Mr. Woo's Teaching Portfolio - Recently Updated Pages

Language Across Curriculum

wootang01 — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 22:25:49 CDT

Our form one and form two teachers have assiduously incorporated those cognitive skills and language items usually found in the science and social science content areas into our English teaching.

Procedural Ordering

Creative Writing

wootang01 — Fri, 30 May 2008 04:14:55 CDT

The focus this year has been on writing creative stories that both excite and exercise the imagination. I took a process writing approach, starting from scratch, guiding my students through the development of themes, plots, characters, settings, and even illustrations. The objective was to get my students first to appreciate and understand the elements that comprise a story, and then to apply these elements masterfully in their own writing.

Honestly, there are many students who can incorporate story elements successfully into their own works, but fewer can incorporate all of them well; it indeed isn't easy to develop a complete and thorough work of fiction because quality is determined less by writing than by cogent, eloquent thinking; and it's hard for students to consider and be aware of all of the content and language elements at the same time when penning their stories. While focusing on one element, another - let's say underlining grammar items; or using the past tense consistently - suffers.

Still, the students have made discernible progress this year in at least becoming familiar with the process of writing, including the planning and editing stages. Next year, having already developed an acumen for teaching creative fiction, I would like to focus more on the teaching of non-fiction, analytical writing.

Themes

Objective One
Students will be able to induce a theme, based on examples in a story. Students will also be able to draw a conclusion regarding the theme's use in the story.

Task One
To introduce what a theme is, my class read a short story, "The Ugly Duckling," which provides several easily discernible themes. In class, we discussed the notion of "big ideas," those important abstract words (something you can't actually see, but you can see examples of) which cover a story like a blanket, and whose presence is defined by many examples in the story. We determined together that bullying was a theme in the Ugly Duckling, and as a class we enumerated the examples of what characters said or did in relation to bullying.

Assignment One
For homework students, determined another theme and listed the supporting details.

Brenda's response:
I think the other theme in this story is discrimination. In the story, the ducklings said "He is ugly""We don"t want to play with him." This two sentences tell us they - the ducklings is discrimination the ugly duckling. We have many people in this world are always discrimination other. We should care about other people feeling.

Belo's response:
I think another idea in the story Ugly Ducking is courage, because the ugly duck briefly started an adventure to escape other creatures’ teased and the chilly wind and the cold weather, and at the last, it became a beautiful white swan and won appreciates from others. It was brief. So, Ugly Ducking tells us the idea courage.

Wenda's response:
I think another idea is the duckling although have been bullied but it have confidence to be more friendly to them and do not bully them or saying some bad things to them.

Assignment Two
After working individually with themes, students then worked in groups to decide on a theme to present to the class. Examples include discrimination, love, and hardship. Each group made a poster detailing the theme, and its examples, as well as a conclusion, something that can be learned from this story's theme.

Task Two
We continued to work with themes, this time with a markedly different type of story. The story, in fact, was the basis for a music video - Jeremy.

2R Work Inspection Two

wootang01 — Fri, 23 May 2008 06:53:46 CDT

This is a linear summary of the non-online writing assignments and projects my students have undertaken this term. I'm sorry for the opaqueness of the chronology since we were working on multiple writing assignments at the same time.

May 14, 2008

At this point in time, we were working on our final drafts of our stories.

General Feedback
Boys and girls, please rewrite your story, upload it to Scribd.com and add it to the group "2R Methodist College" - make sure you title your story appropriately and clearly; and if you would like your story published in the school magazine, use eClass to sent me a soft copy of the story.

Upload your report and other works from this year to Scribd and get extra credit!

Regarding the language usage in the papers, two matters became clear: "while" needs to be taught; and we could benefit from using a greater variety of verbs. We'll tackle both today, reviewing the Grammar Explained book for the former while brainstorming verbs for the latter.

"Moreover, be aware of the different ways in which we can use punctuation with quotes," said Mr. Woo.

April 20, 2008

At this point in time, we were working on the penultimate versions of our stories.

Assignment
Get your stories finished for Wednesday. In your story, remember to highlight or underline your grammar items: comparison statement; conjunctions one; conjunctions two; and relative clauses. Follow the formatting guidelines.

April 18, 2008

At this point in time we were finishing either our comics or the illustrations to accompany our short stories.

Assignment
Also for Wednesday, you should have comics which, as we decided on Friday, do not have to be related to your story. Each person must produce at least four panels; so a group of four must produce at least sixteen panels, a group of two must produce at least eight, etcetera.

April 11, 2008

At this point in time, we were finishing our penultimate versions of the Yau Ma Tei report.

Assignment
Next Wednesday we will watch the (Yau Ma Tei report) videos and submit our final reports. Formatting guidelines and reference guidelines are available. Follow them.

April 4, 2008

At this point in time, we were working on our first drafts of the short stories for peer review.

Assignment

The first draft of your story is due Tuesday.

Your final report, and film are due Friday.
Your history assignment is due Wednesday.

When we resume classes on Tuesday, I'll continue to review reports with groups; and we'll also work, I hope on your stories; moreover, we'll start designing our comic strips.

April 3, 2008

Assignment
We've read the article, and have answered some questions. Now we will explore the topic ourselves by writing to Voice of America to express our thoughts; with $500HKD going to any student whose composition is published by the news agency. What a way to motivate you guys!

What do you think about the idea of schools providing financial rewards to students for their work? This is the question that is asked at the end of the article and is to be answered in your composition which everyone must do, by the way. In explaining your opinion, definitely share your experience, and perhaps incorporate your thoughts concerning some of the items that we have discussed in class. You want your work to be comprehensive and critical; excellent work most likely will get published.

