Are You Out There, Juniors?

The American Dream

The American Dream


The American Dream
‘Tis like the gold
That sneaky leprechaun has hid
White picket fences
A cat and dog
A yard to play
Perfectly sodded grounds
With flowers and shrubs
No weeds to find here
A moderate size home
Two car garage
The swing set sways
The balls bounce on the court
Laughter echoes

The American Dream
How perfect She is
To the immigrant who wakes
On free soils
To the child who now has health care
The perfection of speaking at will
Saying what you please
Yelling or crying
Laughing or pouting
Living or dying
How ever you please

The American Dream
The chance to have
Likely that you won’t
People in sedans
Drive through the streets
Children needing shoes
Parents doing without
Roofs leaking
Parents praying
Babies crying
Care givers scratch off the ticket
How quickly life could change


The American Dream
Is it for sale at a store near you?
Does that plastic in your wallet get you closer?
Have you seen who you are?
Do you know where you’ve been?
How can I show you?
Why can’t you see?
The American Dream
It is you
It is me
It does not belong to us
But to the children for whom we give great fuss
It is not things
Nor is it stuff
You can’t get someone else’s
You must eat the pie you were served
Be it apple or rhubarb
Sweet or sour

The American Dream
It is in you
It is in me
It is in those who seek new
It is for those who right the wrongs of the past
It is a place
A pleasure
A gift
A sanctuary
The American Dream

The American Dream
You will never find the gold
Until you are happy with you
You see –
You are The American Dream
You are why this nation is here
You Are The American Dream!!

Melissa Daniels
6/2008

Take 'n Issue

Take ‘n Issue

You want me to take issue?
Oh! Pa-lee’s gimme a tissue.
Why should I vote in 2008?
I ain’t got no can-i-date!
Don’t matter what I say,
They do what they want anyway!
If you want me to speak up,
Then why don’t you listen up!
All you wanna do is win
And sign bills with a fancy pen
Got $1000 shoes on your feet
But don’t care if I eat
On everything you put a tax
You ain’t hearin’ the facts
If it’s up to me
You ain’t gonna see
That big ol’ house on the hill
You gonna get down here and feel
And see what it’s like to be real
You need to be where they kill
And where they plow the field
Where the sick can’t buy their pills
I ain’t gonna argue with you
Cause now you’re through
You better take note
I’m gonna vote


Melissa Daniels
6/19/08

Melissa's Links for Lesson - June 19

The Machine is Us/ing Us

Rock The Vote

Modonna Rock The Vote Commercial - 1992

Against Me! Rocks the Vote

Rock the Web

Slaughter Commercial - 1990's

How the Eye Works

Stacy's Links for Lesson - June 19

Obama video from Fox News

McCain video from CNN

CNN Blogs

Fox News Blogs

Bill Oreilly's email address

CNN E-mails

Fact Checker

Using newspapers in the classroom

Listed below are addresses for newspapers published online.

Websites: www.csmonitor.com

www.iht.com

www.washingtonpost.com

www.online.wsj.com

www.usatoday.com

www.nytimes.com

www.ajc.com

www.ledger-enquirer.com

www.americustimesrecorder.com

www.internationalnewslinks.com

www.NewsDirectory.com

The following websites contain ideas for using newspapers in the classroom.

http://kidbibs.com/learningtips/It40.htm

http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr163.shtml

Train Noir

Train Noir (inspired by our train ride and written the next morning)

Black powerful Locomotive

clicks over steel reinforced slats,

Dames ride along with their killer kisses,

Flirtatious smiles under wide brim hats





Dicks and Shamus’s scrape for a dime,

They don’t mind running down a broad,

Maybe the dame deserved it,

Or maybe the husband is a fraud.





There’s a boxcar bum who has to roll

As soon as Albuquerque,

He’ll have to beat it soon

Or the foreman will cap his knee





A boxer with a flat crooked nose,

From his manager he tries to hide,

But he knows all to well,

He’ll soon be asked to take another dive.





