Literacy, Beauty, and Gratitude for What We Have!

Today is a short class period, and I've been wanting us to look at how digital literacies impact our lives, particularly our impressions of beauty. Look at the video which appears on this link, and reflect on what this says to you.

How are children influenced by what they see on screen? How does film impact gender stereotypes and racial and ethnic stereotypes? How can you as a generation of technology experts address these concerns?

On a personal note, it is the day before Thanksgiving, and I'd also like to reflect on my own gratitude list. Here I am able to walk, and I can also write with my right hand now! I guess even though I'm not particularly happy about the accident I had this fall, I now have a different perspective about my own health, and I am more aware of those with disabilities. I am also grateful for your patience and help as I mended, and I'm pleased with our progress on each classroom blog.

Making Connections

It was interesting to hear what small groups had to say today about the reading you've done so far in your new books and To Kill A Mockingbird. Many of you have remarked about the tragedy, sadness, and struggles we've been reading about, but if you think about it, much of our great literature describes the human condition and the struggle to survive. Wait until we get to Romeo and Juliet!

Remember you have a twenty point opportunity: collect twenty vocabulary words as you are reading, the sentence or phrase they are used in, page # and book, and finally the meaning of the word as it is used. They will be due at the end of our reading on next Tuesday.

You should be well into the new books at this point. Read the blog. There are some very good posts where bloggers are making connections, analyzing characters and language, and commenting to others. Keep blogging!