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The Devil and Tom Walker (animated short)

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A kid named Zach Endres has posted some remarkable videos on Youtube. I’ve copied his rendition of “The Devil and Tom Walker” and posted it to my Multimedia page. I suspect this was some sort of class project, one for which I’m sure he received an A+. Years ago, creative kids like Zach would’ve been doing this sort of thing only for their friends and classmates. Now they can share their stuff with the whole world. We live in an amazing age!

Timeline Map

I found this example of a timeline map. It’s a little different from the ones hanging on my wall, and I especially like how everything is plotted out. You will soon be required to create a poster based on your timeline essay. The above is a good example of the sort of thing you might do.

Canine Happy Thanksgiving

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My neighbor’s dog decided he wanted to wish me a happy Thanksgiving when I took out the garbage. I share his joy because Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year and one of the few occasions when practically all of Southern California takes the day off. And of course, as a teacher, I don’t have to go back to work until Monday, which leaves time for working on my publishing business, lesson planning, museum going, shopping, and spending time with Sandy.

This year, Sandy and I spent the day at home, and I cooked the bird, as usual. And speaking of birds, I went for a walk between football games and spotted this hawk way up in one of the many trees in our yard.

New Notes Page

From this day forward, my students will be able to download the day’s notes, which essentially will be a digital pix of what was on the whiteboard — no extra charge for the messy handwriting. When I get a Smart Board, doing this sort of thing will be a snap. See the Notes page for today’s notes and the definitions of the words you will need to complete your homework. In addition to the vocabulary, write a single paragraph about where you find images of Satan in today’s popular culture.

The Devil and Tom Walker

We’re about to begin reading a short story called”The Devil and Tom Walker,” which has got me thinking about how much people believe that the Devil or Satan is alive and well today and influencing humankind. I’m too old to know about these things, but there’s an entire subspecies of heavy metal called black metal. Some folks think that Satan is working through these bands. I have my doubts. But take a look at this video by a band from Slovenia called Dekadent. Makes you want to tap your toes.

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Why We Play Basketball

This is a beautifully done short film based on the Sherman Alexie poem of the same name. Enjoy.

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Journalism Working Late

Four very dedicated journalism students stayed until seven o’clock tonight. They worked on honing their skills and completing the first edition of Paw Prints. The paper isn’t completed, but my students’ skills have begun to improve dramatically.

It just goes to show you. A little bit of dedication and hard work is all it takes to succeed in this world.

Student Editors

I’m looking for two students in each of my classes who would be willing to assist us in journalism. I need eight students willing to learn the page layout program InDesign. You also will need to have proficient writing and editing skills because one of your jobs will be to read, edit, and mark up all writing done by Paw Prints staff. What’s your reward? You get to work on this special project for me all year long and probably get an A both semesters. How cool is that?

If you’re interested, here’re the requirements:

• An A or B in my class
• A great attitude
• A desire to work hard
• Typing skills

If you’re interested, write a one-page letter explaining why you’d be a good choice. I hope to fill these positions by Wednesday of this week.

By the way . . . all the grades have been updated to this page.

Smartboard

[This is not our staff meeting; picture from Web.]

Yesterday at our staff development day seminar, a woman from SMART Technologies demonstrated the use of a smartboard. I’d previously had no knowledge of the thing, but her demonstration filled me we awe and envy.

The smartboard is the latest in digital gadgetry. To get one installed in my classroom, I need to write a proposal detailing how I plan to use it and what my students will get out of it. I’m going to apply.