{"content":{"sharePage":{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"45661352","dateCreated":"1320452386","smartDate":"Nov 4, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"smcmom","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/smcmom","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/ened4415fall2011.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/45661352"},"dateDigested":1532093069,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"re: Lesson Reflection: due November 4","description":"1.What was your original intent or goal for this lesson?
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\nI did a lesson on characterization which took two days. My goal for this lesson was for the students to see the difference between direct and indirect characterization. The unit was about narrative elements. They are creating a narrative resource book with all of the elements, using their own writing as examples. I asked them if they knew what direct was and they did. When I asked them if they could then think about what direct characterization, some of them got it. By following that with asking them what indirect was, they got it!
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\n2. Were you successful in reaching that goal? How? After giving them the definition, I asked them about books they had read - how did they know that Harry Potter was a good guy? They were all anxious to respond. I then asked them if the author came out and told you that Harry was loyal to Ron and Hermione. They all said no. When I told them that was indirect characterization, it clicked. They then drew a coat of arms on the cover of their Narrative Resource Books, filling in the boxes with symbols that described their personality.
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\nDay two involved reading them Miss Nelson is missing. I had created a work sheet with three columns. Column one was for a character, column two was for something that character said, did, thought, or felt. Column three was for what that "action" revealed to the reader. While reading, I would stop and ask, "What do you think it means when she slams a ruler on the desk?" They all were anxious to share their opinion. When asked if it was a direct or indirect characterization - the class would respond in unison the correct answer.
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\n3. What specifically went well with your lesson?
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\nI had a list of symbols on the smart board. They really liked that they could find something that they felt represented them, as well as being able to create a symbol if it was not listed. When they were completed, they could not wait to share.
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\n4. What did not go well with your lesson? Why?
\nTime was a big factor. The classes are 55 minutes long and it is amazing how fast the time goes. They were completely into discussing what the symbols they created meant. I would walk around and they would ask me to guess what some of the symbols meant. They impressed me with their creativity. They were able to come up with some wonderful images to represent both direct and indirect characterization symbols. However, the time would slip away, and one class ended up being a little bit behind the others. I would have to play catch-up the next day by limiting the number of comments I could respond to.
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\n5. What adjustments will you make or did you make during the course of day to replicate the lesson?
\nI had to begin limiting the number of raised hands I would answer to. The students I had were so enthusiastic that hands were up in the air almost all the time. I would try to call on those that sat quietly.
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\n6. How does this lesson find its way into your unit and how well does this lesson scaffold\/integrate into the next lesson?
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\nPrior to characterization, I taught them about setting. The students learned the elements that create setting and were able to see, through the use of picture books, how the setting affects what a character does. Characterization followed, and from there we went on to Protagonist and Antagonist. The students were able to see that certain character traits fit better with a protagonist vs the antagonist. Also, by creating their own symbols for their character traits, they will be able to see how symbolism is important in creating a narrative.
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\n7. What theoretical principle and\/or project did you tie to this lesson from your course work?
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\nBy using picture books, the students were able to create a visual image in their minds that pertained to character traits. They could also hear how the dialogue told them about the characters, how the writer wanted them to think about the actions\/words that the character used.
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\n8. Will you use this lesson again? Why or why not?
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\nI would use this again - especially for middle school. The sixth graders really enjoyed being able to be creative, and having other students, as well as myself, guess what their symbols meant. They were able to get to know each other a little better, and I was able to get to learn more about them as well.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"45708750","body":"smcmom,
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\nI really loved how you incorporated so much of the visual into your lesson. students are so visual and when they can see what we are teaching then we really can make an impact on what they are learning.","dateCreated":"1320596459","smartDate":"Nov 6, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"jdegruyf","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/jdegruyf","imageUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/pic\/1318561922\/jdegruyf-lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"45223550","dateCreated":"1319848596","smartDate":"Oct 28, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"smcmom","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/smcmom","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/ened4415fall2011.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/45223550"},"dateDigested":1532093069,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"re: Teaching Inquiry: due October 28","description":"I am working with four classes at my placement. Other than the usual chattiness when they come in and then when they get ready to be dismissed, I have had no problems with behavior.
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\nHowever, there is one student in one of my classes that always comes unprepared and does not focus on his class work. He gets distracted very easily and I try to keep him on task by calling one him when he least expects it. He always does a great job. A couple of weeks ago, the students had to take a check point test. This was done over the course of two days because the schedule was shortened due to conferences. Over those two days, he only answered eleven out of thirty questions. I would walk around the room, and when I would get to his desk, I would tap the corner of it and he would move his eyes from the books on the shelf back to his paper. He already sits in the front of the class so moving his desk is not an option.
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\nI was able to sit in on the team conference with his mom. Mom knows he is ADD but will not medicate him. She is trying to work with his diet, but he has a sweet tooth and she gives in. The team teachers have asked about his agenda, and mom said it has been sitting on top of the lawn mower in the garage for the past few weeks. She said that they had problems with him last year getting his work done, and feel it is up to him to be responsible and do what is expected of him. She has taken everything away from him except football. If he gets left back, that is his problem. He is only eleven years old! If mom knows he is ADD, and will not medicate, how do you get her to give him the help that he so obviously needs?? This child is extremely bright and I hate that he might fall between the cracks because he has no support at home.
