Pre-AP: And Then There Were None Projects

https://docs.google.com/a/conroeisd.net/presentation/d/1d9U0KQ2yhyHAt5E7OD6Iry_X1vCRiHyyFbmwBb3_no0/edit#slide=id.p

ATTWN Prezi - Sophia Harrison


ATTWN Prezi - Lindsie Garlock


ATTWN Prezi - Mary Roccaforte

Pre-AP And Then There Were None Project Guidelines/Rubric

“And Then There Were None” Project

**** See actual attachment on class calendar!*****

 Project is due December 15th.

You may choose one of the three projects listed below:

 Create your own Clue Game relating it to “And Then There Were None”

 Create a movie poster

 Create an ABC book

Clue Game

Create a clue game that relates to “And Then There Were None”. You will be required to   have players/characters, weapons, and places/settings. You will need to have at least 6 characters, 4 weapons, and 5 places. You will also need to include directions on how to play your game. Use a poster board, card stock, or something creative to make your playing board. You will be graded on creativity and neatness. WE MUST BE ABLE TO PLAY THE GAME!!  **There will be a prize for the best game**

--Characters

- At least 6 players

- A card for each player

-  Cards should have picture and name of the player 

--Weapons

-  At least 4 weapons

-  A card for each weapon

-  Cards should have picture and name of the weapon

-  Must be weapons from the novel

--Places

-  At least 5 places

-  Places must be drawn or printed out and attached to the playing board

-  Must be labeled on the board

-  Must be places where the characters got murdered in the novel

Movie Poster or Movie Trailer

Movie Poster- Create a movie poster that illustrates a theme in the book and have quotes on the poster that supports the theme you have chosen. It should be in color and the size of a full piece of paper.

Movie Trailer- Create a movie trailer that portrays the events in the book. You can use any applicable technology source available to help you with this. The trailer should be at least 1 minute long.

ABC Book

Create an ABC Book relating to the novel. Each letter of the alphabet should have its’ own page and word that starts with that letter and connects with something in the novel. There should also be an illustration to go along with each letter. It will need to bound together as a booklet in some type of way. You will need a cover page with a clever title for your book.

Tell Tale Heart Student Projects- Click on link to view

The above video was created by Krisalyn Ramos with the following explanation:

Sleeping is when you are most vulnerable. When the old man is curled up inside of his bed sheets with some comfy pillows at his head, totally unaware of his surroundings, is when he should be more observant. Every night when he goes to bed, a patient and menacing man watches him. The insane man will ever so slightly open up the lantern once in a while, showing light upon the sleep of the old man. As each day passes, he'd grow more and more impatient, needing to get rid of the man with the frightening blue eye. And that's exactly what he does on the eighth night— his lantern shatters on the floor beneath him and he loses complete control, killing the old man ruthlessly. In this video, I added quotes from the text that symbolized how truly insane the man was. The creepy music helped add the horror to the video, which almost makes up the gory and detailed text of the story. The clip of the moon symbolizes the night, which is when the the spying occurs. The heartbeat monitor symbolizes how he is haunted by the heartbeat of the old man, and his want to kill him. The shadow of the man slowly reaching out his hand to the doorknob symbolizes how he was always careful and patient when it came to spying. The clip of the creepy man symbolizes how menacing and insane he really was, despite his need to come off as innocent to the old man. The shadow of him walking down the hallway symbolizes him coming after the eye. The blue eye symbolizes the chilling feeling that the man was feeling and how it drove him insane. The lantern symbolizes how every night, he would slowly open the lantern ever so slightly, showing a little bit of light. The lightning symbolizes the eighth night, and the horrible tragedy that took place. The shattering of the glass symbolizes how the lamp shattered beneath his feet and he killed the man. Lastly, the heart beat monitor at the end symbolizes the old man's heartbeat— dead, and gone.

