Assignment 13: When I Grow Up

Due: 5/1 @ midnight

Length: 500 words

In a blog post, write about what you want to be when you grow up. Describe the job you want and why you want it. What are the requirements to obtain that job? How much money does someone in that line of work make? Do you have to have a college degree? Do you have to live in a big city or a rural or desolate area? What sacrifices would someone in this field have to make? Would you be willing to sacrifice happiness for money or would you be willing to sacrifice money for happiness? You may need to research several different jobs before you find the one that you think is right for you. Take this aptitude test to help you find some careers in the area that appeals most to you: https://www.whatcareerisrightforme.com/career-aptitude-test.php. Include the results of your aptitude test in your writing.

Happy Blogging!

Mr.Mein

Assignment #12: Learn Something

Due: 4/24 @ Midnight

Two Parts: Summary: 200 words; Reflection: 200 words

Being a life-long learner is an important goal to strive for. It's vital that we constantly learn new things by reading, researching, listening, and discussing various topics. We all have those wonders- Why is blue blue? What causes a tornado? Why is dry ice called "dry ice?"

Your assignment this week is to research the website, Wonderopolis (http://www.wonderopolis.org). I would like for you to find a topic that piques your interest. Closely read the article.

You will separate your blog post into two sections. In the first section, you will give a summary of the article that you read. This should be written in third person. In the second section, you will reflect on the article, giving a narrative as to how this applies to you, thoughts that it provoked, and what you learned. Each section should be a minimum of 200 words (400 words total).

Do yourselves a favor and read more than one article- they are all pretty short.

Happy Blogging,

Assignment #11: Kidd Kraddick Summer Camp Contest

Due: 4/17 @ Midnight

Length: 100 words

The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show is holding a writing contest to send kids to camp- any camp. Do some research on the camp you would like to attend. Then write, in 100 words about the camp and why you would like to attend. Also include any information that makes you deserving of winning a week at camp. They only cover the tuition of the camp, so you would be responsible for the travel arrangements, so I would consider the camps in the surrounding area.

Happy blogging,

Assignment #10: Opinion- Should High School Last Six Years?

Due: 4/10 @ Midnight

Length: 500 words

Additional Criteria: 3 quotations from selected article

President Obama recently visited a six-year high school in Brooklyn, NY, highlighting it as a model for American education. Should high school last six years instead of four? Visit this website and read from the conflicting opinions (there are six of them). Find one that you agree with, and write your argument supporting or opposing a six-year high school. You need to use three quotes from the supporting opinion you choose. Make sure you follow our quotation writing rules when quoting the supporting article. This should be no less than 500 words. Rather than focusing on the word count, think aloud as to what your argument would be, how it is supported by the article you select, and type what you say. This is called voice and adds great value to your writing.

Happy Blogging,

Assignment 9: What Change do You Want to Make in the World?
Due: 3/11 (Before I leave for Spring Break)
400 words

Write about what you would like to do with your life. What change do you want to make in this world? What do you want your legacy to be? What footprint do you want to leave behind? How do you intend to do so?

Happy Blogging,
Mr. Mein

Assignment #8: What Makes You Unique?
Due: 12/13 @ midnight
300 words

Each one of you is unique. What qualities make you different from the other students around you? What makes you who you are?

Happy Blogging,

Assignment #7: Whatever

Due: 12/6 @ Midnight

Length: Whatever

The idea of a blog is to write about what interests you. You have the freedom to write about whatever you want this week. There is no minimum, but there is a due date- as always, Sunday at midnight. The only thing I would like added to this week's post is a one to two sentence description of what you intend to learn this grading period through our learning journal project.

Happy Blogging,

Assignment #6: Chronicles of Harris Burdick

Due: 10/30

Length: 800 words

Harris Burdick was an author who walked into a publishing company with a handful of illustrations accompanied with a quote and a title for each illustration. Harris told the publisher he had a story to go along with each illustration. The publisher said he was interested and wanted to read the manuscripts. Burdick left the illustrations, left the office, and was never heard from again. Years later, the publisher, having held on to the illustrations, gave them to an author. For the full story, you can watch the YouTube video above. Your task is to write a story that goes along with ONE of the illustrations of Harris Burdick. You can search for the the 15 illustrations of Harris Burdick to decide which story you would like to tell. You MUST use the caption provided in your story. This is a fun exercise surrounding Halloween as many of the illustrations have a dark connotation (hopefully you all know this word well by now... you better!).

