The Outsiders

We are reading the novel The Outsiders in class. 

Remember that "Shmoop" is a great reference if you can avoid the multitude of ads. 

This week, students started an interactive notebook to keep track of their work. Hopefully, this will be a valuable artifact of learning that students will reference 

for a long time.

We completed character analyses and

made observations about the

Notice & Note signposts in our reading.

Students made text-to-self connections

and evaluated their own writing.

We are busy in room 303!

Take a look at those interactive notebooks

 as the year progresses to see evidence

 of the hard work you are doing.

Guest Bloggers

New school, new school year, new students, 

new Guest Bloggers!

I am looking for regular contributions from my students. There are a variety of possibilities for you to 

submit your writing to the blog. 

Check the "Guest Bloggers" tab above for options.

Readers from all over the world will have the

opportunity to read your posts.

Here is a submission from a

current 8th grader in my class.

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Iyanah B has a Movie Review for us.

This summer I watched the movie The  Secret  Life of Pets.  It was about what pets do when their owners aren’t home. In the movie two of the pets (that have the same owner) get taken by animal control and join a gang of former pets that hate humans. The movie takes place in New York City, in modern times. I like the movie because it was funny and appealed to all ages. Most of the movies for kids are still bad these days, and it's nice that I can watch a movie without having to worry about if they'll say bad words. I think my peers would like this movie because of the same reason that I like it, and it has jokes that we would understand that aren't dirty. Also, it's not one of those kiddy movies where you already know what's going to happen 15 minutes into the movie. So overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and would recommend it to any of my peers.

Max from The Secret Life of Pets

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Iyana's authentic writing experience is also earning her some extra credit points. If you are interested in earning some extra credit, you can check the Guest Bloggers tab for options. Be prepared to submit polished work because this blog has a global audience. 

Yearbook! Yearbook! Yearbook!

We welcome all photo contributions to the yearbook. 

Go to www.hjeshare.com 

School Code: cjhscougars

The photo you take could end up 

immortalized in our school's yearbook!

___________________________

This is my first year as a 

yearbook advisor. 

It is a big responsibility and unknown territory. 

I am excited to demonstrate growth mindset 

by trying this new thing with an open mind. 

I am reading other advisers' blogs and websites. 

I am watching tutorial videos.

I am asking for help, and I am taking suggestions.

The students on the staff are also demonstrating 

growth mindset!

None of them have been on Chico Junior's 

yearbook staff before either.

Everyone is trying something new.

It will take lots of time and effort to make a great yearbook, and we will make mistakes, but the

dedication and enthusiasm of these students 

makes me proud.

We are all learning together!

_____________________________

These two students will be the 

co-Editors-in-Chief of this year's book.

Congratulations, Amy and Fatimah.

Amy is showing strong leadership skills
 in class and a great attitude.

Fatima has been doing her own research
 and has big ideas for the yearbook.

Stay tuned for more updates in the future.

Be a Good Digital Citizen

You are growing up at an incredible time where you can be connected online to people all over the world.

My friend and colleague, Emily Pendell, says, 

"Kids shouldn't fall into their online identities, 

they should construct them."

What that means is that you develop an online persona that is instant and permanent. 

Permanent!

Even things that have been deleted 

actually still exist somewhere. Choose wisely how you want to represent yourself online. 

Make sure that you think carefully about what you post before you post it.

Did you know that many colleges and employers are checking Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social media sites before accepting or hiring their applicants?

Be a good digital citizen.

Do you know what an internet troll is?

This website talks about trolling. 

What is it and how can you protect yourself from trolls?

The video below is Shane Koycan's artistic representation of what trolls are and the damage they can cause.

I'm a fan of Shane's work. He also created To This Day. Watch it here.