 

Sophie Harrison- Prezi

Stephen King-Prezi

David Phillippi-Toondoo

Ashlyn Conti Prezi

Matthew Maddux Animoto 

Mentor Text Story to Tell Tale Heart by Autumn Canny (Not on a link):

Tick tock, the soft clicks of the seconds passing hummed in my ears. I sat there, my knees aching from having been in this position for what seemed like an eternity. Ever so slowly, I had been opening the door to an occupied bedchamber, and up to this moment it had only been to plot the disguise of the present tenant, that is until the thought struck me. If I don’t kill this… THING… Now, she may as well be a loose murderer, planning for her first crime! Now, I know that this sounds insane, how can a person be accused of being a murderer if they haven’t even committed a crime yet, so allow me to enlighten you. This thing that occupied the bed chamber wasn’t a person, but a foreign being, devoid of any morals. It was disguised as a lovely young woman, but I knew that this was just one of “her” many traps. The creature had chosen this disguise for what purpose other than to try and twist the mind into thinking that it was a harmless and innocent human, but I saw the truth in her lies. Once I realized this, nothing could hinder me from ridding the world of her chthonic presence.

    For the past hour I had been slowly, ever so slowly, opening the door to her room. I was in no rush, for I knew that one sound would foil my plans. The seconds passed on like hours, and minutes like days, but eventually the door was opened wide enough so that I could slip through and step into the room soundlessly. Concealed by the dark of night, I began to creep up to her bed side, mimicking the monsters that played in little children's minds. Alas, all the preparation in the world couldn’t have readied me for the moment when the floorboards decided to creak. As if a great crash had happened, the being jolted up in her bed and demanded to know who was there. This event however, didn’t stop spook me from finishing my destiny. Although I felt lighter than the air around me, I forced my feet onto the ground and focused on the task at hand. Skillfully, I maneuvered my way to the bed and readied myself to engender her demise. From my position, I could hear her rapid breathing, and I smiled. The feeling of accomplishment you get from knowing that you have struck complete and utter terror in someone is so inexplicable that I had to just soak in a few seconds of the sound and imagine what her face must have looked like. How pale she must have been, aware and yet unaware of my presence being so close to her person. Suddenly, the girl screamed, a shrill and strident sound that only a ladyl could have achieved. Startled, I leaped onto her and stifled the sound with my hands. The only thing I could do know was carry out with the job. Frantically, I pressed against her face with my palm, allowing asphyxiation to do the light work for me. Then, I carried her corpse into the cellar, where a stale grave that had been made ready for this thing and this thing alone waited. Once placed in her final resting place, I covered her in dirt, and then slate rocks, almost identical to the ones that were lining the other parts of the cold cellar floor. Satisfied that only my eye could catch the seam, I went upstairs and began to clean up.

    “Hello?” A loud series of knocks and a bassey voice resonated from the entrance of the house. Confidently, I strode up to the door and opened it wide,

    “Why hello!” I cheerily smiled at a man in uniform, his brow drawn in concern,

    “Where is the Mistress that lives here?”

    “Oh, she has gone to attend business elsewhere this evening, so I am the only one home. Why don’t you come in, and have a warm cup of tea?” Now I was just testing how good of a mastermind I was. Could I really get this by the police? The officer kindly accepted my offer, and walked into the house. I showed him to the kitchen, and began filling the kettle.

    “Are you sure you are alone? I was making my rounds, when a concerned neighbor stopped me and told me about a shrill noise she heard.” I smiled,

    “Probably the cat,” we didn’t own a cat, but whatever, “if you insist, though, why not take a sweep of the house.” The officer gave me a curt nod and was off. By the time he had finished combing over the entire place, I had brewed some tea, and filled two cups with the steamy brew. When he walked into the kitchen once again, I simply asked,

    “Satisfied?” He nodded and took the tea. I watched as he added sugar and milk into his cup, before he even spoke another word.

    “I know what you did.” I paused,

    “Excuse me?” The officer tilted his head,

    “I said, ‘this is splendid!’” I chuckled nervously,

    “Oh, thank you.” My nerves were attempting to make a debut, but I forcefully calmed them.

    “You murdered her.” He murmured.

    “What?” Panic rose in my voice.

    “Are you married to her?” He spoke the words more drawn out as though I were stupid and or a small child. “Are you ok?” I nodded,

    “Fine, just fine.” Another moment passed, and the officer spoke again,

    “You’re a killer.” I almost choked on my tea,

    “Stop!” He looked at me,

    “Stop what? I’m only trying to make conversation.”

    “Oh, don’t act so innocent! You know perfectly well what you’re doing!” My voice began rising in volume and pitch as I grew more hysterical.

    “Sir, calm-”
    “SIR?! Don’t tell me to calm down! Stop accusing me of such a ghastly crime! You know I murdered her! Just say it already!” The officer’s expression grew dark as I screeched these words,

    “You killed her?” I fell to my knees,

    “Forgive me! I know I have sinned!” These were my last words that I spoke, for afterwards I wasn’t a man anymore, but a shell of a man with diseased mind and a guilt ridden conscience.