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\nHe came in the day after conference with his notebook all organized, I made sure he wrote down his assignment and what was due the next day. He had half of it done. The agenda had not been checked by his parent (she should be signing it daily).
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\nHe is such a sweet kid, and I hate to see him fail simply because he does not have the support he needs once he leaves the school.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"45271272","body":"This mother seems almost neglectful. While the child does need to be held accountable and learn responsibility, an eleven year old does not have the same accountability capabilities as an adult. Can this be taken to a higher authority? I know you and your CT want to help the child, but a teacher's help and responsibility can only go so far. Maybe he should have meetings with the guidance counselor or be placed in Special Education.","dateCreated":"1319990986","smartDate":"Oct 30, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"csmit285","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/csmit285","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"45290456","body":"I think that a lot of times parents simply don't want to face the fact that their child has a problem. There is nothing you can do to force a parent to medicate their child or to keep up with his agendas. I agree with csmit285 that perhaps he should be placed in special education or at least be able to get more time when testing. I'm not sure what else can be done until\/unless the child is put into a special ed. program. I think it is ok for a parent not to want to medicate a child, but then they need to put in a lot more hard work to help them. I cannot just be expected for them to power through it or get over it.","dateCreated":"1320020014","smartDate":"Oct 30, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"kboyette86","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/kboyette86","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]},{"id":"43207838","dateCreated":"1317088583","smartDate":"Sep 26, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"mgoodsit","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/mgoodsit","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/ened4415fall2011.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/43207838"},"dateDigested":1532093069,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Lesson Reflection: due November 4","description":"Post your reflective narrative here and respond to one another as indicated on the assignment sheet.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"45428372","body":"Reflective Practice Assignment
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\n1. What was your original intent or goal for this lesson?
\nI am choosing to respond to a lesson that I did Monday and Tuesday, as it is still fresh in my mind. As the students are finishing up reading The Outsiders I wanted a lesson that nicely ends the Unit instead of moving on to another book without letting the student\u2019s reflect.
\n The original goal for this lesson was to have students use terms they started to become familiar with in their poetry unit preceding this unit. The students would use these terms to reflect on different characters in the book and use the terms to design a characterization t-shirt. I also wanted the students to see how literary elements affect their opinion of characters as well as showing them the variety of characters that make up one text.
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\n2. Were you successful in reaching that goal? How?
\nI was successful in pushing the students to become familiar with literary terms as they had to find examples from the book for each of the terms. The students were able to see that a variety of characters make up a novel as the t-shirt asked for them to discuss characterization, climax, strengths and weaknesses of one particular character. Since the class did a variety of characters each student was able to see that each character possessed their own characteristics.
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\n3. What specifically went well with your lesson?
\nI think the way students connected with the text went really well. The students were pushed to think of solely one character and their qualities for some of the questions but also how their character interacted with other characters. To see their ability to interpret the text on an individual and group level surpassed by initial assumptions of their ability.
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\n4. What did not go well with your lesson? Why?
\nI believe that time was a big factor in my lesson as the schedule allotted one day in class and one day on the computer actually designing the t-shirt. I know some students didn\u2019t use their time wisely as that was a reason for their delay but I feel that an extra day would have prevented them from being rushed. I also feel that the instructions on the characterization worksheet were not helpful to the students. This sheet was more to reacquaint them with the vocabulary and help them find examples in the overall text. I feel that I could have designed the worksheet to be more of an aid than busy work.
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\n5. What adjustments will you make or did you make during the course of your day to replicate the lesson?
\nI performed this class in a following period. Since the type of students in the second class did not perform well without structure, I decided to not do the worksheet in a group but instead as a whole class. While in the computer lab with the first class I learned some characteristics of the school computer that I will be able to tell the second class, due to scheduling the classes were not able to go to the computer lab on the same day. This allowed me the chance to make sure that the students have their information before the computer lab.
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\n6. How does this lesson find its way into your unit and how well does this lesson scaffold and\/or integrate into the next lesson?
\nI received this idea from my Collaborating Teacher as this lesson strives for the student to look at the characters and the influences upon them. The next unit is a persuasive unit where the students will be asked initially to take an issue raised in the book and make a public service announcement for it. I will not be at the school when they are doing the next unit to see how well it integrates into the next unit.
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\n7. What theoretical principle and\/or project did you tie to this lesson from your coursework?
\nWhen discussing the warm-up and the text with the students I tried to push them for more from their responses. I tried to pay attention to my feedback instead of simply offering yes\/no or good job I wanted to push them to think and purposefully respond to their statements.
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\n8. Will you use this lesson again? Why or why not?
\nI think I would use this lesson again but I would design it differently. I mentioned earlier that the directions and worksheet did not aid the students as well as I had hoped; therefore, I might just give them the directions for the t-shirt and not the worksheet. I think I might also do the t-shirts by hand as the computer limited creativity.
