The first day of school is always exciting. This first day of high school is something extra special. Today I saw a lot of new faces but I also saw the familiar faces of some Diegueño alumni. The goals for each of my three English classed today were simple but important:
The students accomplished the first goal by writing information down on note cards. On the lined side of the note card they wrote their full legal name, a phonetic pronunciation of their name, and the name they would preferred to be addressed as in our class. On the same side of the card, students then wrote down something about themselves that they are proud of. Finally, they wrote down five adjectives that describe characteristics that are the opposite of how he/she might characterize him/herself.
Next, students lined up shoulder to shoulder in birth month order. They were then paired up by first birthday of the year and last birthday of the year, then second birthday of the year and second to last birthday of the year, and so on until everyone had a partner. With their partner, students did a short interview where they asked each other some basic questions: What's your name? When is your birthday? Where did you go to school last year? How many people live at home with you? Do you have any pets? What is your favorite thing about school? What is your least favorite thing? What do you like to do outside of school? If you could be an animal, what would you be? Two truths and a lie...
Several groups of students then used the information from the interview to introduce their classmate to the whole class. We will continue doing this tomorrow.
To accomplish the second goal, Mr. Balogh presented information about himself and tied in some of his experiences to what the students will be studying this term.
To accomplish the 3rd goal, students working in groups of 4-6 students to build a straw tower. Students chose their own group in which their object was to build the tallest and most stable free standing tower using only straws and tape. Students work time was divided into two phases. The first phase was the planning phase and students had 8 minutes to plan their tower. During this time they could talk, write, and draw, but they could not touch the supplies used to build the tower. At the end of the 8 minutes, students were given 10 minutes to construct the tower. During this second, building phase, students were not allowed to talk. They could use their notes, but they could not write. It was great to see the students engage in this group process. The homework for tonight is to write a one-page reflection on the experience of planning and building the straw tower. The assignment document was distributed in class and it is also available on the Assignment page under English 9 on this website. Click here and you will be taken to that page.
See you all tomorrow!
- Students need to meet their classmates
- Learn a little bit about Mr. Balogh
- Begin to understand that success in this course depends immensely on how we work together
The students accomplished the first goal by writing information down on note cards. On the lined side of the note card they wrote their full legal name, a phonetic pronunciation of their name, and the name they would preferred to be addressed as in our class. On the same side of the card, students then wrote down something about themselves that they are proud of. Finally, they wrote down five adjectives that describe characteristics that are the opposite of how he/she might characterize him/herself.
Next, students lined up shoulder to shoulder in birth month order. They were then paired up by first birthday of the year and last birthday of the year, then second birthday of the year and second to last birthday of the year, and so on until everyone had a partner. With their partner, students did a short interview where they asked each other some basic questions: What's your name? When is your birthday? Where did you go to school last year? How many people live at home with you? Do you have any pets? What is your favorite thing about school? What is your least favorite thing? What do you like to do outside of school? If you could be an animal, what would you be? Two truths and a lie...
Several groups of students then used the information from the interview to introduce their classmate to the whole class. We will continue doing this tomorrow.
To accomplish the second goal, Mr. Balogh presented information about himself and tied in some of his experiences to what the students will be studying this term.
To accomplish the 3rd goal, students working in groups of 4-6 students to build a straw tower. Students chose their own group in which their object was to build the tallest and most stable free standing tower using only straws and tape. Students work time was divided into two phases. The first phase was the planning phase and students had 8 minutes to plan their tower. During this time they could talk, write, and draw, but they could not touch the supplies used to build the tower. At the end of the 8 minutes, students were given 10 minutes to construct the tower. During this second, building phase, students were not allowed to talk. They could use their notes, but they could not write. It was great to see the students engage in this group process. The homework for tonight is to write a one-page reflection on the experience of planning and building the straw tower. The assignment document was distributed in class and it is also available on the Assignment page under English 9 on this website. Click here and you will be taken to that page.
See you all tomorrow!