I arrive to the classroom ready to see the field trip (to the farm) through a lens of metaphor. Maybe I'll think about growth and seeds and how that contrasts with the industrial method of education. Maybe I'll tweet out something about authentic learning. Maybe I'll say that the most innovative thing is the most vintage.

Then it hits me. I have an agenda. I have talking points. And I lose that the moment that we begin picking out Swiss Chard (which, being Swiss, must mean it's neutral). The boys in my group pepper me with questions and I ask them a few of my own.

We laugh. We learn. We stop speaking entirely and lose ourselves in the dirt and the plants and the connection to the land. Even now, alone with my thoughts, I'm still not thinking about an agenda. I'm just trying to find the best turnip available.

Toward the end of the field trip, a boy in my group turns to Micah and points to his bag of vegetables, "What are we supposed to do with those?"

"I think we'll mash the turnips up like mash potatoes and we'll use the lettuce for a salad," Micah responds.

"But it's dirty," the boy says.

"That's why you wash it."

"But bugs have pooped on it," he says.

"Bugs probably poop in the popsicle sticks before they make popsicles," Micah responds.

And it is in this moment that I realize how badly our schools need gardens. Perhaps as much as we need iPad carts.

Note: I see the inherent contradiction. I'm taking a photo of my son using my iPod Touch, filtering it through Instagram and then writing a post on Blogger, that I will likely post to Google Plus, Twitter and Facebook. It's why I used the term "as much" rather than "more than." I don't hate devices. I just think our hands should touch the dirt as often as they touch a screen.

Idea
Invent a transportation system. It can be realistic (a subway, a bike service, etc.) or it can be fantastical (a flying boat, an underwater train, a pegasus-rental service)

Format 
You will do this on Google Drive, either as a presentation or a document.

Grouping 
Either work by yourself or with a partner.

Components
You must include:

1. A one-paragraph description of what is and how it works.
2. A one-paragraph testimonial from someone who rides it. Include all the reasons why it is a great transportation system. 
3. An advertisement for it (using Pixlr.com) Bonus challenge - create a logo for it. 
4. A description of the price (how much it costs per mile). Bonus challenge - add a graph showing how much it costs per mile. 
5. Draw a map showing the routes that are available for this transportation system. 

Bonus:

• Draw a picture of what it looks like in action
• Draw a diagram of how the transportation device works
• Create a website for your transportation system
• Create a radio advertisement for it

STEM

The expression for this graph is ______________. I know this, because y is _____ when x is zero. 

Also, if I plug in (equation) with the number 2, I will get __________. That proves that my equation is _______. I know that this is a linear expression, because __________. 

EXAMPLE

The expression for my graph is y=5x+12. I know this, because y is 12 when x is zero. Also, if I plug in y=5x+12 with the number two, I get 22 (five times two is ten, plus twelve is twenty-two). That proves that my equation is y=5x+12. I now that this is a linear expression, because it is a line.

Romulus

Once when our mother called,
She had a voice of last year's cough.
We passed around the phone,
Sharing a word about Oregon.
When my turn came, I was ashamed.
When my turn came, I was ashamed.

Once when we moved away,
She came to Romulus for a day.
Her Chevrolet broke down.
We prayed it'd never be fixed or found.
We touched her hair, we touched her hair.
We touched her hair, we touched her hair.

When she had her last child, Once when she had some boyfriends, some wild.
She moved away quite far.
Our grandpa bought us a new VCR.
We watched it all night, but grew up in spite of it.
We watched it all night, but grew up in spite of it.

We saw her once last fall.
Our grandpa died in a hospital gown.
She didn't seem to care.
She smoked in her room and colored her hair.

I was ashamed, I was ashamed of her
I was ashamed, I was ashamed of her
I was ashamed, I was ashamed of her
I was ashamed, I was ashamed of her

Directions:
1. Find any elements you can and leave a comment describing what they are (repetition, rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, metaphor, etc.)
2. Write a blog post reflecting on this poem. You can either write about how this connects to your life or how the author feels about his mother.

DIRECTIONS

Working in pairs or in groups, please go to “ten reasons why children should not be on facebook” and highlight and paste it into a Google Document on Google Drive. Then, share it with your partner or partners. For each point the author makes (ten reasons), leave a comment on whether you agree or disagree with it by clicking insert and comment. Every group member needs to leave a comment.

BONUS:
1. Insert a comment on any persuasive strategies
2. Insert a comment on any word that you defined with affixes (prefixes or suffixes) or context clues.

DUE 1:40

Basic Idea:
You are designing a product for the year 2012.

Audience: 
Anyone online who looks at it. You will also present it to the class itself.

Components:
You will design a website on sites.google.com for the your product. Your website should have the following:

• Home Page
• Advertisements: You must use at least four different persuasive strategies (transfer, peer pressure, bandwagon, loaded words, repetition, testimonial) and 
• Audio advertisement that a person might hear on the radio
• Visual advertisement
• Written advertisement convincing someone on the site to buy it
• Video advertisement (done on Monday)
• What it is and how it work with a picture of the product 
• Where to buy it

Criteria:

1. Creative and visually-appealing
2. Convincing
3. Use the persuasive strategies effectively