think about what you might look for in your ideal college.

Please consider this question seriously and realistically, as your responses will be considered by our 21st Century Learning team.