Happy Blogging,

Assignment #5: Rant
Due: 10/4 @ Midnight
Length: 300 words
We all have things that drive us crazy. I want you to focus on one, very specific thing that drives you crazy- not several things that drive you crazy, just ONE. Write a posting identifying the one thing that drives you crazy, why it drives you crazy, and if there is any way to solve the problem that drives you crazy. A rant can be embellished to extremes. Feel free to stretch how crazy this one thing makes you. You owe me 300 words. This will be the first blog for the new grading period.

Happy Blogging,

Assignment #4: One Word Summary (Horizons ONLY)

Due: 9/27 @ Midnight

Length: 10 reasons

It's difficult to sum up a period of time in less than a paragraph. Often, wordiness has a tendency to drown out the true meaning being conveyed in a piece of writing. Your assignment this week is to think of ONE WORD that describes the first five weeks of school (from beginning of the year to now). Think of a theme for your year so far. That one word should be at the top of your submission. After you have come up with your one word, you will give ten reasons, in bullet format, why that word describes your year thus far. My example can be found above. Remember, you are Horizons students, and all work submitted should be Horizons-level work.

Happy Blogging,

Assignment #3: Blah Days
Due: 9/20 @ Midnight
Length: 250 words
We all have blah days- days when nothing goes the way we wanted or planned, and everything goes completely wrong. We have to be able to rebound from those "blah" days to have great, "YEAH" days. Write about a time you were having a blah day and turned it around to be a YEAH day. If you need to, you can embellish or stretch the truth.

Happy Blogging,

Assignment #2: How-to... (Horizons ONLY)

Due: 9/13 @ Midnight (Sunday night @ midnight)
Length: 10 steps
In a blog post, give step-by-step directions to show how to do something. It can be anything that requires ten or more steps.
That's it- 10 steps, 10 descriptive steps in complete sentences.

Happy Blogging,

Assignment #1: What is Amazing?
Due: 9/6 @ Midnight (Sunday night @ midnight)
Length: 150 words, minimum
In an online submission, answer the question, "What is Amazing?" What does it look like, feel like, taste like? In your writing, make sure that you follow the writing rules that have been covered.

Happy Blogging,

4th Six Weeks Blog Menu

Each entry should be no less than 250 words. Blogs are scored on their merit/completion. Maximum point value is 100 points per blog.

Assignment #5: Chronicles of Harris Burdick

Due: 10/31

Length: 800 words

Harris Burdick was an author who walked into a publishing company with a handful of illustrations accompanied with a quote and a title for each illustration. Harris told the publisher he had a story to go along with each illustration. The publisher said he was interested and wanted to read the manuscripts. Burdick left the illustrations, left the office, and was never heard from again. Years later, the publisher, having held on to the illustrations, gave them to an author. For the full story, you can watch the YouTube video above. Your task is to write a story that goes along with ONE of the illustrations of Harris Burdick. You can search for the the 14 illustrations of Harris Burdick to decide which story you would like to tell. You MUST use the caption provided in your story. This is a fun exercise surrounding Halloween as many of the illustrations have a dark connotation (hopefully you all know this word well by now... you better!).

Happy Blogging,

Assignment #4: One Word Summary

Due: 9/28 @ Midnight

Length: 10 reasons

It's difficult to sum up a period of time in less than a paragraph. Often, wordiness has a tendency to drown out the true meaning being conveyed in a piece of writing. Your assignment this week is to think of ONE WORD that describes the first 5 weeks of school (from beginning of the year to now). Think of a theme for your year so far. That one word will be the title of your blog post this week. After you have come up with your one word, you will give ten reasons, in bullet format, why that word describes your year thus far.