\nI liked how this lesson pushed students to dig deeper into individual characters while pushing their connection with the overall text.","dateCreated":"1320190814","smartDate":"Nov 1, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"saiken4","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/saiken4","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"45648784","body":"1. What was your original intent or goal for this lesson?
\nThe lesson that I will reflect on is one that I did last week, on Monday. It was a review game, Jeopardy style, so the students could prepare for their adjective test the next day. My goal was for the students to leave the classroom feeling prepared for the test and assuaging any feelings of doubt that may have remained about the test tomorrow.
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\n2. Were you successful in reaching that goal? How?
\nI believe I was successful reaching my goal because the grades the next day proved it. I think it was beneficial that my CT and I decided that testing them on Tuesday was better than on Monday. The students were really slow and sluggish answering questions in the beginning, but as we got going they got back into the groove of school, specifically coming back from a weekend break. Their mind was not on adjectives that they had not looked at all weekend.
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\n3. What specifically went well with your lesson?
\nThe students loved the game aspect of the lesson and were really invested in participating because they knew there was a reward for the winning team. The students really loved the competition aspect and everyone was really excited to play a game during class.
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\n4. What did not go well with your lesson? Why?
\nThere was one category in the game that did not go well. I believe it was too complicated for the students to answer without it being down in paper in front of them. The category was, \u201cWhat does the adjective describe?\u201d So the students had to first identify the adjective and then the noun or pronoun that was described. Without having the sentence in front of them, the students really struggled with these sentences. As a whole, this individual category really crashed and burned.
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\n5. What adjustments will you make or did you make during the course of your day to replicate the lesson?
\nIn first period when I did this lesson, I had a student be the score keeper and this caused way more frustration than it was worth. The students were not very nice when the score keeper made a mistake or put the score with the wrong team. In second and third periods, I just kept score and it alleviated a lot of the unnecessary \u201cmeanness\u201d that was originally directed at the student-scorekeeper. The students had a little more respect for me when I made a mistake, at least the students would not be likely to share their thoughts of disgust at me.
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\n6. How does this lesson find its way into your unit and how well does this lesson scaffold and\/or integrate into the next lesson?
\nThis lesson served as a culmination of the adjective unit before the final test. The previous week had served as an introduction where we took notes and did worksheets and activities. This lesson served as a bridge finalizing the unit and giving the students last preparation for the test.
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\n7. What theoretical principle and\/or project did you tie to this lesson from your coursework?
\nIn this lesson, if students could not come up with the right answer I simply did not supply them with it. I asked guiding questions and encouraged them to get to the answer by themselves without me simply giving it to them.
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\n8. Will you use this lesson again? Why or why not?
\nI definitely think I will use this lesson again. I think that the review game is a fun and entertaining way for the students to gauge whether or not they are prepared for the test the next day. Hopefully the review game will encourage students to make sure they know all the necessary information for the test.","dateCreated":"1320433601","smartDate":"Nov 4, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"kpitchf1","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/kpitchf1","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"45658056","body":"1. What was your original intent or goal for this lesson?
\nI am going to reflect on the lesson that I did on Wednesday and Thursday. My students are currently reading The Witches by Roald Dahl. This young adult novel is about a seven year old boy who moves in with his grandmother after his parents pass away. His grandmother tells him the tales of the real witches of England. The boy and his grandmother go on vaction to The Hotel Magnificent where the boy encounters the Grand High Witch and all of the other witches of England. They find him intruding on their private meeting and they turn him into a mouse. The boy must now reveal himself to his grandmother as a mouse. He decides that he must fight back and goes on a rampage to destroy the witches. The boy, with the help of his grandmother, defeated the witches of England. My students have just finished reading the part where the witches discuss their plan to turn all of the children in England into mice. They had created a formula called Formula 86: Delayed Action Mouse Maker. The second chapter discussed the recipe that the witches were supposed to use to make the potion. For this lesson, I introduced my students to Expository Writing. More specifically on How-To Essays. The goals I set for my students was to understand how to correctly construct a How-To Essay. We reviewed the different steps that you have to take as well as the characteristics of the How-To Essays. My students were given the task of creating their own recipe for a potion. They had to name their potion, create a purpose for their potion, provide the ingredients, including quantity, required to make the potion, and the process for how to make the potion. The students were told to use their imagination. A few of the students wrote potions that would make teachers forget about homework and tests. Overall, my goal was simply for my students to be able to properly construct a How-To Essay.
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\n2. Were you successful in reaching that goal? How?
\nIn the end, I was succussful in reaching my goal. The students understood how to create the How-To Essay as well as the requirements that needed to be met. The students were given an entire class period to construct their potion. By the end of the class, each student had finished creating their How-To Essay and had a peer review session with their partner. The students were engaged and excited about this assignment. In a way, I think I tricked them into learning. Because the assignment was geared for their age group they were able to relate to the assignment. What pre-teen doesn't want to change something?
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\n3. What specifically went well with your lesson?
\nI was really impressed with how excited and creative the students were. Some of my students truly blew me away with the work they produced. All of the students had created something unique that represented themselves. Many of the students were given the opportunity to share their potions with the class. They had taken pride in their work and the excitement filled the room. In the beginning, I had not expected my students to take to well to this assignment. Many of the students complain about having to write so much, while others struggle with getting their thoughts onto the paper.
