Semester Reflection Period 3

What changes have you seen this semester in regards to your education? What role did technology play in that change? What role did the constructivist philosophy play in that change? (constructivist-students becoming producers of information, students in charge of their own learning. What suggestions for improvement do you have for me next year? What are some of the things you would suggest I do again?

Make sure to include specific examples and expand on each other's ideas. Your feedback- honest and reflective- is important!

School Ballad

In groups of 3-4, write a ballad about school. Remember ballads are poems that tell stories, so what is the story of your school? Also, keep in mind that this ballad needs to have a rhyme scheme, 5 stanzas and 4 lines per stanza. Only one member of the group needs to post the group's poem as a comment. Please identify all group memebers on the poem, but only use first names. Good luck and be creative.

Free Poem

Here is the post you have been waiting for! You can write about anything, and in any form. Post your poem here as a comment.

Kitchen Utensil Poem

Soaking in water like human flesh,
some even made out of mesh
having a hard outer layer like human skin
they can even clean tin

little holes like eyes and ears
when you squeeze they even let out tears
They can clean up messes
and just like humans learn lessons

usually bright and yellow,
looking just like a jolly good fellow
you can squeeze them very tight,
they are also very light

they have edges just like an elbow
but, they are without a toe
sponges happen to be very smooth
and when rubbed on the feet are a nice sooth

sponges are cold like a pool
and are bad when used by a fool
they are also very flat
as well as long, just like a baseball bat

-Joey W.

I am poem

I am a friend, a son, a brother, a teenager.
Day by day i watch the years pass by.
The sands of time seep right by my eyes.
I am a friend, a son, a brother, a teenager.

The stress, the school, all this makes me sigh.
My life has changed and i dont know why
.a tear rolls down my cheek as i cry.
I am a friend, a son a brother, a teenager.

I wondered if the fun times would go.
Naps and crafts thats how i use to roll.
Now it is lies, and drama, being called a hoe.
I am a friend, a son, a brother, a teenager.

If i could i would do it again.
Go back to the age of ten.
Now no one will ever read me about mother hen.
I am a friend, a son, a brother, a teenager.

Found Poem

The way to be

You have exactly the same number of hours per day
That were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo,
Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson,
And Albert Einstein Don't say you don't have enough time
Don't say you don't have enough time. All my life I've wanted
To be someone; I guess I should have been more specific.
Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they are open.
Every really new idea looks crazy at first
It’s kind of fun to do the impossible

Kitchen Utensil Poem

Think of a most unusual kitchen utensil. Write a poem personifying the kitchen utensil. For example, instead of this picture simply referring to an egg fry ring, maybe the egg fry ring's name is Harry and he wants to set the world record for the most eggs fried in one pan. How would you tell his story in poem form? Also, you need to experiment with rhyme scheme. For the structure of this poem, you need to write 5 stanzas with at least 4 lines per stanza using a specific rhyme pattern. Good luck and post your poems as comments.

I am poem

I am a son brother and student
I wonder why people quit
I hear everyone talking about one another
I want everyone to be happy
I am a son, brother and a student

I pretend to try my hardest
I feel that i do good
I touch to people i care about
I worry about people that are in pain
I am a son, brother and a student

I understand why people do poorly
I say they should change there ways
I dream everyone will live the dream
I try to make this true
I hope it will
I am. a son, brother and a student

I Am Poem

I am an athlete, a friend, and a comedian
I wonder what will happen in four years
I hear the voices of my friends and family
I want to continue on
I am an athlete, a friend, and a comedian

I pretend to not have emotions
I feel relieved
I touch the hearts of some
I worry about the future
I am an athlete, a friend, and a comedian

I understand some parts of the world
I say that i knowI dream of the future
I try hard
I hope the future in bright
I am an athlete, a friend, and a comedian

I am Poem

I am a soccer player
I wonder how i'm gping to score the next goal
I hear the loud crowd
I want to win
I am a soccer player

I pretend I am the Champion
I feel the energy as I am heading towards the goal
I touch as I score
I worry it will miss
I am a soccer player

I understand what it means to be a team
I say pass the ball
I dream of being a superstar
I try my best every day
I hope I don't disappoint my team
I am a soccer player

I Am Poem

I am a skater
I wonder if I will land it
I hear the wheels on the concrete
I want a new deck
I am a skater

I pretend to be a pro
I feel the impact
I touch my grip tape
I worry that I will fall
I am a skater

I understand that I can't do everything
I say I'm better than I am
I dream of turning professional
I try to land new tricks
I hope I don't get kicked out
I am a skater

Found Poem

Find 50 to 100 words that you like. Words that really interest you. They may all come from one source - but they needn't. Use phrases from magazines, books, talk shows, walls, posters, even things you overhear.

