IMPRESSED

You guys and gals knocked my socks off on Friday. I gave you a difficult task with out much time to complete it, and you rolled up your sleeves and got it done. Not only did you get it done; you got it done well. You did three things that made it happen. (I know that was a power number).

First, you listened and paid attention when you needed to most. You made it easy for me to teach because you trusted me enough to make it important and learn what you could. For example, you had your eyes on me, some even smiled :) you did not need me to repeat directions, and you stapled the info into your brain.

Second, you worked as a team. When I said "go" you guys and gals put your heads together and problem solved. The groups where one hundred percent on task. The talking was respectful and productive. I loved how you got along, and got it figured it.

Third, when it was time to work you worked. This class is a very hard working class. Everyone of you buckled down and did your best. By the end of the day I had goose bumps (I am not lieing) because I was so impressed and honestly so moved by how hard you worked.

Your trust, your team work, and your brilliant effort make it a joy to teach you. I am proud to be your teacher. Thank You

Fake Fight by Eva

In the evening of July 6, 1899 two young boys set out to sell their newspapers. The shrewd newsboys wait in the streets of Brooklyn for the many people that hurry home from work this way. One small, scrawny young boy and one beefy, round boy are seen by the passersby. Soon adults from the streets hurry over to see what everyone is gathered around. The little boy is fighting with the bigger one. Punches and groans soon fill the air, as the bystanders watch with wide eyes. The older boy cruelly rips the poor boys papers. Police come to the rescue, but they only find the small, scrawny boy with tears in his eyes with adults huddled, buying his papers out of sympathy. Across town the chunky boy waits for the little boy at a restaurant, so the two friends can celebrate by tasting some pie. They use the money they cleverly stole from those unsuspecting adults that watched their "fight" to pay.

Work Hard and Have Fun

prewrite

great week - started newsies - students did well on test - movie night
worked hard - movie night 16 hour day, preparing for newsies, having passion for subject
had fun- rewarding, students on task, students having fun writing, i laugh and have fun

I had a great week with you guys and gals this week; you did wonderful on the paragraph structure test, we started Newsies and movie night was a blast. I was impressed with your test, not only beacuse you did a great job with the struture, but you also improved 100% from the begining of the year and your content was great. I could tell you worked hard over the last three weeks because of the amount you have already improved. What I really enjoyed though was the content. Those of you who wrote about immigration nailed it. You really learned a lot about immigration and more importantly the type of character it would take to survive. Those of you who wrote about leadership also seemed to have learned a lot during the last three weeks about being a leader. Your writing really showed maturity. As well as having a great test, I was super excited to start the Newsies unit. It is a really fun unit, where I see a lot of growth in 8th grade writers. I have worked very hard on this unit and I am excited to teach it. To end the week I had a great time at movie night. Students seemed to appreciate our pirate dodge ball video. We gave out prizes and we made about $200 dollars for field trips this year! This week was a blast because all of you made it fun, but it was also fun because I worked hard.

I worked hard this to prepare for the newsies unit, having energy in class, and movie night was a long day. I love the newsie unit, but boy did it take work. The packet alone took really a year to create, but this year what I really tried to put into it was more researched based writing strategies. So what I mean by that is that I am only using strategies to teach that have been absolutely proven to make you better writers. For example having models of my own writing for you to see, having you show cards of different types of elaboration, and having you look at each others writing. I also have to work hard to have energy in class. I try to show my excitement for teaching in class, but believe me it takes energy. I am totally zapped at the end of the day. Movie night was great, but it was a long day. I got to school at seven Friday morning and I left at nine. Not to mention all the work leading up to movie night creating the pirate dodge ball movie. I am not sharing all this hard work for you to feel sorry for me or to brag, I am trying to make a point that because I worked hard school was fun this week.

Hard work pays off and this week it paid in the amount of fun. First, because I worked hard students, were on task and learning. Believe it or not seeing students learning is really fun for me. You guys and gals did a great job working hard and becoming better writers. That really brings a lot of joy to my life.  Second students had fun while learning. I know it is crazy to think you had fun writing, but I defiantly saw some smiling and laughing this week, and even some shy grins. Finally, because you had fun, I had fun, which was awesome. It goes full circle; you have fun and learn. I watch you learn and having fun, so I have fun. Since I am having fun you have fun. Pretty cool. Thanks for making this a great week, if nothing else I hope we have learned that hard work makes life more fun.

p.s. sorry not my best writing I was trying to keep it short so you would read it, but at the same time elaborate on a lot of stuff. As it turns out that does not work so well.