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\n4. What did not go well with your lesson? Why?
\nMy time management skills created a small problem with the lesson. I spent a little too much time explaining the essay charactersistics to the students. I should have moved on once I realized that the students understood the material. My student's time management skills also created a problem with the lesson. Many of the students will sit at their desk and stare around the room or occupy themselves by doing something off task. It is frustrating to me because I want the student to complete the work so that I can make sure they understand. The off task students also create a large disruption in the classroom. Other students become focused on the fact that a few students are wandering around or trying to start a conversation with another student. It took a lot of patience and determination to get the students to realize the importance of completing the assingment and what they would gain from doing so.
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\n5. What adjustments did you make or did you make during the course of your day to replicate the lesson?
\nDuring my first period class the only example I used was from the novel. During one of the chapters it tells the reader all about the ingredients and the process for creating the formula. I noticed that the students were not able to connect to the example from the novel. Unfortunately I did not have time to include another example. Between first and second period I created my own unique example that would relate to the students and show them how easy it was to be creative. For the next three class periods I used the example from the novel for the basics and added my own example to help the students understand. This went much better. The students were able to see the creativity and how funny the potions could be. Without explaining too much, my potion was about how to make your enemy pass gas uncontrollably. I believe that by creating something that related to their level would help them understand and comprehend how to create the How-To Essay.
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\n6. How does this lesson find its way into you unit and how well does this lesson scaffold and\/ or integrate into the next lesson?
\nThis lesson fits well with the unit I created because my main focus was on writing and learning new vocabulary. This lesson required my students to write a decent amount as well as provided them with a medium to practice their new vocabulary. The unit before mine was on Narratives. The students wrote a three page story about something they created. The unit following mine is about Writing Poetry. This lesson aided in preparing my students for different styles of writing.
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\n7. What theoretical principle and\/or project did you tie to this lesson from your coursework?
\nMany of my students struggle with answering the morning warm-up. Each day when the students come into the classroom they have to answer five questions that are on the board. After a few minutes I go over the warm-up to ensure that students understand what it is asking as well as that they have the right answer. When students struggle in finding the asnwer, I will ask them other questions that will lead them to the answer. I want to encourage my students to trust their knowledge and to use context clues to find solutions. They will not succeed if the answer are simply handed to them. The students become participants in a class discussion and I believe that each student benefits from the discussion.
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\n8. Will you use this lesson again? Why or why not?
\nI would definitely use this lesson again. I do feel like it is only appropriate for middles school students. This lesson was entertaining and engaging for all of my students. They were encouraged to show their personality and their creativity with this assignment. It was more fun to them than it was educational. While in reality, the students learned an abundance of information.","dateCreated":"1320446932","smartDate":"Nov 4, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"bpuett1","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/bpuett1","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"45662086","body":"Stephanie -
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\nI like the idea of a characterization t-shirt especially for The Outsiders. The image I have of that text are guys wearing blue jeans and white t-shirts! The text also has so many different characters that students today have a strong chance of connecting with one of them. As far as time management, I can totally relate. Having the students being prepared when they go to the computer lab is vital. They only have a specific amount of time, and knowing what is needed be done as soon as they walk through the doors for that room would be an important time saver. I also agree that the computer can be limiting with the creativity you were looking for regarding a t-shirt design. Sometimes technology is no match for what goes on inside the heads of kids!!","dateCreated":"1320453678","smartDate":"Nov 4, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"smcmom","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/smcmom","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"45662354","body":"Hi Kathryn -
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\nI also like creating a little competition within the classroom. Kids want us to know what they have learned, and using a Jeopardy game as a format for demonstrating\/reviewing gets the whole class engaged. I think you being the score keeper was a good idea - a neutral party is a plus when points are involved. What I loved about my time at the middle school was that even though I taught the same lesson four times a day, it was never the same. How the kids react to it is totally different from class to class, and that is what made my days fly by. I don't know if the kids realize that they teach us every day as well.","dateCreated":"1320454052","smartDate":"Nov 4, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"smcmom","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/smcmom","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"45662480","body":"Hi Brittany -
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\nI can remember when my kids did the How To Essay. They would have to make something at home, usually lunch or breakfast, and it would take forever because they would write down each and every detail. I think you having them create their own potion is a great idea! You made them connect to the text at their level, and made it fun at the same time. If my memory is correct, the fun lessons, the ones I connected with, were the ones I got the most out of. You were able to do that with your students and that is wonderful.","dateCreated":"1320454263","smartDate":"Nov 4, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"smcmom","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/smcmom","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"45678156","body":"Kathryn,
\nI did a jeopardy review style with my students as well. Based on time management I wasn't able to do it with the AC gifted just the on level students. Much like you I thought that the jeopardy game positively influences the students' grades.","dateCreated":"1320510503","smartDate":"Nov 5, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"saiken4","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/saiken4","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"45678416","body":"Brittany,
\nI haven't read the YA book but it sounds interesting. What grade is this for? I love the idea of using reading to influence their writing, as this gives students not only a model but a topic.","dateCreated":"1320511114","smartDate":"Nov 5, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"saiken4","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/saiken4","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"45741624","body":"Reflective Practice Assignment
\n1. What was your original intent or goal for this lesson?
