6 word Sidewalk Stories & Twitter

For sale: baby shoes, never worn.

The challenge is to write an entire story in exactly six words. Ernest Hemingway, a master of allusion and manipulating negative space (or what is NOT present in the story) is said to have started this form. When challenged to come up with a story in six words, he wrote: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

 

We finished the school year writing  our own 6 word stories and then spent a fun day publishing them on our school sidewalk with chalk.

We were also inspired to share our work when we Skyped with C.Alexander London. He was challenged to create his own 6 word story...he he trumped our idea and said he could do better and gave us some fun responses.

@naveltwins he is trying to make a four word story but he says its hard
@naveltwins his story was getting lost was more fun it was actually five because four was to hard for him to do.

naveltwins C. Alexander London

@ new short short story inspired by @OMS6th @teacher6th "went to Iowa without moving" 

 naveltwins C. Alexander London    @OMS6th Mine was "Getting lost was more fun" 

Summer Reading Skype!

Baxter

Students and teachers were gifted with an end of the school year reading special when C. Alexander London and his sidekick Baxter joined us over Skype.

London is the author of a newly released book  An Accidental Adventure-We are not eaten By Yaks -see my review

Although it was the end of the school year, it was a day of firsts.
* This was our first Skype in our auditorium and we shared our experience with other 6th grade reading classes. The large screen really helped us feel like we were talking face to face with London.
* This was C. Alexander London's first Skype with a classroom. We hope he enjoyed sharing his writing and reading adventures with us.
* This was our classes first Skype with a dapper dog- Baxter- He was very professional in his tuxedo!

We want to thank London for sending us his books before the Skype- not only did we get a signed copy of We Are Not eaten By Yaks, we also got a signed ARC of We Dine With Cannibals!

This 6th grade adventure with London (@naveltwins) was made possible by one of our favorite authors, Tom Angleberger creator of Origami Yoda (@origamiyoda) and Twitter. We returned the favor to Twitter World by documenting it all on our accounts @OMS6th and @teacher6th.

The "Hot Seat" during our Skype

Twitter Table:Students using accounts @OMS6th and @teacher6th

Graphic Novels hit our Classroom-POW!

Tweet from  donalynbooks (Donalyn Miller) concerning Graphic Novels:

Comics contain 2X as many rare words as avg. children's book & 3X as many as the avg. conversation w/ adult. Journal of Child Language, 1988 

 

Graphic novels are the new comic books of today. They use the same graphic concept of the old but great comics but put the prose into a visual adventure. Classic literature, bibliographies, current fiction, and even non-fiction has been artistically published with a graphics telling the story.We were able too read and share many different graphic novels these last few weeks and even meet an author that is having his published book, High School Heroes transformed into a graphic novel.
James Mascia shared his writing process and information about graphic novels over Skype with our reading class. He sent draft pages from his graphic novel that is being created as we read. It looks like another favorite with the 6th graders.  Thanks to James, we got an inside look at the creation of this fun genre.
Other favorite graphic novels in class included: Twilight, Bone, The Lightning Thief, and Sherlock Holmes.

Page from High School Heroes- Graphic Novel

Community Clean Up Celebration

Taking our lead from our very own OMS Earth Mother, Mrs. Leo, students 6th-8th grade spent the morning cleaning our community. Pulling weeds, raking leaves, sweeping parking lots, and litter/trash pick up was the activity. The mission set before us was simple: take pride in our surroundings and give back to our community.  i will update with a total number of trash bags filled, but I do know it was a lot!

Mission completed!

Thanks to all the students that gave it their all and of course to Mrs. Leo for choosing a perfect spring day to be outdoors.

Instructions for a Broken Heart by Kim Culbertson

Jessa's dream trip to Italy with her Drama Club is derailed when her boyfriend, Sean, chooses to dump her and spend his time with someone else. Traveling around the country watching her heart being smashed, she relies on a package 20 envelopes of instructions: 20 reasons "why Sean is a jerk and not worth the dirt on your shoes"  from her best friend back home. Jessa follows the instructions of each envelope and discovers things she never knew even where possible.


A "getting to know your self- strengths and weaknesses" story that has you laughing, cringing and hoping for a unforgettable ending.
Enjoy the trip!

Sourcebooks will be offering a FREE e-book of Kim’s previous novel, Songs of a Teenage Nomad, from May 3 – May 9.  All you need to do is click here: http://bit.ly/mBn85f

The Undertakers by Ty Drago

What Do You See?