Next, study the words that you found. Cut out everything that is dull, unnecessary, sounds bad, or is offensive. It is okay to change the punctuation as well.

Illegals- you may not add your own words to the found poem, but you may need to make some minor alterations to make your poem fit and work. When you are close to an edited-down version, and you truly need to add a word or two to smooth things out, to make sense or make a point- you made add up to 2 words of your own. You may also make other little changes- tenses, possessives, plurals, punctuation or capitalization.

Post your final product here as a comment!

I AM POEM

I am gifted, friendly, different

I wonder what my future holds

I hear the laughter of my friends

I want hate to disappear

I am gifted, friendly, strong

I pretend to be real great

I feel the love of those close

I touch the world around me

I worry about my education

I am gifted, friendly, different

I understand there is no perfect

I say "hello" to those who pass

I dream to be the best I can

I try to always know what's right

I hope to have the strength I need

I am gifted, friendly, different

I am Poem by Laurenp

I am and can be many different things

I wonder day after day what life will bring to the table

I hear it all the whines, cries and laughs

I want to be all I can be in this world

I am and can be many different things

I pretend to be okay so no one fells any pain

I feel that one day I will be at the top of my game

I touch the rough texture on a basketball and the smooth curves of a volleyball

I worry way too much

I am and can be many different things

I understand who I am, what I want to be, where I am going and why

I say that everything happens for a reason and what does not kill you only makes you stronger

I dream that one day my life will be fulfilled with success and happiness

I try to be the best I can be

I hope to be a doctor one day

I am and can be many different things

I am a athlete, a friend, a sister, a daughter
I wonder where I will end up, what my future holds
I hear the laughter of those around me
I want to travel to a place where I can fulfill my dreams
I am an athlete, a friend, a sister, a daughter
I pretend that my life is going in the right direction
I feel the love and encouragement of those
I care aboutI touch the salty water of the ocean
I worry that I will not be able to travel to the places I need to go
I am an athlete, a friend, a sister, a daughter
I understand that if I want to do what I love, I have to take action
I say what I feel
I dream about what my next step forward is
I try to give it my all
I hope I can prove myself to my family
I am an athlete, a friend, a sister, a daughter

I Am Poem

I am human
I wonder what my God has in store for me
I hear the sounds of people whispering in my ears, and laughing at my side
I want to be a good role model to my niece
I am human
I pretend to be in one of my books, where anything is possible
I feel clay as it caresses my fingers
I touch the page of a book as it's words suck me in
I worry about the monotonous stress of school life
I am human
I understand that life is not the roller coaster it seems to be sometimes
I say a million words, wondering whether I am the only one who sees the sense in them
I dream of a large book, filled with my life's story and a happy ending
I try to make my parents proud
I hope that I can be successful in my life after school
I am human

I Am Poem

I am a daughter, friend, sister, and student.
I wonder about the everyday world and experiences coming from it.
I hear the craziness of my friends all around me.
I want to travel around unique places and take beautiful pictures.
I am a daughter, friend, sister, and student.
I pretend to be relaxing on the beach and looking at the stars.
I feel happiness whenever I'm with family and friends.
I touch the lacrosse stick as I head and shoot towards the goal.
I worry about failing and letting people I love down.
I am a daughter, friend, sister, and student.
I understand that there are always higher expectations then of myself.
I say to live life to the fullest.
I dream of reaching my goals and being sucessful in all that I do.
I try to be optimistic in every moment.
I hope to live my life with set goals and letting nothing get in the way.
I am a daughter, friend, sister, and student.

I am a son, athlete, student
I wonder what will happen in the future
I hear my friends talking
I want to let go of stress
I am a son, athlete, student

I pretend that no-one is around
I feel the ground under my feet
I worry about my friends and family
I am a son, athlete, student

I understand that everything can't be perfect
I say what's on my mind
I dream that everything is perfect
I try to do the best I can
I hope that I will succeed
I am a son, athlete, student

I Am Poem

I am a swimmer, freshman, friend, daughter, cousin, granddaughter, goddaughter, a teammate
I wonder how life would be if I didn’t have my friends and family
I hear my friends laughing
I want to have eternal friendships
I am a swimmer, freshman, friend, daughter, cousin, granddaughter, goddaughter, a teammate
I pretend that there is no crowd
I feel the support from my teammates and coaches
I touch the icy cold pool as I dive into the water
I worry that I will let my team and coaches down
I am a swimmer, freshman, friend, daughter, cousin, granddaughter, goddaughter, a teammate
I understand that I should never take anything for granted, and to live my life to the fullest
I say what comes to my mind
I dream about having living with my best friends in a house on the beach
I try to give everything my all
I hope I will succeed in life
I am a swimmer, freshman, friend, daughter, cousin, granddaughter, goddaughter, a teammate