\nMy original goal for this lesson was for students to understand the plot of Edgar Allan Poe\u2019s \u201cThe Tell-Tale Heart.\u201d This was the first story the students had read by Poe, and knowing his writing is a bit difficult for some to understand. I used a reading quiz and a short play adaptation of \u201cThe Tell-Tale Heart\u201d to accomplish this goal. This story is easier to read than most of Poe\u2019s other works, so before going into more difficult texts, I wanted to make sure students understood this story. By doing the play version of this story, I figured students would be able to reaffirm with themselves that they can and do understand Poe\u2019s writing.
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\n2. Were you successful in reaching that goal? How?
\nI believe I was successful in reaching my goal. Not only did my students recognize that they did indeed understand the story, but they were excited about understanding and ready to read more stories. Many students readily and willing raised their hands to go over the quiz questions and almost all of them wanted to participate in the play. After the play, they were satisfied with what they had discovered through reading, and the ones who had questions had them all answered.
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\n3. What specifically went well with your lesson?
\nThe students were very interested in doing the play. Almost every single student wanted to play a part. This was very exciting for me. I was worried that I wouldn\u2019t have enough students to fill all the roles. Instead, I had to split each role up between different people for different scenes so everyone could participate. It was interesting, and actually very fun to see the students get in to their roles and really play the part. I think this class would really enjoy another activity like this.
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\n4. What did not go well with your lesson? Why?
\nMany more students than I expected wanted to be in the play. They weren\u2019t just volunteering, but basically begging to be in it. I couldn\u2019t bring myself to just pick a few because they were so enthusiastic, so I didn\u2019t want any of them to be disheartened by not being chosen. Because of this, a lot of class time was taken out to assign roles. In the future, I would ask everyone the day before if they would like to participate, and then assign the roles outside of class.
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\n5. What adjustments will you make or did you make during the course of your day to replicate the lesson?
\nThe lesson went very well, so I do not believe I made any adjustments. I feel like I was better at it the second time around. There are adjustments that need to be made to this lesson plan, such as assigning roles the outside of class, but that was not something that could have been modified that same day.
\n
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\n6. How does this lesson find its way into your unit and how well does this lesson scaffold and\/or integrate into the next lesson?
\nThis lesson plan of course tied into the bigger picture of the entire unit over Edgar Allan Poe. They had already learned about Poe\u2019s life and writing, and read some of his poems. This lesson plan was over the first story they had read of his. The day after this lesson plan, the students participated in a fishbowl discussion over \u201cThe Tell-Tale Heart,\u201d so I feel this lesson plan adequately prepared them for that. It also prepared them for their future readings of Poe\u2019s more complicated stories and showed them Poe\u2019s use of vivid imagery, which is something they studied greatly throughout this unit.
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\n7. What theoretical principle and\/or project did you tie to this lesson from your coursework?
\nThroughout my experiences in the English Education program, I have learned that it is beneficial to incorporate drama into literature. With this play, I did exactly that. The students got to get up, move around, and play a role. They were interested, excited, and participating, which is dramatically different from how they act during lecture-style lessons.
\n
\n8. Will you use this lesson again? Why or why not?
\nYes, I will definitely do this lesson again. The students really seemed to enjoy it. After they read a few other stories by Poe, \u201cThe Tell-Tale Heart\u201d remained the most popular favorite, and I think this lesson plan had a lot to do with that. I also personally really","dateCreated":"1320636692","smartDate":"Nov 6, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"csmit285","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/csmit285","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"45742268","body":"Brittany,
\nI remember "how-to" essay and I loved them. I always wanted to share something I knew how to do that I knew no one else did! I think your lesson plan must have gone really well for them to be so excited, but I also experienced the same problem with my students' time management. I gave my students a whole class period to work on writing short horror stories, and half of them didn't have a single sentence written down by the time they left class. Then, later on those same students complained that they didn't have time to write their stories. We are both at ECMS, and I think maybe a reason that so many of those students have trouble with time-management is because students at ECMS aren't penalized very much for classroom behavior. They seem to only penalize fighting there. There is no supervision in the hallways, so students act crazy in-between classes, and then come into the classroom very distracted and remain that way throughout the entire class period. When we are teachers, we must enforce our classroom management polices, and hopefully our students will stay more on track!","dateCreated":"1320637448","smartDate":"Nov 6, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"csmit285","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/csmit285","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"45742412","body":"Stephanie,
\nI would really like to see an example of a characterization t-shirt because I don't know what it is. It sounds interesting though!","dateCreated":"1320637638","smartDate":"Nov 6, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"csmit285","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/csmit285","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"45742588","body":"Kathryn,
\nI also did a jeopardy game to prepare my students for their Edgar Allan Poe Unit Test. They really enjoyed it and it really prepared them for their test (almost too much). I know I always loved these games as a student and see that they still do! I made mine on PowerPoint and it was actually the first time I had ever done it. The game turned out great though. The only problem I had was that I overestimated how long it would take to play the game. There were a lot of questions, but it went much quickly than expected, so I had to improvise the rest of the class period.","dateCreated":"1320637868","smartDate":"Nov 6, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"csmit285","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/csmit285","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":1}]},{"id":"43207772","dateCreated":"1317088518","smartDate":"Sep 26, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"mgoodsit","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/mgoodsit","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"},"monitored":false,"locked":false,"links":{"self":"https:\/\/ened4415fall2011.wikispaces.com\/share\/view\/43207772"},"dateDigested":1532093070,"startDate":null,"sharedType":"discussion","title":"Teaching Inquiry: due October 28","description":"Post your teaching inquiry posts and responses to one another here. You should generate a true online dialogue around the issue or problematic situation presented by your colleagues.","replyPages":[{"page":0,"digests":[{"id":"45060628","body":"There are two drastically different types of classes that I see in my TOSS Placement. My collaborating teacher teaches two on level classes as well as two gifted classes. Most of the students come from a background that values education further proving it in the work they turn in. There are also a percentage of students who are ADHD.
