Archive for September, 2007

Homework Catch Up - All the assignments so far this Quarter

5/8 Literature/English/Etymology

Don’t forget you should have already turned in three weeks of reading logs and reading journals — 9/3-9/9; 9/10-9/16; 9/17-9/23;
9/24-9/30

Paper on Why Storytelling is Important to Me, or not.  20 points

We did an in-class paper called Your Story and I asked you to copy it to your About page or post it on your blog. You needed to write about yourself. Write about growing up, your likes and dislikes, dreams, hopes, goals and stories your folks have told about you. Post it on your blog or on your About page.

List five ideas for changing their worlds. I said you should think of something you hate and can’t stand, and you want to change it or stop it. Something you are passionate about, and care enough to do something about it.

5/8 — Write 5 different first sentences for your I Can’t Stand Something in my World and I’m Going to Do Something About It story. Remember how important first sentences are. They are the first impression of your story and often a reader will keep reading or stop reading your story depending on that first sentence.

7/8 — Read your magazine God’s World and do the DefineLine and read Professor Wordbrain and be prepared to take a quiz on Friday.

Homework: Develop a plot for your stories on changing your world (Someone = themselves; Wants = To change their part of this world in this way; But = List the problems they might encounter; So = How you are going to resolve those problems and change your world.) Due tomorrow 9/28

7/8 Bible:

9/18 - Write a paper on: What must I do to be saved? Due Mon. 9/24

9/13 Thursday’s Homework - Brainstorm for 20 minutes tonight on all you can remember about the New Testament. You will use your 5 minute brainstorm sheet from Wednesday’s Bible class to jump start your session. Try to do a 20 minute sustained time without any interruptions. Your sheet will be due on Friday, 9/14. Please don’t use your Bible, parents or friends.

5/8 Eng/Lit Thursday Homework

5/8 — Write 5 different first sentences for your I Can’t Stand Something in my World and I’m Going to Do Something About It story.  Remember how important first sentences are.  They are the first impression of your story and often a reader  will keep reading or stop reading your story depending on that first sentence.

7/8 — Read your magazine God’s World and do the DefineLine and read Professor Wordbrain and be prepared to take a quiz on Friday.

7/8 Homework due Friday 9/28

Homework: Have them develop a plot for their stories on changing their world and be ready to submit it on Wed. (Someone = themselves; Wants = To change their part of this world in this way; But = List the problems they might encounter; So = How you are going to resolve those problems and change your world.)

On 9/26

We discussed the following:

Hospital ministries

Abuse of people and animals

Prison Reform

7/8 English Homework for Tuesday 9/25

We are beginning the writing process together. We are going to write stories together this first quarter before launching into the Writer’s Workshop individually.

The first thing the class is going to do is brainstorm story ideas for how they can change their world. They just watched the movie Paper Clip and how a middle school in a rural town built a Holocaust Memorial that changed them and their community and to some extent the world. The students are going to start brainstorming ways they can change their world.

Homework: Have them develop a plot for their stories on changing their world and be ready to submit it on Wed. (Someone = themselves; Wants = To change their part of this world in this way; But = List the problems they might encounter; So = How you are going to resolve those problems and change your world.)

On 9/25 the class discussed three ways they might change their world:

1.  Eliminate or curtail abortion in our community

2.  Deepen the spiritual lives of Christ followers in our community

3. Eliminate poverty, hunger and homelessness in our community

These are great ideas and I can’t wait to see what else this group is going to try and take on!

7/8 Bible Test this Friday 9/28

Test is over NT Walk Thru,  NT books,  John 15:5 and Gal. 5:22-23 (Fruit of the Spirit), The Entire Bible in a nutshell: God working in History to restore a relationship with people like us.  Also the following:

O.T. - A Savior is coming.

Gospels - A Savior has come.

Acts thru Rev. - A Savior is coming again.

The School of Prayer

Prayer is one of our priorities as followers of Christ, and yet it often gets neglected. One of my goals each morning is to make prayer a priority. I’ve noticed that our prayers have been weak of late, and so I have added this category. Each morning are priorities will be as follows:

Mon. A time of listening for God’s small still voice. A time to silently and privately get right with God to start the week off well.

Tue. Prayer for the sick and hurting in our lives.

Wed. Prayer for the lost and all those seeking to find the lost (missions and missionaries) Our Mission trip to Mexico!

Thur. Praise and Thanksgiving to prepare for Chapel

Fri. Prayer for leaders here and around the world.

I will always welcome crisis prayers each day, but each day we will concentrate on these priorities. Students can post prayer requests at any time by emailing me or leaving a comment.

I will also be posting prayer thoughts and helps in this category also.

New Pics of Birds and Beasts

I really enjoy photography, and I really, really, really enjoy taking pictures of the beauty I find in God’s outrageous, unbelievable, and very cool creation. I’ve uploaded a few pics onto my flickr site, and you are welcome to browse around.

England Category Coming - Calling it the British Invasion

Hope to start adding all the England adventures to this category. I might possibly make it another page. Maybe I will call it Dartmoor Blues or The Mother Land.

Recess is serious fun @ NCA

Every fiber of your body is yearning for the clock to hit 12:40. Oh! No! Mr. K is standing up. Say it isn’t so Mr. K. But to no avail. Recess has hit two big negative turns and all eyes are forced to face the clock for four long, unendurable, agonizing minutes. But all is forgotten with that first blaze of sun, a rush of blue fresh air, and bright yellow slides to slide on or get crushed on! p1200119_1.JPG

Walk Thru the New Testament 9/19 & 9/21

Dear parents,

I need to apologize.  I meant to give you heads up on the Walk Thru that Pastor Mel is doing in my class, because some of you at orientation had expressed a desire to sit in on it.  I forgot.  That is, I forgot until this moment in time.  Sorry.  You are welcome to join us this Friday, or, for that matter, anytime.  Pastor Mel is doing the section on The Life of Jesus this week, and later in the year he will come and do the section on Acts.  Today’s session, I believe, was a smashing success!  Thanks to Pastor Mel.  Again I apologize for forgetting to get this information out sooner.