Act II, Test Two

Students have been diligently working on open response and 3-column note practice since last week.  A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley has been our focus as we compose notes and responses to the various writing prompts. After much preparation, students were ready to conquer the test on Act II today. They will have some time tomorrow to finish up as well. I am looking forward to reading their writing, because I know they all explained their answer in an organized fashion with a thesis/claim, details, conclusion and proper use of transition words! After this week, they most definitely deserve a break for all their hard work!

Blog Post of the Week

Congratulations to Emily W. of B Block for her magnificent blog post! Her response to last week's prompt was insightful and descriptive! Take a look at it below.

(After both viewing the play at the North Shore Music Theater and finishing up Act 2, we see a huge character change in Scrooge. Describe his character change. Do you believe that people can change completely, as Scrooge does? Explain your response and feel free to include any examples from your life.)

"How fast Scrooge changed was miraculous! People change whether it’s for better or worse. But, I believe change takes time, it’s not something that happens overnight. I suppose it might be different if you are visited by three ghosts that are telling you what has been, what is present and what will be. My Great Uncle Peter used to be an old grumpy man and was extremely ungrateful at times. As a child, I was afraid of him. One day, Uncle Pete’s blood sugar was too high (he has diabetes), and he fell to the floor and couldn’t get up. The ambulance came because his caretaker walked in and saw that he couldn’t get up. But, if someone wasn’t there for him he could have died. I think he really thought about it and realized life isn’t forever and it’s better to care about people and be nice. Since then, he has been nice.

People do change or at least that is what I believe. Scrooge never did anything for others and always had an awful attitude toward the nicest people. That is how my uncle was. For Scrooge, his life was put in perspective when he saw the future and how no one cared when he died because he was so mean. That can really change a person, even in real life situations. Scrooge also drastically changed his attitude towards others because he lost the love of his life. That happened to my great uncle, too and it is something that could most likely scar someone forever. But, eventually you have to move on with life.

Scrooge and my uncle both moved on with their life and became really awesome people. They changed for the better. So yes, people can change, just maybe not as fast as Scrooge did."

Blog Post of the Week

Congrats to Meghan C of A Block! Her letter to Scrooge was extremely well-written and it earned her the Blog Post of the Week prize!

You can read Meghan's post below:

December 6, 2012

Dear Ebenezer Scrooge,
I think that you should change your ways. You are missing out in life by being cranky, and negative with the people around you. The way that you treat other people effects their lives, and yours. I really think it would be best for you if you stopped being so morose.

You are really missing out on time spent with your family. You loved your sister Fan, didn't you? Look how you're treating Fan's only child, your nephew. When he offered for you to have Christmas dinner with him and his wife, you told him that Christmas was a humbug, and that he should never have gotten married. When your nephew asked you to spend time with him, your only family, and have a wonderful, joyous Christmas, you decided you would not go, but instead work, and not celebrate Christmas at all. You're missing out on one of the best things in life, family.

In addition to that, you are missing out on Christmas, and all of the excitement that comes with it. Christmas is a time for happiness, it is a cause for celebration, and all you can say about Christmas is "Bah. Humbug." When you were invited to your nephew's house for dinner you refused, and decided you would work instead. When your clerk, Bob Cratchit, asked for Christmas day off, you said that he was robbing you of your money, and told him that he had to come into work extra early the next morning. You are missing out on a truely amazing holiday, Christmas, and you are forceing other people like Bob Cratchit to miss out on Christmas too.

As you can see, your crankiness, negativity, and your overall attitude towards life really effect the way you, and the people around you live. Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you weren't so cantankerous? I'm sure it would be great, unlike now. You are missing out on so much, not just Christmas and family time, but so much more too. I beg you to change the way you act towards the people around you. You are constantly being a miser, and by changing that you, and all of the wonderful people around you, will be very joyful, and have a much better life.

Sincerely,
Meghan C

Field Trip Reflections

Students reflected on yesterday's field trip to the North Shore Music Theater. They saw an amazing performance of Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol. Today in class we discussed the beauty of live theater in that one never sees the same show twice! We also began to think about the differences and similarities between the live performance and actual text we are reading. 

Here are some pictures of the students working on their Venn Diagrams:

Blog Post of the Week

Congratulations to Brendan J from DBlock on being awarded
 "Blog Post of the Week" in response to the following:  

"This is a lesson to us all. A reminder that it doesn’t matter who you are – the way we interact with each other every day is important. We affect each other. In big ways and in small. Whether it’s a cashier at the local shop or the new boss from regional head office, we are all people first. We all have the power to fill others with joy or ruin their day."

Reflect upon the above quotation. Do you agree with it? Why or why not? Support your response. Think of the many people you have come across in your life and describe how some have affected you.

--- Here is Brendan's post --

"Personally, I do agree with the quotation that relates to the story A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. The quote talks about how we have the ability to affect people's lives, whether in a good way or a bad way. If you hurt or offend someone, that would most likely ruin their day, but if you try to be kind and reach out to people, I think that it would make you feel good as well as the other person. For example, one time, I was having a really terrible day and absolutely nothing was going my way. Then, when my parents and I were driving, we stopped at a stoplight. I looked out the window to the car adjacent to us, and the person in the back seat simply smiled and waved. Just this one kind gesture from a person changed my whole day, and now I try every chance I get to smile and wave at someone who looks like they might be having a bad day. Clearly, we have the power to affect people's lives dramatically by what we do and what we say; so choose wisely."