"America" from West Side Story

             Based on the song "America" from West Side Story, do all immigrants have the same perspective about living in the United States?  Provide specific and relevant evidence for you claim.  Please be sure to:

• re-word the question to form your thesis  

• use a thesaurus to add variety to your word choice

• follow the formula- T, E1, A1, E2, A2, C

• follow Capitalization rules

• Underline titles

• "  ". , ____

Bi-cultural Marriage

Hello Term 2 Bloggers!!  Today in Socratic Seminar we discussed a question.  This time we used 2 texts and provided specific and relevant evidence from one or both of the articles.  There was a lot of participation in the discussion.  We also decided that this term we would use the Socratic Seminar to improve pronounciation.  I heard students concentrating on how they said the words and how their peers said the words, too.  Great job!!  Please write your Open Response to the following question.  I know you remember the formula!!  Also, if you want, you can use synonyms to make the response more interesting by using a variety of words.

Based on the text Cross-Cultural Couples by Terri Karis and the research by Dugan Romano (1997), are bi-cultural marriages more problematic than mono-cultural marriages?

Martin Luther King, Jr.

In reading the blogs from Obama and Jobs, I can see a lot of progress! First, in terms of using thesis and evidence, both in giving relevant and in some cases best evidence and in citation (saying the page, paragraph, etc) .  Also, you showed me you are more comfortable with technology. ( A SPECIAL THANK YOU to all the students who helped the new students get gmail accounts and show them the blogging process!!!!) WEPA!  In addition, it was fun to see your comments to your peers, even across classes.  Nice.

This week as we blog about the biography Martin Luther King, Jr. , by Terry Barber, we are going to practice the skills we already know as well as, try to understand the important role that analysis plays in providing a strong evidence-based argument. Remember, there is no correct answer; rather the best answer is based on the strength of the argument (Thesis, Evidence, Analysis  and Concluding Statement).  Finally, I saw that we are not all using transition words, remember to do that as you introduce your evidence.

Show me how smart you are.........even though, I already know!!!!!!!!!

Miss Torii


Based on the biography, Martin Luther King, Jr. by Terry Barber, what does the author reveal about the protagonist's character?

Life in the USA: Finding a Job

             I was so happy to see how you all helped each other last week, from making gmail accounts to publishing.  You are amazing!
             Let's keep practicing with the technology so we become comfortable with this process.  You all showed me that you understand how to write a thesis.  I saw some confusion with evidence. Remember to choose the best quote that proves your statement.   On Monday, in our Socratic Seminar, we focused on providing evidence.  In this week's blog, please provide a thesis and two pieces of evidence from the article "Life in the USA:  Finding a Job" by Elizabeth Claire.

              Are people who are comfortable with technology more successful in finding a job?

Barack Obama

Welcome to blogging!  It is fun and like fb messaging, you will be able to communicate with your peers about the literature we read in class.  On Monday we had a Socratic Seminar based on the text Barack Obama by Nikki Grimes.  You had some interesting questions and from them I chose one that seemed quite popular amongst the two ESL groups.  Do you agree that Barack Obama is the first black president of the United States?  Please state your thesis and give your evidence.  You will see that the blog mirrors the socratic seminar discussion and these form the structure of the Open Response.

Miss Torii

Hello amazing students!! I would like to know how you felt about blogging about literature this year. Was blogging helpful in your learning process?  How?  You could comment on the technology aspect, academic vocabulary, clarifing ideas, understanding the text, providing evidence and analysis, the writing process, working as a group, etc.

Miss Torii

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

This week we read and discussed the poem "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou. I am interested in your response to this text. You could comment on one or more of the following providing evidence and analysis from the poem or biography: your favorite line and why you like it, mood, characteristics, a text to text connection, a metaphor that was interesting to you, if you feel the poem is autobiographical or how growing up during the Civil Rights Movement affected her writing. I really like reading all your amazing blogs! Miss Torii

Invictus

We have read and discussed the poem "Invictus" in class. I have really enjoyed listening to your comments. Please write a response to Henley's poem. You might comment about author's purpose, describe how the poem is autobiographical, discuss "timelessness", the mood, make a connection, explain a metaphor, describe the characteristics or state your favorite line and tell why you like it. You are great bloggers!!! Miss Torii

The Color of My Words

How did reading this book change the way you think about life? Did you realize something that made you change what you might do in the future?