Schedule Week of December 17th (WK 3)

Here's the schedule for this week. Now, we had some other stuff planned, but as we found out, not many of the students were adequately prepared for the new materials... The original plan included a new unit on how to study cultures through the lens of various aspects such as geography, social organizations, economic activities, and beliefs and values, BUT... many were not too familiar with basic geographical terms and concepts, so we had to take a step back.

Here's what we are doing (have done) this week.

Monday - We watched a introductory movie on how to study cultures, especially the geographical aspects. We discussed why and how geography impacts the way we live. The lesson of the day: Where we live impact how we live. How very true, indeed...

Tuesday - Class discussion and guided lecture on basic geography, terms, and why geography is important. Discussed some local Navarre and Brewster history as connected with geography (the canal in Navarre, and the railroad in Brewster) and how this impacted the local population. Students began charting out what they know about landforms as well. The landforms we are focusing on are: Deserts, Tundra, Tropics, Temperate Zones, Mountains, and the Savanna.

Wednesday - Students will work in small group to become area experts on one of the six landforms. Most of the classes will work in the library with various atlases, maps, and other materials related to geography. They will have multiple questions to research and document.

Thursday - Students will take a test (an evaluation) including all materials learned and discussed in the past three weeks. The test will be an open-binder test, and students will be allowed to use all notes they have taken, handouts, etc.

Friday - The morning classes will spend some time working on their geography and maps left over from Wednesday. The afternoon classes will watch a movie in their homeroom as part of a school wide Holiday movie. Friday is the last day before break. School resumes Wednesday January 2, 2008.

Revised Week of Dec 3rd (1st WK)

Here is the schedule that we actually followed last week:

M - Intro, quick expectations, handing out of syllabus + parent letter (must be returned signed ASAP)
T - KW on Mr. Johansson
W - SNOW DAY
R - Rules, expectations, social norms, lecture
F - Unwritten rules, slideshow and lecture

Week of Dec 10th... (2nd WK)

Hello!

We are on the second week of class for the new rotation, and so far things are going well. We discussed rules and expectations last week, with both a philosophical and practical view. Students explored where some of the rules in school come from, as well as mapped out some unwritten rules in society. Many were surprised to see so many expectations, especially expectations from the teen category.

This week, we'll look at presentations from the students (the Bag-It Exercise) as well as continue
exploring rules and guidelines. We'll also begin a lecture series on the topic "What is Culture?", and prepare an exhibit next week.

12-5-2007 Snow Day # 1

We have our first snow day of the season today. This will alter the schedule somewhat, but nothing to worry about. If you're on this blog, why not leave a comment telling us what you're doing instead of school.

First week, 12-2, Game Plan

New rotation, new students, new things to learn and explore...

Monday: Introductions, roll call, seating chart, and a brief discussion on expectations. Handing out of syllabi - DUE back on Friday, signed by your parents...
Tuesday: Binders, sign your card, KW on Mr. Johansson, and other questions.
Wednesday: Teacher-led class discussion on the topic: "What is law?", "What should law be?", and how these questions relate to class rules, school procedures, etc. Students should bring their student handbooks for reference materials. We'll explore what students and teachers can expect to experience in the next couple of weeks. We will also work on choices and consequences.
Thursday: Bag-It Exercise - students are asked to bring 5-10 items that represent themselves, and should be prepared to present either Thursday or Friday. We'll pick who goes using our playing cards... Don't bring anything illegal - make sure to check in skateboards and other large items at the front office.
Friday: Continuation, and completion of the Bag-It exercise. Bring cookies!

Autobiographies on display

Some of the students' autobiographies are on display at the FMS library. Also, a few survey results from the 8th grade are included for public viewing. Among the items on display are autobiography cubes, go-kart wheels, and an exercise ball displaying survey data.

End of first rotation

Today was the end of the twelve-week rotation. We had ice-cream, Texas sheet cake, and other goodies. Most of the day we spent at the 6 and 7th grade recognition ceremonies. Well done to all recipients!

Updated grades, and final grades will be available on Parent View via Fairless' website. The grades will be reported on the the next interim grade report.

8th grade - Survey Project 40 pts.

The survey project, 40 points, is due on 11/26, which is Monday after Thanksgiving. Students have done the majority of work in class, and must turn in their final product on Monday. We will not continue to work on the project after today.

