Christmas!!

My dearest English students, you have all done such great work

That assigning over Christmas break would make me a total jerk!

So I have decided, that as my gift to you

I will not give an assignment, not even a DQ! 

Have a wonderful break, see you next year!! 

Alex!!

Alex went to New York and tried to fly through the subway. As you can see, his plan went horribly wrong. What would have been a better way for Alex to accomplish his goal of being the biggest freak on the New York Transit system?

It's Christmas!!

Nicole Westbrook is making a new video, called "It's Christmas!!" No, not really. But we all hope she does!

Instead of getting anything for Christmas this year, you have to give some of your things away to those in need. Which of your possessions would you give to who and why?

The Deal

I have read all of your responses to the "Consideration" DQ from last week, and many of you brought up some very valid points. Ryan was correct in saying that you all have become better writers since the beginning of the year. Joey, Wyatt and Alex brought up good points regarding the Bob Sander's passes, and Jake made me think about the creativity that goes into the DQ responses. Most of the responses, though, focused on the fact that some DQs are harder than others, and thus harder to write about.

The reason I have you do these DQs is because they make you think....Sometimes the situations exist only in the "what if" realm of reality, sometimes they are just silly, and sometimes they are just so I can see if you're actually reading the question. I don't want them to be easy for you. Below this paragraph, you will see a fake DQ in large, bold letters. If you read all of this, instead of answering the question below, flash Ms. Chetto a peace sign before the end of the day and you will receive full credit for today's question. If they were easy and required no thought, there would be no point to doing them at all. I do, however, believe in rewarding people for hard work, and most of you have worked pretty hard in English this year. So, I have come to a decision. I will lower the word requirement for the DQs down to 100 words. However, there will be no more Bob Sanders passes, and if I start to see the quality of work slipping, the requirement will be brought up again.

What is your favorite meal? Using 100 words, describe it in detail, including what it looks like, smells like, and tastes like.

Born Lucky

Some people are born lucky, and some people are lucky to be born. 

If you had to consider yourself as one or the other, which do you think you are and why?

Try Again!!

Ok guys, lets try this again. 

WRITE A POEM ABOUT YOURSELF THAT INCLUDES YOUR NAME. 

NO ACROSTIC POETRY! 

NO SONG LYRICS!!

NO PLAGIARIZED POEMS THAT YOU STOLE FROM THE INTERNET!! 

SHEESH! 

 

Consideration

Ms. Chetto is considering lowering the DQ requirement to 100 words. 

Is this a good idea? 

Writing 150 words is a great way to practice and has already shown her that your writing has improved by leaps and bounds since the requirement went into effect. She will need some pretty good reasons to lower the requirement.........Write Ms. Chetto a note and help her decide what she should do. 

Honey Boo Boo

You are a beauty pageant contestant!!

Follow the link below to get your Honey Boo Boo nickname. 

Tell us what your nickname is and the story behind how you got it.

Example: Ms. Chetto is: MELTDOWN CRYBABY!!

I was all set to win the Little Miss Coolest Nerd Ever Beauty pageant. I had the perfect dress, my makeup was flawless, and I had made up a dance with hula hoops and fire that I was sure would wow the crowd.  My stage name back then was Ms. Chickadee Chubbette, and I was ready to put that sparkly crown on my head. All of a sudden, Elmer Wiggy (Ms. Wilson) swooped in with a perfect cartwheel and triple flip, stealing the show from me!! She had a huge dress with glittery pictures of the periodic table all over it. The judges decided she was the biggest nerd that has ever lived, and gave her the crown. I was so upset that I had a complete meltdown, crying so hard that my makeup ran all down my face. My nose was running, my eyes were red, and I was screaming at the top of my lungs.  That is how I earned the nickname, Meltdown Crybaby.

Honey Boo Boo Name Generator

If you can't get to the Generator, here are your names: 

Alex: Annie GooGoo

Joey: Jackpot Giggles

Sam: Smexy Hon-bun

Ryan: Rowdey Roo-Holly

Wyatt:  Jinxy Crazylegs 

Cody: Sassy Teacup 

Adrian: Angel Shoo Fly Pie

Collin:  Chubbster fo Sho

Jake: Jazzy Spiff

Austen: Wonderfang Honeychild 

Your Name Here

Write a poem using your name

(does not need to be 150 words) 

Be Creative!!! (or I will assign this again and again and again and again and again!!)

(and again and again and again and again and again!) 

I Sparkle

phe·nom·e·non/fəˈnäməˌnän/

Noun:

A fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen, esp. one whose cause is in question. A remarkable person or thing.

