Extraordinary Eighths

Homework – READ good AR books. Deadline for taking 3 tests is May 31!

This week we will

• write a Book Review (see post for sample)
• post Book Review on your blog
• read other students’ posts in your class to find good books and make a comment on each
• vote for your favorite song for Transition Ceremony
• summarize your Blog Theme for the year with a post that tells what you learned, what you want to learn and where you will head with your theme
• test for reading and writing
• special reading
• random poems for pockets that are empty

Language Arts – Edgar Allan Poe Week!

Homework- Read AR Book for 30 minutes each night. Take 3 AR tests per marking period – we are in week 2. All students must take three AR tests by Nov 30. All students will take one AR test by Oct 30 to keep pace.

Essential Questions  – What motivated Poe to write? How does fiction allow us to think outside the box? What is great literature?

This week: MOOD, TONE

Monday

• Freewrite
• National Gallery of Writing – visit this website: The Milton DE Writers and Philosophers Gallery!
• Mood, feeling of a piece and Tone, writer’s attitude toward the subject – Read 621-623. Discuss visualizing.
• Vocabulary: acute, conceived, vex, stifled, crevice, stealthily, waned, scantlings, suavity
• “The Tell Tale Heart” – 624-630 with audio recording
• Blog about – Describe the narrator’s tone? What details build up the mood? Give examples

Tuesday

• Poem, “The Raven” Read and perform chorally.
• “The Black Cat” read and listen.
• Mood and tone reviewed.
• Blog about – Compare the two stories, Tell-Tale Hear and Black Cat. How are they the same, how are they different? What do these stories reveal about the author?

Wednesday

• Freewrite
• Edgar Allan Poe biography.
• Research Poe and blog about him. Why do they call him the Father of  Mystery and Horror?

Thursday

• Test on “Tell-Tale Heart”
• Theme writing on your blog: consider one topic that is part of your theme and write on it.

Friday

• Persuasive essay. TAKE A STAND AND SHOUT IT OUT! Take a position on a topic that relates to your theme and write a persuasive essay that convinces everyone to agree with you! For example, if your theme is skateboarding, you could write an essay that tries to get everyone to agree to put a skateboard park in the town where you live. If you topic is fashion, you could write an essay saying that everyone should be wearing the latest cool clothes or they get a ticket from the fashion police!  HAVE SOME FUN WITH IT!

Social Studies

Homework: Watch and read world news. Listen for stories about countries you are learning about.

Monday

• Geo L – Team activity with Atlas
• WHAT IN THE WORLD – Day 14 Research paper- finish and turn into the tray.
• Post your paper on your blog.
• Create a travel blog or website (Protopage) based on your country.

Tuesday

• World News Summary –View a recent news report.
• Blog a paragraph that summarizes a story.
• WHAT IN THE WORLD – Day 11 How to create a blog.

Wednesday

• Geo M  – Team activity with Atlas
• WHAT IN THE WORLD – Day 12  Review Creative Commons – the license to use material.
• Working toward your blog or protopage. Add pictures and links.

Thursday

• World News Summary – View a recent news report.
• WHAT IN THE WORLD – Day 13 Working on blog or protopage. Add podcasts? Maybe!

Friday

• Geo N – Team activity with Atlas
• WHAT IN THE WORLD. – Day 14 Finishing country projects. Sign up for presentations.
• Discussion about expectations for presentations.

Language Arts

Homework- Read AR Book for 30 minutes each night. Take 3 AR tests per marking period – we are in week 1. All students must take three AR tests by Nov 30. Complete Worksheet 10-11 on Tuesday evening.

Essential Questions  – How does an author convey style? How do we celebrate writing? What is success? What matters most?

Monday

• Freewrite in your journal
• National Gallery of Writing preparation – visit this website  and post your “What Matters Most” essay in our GALLERY- The Milton DE Writers and Philosophers Gallery!

• Our Writing Gallery http://galleryofwriting.org/galleries/722655

• Taylor Swift told about a special place where she would go to write poetry.  She would sit on the floor and get comfortable and the words would pour out. Later she turned her poems into songs and won several Grammy’s. Write about a favorite place where you can go to relax and to write. Describe the place and times that you have been there. Tell your story. Post this on your blog.

Tuesday – NATIONAL DAY OF WRITING!!! Celebrate!

