Lesson Plan for 9th Grade Health Cass

Lesson Title: Why Be Fit?: Fitness and Exercise Brochure
Grade: 9th Health Class


State Standards: 22.A.3a Identify and describe ways to reduce health risks common to adolescents (e.g., exercise, diet, refusal of harmful substances).




Objectives:Students will be able to create a Wellness Brochure on fitness and exercise. Students will be able to research and collect information on diet and exercise for good health. Students will be able to take pictures of fitness and health related topics to place on their brochure.




Materials: Computer access


                  Internet


                  Digital Camera


                  Microsoft Publisher




Procedures: Students will create a Wellness Brochure on Health and Fitness. Students will use their classroom textbook, library books and the Internet to research fitness and exercise. Students will use a digital camera to take pictures of images related to good health. Students will collect and arrange the information and photos to create there Wellness Brochure.


Assessment: A rubric will be used to grade the student’s Wellness Brochure based on content and creativity.

5 Blogs I Would Like to Read In Heaven......

     This assignment allowed me to take a closer look at the various ways in which teachers and students are using blogs to communicate, provide feedback, deliver important and useful information and also showcase student work. As a librarian I am always on the lookout for creative and inventive ways to promote reading and literacy and the use of blogs has become that avenue for me. By taking a closer look at so many other blogs and comparing them to my own, I realized that the uses of blogs are unlimited to the classroom teacher. Here is my review of the five blogs that I examined:



1. http://bhspioneerspirit.blogspot.com/

I think this blog is simply stated. I think it is very effective for the audience that will be reading it, which are students. I like that the creator has used the same pattern for every blog the information given is and is clearly outlined and easy to follow. I really like the section labeled My Good Reads, which I plan on stealing for my own blog. It gives a list of good books recommended by the blog creator. The content is appropriate because it is used to communicate with the school yearbook staff messages about details and deadline. But this blog really needs a color blast. The only color other than the black type is used the blog titles.

2. http://bryanclass.edublogs.org/

This is great blog and it was by far one of the best I looked at. Mrs. Bryan’s Class has created this blog as a class project, so everyone gets an opportunity to contribute to it. The first item that impressed me was that Mrs. Bryan has a set of rules and guideline for blogging that are posted and must be adhered to for all students participating. The blog is provides information on what’s going on in Mrs. Bryan’s class, but also enrichment opportunities for students. At the end of every post the teacher has brain teasers, math problems, puzzles and stories for students. She did a great job and the content and style of the blog is student centered and attractive. Mrs. Bryan get a thumbs up form me for her creation.

3. http://raigmoreart.edublogs.org/

I found this blog very interesting because its sole purpose is to showcase student art work. All of the postings contain slideshows of primary school students art projects. It would have been better if the teacher had written about the assignment and explain exactly what type of art project it was. For example, the use of water color paints, creating a collage or even a sketch of some type so that the reader has a better idea of what they are looking at. This blog could benefit from the use of text and background color would make it more appealing.

4. http://lgeslibrary.edublogs.org/

This librarian has gone beyond the call of duty. Her blog has something that everyone can enjoy. This blog was created and is maintained by the LeGrande Elementary School Library. The librarian created Book Bytes for students in grades 5th thru 8th and Book Bites for students in grades 2nd thru 4th. It is obvious that the creator of this blog has a distinctive love for children and books and has managed to create a vessel for both to share the same time and space. The content is appropriate for this grade level and the style I think needs more pizzazz to it, like a splash of color for the background and text.

5. http://swmlibrary.edublogs.org/

WOW! I really like this blog and found it filled with elements to keep the reader coming back for more. As a fellow librarian I am always looking for inspiration when it comes to my own facility and this blog has truly given me that. This blog contains a video with music, plenty of pictures and the content is great. In addition, it provides useful links and the librarians are using the blog as a way to communicate to the students and staff of Southwest Middle School. The only changes I would suggest for this blog is that they make the font larger for the text and had more color to the page.

A little something about me......

      My interest are reading, spending time with my children and traveling. Sometimes when everything in the world is going well, I am able to do all three. I enjoy visiting the local public library and most of the time I take the children with me. Although only my daughter (age 6) is a reader, my son (age 4) loves to pick-out his own books for our nighttime reading. The children like to see what mommy is reading, which usually something is written by James Patterson. I think Patterson is an awesome writer and he keeps the reader on edge until the very end of the novel and he always leaves his audience wanting more. My favorite James Patterson book is Big Bad Wolf where Detective Alex Cross is the Main character and the book is action packed, transporting the reader across three continents.


      I try to find creative and entertaining activities to do with my two children. I am a late bloomer and started a family later in my adult life, but my children make me feel like I am 21 again. I take Alyssa and Brandon to ride their bicycles, to the movies, the park, the library, the zoo, out to dinner and just about any place that’s child friendly. I have always felt like my real life began when my little ones came into my life and life would not be as sweet without them. Lately, Brandon has had a fascination with The Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) because whenever we go visit granny we can see all the tall skyscrapers from the expressway. Now listed as the third tallest building in the world and 110 stories high, recently, they added The Ledge, which is a glass box that extends out 4.3 feet, from the skyscraper’s Sky deck on the 103rd floor. The view is amazing and on a clear day you can see Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin.