I am poem

I am unstoppable
I wonder what I would do without my friends
I hear the voices of the people I love
I want to become a stronger person

I am unstoppable
I pretend I am in an alternate universe where nothing can keep me back
I feel blessed for everything I have
I worry about loosing my family

I am unstoppable
I understand that I will never know everything so i dont pretend like I do
I say things I dont mean sometimes
I dream about a better me
I try my hardest for the things I want most

I am unstoppable

I am Poem-KellyS

I am an adventurous girl

I wonder how many colors are really in the rainbow

I hear the wind whistling a cheerful tune

I want to sleep on a cloud

I am an adventurous girl

I pretend that my back pack is actually a jet pack

I feel so many emotions at once

I touch the snow and pretend its ice cream

I worry that when I get older my imagination will fade

I am an adventurous girl

I understand that with out laughter life is much more boring

I say anything that comes to mind

I dream that one day I will be a superhero

I try to fly but usually fall

I hope that others can feel my joy

I am an adventurous girl

I AM Poem by: LaurenE

I am just another teenage girl
I wonder what I would do without my friends and family
I hear both the good and bad sides of this world we call home
I want to be so many different things when im older
I am just another teenage girl

I pretend I live far away sometimes
I feel my heart beat every second
I touch the key pad on my phone or the lacrosse stick,
Which I hold daily
I worry too much
I am just another teenage girl

I understand where I came from and where I am going to go
I say what is on my mind
I dream all the time, epecially during the day
I try to be the best for me
I hope one day I will accomplish every goal I put my mind to
I am just another teenage girl

I am poem - Sam H.

I am a soccer player, a daughter, a friend, a sister, a cousin, a granddaughter, a student, a teammate, a leader.
I wonder who I would be without my family.
I hear the sound of cheering as I step onto the field.
I want to become someone that people look up to.
I am a soccer player, a daughter, a friend, a sister, a cousin, a granddaughter, a student, a teammate, a leader.

I pretend that I am playing in a huge stadium with thousands of people watching.
I feel the ball at my feet and support and confidence of my teammates.
I touch the sweat dripping down my face as a sprint to win the tackle.
I worry that I will let my team down.
I am a soccer player, a daughter, a friend, a sister, a cousin, a granddaughter, a student, a teammate, a leader.

I understand that I will succeed in all that I do if I out my mind to it.
I say my family is my team, and my team is my family.
I dream to be an incredible soccer player, and an incredible role model.
I try my hardest to become all that I can become.
I hope that I inspire people to persevere and achieve their dreams.
I am soccer player, a daughter, a friend, a sister, a cousin, a granddaughter, a student, a teammate, a leader.

I am poem

When composing this poem, try to think of phrases rather than just one word answers. However, sometimes a one-word answer might work better than a phrase. Just be creative and put thought into your poem. Make sure to attach your Picasa collage to your poem and post both the poem and collage as a comment to this post?

I am...
I wonder...
I hear...
I want...
I am... (repetition of first line)

I pretend...
I feel...
I touch...
I worry...
I am...(repetition of first line)

I understand...
I say...
I dream...
I try...
I hope...
I am...(repetition of first line)

Mike Hasley needs our help...

Hi,

For those students who I might have met last week during my observations, I just wanted to thank you for letting me ask you questions and allowing me to respond with you during the live blogging. You’re all doing some great stuff in your English classes. I wanted to ask you a question because it comes up a lot these days, and the question is, “What does ‘the real world’ mean to you?”

So if you could go to the link below and respond to the question directly on my blog, it would be very helpful. I’m also asking students at my school in Virginia to see if students from different states have the same perspective.

http://henricowarriors.org/hasley/?p=421

Again, thank you,

Mike Hasley

Instructional Technology Resource Teacher

Goals for Semester 2

My goals for this semester? Well this is an easy question; I want to achieve an A in this class. I had said this last semester, but I did not achieve it because I did not do the certain things that I wanted to actually complete my goal. For example, I wanted to complete every assignment, though I did not which hurt my grade especially by not doing some of the PLN entries which hurt my overall grade, so I ended with a B. I really enjoy this class and the assignments, so the only problem is that sometimes I slack off, which I will try not to do this semester. I also want to do better in CSAP's especially in the essay portion of the test. I want to improve in writing my topic paragraphs and conclusions. I also want to improve attention getters for my topics. I think last semester really helped in working on thesis' when we wrote them for quizzes during Peace like a River. It was nice to learn how to make them into one sentence and to learn to add the most important points that you are talking about because I tend to ramble on. I also thought it helped to be able to redo it and I was then able to get 20 on all of them on the first try. Now I know what the reader or grader expects. I really want to get advanced on the CSAP's or at least proficient and I can do this by doing all the assignments for practice so I will improve in my essay writings.