In the messenger program on infinite campus, you need to include your name and email in the body of the message. The email has a standard address, so you will not be able to tell who the email is from. It is also good to include your name and the school in the subject. Parents have been calling the front office questioning who these emails are from. Also, create and save templates in the messenger so that you can reuse tehm. If you use the failing grades notice template, then that is what is in the subject line. If you create a new template called "Superior Work Notice," your parents will not get a heart attack. Be sure to test before you send, especially if you are copying and pasting, to make sure that it is not giving strange characters for the formatting. Beta Program on gradebook will be up and running sometime around mid-month. It will happen soon after the update takes over. There will be two gradebook links under your instruction tab in gradebook. One will be marked Beta. You will be able to use either one. Both will store data, so if you want to experiment you can. If you do not want to use it, you do not have to. On the teacher web pages, there is clip art available. While working on your web pages, put the cursor (sp?) where you want it, and then hit the bottom right button in the manager, preview and insert the clip art. Notice when you are working on your web pages and you are on the design page, there is a "History" link you can click on right next to the "Edit" link. You can recover any different version you have saved in the past. Very handy if you want to have your web page build over the year. You can make the different versions live as you progress through the year.

For Administration

Be prepared at a moments notice to do a think pair share. Do this regularly so the students are used to it. Right from day one. When you are discussing the first reading, pull this out. "OK, now what did you think of what Jessica was just saying Jeff?" While they are doing that, prepare to regroup everyone.

Giver Museum Box

This is a great idea. http://casassaclassroom.blogspot.com/2012_04_01_archive.html

Winning Videos ISS

All others.

Noooooo!

American-Born Chinese

Paperback, 240 pages GN 530L

I blame my recent obsession with graphic novels on the Text Messages podcast I listened to this summer that discussed the popular graphic novels and their draw to teens. I have one student in my class who is currently reading American-Born Chinese, and having just finished it, I’m rather happy about this fact. Hopefully, he can identify with the idea that everyone, really, is trying to figure out who they are, and find a place to fit in whatever social/cultural circle(s) they choose to run in.

American-Born Chinese is told in the form of three parallel stories: the story of Jin Wang, a middle school student who has just moved to a place where no one looks like him; the story of the Monkey King who lets his pride stand in the way of understanding what it really means to be a diety; and the story of Chin Kee, a caricature of the Chinese stereotype in America. These three stories come together, and each of the main characters understands what it means to have a place in America.

I do have to point out one funny bit before I sign off. Do you remember William Hung of American Idol fame? American-Born Chinese wouldn’t be complete if Chin Kee didn’t make fun of him, too. As much as I’d love to show you an image of that particular page, I’m not going to. If you’re really interested, you can see it for yourself. What I will leave you with, however, is a video of Gene Luen Yang talking about his graphic novel. Enjoy.

Gene Luen Yang talks about American-Born Chinese

Hell Yeah