Type your assignment on Microsoft Word and save it as your class_number_name; for example, 1R_0_mister woo. I've created an assignment in eclass where you can upload the file. Remember to put your name and country in the document! If you cannot use Microsoft Word, put the composition on your blog. I will grade, but not edit your work.

To upload the assignment, go to eClass and then find the appropriate eClassroom on the right-hand side of the screen (S1001 - F.1 English; or S2001 - F.2 English); then click on the assignments and you should see "VOA News Article Contest."

I'm going to do my best to see if we can use the school's funds to pay not only the initial $500HKD, but also any additional increments if there are multiple winners from our class. Of course, given the unfavorable circumstance where the school refuses to reward exemplars, I will offer $500HKD of my own money to the winner, or the winners in which case the money will be split evenly.

March 22, 2008

At this point in time, students were producing videos to accompany their final reports.

Assignment
For English, film and produce the video that will accompany your final report. We'll watch the videos when we get back; superior quality videos will be rewarded. Make sure you also have an edited, typed copy of your report. Both items must be submitted by April 11th.

March 20, 2008

At this point in time we had finished outlines of our short stories.

General Feedback
All stories contain themes, which are big, important abstract ideas - nouns - that we cannot see or touch; however, we can see examples of them in stories. Themes that the 1R students used in their short stories included: jealousy; courage; and revenge.

The climax of the story should encompass the big event, whether it be the great fire or the deadly fight; then, the falling action should describe what happens after the big event. The rising action should add the details to the story, making clear the problem(s), that lead up to the climax.

Individual feedback is on the Editgrid.

Individual Feedback
Group 7: are you sure you can incorporate three different places into your story? Your climax should be a part of your rising action. The climax is the big event: I think getting off the island is the big event! Then in the falling action describe what happens afterwards. Try, by the way, to give the leader a name.

Group Four: Your climax is a part of the rising action because his problem is he crashed! When he finally escapes, that is the big event that should be the climax; the falling action should describe what happens after the rescue. You may need more than one character.

Group One: girls, the climax of the story - the big event - is the cooking competition; everything in the story leads up to this huge event, so accordingly, put your climax and part of your falling action into the rising action; the falling action should be reserved for what happens after the cooking competition. Give the small town in America a name; is this the only location for the film?

Group Five: Whitlaw Jam and Clap Clap are funny names for characters. Your plot summary needs serious work: you've given me bullet points when paragraphs are needed. I'm not sure what the purpose of all of these characters doing such disparate things is going to do to further the story when all you need, really, is Black Dog! And your climax should be the capture of Black Dog, after he does something crazy, which should be in your rising action. Please simplify your plot.

Group Nine: before you right, you need a theme, an abstract noun -- an idea - that you can provide examples of in your story, such as: revenge; jealousy; or courage. One of your characters must be a Dragonwings character. I suggest you make the big fire the climax; then for the falling action and resolution, describe what happened after the fire.

Group Ten: girls, are the characters 13 years old or is Methodist College 13 years old (which would suggest that your story takes place in 1971.) Your climax is a part of the rising action, which leads up to the fight, which should be your climax! Finding out that they aren't too mad at each other should begin the falling action, which continues with them becoming friends.

Annie and Carmel: What does Tom Jones's father do (missionary?) that requires him to go to an unnamed (name the village) in China? That's strange; I hope you can explain it. Girls, I think Moonshadow's discovery in the falling action is the climax; but it's up to you to decide which event in the story is the biggest and the most important.

Group Six: remember girls, you will be writing as the Black Dog character. Your falling action, the big fire, in fact is your climax while your current climax is a part of the rising action that builds up to the big fire; reserve the falling action for what happens after the fire. The resolution is good.

Group Eight: the rising action is where the problem develops and builds but so far, there is no problem; your climax and falling action should actually be a part of your rising action that leads to some big event, but what? Maybe the climax is the building of his school, perhaps.

Group Two: the setting is where, and when the story takes place; for your setting you gave me a quick plot summary! Will all of the 2R students be in the story? If not, make sure you give them names. By the way, how does Blackdog steal Dragonwings when it is destroyed in the book? Does the book matter in your story? It doesn't have to. And do you really think giving Black Dog the book is the most important part of the story? Well, at least include his confusion in the climax; White Cat helping him to recover can be a part of the falling action. Choose a theme!

March 14, 2008

At this point in time, we had finished creating outlines for our reports, and interviewing people for data collection. We prepared first drafts of reports for peer assessment.

Assignment
Each group should prepare one typed draft of their report; make sure you also have a copy of your outline with the topic, sub-topics and questions. You must underline the grammar items - quantifiers; comparisons; measurements; conjunctions I; and conjunctions II - when you use them.

January 26, 2008

Assignment and Feedback
The form two students have been reading Dragonwings by Laurence Yep, and as part of their introduction into the world of the protagonist Moon Shadow, they eagerly completed a language arts graffiti project in which the students became new Chinese immigrants in the early 20th century awaiting their chance to enter the land of the Golden Mountain; they were being held in a filthy warehouse under quarantine, by the order of the white demons who had unmercilessly grilled these bewildered new arrivals; but these captive Chinese people who harbored hopes and dreams of a better life could still redress their grievances - on the walls of the warehouse!

The student immigrants quickly consumed their piece of wall - a piece of butcher paper - filling it with pictures, slogans and commentary - in Chinese and English - which vividly described their traumatic experience for posterity, future generations of Chinese immigrants who will find themselves within those same calloused walls.
We posted the butcher paper outside our classroom for the entire school to see. They were provocative pieces of art, and were more shocking and disturbing given their lack of context in the hallway. Consequently, the papers were taken down and confiscated.

