Nine Student Blogs Worth Visiting

credit: openparachute.wordpress.com

credit: openparachute.wordpress.com

Nine days of classes until our school holiday officially begins.

Today, I share out nine of my sixth graders’ blog posts, all of which deserve a visit. They are presented in random order–all are equally noteworthy. I’m so proud of the initiative I’m seeing from my students, many of whom have independently added widgets or inserted pictures that encourage visitor interaction.

If you’re a student or teacher visiting our class blog or any of the student blogs, please be sure to leave your URL (blog web address) in a comment so we can return your visit. If you’re one of my students and have a blog post you’d like to spotlight, leave me a comment.

To those visiting from across the hall or around the globe, we’re so glad to welcome you into our virtual classroom. Stop by anytime.

Now, without further ado, here are nine outstanding blog posts from a few of the newest student bloggers in the blogosphere. Click on the blue type, which is an active link that’ll transport you to these blogs.

The Reading Cow

Before I ever handed out the newest blog assignment (which is to create a Top 10 list), Trang accepted my challenge and created a list of her own favorite candies. What I love about this particular post is that instead of simply typing a list (quick and easy), Trang spent the time to insert all of the colorful pictures that make this post so fun to explore. Have you created your list yet?

The Korgi Kronicles

Wondering what your future holds? Kate, who has already delivered two knockout book reviews, aspires to be a published author. As someone who deliberately crafts stories with bountiful sensory detail, Kate is already well on her way to making her dream come true. Check out this young writer’s work on The Korgi Kronicles.

The Sports Place

There’s no doubt which sport is Jacob’s favorite; he devotes a post to it here on his new blog, The Sports Place. He’s written a strong paragraph that features both sensory details and the all-important supporting details. Plus, there’s an action photo to correspond with his post.

Dark Angels

When I read Emma’s post about A Long Walk to Water, I could feel the fear and the urgency that must have been ever-present in Salva’s life. With purposefully selected words, Emma beautifully captured the emotional ups and downs of Salva’s heartbreaking journey.

Nick’s Soccer Blog

Not only am I drawn to the bold, black and gold theme Nick chose, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading his post about the differences between school in Sudan and here in the U.S. This is another wonderful post related to our unit on A Long Walk to Water.

Spotted Elephants

Besides having a delightfully creative blog name, Hannah’s Spotted Elephants blog includes a Thanksgiving blog post that I gobbled up. I loved the zany photo and her use of colorful accent type. Wondering what she’s thankful for? Go see!

Converse Girl

If you could design a school to perfectly match your personality and learning style, what would it look like? Mikayla has described one that boasts a library to surpass all libraries. Discover all the details on her post.

Anime Abhi’s Blog

There is smiley face hysteria in the world of Anime Abhi’s Blog. Actually, there’s just a really creative story written to celebrate National Absurdity Day. Abhi spent time drafting an outlandish story and then posted it on his blog. Now, he’s a published author. You, too, can publish an original story here on your blog!

Sugar Filled Words

Free verse poetry is one of my favorite types of written expression. Ramya’s poem based on A Long Walk to Water captures the rush to escape and the harsh realizations that come along with war. Poetry always deserves a place to shine on your blogs. Check out hers.

 

In the weeks and months to come, I will continue to direct you to blog posts that shimmer with creativity and dedication. I look forward to showcasing one of your next posts soon.

– Mrs. Rombach

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14 Things I Take for Granted

What’s cooler than being cool?
Photo Credit: Ian Sane via Compfight

Tonight, as I made my first post-Thanksgiving, stuffing-topped turkey sandwich, an idea floated like a magic carpet into my brain. I ran my spontaneous idea by my oh-so-savvy high school freshman, and she gave me two thumbs up and a toothy smile. Right now, as I sit typing out this post with the TV playing National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation in the background, my idea evolves into this post.

Beginning today, I’m counting down the school days until holiday break by posting one list every day. I hope I can deliver on this self-imposed challenge.

After reading A Long Walk to Water and being reminded of all we have that others don’t, I thought I’d start with 14 Things I Take for Granted. Are you up to the challenge? Could you match me list for list as we count down to winter break? You choose the topics of your lists. Follow my lead if you like, but you have complete freedom to generate any theme you wish. Or, just read along! If you’re posting lists, leave a comment with your URL so I can create a link on my main page. Here’s a hint:  Adding a brief explanation for each item on your lists makes it more fun to read. I probably went a little overboard, but here goes.

Fa la la la la la la la la…let’s see who’s up for the Countdown List Challenge…

 

14 Things I Take for Granted – (in no particular order)

14. Instantaneous answers – Whether I’m in the co-pilot’s seat using the Waze app to avoid traffic congestion or debating details over the dinner table, I can get answers instantly, with just a little finger work on the touchscreen and four bars on the wi-fi.

13. Books – My house has shelves of books in every room, from cookbooks in the kitchen to trail guides in the family room to countless titles lining bookcases and bedside tables. I am never at a loss for reading material–unlike so many others around the world.