Happy Blogging,

Assignment #3: Blah Days
Due: 9/21 @ Midnight
Length: 250 words
We all have blah days- days when nothing goes the way we wanted or planned, and everything goes completely wrong. We have to be able to rebound from those "blah" days to have great "YEAH" days. Write about a time you were having a blah day and turned it around to be a YEAH day. If you need to, you can embellish or stretch the truth.
CHALLENGE: Find and post an image that serves as a symbol for your blah day.

Happy Blogging,

Assignment #2: How-to...

Due: 9/14 @ Midnight (Sunday night @ midnight)
Length: 10 steps
In a blog post, give step-by-step directions to show how to do something. It can be anything that requires ten or more steps. After writing the directions, include an image for each step. If you would rather, you can create a single video to show your how-to instead of inserting images for each step (you can use a picture-video tool like flipagram). If necessary, make arrangements to spend some time with me after school.
That's it- 10 steps with visuals.

Happy Blogging,

Assignment #1: What is Amazing?
Due: 9/7 @ Midnight (Sunday night @ midnight)
Length: 150 words, minimum
In a blog post, answer the question, "What is Amazing?" Feel free to add images/video to add rich media to your posting. In your writing, make sure that you follow both writing rules that have been covered.

Happy Blogging,

Blogger Challenge #13: Tell Me What You Want, What You Really Really Want

In this blogger challenge, post what you would ask the genie for if you were granted three wishes. ***Disclaimer: You may NOT wish for more wishes or more Genies ... or anything that results in more wishes***

Happy Blogging,

Mr. Mein

Assignment #23: Survival Guide

Due: 5/25/14 @ Midnight

Word count: 350 words

This is your FINAL blog assignment! I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your writing this year. I have seen great growth from the beginning of the year. You have just one more writing assignment, and this is it. Your task this week is to write a survival guide to assist the upcoming seventh graders in maneuvering the ins and outs of seventh grade at Hal Peterson Middle School. You might give class-specific guidance, the best routes to get from one place to another, or how to pass a certain teacher's class. What would you have liked to hear from outgoing 7th graders at the beginning of your 7th grade year? The assignment should be 350 words, minimum, and is due Sunday night at midnight. Don't forget to get those blog challenges posted by Friday (this means they are posted before you come to my class on Friday).

Happy Blogging,

Assignment #22: Pick Your Prompt

Due: 5/18/14 @ Midnight

Word count: 400 words

We will be revisiting the site from Assignment #16. You will select any prompt, except for the freewrite prompt (titled XXXXXX). You can access the list of prompts here. The title of your blog post should match the title of the prompt. Make sure that you select a prompt that you can develop into a 400-word blog entry.

Happy Blogging,

Mr. Mein

Assignment #21: Mad Lib

Due: 5/4/14 @ Midnight

Word count: 425 words

Follow the above directions. An article, remember, is a word like 'the,' 'a,' or 'an.' An adjective is a word that describes a noun, and a noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. You will write a story that goes with your new title!

Happy Blogging,

Mr. Mein

Blogger Challenge #12: Explore and Report

Google Drive is a cloud-based storage for any type of file, but also gives you access to create various types of documents (Spreadsheets, Word Documents, Power Point Presentations, Draw, and Surveys (Called 'Forms')). I would like for you to explore this site, http://drive.google.com. Create, explore, and report your findings. What did you think was cool?

Happy Exploring,

Mr. Mein

Blogger Challenge #11: Fill in the Blanks

Using the format in the image above, describe how a person has made you different based on the influence they have had on your life. Be sure to explain in detail. Remember, this needs to be 7th grade work!

Happy Blogging,

Mr. Mein

Blogger Challenge #10: Finish the Story

With this curious cast of individuals, the way they are staring at you, and what they are saying to you, "You got it right. We were there. If you promise not to say anything, we might tell you about it," you should be able to tap into your creative writing talents to complete this eery tale.

Curious Blogging,

Mr. Mein

Assignment #20: What are the "Ingredients" of Your Life?
Due: 4/20 @ Midnight
Word count: 300 Words

In Touching Spirit Bear, Garvey uses the metaphor of ingredients that, individually, are not great. However, when combined, they create something good- the cake. This shows how all the pieces and experiences we have, good or bad, combine to make us who we are. Pick five "ingredients" of your life and describe how they combine to make you who you are.

