Because of Mr. Terupt: Pages 51-100
Hello 6th Grade Advising!
Amazing job on last week's response. I'm so happy to see such in depth thoughts and well developed ideas. You will have your choice of answering one of two questions this week. Remember to answer all parts of the question you choose, use text evidence, and check the syllabus to make sure you are getting full credit for your response.
Question #1
Describe Mr. Terupt. What makes him a dynamic person? Is he the type of teacher you would want? Why or why not? What makes being a student in his class challenging? What are the advantages and disadvantages to being taught in such a manner?
Question #2
Describe Peter's and Lexi's actions throughout the course of the year so far. Do you think these actions are harmful or just an example of kids being kids; why? Do you think either of them will change in any significant way and do you think either of them should change? Why?
Keep up the great work everyone!
Mr. Terupt is a kind and understanding teacher who demonstrates fortitude in multiple ways, and would like the best for his students. For example, on pages 57 and 58 it says, "In November Mr. Terupt introduced us to a book that the whole class would be reading, The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars.” Then it says, “‘This book won the Newbery Medal back in 1971,’ Mr. Terupt said. He held the book up. ‘It's not full of action like you guys tend to think about action, but it is a beautifully written book that's going to give us an awful lot to think about, learn from, and maybe even change because of.’” This quote shows that Mr. Terupt is the type of teacher who would like the best for his students because it shows how instead of choosing an ordinary book to read, Mr. Terupt thought it would be better to choose a meaningful book that his students would really learn and benefit from.
ReplyDeleteMr. Terupt is a dynamic person because of the way he goes about his teaching. For example, instead of just talking to his class to teach them about different topics, he involves something else to make the topic more fun and excitable. For example, on page 78 it says, “‘Okay guys, here’s the deal,’ he (Mr. Terupt) told us in December. ‘We’re going to have a holiday party like every other class, but it's going to be different.’” This quote shows that Mr. Terupt takes average topics - such as the holiday party project - and jazzes them up to make them more exciting, which makes him a dynamic person.
Mr. Terupt is the type of teacher that I would want. This is because as I explained before, he makes the regular topics that we learn in school more exciting. For instance, on page 51 it says, “It was November. Apparently that meant time for Mr. Terupt to get crazy with his math ideas again. I think he was on a mission to put us through his math gauntlet (dollar word). ‘We’re going to figure out the number of blades of grass in the soccer field,’ he announced one day.” This quote shows that instead of Mr. Terupt teaching his students math concepts during math class regularly, he decided to make it more fun by adding a whole other layer to the original concept, which is what I am looking for in a teacher.
Being a student in Mr. Terupt’s class is challenging because he believes strongly in fortitude, by always pushing you to do your best, even when you are not up to it. For example, on page 52 it says, “‘Yes, it’s going to be difficult, but I know we can do it,’ Mr. Terupt said, ‘Besides, if everything we did were easy, then you wouldn’t learn anything. We need to be challenged in order to learn.’” This quote shows that Mr. Terupt always shows fortitude and pushes his students to try hard, no matter what they need to accomplish, which is what makes it very challenging to be in his class.
There are many advantages and disadvantages to being taught in this manner. One advantage to this is learning many new skills along the way. For instance, on page 56 it says, “Once we finished tossing and counting, we headed inside, where we learned to average all our data.” Then it says, “Phew! I learned so much from doing that project.” This shows that at the end of all of the projects that Mr. Terupt pushed the kids to persevere through, it payed off because the kids gained so many new skills. One disadvantage to being taught in this manner is that you always have to try very hard, even when things get extremely difficult, which can get very tiring. For example, on page 81 it says, “Jeffrey and I decided that making a trivia game about Ramadan was the perfect way for people to learn about our holiday and what we’d researched. It took loads of work. We had just finished writing all our research as questions on the trivia cards.” This shows that due to the way that Mr. Terupt’s students are taught, they work extra hard on projects, and get tired, which is a strong disadvantage.
Good post, Artemisia. I think you put a lot of work into this post.
DeleteDear Artemisia
DeleteOh my god!!! Amazing I loved your post I though that your last post was above and beyond but when I saw this one I know that your posts are more then Above and Beyond and by Above and beyond I don't mean in one category in all the categories as usual backed up every detail with significant evidence you put so much effort and you post your comment several days before the due date amazing job!! Keep up the good work!!!
