Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Beacons are Boston Strong!!

 
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/04/15/day-tributes-to-mark-boston-marathon-bombing-anniversary/

  

Why and how are political speeches compelling and influential?

Students viewed two speeches from the memorial service on April 18, 2013 given by Govenor Deval Patrick and President Barack Obama.  We reflected on the speeches.  Students shared what aspects of these powerful speeches resonated most with them.  Additionally, students discussed overarching themes that both speakers used to deliver hope,encouragment, and civic faith to the grieving citizens of Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the United States of America. 





Link to Governor Patrick's speech:
 
Student responses to this discussion:
 
"This bombing affected a lot of poeple, and it was very sad.  These speeches helped us to raise our heads high and keep running!"
 
"I think this was a tragic, terrible event, but it showed how Boston can come and be one.  Also, how we support each other, all love and care about each other-how we are Boston Strong!!"
 
"Both Deval Patrick and Barack Obama tied together a state and a country.  this made the speeches very impactful. Both Patrick and Obama showed genuine pride in our city, state, and country.  People like to feel pride, and the speeches gave us civic pride."
 
 

Friday, April 11, 2014

Beacons Reveal their Thoughts on Bullying



Image from http://mycalcas.com/2012/04/bullying/bullying/
 
Today we continued our ongoing discussion on the topic of bullying.  Our Beacon students have been working all year in ELA 2 to examine bullying in our schools and society, and discovering ways to use their voices to become change agents in schools as well as society.  In the coming weeks, I will be posting their editorials on bullying.

Our topic today focused on whether students felt that popular kids could be bullied just as much as outcasts.  Students read an article, watched a video and wrote a journal response on the aforementioned topic. 


The following are excerpts from student journal entries:

“I think that the worst kind of bullying is one of my friends going behind my back and saying something, then someone else telling me what they said.”

“I think, yes because the popular kids are popular for a reason or something they do and others might talk about you behind your back.”

“Yes, anyone can be bullied.  Also, the popular people aren’t any stronger than the people that get bullied.  It is just that they have more friends to keep them strong.”

“I don’t think popular kids get bullied, that’s just my opinion.  They have more backup and friends to stick up for them.”

Here is a link to the article we read in class today.

(To read article, click “close” on the pop up login prompt)
http://newsela.com/articles/bullying-popular/id/3278/#articles/bullying-popular/id/3273/
 
It is my hope that you will continue this discussion at home with your child.  The more we work together to ask questions, discuss and offer social responses to the problem, the better we can empower our children to use their voices to advocate for the type of society they wish to create.