Dear Parents and Students,

We just finished our 8^th grade integrated unit on United States immigration. In English we reviewed and learned about the paragraph. First, we reviewed four types of topic sentences and learned five new ways to write topic sentences. Second, we also reviewed numerical transitions and learned how to write with chronological, cause and effect, problem and solution and argumentative paragraphs. Finally, we began to elaborate and stretch our paragraphs by using examples as evidence.

In literature we read novels that dealt with the immigration experience. These novels gave students a more personal look at what they were learning in social studies class. Students read and responded to their novels in the paragraph structures that we were learning in class.

Our next integrated unit is the Progressive Movement. In English we use the movie Newsies to look at the child labor movement. We watch the movie to gain a common background and to get students interested in the subject. After the movie we spend a couple weeks looking at the real story of the newsboy strike by looking at a nonfiction publication and reading real newspaper articles about the newsboy strike from the 1899 New York Times and New York Sun! Our objectives are to learn different note taking strategies, write with more elaboration, use quotes, use anecdotes and write an anecdotal mutli-source five paragraph essay.

During the 8^th grade year I would really like the students to read every night. I do not give students much time to read their novels in class, so it is helpful if they read their assigned novel at home or another novel, magazine, graphic novel when they do not have an assigned novel. Students learn to be better writers, gain more vocabulary, and become faster readers by simply reading. I really strive to not give students homework, so that they have time to read for twenty minutes at home.

Sincerely,

Mr. Johnson

YES!!! Newsies

I love the Newsies unit. It is not the great songs that get stuck in my head.It is not that the main character in the movie  is Christian Bale (Batman).  It is not all the great dance moves in the movie. It is not the fact that kids worked together to change the world for the better, although that is inspirational and impressive. It is not even  the feel good, fun movie. It is not that we actually read real newspaper articles about the newsboys from 1899 (which is pretty cool and took an amazing amount of work,  New York phone calls and letters of request). It is not that we have a lot of fun in class acting out Newsies scenes from those newspaper articles even though that is pretty fun.

It is because 8th graders go into the Newsies unit like a caterpillar and come out like a butterfly. I could call it the cocoon unit. You crawl into the unit writing well and strong and feed. (Caterpillars eat a lot before they turn into butterflies according The Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. 8th graders are figuratively feed because you are in writing shape and you have good organization and paragraph structure.) Any way in the Newsies unit you will  get in a cocoon, work hard, learn a lot and BAM you will break free and your writing will be beautiful, strong and you can fly.

Newsies I can't wait,
Mr. Johnson

You Asked

Questions and answers from student inventory

(My favorite) Besides teaching what are your other hobbies?
What I love about this question: This question implies that in the first day this student not only saw that I take teaching seriously, but that it is a hobby not a job. The fact is teaching is not only a job for me, or a hobby for me, it is a passion. I LOVE IT.

(Another favorite) Are you awesome?
Well that depends on how you define awesome.
If awesome means: Do I strike awe in some people then no.
If awesome means,  do I make some people say awe, then also no, that is a dentist.
But if awesome means: That I am awe-kward some times, then yes.

What types of books will we read?
I have 4-6 book options for each unit. Most are historical fiction that go with what you are learning in history, So most are historical fiction but not all. I try to pick good books, some classics, some easy, some for boys, some for girls, some short, some themed on relationships and some on action. I am always looking for more books and I buy new ones to add every year.

My favorite and kids favorite books by the unit:
Immigration: my favorite Ashes of Roses  - kids The crossing
Great Depression: my favorite Seabiscuit  - kids Of mice and men
Holocaust: my favorite Until We Meet Again and Book Thief - kids the same
Civil Rights - no book
Montana Literature: my favorite A River Runs Through It - Kids The Big Burn and A River Runs Through It

What were you like in middle school?
Great question. I was quiet. I really liked history. I really did not like language arts. I played a lot of basketball. I was very, very funny looking (I had a big overbite, braces, crazy hair, and thick glasses). I really liked to mtn. bike and ski. In 8th grade I began working on Big Mountain in the Summit House. I was becoming a better student. I read sports biographies. I listened to U2. I had a couple close friends. I played football (middle linebacker and tight end). I wanted to be a physical therapist.  I still could not spell.