The Great Bambino heads for New York,

The Yankees are going to play four

Boston is in the House that Ruth Built

And the curse still stands at the door





The train is stopping short,

Flatfeet are flooding the berth,

Seems one of the Don’s shylocks,

Might be ready to sing with mirth





Lenny over there,

He’s coming back from the war

He used to have two arms,

But he don’t no more





He lights a cigarette

And reads the Dear John from his honey,

He knew it wouldn’t last,

But did she have to take all the money?





A thousand million stories,

The Locomotive slashes through the day

Heading for Metropolis,

Where just about everyone will ultimatly pay

Literacy in all the Write Spaces: Ride on, Sam!

Literacy in all the Write Spaces: Ride on, Sam!

Teachers, and Others, on "Taming Texting"

The article, Zero Thumb Game: How to Tame Texting, published via Edutopia provides some great points on ways to address this type of writing in our classrooms as well as very real reasons for doing so. Fast and engaging read. Check it out, and share your thoughts right back here on our blog. BJ

Ride on, Sam!

Ride on, Sam!

Oh, what a day we had
On that train
Aren’t we glad?
For Dramamine

We saw Cordele
Veteran’s state Park
Such a thrill
As we embark

Over the lake
Down the aisle
Pictures to take
And compile

Look Cobb
miss it in a blink
don’t sob
see the creek

Quick by Desoto
Listen a whistle
Was that a doe
fast as a missile

Leslie is next
Telephone museum
Think they txt
Museum or mausoleum

As the breaks are applied
In Americus friends arrived
another got a ride
I am gonna DRIVE!

In Plains we pause
For lunch and writing
All with cause
And some planning

Listen a whistle
Here we go
Like a missile
Time to go we know

Chug chug chug
The wheels grind
To tracks snug
But we don’t mind

An awesome time
We had with Sam
His bell will chime
Home we scram

Thank you David
Joe, Ann, Hew,
For pictures vivid
And everyone else too

Words don’t justify
My enjoyment today
Hard as I try
And pray!

What hustle
From all the crew,
Conductor Fussell,
And all of you

(David-engineer)



(Mr. Fussell- Conductor)

(Hew- Trainman)

(Ann & Tom- volunteers
most amazing couple)


Melissa Daniels
6/12/08

Needs a New Title

Lines Composed Observing “The Block”

A ghetto skyline capitulates with

Arms of Passion in a Southpark “esq”

Alphabet City.

Underneath the neighborhood bum

A street with death and damnation

An angel seeks the conception

The unwanted.

Ole time southern religion is heard

In a gossip tavern for men.

Duct tape holding the hopes and

Terrors of the innocent.

Protected by mousetraps and young love.

An aura of social camaraderie and pride

With a unity of turf and belonging

As they honor one of their own…

While the oldest profession observes

Behind masks of shame

All documented by the man on the stairs

The writer, the artist, on “The Block”.

J. Hill 6/11/08

On Viewing "The Block"

On a brownstone block in Brooklyn
lived my love.
Three stoop steps, brown door, railroad flat
on the second floor.
Inside, on a foam couch, we loved,
in an ancient tub with iron feet
we bathed with peppermint castile soap—
picked up at the shop across from the bar.
On a chrome table with a cloth
we ate: cheeseburgers, spinach pasta, and mangos--
groceries from the corner store—
up on the tar roof we lay on towels in the June sun
drinking beer, reeking of coconut oil, lolling
in the blue music, up above the block.

On a brownstone block in Brooklyn…
I fell in love.
Dragged our laundry up the bumpy concrete,
sidestepped the drunks outside the tavern,
breathed upon re-entry from the F train,
inspired a song and worshipped chicken enchiladas.
I fell asleep
in the green grass of Prospect Park and was not robbed,
rode the bus from my place to his,
witnessed the fleeing muggers chased by undercover cops
from the D Train.