12. Medical care – Salva’s seriously ill father walked over 300 miles to the nearest clinic. I have two hospitals within a 10-minute drive, and easy-to-access urgent care centers nearly as popular as strip mall nail salons. If I’m hurting, ibuprofen is at my fingertips. That’s not true for so many.

11. Electricity – It warms my home, powers my technology, cools or freezes my food, washes my clothes, cooks my meals, and entertains me with movies, TV, and music. Power cords snake through my house, gobbling up electricity that’s a plug away.

10. My job – I get paid to do what I love, so I’m incredibly blessed. As I rush from one lesson plan to the next, one set of papers to grade to the next, it’s easy to forget that so many people who desperately want to work can’t find employment. That’s here in Virginia, across the U.S., and around the world. I can’t imagine a better way to earn a living than to teach over 70 students.

9. Neighbors – We watch out for each other, we trade eggs or flour when recipes call for ingredients we lack, we chat across the cul-de-sac, and watch each other’s children grow up and out of the house.

8. My better half, Mike – It’s been nearly 25 years since we tied the knot, but he still makes me coffee every morning, keeps me laughing (at him and myself), and is my backroads partner for life. This guy rocks.

7. Laney and Clancy, our four-legged best buds – Despite the fur that blankets every surface in my house, nothing is better than coming home to their squeals of delight. Whether I’m gone an hour or overnight, they fling themselves at my feet as though I’ve been a missing person for the past five years.

6. Food in my pantry and fridge – I’ve never experienced hunger like Salva or Nya have. If my stomach grumbles, I hush it with a quick snack from the pantry. I’ve never had to worry about how to feed myself or my family. There are so many who hunger, even here in Loudoun County; we need to be grateful for all we have–and generously share our abundance with others.

5. My co-workers – Mrs. Fields, Mrs. Haseltine, Mrs. Devlin, Mrs. O’Brien, Mrs. Smith, Mr. Lacey, and Mrs. Cohen are just a few of the rockstars I’m lucky enough to collaborate with daily. Too many people head into a work environment that’s frustrating or demeaning. Not me…I love coming to work!

4. Kindness – I’m surrounded by kind people. I encounter kindness in the most ordinary of places…the Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru, an email or text message from a friend, a door held by a stranger, kind words shared by a Wal-Mart checkout clerk. I need to be more grateful for the little things that make me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

3. Education – I have high school and college degrees, but more importantly, my education has never stopped. I’m a lifelong learner and am blessed with the opportunity to take graduate and online courses, read innumerable books, and explore an infinite array of websites. I think of Nya, and other girls around the world, who are denied an education because of their life circumstances. Today, I celebrate all that school has brought into my life–three different careers, a husband I met at college, and a library of knowledge tucked inside my gray matter.

2. Water – You knew this would be here, right? Before A Long Walk to Water, I knew water was precious, but I didn’t understand fully how clean water is the lifeblood of a community. Clean water brings better health, schools, clinics, and allows a village to thrive rather than simply survive.

1. My children – Somewhere between the gray hair and the side-splitting belly aches of laughter, there is perfection in parenthood. I adore my five children. Yes, they turn my life topsy-turvy some days, but then we’re dancing like robots together in the kitchen, reciting Ellen’s classic jokes, or scrambling over rocks at Bears’ Den. I’m thankful for all the little moments we make together.

If I’m going to keep this up, I’ll have to write a little less next time around. 🙂 There you go…my List of 14 Things I Take for Granted. Tomorrow…My List of 13 Words I Can’t Live Without.

See you then- Mrs. Rombach

 

 

 

 

Who Inspires You?

 

photo credit: www.goodreads.com

photo credit: www.goodreads.com

As we finish reading A Long Walk to Water, Linda Sue Park’s riveting story about former Lost Boy Salva Dut, I know many of us have been profoundly affected by Salva’s treacherous journey to freedom. This young man, who at age 11 left his South Sudanese village amidst brutal civil war, came to lead 1200 boys and and young men to safety.

Salva Dut’s courage astounds his. His determination, not only to survive but to change his part of the world, leaves us awestruck. We marvel at his unrelenting determination. If you ever doubt your ability to singlehandedly make a difference in this vast universe, remember Salva Dut. One hope-filled person with a mission…that’s where change begins.

Speaking of Salva Dut, check out his response to my tweet. Pretty cool. 🙂 Now, tell me who inspires you and why. I can’t wait to read your replies.! Leave a comment with your blog URL. When you click on the title of this post, you’ll be able to see my example. 🙂

 

Salva Dut TWEET

 

Who Let the Blogs Out?

Who’s ready to rock the blogosphere?

Between Friday and Tuesday, we’ll be working together to bedazzle our blogs by adding posts, pages, widgets, and a your choice of interactive media. Before I launch into the NINE (9) items your blog should include by December 5, let me introduce a few more tools that are sure to make you blog crazy!

Be sure to leave your comments and questions. As you do, decide which of these three tools you’d like to embed in one of your future blog posts.

What is the best book you’ve read so far in 6th grade?… at AnswerGarden.ch.