How long have you been rock climbing?
8 years

Are you a tough teacher or do you let some things slide?
Both
I am tough on the following:
effort - i do not let poor work ethic slide
bulling -
off task behaviors
I let the following slide:
laughing in class
educational distractions
mistakes as long as you make them at 100% effort

What is your favorite design for a tie?
Paisley

What is your favorite color?
Blue

Do you like fishing?
I like the idea of fishing.

What is the farthest you have swam?
9 miles, the length of Lake McDonald in Glacier
I have also swam:
Whitefish Lake 6 miles
Width of Flathead Lake 8 miles
Logging Lake 6 miles with a 17 mile run
Two Medicine 2 miles with a 16 mile run
Foys 1 mile (lots of times)
Old Man .5 miles (very, very cold)
Dickie Lake down and back 4 miles
Finger Lake down in back 1.5 miles
Bowman 7 miles
Holland Lake 2 miles
Harrison Lake 3 miles
Wall Lake 1 mile
Tally lake 3 miles

What is your shoe size?
10.5

Are you a triathlete?
Sometimes

Do we have a spelling Bee?
I think so

How many essays do we write?
at least 7

Do you ever yell?
No, I do not think so

Do we watch a lot of movies?
We watch 8 movies. Some we watch as an entire 8th grade in the band room, others we watch only ten minutes at a time.

How often do we change seats?
every week or two

How old are you?
35 most of the time

Do we do projects?
Yes, we do a lot of writing projects and a really big Montana Museum Project at the end of the year.

Why do you ride your bike to school sometimes?
It saves on gas, I get exercise, and it wakes me up better then coffee. I also swim a lot of mornings before school. I use to get to school after a swim and people would say, "you look really tired." I finally figured out that I looked really tired because of the impression the goggles left on my eyes. So if I look really tired, with bags under my eyes it may just be that I just got out of the pool, or my daughters had nightmares, got sick or otherwise could not sleep, which also happens. Then I look tired because I am actually tired.

Why do you wear ties?
I wear a tie to remind me of my job as a teacher. I take this job very seriously, and when I put on the tie it reminds me that I am a professional and that this job is one of the most important things I can be doing in my life, because I am a role model for you.

Where is the jacket?
It is too hot for a jacket right now, but I will wear one later.

Is this class going to be hard?
hmmm, It is going to be one of the hardest classes you have ever had, and I am going to try to make it seem easy.

What is your favorite sport?
Any game or challenge that involves moving and thinking
Team: soccer and track
Otherwise: lake swim races

What annoys you most?
The sound of the pencil sharpener. I have thrown several annoying pencil sharpeners away.

Do you like complete sentences?
Yes, I like complete sentences, unless a student is brainstorming. But I like complete paragraphs more.

When did you start your teaching career?
I started teaching at Somers eight years ago. Before teaching here, I was an aid in a school in Bozeman during the day, while I went to college at night for three years.

What is the biggest mountain you have ever climbed?
I am not sure. Here is some of the mountains I have climbed:
Bearhat
Peiagon
Polluck
Bishops Cap
Goat Mtn (i did not see any goats)
Oberland
Reyonlds
Clements
Dragon's backbone
etc...

How many books do we read?
At least 6 but many will read up to 20.

What writing activities are planned?
Thousands, more then I could possibly list or even name, but here are a couple highlights.
Ghost stories, Faith in Humanity Essay, Montana Museum Project, Memoir Scrapbook

We write for three purposes.
1. To convey experiences (narratives, fiction, nonfiction and personal)
2. To inform
3. To entertain
4. To think
I have a hard time counting sometimes.

Are we going to have a good year?
That is up to you. I am strongly leaning toward YES!

What is your favorite movie and actor?
I don't have a TV and I do not watch many movies, but my favorite movie is probably "Lord of the Rings" I can only think of about 5 actors, my favorite maybe Tom Hanks. (I know I am old)