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.

Tradition Tuesday

This great idea for this week's blog post came from a student from last year's class.

I am sure you all have interesting traditions for this time of year. Please describe how your family celebrates the holidays. For years my family enjoyed special sandwiches that we would make ourselves. We called them "sloppy Joe" sandwiches. These were always reserved for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve celebrations. Can anyone describe this special sandwich? Just so you know, it does not contain any ground beef. When I was young, my brother and I used to spend all evening on New Year's Eve cutting up old newspapers to make confetti. At the stroke of midnight, we would go out in the street and throw it around. We made sure we had pots and pans to bang together too. Our parents always had a party so there were many young kids there to join our party in the street.

Tell us about your holidays. Who, what, where, when, why can all be used to describe your celebrations. Don't forget to include how far back in your family this tradition can be traced. Was it the same celebration that your grandmother would have had or your great-grandmother or back and back and back? How has your family's tradition developed or changed? I think you would need to ask your parents about their holidays when they were little to answer that question.

Do a little family research before you post your comments. We can talk about Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. I look forward to hearing from you all.

"Perhaps the best Yuletide decoration is being wreathed in smiles."








Traditional Diwali for Hinduism


The Ball was a geodesic sphere, six feet in diameter, and weighed approximately 1,070 pounds.

Did anyone have a tradition involving snow? Our family did. Let's hear yours.

Memorable Toy Monday

This is the season of gift giving. Children have wide eyes as they think about receiving their favorite toy. Look at each of the toys below. Are any of them familiar to you? Did I find a favorite of
yours? Please comment on the pictures.

I'd like to hear about your favorite toy from childhood. Which one holds a special place in your heart and always will? (No technology, please.)

Explain what makes that one special toy so special to you.

Tickle Me Elmo                      

 




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