I'm learning. To avoid this embarrassment in the future, I'll keep the students' projects inside the classroom if, I feel, their work may be misunderstood. There is a danger in sharing if one cannot provide the full picture about what is being shared.

January 25, 2008

Assignment
You guys, unfortunately, do not have a choice. I expect the best from you since we've had lots, and lots of practice this term. You will continue to work in your groups of four from the food fair.

Watch the videos that my 2B students made last year. You will make a video in which you introduce and review a place in Yau Ma Tei to people who have never been to Yau Ma Tei before. In your video, tell us something about the history of your site, and certainly share your feelings. Tell us everything you know about the place you have chosen, and in particular, its effect on Yau Ma Tei. If you can, post the video on YouTube or Google Video (for files over 100mb) and in your blog, post your video and your script, which will count as your first composition of the year. We'll watch these videos in class and vote for the best ones when we finish our exams.

General Feedback
The content in the compositions was good. Students dropped many names and dates into their scripts. Hard facts indeed should make up a substantial portion of the information in an introductory video. What we can work on, however, are using articles before our favorite nouns - buildings; markets; offices and stations - and, to a lesser extent, utilizing the proper prepositions to express relationships between time and location.

Some students liberally showered their scripts with passive voice - great! Introducing a site is a perfect opportunity - just like the food fair - to leave out the doer and to focus instead on the receiver, the object. Students who used passive voice well were surely rewarded. I'm glad that for the most part, students seem to be getting the hang of using this style of writing.

Finally, I enjoyed scripts that employed some kind of casual exchange between narrators, either in a question and answer format (in Samuela's group) or in a relay reporting format (in Karen's group). Yentl's group which spoofed a movie, also would have provided terrific character dialog, if they managed to hand in their script, which they did not, oh well. I handsomely rewarded witty scripts.

Updates
26/1 - I'm uploading some of the videos to Google Video. Furthermore, the principal and Ms. Tang have received copies of the projects. They should view videos from groups one, two, three, four, seven and nine, I've suggested; and from those, we'll see which ones, if not all of them, we can show.

21/1 - Congratulations to those groups who snagged a bounty of marks for their Christmas homework videos. Now, for the benefit of everyone else, send me the links to your videos by copying and pasting the URL in a comment. I'll see if we can possibly show them on MCTV. Remember also to bring your scripts and biographies - preferably typed - tomorrow.

(For a sample of the videos, see http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=406600930920526811&hl=en)

2R Work Inspection

wootang01 — Fri, 23 May 2008 01:17:47 CDT

This page provides explanations for and feedback on my students' second term online assignments. They include history assignments as I teach them history. Most of the assignments include active grammar elements per individual instructions.

May 19, 2008

My 2R students to whom I teach both computer literacy and English filled in our Sichuan Earthquake wiki, with responses to a few reflective questions. (see http://mckln.pbwiki.com/earthquake) This was their assignment:

1) What did you feel during yesterday's three-minute mourning? 2) What can you do to support the earthquake victims? 3) What can you do in the future - when you are older, when you are working - to support China, to make it a better place?

For form two students, in your reflection, please include: either a "think of" or "think about" statement; a relative pronoun; a "when statement; and a "while" statement. Please underline these four grammar items.

April 30, 2008

To prepare students for their final exams, I created Web pages for them to fill in with review materials. This was their assignment:

Fill in the Dragonwings and grammar wikis. I will use the former in setting your reader paper! (see http://mckln.pbwiki.com/2Rgrammar and http://mckln.pbwiki.com/dragonwingscharacters)

While the grammar wiki became replete with grammar items and worksheets, the students unfortunately did not sufficiently build the Dragonwings wiki so their examination will not be based exclusively on the material found there.

The 1R students also established their own grammar wiki. (see http://mckln.pbwiki.com/1Rgrammar)

April 24, 2008

This was their assignment:

Please, in your blog, write the response letter to the article we read today on the reduction of class size in secondary schools in Hong Kong; then, submit the article to the South China Morning Post.

We had three students who were published in the Leaders and Letters section of the South China Morning Post.

April 18, 2008

Assignment
We will continue discussing the concepts that we developed today in class, those qualities which good inventors should possess. For homework, in your blog, review those five concepts and apply them to your life in Hong Kong; that is, does Hong Kong foster and promote those qualities that we consider paramount in order to be a good inventor? If so, where and how are they fostered; do we learn these qualities in school, in Methodist College? If you think these qualities are not fostered in Hong Kong, then do you think Hong Kong people should promote these qualities; why or why not?

8/5/08 - Samuela offered this response.
These qualities are to be imaginative, determine what society needs, breaks from the old ways and creative . I think we can learn to determine what society needs in our L.S. lesson and History lesson..We learned the mistakes from the past and we know how to avoid to do those wrong things. We also learned to be imaginative and creative in our Art lesson. We finished our art work by ourselves. There are no helpers to help us finish our work, but other lesson's work, may have. And I also learned that quality, full of imagination while I was recite something by heart. Those Chinese poem are so difficult to remember. So I use that method to help me to remember things. I think it is very useful.

April 15, 2008

Assignment
You have two assignments. The first, in your blog, is to answer the poll question: Which revolution does Hong Kong need? Choose between the American Revolution, the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, the Cultural Revolution or none at all; but make sure you defend your choice; explain your answer.

We will begin an "inventive lives" project next week which will involve a jigsaw activity of various famous inventors throughout history. To prepare for this assignment, read the textbook from pages88-106 and based on that, and your own knowledge, answer this question in your blog: what are five basic qualities that a good inventor might have?

