Blog Post #5: 3rd 6 Weeks

We’re approaching that highly anticipated Christmas break. I don’t know about you guys, but I am ready! I feel like the semester has flown by! My online classes are finally finished until January when the spring semester resumes, my family and I made cinnamon ornaments, and I’ve been cooking away, trying to get ready for the holidays.

Since this is our last blog post of the semester--we will resume again in January--I think it is time for another self-evaluation. We have our 3^rd 6 weeks district assessment on Thursday and Friday and semester exams the following Thursday and Friday. The last two exams will take place on the last two days of this semester. We’ve been hitting our TEKS pretty hard, because let’s face it, guys, some of the things that will be on those exams are pretty hard! I feel like I have worked hard this semester, and I am sure you feel the same about yourself.

The initial question is: Where do you stand in regards to knowing what you are supposed to know at this point? To answer this question, you must consider the following sub-questions: 1) Have you learned the material we’ve been covering in class? 2) What are your strengths in regard to the material we’ve been covering in class? 3) What are your weaknesses in regard to the material we’ve been covering in class? 4) How can you get help with your weaknesses before the tests? 5) What can you do to make sure you do well on the exams?

Answer the initial and sub-questions in four complete, insightful sentences. Really take the time to think about these questions because they are important. You must know where you stand in order to improve. 

Blog Post #4: 3rd 6 Weeks

It's another week already December! Only a little while left until the coveted Christmas break. Almost there, guys!

We've been talking about the holidays and service, two topics that I think are important for us to reflect upon from time to time. Have you been watching Christmas movies, drinking hot cocoa, or shopping lately? Around my house, we've been doing a little of all three. We even made cinnamon Christmas ornaments that I painted. It's a crazy fun time of year.

We're going to stay in line with our recent discussions, but I'd like to tie this week's post back into literature. Beginning Monday, we're going to hear tell of a classic Christmas story. We'll be listening to A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens until we either run out of time, meaning Christmas break approaches, or we run out of story, meaning the CD is over. Either way, you're going to meet Ebeneezer Scrooge and the three ghosts that teach him a valuable lesson. This story has been done and redone in so many different formats by so many different networks and producers; yet every time I hear it, I love it even more. Hollywood constantly remakes movies. The same story could be told in print, retold in a modernized print, made into a film, remade into a film, and even remade again. Consider this truth when you answer the questions.

This week's initial question: Why do you think there are so many different versions of the same story? If you can't relate your answer to A Christmas Carol particularly, it's okay. Think of a story you know that has been told and retold in a variety of ways. There are hundreds out there. I mean, I am pretty sure Cinderella has been redone a thousand times. To answer the initial question, consider the following sub-questions: 1) What types of stories are often retold? Why? 2) How are the versions different? Why do you think they are different? 3) How does the author or movie producer relate their version to the original story? For instance, if you are thinking about the fairy tale Cinderella, the different versions typically all have in common a mistreated girl who finds the man of her dreams.

Answer the initial and sub-questions in a 4 sentence, insightful paragraph. Be sure to tell me what story you thought about in your answers. Happy writing!