Hi Artemisia,
DeleteI really liked your post! I like it not because of its length, but because of all the time and effort you put into writing this. You used lots of evidence from the book and I agree that Mr. Terupt is a kind and understanding teacher. Keep up the good work, and I hope to see more of your comments in the future!
WOW! That was an amazing response. It was very detailed, and you definitely did everything you needed to. You went above and beyond and wrote a whole paragraph for each question, and included great evidence. Your response was clear, and I definitely agree with you. A+++!
DeleteOMG how did you write so much actually about the prompt! And you didn't have too many transition words, and other words people put in their writing to make it longer! Like how long did you even work on this! I really think you should get, like, an advising writing award or something!
DeleteAmazing Artemisia! You had such a PHENOMENAL response! All that evidence and paragraphs really shows how much effort you put into this assignment! I definitely agree with you. Overall, your response was organized, and very detailed! Keep up the good work!
DeleteWow, this is amazing!! This is by far the best response to the blog I have seen. By the way you typed, I can tell you weren't trying to make it lengthy just for credit, it was because you had a lot of great information to share. Nice Job!!!!
DeleteHi Artemisisa! I love the style of your writing, the way you addressed the questions, and the spelling and grammar was perfect. However, I do have a little bit of constructive criticism for you. I feel like you may want to make your response a little shorter, because it was long and took me a while to read. Also, I feel like you should have done a conclusive sentence at the end of the last paragraph. Other than that, your post was great! Bravo!
ReplyDeleteI would enjoy Mr. Terupt as a teacher, because he seems very nice. Although he is nice, he also seems too nice. This might be a problem, because some of the kids in my class might take advantage of this and class would not be too fun. Although Mr. Terupt might be a nice teacher, I don't think we should replace Ms.Martin. 😊 I also think he might go too hardr on some certain kids who might not be as up to the challenge as others. So in conclusion, I think I would like to have Ms.Martin as a teacher.
ReplyDeleteAbout Lexi and Peter, I think they have not been very fair to Mr.Terupt. They took advantage of Mr.Terupt. They have also not been very kind to other kids. Peter also called the Cooperative Classroom kids ( Ithink that's the name) "retards".
Thats all for now!!
I liked your post not only did you answer the prompt you also put in a little bit of humor also you did a text to self connection since you have the teacher Ms.Martin. Keep up the good work!!
DeleteI liked your style of writing, and how you put the smiley face in, but still kept on track with the prompt. I also agree with you on pretty much everything, and finally, I like how you answered both prompts, which I think is very cool.
DeleteWell first thing Alexia and Peter have so far been pretty bad especially Alexia class clown's are understandable it's not that bad but bullying is really bad especially bullying someone because of there appearance in the book Alexia was saying mean things about Anna and Daniella one problem with that is Anna is really shy so she can't stand up to herself Danielle is not shy but will burst into to tears and run away. That is not a good thing. After Alexia's chat with Mr.Terupt she looked all quiet. That how she is supposed to act though knowing Alexia that quietness is not going to last long. Alexia is lucky for having Mr.Terupt as a teacher other teacher might of given her a detention. Peter is a good person but he can take his jokes too far ok making people laugh it is not that bad but when you start throwing Frisbee at people then that is too far. I think Peter should change because someday he is going to regret his actions and he might get in big trouble. Also he is lucky to have Mr.Terupt as a teacher because by now he might have gotten a detention. Peter probably will not change because of how immature he is he might stop throwing frisbee's at people but he will probably still remain as class clown. Alexia might have changed but I think it is just a temparary change she might change back to her mean self maybe she will try to get payback on Mr. Terupt.
ReplyDeleteHi Vignesh,
DeleteI agree with you because Peter and Alexia are definitely the troublemakers of their class, and Mr. Terupt can see what is going on, even though he is such a quiet and thoughtful teacher. I like how you used events from the book to support your comment. Nice job!
Hi Vignesh,
DeleteI agree with you when you stated that Alexia is lucky to have Mr. Terupt as a teacher. Your comment shows that you evaluated the prompt with great care, and that you spent a lot of time to make sure your response was clear. I like how you used multiple quotes from the book to support your point. However, there may be some run-on sentences and punctuation errors. Also, you may have not answered all parts of the questions. But overall, great job! Can't wait to hear more from you!