Why do you think Twilight has become the phenomenon that it is today? 

If you have not see Twilight, tell us about something that has happened in your life that you consider to have been a phenomenon for you. 

Bread

Wyatt has attempted some crazy stunts in his time, but now he's gone too far. Write a note to Wyatt and persuade him not to wear his bread suit anymore.

Wyatt- respond to your classmates and let them know if they have succeeded in persuading you to retire your suit made of bread. 

Wyatt poses on the beach in a suit made of bread.

 

Bad Mood

Sometimes, people wake up in terrible moods for no reason whatsoever. Describe a time that you were a complete crab for no reason and what you did to get out of your funk. 

NightJohn

There is no DQ tonight, work on your NightJohn Essay! 

Weirdos

Sometimes, the strangest suggestions end up being the most fun adventures. What is the weirdest thing you and your friends have ever done that ended up being a great memory for you?

Hacked!!

Bob Sanders hacked into Ms. Chetto's computer and deleted the DQ for today! 

Say something to Bob before the end of the day and you will get extra credit! 

(This does not need to be 150 words)

Innocent or Guilty

Joesph Enterprise, the makers of the infamous Chia products, have charged Ms. Chetto with negligent homicide of the Charter Chia Tree.  As a lawyer, present your case as to whether she is innocent or guilty, and what (if any) her punishment should be. 

The evidence for the prosecution is presented below. 

best friends

These two BFFs are having a lively conversation. 

Write a paragraph telling us what they are saying to each other. 

Busted!!!

You naughty students!! This photo was just emailed to me, and I'm told it is one of you!! Explain this photo immediately and tell me which one of you this is and what exactly is going on! 

(In case you can't see the photo, it is a surveillance camera screenshot of a man dressed as a wrestler who appears to be robbing a convenience store.....with an ostrich). 

Gotta Be Thankful

Thanksgiving is a time when you give thanks for what you have and reflect on the good aspects of your life. What were you most thankful for this past weekend and why?

**Serious replies only, no Bob Sanders passes**

iPad Mini

Ms. Chetto wants an iPad Mini. She, of course, does not have the cash for such an awesome device. You must develop a fool proof plan for her to acquire this fantastic new Apple tablet! 

Minecraft

Keeping in mind that the purpose of school is education......do you think Minecraft should be allowed in school? Why or why not?

Um..dad?

You've brought your new girlfriend over to meet your family for the first time, and your dad does this: 

How would you explain his actions to your girlfriend so that she isn't totally freaked out?

Furby

Furby is BACK!!! For those of you that do not remember Furby, they are toys that were a huge hit about 10 or so years ago. I can personally attest to the fact that they were EVIL......mine was totally possessed. 

If your childhood toys came to life, which one would be most likely to commit murder and why?

Commander Sanders

This is Commander Sanders, head of the CHETTO (Cosmic High Energy Transient Tesseract Orbitron) Space Mission.  Beneath his photo you will see the first entry in his Commander Log, which details the adventures he experienced while keeping the Earth safe from Space Invaders. Complete an entry in his log (this should be written in first person).

 

Commander Log Entry #1: Today was a most excellent and thrilling day, and our launch was quite successful. I am prepared to spend the next three years protecting the Earth from it's most dangerous enemy to date: Space Invaders. Mission Control has charged me with the honor of finding out how and why these invaders have chosen to target planet Earth, and by God, I WILL complete my mission! On another note, I have found that my crew is not fond of the rations I had specially ordered for this mission, which is insane, considering how delicious leaves and petals are. Something tells me these fools are not herbivores at all. No matter, more for me.

Sandy

Tell me what you know about Hurricane Sandy 

(without looking it up). 

"It's Thanksgiving"

Here is a new song by the makers of Rebecca Black's "Friday." Please watch this video in it's entirety and post your review below.

And don't worry, I will be playing this gem in English today for those of you that can't access it. :)

Most Interesting Person

Who is the most interesting person you know and what makes them so interesting? 

First Memories

All of you were so eager to share your first memories in class, I figured it would be a great discussion question!! 

Describe the earliest memory you have of life. Write this in a NARRATIVE. 

\

Animal Combos

Anne Hathaway woke up today as part dog, poor girl. 

If you had to wake up as a combination of a human and an animal, what would you be and why??

Pop Music

All of us have heard a song on the radio and hated it up first listen, but after awhile.....we hear it several times....... it grows on us.........and suddenly....WE LOVE IT!!!