The 3 scary short stories: Test will be on Thursday, November 13th.

The Landlady:

https://thevirtualneal.wikispaces.com/file/view/Landlady.pdf

The Monkey's Paw:

http://americanliterature.com/author/w-w-jacobs/short-story/the-monkeys-paw

The Tell Tale Heart:
Page 294 of your literature textbook

Red Ribbon Week Fun!

Believe, achieve, succeed-drug free!!!

We were twinning! 

The Speckled Band

Here is the link to the video of The Speckled Band. Enjoy!!:)  It is also on page 120 in your textbook! Make sure you study for your test!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbGQSFbwB9o&feature=youtu.be

Happy Fall!!!

The cooler days and evenings put us in that Fall mood. While I was rummaging through my student teaching resources, I came across this wonderful poem that I thought I would share…Happy Fall!

 

October’s Party
George Cooper

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came-
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.

The Chestnuts came in yellow,
The Oaks in crimson dressed;
The lovely Misses Maple
In scarlet looked their best;
All balanced to their partners,
And gaily fluttered by;
The sight was like a rainbow
New fallen from the sky.

Then, in the rustic hollow,
At hide-and-seek they played,
The party closed at sundown,
And everybody stayed.
Professor Wind played louder;
They flew along the ground;
And then the party ended
In jolly “hands around.”

 

Listen to it….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktZ2xpsU9Bk

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

We are half-way through October, and I am shocked at the speed the year is flying! The kids have been doing such a great job in and out of the classroom. The students will have early release this Friday at 12:50 since it is the LAST day of the first 9 weeks. WE MADE IT! I will be better at blogging next nine weeks. We all know how the beginning of the year goes getting to know each other, etc. 

Pre-AP: Next nine weeks we will be reading And Then There Were None by Agatha Christi.

Student Council: We have a meeting on November 5th, Wednesday before and after school. Please attend ONE of the meetings.
-Check the Bulletin Board for updates and committee meetings
-If you want your name on the back of your shirt it will $5.00. Please bring your money to the front office and then bring me your receipt and the name you want printed on your shirt on or before Monday, October 27th.
-We will also be working the basketball concession stands. If you are interested in helping please come see me. 

Plot Development Elements

Click on the following link to view the Plot Development Song:      Elements of Plot Song

Welcome Parents and Students!

***Please fill out this parent contact form

Reminders to keep in mind:

Check parent/student access often to set goals, & assess progress.

* Z = uncompleted assignments you are responsible for 

* X = assignments that you are not responsible to make-up. 

This sends a message to you and home that you are or you are not doing your part.  If you start to fall behind, ask for help ASAP!
 

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Hey, I just met you,

and this is crazy

but I'm your teacher

let's learn stuff daily! :)