Email Mr. Johansson with questions.

6, 7th grades - Autobiography Project 40pts.

The autobiography project, 40 points, is due on 11/26, which is Monday after Thanksgiving. Students have done the majority of work in class, and must turn in their final product on Monday. We will not continue to work on the project after today.

Email Mr. Johansson with questions.

Image Analysis - Pictures On a String...

We worked with image analysis all week in grades 6 and 7. The students learned a lot, and were very good at dissecting images, and locating minute details. They were charged with creating titles, coming up with stories about portraits, and even imagining what surroundings would smell and feel like. On Monday 11/12 we'll share some of our stories, as well as try to guess which story goes with what picture.

I think we'll leave the pictures up for a bit longer as they make our learning space more interesting. I intend to add items as we go along, in addition to some news and current events items. The strings and magnetic hooks were located at a local hardware store, and have worked very well so far.

I got the idea partially from a student, and a fellow educator in my professional development program - Rivers, Roads & Rails. The original idea was using string across the classroom as a means to create a time-line - but image display works very well!


Posted by Mr. Johansson

Through the lens of... Week of 11/5

This week we'll focus on image analysis in grades 6 and 7. We will start Monday with an introduction to image analysis, what questions to ask, and some practical tips. Tuesday and Wednesday will be spent on practical application of image analysis of black & white pictures as well as color images. We'll discuss the difference between the two mediums, and when they can be effective.

Thursday will host a dissection of TV ads and other media, as we'll explore its role in and on society, and how it impacts us as people. We'll break down some media components, and discuss their effective, or non-effective, uses.

Friday will offer an evaluation of materials learned, story creations, and students will be able to create and add to this blog through sharing of their stories, end-of-unit eval, etc. It should be a good week. As always, check out www.eajohansson.net for more info, or call or email with questions.

In 8th grade we're watching the film "Super Size Me" by Morgan Spurlock. We discuss media impact, fast food, and bias. Students have seen two episodes already, and so far they're doing well. We use a movie worksheet (created in-house) to guide our viewing.

End of food unit, tableaux...

So, we had a fantastic end-of-unit project, namely a healthy dose of tableaux. A tableau is a physical representation of a concept, or thing. To remain motionless is key.

In our case, I asked the students to find a dish or a food that they all liked, and then create a pose representing that food. We were all surprised at how wildly creative most of us are! Below follows some examples...

Students are representing their version of a cheese and pepperoni pizza. Very creative, very agile, and extremely talented!

Here, a more somber entry, this time displaying a fine loaded baked potato. All students were asked to really analyze the dish, looking at the recipe, as well as "getting a feel for" what it would be like to be that food or dish.


Finally, an excellent example of "road-kill"! I'm not so sure the students would actually enjoy the dish they created in their tableau, but clever nonetheless. The remaining students were asked to guess at each group's display, but we had very few correct answers. I'm guessing that was partly due to creative and artistic interpretations, and subjective tastes.

-Mr. Johansson

Optional Assignments # 2 DUE 11/30/07

If you would like, there are a few optional (read extra-credit) assignments available for you to raise your grade. They are not mandatory, and your grade will not change should you choose not to do them. You can earn up to a maximum of 40 points. Here's what to do:

Go to Mr. Johansson's website located here:
www.eajohansson.net

Under Students, click on Assignments, then locate the Optional Assignments at the bottom. Click on any of those links, and follow the instructions. Remember - if you do not follow the instructions, you will not be graded.

Please see the sample comment attached to this blog for an example of what your response should look like. Email or call with questions - get the info from the website in the Contact section.

Our Menu - Week of 10/29

This week we'll continue our journey of food by using recipes as a method of study. Monday will begin with an introductory lesson on recipes, and what influences those recipe food choices. Tuesday, the students will have a substitute as I will be out for professional development learning about oral history collections. The students will be working on an article in class regarding what it's like to eat dog in Vietnam.

Wednesday we'll pick back up with a lesson on the Amish, and their food choices and influences. We'll discuss food, religion, areas of living, etc. Thursday and Friday the students will dissect recipes that they have brought from home in order to make sense of why we eat and cook the way we do. Hopefully, the end product will be a recipe collection at the end of the year containing the best of many family secrets, all tied to our culture as members of the Fairless community.

As always, check our website for news and assignments, and email or call with any questions.