March 28, 2008

Assignment
In your blog, answer the five guiding questions that we rendered today in class.

1. How did the colonists unite America? First the 13 colonies didn’t want to be ruled by Britain with absolute power. They were discontent with the local council. Then there was The First Continental Congress. After that the war started. After the war, in 1783, Britain signed The Treaty of Paris to recognize the independence of the 13 colonies. And the United States of America was born - Carmel.

2. How did the legislature take part in the structure of the federal government? The legislature could take part in the structure of the federal government through the Continental Congress - Nicolas.

3. How did the American revolution happen? The colonists weren’t satisfied with the rules of British, the economic policy and also the political acts. The acts stipulated the colonists should pay taxes for the army for protecting the land taken from France. The colonists think that was nonsense, so, they held the Boston Tea Party to protest against the acts. But the British Government passed the Intolerable Acts to punish the ones who took part in the event. This made the colonists even not satisfied. So they called the First Continental Congress to demand that King George III of Great Britain should end the Intolerable Acts. But the British Government refused. Finally, the colonists were really very angry and broke out the American War of Independence with the British soldiers - Jessica.

4. Why did the people in the Enlightenment object to absolute power? The people in the Enlightenment objected to absolute power because they wnated to have natural rights. They wanted fair - Dicky.

5. Explain one of the British acts that created economic discontent amongst the American colonists. One of the act was the Stamp Act, in this act, the people must pay a stamp duty from 1 cent to 50 dollars for all printed documents and this act made the colonists discontent - Nathania.

March 20, 2008

AssignmentIf you haven't done so, finish reading Number the Stars; and then, in your blog, tell me something, anything about this book that you would like to share. I will collect Number the Stars when classes resume.

March 18, 2008

Assignment
Your homework is to write at least two paragraphs describing the differences and similarities in the economic and political contexts that the 13 colonies and the Hong Kong colony faced. Put this on your blog! If you want extra credit, correctly use the grammar items - units 13 through 18 - that we have gone over this term and underline them! For your reference, I've linked this page to some more resources describing colonial life. This writing counts as a composition. It will be out of, perhaps, 20 marks just like an English composition.

General Feedback
9/4/08 - I've reviewed the assignments and have noticed an obstinate misunderstanding of the concepts; there is much confusion in differentiating between a country and a colony, and the political structures each entails. Hopefully, today's lesson, along with the following questions, has helped to clarify these misunderstandings - WD.

March 7, 2008

Assignment
In your blog, write me a paragraph about your experience today at Ocean Park; make sure to share what you enjoyed the best and, more importantly, what can be improved. There may be a next time!

March 6, 2008

Assignment
Today we reviewed the Middle Ages in reading about the life of a knight; this time, however, we incorporated a language across curriculum twist when we enumerated the process to becoming a knight, utilizing procedural words and content area vocabulary that I selected. In scrutinizing the language while reading aloud students' answers, we noticed the need to use the past tense and punctuation, and to be consistent in number (whether to keep a noun singular or plural). For homework, apply this procedural orderning technique to the American revolution: list the five steps that transformed 13 colonies into the United States of America. Put this in your exercise book (and if you want, copy it onto your blog) since we'll go over it in class next week.

March 1, 2008

Assignment
We'll continue working on our research project next week.

In your blog, list three specific questions that you didn't ask during your interviews but you want to know for your topic.
On Tuesday, bring in a resource - a book; an article; or something else - about your topic that can provide useful information; the resource doesn't have to answer your questions; it may, however, with hope, help your group members answer their questions.

February 22, 2008

Assignment
In your blog, please share your experience in interviewing a Yau Ma Tei person for your project: what happened; what did you learn; what can you do better next time? Furthermore, for extra credit, incorporate the grammar items we've been studying - measurements; comparisons; and quantifiers - into your writing. Color each instance in which you use the grammar time so I can find it easily; you will receive one extra credit mark, up to three extra marks, for successfully using a grammar item.

February 15, 2008

Assignment
We reviewed the Middle Ages and then introduced a contrasting period of time, the Renaissance. After reviewing our concepts, we broke up into groups and created concept circles for vocabulary words and ideas that we encountered in studying these periods in history. Your homework is to travel back in time to live the life of a person who lived during the Renaissance or the Middle Ages. Below are a terrific list of resources through which you can browse to learn more about the different types of characters and professions available to you. In your blog, write at least three paragraphs that share your life in that period of history. You should include these things in your biography:

Your name ( you can use your own name or create a new name for your Renaissance character)
Your birthdate (and deathdate, if you wish!)
Where you were born and where you live
Your job
What you do at your job and what you do in your daily life
Your feelings

This writing counts as a composition. It will be out of, perhaps, 20 marks just like an English composition. I recommend reading the information in the Websites; focus especially on the jobs, and the locations because they lend much useful information to include in your writing.
General Feedback

You were born; and then you will die.
Use the simple past tense when writing about what has happened before.
Try using spell check in Word or in Firefox when typing; also space properly!

Most students chose to be the typical combination of artist and writer; to have two time-consuming professions is a pretty tall order to fill, but at least you, like some of the most exceptional minds of that age, are ambitious! Some of the more creative students in the class chose to be knights, or most uniquely, a gate-keeper!

February 2, 2008

Assignment
Film or photograph yourself either reading Dragonwings or doing the Dragonwings homework. Post the photo or the video on your blog and tell me when and where it was taken. This is an accountability measure. I want to make sure you are actually doing this work over the break!

January 25, 2008

Assignment
In your history textbook, read pages 14-20. Pay careful attention to the qualities and achievements of the featured artists, two of which, Michaelangelo and Leonardo DaVinci, you should already be familiar with having browsed through their biographies in class today. In your blog, describe why these people are used as examples of Renaissance men; how are these Renaissance men different from the typical characters that we find in the Middle Ages?