On a brownstone block in Brooklyn
I tasted margaritas with salt, sex, and my self.
Became an actress,
lived in the midst of brown, tan, peach, English, Spanish,
Creole, Hindi, Farsee, Yiddish, and slang,
found Stanislavsky and Suzuki,
friendship and feud,
quit smoking and wrote a thesis.

Brownstone, stoop, smog, and sex
all called up on a canvas.
My madeleine—a collage
Of city life.

Virtual Harlem

Virtual Harlem

Today I took a virtual trip,
I spanned both space and time,
It only took a fingertip,
And it didn’t cost a dime

Harlem in the 20’s was a good place to go,
I dreamed I was a hep cat and dug on everything, y’know.
The renaissance was still going and all that jazz,
Blues singing, with Holiday and the Cotton Club’s razz-ma-tazz

Langston Hughes was there, saying I too sing,
America, you better get ready when I take the time to dream
Hear that be bop daddy, that makes me want to Lindy,
Go grab Simone and I’ll go find my Cindy

Ellington is sure to be warming up on his piano,
And down at Jungle Ally patrons have to step over a wino,
Rich folks come down form Sugar Hill all proper and fine,
Maybe I’ll catch up with some of ‘em later for some true stories and wine

This Harlem renaissance is a fascinating place,
It’s 24/7 and there is no slow down pace
But I got to get on down this old virtual road,
‘Cause I got some more places to see before I grow too old

My response to "The Block" art work by Bearden

Abandoned hope

Trapped and uneasy
A strangely familiar scene
Intense colors surround
sinister reality
laying on the street
near an alley
meat is a luxury
warmth the desire
prejudice is truth
behind the iron curtain
you think you see me
you could aid
instead you glare
hateful inadequacies
you displace
once innocent
now corrupted by time
laughter rings
a song of hope
can they make it
will my fate be theirs
Murder of life before it begins
Massacre of adolescence
The trial begins now
Dancing away on cement
Chalk outlines of their life
Before vivid drawings
Now colorless outlines
A peaceful observer
On the path
I see the certainty
Angels tarnished
Here no privacy exists
Even during private affairs
My ears can hear you
Filtering the interchange
And background clamor
A child conceived
Death of saints
Over the bell tower
Cherubs hover taking one home
Specters seize others
Watchful judgment
I pass on this street
A block different
From yours
sharing coordinates
Blocks compile
designing their only shape
typecast signs flash
brown bags of happiness
this city chokes with urban bile


Melissa Daniels
6/11/08

Write a poem in the style of Langston Hughes.

Child why you cryin’
You’re mama’ll be comin’
You silly thing
Let go them apron strings
She goin’ to get an education
To learn a new vocation
Them long hours
Ain’t no bed of flowers
So I advise
You wipe them eyes
Look out that door’
You won’t miss her no mor’

Melissa Daniels
June 11, 2008

My interpretation of “The Block”

New York, Harlem’s Renaissance City
Colorful, dark fill us with your imagination
Tall majestic buildings, rectangular in shape
Captivate your people
Roads black as night, streets dim not bright
Cars move in sporadic fashion
People busy, so much to do
No reflection seen in their faces

Angles cascade down a building
Lead the way to Heaven’s door
People in awe, gaze helplessly
Children play, a funeral, a church, a homeless man
Vibrant colors, collage of pictures, drawings and patterns
Overlapping plane shapes, move in and out

Irregular shaped buildings engulf its inhabitants
People made of cut outs, depict their plight
Darkened windows, entrance ways to their lives
Faceless pallbearers carrying, one - who is now past
Religious motif, singing, shouting, mourning and crying
New York City, Harlem’s Renaissance City

Other Works with Bearden

I just found this picture book with lyrical poetry and paintings by Bearden.

Amazon Link

"Waking Up Harlem"

“Waking Up Harlem”
Crumbling rooftop ledges
Bear stooping, perched angels
Legs dangling over the edges
“Do you hear?” one angel inquires
“Harlem has awakened.”