- Mr. Johansson

Fear Factor, and Tounge Recipe

Today the students are experiencing new and wild foods from a local store. We chose a "Fear Factor" style taste test, where the students challenge each other to try new foods. Everyone wins in the end when the cuttle fish comes out (which isn't that bad...) and the challenge ends in a draw. Additionally, a few students brought some foods in as well, and we all had a small sample. More specifically, beef tongue was on the menu, and here follows a recipe. I must say, I had never tried tongue before, but it's most excellent. Thank you, Mrs. R!

Spiced Tongue (Mrs. R's Recipe)
1 bottle (10 oz.) soy sauce
4 bottles (10 oz.) water
1C. brown sugar
2T. grated onion
1T. minced garlic
1t. cinnamon
1/2t. ginger
1/2t. nutmeg
1 beef tongue

Mix all together, and bring to rolling boil. Add the beef tongue, then return to boiling. Simmer on medium heat for 2 hours. Remove tongue from liquid and remove skin. Return tongue to sauce, and simmer another 30 minutes. Remove from sauce, and slice thin. Pour a small amount of liquid over meat and serve.

Optional Assignment - Fire Blog - Due 10/28 - 30 points

Be sure to read this entire blog before beginning the assignment. Here's what to do:

Read Amanda Ripley's article titled "What to Save From a Fire." located on TIME's website. You may click on this link to get there.

Here is the full address: http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1675600,00.html

Once you have read the article, you will compose a response in the form of at least two (2) paragraphs, answering the following questions in full detail:

Paragraph 1 should include questions 1-4. Paragraph 2 should answer question 5 in a narrative form (not just a list - tell WHY you would bring those items).

1. What is an evacuation? What does the author suggest it is in the third paragraph?
2. What is an evacuation pack according to the article?
3. What is FEMA? (You may have to search using Google)
4. What does the author recommend to do towards the end of the article?
5. What 10 items would you take with you if you had to evacuate your home?

You need to post a response to the above questions by clicking on the comment link just below this blog entry.

You don't have to use your full name when posting a response, however, you need to identify yourself by using the following format (put this information at the bottom of your response):

Class Last Name
Example: 8A Smith

If you do not follow this format, you will not get graded. Good Luck!

Website Address

Here is the website address for Mr. Johansson's website:

www.eajohansson.net

Call the teacher!

You can now call the teacher, Mr. Johansson, for free. Just click the button, enter your number, and it will connect you! Pretty easy, huh?

New Unit: The Culture of Food, week of 10/22/07

This week we will begin our journey of food. The students will explore many areas regarding food, and use food as a vehicle by which we explore culture. Through the study of food, we can expect to learn things like the local economy, how people adapt to change, and why people eat what they eat.

One of our tools is the TV show Bizarre Foods from the Travel Channel. Andrew Zimmern does a great job taking us through many different cultures throughout the world, and showcases what and how they eat. From tongue sandwich in New York City to Balut (partially fertilized, then steamed duck egg) in the Philippines, he covers it all. We'll join in on some of his adventures to broaden our horizons.

Each day we'll cover something new, and ponder why and how food influences our daily lives, as well as how it affects others. We had fudge today, as a starter, and will end Friday with a "Fear Factor" style taste testing competition. Who will be able to eat all of their pickle herring?

In addition, next week, we'll begin constructing our recipe collection using and finding recipes from the family and local surroundings. Please feel free to send us your favorite dish. Also, one or two cooking demonstrations may take place, and if we're lucky, we'll host a guest chef as part of our studies.

So for now, start thinking food, and don't be surprised when your students comes home asking to take a trip to the store to search out new and exciting things to eat. If it looks good, eat it! And if they sell it at the store, it's probably edible...

Posted by Mr. Johansson

MW sounds off!

The Trumpet rocks. It is the best instrument in the whole entire world. Of course I play the trumpet. I wouldn't think that if I didn't play it. My sister used to play the trumpet. Two of my cousins used to play it also. Band is fun sometimes but it can be more fun to play by yourself when the things you play in band are easy. At times it can be very fun because we have an awesome band director (along with an awesome multi-cultural teacher). None of my friends play the trumpet. I love playing the trumpet it is so much fun. It is awesome when you play a song that is really hard. Some people say that band is stupid and for nerds but I don't care. I think band is the coolest subject (along with multi-cultural). I make my sisters get mad when I play my trumpet because they think that I practice to much, every other day isn't to much I think they just don't practice enough. I tried to play a song with my sister who plays the oboe and is four years older than me but it didn't work very well because we were playing the same song out of two different books. I love to play the trumpet!

