Our last blog post for the semester will be a closing activity for our unit Perception and Reality. We’ve read several texts in this unit about people who perceive something different than what is real. Slaves on a plantation watching people fly away provides hope for those in a tragic situation. Men who yearn for a love they believe is real. Do we really know if the women in the poems truly exist? And magicians! Can we trust what we see when we watch them perform?

Your perception is your reality.

Write about a situation where you misperceived some aspect of it. Perhaps you had the wrong first impression after meeting someone and now you are close friends. Maybe in a sporting event you misjudged the opposing team based on what you saw before the game. Have you ever had a misperceptions about a place before you visited it and when you actually did visit it, you loved it? One more thought before you start writing- Have you ever made the decision to change the way you looked at a situation you were in and it changed your outlook on life? Do we give ourselves or others labels that fit our perception? Does that have to be the reality?

One of my dearest friends was almost not my friend because of a misperception. I was at a Super Bowl party with my husband and my young son. He had been cranky, and I was worried about him. At the party, my mind was more on him than on socializing with any of the other people. One couple was new to the area, and we were introduced. I made polite conversation with the woman, but my concentration was more on Jack. Years later, after I had developed a close relationship with this woman, she confided in me that when we first met at that Super Bowl party, she thought I didn’t like her. Her perception was that I wasn’t interested in talking to her. This percpetion was wrong of course. I was only worried about my young son. I’m so glad that she didn’t judge me on her first impression. Our children grew up together and are now in their 20s.

In a recent poll, I asked students what they would like to do for their next blogging assignment. Here are the results:

For your next blog post, you get to choose what you want to write about!

There are only two requirements:

1. The topic you write about must be school appropriate.
2. Your post must be a minimum of 200 words.

While some of you like the idea of choice in your writing, I know that others will find the idea overwhelming. For those of you that are filled with dread at the idea of choosing a topic, Edublogs has created a list of suggestions that will help you get the creative juices flowing.

[embeddoc url=”https://mrsmckinty.edublogs.org/files/2020/03/50-New-Blog-Post-Ideas-for-Students-2018.pdf” download=”all” viewer=”google”]

Happy blogging!

Blog is short for web log. Blogging is a way for writers to share their thoughts in a more conversational, informal way. We will also be using this blog to showcase the writing we do for class.

It might help you understand blogs if you were able to see some real life blogs. I’m going to share some of my favorite blogs. Click on the links below, and you will be directed to different blogs. Take the time to notice the format and style of the blog. Read at least one post from each blog from beginning to end. Are there static pages like our About Me page? Explore the blogs and consider which one you like best. What do you like about it?

Photo by Erik Brolin on Unsplash

Adriene Mischler is my go-to gal for yoga at home. I follow her on YouTube and try to do one of her videos every morning. She is super chill and very positive- a great start to my day! 

YOGA WITH ADRIENE

Photo by Lynda Hinton on Unsplash

Before Ree Drummond became a household name for her cooking show and all of her merchandise that she sells at Walmart, she wrote a blog that focused on her photography and raising four children on a ranch in rural Oklahoma.

THE PIONEER WOMAN

Photo by Food Photographer | Jennifer Pallian on Unsplash

If you love baking sweet treats, you will love this blog from Jenna Bernard. She shares her delicious recipes and beautiful photos of her finished products. Fun fact- Jenna grew up in Elmwood and is one of my niece’s good friends. It’s fun watching a local girl experience success.

BUTTERNUT BAKERY

Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash

To be honest, I don’t know much about this website, but I thought it would be fun to include a crafting blog. Let me know your thoughts on this one. 😊

DIY CANDY

Now that you have had a chance to look over a few blogs, it’s time to start your own! Of course, I will ask you to write about something language arts related.

For your first post, share a story about a book that had a significant impact on you.

Make sure your post includes:

1. title and author
2. what kind of impact
3. explain why it had the impact it did
4. share as many specific details as you can about the memory

Here is a short example:

Have you ever read a book so good that you couldn’t stop thinking or talking about it? I had this experience a few years ago when I read the book The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle to one section of my seventh grade class. I chose the book because it had gotten good reviews, and I’m so glad I did. Right away, the whole class was drawn in to the story of this boy who struggles in school and gets bullied for it. To add to the suspense, his best friend died mysteriously and the police suspect that Mason may have played a part in his death. The story just kept getting better.

Every day we looked forward to hearing the mystery unravel. Leslie Connor is the author and she creates the most realistic characters. It was like Mason and his new best friend, Calvin, were our friends, too. One day we were so drawn in to the story that we spend the entire class period reading the story!

For me, it was the ending that really made this book unforgettable. I will not spoil it for you but I will say it was the first time I bawled my eyes out in front of a group of students. Leslie Connor made me fall in love with every character in this story and I’m so glad I chose to read it for the first time in front of a class.

