Friends Across the Desert

Welcome!

                                                                                             

Hi there, and welcome to Friends Across the Desert. In the coming weeks students from both classes will be assigned a pen pal. Students from Mrs. James's class and Mrs. Hash's class will get to know each other through the computer via the Internet. How, you ask? You guys will post comments to each other about things you find interesting. Here are some examples:

1. How old are you?
2. Do you have brothers or sisters?
3. Do you play sports?
4. What's your favorite food?
5. What's your favorite color?
6. What did you do this weekend?
7. What's your favorite movie?
8. What's your favorite song?
9. What's your favorite book?
10. What do you want to be when you grow up?

These are only examples. Can you think of others?

There are a few things you should know about getting around this site. Let's use this post to point out the basics. You are now reading the body of this post. At the bottom, you will see the time it was posted, and three underlined words: Permalink, Comments, and Trackback. We're going to use Comments to "talk" with each other. Here's how it works.

Click Comments and then scroll down to where it says, POST A COMMENT. Type your first and last name in the box  where it says Name: . Now you're ready to write your message in the box that says Comments:. When you finish writing your message, go back and check for spelling and comprehension. You want your readers to understand what you're saying.

When you're sure your writing is the best it can be, click the Post button. But wait! Did you capitalize the first letter of the first word in every sentence? Did you place an end punctuation at the end of every sentence?  If your comment doesn't appear, click the Refresh button in the browser bar. (It's the button with two green arrows on it.)

Easy? You bet.

Oh, one more thing. Take a peek at Mrs. James's class blog, Our Stories. You might find some cool things there!

(UPDATE - Our pen pal project is set to begin the week of October 16 - 20. So stay tuned!)

UPDATE for November 13, 2006 - Pen pals, you are doing a really great job! We know your online time is limited due to other classroom activities. That's why we are thrilled to see you here, getting to know one another. One concern, however... students need to be careful where they post their comments. Your comments should be posted BELOW the message Have fun! If you post anywhere else, your pen pal may not see your comment. So, please be careful about where you post your comment. Thanks!

Jonathon, say hello to Devin

Click on "Comments" at the bottom of this post to begin your pen pal exchange. Make sure to type in your name where it says Name:

Have fun!

Update - Because Jacob Lara has moved, Breyonnie is now paired with Jerry.

Jessica, say hello to Michael

Click on "Comments" at the bottom of this post to begin your pen pal exchange. Make sure to type in your name where it says Name:

Have fun!

Calvin, say hello to Gage

Click on "Comments" at the bottom of this post to begin your pen pal exchange. Make sure to type in your name where it says Name:

Have fun!

Julian, say hello to Josh

Click on "Comments" at the bottom of this post to begin your pen pal exchange. Make sure to type in your name where it says Name:

Have fun!

Breyonnie, say hello to Jerry

Click on "Comments" at the bottom of this post to begin your pen pal exchange. Make sure to type in your name where it says Name:

Have fun!

Update - Jerry, Jacob Lara has moved to Alamogordo. You can wish him the best of luck by leaving a comment here. He has the website address and will be checking in occasionally.

Jerry, your new pen pal is Breyonnie. She'll say hello to you soon.

Ruben Morales, say hello to Scott

Click on "Comments" at the bottom of this post to begin your pen pal exchange. Make sure to type in your name where it says Name:

(Scott - Jacob is no longer in our class. We have a new student, though, Ruben Morales. We'll get him to write you.)

Have fun!

Saaron, say hello to Antonio

Click on "Comments" at the bottom of this post to begin your pen pal exchange. Make sure to type in your name where it says Name:

Have fun!

Patricia, say hello to Brennan

Click on "Comments" at the bottom of this post to begin your pen pal exchange. Make sure to type in your name where it says Name:

Have fun!

Matt, say hello to Claire

Click on "Comments" at the bottom of this post to begin your pen pal exchange. Make sure to type in your name where it says Name:

Have fun!

Cruz, say hello to Richenda

Click on "Comments" at the bottom of this post to begin your pen pal exchange. Make sure to type in your name where it says Name:

Have fun!