\n The school pushes cross-curriculum studies throughout the year. The students were writing one-paragraph to one whole page analysis of their subject in their Social Studies classroom. As part of my lessons, I sat down with the Social Studies teacher and made a checklist to allow the students a chance to review their writing before they turned it in.
\n I decided to do a peer editing session as I thought someone\u2019s peer would better critique their writing than the actual author would. I have attached the checklist that I gave the students.
\n During the class I walked around and observed how the students were critiquing each other\u2019s papers. I was surprised when students marked a certain section as correct when the piece still had errors in it. I feel like some of the students put checks in the yes column just to be done with the assignment. I saw this happen in both the on level and gifted classes. I think that checklists give the students certain points to make sure are in the writing but they don\u2019t treat it as deeply as I want them to.
\nHow do I get students to accurately and thoroughly peer edit or even self edit? Can I do this with a checklist? Is there a reason this failed in both the on level and gifted classes?","dateCreated":"1319658135","smartDate":"Oct 26, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"saiken4","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/saiken4","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"45172778","body":"I could not figure out how to attach my artifact which lead me to copying and pasting, thus, losing the look of the handout I gave to the students.The questions on the handout are as follows.
\n
\nCriteria\/Performance Indicators
\n
\nOrganization
\nDo you have your name, date, and class period on the paper?
\nHave you written at least 6 sentences per paragraph?
\nIs your paragraph indented?
\nDid you include four supporting sentences in logical order?
\nDo you have a title?
\nContent
\nDo you have a topic sentence for each paragraph?
\nDid you include content related vocabulary? List four.
\nDid you include relevant examples and details?
\nDid you stay focused on the topic? List what the topic is.
\nDo you have a meaningful conclusion for your paragraph?
\nMechanics\/Writing Structure Did you proofread for spelling?
\nDid you proofread for capitalization errors?
\nDid you write in complete sentences (no fragments\/runons)?
\nDid you use appropriate grammar and writing tense (3rd person, no you or I)?
\nDid you use a variety of sentence structures (simple, compound, complex)?Write your BEST sentence in your essay.","dateCreated":"1319775304","smartDate":"Oct 27, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"saiken4","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/saiken4","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"45207320","body":">Diversity is pretty prevalent within the classrooms that I have been working in. The racial line is about fifty-fifty and gender follows along the same line. For my teaching inquiry, I would like to focus on something that happened during parent-teacher conferences. Let me give you a back story, first. I was in my first week of observation and there was a student in first period that every single day had to be reprimanded for his inappropriate behavior-whether it was being rambunctious, talking, or being rude to another student. He even made a seriously inappropriate comment to another teacher, it was sexual in nature. This student could not keep his behavior under control. My CT informed me that they have been trying to move said student into the EBD (Emotional-Behavior Disturbed) classroom for awhile but that the parent has been resisting and will not agree to it. This student was a serious distraction to the lesson on a daily basis. The next week, I was actually there when his father came in for Parent-Teacher Conferences and I was able to observe. The following are snippets of the conversation that ensued between my CT and Mr. Parent.
\n
\nCT: Mr. Parent, your son is a smart kid, but his behavior in the classroom is a constant distraction to the other students. His teachers have all spoken with me and we believe it will be best to move him into the EBD classroom.
\n
\nMr. Parent: But he\u2019s just got some talking problems, I don\u2019t want his education to suffer because he can\u2019t keep his mouth shut.
\n
\nCT: That\u2019s not the only problem, though. Talking is a huge problem, but it is the combination of the talking, getting up out of his seat, making noises, invading other\u2019s personal space that has made us decide that this is the best course of action for your son.
\n
\n(More conversation of the grievances that have been documented by my CT and other teachers, the parent listening quietly with a disturbed look on his face. The list was fairly long and extensive. Finally, it was possible to see the look of resignation come over this man\u2019s face.)
\n
\nMr. Parent: I mean\u2026if you think that\u2019s our only course of action that we have left, I guess that will be fine. Teachers have been trying to get this done for years; I am tired of fighting it. Move him.
