Beyond academics, schools are the perfect place to spread random acts of kindness and teach our students the value in how we treat others. On April 30, people the world over will be celebrating and practicing paying it forward, but more importantly shouldn’t we be aiming to do so EVERY DAY? See how easy it can be to start a random acts of kindness revolution!
WHAT IS PAY IT FORWARD DAY?
“International Pay it Forward Day is back for another year, on the last Thursday in April. Inspired by the book and movie Pay it Forward, it involves people performing acts of kindness for others without expecting anything in return. Instead, recipients are asked to ‘pay the kindness forward’ to others in need, essentially creating a positive ripple effect of giving.” - International Pay It Forward Day website
BIG OR SMALL, SPREAD KINDNESS TO ALL
Perhaps the best aspect of this initiative is that anyone can share random acts of kindness and paying it forward. There’s no act too small to make a difference to someone else. Simply smiling at students as they pass in the hallway or saying thank you to the custodian can cause a ripple effect of happiness and passing along kindness to others.
Something to think about – What national, international, cultural and personal events in 2014 stand out for you most? Why?
Take a moment and record the first 10 things/events from 2014 that come to mind when you think about the year as a whole. This can be anything – relating to your life personally, media, global, entertainment, trends, controversy etc.
Top 10 Stories of 2014: Year in Review - WMNews Ep. 7
Tell us about what you’ll remember most from this year, whether it’s a news event, something that’s gone viral on the internet, a new innovation or fad etc. An event in your own life, or something else entirely may even be included - - it’s your choice as this is your reflection of 2013. How would you sum up this year? What are you looking forward to in 2014?
Your assignment is to write your own review of 2014. The ideal length is one page. Here are some suggestions for structuring your thoughts and ideas.
Paragraph 1 - Your introduction should generally discuss 2014 and memorable moments/events
Paragraphs 2, 3, and 4 - You should have distinct body paragraphs that discuss some of the events that you feel are most memorable. You would need to be sure to fully discuss why the event/person you chose was such an important event and touch on how his/her life influenced so many. I would recommend selecting 3 significant events to focus on (i.e 1 separate idea per paragraph).
Paragraph 5 - Your last paragraph should be a conclusion. How would you sum up this year and what are you looking forward to in 2015. You may even want to put a creative twist on this and predict what 2015 may have in store for us.
Good luck!! I can't wait to read your thoughts and opinions:)
Mrs. Dowker
Remembrance Day (in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom) is a day to remember people who fought and died in wars. It is on November 11th to remember the end of World War I on that day in 1918. Remembrance Day was started in 1919 by King George V from the United Kingdom. On the same day, other countries also have days to remember war and soldiers. There is Veteran's Day in the United States, and Armistice Day in France, Belgium, New Zealand and other countries.
There are some things that people do on Remembrance Day. One is having two minutes of silence at 11:00 AM. It is at 11:00 AM because that is when World War I ended. At a ceremony for Remembrance Day, before the two minutes of silence, a song called "The Last Post" is played on a bugle (or sometimes a trumpet). At the end of the silence, the bugle plays a song called "Reveille."
Here is a version of "The Last Post".
People often bring wreaths made of poppies to Remembrance Day ceremonies. The wreaths honor people who have died in wars.
In many countries, many people wear a fake poppy on Remembrance Day, and for a few days before. The poppy is a symbol to show that they remember the wars, and the soldiers who fought in them. Poppies were chosen to be a symbol because they often grew in battlefields, after the soldiers stopped fighting there.
In Flanders Field
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Twenty-five Of The Most Dangerous And Unusual Journeys To School In The World
Think about how you get to school? Do you walk? Do you take a school bus? Does someone drive you? How long does it take you to get there?
It’s important not to forget that, in some parts of the world, school can be a hard-won luxury. Many children throughout the world have to take the most incredible and unimaginable routes in order to receive the education that some of us may take for granted. This link will show you just how determined some children can be when it comes to getting an education.
Verbs power the sentence. To prove it, take a look at these two sentences:
1. When Jared saw the skunk in his living room, he went up the stairs and went under his bed.
2. When Jared spotted the skunk in his living room, he darted up the stairs and disappeared under his bed.
The first one is dull because of its weak verbs - "saw" and "went." The second is more compelling because of its strong ones - "spotted," "darted," and "disappeared." Use the following think about to expand your notion about applying verbs.
Think About:
* Have I used action words?
* Did I stretch to get a better word - scurry rather rhan run?
* Do my verbs give my writing punch and pizzazz?
* Did I avoid is, am, are, was, were, be, being, and been whenever I could?
Tuesday, March 31st - Music Texts
Roll Over Beethoven
Unwritten
Part 1: What Will You Remember Most From 2014?
Something to think about – What national, international, cultural and personal events in 2014 stand out for you most? Why?
Take a moment and record the first 10 things/events from 2014 that come to mind when you think about the year as a whole. This can be anything – relating to your life personally, media, global, entertainment, trends, controversy etc.
Top 10 Stories of 2014: Year in Review - WMNews Ep. 7
Tell us about what you’ll remember most from this year, whether it’s a news event, something that’s gone viral on the internet, a new innovation or fad etc. An event in your own life, or something else entirely may even be included - - it’s your choice as this is your reflection of 2013. How would you sum up this year? What are you looking forward to in 2014?
Your assignment is to write your own review of 2014. The ideal length is one page. Here are some suggestions for structuring your thoughts and ideas.
Paragraph 1 - Your introduction should generally discuss 2014 and memorable moments/events
Paragraphs 2, 3, and 4 - You should have distinct body paragraphs that discuss some of the events that you feel are most memorable. You would need to be sure to fully discuss why the event/person you chose was such an important event and touch on how his/her life influenced so many. I would recommend selecting 3 significant events to focus on (i.e 1 separate idea per paragraph).
Paragraph 5 - Your last paragraph should be a conclusion. How would you sum up this year and what are you looking forward to in 2015. You may even want to put a creative twist on this and predict what 2015 may have in store for us.
Good luck!! I can't wait to read your thoughts and opinions:)
Mrs. Dowker
Welcome Bloggers!
I am so excited that we have entered the `blogging world`together. Some of you may be wondering what exactly is a blog. Keep reading...
What is a blog?
A blog is a Web publishing tool that allows anyone (including you) to quickly and easily self-publish text, artwork, links to other blogs or Web sites, as well as all kinds of other stuff.
Blogs are set-up like conventional Web sites, with navigation links, and other standard Web site features. A blog is different from a typical Web site in that the primary content is made up of postings. Blog postings are text entries, similar to a diary or journal, which include a posting date. They can include comments made by people other than the author. Postings are often short and frequently updated. They appear in reverse chronological order and can include archived entries.
Blogs work well for students because they can be worked on at virtually any time, in any place with an Internet-enabled computer. I am hoping that our blogs will create a classroom that extends beyond the boundaries of the school.
Top 10 Reasons Why We Should Blog
1. To create lifelong learners.
2. It improves our digital literacy.
3. Leads to higher level thinking.
4. Encourages collaboration among peers.
5. We are reading and writing with a purpose to learn.
6. Blogging is motivating to students, especially those who otherwise might not
become participants in a classroom.
7. Powerful tools to enable scaffolded learning or mentoring to occur.
8. It is current and relevant in today`s society.
9. It can be self-directed learning.
10. It is fun and you will love doing it!
Remember - Knowledge is Power!!
I can`t wait to see what you come up with, I am sure that you will amaze me (and hopefully even yourself)!