Bed springs groan while
Sleepy children moan
“Lord, help me Jesus get through another day.”
Brooms swish, wet laundry sways
The stoops holding onto faith
As children with marbles and hopscotch play

The frying grease will hisssss
Street hustlers give and take
Fresh-faced lovers kiss
“Child, get your black behind off my fire escape!”
Shattered windows, broken dreams
‘Ol Lou puffing on his Black and Mild
Blue leisure suit bursting at the seams

Rattling mufflers, coughing cars
“What you say, my brotha?”
Coins ploinking in a tin cup
Making rhythm of with an acoustic guitar
Busy feet, tapping the beat

Of a heart that’s broken
“We cool.” Playing pool
Avoiding the unspoken
Cool cats, wide brimmed hats
Sit and hum a respectful tune
“Amazing grace….”
“Lord, save this place….”
As a victim makes his final journey

Through the streets
Not a peep
Can be heard from the people of Harlem
The rhythm is slow
The sun setting low

On crumbling rooftops sit
Gaurdians of the past and present
Spreading their wings, they smile and sigh
And Harlem sleeps again

Informing Our Perceptions (Wed.)

“The Block” based on art of Bearden http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/the_block/index_flash.html
The Art of Romare Bearden
http://www.nga.gov/education/classroom/bearden/mempar1.shtm

Journeys and Crossings
http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/journey/hughes.html
Drop Me Off in Harlem
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/exploring/harlem/facesmain_text.html
Take the A Train (audio)
http://www.jcu.edu/harlem/Audio/Page_1.htm

The Train, by Langston Hughes
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15722

Our Train
http://samshortline.com/

Resources for Online Research

Resources:

PSA models Artists and songwriters speaking out http://www.musicunited.org/3_artists.html
The Law: It’s a Criminal Act website http://www.musicunited.org/2_thelaw.html
Landmark’s Son of Citation Machine http://citationmachine.net/
Georgia’s Virtual Library: Galileo http://www.galileo.usg.edu/welcome/
PSA Production Process http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson939/psa-process.pdf
Debating Music Downloads (electronically) http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson939/psa-process.pdf
Copyright Basics http://www.copyrightkids.org/cbasicsframes.htm

Persuasive Response Ideas:
petition
blog
letter to someone (a friend who engages in illegal downloads, a politician, etc.)
PSA script that juxtaposes your argument to the argument of the artist or recording company

Passing the Torch--a Jew responds to the Holocaust lesson.

From the time you are a child, you are told to remember.
Remember the six million--.
carry the torch--keep them alive.

But the torch is too heavy.
It flickers, sputters, dies in your hands.
You want to live for yourself--not for them.

If the world were all one.
If religion were gone.
No Catholic. No Muslim. No Hindu.
No Jew. If.
You say.
A much better place, then.
Why not?

So, you drop the torch.
And walk with your head held high and your arms swinging
at your sides.
Unfettered teenage self, you smile and breathe, and talk, and love.

But they will not let you go.
Their eyes are huge and unblinking in all the photos.
They seem to look at you and ask you, "Why?"
The pits where their bodies lie yawn from the books, gape from the screens, and
you feel as if they will swallow you whole.
It does not matter that you have turned your back on it.
On them.
For they will not turn their back on you.

You fall in love and no, he's not a Jew.
And it's the craziest thing. It makes no sense.
You insist on a Rabbi, a chuppah, a glass to break.
And when you are lifted in the chair you look down
on their faces, eyes huge, and unblinking and smiling in
the faces of your mother, your father, your grandmother, your grandfather.

And the child comes.
He is a boy. Benjamin--Jamie Owen.
Son of my Right Hand, Happy Prince.
And the doctor marks him as a Jew.
You can hear him cry in the nursery on day two,
when it should have been day eight (you think).
And you wonder would it have been easier
if he had tasted wine on his tiny tongue ;
if he had been at home, held in the bosom of his own
while their eyes, wide and unblinking filled with tears.