-MW

Family Project Evaluations

I asked some of the students to share their responses to the end-of-unit evaluation we did in class on Friday, in electronic form, and here are some aggregate responses from a few students:

Did you like the project?
Yes because we enjoyed learning about generations of our families. It was fun to learn about our families and their history.

What could you have done differently?
We would have bought prettier poster board instead of just white then it would attract much more people to look at them!! We would have done it differently by spending more time on it and decorating it more.

What did you learn?
We learned about our family for one thing and how to make a family tree, which will be useful in the future. We learned about our families and their lives just by talking to our parents and grandparents.

What do you wish you had learned?
We wish we had learned into deeper generations besides just to our grandparent’s moms and dads. We wish we learned more about the details of our families past and not just the basics.

What will you do with the family tree?
We will probably keep them so that we can look at our work and be proud of how hard we worked.

Would you like to share it with the class?
Yes because we do not get embarrassed like some people do when they share things in front of the class.

Could you have done a better job?
No because we worked very hard on our projects and we are proud of them.


Posted by Mr. J

MF & EC tells us how it is...

Next week we are going to start cooking from all over the world. We will learn some of the People's most favorite foods. And all about their culture, like India , China, Sweden, Brazil, Mexico, Canada and much more things over the 9 weeks.

We finished learning about our families and did a family tree.

Mr. Johansson is so cool because he brings in food, like Monday he is bring in fudge.
He brings in snacks and will make food in class.

Thoughts...

Today people are working on their family tree ( they are doing it pretty noisily though). I believe I will get a good grade on the family tree. We are going to have a test tomorrow. I have a good feeling I will pass the test. The 12 weeks in multicultural is almost at the halfway point, I'm not ready to switch yet. Multicultural is so much fun.

-CM

Picture from today's class...

Here are some updates from our projects on Family Studies. The students are almost done with their Family Trees, and they're looking good for the most part. We'll switch gears next week with a new unit... So far a secret as to what it is... Now a portrait from today...

Family Tree Project - Progress Report

The students are working hard at constructing their family trees, and we're keeping busy the entire period, with little time for cleanup. The room is filled with chatter and spirit, and the students are on task, producing quality products.

We use a piece of poster board as the basis for our family trees, and add elements using construction paper, glue, colored pencils and markers, and more.

Oftentimes, it's difficult to fit all of the students at a desk, so we tend to spread out around the room - even next to the fridge. Other students used parts of the hallway as well as a means of getting enough creative room to work. Usually we play some music - yesterday was James Blunt. Students are encouraged to bing in and share their music, and we're expecting some AC/DC this afternoon.

Multicultural Class and the Behavior of Students

Today in class, we drew out our family trees on whiteboards. It’s really cool to see how everything connects between all of your family members. I’d say that the class is absolutely out of control though. The students just don’t listen and don’t behave. I would think by seventh grade, almost every one would be able to behave maturely as young adults should. Someday, hopefully all of the students that are acting up will learn to behave. In the long run, it isn’t going to get them anywhere except for an irresponsible adult.

JW

Annuncement!

Mr. Hrynko has added a blog for his 7th grade computer class!

Check it out here...

Materials Needed Week of 10/15

Students in 6th and 7th grade will need to bring a posterboard and construction paper to class in order to work on their family tree project. Any color is okay, as long as they have a large piece to work with.

Game Plan - Week of 10-15-07

6th and 7th grades:

This week we'll continue to work on our Family Projects, and the students will begin constructing their family trees using poster board, construction paper, glue and whatever else they may need. We have most of the tools such as scissors and glue, markers and crayons in the classroom, but if you would like to donate to us, that would just fine!

8th grade:

The students in eighth grade will continue to sort their research materials, and planning their PowerPoint presentations. Hopefully, by the end of the week most will be ready to present in front of their classes.

If you have any questions, feel free to send us an email, or leave a comment. We would love to communicate with you, and answer your questions. Be on the look out for student contribution this week, and maybe some more pictures.