January 18, 2008

Assignment One
In your blog, respond to the following:

At the age of eight, Moon Shadow is sent to live in a strange land, halfway across the world, with the father he has never met. What do you think it would feel like to abandon everything familiar for the completely unknown? Can you share a similar experience?

General Feedback
I just finished reading through your blogs. A lot of you shared experiences of being lost or of moving to a new place, or of getting accustomed to something new - these are all relevant themes that our main character, Moonshadow, has to deal with in the story. Hopefully, by drawing on your own experience, you will be able to better appreciate what our protagonist encounters in his journey.

Moreover, in your reflections, some of you made choices to stay put in safe environments, while other students, possessed perhaps by the spirit of adventure, chose to engage new worlds and experiences. We'll see if any of you change your positions by the time we finish the story.

A few of you completed neither the English assignment nor the history assignment - that's bad. For this one time only, I didn't penalize anyone if they missed one of the two assignments - I honestly only wanted something to read, anything at all. If you wrote a compelling, cogent entry, I gave you extra credit.

Assignment Two
We've talked about the distribution of power in the Middle Ages, and we've drawn some parallels to modern society in Hong Kong, though nothing is conclusive. So, in your blog, be conclusive: is our power structure fundamentally different from Medieval society; or do we still have a hierarchy, except the kings, knights and peasants now have different names? Share your thoughts, and please provide some examples. We'll read a few out loud in class next Wednesday.

1R Work Inspection Two

wootang01 — Wed, 21 May 2008 07:31:43 CDT

I shall provide a narrative of composition book writing and non-composition book, non-online writing that students have completed for the second term.

Composition Book Writing

May 5, 2008

A thinking technique that I have been utilizing frequently in class is called SCAMPER, an acronym which stands for:

Substitute
Combine
Adapt
Modify
Put to other use
Eliminate
Rearrange

It's a terrific way to stretch the mind on any topic, whether fiction or non-fiction, to foster creativity; in fact, not all elements need to be used when mulling over a text which gives this technique a robust element.

My students rewrote a newspaper article about the Olympic torch relay using the SCAMPER technique.

March 22, 2008

The penultimate creative writing assignment was my students' second draft of their short stories, which were completed during the Easter holiday; this was their assignment:

Creative WritingFinish second draft of story with 8 grammar items (underlined), specific examples of theme and a variety of past tense verbs.
The eight grammar items are:

too... statement
...enough statement
because/since/as conjunctions
however/despite/but adverbs and conjunctions
noun suffix
adjective suffix
adverb suffix
relative pronoun

This was my general feedback:

I've been marking your stories - those of you who have given me a second draft, that is; otherwise, you received a zero; there were many students, too, who failed to supply much coherent planning.

The grading is quite simple: your grammar mark depended on how many grammar items you used correctly of the eight that were required in your paper; and of course they had to be underlined; I didn't pay any attention to any other language usage in the composition, though perhaps I should have given the severe abuse of the English language in some of your stories. Some of you guys have forgotten that sentences end with periods, not commas. Moreover, many students, despite my exhortations in class, disregarded the past tense in their stories.

I awarded top content marks to those stories which had a plot that included a problem and a climax. I truly was surprised to read the number of stories about nothing: there was no problem, at least from my point of view; and the problem never reached an appropriate head where one could confidently say, "Wow, this is the most important part of the story." We had a few exemplary stories that will be shared, I think, sometime next week.

February 18, 2008

Students wrote and revised letters to their pen pals in the United States.

Non-Composition Book, Non-Online Writing Assignments

March 2008 - Creative Writing/Plot Summary (Group)/November Rain

After students finished writing this blogging assignment:

Write five paragraphs summarizing what happens in the story of Axl, Stephanie and Slash. You are not writing the scenes; simply describe what you think happens in the five stages of a plot - exposition; rising action; climax; falling action; resolution.

In your summary, please include at least one "too" statement, one contrasting ideas adverb or conjunction (but, however, despite, in spite of, although, though), and one cause/effect conjunction (because, since, as). Each time you use one of these grammar items, underline it!

This will count as a composition. The aforesaid grammar items will count towards the language component, and the rich, creative ideas and descriptions you present will be a part of your content mark, of course.

The students then began working in groups to prepare a plot summary for the November Rain/Don't Cry story. This was my group feedback: (see also http://www.editgrid.com/user/wootang01/1R_2007_Records)

Group Ten - I appreciate the excellent creative effort; it's a work of art. The grammar however, needs improvement: underline your grammar items, please; I couldn't spot your adjective and noun suffixes; furthermore, you tried using the conjunction "although" alone to connect three clauses! By the way, is Axl the best doctor in the city? 10+6

Group One - Your tombstone is a terrific, creative work of art. And your grammar, too, has impressed me; you've underlined the items and used them properly, though your "too" statement was awkward since Axl can't be too upset to kill Stephanie because he already murdered her! Nonetheless, you've done an extraordinary job; keep it up. 10+10

Group Eight - I'm a fan of the angel and rainbow motif - nice work. And now, girls, how can Axl be alive at the end of your story when he kills himself in the falling action? The rest of the summary, at least, made sense. You included some of the grammar times - thanks for highlighting them; but I didn't see a contrasting conjunction (you used "because" quite well!), and a noun suffix; moreover, the statement, "sad enough...crazy" doesn't make much sense to me. 7+6