• Poem, “What is Success?” pg 207 Copy and reflect
• Read some of the posts on the website National Day of Writing
• Preview and read Mr. Misenheimer’s Garden, text 203-206. What do experts do to read? Handout
• Vocabulary:battalion, nurseryman, existence, azaleas, dogwoods
• Read background 20
• Style – the way a piece of literature is written. Discussion, WS 10 Finish for homework!
• Main idea and supporting details – graphic organizer – WS 11 Finish for homework!

Wednesday

• Freewrite
• Blogging: use of categories, changing the header
• Simile: Willow and Ginkgo and  A Loaf of Poetry, text 215
• Figurative Language: review of simile and metaphor

Thursday

• Tests on Garden and Willow/Loaf
• Theme writing on your blog: consider one topic that is part of your theme and write on it.

Friday – Book Review day. Bring you library book.

Social Studies

Homework: Watch and read world news. Listen for stories about poverty and drugs.

Monday

• Geo I – Team activity with Atlas
• World News : Browsing the BBC
• WHAT IN THE WORLD – Day 9 Research paper how to using MLA style
• Notes check

Tuesday

• World News Summary – 5 W’s prewrite and then paragraph that summarizes a story.
• WHAT IN THE WORLD – Day 10 How to create a blog.

Wednesday

• Geo J  – Team activity with Atlas
• WHAT IN THE WORLD – Day 11 -How to create a protopage. Creative Commons – the license to use material.
• Working toward your country project.

Thursday

• World News Summary – 5 w’s prewrite and then a paragraph that summarizes a story
• WHAT IN THE WORLD – Day 12 Research paper due. Print and turn into tray.

Friday

• Geo K – Team activity with Atlas
• What IN THE WORLD. – Day 13 Working on country projects. Adding pictures to websites.

How would you escape a fire in a building other than your home?  Write an essay to explain. Follow these writing steps:

1. Prewrite
2. Draft
3. Revise
4. Edit
5. Publish

Use this structure for your essay:

• Introduction – with a thesis statement
• Body – Topic 1
• Topic 2
• Topic 3
• Conclusion with a restatement of the thesis

Social Studies Project

Where in the World Map

Where do you live? What street, city, county and country? What does it look like and how can you convey that on a homemade map?

PROJECT: For this project you must create a map of the area around where you live. You pick what it will look like and what to include. Detail the map so that the reader will get a clear idea of the area.  Use actual street names, community names, points of interest, topography (hills, rivers, fields?)  symbols, and a key.  You may want to do this on a computer or draw it by hand. Use interesting colors and pictures if you can!

Get creative! Place your name in the lower right hand corner of your map. This will be displayed so do a great job!

PRESENTATION: Write a 60 second speech to describe your map.  Rehearse the speech and bring it to class on Thursday. Remember to tell about your map in a creative way.

Consider the following questions:

• What geographic features did you include?
• Where does the map fit in a bigger world?
• How will people know about your area from looking at you map?

Evaluation: There are two grades each worth 100 points: one for the map, one for the presentation. We will go into detail in class.

ASSIGNED:  Tuesday, Sept 8, 2009

DUE:  Thursday Sept. 10, 2009

Language Arts Project: Mini-Poster

Think of words that describe you.  Search magazines, newspapers and advertisements to find words or phrases that fit you.  Cut them out. You may also use your computer to generate and print out words. These should be words that really relate to you and your personality.  You will need:

1. 10 nouns
2. 10 adjectives
3. 10 verbs

Make a mini-poster on heavy paper (an old file folder is fine) or foam board that is 8 inches tall and 6 inches wide. Using the words and pictures and anything else that is fun, create a mini-poster about you.  You may use string, colorful paper, stickers, whatever! Get creative! Place your name in the center of the poster.

Presentation: Write a 60 second speech to describe your mini-poster.  Rehearse the speech and bring it to class on Thursday. Remember to tell about yourself in a creative way.

Consider the following questions:

• What research tools can you use to enhance your word choice?
• How will you choose words that are rich in meaning and in sound?
• How will you put together your poster in a graphically interesting way?

Evaluation: There are two grades each worth 100 points: one for the poster, one for the speech. We will go into detail in class.

ASSIGNED:  Tuesday, Sept 8, 2009

DUE:  Thursday Sept. 10, 2009