When we finished the novel, we created acrostic poems (there’s a reference in the novel). We took a picture and tweeted to Leslie Connor. She replied to our tweet! Since then, I recommend this story to anyone who is looking for a good book to read.

It is probably the understatement of the year to say that I’m glad 2020 is over. I realize all of the world’s problems won’t magically go away in 2021, but I know that setting goals for myself is one way to make 2021 a better year for me.

In your third blog post, you will tell me what you loved and hated about 2020, and you will set two goals for yourself for the year 2021. I encourage you to think deeply about this blog post and find meaningful goals that will make your life better. Here are a few tips for setting goals or resolutions for the new year

1. Keep it realistic. If you try to “go big”, you may get overwhelmed and give up too easily. Pick a small change that will have a big impact.
2. Be specific. If you are too vague, there is no way to measure your success or even achieve success. Example: I want to get good grades. Better Goal: I will fill out my planner every day and highlight assignments after I’ve completed them.
3. Don’t be too hard on yourself. There may be a day or two or three 😁 when you don’t meet your goal. It’s OK. Tomorrow is a new day. Don’t give up.
4. Reward yourself. If you make it a full week meeting all of your goals, do something nice for yourself. If you share your goals with your parents, they may even reward you as well!

So, start brainstorming! List a minimum of two goals (feel free to set more) that you would like to meet in 2021. These goals can be related to school, family, hobbies, extracurricular activities, or your health. But one thing these goals have to have in common is that they will make your life better.

Here are three goals that I am setting for myself this year.

1. Drink more water. I’ve read articles and watched videos from social media influencers who say they drink a gallon of water a day. Well, I tried that for a few days, but I could barely get to half a gallon! So I think I will keep my goal at a half-gallon of water a day. That seems realistic, and I think it will benefit my health. Have you ever tried to drink a gallon of water a day? Were you successful?
2. Walk 10,000 steps a day. Up until now, I have set my goal for 8,000 steps, but I’m ready to up that number. I am going to set up my treadmill in the basement and walk or jog until I hit that magic number. I originally wanted to set a goal of running every day, but I don’t think it’s realistic. I’m hoping by hitting the treadmill daily that I might work back into running, but I don’t want to disappoint myself by setting my goal too high.
3. Read 50 books in 2021. This is a goal that I set for myself every year, and I have met it for the last two years. I use an app called Goodreads to help me track my progress. I actually read 56 books in 2020, but I don’t want to set my goal any higher because I think 50 books is an admirable goal. Do you have any suggestions for books that I should add to my 2021 reading list?

I can’t wait to read your blogs and find out what goals you set for yourselves. Happy New Year! I hope you reach all your goals!

In life, we have many titles: daughter, friend, runner, student, reader, writer. These are a few of the titles I bestowed upon myself as I was growing into an adult. Some of these titles I took more seriously than others, but one experience while I was away at college made me look at my role as a student in a new way. I wasn’t working to my full potential until one professor taught me a valuable lesson.

College was amazing. I met people from all over the country. My roommate, Kate, was from a Navy family and had moved into our dorm from San Diego, California. We were both communications majors and took several classes together our freshman year. It was during my first year away at college that I noticed my grades starting to slip. I would study the same amount of time that Kate did, but she might get an A or a B, and I would see a B or a C on my assignments. I am embarrassed to admit that I would sometimes see a D. What was I doing wrong?

My sophomore year I registered for a journalism law class. It was a 300 level course which meant it was intended for juniors in college, but it fit in my schedule, and my advisor suggested I take it, so I did. I remember walking into the classroom on that first day of class. It was a small auditorium with maybe 40 or 50 kids scattered around the room. I hesitantly took a seat in the middle row and waited for the professor to arrive.

Barbara Miller was an imposing figure. She looked to be almost six feet tall, a large woman with dark eyes and hair. Her booming voice welcomed us to Journalism Law. She spoke with authority warning us that this class was a 300 level course and that any freshman or sophomore in the room should consider carefully before committing to this class. If any of us weren’t up for the challenge, we should talk to our advisors about dropping the class. My heart started beating a little harder and my mind started spinning. Should I drop the class and add something at a sophomore level? Kate was not taking this class with me. There was no one to help me if I struggled.

After I gave the idea some thought, I decided to stick it out. I was nervous but willing to take the risk. So I made a vow to myself to attend every class and work hard on every assignment. Could I do it? My confidence as a student was low. My roommate put in less time than I did on her classwork and had all A’s and B’s her freshman year. I did not fare as well.

Journalism Law was held in a building across the campus from my dorm at 8 o’clock in the morning. I was dragging myself out of bed at 7am in order to get ready and then walk over half a mile to attend class twice a week. But Barbara Miller did not disappoint. She was a lawyer herself who had tried many cases and shared her experiences with us as she taught us the laws surrounding newspaper writing. I was riveted. She was challenging me, and I discovered that I was rising to the challenge- listening intently to her lectures, taking notes, and working hard on assignments.