For example:  The first time I heard Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance," I thought it was the dumbest song ever. All I could think was; these lyrics are awful!! This person needs to stop making music! However, every time I got in the car, it was on. It began to infect my brain. Soon, I found myself humming it as I walked. I found myself singing along when it was on the radio. Pretty soon, I owned it, knew all the words, and regularly sang it on karaoke night. It is in fact stuck in my head at right now.

Tell me about a time that something like that has happened to you. Mention why you first disliked it, what finally caused you to like it, and how you feel about it now. 

Off time

Describe a typical day in the life of a superhero when he's not out fighting crime. 

SLACKER!!!

Ms. Chetto is a total slacker and was late with the DQ. Write an excuse for her so that her house does not get egged by students this weekend. 

Disaster Girl

You are a reporter who was called to the scene of this crime. You spoke with this girl and she told you exactly what happened and why. What did she tell you?!

Best Halloween Costume Ever!

Out of all my years of dressing up for Halloween, my favorite has got to be the time I dressed as Marge Simpson. Tell me about the best costume you have ever had or ever seen, and why you think it was so cool. 

To Know or Not To Know

You are in a room with no distractions. The door is locked, the walls are white. There is one chair on which you sit. On the table in front of you is a piece of paper. You know on the reverse side of the paper is written the date you will eventually die. You are in the room for one hour only and can never return to it. Tell me if you would turn the paper over and read it and why/why not?

Trading Places (or faces)

If you could trade places (or faces) with anyone you know for one day, who would it be and why?

Favorite Movie

My favorite movie is The Princess Bride :) 

 What is your all-time favorite movie and why? Write a paragraph
persuading readers to watch this film.

The Future's so Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades

Imagine yourself in ten years (aged 23-24). 

What will you be doing? 

Where will you be living?

Change the World

If you could change the world, 

what would you start with? 

Seriously. 

Explain your choice. 

Early Birds

The first three students that comment on this DQ may each write a discussion question for the rest of the class to answer. 

The early birds DO NOT have to answer the other questions.

(Unless they're cool and want to)

GO!!

Dog for Sale

Write an ad to sell this dog in the Green Lake Reporter.

Cat Norris

Your beloved pet, Cat Norris, is in trouble again for bullying the neighborhood dogs. The police want to fine you for his actions since you are his responsible guardian. But if you pay that fine, you will have no money to buy Halo 4 when it comes out!! How will you convince the police not to fine you, and what are you going to do with that troublesome Cat Norris??

Zombies Ahead!

You are in the car on your way to school when suddenly you see this sign. What do you do!!? (yes, I watched the Walking Dead last night).

Caution! Zombies Ahead!!

Treasures

What is your most important possession? Why is it important to you, and do you think it would be valuable to anyone else??

Playstation or Test??

Your mom and dad see that you got a F on your homework and then you failed your test. How would you tell your parents if you forgot your homework and you just played PlayStation all day long? 

This is what your dad looked like when he checked your Skyward. 

The Author

I have some disturbing news to relate. It seems our dear classmate, Jake, is not what he seems. We all believe him to be a 13 year old, innocent, studious, and well behaved young gentleman. But this is just not so!! In reality, he is a very young looking, short, 42 year old spy....code name: The Author!! He has infiltrated our school with a very clever disguise. What I can't figure out is......why??

What is Jake's mission....and how can we stop him?!  

(keep it clean and school appropriate, boys!)

Ayúdame!!

Everyone needs help sometimes.  Write a paragraph about a time you needed help and what happened 

when someone helped you.

Craziest Day Ever

TRUE STORY:  One of the craziest days of my life happened when I was a senior in high school. I was working at the Hollywood Cinema in Appleton, Wisconsin, when my sister ran in and told me that our neighborhood had been evacuated because a train had derailed nearby! She was supposed to tell me which hotel our family was staying at, but she forgot and just left. Keep in mind, I had no cell phone and no way to get in touch with my mom.

After my shift, I had no idea where to go, so I decided to just hang out with my friends. We went to a midnight showing of a movie, and afterwards ended up going to a small airplane hanger off of the Outagamie County Airport. My friend Mark, who was a few years older, worked there as a courier pilot. He took my friend Ben and I up in a four seater plane, did a few zero G's, and even let me man the controls of the plane! We then flew over my house to see if we could find the derailed train. 

I don't remember if we ever actually saw the train....and I never did find out which hotel my family was at (I ended up sleeping over at my friend Angie's house), but I will never forget how incredibly free I felt while we were flying that plane.

Describe one of the craziest days of your life.

Halloween!!

You woke up this morning and realized that it's Halloween and you forgot to pick out a costume. If you don't dress up, Justin Bieber has sworn to make a personal appearance at your house and sing for you all day. Using only the items you currently have in your room, what are you going to be? 