By December 5, you should have the following items on your blog:

(1) An All About Me PAGE. Note this should be a PAGE. If you’d like to also make it your first post, that’s fine. However, you need to have an All About Me PAGE. This page is always visible on the front page of your blog. You’ve already written your All About Me PAGE in Google Docs. Simply copy and paste into a new PAGE. To do so, highlight the entire text of your Google Docs. Hold Control/C to copy. Click the mouse in the text section of the Edublogs PAGE. Hold Control/V to paste. Graphics and fonts may not transfer exactly as they appear in Google Docs.

(2) Your first assigned POST. In the dashboard, open All Posts, Add New. Using the school-themed prompts provided, write your post. Be sure to carefully proofread. Click on Save Draft as you’re working to safeguard your writing. After you’ve thoroughly checked over, made revisions to improve your writing, and changed fonts if desired, click on Review and Submit. It may take Mrs. Rombach 1-3 days to approve and publish. Please be patient. 🙂

(3) Activate ClustrMaps widget. Add to blog sidebar.

(4) Activate Google Supreme Fonts (Dashboard>Plugins>Google Supreme Fonts>Activate).

(5) Create a virtual pet and insert Text widget/embed code to side bar. (see classmate or Mrs. Rombach for help if you missed this in-class project).

(6) Activate Compfight Plugin (Dashboard>Plugins>Compfight>Activate)

(7) Add Categories: Classroom Blogging Assignments, Reading, Writing, Book Reviews, Middle School, and any others you wish.

(8) Add one of the following interactive widgets:  AnswerGarden, Voki, or Padlet. (click to on each title to connect)

(9) Leave a complimentary comment on three (3) other classmates’ blogs (any block).

Water, Water Everywhere…but Not a Drop to Drink

 Stop and drink.

You can turn on the faucet and clear, clean water rushes out. You have plenty of water to drink, to bathe, to cook, and to wash clothes, dishes, and cars. We sprinkle our lawns with clean water. We fill Nerf guns and summer pools with clean water. For us, clean water is everywhere.

CREDIT--Plan-David-Ngige

CREDIT–Plan-David-Ngige

As we read A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park, we now know that for south Sudan and for so many other countries around the globe, clean water is a luxury more precious than gold or cattle. As we continue to journey with Nya and Salva across the barren landscape of a war-torn Sudan, I thought it was a good time to remind ourselves how vitally important water truly is–to all of us.

Today in your small group, watch each of these two videos. Please use the headphones provided. After each, complete the questionnaires you’ll find stacked on the table.

 

How much water should you drink each day?

 

What happens if you go without water?

After watching these two videos, complete the questionnaire on your table. 

If time permits, leave me a comment. Did you learn anything new or surprising?

Do your best work!

Mrs. Rombach

Building an Education

  credit: : banaa.org

credit: blog.brac.net

In the United States, every child is guaranteed a free public education, something we admittedly all take for granted.

Elsewhere in the world, particularly in poverty-stricken countries, an education often isn’t even an option. If you’re a girl, that possibility shrinks even further.

As we read about Salva and Naya in A Long Walk to Water, we see two children struggling to find balance between the challenges of poverty, war, and the desire for an education and a chance in this world.

This week, your writing assignment is to pick a topic from this list and write a blog post about it. If you already have a blog up and running, you may write directly on your blog. If you don’t, please write on Google Docs and share with me. Your blog will be up soon!

Before you begin writing, let’s watch a video about South Sudan’s initiative to bring education to their people. Leave a 1-2 sentence comment in response to this video.

The First Step…in A Long Walk to Water

photo credit: www.goodreads.com

photo credit: www.goodreads.com

 

On Friday, our class will begin an in-depth exploration of Linda Sue Park’s novel, A Long Walk to Water. This book chronicles the struggle for clean water that a large portion of the world’s population faces. As our daily read-aloud, A Long Walk to Water, will escort us into our research unit, where you’ll be tasked with identifying, researching, and promoting a social injustice in the world that matters to you.

Homework:

Due Monday

(1) Over the weekend, your mission is to complete the WebQuest for A Long Walk to Water.  Like our reading survey, the WebQuest is a Google document that requires you to log in using your LCPS username and password. As you progress through this challenge, I have no doubt you’ll find this story both eye-opening and heartbreaking.

While we will begin this journey in class, its completion is your responsibility. Make the time as this is a graded assignment. To complete this WebQuest, use the two-sided questionnaire handed out in class. If you need a copy, click here: Webquest Task Sheet.

 

Click here: A Long Walk to Water WebQuest 

 

Due Wednesday

(2) Watch the TEDTalk featuring Ludwick Marishane. By Wednesday, leave a quality comment about how his story affected you.

 

Meet author Linda Sue Park and discover her inspiration for this novel.

 

If you had to walk a mile for a jug of water every day, as millions of people do, it’s unlikely you’d use that precious water to bathe. Young entrepreneur Ludwick Marishane tells the amazing, funny story of how he invented a cheap, clean, and convenient solution. I look forward to taking this long walk together.

Remember, leave a quality comment about how this video affected you.

 

I look forward to taking this long walk together.

Mrs. Rombach