Hey Hobbit fans, have you ever wanted to visit Middle Earth?

Just in case J.R.R. Tolkien fans didn’t have enough material to satiate their geekiness with three Lord of the Rings films, three (in progress) Hobbit films, books, gear, fan fiction, etc., they can now explore Middle-Earth through Google.(click on link)

Tolkien himself included painstakingly detailed hand-drawn maps in the print editions of his works. This new Google endeavor is an interactive version of those maps and provides a guided tour of Middle-earth and all the elves, hobbits and other creatures that inhabit it.
(courtesy of TIME.com)

Visit the site and comment below on your favorite creature from The Hobbit.
And if you haven't seen the intense trailer for the new Hobbit movie, here it is. Don't forget you can read the book too - I have it in my classroom!

To Put you in the Festive Spirit

I wish you a doggone good holiday season. I hope this video will help put you in the festive spirit.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We've been working hard on creating persuasive vlogs recently. What can we learn from Kid President on persuasive technique? Simplicity of ideas, facial expressions, jump cuts to separate ideas - what else? Happy Thanksgiving, 7B. I want you to know that, you're so awesome I named my dog after you. Go out and be kind to everyone and see how you can change someone's day/week/year with your smile. :)

Are there any things which should be added to the list? What do YOU think we should be saying more often?

The Power of Persuasion

We've been talking a lot about persuasive techniques in argument writing these days.  We have been analyzing videos and articles to find Ethos (credibility), Logos (facts, statistics, expert quotes), and Pathos (emotional appeal).

I just came across this article on "20 Reasons You Need a Dog in Your Life". My daughters and I really want to get a dog but my husband doesn't want one. Do you think we could persuade him with this article? What technique is strongest in the article, in your opinion, and why?
 Ethos (credibility), Logos (facts, statistics, expert quotes), and Pathos (emotional appeal)

If You Loved DIVERGENT...

If you read the Divergent series and loved it, here is some more inspiration for you. Has anyone read a book on this list? If you think we would like it, tell us in the comments below!

Book Review - Out of the Easy, by Ruta Sepetys

Out of the Easy podcast

Hmmmm, what's wrong with this poster?

I saw this poster in the IS hallway a couple of weeks ago. I was alarmed, to say the least. I hope this student ends up in my class so we can get a few things sorted. What do you think needs my attention most: spelling or design?