Language+Arts

=**Language Arts with Mr. Dreiling**=


 * Dear Abby**: Our first project in language arts was to write a dear abby letter based on the scenario we were assigned. Here is the product.

Dear Anonymous

First of all thank you for writing to me, I got your letter and think that I may be able to help. Those kids taking your teacher's computers is not right and you should help your teacher and tell him who did it. If those kids get the chance to pawn those computers they will and all of your teacher's documents will be lost. The most important thing is to be brave and tell your teacher.

After notifying your teacher, you should also alert local pawn shops in the area. If they can be on the look out for those computers then they might be able to retrieve them successfully. It's wrong that children would steal from the classroom, school should be a place for education. It's not a bad idea for the teacher to ask tell the class that if the thieves turn in the computers anonymously they won't get in trouble.

You should consider bringing the police into the situation. Stealing is a crime, and those kids shouldn't be doing that at this age.They could be sent to juvie, and then delve into a life of crime.

Again, if your teacher confronted the class about this someone might come forward. You could also ask the students to just give the computers back to the teacher. If they do then consequences can be lifted. If the teacher does ask, it's likely one of the kids will tell the teacher out of guilt, or because they don't want to get in trouble.

Don't worry about being a snitch, or getting "beat up". Those kids beating you up is more than likely just a facade. If they call you snitch then don't feel bad, what they did was illegal and the rest of the class will support you. Again, thank you for writing to me, it's important that you do the right thing.


 * Picture Story Writing**: For this project we were assigned a partner, and then we got to choose a picture, we then had to write a story about that picture. Our original story was too long, so the second link is the story we turned in.

[|Original Story]

[|Official Product]


 * To Kill A Mockingbird:** We have been reading 2 chapters in TKAM every school day except Wednesdays. Once we finish the book we will make a final product.


 * Can Freedom be a Drawback?**: We had to write a 5 paragraph essay answering that question.

Can freedom be a drawback?

Freedom can be a drawback if given to freely. I believe that freedom should be a right to everyone; however some people can't utilize freedom. Lack of freedom usually leads to disobedience, but to much freedom leads to procrastination, and lax environments. People, especially children need to be given enough freedom to learn how to use it correctly. If freedom is abused though, it should be taken away, as a lesson to use freedom the right way and for the right reasons.

Like most everything, there is a place and time for freedom, but it shouldn't be over used. I think that students in school should be given freedom when it comes to most topics, because we learn better that way. If we begin to abuse that freedom though, we need a wake up call. If we can't be responsible for our actions then we need to learn to be. Otherwise we might not learn what we are supposed to if there is to much freedom.

Each student has a choice to stay on task, or to start messing around. The more freedom that is given, the more of an opportunity there is to mess around. It becomes harder and harder to stay on task when given the choice between working and playing. If not enough freedom is given then the choice between working and playing becomes easier, but then we feel restricted and might not learn as well. We have to be responsible for our actions.

Along with being responsible we need to practice self control. As adolescents we have less self control than an adult. The more freedom we are given, the more we can train ourselves to make the right decisions. If we can control our impulses then freedom won't have to be a drawback. Although we can't always make the right decision to stay on task. When we do make those wrong decisions we need to be reminded that freedom is a right, but it isn't set in stone.

If we can be responsible for our choices and control our impulses then freedom is simply a tool in the process of learning. The more we are given freedom, the more it is taken for granted. We should appreciate freedom more than we do. We just don't realize how important it is until it is taken away from us. If freedom is given at the right times in the right amounts, and students are responsible then freedom doesn't have to be a drawback.


 * Journals:** On Mondays and Fridays we get a journal prompt and then write 5+ lines about it.

[|Journals]


 * Stories:** Most days 15-20 minutes before the end of class Mr. Dreiling will read us a short story, and then we discuss it afterwards.