Sometimes, when we go to the movies or as we watch a show on TV, we are transported into the plot.  Directors understand that their selection of background music can change and enhance a scene.

Now it is time to turn it around.  This time, the music comes first.  Do not watch the video; instead, let the music lead your imagination.  As it plays, allow it to transport you into a scene that has yet to be written.  Then, write the scene.  Use all the visual imagery you can muster in your writing.  At the end, you will share your writing.  Will it stand on its own, without the music in the background?

Sometimes, when we go to the movies or as we watch a show on TV, we are transported into the plot.  Directors understand that their selection of background music can change and enhance a scene.

Now it is time to turn it around.  This time, the music comes first.  Do not watch the video; instead, let the music lead your imagination.  As it plays, allow it to transport you into a scene that has yet to be written.  Then, write the scene.  Use all the visual imagery you can muster in your writing.  At the end, you will share your writing.  Will it stand on its own, without the music in the background?

Almost 20 students have experienced the first three days of their Summer School experience.  Arrival time, Wednesday morning, even brought the added excitement of local cloud-to-ground lightning and some sharp bursts of thunder to go with it.  A period of heavy rain may have kept some families in bed (or at least at home), Wednesday, but the rest of us started the initial stages of some advanced math work before breaking apart to work with partners on some predetermined computer pathways (using some of our Electronic School Supplies).  Students worked diligently (for the most part) on these compelling activities as the lunch hour approached.

Close to Famous is Joan Bauer's contribution to the 2013/4 list of Mark Twain Award nominees.  The cover depicts a middle school aged girl, wearing a shooting star apron and holding a plate of cupcakes.  If course, the first error a reader can make is judging a book by its cover, but I can't help but point out a conflict between the cover photo and the text of the novel itself.  The main character - who wants to be the first kid star on the Food Network - clearly states that she does not use paper pan liners as depicted in the photo.  It's a small discrepancy, but it's enough to bother the most discretionary reader.

Now on to the book:

This one tackles several things at once, including such deeply disturbing issues as an abusive adult relationship, divorce, the death of a parent while serving in the Iraq War, escaped (and again, abusive) convicts, an unfaithful spouse, and a delusional Elvis impersonator.  It would appear, with this list, that the adults in this story do their best to mess up the lives of the children in the sleepy West Virginia town.

On the other side of things lies the overall theme of facing your fears and pursuing your dreams.  I found the theme well developed, for the most part, but dissatisfying in the end.  This was one time when I wanted less reality and more satisfaction for the main characters; I wanted them all to experience complete success in their pursuits and (not much of a spoiler) the author simply doesn't fulfill all of her characters' dreams.

If a student reads (or is read) as few as four of the twelve Mark Twain Award nominees from the Missouri Association of School Librarians list, s/he may officially vote to help determine the 2014 recipient of the award.

Sometimes, when we go to the movies or as we watch a show on TV, we are transported into the plot.  Directors understand that their selection of background music can change and enhance a scene.

Now it is time to turn it around.  This time, the music comes first.  Do not watch the video; instead, let the music lead your imagination.  As it plays, allow it to transport you into a scene that has yet to be written.  Then, write the scene.  Use all the visual imagery you can muster in your writing.  At the end, you will share your writing.  Will it stand on its own, without the music in the background?

Take three and half minutes to watch this video:

There are 11 computers in the room for our use throughout the next four weeks, so we will establish some guidelines right away concerning the things students are and are not allowed to do with them.  Of course, the first day will be full of procedures and expectations.

Hopefully I have included many of the things in the summer schedule that you enjoy doing.  We will rely greatly on the computers and the SMART Board for our instruction and work.  While I want it to be enjoyable, I also would like you Summer School experience to reinforce real school subjects.  Please feel free to bring a book to read while you are in class.

In addition, for your recessing pleasure, Kelsey Norman is sporting a new playground upgrade, with some terrific rubberized padding under it (made of recycled tires).  This will be a little preview of the type of installation you can expect at Cecil Floyd, next year.