Group Two - What with your impeccable grammar (but where is the adjective suffix?) and riveting story, you have certainly aimed to provide more substance than artistry; that's commendable. Just a suggestion: perhaps the falling action, the killing, can also be included in the climax. 10+9

Group Five - Your coffin was outstanding, and your crayoned depictions were delightful. But the grammar wasn't underlined so I didn't spot a contrasting conjunction, and neither an adjective nor noun suffix. As regards the content, there is still a bit of confusion: Stephanie hit Mary at the Rainbow bar! Guys, try using full stops, and remember, one sentence doesn't count as a paragraph! 6+6

Group Three - The musical notes are beautiful, but the story, it seems, has confused you. Stephanie slapped the other girl in the Rainbow Bar. At the wedding, Slash gave the ring to Axl, and then he went outside to play the guitar, remember? Well, I'm glad you used the grammar items (where was the noun suffix?), though they weren't underlined. 7+7

Group Four - The illustrations were hilarious and the story format was easy to read; thanks for underlining some of the grammar items but where were the rest? I didn't spot any noun or adjective suffixes. The content of the summary itself was ok, though I suggest including Stephanie's death in the climax; Slash going to jail and Axl's death would be fine for a falling action. 9+7

Group Six - Girls, including the November motif in your summary was a nice touch; and so was providing the heated dialogue between the main characters during the climax. The underlining of the grammar items helped, though you could work on keeping all of your verbs in the past tense. Your prolific use of relative pronouns should be kept up! 10+9

Group Nine - I'm impressed boys, not by your bizarre illustrations but by your use of grammar; you are the first group to successfully underline all of the grammar points - congratulations; and although not all of them work well (see your "too" and "who" statements), one in particular, the "enough" statement was bold and striking. I would recommend, however, that your falling action be split: Axl framing Slash should be a part of the climax and the process of Slash going to jail should be the falling action. 9+9

Group Seven - Well, the coffin, the colors and the bloody mountain in particular, were quite pleasing to the eye. Unfortunately, not only did you guys murder Stephanie but you also ravaged the English language. All of you should edit the work together, to make sure what you write looks and sounds like English; the "socidle" worker is nonsense - it's not even a word - yet, this worker is hired to kill Stephanie? (When does she die, by the way?) And how can she love Slash when that isn't mentioned at all in your summary? I expect better logic and more consistency in your writing. 6+6

This was my general feedback:

The content and plotting of the story summary has improved for every group; there was less confusion about characters' actions in the story and the climax indeed was the high point in the summaries, where there was much fitting murder and mayhem.

Students who didn't underline their grammar items were punished severely; I made it a point to reiterate the need to highlight these words and those groups who responded were rewarded handsomely. In general, the conjunctions and adverbs were, by far, the easiest to use naturally in the writing; the "enough" statements, surprisingly, were better constructed than the "too" statements as students, I suspect, have already forgotten the formula: too + adjective or adverb + (for + what +) to what. About half of the class used relative pronouns correctly, which means we'll have to continue to work on combining clauses together; using adjective and noun suffixes, too, will be on our agenda since there were very few instances of people using those suffixes well, if at all.

February 2008 - Creative Writing/Plot Summary/Writing a Climax/November Rain video

Before endeavoring to write a group plot summary, my students wrote a climax for the November Rain story.

January 2008 - Creative Writing/Thematic Letters/Jeremy video

I wanted to provide students with a story whose themes were different from those in the Ugly Duckling. After watching the video, my class recalled those words and images that flashed across the screen, and in our minds, and from those concepts, we derived themes from Jeremy.

To add a new twist to our thematic writing for the Jeremy video, students imagined themselves as characters in the story writing to other characters. The objective was to empathize with characters - to be in their shoes - and to write text which encompasses a theme; moreover, students had to include a specific grammar item - a "too" statement - in their writing.

The students have had much experience in writing letters and therefore were familiar with its format. However, there were language difficulties, related to parts of speech of frequently used words in this content area, which I have enumerated on my blog:

A bully is someone who bullies others; bullies bully others; those poor people are bullied. Bully is a noun and a verb; bullied is an adjective.

Revenge is a noun. People can take revenge on each other. Revenge is usually not used as a verb.

Lovelessness is more or less a pretend word, while helplessness is a word. Loneliness perhaps is a better word to use than lovelessness; they more or less mean the same thing. Lonely, loveless and helpless are adjectives, and we can use them to describe Jeremy!

I can't touch or taste loneliness, but I can certainly see examples of it in my life.

This was my feedback and reflection:

As such, the amusing yet incendiary letters that my form one students are writing after having viewed the video, Jeremy, will be kept inside the classroom for those who understand the letters' context to enjoy.

For our creative writing project, we have been discussing themes. We had just finished reading the Ugly Duckling, one of whose themes is bullying, when we tackled another story, in musical form, which also addresses this issue but in a markedly different way! Jeremy certainly responds to adversity in a manner which shocks, as his classmates unfortunately discovered at the end of the video. To capture the different, depressing thematic elements in this tale, the students imagined themselves as characters in Jeremy, writing letters to other characters in the story. The letters had to use one of Jeremy's themes.

The revenge letters were intense, and scary. I'm not sure if I could have taught this lesson in America because whereas this is an intense fantasy for my Hong Kong students, in America writing murderous prose is indeed a frightening reality.

The principal, supportive of my teaching projects, did strongly suggest that I cool the kids off when all of this exploring of literature has been completed. Tragedy in the acting world has made the recent headlines, but reading, too, involves immersing oneself in another world of which it can be difficult sometimes to find one's way out. So, my form two kids won't become too lost in the world of Dragonwings, I hope; and my form one kids won't be leading a morbid, Gothic lifestyle if I can help it.