Mr. Terupt is the kind of teacher that most students would prefer to have, as he is a kind, thoughtful, and fun teacher. He disregards most of his students' bad behavior and still trusts them, and even argues with the fire department just to keep his students' posters on the walls of the hallway. He is such a dynamic teacher because, unlike other teachers, he chooses to have fun with teaching instead of giving his students the boring lectures they all expect.
ReplyDeleteMr. Terupt, as I mentioned before, is the type of teacher all students want. I would definitely want a teacher like Mr. Terupt because he has more exciting ways of learning. For example, during math, Mr. Terupt challenges the students to estimate the total number of blades of grass in the soccer field rather then doing a plain old math worksheet. This shows that he still wants his students to understand his lessons, but he understands that sometimes kids just refuse to pay attention to regular classes.
Being in Mr. Terupt's class might be a little challenging because he ignores most of the rude things the students are doing. For example, when Peter decides to fling a frisbee at Alexia, Mr. Terupt only makes Peter sit out instead of giving him a serious consequence.
I agree Mr.Terupt is a very dynamic person I also agree that he is really nice and I would like a teacher like him though Ms.Martin is really nice while being playful she still teaches us. It looked like you put a lot of effort into your post keep up the good work!!
DeleteHey Mariana,
DeleteGreat job on your response this week! You fully answered all parts of the question and supported your points with evidence taken from the story. Your response shows that you spent a lot of time and care in evaluating the prompt. Great job! Can't wait to read more of your responses!
Hi Mariana,
DeleteGreat job! I agree that Mr. Terupt is one of those cool teachers that everyone wants to have. He is very in the loop with things going on today. He makes thing that may be boring seem fun and interesting. Great response!
Hi Mariana,
DeleteNice response! I agree with you on how Mr. Terupt has exciting ways of learning, and that is why he would make a great teacher to everyone. Overall, you did a very nice job answering the prompt and using details from the text to support your reasoning. Keep up the great work!
I think that Mr. Terupt is a very funny person, who probably likes to have fun, but since he's an adult, that might be harder because he has to stay as a role model for his students. I honestly don't know what a dynamic person is, so I'll just skip that part, and I would like to have him as my teacher because he's a fun teacher, and I think the world could use more teachers like him, and less strict teachers who don't let you do anything and just lecture you all class. I think being a student in his class would be challenging because he is fun and everything, but he still has a clear line of rules that if you go over, you get in big trouble. I think the advantages of being taught like Mr. Terupt teaches are; you can have more fun while learning, which makes you more likely to remember the things he teaches you, he still has a line of rules, like I said earlier, which are loose, but if you cross them, you get in big trouble. The disadvantages of being taught in the way Mr. Terupt teaches are; he notices everything, like if you do something bad, or nice, he'll know, and if you are a mean person (sometimes like Lexie) you will get in BIG trouble a lot.
ReplyDeleteHi Ben,
DeleteI agree with you on how Mr. Terupt would make a great teacher because he's fun and excitable. I also agree with you on all of the advantages and disadvantages of being in Mr. Terupt's class that you gave. Overall, you had some really great thoughts, and you answered all parts of the question thoroughly. Keep up the good work!
I agree with you Ben Mr.Terupt would make a great teacher you put a lot of effort and your post was at a very good length you answered the prompt very good too so keep up the good work!!
DeleteMr.Terupt is a dynamic person because he is funny, likable and outgoing. I would love to have Mr.Terupt because he is fun and cool. I would also like to have him because he seems really nice and laid back. Being a student in his class would be challenging because he is very smart so i'm sure he knows about everything that's going on in his class. This being said, it would be really hard to outsmart him, if you were someone like Peter. An advantage of being in his class is that it is a very calm environment, and a different learning experience. A disadvantage of being in his class is, as I said, it would be hard to outsmart him without him knowing what your doing if your a troublemaker.
ReplyDeleteYes agree with you Mr.Terupt is smart and a good learning environment was good and you had your post at a good length though there is one thing if you think about Mr.Terupt class isn't that quiet other that it is a very good post
DeleteQuestion 2:
ReplyDeleteIf I were to describe Peter's and Lexi's actions throughout the year so far, I would use words like: immature, daring, and self-directed. Both of the characters are not very considerate when making decisions. For example, on page 53, the book says "She was bent over counting blades of grass. It was the perfect opportunity." Peter does not stop to think about what the effects on Alexia would be. He knew where it was going to hit, but he didn't put into consideration whether it was going to hurt, or how much it might hurt. He also did not realize that he could very easily get into trouble. Peter is not temperate in his actions, and does not show self control.