Happy Blogging,
Mr. Mein

Blogger Challenge #9: Make Something Awesome

Arts and crafts, graphic design, scissors and glue, food or snacks- Take some time to make something AWESOME!!! Inspired by Cate's idea from Pinterest to make gummy bear-sprite popsicles, this gives you the opportunity to explore cookbooks, Pinterest, Facebook/Twitter shares, or any other avenue to find a create something fun, unique, and possibly delicious. Trace the steps of where you received your inspiration, the steps it took to create your creation, what you made, and measure the success of your end result. Snap a picture and post it to your blog.

Creative Blogging,
Mr. Mein

As I walked toward the building, I thought to myself, "I feel like I've been here before."

Blogger Challenge #8: Creative Captions

Choose 20 of the images you find here. Once you have opened the folder and perused the images, select 20 of the images and write a caption for each image. Identify the picture by its file name (Ex: Image 1: "I can't believe you spent all our money on these hats!"). You can see an example of one of my captions above.

Happy Blogging,
Mr. Mein

Blogger Challenge #7: What Happened?

Read the scenario below. After reading, write a fictional story that addresses the situation.

Upon reading the contents of his teenage stepdaughter's diary, a man is left fearing for his life.

What happened?

Eerie Blogging,
Mr. Mein

Assignment 19: Who/What is your Favorite?
Due: 3/23 @ Midnight
Word count: 500 words

Write about something or someone that is your favorite. Why is it/he/she your favorite? What qualities do this person/thing have that appeals to you? This can range from my favorite shoes to my favorite snack, from my favorite teacher to my favorite band. Pick a favorite something, and write a blog about it. If possible, include a picture of this person/item in your blog post.

Happy Blogging,

Blogger Challenge #6: Write Your Own App

We all complain when we download an app that stinks, but there is a lot of time and effort that is put in to even the worst of apps. Sometimes, the best apps didn't take much time or effort at all. Explore different free app-building sites, and try to build an app of your own. Post a link in your challenge posting. I built one for our class on ibuildapp.com. Check it out!

Happy App-Building & Blogging,
Mr. Mein

Blogger Challenge #5: Get Fit

Write about why it's important to take care of your body, exercise, and eat healthy. Did you think the mouse had an alternate fate headed for him?

Blogger Challenge #4: Survival

You have been selected to participate in a "Survival" reality TV show. You and one other contestant will be put on a remote desert island out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. To win, you must outlast the other contestant who is to be placed on the opposite side of the island. At any time you may give up and call for rescue with a special radio that has been provided.

Your back pack is limited to ten personal items of your choice (along with the rescue radio (10 items + 1 rescue radio= 11 total items). Decide which items you will take and why. Support your choices with good, common sense reasoning. Explain what each item is and how it could be useful to your winning this competition.

Happy Surviving,
Mr. Mein

Resource: http://www.daily-writing-prompt.com/survival.html

Blogger Challenge #3: Funny HAHA, not Funny EEK

Write about something that has happened that is genuinely hilarious. "That's pretty easy," you're thinking to yourself, but here's the kicker: no injury may have befallen anyone in your story (not even yourself).

HaHaHappy Blogging,

Mr. Mein

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Assignment 18: Anagram
Type all the words that you can find within the word: supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
Alternate assignment: Write about your plans for Spring Break (175 words).

Happy Blogging,
Mr. Mein

Blogger Challenge #2: Appy Hour

Write a blog about an app or game that you think others would enjoy. You will have the opportunity to share this app in class, demonstrating how it works. The challenge is finding an app that the majority of the class has not tried. You could be the catalyst for the next Flappy Bird fad!

Appy Blogging (get it..."Appy" blogging!?),
Mr. Mein

Blogger Challenge #1: Picture Story

Tell a story using only pictures. Use at least 10 pictures. As a bonus challenge, explore various apps, software, or websites that may be able to stitch these pictures together in the form of a video. Post the link to your pictures/video in the blog submission window.

