Middle School English

[Anonymous]

Dean, I remember having a conversation about a trip to Korea with you. I can't seem to find it on google again. I kind of "accidentally" found it last time. If I see it again, I will post another message on here.

Geny

[Anonymous]

Thanks, Geny. I was thinking about that. I appreciate your effort and will do some research on my own.
DEAN

[Anonymous]

I think there are some excellent resources on-line for artwork that can be used to generate discussion and descriptive writing in English classes. The Chinese/Mao posters are certainly good examples for this kind of activity as are any of the museum sites that provide artwork that can be used to prompt students. I like to use objects of dubious purpose and get the kids to create a use or reason for the "product". Certainly any detective work that can be coaxed out of my students to enable them to be imaginative with a purpose is always good.
See http://www.csun.edu/%7Eunivrel/tsengcollection/index.html

Some of these items could be provocative, particularly some of the animal shaped vessels.

[Anonymous]

Descriptive writing in Middle School can definately be fun and intriguing at the same time. The website looks like a great resource for descriptive writing, however integrating east asia's food in the lesson is extremely effective. A lot of students are unfamiliar with the different types of Asian fruit and therefore in a lesson of describing it is quite interesting. Fruits such as an Asian pear could be brought in, shown to the studnets and have them first describe its shape, texture, and color. Then have the students predict how it will taste. Once they have finish the prediction, cut up the fruit and serve. After students eat the fruit, have them describe how it taste like and have them compare it with another familiar fruit. I have tried this type of lesson before and it works like a charm. The studnets don't even realized that they are working, but actually having fun. Not only are we integrating East Asia into the curriculum, but we are also bringing in health education, English, and best of all, model eating healthy (fruit).

[Anonymous]

It's a terrific idea to bring in fruit into a descriptive writing lesson. I may adapt it to my own lesson. Another idea I have for poetry lesson is using pictures. There are many free calendars given out at the Korean markets late December and Early January. Some have great pictures. Cut them out and pass out to the students to write different styles of poetry about the picture. I did this last year and student responses were quite interesting.

[Anonymous]

When I was teaching a sixth grade literature class we read Journey to Topaz, which is a great novel about a Japanese family from California during WWII. They end up in an internment camp in Topaz, Utah. The book is very eye opening, especially since most students have NO IDEA that America had "concentration camps." Also, Chinese New Year inspired me to have my students (I teach writing) write a response to what year they were born, what animal they are, and whether or not they agree with the personality description given for their birth year. It was neat!

[Anonymous]

Anyone using or planning to use haiku for poetry month? This is another way to incorporate Asia into the curriculum. I'm currently searching for either songs or poetry to introduce to my students for my China unit.

Any suggestions?

jem

[Anonymous]

We are currently reading The Bamboo Grove, in seventh grade English.

[Anonymous]

Yes, introducing Asian fruit into the China Unit would add another component that's not standards based and or not in the textbook. I teach Special Education. When I do writing assignments I have to give out sentence starters a list of descriptive words, and transitional words to assist them with not only getting started, but completing the essay. There are many foods and fruits that may not have been discovered by the Chinese, but they date back to the Chinese.

[Anonymous]

I am having difficulty locating the first 4 -5 postings. I didn't keep a log of my postings for reflections. Does any one know how I can locate the earlier past postings?

[Anonymous]

The website looks like a great resource for descriptive writing, however integrating east asia's food in the lesson is extremely effective. A lot of students are unfamiliar with the different types of Asian fruit and therefore in a lesson of describing it is quite interesting.

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

I know of a good amount of asian american resources and writers. Lawrence Yep has written many novels (Dragonwings is fantastic), memoirs and short stories. I also have a few very feminist poems about culture/gender clashes, but I do not know of any literature from Asia, although I have also used translated song lyrics for topics like figurative language and poetry.

[Anonymous]

If you are looking for resources and a collaborative environment, I highly recommend the Writing Project. I attended the UCI Writing Project about 4 years ago during the summer for 3 weeks. The program was from 9am-3pm. Carol Booth Olson was the director and brought in other authors to present different strategies and resources for you to use in the classroom. Additionally, there are other ELA/ELD teachers and sprinkled in with History teachers to collaborate with you. If you can't attend, please check out their website. I have learned so much from the UCI Writing Project and would recommend it for anyone who is looking to improve their own writing and also to gain teaching materials to improve their students' writing.

[Author]

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