Science Fictional Friday

Note:  I know it's only Thursday, but I may not be able to post tomorrow from Texas.  Enjoy this challenge, and, of course, be respectful of your substitute.  I will see you Tuesday. Reminder:  Parent letters are due back on Tuesday.

Fictional Friday is back. I hope you are all ready to once again be creative.    I realize that for your free reading you will be concentrating on nonfiction and planning your "talk show" interviews for the end of the marking period. That does not mean you should completely forget about fiction and creativity. We will be starting a very bizarre novel shortly and I want to ease you into it.

Our new novel will have a touch of science fiction so be ready for anything and everything, as they say. To get you started and thinking along the lines of the weird and the seemingly impossible, I am posting some pictures that may or may not have something to do with our new novel. I would like you to preview the pictures and see if you can develop your own story line fitting each picture somewhere into the plot. You have my permission to be as weird as you like. Remember, this book will be science fiction.

Spoiler alert>>> Anyone who has already read our new book or has been told anything about the plot from an older sister/brother make sure you do not ruin the surprise or shock value of the novel for the rest of the classes. Thanks

Okay, enjoy the pictures and let your imaginations fly.....

Monday's Message....Famous Figures Who Shape Lives

Your projects are soon approaching.  I look forward to the character presentations. Make sure you practice at home and time yourself.  Take extra time on your 3 paragraph literary analysis.  It's worth more points than the rest of the project.  January 18th will be interesting, I'm sure.

The new marking period is almost here. I know we will be switching gears to persuasive writing soon, but I wanted to give you all another shot at explanatory essay topics. Our next type of reading is non fiction / biography. I would like you all to think about a famous person, living or dead, who has had an influence on your life. Think about the following questions to get you started:

• What made this person famous?
• What character traits does this person possess? How do you know?
• What type of person would be most drawn to this person?
• Is his / her influence a positive one? (I would hope so.) Explain.
• How will knowing about this person's life shape your life?

The above questions would help shape an explanatory essay. Now think about your influential person. Let's talk about him / her here on the blog. I bet you will see that others feel the same way that you do.

I almost don't want to share pictures because I don't want to lead you all in one direction or another. Remember, all areas are acceptable. Your special person could be in politics like a world leader, sports, music, theater, literature......and so on, and so on.

Here are a few pictures of the people who helped to shape my life.

 

Jacqueline Kennedy

Dr. Maya Angelou is a remarkable Renaissance woman who is hailed as one of the great voices of contemporary literature. As a poet, educator, historian, best-selling author, actress, playwright, civil-rights activist, producer and director, she continues to travel the world, spreading her legendary wisdom. Within the rhythm of her poetry and elegance of her prose lies Angelou's unique power to help readers of every orientation span the lines of race. Angelou captivates audiences through the vigor and sheer beauty of her words and lyrics. ( This excerpt is from her own web site.)

John Steinbeck (Above)

S. E. Hinton

Who are some of the people you will admire 10, 20, 30 years from now?

Silly, Snow-Covered Sunday

Explanatory essays are an important part of grade 8 ILA.  I have asked you to explain all kinds of different topics like happy moments, sad moments, moments that taught you a lesson, moments that delt with your family traditions.  We have even explained famous quotations and linked them to our lives and to history.  I have chosen another topic for you to share with us.  It's good practice for those many explanatory essays you are expected to do.  Let's think on our feet once again....

Pets often play an important role in people's lives. Some people even treat their pets as if they were humans. I have heard that pets are sometimes given to older adults who are alone for health reasons. What have you heard about this concept?

If you have a pet, what does your pet mean to you and why do you think pets have so much importance in our lives? If you do not own a pet, why do you think pets play such an important part in people's lives?

Is there any evidence that pets have been important throughout history? Think about literature too. Do some research before you respond. What if this were a topic for an explanatory essay? How would you format your response? Keep this in mind when you post your response.

Who has one of these?

It was a lot of fun just looking for all the pictures of pets. I hope you enjoy sharing your thoughts, as well.

Freaky Friday

Let's talk about strange events in our lives either the ones we experienced or the ones we witnessed. If you have not had anything strange happen to you then talk about events that you either heard or read about.Tell us your thoughts. I will post some weird pictures to get you started.

Perhaps you have seen strange or unexplained things in real life. You know what they say.
" Life is sometimes stranger than fiction." Prove it.

Stange? Real or fake? You decide.

M. C. Escher

The celebrated sports-mascot is a part of actual, North American mythology passed down from the American Indians. Alternately, the Jersey Devil is said to be the undying, demonic offspring of a cursed woman by the name of Mrs. Leeds. Either way, sightings of the fearsome, New Jersey resident go back hundreds of years, though descriptions of the beast vary wildly from that of a dragon, to a winged stag to a bigfoot-like creature. By some reports it is known to prey on livestock, terrorize naughty children, and pepper snowy rooftops with it's hoof-prints.