Room 18 News Please

Hi squiddlers -please fill me in on what;s goin gon in your classroom.
Miss F tells me there are only two of you left in Rm 18 from last year. Is this true? Who has gone where?  Report back someone. Who are the Rm 18 Yr 8's this year?
LittleMissRm18, I owe you a reference - fill me in on the status of the former Woodmonstas and you shall have your reward :-)

Hows school?

How are you Woodmonstas doing with your new yr 7's and new teacher?
Please keep in touch. I want to hear from Jordan please... and Ishtak... and all of you!
Mr Arcus - what is going on?
Queenbead, LittleMissRm18, etc, spread the word and I hope to hear from eveyone soon :-)
I bet it's much calmer in there now that the rowdy yr 8's from last year have gone.
[don't worry - listing those names won't get anyone abducted.]
Cheers from Mr Woody [currently in a digital class at St Andrews]

Term 4, Week 1 ... Themes, Concepts, Contexts

Firstly, congratulations to our yr 7 and 8 class citizens. It was genuinely hard to choose. Based on my observations and your votes, it came down to between three and five people for each year level, so well done to the lads who made the grade.
As for this week's homework, you need to post something interesting on your blog that you have written in your own words and referenced any sources you used.
You also need to scan and skim the Room5ian personal blogs to find some quality narrative writing. Look for posts relating to Kakepuku Catastrophe and/or diary writing. Leave your chosen favourite blogger a comment showing your appreciation.



As for Term Four work, it is as follows:

• We have a novel study to work on in groups, based on short novels and with a booklet to work on through a process known as reciprocal reading. Your response work will be posted on a wiki set up by and for your reading group. Instructions will be given in class.
• Maths will be based around geometry and mapping for starters, as well as numeracy based on fractions, decimals, etc later in the term.
• Writing will be around the co-construction of creative stories [narratives] based on your experiences surviving in a fantasy-based life on the Matai Islands.
  
• You will also write and deliver a 3 minute speech [- you can use props and ICT] due in week 4.
  
• Your overall theme will be based on "Relationships" and "Making a Difference". We will write our stories to share with other students who find reading boring or difficult. We could also do something to make a contribution to the disaster relief in Samoa.
  
• In P.E. we will be developing our fitness and skills for athletics. We also need to learn social dancing skills for the Yr 8 formal.
  
  

Woodmonstas Wonder Wiki [and some of your blogs]

It's not so wonderful, but it's a start... and yes, this is what I look like during the holidays.

http://woodmonstas.wetpaint.com/

Well done to The Other Boy and LittleMissRoom18 for editing the site a little.
All trusted bloggers will be given access to the passwords so you can add content. Ability to edit and proofread will be important as well as being responsible, reliable and interesting.
:-)
I wonder if the world famous author of Midnight Baloney or even The MysteryMan might comment.
These are great blogs too ...

http://blogfieldresistance.blogspot.com/

and how could we forget the famous Arsenal Lover! http://gunners4life18.blogspot.com/

At my old school we had a very special blog worth a look.

Using your brain while reading

Is your brain engaged in your reading and writing activities? Woodmonsta brains are - they do all these things when reading actively....

• Summarize: Every once in awhile, you should stop, look at a portion of text you just read, and try to summarize the content in your own words. This is a good way to test your understanding of the material.


• Make Predictions: To keep your brain fully engaged in the text, you should make predictions about what you think might happen next based on what you already know. It's always fun to see if your predictions are accurate.


• Formulate Opinions: We have opinions on everything from the weather to politics. When you are reading, allow yourself to form opinions about the characters, the plot, the style of the writing, etc.


• Make Connections: A good way to understand something that is new and unfamiliar to you is to connect it to something you already know or have experienced. Can you connect the text you are reading to a personal experience? Does it remind you of something else you've read or seen?


• Ask Questions: Don't expect that you are going to understand everything in the reading with complete clarity the first time through. What don't you understand? What confuses you? What words are unclear to you?


• Analyze the Author's Craft: As you are reading, you may notice certain things about the writer's style. Is there a lot of description? Is there too little description? Is the reading easy to follow or difficult in some way? Does the author use a lot of literary devices like similes and metaphors? Do you understand how and why the author is using such devices?


• Reflect/React/Comment: What do you notice? What surprises you? How do you feel about what you are reading? What do you think about what you are reading?


• Look for Patterns/Repetitions: What do you notice about the way the text is structured? Do you notice some kind of pattern? Is there some element in the text that is repeated? What is important about this pattern or these repetitions? How does the structure contribute to the overall meaning?

[- as described in Angela Maiers blog]

http://www.angelamaiers.com/2008/02/active-reading.html

And thoughts on actively engaging with a txt:

http://psuwritingcenter.blogspot.com/2007/09/talking-to-books.html

Positive Learning

Let's list the positives from this term and highlight new or successful learning we have achieved.

Positives for me are:

1. The success of some our our new bloggers.
2. The supportiveness of our classmates towards each other in difficult times.
3. The support of other teachers and researchers who have acknowledged what we are doing as the way of the future in education.
4. Getting to know kids from other classes, parents and Mr Noble on camp.
5. Having the pleasure of getting to know a new bunch of wonderful yr 7 and 8 people called Woodmonstas.

:-) Thank you for all the good times and the quality work that occasionally appears to amaze me

What do you want on your blog?

This blog is for Room 18 Woodmonstas! ...and any interested guests, of course.
What would you like to see on this blog?
I intend to include resources related to school work as well as unrelated but interesting topics.
List your interests here and let me know what you would enjoy interacting with in this forum.

Blog of the Week competition

Each week we will award someone the blogger of the week award.
So far today I think two or three people are in the running.
The criteria can be agreed upon in class - this is called co-construction - and if we're really clever, we could use secret official government documents to design a rubric against which to assess our fantastic blogging.
General rules would be that you should:
1. Follow the rules of cybersafety
2. Be interesting and creative
3. Use appropriate "school" language
4. Include your own topics of interest, responses to classroom discussion or tasks, and responses to posts on the Woodmonstas blog.
5. Interact with each other and respond constructively to each other's blogs/posts/comments

I have no doubt you guys can do a much more professional and technically proficient job than me. You just have to prove it.
Quality learning! Quality people!

design a Woodmonsta

Design your very own Woodmonsta. Perhaps like the one Frank has met in this image by Jim Woodring.

Create a brilliant image.
Describe all habits, habitats, ecological niches, preferences, personal issues, unpleasant quirks, etc.
Post it all on your own blog and lead us to it by commenting here....

How will you do all this??? Clues can be left here as comments also.

[BTW - I love Jim Woodring's illustrations, so you might see a few every now and then]

Woodmonstas Rule!!!

Hello Woodmonstas. Welcome to our new class blog.
This blog is to be respected, enjoyed and is a valuable part of your new accelerate class extension and enrichment programme. Through this web-based learning we will develop 21st Century learning skills, be connected to a world wide community of learners and enjoy an authentic audience for our work. Each of us will also receive meaningful feedback from multiple sources.
The blog will develop and grow in complexity, as well as being linked to online learning resources, other learners and your own personal blogs. These will become a form of eportfolio.
Please make the most of this opportunity and respect the rules so we can continue to use the internet as a tool for learning. Also remember that everything you publish on the Internet is potentially there forever - even if it gets deleted. You leave a digital footprint that may benefit or hinder you as you get older.
We will also have a class wiki called "Woodmonstas Wonder Wiki". This will contain specific learning activities, planning, links, forums and collaborative learning opportunities.
I hope you enjoy learning this way. Future posts should be more interesting :-)

warm regards,
Mr WOody