tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20599777569717553972012-02-16T05:37:09.725-05:00Though this be madness, there is method in't.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556739022818956117noreply@blogger.comBlogger231100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059977756971755397.post-82096465174675704152009-09-28T06:21:00.001-04:002009-09-28T06:25:54.178-04:00

Someone shared these awesome class discussion guidelines on diigo and I thought I would pass it along.

Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556739022818956117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059977756971755397.post-67330624924652948152009-09-19T09:17:00.004-04:002009-09-19T10:19:10.484-04:00

The big news: The netbooks have arrived- all 800+ of them. Quite a sight to see. I spent a few days this week in the computer lab helping to get them imaged and ready to be distributed to the students, although it looks like we are talking early October here. Still.... October is only a couple of weeks away. I am excited, really, really excited to get these computers into our students'

Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556739022818956117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059977756971755397.post-4230298888941902452009-09-17T12:51:00.002-04:002009-09-17T12:52:40.945-04:00

Check this out: title="Wordle: Obama's Speech"> src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/1139664/Obama%27s_Speech" alt="Wordle: Obama's Speech" style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd">

Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556739022818956117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059977756971755397.post-35034546850629638102009-09-17T11:52:00.004-04:002009-09-17T11:55:19.425-04:00

Here's the movie I promised. It is NOT nearly done, but it is getting there. GoAnimate.com: catcher in the rye movie by msmazzolaLike it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556739022818956117noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059977756971755397.post-23218566630670116582009-09-13T07:38:00.003-04:002009-09-13T08:10:39.439-04:00

A technology goddess at my school shared this site with me this morning. Here is a sample movie made, (not by me)GoAnimate.com: The Great Gatsby by Deanna Lugo by deelugo (Click on the title) Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!It is so much fun- all sorts of cool features. I cannot wait to share this with my students for a project down the road. I am working on

Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556739022818956117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059977756971755397.post-15556524114508823752009-09-12T22:40:00.002-04:002009-09-12T22:47:15.423-04:00

Last week I read this article about why teachers should blog and it really got me thinking about the reflective nature of teaching. I realized that I should be blogging about teaching, I need to be blogging about it. I need to reflect more, instead of just venting on the ride home from school. My goal is to use this blog is the following ways:1. to reflect on my teaching2. to share

Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556739022818956117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059977756971755397.post-70799210086089172712008-12-14T08:57:00.006-05:002008-12-14T09:03:30.039-05:00

Meet my new hero, Grammar Girl.  Check out her podcasts for grammar tips.  I have added her to my itunes and get a weekly updated podcast for free.  You should do the same.  Grammar Girl logo compliments of:  Grammar girl (online image).  http://podbean.com, December 13, 2008.  

Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556739022818956117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059977756971755397.post-6998494014719009712008-12-14T08:49:00.004-05:002008-12-14T08:56:45.290-05:00

I am going light on the homework over break for several reasons.  One being that by definition, break implies a rest from work.  Reason number two is purely selfish; I do not want to come back from break and have to correct a ton of work.  Reason number three is because I would like to see all of you read for enjoyment over break.  If you are looking for any book recommendations you can check out

Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556739022818956117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059977756971755397.post-26803530286071267722008-11-26T06:15:00.003-05:002008-11-27T06:56:30.509-05:00

For all of you Twilight fans out there- here is a partial draft of the final novel in the series- Midnight SunIt is a retelling of Twilight from Edward's point of view.

Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556739022818956117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059977756971755397.post-53094776970354965582008-11-24T05:38:00.005-05:002008-11-24T06:32:29.972-05:00

Under the recommendation of several students I have been reading the Twilight series. I have read the first two and am sort of stuck on the third. I see the appeal for students, forbidden love is always a good story. However, I have some issues with the protagonist. She always is in need or rescuing. Come on ladies, we don't need a man to rescue us, even if he is a dashingly handsome vampire

Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556739022818956117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059977756971755397.post-52929894151968382872008-11-20T12:20:00.006-05:002008-11-24T06:39:23.812-05:00

After reading Orwell's essay "Politics and the English Language"and discussing it in class, I have come to several conclusions. The first one being how smart all of you are. I thought this essay would be more troublesome reading for all of you and you proved me wrong. Your ability to draw out the main points and understand some of the complex ideas Orwell discusses amazed me. As far as what

Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556739022818956117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059977756971755397.post-49818435263335303082008-11-18T19:39:00.009-05:002008-11-19T06:00:30.963-05:00

What is being implied in this ad? What is the effect of the statement "Big Brother is Watching You"? What sort of technique is the creator using to influence behavior?What is being implied by "Victory Waits on Your Fingers"? Does this make absolute sense? What technique is being used here?Appealing to patriotism is a technique, what is it?Works Cited: Save food (Online Image).

Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556739022818956117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059977756971755397.post-76999565083596417172008-11-11T06:58:00.009-05:002008-11-11T09:37:47.637-05:00

1984 cartoon (online image) Available: http://www.hermes-press.com/1984.jpgNovember 11, 2008.Propaganda is all around us. This year's election was no exception. In the week prior to election day I received at least one "robo-call" a day, in an effort to influence my decision. In The Fine Art of Propaganda, the IPA stated that "It is essential in a democratic society that young people and

Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556739022818956117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059977756971755397.post-67434246230732991252008-11-08T20:39:00.006-05:002008-11-12T06:31:44.492-05:00

I just bought this new book Poetry Speaks (click on posting title for product description) to use in my classroom. I can't wait to use it with my students. It has recordings of poets reading their own poems, including Sylvia Plath, Gwendolyn Brooks, Jack Kerouac, Tennyson, James Joyce and Robert Frost. What a way to for students to hear how a poem should be read! I am hoping this may

Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556739022818956117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059977756971755397.post-9761886328869235412008-11-03T17:11:00.005-05:002008-11-03T17:28:45.937-05:00

Today I took the Young Writers to Bates College. What a fantastic day. We arrived early and had just seated ourselves on the couches, when an older gentleman in coveralls walked into the room. With a scowl on his face (he later explained that he never smiles when first meeting people), he walked straight up to one of our students and stood about two inches from said student's face and said "

Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556739022818956117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059977756971755397.post-29507498289708278922008-10-29T17:13:00.002-04:002008-10-29T17:19:03.149-04:00

As the first quarter comes to a close, I have been thinking about my current grading system. In all my classes I weigh homework as 10%, classwork as 20%, quizzes as 30% and tests, projects and essays as 40%. I am not happy with this system. In my sophomore English class, if a student did not hand in his/her final essay on The Catcher in the Rye, they could not pass the class for the quarter.

Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556739022818956117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059977756971755397.post-45357915751474352542008-10-27T18:03:00.004-04:002008-10-27T18:06:55.102-04:00

imagesOriginally uploaded by l_mazzolaI found this book today. It is a modern telling of Hamlet, with an intended young adult audience. I might check it out and see if I should offer it as an outside reading for my AP seniors. Here is what Amazon has to say about the book:Denmark, Tennessee, stinks. The smell hits Horatio Wilkes the moment he pulls into town to visit his best friend, Hamilton

Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556739022818956117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059977756971755397.post-35752939439947953632008-10-27T09:50:00.009-04:002008-10-27T10:08:56.840-04:00

stanfordprisonexperimentOriginally uploaded by l_mazzolaIn Advanced English 2 we watched a video called "Quiet Rage" which was about the Stanford Prison Experiment. In the early seventies. a psychology professor at Stanford decided to conduct an experiment to see what happens to people when they are either given power or stripped of all their power/control. He asked for 14 male volunteers to

Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556739022818956117noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059977756971755397.post-20448694846715934312008-10-26T07:19:00.000-04:002008-10-26T11:16:29.087-04:00

Advanced English 2 is currently reading Lord of the Flies and looking at the essential question of "Is mankind inherently good or inherently evil?" I have found a couple of poems that connect to this theme and have pasted them here: THE SECOND COMING-William Butler Yeats Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the

Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556739022818956117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059977756971755397.post-76017697316764500082008-10-26T07:11:00.001-04:002008-10-26T07:15:07.129-04:00

I have just found this new book network called Shelfari (notice it on the sidebar). In the past I have used GoodReads as my book network. However, I think Shelfari may meet my needs in a more satisfying way. I invite you all to join and add me as a friend, of course. Currently, I have the three books I am reading right now displayed. If you read my previous blog, you can see that every day I

Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556739022818956117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059977756971755397.post-21477834063145760472008-10-25T18:35:00.000-04:002008-10-25T18:41:22.297-04:00

Wally Lamb has a new book coming out in November titled "The Hour I First Believed". It is about a teacher who moves to Connecticut seven years after experiencing the tragedy at Columbine. I have read all of his other novels and enjoyed them immensely. It doesn't hurt that as an undergrad. student at UConn I waited on Mr. Lamb every morning at the coffee shop, where he would drink his coffee

Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556739022818956117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059977756971755397.post-20039464341864837902008-10-23T08:53:00.000-04:002008-10-23T19:29:15.428-04:00

As my seniors are reading Pride and Prejudice, I am reminded of how we have become so lazy with our use of language over the years. When you read novels written in the 1800's you realize how people used to say exactly what they meant. When Mr. Darcy refuses to dance with Elizabeth it is because she "is tolerable enough, but not nearly handsome enough to tempt him". Such precision and so

Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556739022818956117noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2059977756971755397.post-46666067521558342282008-10-23T08:33:00.001-04:002008-10-26T08:28:16.048-04:00

Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16556739022818956117noreply@blogger.com0