In many ways, Alexia is just like Peter. She doesn’t really think about what she does, and is very daring in her actions. There are often times when I am for a loss of words, just because of her ability to be mean. For example, on page 71, the book states, “He likes cows,” Lexie yelled after me. “Maybe he should date a cow like you, then.” Honestly, that’s probably one of the meanest things you could say to someone in Danielle’s position. Danielle, is kind, thoughtful, and temperate in her decisions, unlike Alexia. When other characters in the story describe Alexia, they say things like, “I have to deal with Alexia again. Plus her stupid feather boas and leopard-print clothes and her stupid purse. I wonder what kind of makeup she puts on this year. She’s so dumb. She thinks she’s a Hollywood star or somethin’” (page 15) This evidence proves that other kids also think Alexia is not quite as kind as one should be. Even though it may seem that Alexia has a lot of friends, other characters realize she is not a person to be reckoned with. Alexia appears to be the antagonist from every other character’s point of view except her own.
But like everyone, there is a nice side to Alexia. When Alexia goes down to meet the kids in the Collaborative Classroom, she has a much better attitude than when she is in Mr. Terupt’s class. For example, as Danielle says on page 70: “ The weirdest thing of all was that Lexie was really nice to the boys and girls in the Collaborative Classroom.” Later on, Danielle says: “And she was really patient with Emily too.” Mr. Terupt agrees with this as well. On page 70, he says to Alexia, “I know you’re not mean deep down inside,” Teach went on. “So stop acting like you are. Miss Kelsey has told me some amazing things about you in her room.” Alexia really does have a good side although many may not see it right away.
The biggest difference between Alexia and Peter is that Alexia has a reason for being bold. Alexia has been influenced by her past which has caused her to act in a way that seems very unsophisticated and immature. On page 91, it says that, “Kids made fun of me, because of my clothes, because of how I talked.” In some cases, (as in Alexia’s) bullies are influenced by past situations. “And after that, no one wanted to be friends with her. It didn't matter that what I said was a lie. They ditched her and became my friends instead.” Alexia thinks it is okay to be mean, because of one incident. Even after yelling at someone once, some girls had immediately wanted to be her “friend.” She thinks that she will be able to gain popularity by leading over them, and taking control.
Here I will have to pause, because I went over the word limit. The rest of my post is posted below.
Continuing, with question 2:
DeleteBoth Alexia and Peter should change, but I don’t think that they will. They are both very strong minded, and Alexia especially doesn’t like it when someone contradicts her. For example, on page 14, Alexia says, “ Usually girls just listen and follow along.” Although Peter is probably more friendly, he won’t really care. He’s probably the one person in a class who is there to make people laugh. He isn’t there to learn. He should change in a way that he realizes that school work is important, even though wasting his time in the bathroom may seem better to him.
Whether these two main characters have an excuse or not, their actions are not okay, and can be hurtful to others. Peter and Alexia need to show temperance, as Anna does. Alexia needs to change so that she are ready to start new, and not to think about her past. Peter needs to learn when is the appropriate time to make jokes, and when it’s simply not needed. They have a lot to learn from each other, and they still have plenty of time left in the school year to do so.
Oh my god!! That was a very good post going over the word limit that is amazing you should get extra points for that if I was Ms.Martin I would give you all 4's because of all the effort you put into your post it is like you wrote a essay Keep up the good work and it looks like Artemisia has competition.
DeleteGood one Vignesh.
DeleteHi everyone,
ReplyDeletePeter and Alexia's behavior this far in the book/year is in no way okay. Yes, part of it is them just being kids, but some is not. When Peter first heard about the children with disabilities, he called them very mean names. While what they are doing may not physically harm anyone, its no way to behave. Clearly, both of them must not have good parents, because their parents should tell them what they are doing is bad. Neither of them show any of the BFCCPS character traits, so I can't give them one.
Thanks
I liked your post it was very detailed you used evidence from the book I totally agree with you the kids in the collaborative classroom can't help how they are though I do have some constructive criticism you could made your post a little bit more lengthy other than that is was a very good post.
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