January 2008 - Creative Writing/Discerning Themes/The Ugly Duckling Story

To introduce what a theme is, my class read a short story, "The Ugly Duckling," which provides several easily discernible themes. In class, we discussed the notion of "big ideas," those important abstract words (something you can't actually see, but you can see examples of) which cover a story like a blanket, and whose presence is defined by many examples in the story. We determined together that bullying was a theme in the Ugly Duckling, and as a class we enumerated the examples of what characters said or did in relation to bullying. For homework students, determined another theme and listed the supporting details.

Students then worked in groups to decide on a theme to present to the class. Examples include discrimination, love, and hardship. Each group made a poster detailing the theme, and its examples, as well as a conclusion, something that can be learned from this story's theme.

1R Work Inspection

wootang01 — Wed, 21 May 2008 05:08:58 CDT

This page provides explanations for and feedback on my students' ten most recent online assignments.

In addition, I will enumerate the ten most recent writing assignments on Brenda's blog. and Belo's blog. My comments on Brenda's writing can be found in the comments section of the blog. For Belo's comments, please refer to his CBox in the sidebar to the right on his blog - update: please refer to his comments section.

May 17, 2008

We SCAMPER ered through the unit nine reading passage, focusing on substitute, modify, and eliminate. And now, in your blog, rewrite one of the articles. Highlight each of the following:

too statement;
enough statement;
relative pronoun;
substitute
modify
eliminate (if possible)

May 3, 2008

Fill in the grammar wiki; credit yourself and you shall receive extra credit!

I wanted my students to begin preparing for their final exams so I created a wiki Webpage where they could explain grammar items that they've been taught this year.

Moreover, in conjunction with the 1R class visit to Fuk Lam Church on Reading Day, the students were given this assignment:

Each group must compose one reflective piece on the afternoon's event. Indeed, because the boys and girls also have English homework for which they need to add something to their learning portfolio, it would behoove them all to write a composition on their reading day experience. The discipleship leader at Fuk Lam, Joseph, would also like feedback so I will take the comments and forward it to him so we can all learn from this most blessed experience. My school's relationship with the church can only grow stronger.

This was my general feedback:

Almost half of the class wrote a reflection in their blog, and included it in their portfolio - that's good. However, that more than half of the class did not complete any required writing assignment this weekend, whether it was the Fuk Lam reflection or whether it was the article response letter, doesn't surprise me in fact, especially after digesting today's class character scandal. It is my hope that you will continue to speak with those friends whom you met on that Friday; they can assist you, in doing homework, I think! And if you want to attend the church, as many of you wrote, join on Sunday mornings at eleven, or Tuesday evenings at 7:30 to distribute food - I'll be at both!

February 22, 2008 to April 20, 2008

For several weeks, my students had been given the freedom to determine what to read, and what to write; all they had to do was document their progress in their portfolios. Students had to follow a set of constantly revised portfolio guidelines.

Students at times wrote in their blogs, while at others, they listed the texts that they were reading in their portfolio. Their original instructions were:

Put something in your portfolio; share a book, an article or free writing; you should include one new item per week; I'll inspect your portfolio every month!

Brenda's portfolio

Belo's portfolio

This was my general feedback on April 3, 2008:

I sampled half of the class, and these are my comments. I'll explain changes to the portfolio assignments next week.

General

The number of writing and reading submissions should be more balanced; and they must be written in English. Carrie balanced her portfolio well.
All books and compositions that are included in the portfolio must be finished. Drafts and chapters are unacceptable.
Work done in our class, and in other classes can be used.
Include Web links.

Reading

The reading descriptions should demonstrate some learning, rather than record banal comments such as, "wonderful!"
The links so far are interesting; students share Wikipedia knowledge; book pictures; and videos. Of course, you could always link the book you've read to Amazon.com.
You can share articles on the Internet that you have read. Erik has shared readings on Rubik's cubes.
You can also share articles from the newspaper; you do get a newspaper which is full of articles every Tuesday.

Writing

The use of Xanga is good, but Xanga lock must be disabled; and the writing must be in English.
Poetry is a nice touch. Arnold shared some of his finest lyrical words.

I discontinued the use of portfolios in May, 2008. I consider it a promising experiment which failed.

February 2, 2008

The students had the following assignment, a continuation of their creative writing, for the Lunar New Year.

Write five paragraphs summarizing what happens in the story of Axl, Stephanie and Slash. You are not writing the scenes; simply describe what you think happens in the five stages of a plot - exposition; rising action; climax; falling action; resolution.

In your summary, please include at least one "too" statement, one contrasting ideas adverb or conjunction (but, however, despite, in spite of, although, though), and one cause/effect conjunction (because, since, as). Each time you use one of these grammar items, underline it!

This will count as a composition. The aforesaid grammar items will count towards the language component, and the rich, creative ideas and descriptions you present will be a part of your content mark, of course.

This was my general feedback:

What is the most important event in the story? Obviously, for many of you, it was the murder or suicide, of Stephanie; then, why was this event placed in the falling action or the end of many of your stories? This is the high point of the story, the climax! Everything that builds towards her death should be a part of the rising action; everything that happens after the event, no matter how small, can be the falling action.

We need to use the past tense when telling stories; read your tenses when checking your work.

You guys have used adverbs and conjunctions of contrast and reason quite well. The use of "too" too was superb.

January 27, 2008

For our creative writing project, we had been discussing themes. We had just finished reading the Ugly Duckling, one of whose themes is bullying, when we tackled another story, in musical form, which also addresses this issue but in a markedly different way! Jeremy certainly responds to adversity in a manner which shocks, as his classmates unfortunately discovered at the end of the video. To capture the different, depressing thematic elements in this tale, the students imagined themselves as characters in Jeremy, writing letters to other characters in the story. The letters had to use one of Jeremy's themes. For homework, students chose a theme on which to write for their letters, as well as the characters to both write and receive the letter.