The best costume gets to pick who Justin sings to at the end of the night.

Roadkill Pt. 2

Most of you expressed disgust when the idea of eating roadkill was brought up, but according to PETA, roadkill is a better choice from a health and ethics standpoint. It doesn’t contain antibiotics, hormones, and growth stimulants. It's the more humane option because the animals haven’t suffered through any of the horrors of intensive animal agriculture. In Alaska, people actually get on a waiting list to receive roadkill, and if it's not taken, the police give it to charities. Roadkill is fresh, organic, and free. 

Which is worse; eating pink goo at Mcdonald's, or eating a deer off the side of the road? 

Dinnertime??

Explain your answer.

**I am not advocating that anyone eat roadkill or suggesting that you try it, this is just "food" for thought.**

Roadkill Cafe

This is a true story about a restaurant that was shut down for bringing a deer that had been killed by a car on the road into the kitchen of the restaurant.

Some people have said that the restaurant owners didn't do anything wrong because the deer meat is probably healthier than the meat that is sold in stores. 

What do you think?

Creeeeeeep!!!

This is the creepiest thing I have ever seen. Describe a time you encountered nightmare fuel of this level.

Legion Lemonade Pt 2

Ms. Chetto, who has dedicated her life to the education of young minds, narrowly escaped a diabolical death plot perpetrated by her students this weekend while she tried to enjoy a much-needed break at Green Lake's annual Harvest Fest celebrations. After spending her last cent on supplies for her classroom, she encountered three of her students lying in wait for her behind a stand swarming with bees. "Come buy some lemonade!!" Sneered Austin with an evil glint in his eye. "Yes Ms. Chetto," laughed Jake. "Buy some lemonade from us!" Poor Ms. Chetto is known for her intense fear and fatal reaction to bee stings, and her students were well versed in tormenting her.  "I was stung five times on my birthday this year," said Ms. Chetto sadly. "I'm lucky to have escaped with my life, so I knew returning to the lemonade stand could mean the end of me....but I just had to help my students' cause!" With a tear in her eye, she made her way to the ATM, stopping briefly to check out some awesome jewelry on the way. She was determined to help her students even though it more than likely meant that this day would be her last! But thankfully when she returned, her students had scampered off to plot against some other innocent teacher, and her life was spared. She celebrated by eating some deep fried cheese curds. 

Should she have bought the lemonade anyway? 

Why or why not??

Legion Lemonade

Ms. Chetto went to Harvest Fest this weekend and no cash to buy lemonade from the Legion. This would not normally have been an issue, but she promised several of her students that were working behind the stand she would return and buy a glass from them. When she returned, her students were not there, so she did not buy any lemonade. 

Should she have bought the lemonade anyway?? Why or why not?

Dance Greenie!

Collin and Cody went to a hockey game! Give a detailed description of what happened during the game that got them so excited.

Whoops!

Jake has been missing for 5 days. You are the manager of Walmart  and you just remembered that you found him 3 days ago wandering in the clearance section and locked him in your office so you could call his mom......but forgot!!! Write a condolence note to his mother explaining that you did not mean to abduct her son.

These are a Few of my Favorite Things

Maria from The Sound of Music (of course I'm mentioning this year's musical!!) loved to talk about her favorite things!! What are some of yours? Write a list of at least 50 things that make you feel good about life.

Best or Worst?

Would you rather be the best person on the worst team 
                                                                                     or the worst person on the best team?  
Why or why not?

Pizza the Hutt

Pizza the Hutt is a lonely Spaceball. 

He wants to marry your mom and be your new step dad! Your mom and dad are all for it. How are you going to convince your parents that this is not a wise choice for your family?

All for one, one for all?

Our iPad game agreement was breached, and as a class you decided to only punish the offenders instead of taking a shorter punishment as a group. What factors went into your decision? Was this a hard choice to make? Do you think you made the right choice? Why or why not?

Ms. Chetto??

You were trolling around a message board and you came across a picture of Ms. Chetto. After some investigation, you realized that Chetto isn't even her real name!!!! She is in the witness protection program and was relocated to Green Lake, posing as a teacher, to protect her from criminals that she must testify against. What was Ms. Chetto's real life like before she came to Green Lake?? And what was the crime that she witnessed?

National Butterscotch Pudding Day

You only have 5 hours left to live....and today is National Butterscotch Pudding Day!!! How are you going to celebrate?

Thanks Joey!!

Joey just bought you a present.....it's the worst present you have EVER received. Write a Thank You card to Joey expressing how you feel about his gift.