One particularly cold winter day, it was a struggle to get out of bed. Kate lay sleeping soundly across the room, but I had to pull on my snow boots and bundle up for my trek across campus for Journalism Law. It had snowed overnight and the campus was blanketed in several inches of snow. The cold air assaulted me as I walked briskly to class. The campus looked beautiful but I noticed there were very few students out and about at this early hour.

When I walked into class, I saw only four other students in the auditorium. I took off my mittens, scarf, hat, and coat settling in for another lecture from my professor. A few more students trickled in and the clock struck 8am. Barbara Miller marched into the classroom just a few minutes late explaining in her booming voice that the snow-covered roads had added a few minutes to her commute. When her eyes scanned the room, they took in the sparse crowd. Only ten or eleven students had actually shown up for class. She called out to a young man in the front row of the auditorium, took out her wallet, and handed him some cash. She told him to take her car to the Quik Trip and buy two dozen donuts.  “You guys deserve it for coming out in this awful weather,” she announced. She took note of those of us who showed up to class, and when the donuts arrived, I enjoyed the soft, sweet donut immensely! But then it was down to business.

As the semester rolled by I looked with pride at each assignment that was handed back to me. They were all A’s! At the end of the year, I was proud of myself for getting an A in such a challenging class.

I learned that being a good student was a role that I could be proud of. I learned not to compare myself to anyone else when it came to school work. It didn’t matter that I had to study longer than Kate did. I was willing to put in as much work as it took to get a good grade. It was a gratifying feeling to see that A. I knew I also had Barbara Miller to thank as well. She challenged me, and I rose to the challenge. That is something I take to heart now that I have moved from a career in journalism to a career in teaching. I want to see my students rise to the challenge that I put before them.

We’ve spent quite a bit of time in the classroom recently talking about themes in literature. Stories often teach us a lesson about life. Here are a list of some common themes in literature.

• Hard work pays off.
• Overcoming obstacles makes you stronger.
• Be true to who you are.
• You don’t have to be limited by the circumstances you are born into.
• Doing what is right doesn’t mean doing what is popular.
• Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
• good vs. evil

These are just a few common themes in literature. We also know from reading myths that sometimes the theme correlates to what a particular culture values. For example, in “The Flight of Icarus,” Icarus takes a risk and flies as high as the sun. This causes the wax to melt and his wings fell off. He plunged to his death.

Based on how things turned out for Icarus, I know that the ancient Greeks did NOT value taking risks. The theme of this myth is “everything in moderation” or “Know your place; don’t try to be god-like”.

Reading Response #2

For your first blog post, you will be writing a reading response. You do not want to give away the ending of your novel if you have already finished reading the book. Write about a theme that is developed in the novel or if you haven’t finished the novel, write about a theme you notice the author is developing.

But Mrs. McKinty, I’m reading a nonfiction text.

In this Collection 1: Bold Actions, we learned that even when authors are writing to inform, they still are conveying a message by the quotes and stories they include in their account of the real-life event. For example, in the text “Women in Aviation” the authors used words like “strolled off the field” and “fired back answers” to describe Harriet Quimby. These words show me that she is confident and bold. She is not intimidated by men bombarding her with questions. The authors want me to take away from their text that these women were heroes who were brave enough to follow accomplish their goals even when others were telling them they couldn’t do it.

Photo by Daniel Eledut on Unsplash

If you are reading a nonfiction text, what impression is the author trying to create of a person or event in the book? How do you know that is the impression they are trying to create? Answer these questions in your blog.

How do I start a blog post?

You must be on your dashboard to create a post. Make sure you are not on the 7th Grade ELA blog, but on YOUR blog. Once there, click on View Posts. There will already be a post created by Edublogs called “Hello, World”. Delete that post. Those are not your words. Create a new post with a catchy title that will get readers interested in reading your post.

The body of your post should be hooking readers in. Share the theme or how the theme is developing in an engaging way that will make readers want to pick up the book. DO NOT give away the ending of the book or overshare. Just give them a hint of what’s to come. If you haven’t finished the book, that’s OK, too. Write about what theme you think the author is developing and explain why.

This post should be at least five sentences, but try to give me more than that. Proofread your work to make sure that your post is grammatically correct.

This year will look different. It will take time to adjust to the changes, but it is also comforting to know that we are all adjusting together.

There are three rules that are most important to remember.

1. Clean Hands
2. Face Mask
3. Social Distance

Procedures will be different than they have been in the past, but we will go over the procedures many times until you feel comfortable.

I am so excited to finally be back in school with my students! I’m also looking forward to getting to know my remote learners!