Review by Ashley- 6th grade reader/reviewer

---Approved and given highest marks by teacher6th

 The Undertakers is one of the best books I have ever read. Will wants to go home after he gains his Sight. It enables him to See the Corpses as they really are, dead. They are not zombies, though, these things are smarter than a zombie. The Corpses try to take him again and again because of who his father really was and what he did. Will didn't know what really happened to his father two years ago, and he has no choice but to fight the Corpses after he learns what they want of him.

5th Grade Visit at OMS

Friday brought around 70 students from Oelwein 5th grade classrooms to the hallways of OMS. Students and teachers shared time together while touring the building, visiting about next years activities and expectations, eating lunch and relaxing during recess time. Band students were able to experience a rehearsal practice in the OMS band room and all enjoyed watching a movie on the large screen in the auditorium. 

Welcome 5th Graders!

Dream Big Little Pig by Kristy Yamaguchi

Anyone even remotely connected to my classroom knows that dreaming and having choices is important to me. Dream Big Little Pig by K. Yamaguchi says simply what I try to teach daily.

Poopy, a pig that dreams big, finds the support and ambition to see her dream come a reality. This of course is not without many roadblocks and start-overs. Poppy not only needs to find the place she fits the best, but also to trust in her heart. The positive pigs in her life were also a big help helping Poppy swirl into her dream come true life.

"Follow Your Dreams!"

"You Go Girl!"

"Dream Big, Pig!"

15 minutes Outside by Rebecca Cohen

Earth Day Book Review:

Go outside and play? What to do? When to do it? Why and How?  This is the book that I needed to lift me out of the ho-hum of a dreary winter and jump into spring-literally. Divided into seasons, easy to do ideas invite you to put on your shoes, boots, flip flops or  just go barefoot and enjoy the outdoors.This book was motivating and shared many easy "get out and do" ideas while enjoying nature with children.  Rebecca P. Cohen’s Fifteen Minutes Outside: 365 Ways to Get Out of the House and Connect with Your Kids is a book everyone can get up-get out and do .

Old Creamery Theatre 6th Grade Winner !!! Performance Update: 4/20/11

UPDATE:  OMS 6th Graders had a morning performance of music, laughs and lessons  when the troop of actors visited the Williams Center today. The best part was when our own Madison M. was called on stage and was recognized as a brilliant writer and given her certificate for her 2nd place story she wrote. Madison and  others met with the actors and enjoyed a lunch sharing writing, acting and life adventures.

Congratulations once again, Madison!     

The title of our 2011 Theatre for Young Audiences touring show is...

What a Difference a Play Makes,

and is all about characters that make a difference in some way!

Oelwein will be a stop on their tour sharing stories written by  2nd-6th graders.

18 Signatures and 1 Hobo written by Madison M. Grade 6 at Oelwein Middle School won a 2nd place award in the Old Creamery Theatre 2011Writing Contest. Great writing, Madison!

Walking by an Aquarium?

     If you plan on walking down the 6th grade hallway anytime soon, you may need to bring your diving gear. There has been an aquarium added to the hall.

6th graders in math, reading, science and English completed a long term unit focusing on one of the earth's biomes, the ocean.

     The wall aquarium was created spotlighting the major oceans and their inhabitants. Special attention was given to the beach and coastline, coral reefs and Indian Ocean, the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, the twilight and midnight zones, and the Arctic Ocean. Animals and plants found in these ranges and habitats were added to create a very life-like appearance.

I like how it feels a little more like summer during our walk to classes...sunglasses may be needed.

Haunted by Joy Preble

     Haunted , the sequel to Dreaming Anastasia, can be a stand alone read that will have you turning pages fast! Anne and Ethan tried to return to a normal life after their first encounter with supernatural forces and magical mystery. Ethan, now mortal finds he cannot get Anne out of his thoughts. Anne, feeling stalked by a mythical creature, craves Ethan's presence to help her decipher her feelings of mayhem. When Ethan returns, Anne and those she loves are thrown back into a Romamov Family Reunion of sorts- one with Russian sea creatures, witches and spells. Will Anne be bound once again to the Baba Yaga or will she be able to escape the ghosts from the past that ties her to Anastasia?

Beauty, Power, Love and Loyalty brings this story to the never ending question: "What is it you truly desire?" 
View the book trailer, Haunted, Click here.
View the book trailer, Dreaming Anastasia, Click here.