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=Okay- I emailed Ms. Lovelace about the play. She said talk to her about it later. Since we want to do it after Christmas.=

Planning: I attended a seminar at the middle school conference about teaching using essential questions--real essential like "what makes a good friend?' Then you read lots of selections around this theme. We can still have the learning focus questions about short story elements, etc. But by doing it this way when you come to the end of the unit you a student can write a persuasive essay about what is important in a friend. Thus using the standard course of study in meaningful application. The book is called __Engaging Readers and Writers with Inquiry__ by Jeffrey Wilhelm. What do you think?

It doesn't seem like a bad idea. However I'm having trouble understanding the difference between this and units? Are they not essentiall the same thing? The only difference I see is that instead of a unit title we use a question.

Your right. It's basically the same thing.But we begin with the end in mind and build the unit around a question that really matters. And the focus is more on providing students with information to form an actual opinion or evaluation.

I just got back to Lex. As I was going throigh the mail--both NCTE journals covers looked like what I was talking about. I'll let you know. Have you been to the schhol? Are the floors done? Could you tell it flooded??? (DAH--You've been at the help days. Anybody show? Next week I have mentor training.

Well things have changed... Last week I did the summer reading things but this week and next I'm SUMMER SCHOOL MAN!!! Here to educate and motivate. Wojenski wasn't able to be here so I was substituted at the last minute. 7th grade was the only one flooded and the floors on the bottom have been waxed so I assume all is well. They haven't begun working on the 800 house because we're in there doing summer school. So far Devin Smith and Chris Cotton are the only ones who have shown for the summer reading, but if summer school is any indication the summer reading program has been a wash (at least for the group I'm working with). Keep in mind its a small sample size as well as a skewed grouping of students.

I've found this really neat activity that I would like to do for character analysis. I'm not sure if it is possible but it seems really neat. http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/unitplan.jsp?id=18