Happy clogging... I mean blogging,

Mr. Mein

Assignment 16: Pick Your Prompt
Due: 2/23 @ midnight
300 words
Go to this website and select a prompt. Give me 300 words on the prompt that you choose. The title of your blog should be the same as the title of the prompt. These prompts change daily, so you will want to copy the prompt to your blog before you start working.

Happy Blogging,
Mr. Mein

Assignment #13: DRT Essay
Due: 2/2 @ Midnight
Length: 800-825 words (no less than 2 1/2 pages in word document, double-spaced)

You have three weeks to complete this assignment (insert sigh of relief here). As a cross-curricular assignment, you will be writing your DRT essay for both my class and your social studies class. The topic is as follows: William Barrett Travis and the impact of the letter "Victory or Death." Focus should be on the impact of the letter. You will use your blog as a draft that will be graded in English. You will copy and paste your blog post into a Microsoft Word document, print it, and hand it in to your Social Studies teacher to enter the contest.
Guidelines for contest submission:
References- minimum of 4 (no more than 2 from the internet). These references must be listed on a works cited page.
Cover page- you will have a cover page that includes:
-Student name and 7th grade
-Hal Peterson Middle School
-1607 Sidney Baker St.
-Kerrville, TX
-Title of Essay
-The Daughters of The Republic of Texas
-Joshua D. Brown Chapter. Kerrville, Kerr, Texas
-Mrs. Laura Riley Lucero 830-537-3492

You are all wonderful writers, and I believe I have the talent in my Horizons classes to win this contest. The winner will receive a $500 reward and will be invited to the DRT Convention.

Happy Blogging,

Assignment #12: A New Year

Due 1/12 @ Midnight

Length: 200 words

Every new year gives us the opportunity to a new start, a chance to reflect, and a time to set goals or resolve to do something new, better, different, or never again. I want you to think of and set goals for yourself for this new year, 2014. Think of both short-term and long-term goals. What can you do to make a difference today? This week? The remainder if this school year? This whole year?

Blog about these goals and why they are important to you.

Happy Blogging!

Assignment #10: Thanksgiving Traditions
Due: 12/1 @ Midnight
Length: 250 words
We all have different Thanksgiving traditions. We spend the day before Thanksgiving with family and friends, my wife goes shopping with her mom and aunts to buy everything for our Thanksgiving feast. On Thanksgiving day, we watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Then, we eat Thanksgiving lunch at my mother-in-law's house, filling myself with turkey, stuffing, and especially giblet gravy. I'm salivating just thinking of all the eating I will be doing this week! After meal number one, we head to my parents' house for round two- more turkey, oyster stuffing, mashed potatoes, my sister-in-law's famous green bean casserole, and sweet potatoes. We play football outside with my son, Joe, my nephew, and my brothers.
This week, after all the festivities are over, I want you to write about your Thanksgiving traditions. I also want you to draw a Thanksgiving picture. You can do this by copying and pasting the below text into the HTML format.
<script src="http://zwibbler.com/component.js#width=550&height=600" type="text/javascript"></script>

This is a test run for this, so if it doesn't work, no big deal- focus on the writing.
I hope you all have a safe trip if heading out of town, eat your fill, rest up, and get ready for a mad dash to Christmas vacation! Enjoy your family, friends, and a nice vacation from school.
See you in December!
Happy Blogging,

Assignment#9: Dear Santa

Write a persuasive letter to Santa Claus.

Happy Blogging,

Assignment #5: Learn Something

Due: 10/27 @ Midnight

Two Parts: Summary: 150 words; Reflection: 150 words

Your assignment this week is to research the website, Wonderopolis (http://www.wonderopolis.org). I would like for you to find a topic that piques your interest. Closely read the article.

Do yourselves a favor and read more than one article- they are all pretty short. They are quite interesting.

PS- This assignment is an introduction to a future class project, The Learning Journal. You will spend the third grading period learning something new! What will you learn? Start thinking about what you want to learn.

Happy Blogging,

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Blogger Challenge #3: Funny HAHA, not Funny EEK

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