And the girl comes.
She is the second. Tessa--Hannah.
Fourth Child--Favored Grace
And you kindle lights on Fridays and
watch them dance in her eyes--wide and unblinking
and you can't deny who she is--yours and his--
so you create a prayer for her to say at night
and she does.

When she reads about them in school, she tells you
and you listen with eyes wide and unblinking, biting back
the words you want to say:

"Remember them."


They are with you when your boy
steps on the bema
and is wrapped in a tallit,
when he carries the scroll
and reads and chants and is
claiming a heritage, for now,
at this moment.

The Ark doors are flame and he reaches in.
Whether he would have chose this on his own
you do not know, but there he is.
Reaching for the past. Unrolling identity and finding a voice.
It is his father's and it is yours.
But only part.
It is his.
It is sweet and rich and strong and fine.

And from his place he must see you,
eyes wide and unblinking,
taking him in.

Holocaust Resources

Stories of the Hidden
http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/online/hiddenchildren/stories_of_the_hidden/

Researching the Holocaust
With a partner, link onto the following article:
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005143

Art Connection/Propaganda: Antisemitism
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/media_ph.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005175&MediaId=605

Life in the Shadows: Hidden Children and the Holocaust
http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/online/hiddenchildren/plight_of_children/

Writing for Change:
Organize a Day of Remembrance
http://www.ushmm.org/remembrance/dor/organize/
Responding to Threats of Genocide Today
http://www.ushmm.org/conscience/
The Anne Frank Wall
http://www.annefrankwall.org/
Freedom Writers
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0STR/is_4_114/ai_n9483842
Paper Clips trailer
http://www.paperclipsmovie.com/trailer.php
During the Holocaust, Norwegians wore a paper clip on their lapel in protest of the Nazi extermination of Jews.

Journal While You Journey

This is a map of the route for the short train ride we will take as the highlight of the writing marathon on June 19.

We will board the train in Cordele at 9:30 a.m., ride through the GA Veteran's Park, Leslie, and Americus before arriving in Plains at 12:45, where we will have lunch during a brief layover.

What parents think?

Dr. BJ,
I found these websites and thought they related nicely to the topic at hand. One has a survey about what the parents think about blogging. It is a limited survey of only parents of children in this particular class but I still think it holds some relevance compared to the national ideal of class blogging. Bridges4Kids talks about linking parents to the classroom, extending the teaching day, and providing a good model of blogging for students. The next site, MyCapitalWeb.com tells of a teacher bring blogging into her class to build a of third grade students. One topic that has been presented was if the technology was in the home, but we have not talked about the speed of the Internet connection and how it relates to the use of blogs in the students homes. It is also apparent that more education of parents may help may blogging in the classroom more successful.

http://lietze.edublogs.org/2007/12/22/what-parents-think-about-my-class-blogging/

http://www.bridges4kids.org/articles/8-05/Anthes8-9-09.html

http://www.mycapitalweb.com/?p=45

Storytelling, Writing, and Web 2.0

Life in a post-typographical world affords storytellers the opportunity to tell their stories in new and exciting ways--ways that combine narration, music, still images, and video. Perhaps more importantly web 2.0 provides a venue for a global audience. To begin our exploration of this exciting entry into storytelling we will take a look at the following resource:



Co-authoring identity: Digital storytelling in an urban middle school

http://thenjournal.org/feature/61/

A Little About Myself

Hello,

My name is Mark Cooley and I am participating in the Georgia Southern Writing Project at GSW. I am a 7th grade ELA teacher and I coach football and basketball. I have written two novels for YA readers. Both are trying very hard to get published at this time. I've a few nibbles but so far no takers. I also have two more in the early stages. I'm hoping that by rubbing shoulders with other serious writers that I will hone my craft even further. This will not only help me but also my students.