      Some of the places I have traveled are New Mexico, New York, Philadelphia, Boston, New Jersey, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Bahamas, and Mexico. I enjoy traveling and learning about new places and culture. For Spring Break, I took my children to Rivera Maya in Mexico and I fell in love with the people, the culture and history. Why would anyone want to live in the cold Midwest? I made up my mind that when I retire I am leaving for a warm weather climate and Mexico has moved to the top of my list of places. One my most recent trip to Mexico, I visited the eco-friendly Xcaret. Xcaret is a tropical zoo, aquarium, park, outdoor museum and it is simple amazing. I was fortunate enough to take this trip with my children and while at Xcaret we saw the traditional Mayan schoolhouse, games, tools, weapons and live sporting events. I loved it.

A Day with Earl Sewell

    The Thornwood High School Book Club is pleased to announce an afternoon with Earl Sewell, author of both young adult and adult fiction. Mr. Sewell is a long-time resident of South Holland, Illinois and his daughter, Candice is a Junior at Thornwood High School. He has written 14 books to date and is working on his next adult fiction novel. Mr. Sewell writes a young adult series under the KimaniTru label, which is called Keysha. There are four books in the Keysha series and they are: Keysha’s Drama, If I Were Your Boyfriend, Lessoned Learned and Decision Time. The fifth book in the series entitled, Myself and I is due out September 2010.
     Our book club sat down to talk to Mr. Sewell about the first book, Keysha’s Drama and we had a lot to talk about. When I spoke with Mr. Sewell on the phone I explained to him that everybody in the book club was angry and did not like the ending of the book. He replied, “Good that will just make them read the second book.” The book club members had many questions, like is Keysha a real person and is she really a student at Thornwood. Mr. Sewell explained, that while writing Keysha’s Drama he used many places that are real like, Thornwood High School, River Oaks Mall, Mr. Submarine and many other places in Chicago, but the character Keysha is fictitious.
     The afternoon went by so quickly, with Mr. Sewell and the book club. Mr. Sewell even read several passages from the book and explained in detailed how he began to write the Keysha series. We had lunch together and the conversation shifted from the book to real life questions. Like how do you become a writer, how do you get your manuscript published and can you make a good living at it? We discussed the difficulties growing up in an urban community, bullying and the many social problems teenagers encounter on a daily basis. I think that afternoon we were all encouraged to work harder, stay positive and prepare for the next chapter in our lives just like Keysha. Mr. Sewell is a good writer and I continue to call him to visit the school and he always tells me yes.

My blogging experience so far….

I am learning a lot about blogging। After starting this class I began reading more about blogs and how some people make money from their blogs। I guess that the advertisements on the sides of the blogs pay the blogger money for the number of people looking at the blog. This may not be for me, because of the dedication it would take to create something like this. But, my research and actually working on a blog has inspired me to start my own library blog to communicate with the other librarians in my district. I will use it as a way to exchange ideas and if it is successful I was do a workshop and show others how to start their own blog. In my school district we are always using technology to support the curriculum and I think that blogging in new and creative and can inspire even the most ridged teachers to use it. I also found the layout to be attractive and simple to manipulate, which will assist those who are not as computer savvy as some people are. The five gadgets I added were: follower, picture, text, list and search. This assignment was great practice for me.

Book Clubs

     As a Librarian, I read a lot and encourage leisure reading among the students and staff. I decided to form two book clubs at my school in hopes of finding those life-long readers, like myself. One would be for students only and the other for faculty and staff only. The most difficult part of this process was the recruiting of book club members. I asked for recommendations by teachers and counselors and made announcements over the PA system to find interested student readers. To recruit my fellow teachers, I sent out a mass email and extended an invitation at our monthly staff meetings. In both instances the response was overwhelming. We had so many interested students that we did two book clubs, one for young men and one for young ladies.
The Thornwood High School Amongst Friends book clubs consisted of 12 students, three from each grade level. We had certain rules that we all agreed upon. The basic rules were based on truth and integrity. Everyone would read the book and show up on time for our meetings. Everyone had to share; participation is essential to any good book club. We would read eight books each school year and one of the books had to be a biography and one book selection had to be a self-improvement or self-help book. We would not read any ADULT FICTION. Each month we would invite four teachers to partake in our book club discussion and send them a formal invitation along with a copy of the book we are reading for the month.
     I solicited my fellow teachers to participate in a staff motivated and drive book club that would meet every six weeks and read a total of six books for the school year. We had very simple rules. Everyone gave a book selection and we voted on which books we wanted to read. Everyone also agreed to read one selection for professional development, covering topics like, classroom management, methodology and curriculum and student assessments. Everyone agreed to invite one administrator to our book discussion meeting for professional development. We also agreed that each person would bring a snack to share with the group for our book club discussions.

How will I use my blog in my library?

Good evening,
     My name is Ivy Brigham and I am a high school librarian by day and a full-time mommy by night। I spend most of my day helping students find information, answer research questions and recommending good books to read। I plan to use this blog to help students with their research skills, as well as announce upcoming activities in my school library and suggesting reading material for the reluctant teenager reader।
I plan to use this blog to inform my students about new materials in the library। Like new encyclopedias, fiction books and magazines for checkout। We also, have a bi-monthly Poetry Slam and I would like to post some of the student poetry.
     Finally, I would like to use my blog to exchange ideas with my fellow teachers. This can be a great way to share ideas, post student assignments, plan and schedule meetings and use it as a platform for our teacher book club.