A Summer to Remember

Over the summer, I backpacked Europe for 3 weeks. One day after I finished teaching summer school, I jumped on my flight from IAH to LHR. Eleven hours later, the plane finally touched down at the London Heathrow Airport, and I was awoken with the crisp chilly air of England (the wise old Grandfather to America). The onset of fear and the reality of being there sent chills down my body. ”How am I so lucky to be one of the millions of tourists from around the globe that are able visit the beautiful and history filled country of Europe?” I thought, in attempt to calm myself. Then the fast and furious experience began from the London Eye, the breathtaking walk across the Thanes River bridge past Big Ben, taking pictures with the Bobby’s (cops) and the Nutcrackers (guards at the London Tower), visiting the Tower of Torture at the London Tower which is now the White Tower, the Crown Jewels, House of Mews, Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace, the incredible experience of sitting in on the parliament meeting at The House of Commons, touring the unbelievable architecture, structures, paintings, stunning beauty and filling my brain with ample amounts of knowledge at the Westminster Abbey and other museums in London to traveling under the English Channel to Paris in the Eurostar train. Pah-ree was one of my favorite stops during the trip. I arrived at the Paris Nord Station and got my ticket to St. Michaels and Notre Dame. The architecture is stunning to say the least. There are not any words that could begin to explain it’s magnificence. From there, I hopped onto the underground to the one and only Tour Eiffel of course. I almost wasn’t able to get into the eiffel tower because of my backpack. That’s a whole other story though. Lines, lines, lines, and more lines! After about 4 hours of waiting, I finally was able to purchase my ticket, change levels all the way up, and make it to the summit of the Eiffel Tower! The bird’s eye view of Paris was phenomenal, there was so much concrete and architecture everywhere. The city is just swimming with history. There had to be at least a million rivets holding the tower together. I don’t know how anyone could have built such a structure. It was built in the 1800′s and was used in WWII with a beacon on the top. It was also the first wireless communication (telegram) between Paris and Athens I believe. Thomas Edison was also honored there too. The crepes and waffles in Paris and Europe in general are the best I have ever had. It definitely gave me a whole new appreciation of being a foodie and different cuisines, cultures, and traditions. The next day in Paris was by far one to never forget with the unforgettable first hand view of the beautiful 700 room Palace of Versailles which is said to be as large as the entire city of Manhattan in New York. Every room/structure/mural/wall/ceiling  was remarkable. The tour guide said that Louis 16 was beheaded because he used all of the people’s money to build this extravagant castle. I believe this is part of what started the French Revolution. Everything in the palace (including the entrance gate, fence, and stairwells) are gold plated. Chandeliers fly around the Palace like butterflies at the butterfly exhibit at Moody Gardens. I then took the train ride to the parks and gardens of Versailles and got off at another Palace in Versailles. This one seemed to be a recreation palace for the King/Queen where they would play pool, read at the library, have tea, etc… MUST BE NICE! I really can not even imagine having this kind of lifestyle and I have a pretty wild imagination.  I then went out to the HUGE reflecting pool (which was the size of 20 normal house sized pools easy).  So The Palace of Versailles in itself took an entire day to tour as you can imagine. There are a lot of protesters and employees on strike whom were making it well known in Paris. At one point in the train station, the protesters were throwing torn up pieces of newspapers and magazines everywhere in the train station while yelling on a microphone in French language in which I couldn’t understand what they were saying unfortunately. It was unlike anything I would have ever experienced in America. I constantly wondered in fascination about the convenient and well organized mass transit systems everywhere. How were the underground trains and tunnels built and how do they work? Just mind-blowing.  I also did not see many Wal Marts, Targets, and chain places anywhere which was quite refreshing!  From Paris, I took the train  to Amsterdam which is absolutely the cleanest and most beautiful capital city I have ever seen. The lush greenery, canals, and flowers swarmed the city in color of magnificent beauty. The Anne Frank Huis was definitely worth the 5 hour wait in the cold rain. Luckily I was able to get back to central station and buy a sweater before I went to the Rijks Museum. My head was overwhelmed with knowledge and I still had 11 days to go at this point! I  then jumped on a plane to Venice, then to Rome, and finally another short plane ride to Spain.

This experience did more than strengthen and provide me with the highest level of knowledge. It opened my eyes to first hand communication barriers, gave me insight and appreciation of open minded people, the ability to live and see new cultures and traditions, to see what it truly means to help others in need and to be the one in need as I stood there time after time staring at what looked to be a map of spaghetti (metro train maps) not knowing where I was much less where I was going or how to get there, the true importance of slowing down to smell the roses, what it really feels like to be mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted, the humbling realization of my deepest flaws and weaknesses (patience). One would most likely argue that you could spend 10 years exploring Europe and still not be able to see it all. You name it, they have it! That is the splendor of this country, with its ample world heritage sites, mountains, lakes, beaches, cuisine, museums, scenery, beautiful cities, fashions, and the list goes on. I have to say they are all a must see if you are able, but Rome is probably the most educational must see with it’s rich cultural heritage, The coliseum, St. Angelo’s Castle. Fontana di Trevi (which was being repaired while I was touring, but I threw my coins into the water barren concrete hole anyways – hoping that doesn’t have a reverse effect of the common known good luck superstition. It was greatly disappointing to find a basin empty of water when I arrived. Some other sites I went to and recommend while I was in Rome are The Pantheon and The Vatican which were also mind blowing, of course. I could spend days and write hundreds of pages explaining the details, triumphs, and tribulations of my trip, but we all know that ”nobody has time for that.” 

In conclusion, I have to admit that it was when I backpacked Europe alone that I realized just how small I am in this huge world. The humbling experience brought tears to my eyes daily. I strongly encourage my colleagues, friends, and students to persevere, don’t give up, and follow your dreams.