How I Spent My LOOOONG Summer

My cats kept me company this summer. This is my cat, Archie. He loves to be anywhere I am!

I took a lot of walks and road many miles on my bike. I love being outdoors!

I live out in the country and have gorgeous views on my walks.

I also read a lot of books this summer. Right now, I’m reading a YA book called Pet. It’s a fantasy genre novel about a monster that has come to life. I’m enjoying it. I am looking forward to sharing many great books with you and want you to have a book in your hand as soon as possible. 😊

What did you do this summer?

I thought it was a good time for another blog post. Writing can be therapeutic. Writing can help you work through emotions. Some of you may want to write about what the quarantine experience has been like for you personally. This is a historic period in time. You may look back on this and share this experience with your children and grandchildren someday! You can write about the struggles or write about what you have become more grateful for.

Some of you may find writing about the quarantine too stressful. I know that I don’t like to have the news on all the time and sometimes won’t turn on the news all day! If this is you, you are free to write about whatever you like! Maybe you’ve developed a new hobby that you want to share. Maybe you want to share information about something you love: music, basketball (who else has been watching The Last Dance on ESPN?), baseball, dance, art, mushrooming. You decide! I just enjoy hearing from you and reading your posts.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS BLOG POST:

minimum of 200 words
at least one visual (share your own pictures or upload a picture from unsplash or pixabay.

Here’s what I’ve been doing these last few weeks:

SCHOOLWORK

Katie likes to “help” me as I plan my lessons.

Staying motivated can be hard. I take a lot of breaks. I like to have music playing in the background, and setting myself up with new supplies keeps me motivated as well.

I’ve also watched some youtube videos, and I’m learning how to use bitmojis in Google presentations. Here’s the first one I created. 😄

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

For me, being outside is good for my mental health. I feel fortunate to live in a rural area where I have lots of space. Going for walks, bike rides, weeding my flower beds, reading, doing yoga. If I can do it outside, I will.

One of the views on my daily walk.

My crazy cat, Archie, is always trying to find a way to get some fresh air, too! 😄

Boo is just fine getting some sun through the window.

EATING

When you are home all day, you have access to food 24/7 and that can be a dangerous thing! To fight boredom, I am trying new recipes and make more desserts than I usually do. Last weekend, I made my first ever chocolate cake from scratch. I also found a recipe for caramel frosting to put on top. One of the ingredients was mayonnaise! I didn’t tell my kids that until after they had taken a bite! Has anyone else made a cake with mayo before? It was delicious!

I can’t wait to read your blogs. I miss seeing you, but reading your blogs is the next best thing. 💚

Finally! The sun is shining and the temperature is rising. The change in weather has a huge impact on my state of mind. My mood is just a little bit brighter when the sun is out, and I can get outside for some fresh air. I hope you are getting outside and moving around, too.

Here are some things that I have come to appreciate during these weeks stuck at home:

Sunshine! 🌞

Staying active can be tough when you are stuck at home. I love getting outside and going for walks. It just feels good to breathe the fresh air. All the dull, drab colors of winter are disappearing, and more green is appearing.

Taking walks is also very relaxing. E-learning has been a change to my routine that has come with some added stresses. Sometimes it just feels good to clear my mind and not think about anything. Turn the volume up to hear the calming sounds. 🤗

Snacks

I have to get out and get some exercise. It’s the only way to get away from the constant access to food! This is my go-to snack during the quarantine. What’s yours?

Family

Because of the governor’s stay at home order, I get to eat dinner with my entire family every night. We play board games together at night because there are no sports to watch! They are as competitive as I am, and we’ve had some Scrabble battles. But we also like to play Rummikub and dominos.

Pets

Yes, they can drive me crazy sometimes, but they also give us unconditional love. That’s something we can all use at a time like this.

Screen Time

OK! I admit it! Sometimes I spend time a little bit too much time on my phone. Lately, I’ve been using this coloring app. It’s so relaxing to “color” pictures while I listen to music or an audiobook.

I also enjoy the blog posts from you all. You guys are so creative, and I LOVE reading about what you are doing while staying safe at home. Keep up the good work!! As always, I miss you all, and I’m looking forward to the time when we can all be together again.

Requirements for this week’s free choice blog post include:

• a minimum of 200 words
• the post is organized in some way (bullet points or paragraphs with headings)
• at least two visuals that enhance the topic you are blogging about

My job is to challenge you without overwhelming you. If any of you feel overwhelmed with the activities that are posted in the choice board,  please reach out to me. I am here to help. My goal is for you to become a writer who can clearly communicate your message to others. The objective of this assignment is that you introduce a topic, organize your ideas, and use graphics that add to your audience’s understanding of the topic. Below is a list of topics that I published in an earlier post that might help you if you’re looking for ideas.

50 Blog Post Ideas for Students

You can do this! And if you are struggling, I am here to help you!