Photos from today - Research

The 8th graders are hard at work researching individual topics in culture, varying from "who's going to pay for my skatepark?" to "what's good about dress codes and curfews?" Today was our last day in the LMC (Library Media Center), as we will focus on content, how to highlight and extract data tomorrow. We have used a variety of search engines, databases, and book materials in our studies. Students are doing well, with some really going above and beyond! I am excited to see how it all turns out!

-Mr. J

Photos from today - Family Studies Project

We have been working hard at entering all of our family data into Excel spreadsheets. Not only do the data look better, but they are easier to handle, format, and understand. The students are doing really well, and we have almost all on board and ready to go. We also get to learn how to format individual cells, and a bit about how databases, or dbs as we call them, really work, and what they're good for...

Sure, some students finish early and pose for a few snapshots...

... while others work hard...

Nice work!

-Mr. Johansson

School today...

School was so fun and cool ,and I got candy today. I Went to every class to day ,and I an going to go home and ride my bike all day .

- DC 7B

Lesson

The comments I’m going to leave are nice and not mean! This lesson I learned a lot about people’s families and stuff.

-NB 6B

Football

Football is going really well we are 6-0. We only gave up 3 touchdowns the whole year. I threw 6 touchdown passes and ran 1 touchdown. We are in the playoffs this week.

- HW

Volleyball

I have a volleyball game tonight against Massillon at Massillon Middle School. I’m really excited. I think we’ll be able to win. Tonight is our last regular game before the Pac 7 tournaments. Last night, against Manchester the 7th grade team won. We played three games, lost the first one, and won the 2nd and 3rd games. I can’t wait for the Pac on Saturday. We play in Tusky Valley, against CVCA. Hopefully we get a win!
The coolest person ever - JW

Multi-Culture Displays - Our Own Cultural Gardens

We spent some time on the topic "What is Culture?" As a summative event, the students brought items from home representing their specific culture to showcase our differences. As a result, we built displays in the cafeteria.

Students also took part in a lecture on the Cleveland Cultural Gardens, and how they came about. We discussed the history of them, how they played a role in neighborhood traditions, and what specific symbols and themes were used to portray culture and nationality.

The students were then asked to observe others' displays in order to describe what they saw, what conclusions they could draw, and what, if anything, could be deduced from a simple observation. Here are some pictures of the displays, some of the students - all in the cafeteria.

Student created displays in the cafeteria - "What is Culture?" and "What have we learned so far?" Each class created their own cultural gardens to show others what they value as middle school students.

Students working on their observation pieces - very successful, with lots of insights!

Posted by Mr. Johansson

Commentary from SW

Multi-Cultural is a really cool class. It’s a lot of fun learning about our family Trees and researching generations of family traits and traditions. Mr. Johansson is a really cool teacher and makes what we learn about more interesting then you would think it is. We get to work on Laptops and laptops aren’t only used to type things and what not but to teach responsibility to the class. Everybody is learning Responsibility because no one wants to pay 1,000 dollars for something they accidentally broke. The laptops are fun to use because they are fun to type on. I’m going to be disappointed when we switch classes for the 12-week rotation because Multi-Cultural is so fun and Mr. Johansson is so nice.

S.W

Family project # 3

Multicultural is a really fun class! We get to do a bunch of cool projects. This week we’ve worked on family trees. Mr. Johansson is a super cool teacher!! He makes class really fun. I can’t wait to learn more exciting things in class!

~JW

Family project # 2

I have had a lot of fun learning about my family and many others. Learning about other cultures can be a lot of fun. We have done some posters that were fun and also have taken some fun quizzes!!! Mr. Johansson’s class is a lot of fun. And so far I have learned a lot, and I can’t wait for the other exciting things we will do as a class!!!!!!

- MD

Family studies project

This project is so fun because we get to use laptops, and we get to learn about our families that we never knew we had !!!! Now we all know about new tech. and new ways to use it.

I have learned great things I never new before I have had such a great time in this class such as making posters, projects and much more!!!!!!!!!!!!
p.s. Mr.johansson rocks

- MF

The purpose of this blog...

This blog will host entries from students in my Multi-Cultural Studies course at Fairless Middle School. Students create, as part of a review session every week, a blog entry in order to share their learning with their community, friends, and global students alike. Stop back often for updates, news on special projects, etc.

Send us email here: falconculture@gmail.com

-Mr. Johansson