Tom Sawyer

Relief is Nigh (dot dot dot)

March 28, 2012
By
Relief is Nigh (dot dot dot)

Every year for the past three I have voted against the two-week spring break, but right now that stretch can’t be here too soon or last too long. I’m crabby and ready for a long break. And we haven’t even had any actual bad weather this year at all, like you all in South Dakota and Virginny and places like that… Speaking of… Mrs. M, have you read Downtown Owl? It’s set in a fictional NORTH Dakota town in 1984, and features a noob hs history teacher. There really isn’t much of a plot, but it’s one of those books where you don’t care because the characters are so good. Well, not necessarily “good.” You know what I mean. Is there some sort of rivalry between North and South Dakota? Just wondering… Heather, over in the comments, says I’m brave to bust out Tom Sawyer this year. More like moronical, as my brother used to say. I swear, Mark Twain’s comedy stylings fly right over about half of them, but when I act it out and explain, they’re rolling on the floor. And I know I ain’t that funny. There just isn’t the vocabulary and background knowledge any more. Everything has been

Read more »

A Flower? Phew.

March 26, 2012
By

This one is from January ’09; back in the early(ish) days of this here blog. I was just reminded today when one genius thought I was asking for a paragraph of 150 pages, instead of 150 words. “I thought that was a pretty long paragraph… I mean really.. And you’re always telling us to use paragraphs, so I thought, whoa, and then I thought, hey, and then-” We were reading Tom Sawyer then too. Yesterday, we were going over chapter three, where Tom sees Becky (“The Adored Unknown”) for the first time, and falls in love. He shows off for her and she tosses a pansy over her shoulder. They always ask why he picks it up with his foot. “Being a boy, he can’t be seen picking up a flower. So he’s trying to be all nonchalant about it” There are also always some that ask what a pansy is, even after I just get through with my previous response. This time though, a girl in my friendly class says, “Oh, now I get it. It was a pansy, like the flower. Phew. I was a little worried about this book. I kept wondering.” “Why?” “I thought it said

Read more »

Way to Ruin the Mood

March 22, 2012
By

We’re up to chapter 14 in Tom Sawyer. The boys are on the island, grooving on the freedom and nature and the tastiness of the food. I ask how many campers we have in the audience, and I get at least half. Some are very enthusiastic. “I would love to be on that island.” Then there is the 35% that didn’t read. Anyway, I’m trying to be more positive. And read more in class. Of course I try to save all the good bits for reading aloud. I skipped Tom Sawyer last year. That crew didn’t exactly have the longest attention spans in the world, so I saved myself the trouble. For some reason, I though the current bunch might be more receptive. I guess for the most part they are, but the early chapters are always a struggle. I swear the book gets more laughs when I explain/act it out than when we read Mark Twain’s actual words. It wasn’t like that when I started. They actually laughed at the sarcastic lines. Not just 5 or 6 in each class, but most of them. Back in the day, I used to be able to make a motion like I

Read more »

An Artifact

December 1, 2010
By

When I was a BTSA* mentor a few years ago, part of the assessment phase of the operation was the collection of what they call artifacts. These are pieces of evidence from the classroom for all the platitudes we spew on the forms. These would be things like quizzes and tests and project assignments, as well as student work in response to these things. I offer, for your consideration tonight, the following artifact. (You like that nod to Rod Serling?) I will withhold my comments, including my reasons for withholding my comments. However, I REALLY want to see what you have to say. REALLY. Just a bit of background: This was a test for an advanced 7th grade English class who had just finished Tom Sawyer. Seventh. Grade. They had one period in which to complete it. This is real. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Final Essay Exam Respond to ONE of the following prompts with a complete essay: 1) Reread Twain’s “Author’s Preface” and his “Conclusion.” How do these short pieces help a reader read the novel well?  How do they serve as clues that might guide a reader toward a meaningful reading of the work, guide him or her away from

Read more »

Everything I Need to Know I Learned From Tom Sawyer.

November 28, 2010
By

I was thinking of not even teaching Tom Sawyer this year. It’s not in the “approved” reading list for the state, and our district head of curriculum wants to see it gone. It’s been getting tougher every year to get the kids through it, and a growing percentage just don’t. And right now the only reason I was thinking about Tom Sawyer at all was because it’s Sunday after another long weekend, and Mark Twain’s description of Tom’s attitude on Mondays captures my current feelings perfectly: “He generally began that day with wishing he had had no intervening holiday, it made the going into captivity and fetters again so much more odious.” I had a two-day week, then a regular week, and then another two-day week. That means twelve days off out of twenty-one. I’m getting mighty lazy. I’ve spent more time working on my Christmas Parade bike float than thinking about school. But after that first quote, I got to thinking. (I know; dangerous…) Here’s Huck talking to Tom about how much he hates being rich, and wants Tom to take his share of the money, but maybe… “…gimme a ten-center sometimes — not many times becuz I don’t give

Read more »

Random Featured Post

Twits

I just read a webnews headline that read: “Twitter is the New CNN.” Where are we going, and why are we in this handbasket? If Mr. Coward were to “tweet” his way through a typical day period (which is about as likely as, oh let’s see, Hell freezing over is too cliche, how about…Bill Gates going broke.) 8:21- the homies r screaming since vp said hand over your heart 4 the pledge – oh the pain! I left the door open: some poor late kid in the hall looks alarmed 8:22- I gotta put a switch on the speaker: more drivel from some underprepared kid talking 2 close 2 the mic…sounds like the bus station back in the day 8:26- blue slip. since it doesn’t say NOW, I set it next 2 the Popple…probly forget it later 8:30- finally!! “share” time is over and we can start – don’t remind me that I told Vero she could share first tomorrow about something she will have forgotten by then if we’re lucky 8:32- checking vocab hw, 1/4 not holding…”why is my grade so low?” it ain’t rocket science people 8:38- correcting warm up…let one of them try to write on the shmartboard …you [...]

more -->


Mr. Coward has been teaching on the beautiful central coast of California since 1989.

Archives

May 2012
M T W T F S S
« Apr    
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031  

Recent Comments

Links

Privacy Policy

Tags

cartoons Charlotte Doyle Class Activities clickers CPS CTEL Flashback grammar high school idiosyncrasies irony Mailbag Me mechanics middle school teaching Monsters on Maple Street Moodle online learning oral reading Outsiders CHapter 5 Outsiders Chapter 7 RaffleKing Ray Bradbury Reading Richard Cory Seventh Grade Behavior Stories of Seventh Grade substituting Teaching Teaching Tips teaching with technology teaching with technology teaching writing Technology techology testing The Earth Men The Giver The Midwife's Apprentice The Outsiders Tips Tips for teachers Tom Sawyer Wiki Writing