Time to Think Thursday....June 2013

It's now a few weeks before summer officially begins. I know for all of you....it alreay has started.    I  miss all y'all. By the way, I am hoping to travel back to New Jersey this month so maybe our paths will cross soon.

Please post on the blog and let me know how you will be spending your summer. Reflect on your 8th grade year. What memories will be special to you and how do you want to shape your Freshman year in Barnegat High School or MATES?  You will hear speeches on graduation night. Your Valedictorian will have a message for you all.   Mayor Morano, Mr. Fiorentino, and Superintendent Karen Wood will all have messages for you too.  Listen closely.   Take every bit of advice to heart and make your mark in the next four years. Get involved in your school, make and keep good friends, and, of course, put forth your best effort always. I wish you all the very best of luck in your futures whatever they may be. As I told many of you already.....I know you will become something fabulous! Enjoy.

 

Mrs. Prisbell
 

I love the beach.....I am in the Galveston area, but here are some of my favorite images of LBI that I will always hold dear even while in Texas....

Good morning, Long Beach Island!

New Jersey's one and only original surf brand.

LBI or GALVESTON?              Long Beach Island, NJ sunset (by Lisa Harrison) on the bay...and an old Victorian home in Galveston   It's rare to see a sunset unless you are bayside. I hope you all get to enjoy a sunrise or sunset on the Island this summer. I hope to catch a sunrise myself over the Gulf of Mexico.   I look forward to connecting with each one of you on the blog. I welcome your comments even as you go through high school. Please check back from time to time.    Let's talk soon.     Mrs. Prisbell

Time to Think Thursday

It's now a few days before summer officially begins.  I know for all of you....it alreay has started.  Teachers are back at school as I write this post.....and it's very quiet.  We already miss all y'all.  By the way, I will be visiting Texas this summer with my grandsons just in case you were wondering about the "all y'all" line.  I need some practice in my Texas dialect. I am sorry that for your first day off the sun is not shining but you will have many glorious beach days, I'm sure. 

Please post on the blog and let me know how you will be spending your summer.  Reflect on your 8th grade year.  What memories will be special to you and how do you want to shape your Freshman year in Barnegat High School?  Remember the speeches you heard on graduation night.  Devony told you all to never give up even when things get tough.  Mayor Cirulli told you to watch out for all the temptations you will encounter in high school and beyond, and Mr. Papernik, Mr. Nichol, and Ms. Wood all told you how important it is to stay in school.  Take every bit of advice to heart and make your mark in the next four years.  Get involved in your school, make and keep good friends, and, of course, put forth your best effort always. I wish you all the very best of luck in your futures whatever they may be.  As I told many of you in your yearbooks.....I know you will be something fabulous!  Enjoy.
  Mrs. Prisbell

Here are some of my favorite images of LBI that I will be taking with me to Texas....

Good morning, Island!

New Jersey's one and only original surf brand.

Long Beach Island, NJ sunset (by Lisa Harrison) on the bay... It's rare to see a sunset unless you are bayside.  I hope you all get to enjoy a sunrise or sunset on the Island this summer.  I look forward to hearing each one of you on the blog.  I welcome your comments even as you go through high school.  Please check back from time to time.  You are the first class with the grade8 ILA blog so that makes you all special.  That's only one reason, of course.  Let's talk soon.

Time to Think Thursday

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? 

Time to Think Thursday

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.

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

Time to Think Thursday

This will be a busy week, indeed.  Let's take a moment to think and reflect.  The quote below comes from one of our beloved Presidents, Calvin Coolidge.

I am reposting the famous quote shared by our own Calvin D.  Thanks, Calvin.  It gives us food for thought and helps us reflect on what's really important this week and throughout the year. 

Let's think.....

Calvin Coolidge
To the American People: Christmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind. To cherish peace and good will, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.



Birthplace---Plymouth, Vermont



Coolidge Homestead



Circa 1924...

So what are your thoughts on President Coolidge's quote about the holiday season?  What does he mean?  Do you agree or disagree?  Can you find proof in your life or thoughout history to prove the President's quote?  Let's talk about it here.