This was their actual assignment:

We'll finish the letters on Monday; remember, each letter should have a theme and a purpose; furthermore, try using the adverb "too" in your writing. This letter will count as a composition so write well - too little effort results in scores of sad faces!

A bully is someone who bullies others; bullies bully others; those poor people are bullied. Bully is a noun and a verb; bullied is an adjective.

Revenge is a noun. People can take revenge on each other. Revenge is usually not used as a verb.

Lovelessness is more or less a pretend word, while helplessness is a word. Loneliness perhaps is a better word to use than lovelessness; they more or less mean the same thing. Lonely, loveless and helpless are adjectives, and we can use them to describe Jeremy!

You will write a story soon. We will work on it together. Before you write, of course you will need to plan. So, choose a theme, any theme that you can possibly imagine. But make sure you want to write about that theme because it will become yours! As a reminder, if we haven't covered it enough already in class, a theme is an abstract (invisible) noun. It is an idea that we can't touch, but of which we can see examples. Simply write the theme of your story in your blog. This should take less than 20 minutes.

I can't touch or taste loneliness, but I can certainly see examples of it in my life.

This was my general feedback:

We're deciding on themes for our stories - and not our letters; we have finished those already. Many students chose the usual suspects - love and bullying - while others were a bit more daring in selecting a conceptual theme - jealousy; greed; and trust, for example. We'll work on the plot this week and hopefully, we'll be ready to draft a story over the holidays.

January 18, 2008

The students had the following assignment.

We've finished reading the Ugly Duckling. Now let's talk about some of the big ideas featured in the story; we've already discussed one - bullying - and know of examples in the story where characters say or do things that relate to bullying; can you think of another big idea (theme) in the story? Provide at least one example from the story of a character saying or doing something that relates to the theme. Please complete this in your blog.

In case you are still confused about what a theme is, a theme is the author's message or main point. The theme is usually an abstract noun (something you can't actually see, but you can see examples of) like "love," "jealousy" and "courage."

December 25, 2007

The students had this assignment over the Christmas break:

Flickr Assigment - (2 hours) For a little fun with morphemic analysis, you'll go around Hong Kong and find a word or phrase that isn't quite correct, that requires just a little morphemic analysis to understand; then, upload the picture to Flickr; the title of your picture should be what the word or phrase actually means; in your description, share where you found the photo; join our Flickr group; and send your photo to our group. We'll present when we start class again in January.

Summary

wootang01 — Tue, 20 May 2008 23:08:27 CDT

Professional Goals

I'm almost finished. The end is near. Now is the time to look to the future, to see what can be done more so than hope. I thank my colleagues for tolerating me, and supporting me with cogent advice. Considering their thoughts, and reflecting on my own, I have arrived at four professional goals for the coming year.

Become a grammar teacher - I want to teach grammar more systematically and comprehensively than I have this year; I think it may be time to review my TEFL notes.
Scaffold thinking skills - rather than force students to take the leap from knowledge to analysis in Bloom's taxonomy, I need to scaffold - systematically, again - these thinking skills into my curriculum. Just as my phonics was taught in a highly-organized, incremental manner, thinking too should be presented this way so that all students, not just the elites, will benefit from lessons that engage critical and creative thought.
Become a writing teacher - Not only do I desire to see students expand their cognitive capacity, but I also wish to see them express their thoughts in print, of the non-fiction type. This year I've been working on the teaching of vocabulary in the content areas; next year, I will focus on learning non-fiction writing skills and strategies that, I believe, will enable students to express their perspicacious thoughts.
Personal mastery over emotions - In my workplace, I wear my emotions on my face when they in fact belong in my pocket with the change. This is one obstruction in my life that most grievously inhibits my professional advancement. I've apologized so much this year; and I will continue to apologize until I do not need to do so anymore; but to get to that point, I'll need to decouple myself from poor past experience, negative fantasies of the worst sort. I need to see the best and the humblest in both my colleagues and me.

I'm not sure where I will be next year to strive to reach these goals; but they're set now, and I'll do my best to prepare for my future, wherever it may lie.

Main Page

wootang01 — Sun, 18 May 2008 21:49:01 CDT

Welcome to my second attempt at a teaching portfolio. The original became too cluttered to be a showcase, so I'm trying again to develop a site that highlights concisely some of the awesome things that have been going on in my classroom - enjoy!

Please navigate through this portfolio using the index on the left, or simply continue reading.

Portfolio

Summary - I discuss my teaching strengths and weaknesses, as well as goals for the coming year.
Writing - see what the students have been writing in class this year.
Reading - click to see how my students are building their comprehension of texts.
Lesson Observations - watch me in class and read what I think.
Work Inspection - review every assignment that my students have completed this year.
References - read what colleagues and supervisors have had to say about me.

Note to Educators: Wetpaint Wikis that support learning are now advertising free! Find out how to qualify by visiting http://www.wetpaint.com/category/Education--Ad-free

Tips for Building a Wiki:

Rename your home page to something more specific about your classroom
Add images and widgets (like YouTube videos and polls)
Invite other students to help! (Click on "Invite others" in the Page Toolbox)
Use person-to-person messages to stay in touch with your classmates and teacher.

Need more? Add graphics and flourishes that match your wiki design (they're free from Paint Splatters)

Content Area Reading

wootang01 — Sun, 18 May 2008 07:19:16 CDT

There is no abstract available for this page revision.