Wordy Wednesday

The last Wednesday in February.......

I hope you all have been checking the blog even if you have not been contributing.  Science Fiction Friday had to do with The Giver, as I am sure you have figured out by now. Please go back and look at the pictures again to see if you can make a connection to the text yet. Some will still be a mystery until we reach that section in the text. Now that you have more information, though, you can make educated guesses and/or predictions for the novel. Have fun trying to figure them out.

Now, let's get to the task at hand---Vocabulary. There are many interesting vocabulary words that you will encounter as we read The Giver. You have already worked with a few. I am going to post some pictures that may help you define some of the new words on our list. This will be a challenge to get just the right picture to show the meaning, since I don't have the capability of sketching exactly what I want. Let's give it a try.


What vocabulary word from The Giver is shown in the picture below? 




Exuberant or Excruciating














Anguish or Conspicuous

Meticulous or Transgression

Buoyancy or Crescendo

Interdependent or Independent

Easy, right? Let me know what you think of the exercise. Please create a post using some of the words in context too. I'd be interested in seeing how they fit together in a paragraph. Feel free to find some pictures on the Internet for the words that were not represented in illustration above. Print and bring in for extra points. Have fun with words.

Truth Be Told Tuesday

Thinking for persuasion....

Let's stick to the facts. We talked about changes that need to be made in school, in Barnegat, in New Jersey, and in our nation or the world. It's important to strengthen your writing style when dealing with persuasive essays. Be creative but be logical too. Let's get down to business and iron out some issues right here on the blog. I will post some of the most common complaints expressed about our school. Try to think logically and present your best reason to support or refute the given issue. If I remember correctly, some of the popular complaints involved gym class, cafeteria food and eating locations, a lack of electives, the dress code, gum chewing, a need for recess....the list goes on and on.

Let's start with cafeteria food.....

Here are some school lunches aroung the globe.

ITALY........

640 × 480 - izismile.com

FRANCE.....






Here's what the school lunch is like in Korea. Better?


Many of you expressed complaints about the food not being healthy or tasty. Will the European or Korean menus work to solve that problem?


The caption on this picture below mentioned mystery meat? Is that fair?

The caption on the picture above reads....

Kids who ate school lunches like this one regularly were 29 percent more likely to be obese than those who brought their lunch from home.

The caption for the picture above reads....

Health researchers typically focus on improving the quality of foods served in school cafeterias. But what about improving a child’s whole dining experience. Turning the school lunch into a real sit-down meal, rather than a minutes-long eating frenzy, is just one way to begin improving the health and eating habits of the nation’s children, says Dr. Arthur Agatston.

What do you think about time? Do you feel rushed at lunch? Does the time issue cause you to eat all the wrong foods? Let's just think a minute. Do we have a minute?

Let's talk about the improvements you would like to see on the menu or during lunch and why they are necessary. Be logical and prove your point. We will take on another issue next week so check back often.

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.