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.