\n
\nHere are my questions about this situation:
\n\u2022Should parents be allowed to keep kids out of the EBD classroom when teachers have decided that it is the appropriate course of action?
\n\u2022Why is there such a stigma associated with being a student with this classroom?
\n\u2022What should have my CT and this student\u2019s previous teachers done differently to accommodate this child in a different? (If anything)
\n\u2022Were there other options than the EBD classroom? If so, what are they?","dateCreated":"1319825289","smartDate":"Oct 28, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"kpitchf1","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/kpitchf1","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"45218000","body":"Katherine,
\nWhile reading this I initially thought to invite the parents in to the classroom to let them see how their son acts. I can imagine that the son might act differently with his parent observing so in this case I would move to video recording the class to show how the student's actions hinder the whole class. I would also have tried to write down every action that the kid has done that has caused friction. I would point out that he is not only hindering others education but his own. I think it was a good idea for the teacher to point out that the student is smart as it might be hard to desifer. I have never heard of an EBD classroom as students I know of went to a reform school.
\nI am just curious if the student knows why his actons are inappriopriate. In my TOSS experiance I have seen several students come in with a behavior checklist where they have to act properly to recieve a certain number of points or recieve ISS, detention, and ranging to silent lunch. I wonder if something like this would help this student.","dateCreated":"1319837742","smartDate":"Oct 28, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"saiken4","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/saiken4","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"45223734","body":"Kathryn -
\n
\nSometimes parents do not what to accept that their children need extra help. I wish I could understand why that is. My thinking is that when your child needs extra help to succeed, you do whatever it takes. The teacher is the professional, the one who is with the child for the most hours during the course of the day. They see how the kids think, learn and interact within the classroom environment. If the parent does not want to listen and accept the recommendations by those that can see there are problems, I don't think there is much that can be done. Unfortunately, it is the child that pays the price.","dateCreated":"1319849001","smartDate":"Oct 28, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"smcmom","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/smcmom","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"45270696","body":"Issue:
\nMy school, East Cobb Middle School is a title one school with a very diverse population. The students are very rowdy and not always the most well behaved. The vice principal in charge of behavior management is always busy dealing with students in his office. While the school and the classroom seem completely safe, the general atmosphere feels a bit out of control in my opinion, especially since the schedule is changed on what seems like a weekly basis. So, due to the slightly wild atmosphere and lack of control in the hallways, students come into the classroom with the attention span of a goldfish. Even in my classroom, which is an AC class, the students cannot handle lecture or stay on task with assignments and handouts. Although my CT is an amazing teacher, she is soft on the children when it comes to punishment, and they are fully aware of that.
\n
\nAssignment:
\nTo keep my students on track, I like to incorporate whole-class activities. After reading \u201cThe Cask of Amontillado,\u201d by Edgar Allan Poe, I wanted students to focus on the theme of revenge. I wanted them to be able to form their own opinions on appropriate types of revenge, if any, to given situations. This way, they can decide if they think Montresor was overreacting by killing Fortunato. I give each pair of students one of the following scenarios:
\n
\n1. Someone steals your favorite pencil and breaks it. You know who it is, but your teacher can\u2019t do anything because you have no proof.
\n
\n2. Someone borrows your favorite pencil and accidentally breaks it.
\n
\n3. Someone burns your house down for no reason. Everyone lives, but you lose all of your things. You know who did it, but the investigation is going very slowly and the police don\u2019t have enough evidence to arrest the person.
\n
\n4. Your neighbor throws a cigarette butt over the fence. Unbeknownst to him, it starts a fire and burns down your house. Everyone lives, but you lose all of your things.
\n
\n5. Someone robs your mother and kicks her in the face in the process. You know who it is but the police have no proof, and therefore can\u2019t arrest him.
\n
\n6. Someone robs your mothers. Although he is taking her things, he doesn\u2019t harm her and admits that he is only doing this to feed his own family. You know who it is, but the police have no proof, so they cannot arrest.
\n
\n7. Someone calls you a mean name and it embarrasses you in front of your friends.
\n
\n8. Someone calls you a mean name, but no one else is around to hear him.
\n
\n9. A drunk driver runs a red light and kills one of your family members. He gets arrested, but only receives a five-year prison sentence.
\n
\n10. A single father, working 3 jobs to support his family falls asleep at the wheel, running a red light and killing one of your family members. He gets a five-year prison sentence.
\n
\n11. Your girlfriend or boyfriend breaks up with you and posts an embarrassing picture of you on MySpace or Facebook.
\n
\n12. Your break up with you girlfriend or boyfriend for no reason; he or she then posts an embarrassing picture of you on MySpace or Facebook.
\n
\n13. You play football. During practice, another player tackles you unnecessarily hard because you stole his starting position.
\n
\n14. You play football. During practice, another player tackles you unnecessarily hard because the coach had been giving him grief about not being aggressive enough.
\n
\n
\nEach paid of students had to decide what their revenge would be, if any, to their given situation. They were given a few minutes to decide, and then each pair stood up, read their scenario out loud, and give their appropriate revenge.
\n
\nGuiding\/Framing Questions:
\n
\n\u2022 How can these students be held more accountable to stay on task when my CT doesn\u2019t reprimand them?
\n\u2022 While this assignment is entertaining and kept them on task, was it really a beneficial learning assignment?","dateCreated":"1319989997","smartDate":"Oct 30, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"csmit285","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/csmit285","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"45290182","body":"1. I am in a fairly diverse classroom of 8th graders in a mostly middle class area. Both of the classes that I teach are about average, however, my CT has informed me that her second period is usually higher performing than her first period. For my ISLA I decided to teach independent and dependent clauses as well as adverb and adjective ones. I thought this would be pretty easy and that after a bit of practice the students would get the hang of it. I was so wrong. We are still trying to work through it and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. We have done worksheet after worksheet, practiced on the Smart Board, and taken quizzes. Plus, I have done mini lessons on each one numerous times but it just doesn't seem to be sinking in. I don't know if it is my teaching, the material, or just that the students don't care about the material. I do, however, feel at least partly responsible.
\n
\n2. After taking our pretest and having two mini lessons, I gave out worksheets for students to complete. It was two pages each with two sides. One paper had dependent and independent clauses, while the other had adjective and adverb clauses. I walked around the room while they were working on them and helped whoever was having trouble. When I took the papers home to grade, I felt confident that they would have improved from the pretest and preliminary practices. I was saddened and surprised to find that they were terrible. Only a handful of students made A's while the rest failed miserably. Looking at the papers, I saw that most students actually did pretty well on the independent clauses sheet. They could easily find and identify the independent clause within a sentence. But, the dependent clauses sheet was a different story. I was very confused on how they could find the independent but not the dependent. We decided not to grade these sheets and instead I taught the lesson again and did more practice with them. Then, we gave them a quiz. The results were pretty much the same. I am still struggling to decide where to go from here. I will post copies of some papers Monday when I can get a hold of them.
\n
\n3. Can you think of any ways to help students learn this topic?
\nDoes anyone know any ways of doing this that may be more engaging to students than simply doing worksheets?
\nAt what point should we start actually giving grades for this work even when the grades are very poor?
\nWhen should I give my post test? I know that they do not get it and don't think it is fair to test them yet.","dateCreated":"1320019636","smartDate":"Oct 30, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"kboyette86","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/kboyette86","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}},{"id":"45312036","body":"Like Christina, I am also at East Cobb Middle School. However, I am in a 6th grade classroom with on track students and some students with special needs. Out of the 117 students in my four class periods there are 22 that have some type of disability. Each of my class periods are also extremely diverse. The main problem that I have with my students is keeping them focused and making sure they understand the material. It does not help that in the five weeks I have been at ECMS there has been I believe three schedule changes. The first schedule change was for ITBS testing for a week, the second schedule change was for a pep-rally, the last schedule change was for conference week. This poses an issue because we have to rush our lessons and that creates chaos for the students. Most of the time, my students will pay attention for about half of the directions and then they are done. My CT also has two co-teachers that come in for different periods throughout the day. My CT does most of the teaching and the co-teachers do most of the disciplining. When I am teaching, I tend to multitask. I can teach and discipline when necessary. However, I am cautious not to overstep my boundary.
\n
\nTwo weeks ago I gave my students a vocabulary pre-test for my ISLA. I constantly had to remind students that we were taking a test and that there was no talking. I also had to remind kids that we are taking a test, of which they must complete. I had one student trying to paint a picture while her blank test sat on her desk. The pre-test was as follows:(the format is different)
\n
\nDirections: Please match the vocabulary words to their correct definition.
\n
\n1. Scheming
\n2. Motto
\n3. Quirky
\n4. Peculiar
\n5. Fluent
\n6. Conviction
\n7. Ordinary
\n8. Barghest
\n9. Plotting
\n10. Ravine
\n
\nA. A peculiarity of behavior.
\nB. Capable of expressing oneself smoothly and effortlessly with language.
\nC. A deep narrow valley or gorge in the earth's surface made by running water.
\nD. A male witch or monster.
\nE. The judgment of a judge or jury that a person is guilty of a crime. A strong opinion or belief.
\nF. To mark, note, or represent as on a chart or map. To plan or scheme deviously or secretly.
\nG. To make a plan of action. An underhanded or secret plan; a plot.
\nH. Unusual or eccentric; strange.
\nI. Commonly encountered; usual; normal.
\nJ. A phrase or statement expressing a principle, goal, or ideal. A brief expression of a guiding principle; a slogan.
\n
\nHow can I keep my students on track without being too forceful?
\nHow can I make assessments more engaging for the students?
\nHow can I get my students to realize the importance of test-taking and the effect it has on grades?","dateCreated":"1320065357","smartDate":"Oct 31, 2011","userCreated":{"username":"bpuett1","url":"https:\/\/www.wikispaces.com\/user\/view\/bpuett1","imageUrl":"https:\/\/ssl.wikicdn.com\/i\/user_none_lg.jpg"}}],"more":0}]}],"more":false},"comments":[]},"http":{"code":200,"status":"OK"},"redirectUrl":null,"javascript":null,"notices":{"warning":[],"error":[],"info":[],"success":[]}}