Literature
We have finished reading two poems from our first unit: "Old Man" on pp. 442-443 and "Grandma Ling" on p. 405. Students have completed a study guide of questions over both poems, and it will be collected tomorrow at the beginning of class. Tomorrow, Tuesday, 8/30, we will have a quiz over the two short stories and the two poems we have read and discussed so far. Writing We have begun a review of comma usage in our Warriner's text. We will reinforce this tomorrow with in-class IXL.com activities over skills A.1, A.2, A.3, A.4, A.5, B.1, and B.2. Vocabulary This past week we began studying 20 common Greek and Latin prefixes from our Sadlier-Oxford text, p. 11. We made paper flash cards to study and completed a group activity using the prefixes in new words. Students are also assigned to complete IXL skills QQ.1-QQ.5 to reinforce their knowledge. Online flash cards and games are available at Quizlet.com. Our vocab quiz will be Thursday, 9/1. Independent Reading Students have committed to a classic novel written before 1960. Images and links to these are available on the Reading for Fun tab at this site. Students are required to complete a vocabulary log and a figurative language log for their books. A link to these can be found at the Resources tab. This book must be finished by 9/30/2016. Literature
Today, we read and discussed the short story, "The Medicine Bag," on pp. 452-461 in our text. We began a SOAPSTone chart to record our first impressions of the story. Tomorrow, we will complete our chart and answer the following questions on p. 462:
Writing Students received and discussed a copy of the rubric for our summer reading essay. First drafts were completed and turned in. These will be returned tomorrow. We will head to the Computer Lab to set up our papers in MLA format and begin to revise and type. Final essay due on Tuesday, 8/23. Independent Reading Assignment sheets have been distributed with a list of suggested titles. Students will keep a vocabulary log and a figurative language log for their new books. Students must commit to a book by Friday, August 26. The book must be a classic novel published before 1960. The project is due Friday, September 30. Literature
Today, we finished our discussion of "An Hour with Abuelo." We used the ACE strategy to identify and explain the theme of the story. A = answer the question directly with one sentence C = cite evidence to support your answer E = explain the evidence thoroughly Tomorrow, we will read another short story in our textbook, "The Medicine Bag." This has a subject, theme, and characters similar to "Abuelo." We will be comparing and contrasting these stories. Composition Today, we began drafting our literary analysis essay over the theme of our summer reading books. Students have been provided with an outline. The first draft is due at the end of the period tomorrow, Thursday, 8/18. We will work in the Computer Lab on Friday, 8/19, to review MLA format and Google Docs and to begin revising and typing our essays. After peer-share and proofreading on Monday, 8/22, students will turn in their final, typed drafts at the beginning of class on Tuesday, 8/23. Independent Reading Information about our next independent reading book will be shared tomorrow. Students will be assigned to choose a classic novel published before 1960. A list of suggestions will be provided along with a description of our project! Thanks so much to the 8th-graders who planned and led today's mass to celebrate the Assumption of Mary. Everyone did a great job!
Literature We spent time working independently on "An Hour with Abuelo." Students were assigned to create a SOAPSTone chart of their first impressions of the short story. Then they were to answer the text questions #1, 2a, 2b, 2c, 3 (skip #4), 5, 6a, 6b, 7. Students should use complete sentences and provide specific supporting details in their answers. These are due at the beginning of class tomorrow. Writing We postponed our composition work today and continued working on the questions for "Abuelo" in our afternoon classes. Students had plenty of time for one-on-one conferencing as they worked. We will continue with our portfolio and essay work tomorrow. Please remember to check Jupiter grades and calendar each day. Thank you for such a great first week! I so appreciate how everyone worked hard to learn new routines, to be organized, and to make the most of our class periods.
Literature We started our first literature unit on Friday by reading the short story, "An Hour with Abuelo" on page 9 in the textbook. We will continue the story on Monday with close reading activities. All literature in this unit will touch on the challenges and gifts of family life across the generations. Writing Students turned in their final drafts of their personal letters on Friday. These will be returned on Monday and placed in student writing portfolios. We will then begin drafting a literary analysis essay for our summer reading. All students should please remember to continue bringing these materials to both AM and PM classes:
Please remember to check Jupiter daily for homework and grades. Literature
Students shared a SOAPSTone analysis of their Summer Reading books in small groups today. Students then turned in their SOAPSTone charts and written responses to five questions over the book presentations they observed. Tomorrow, we will take a quiz over the SOAPSTone strategy and then begin reading a short story out of our literature textbook. Students will be issued a textbook to use throughout the year. Writing We began our first composition today--a letter to ourselves. This letter will be sealed in an envelope and placed in our portfolios. These will not be opened until the last day of class in May! The final copy is due tomorrow at the end of Writing class. It should be in ink and on the front side of the paper only. On Monday, we will begin our literary analysis essay of our Summer Reading book. Students should continue to bring that book to class each day. We have had two days of great conversations in our English Language Arts classes, and our year is off to a great start!
Students have been introduced to the literary analysis strategy called "SOAPSTone." This is a mnemonic device to help us better understand any text we read and to help us be better writers and speakers across the curriculum. The strategy comes from College Board, the organization which designs and administers the SAT and AP Exams. We already have our eye on preparation for high school. After discovering the meaning of the SOAPSTone acronym (Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Subject, and Tone), we applied this strategy to the speech (and book) by Malala Yousafzai, which students read last year. Then, it was time to apply the strategy to our Summer Reading books. Students are to complete a SOAPSTone chart for their Summer Reading books and prepare an informal "book talk" for a small-group presentation tomorrow, Thursday, August 11. In the following days, we will use this as a prewriting exercise for a full literary analysis essay. Please continue to consult Jupiter for the specific due dates of homework. |
English 8Daily homework assignments and grades are available through Jupiter. Please contact me through school email if you have questions. Patron Saint of Test-Takers,
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A Classroom Prayer
Holy Spirit, Giver of all good gifts, enter into my mind and heart. Give me the gift of knowledge and the grace to use it wisely. Help me in all my endeavors. Give me perseverance and fortitude. Help my memory, that I may remember what I learn and recall it when necessary. Guide me in the classroom.
O Jesus, You who are the Way, the Truth, and the Life, let me not be deceived by false teaching. Our Lady of Good Studies, pray for me. Amen. Mary, Undoer of Knots,
Pray for Us! A Prayer to Christ, the Divine Teacher
O source of all Wisdom, Christ the Teacher,
You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Teach us to embrace the truths You have revealed to Your Church. Fill our souls with Your Grace that we may love God above all and our neighbors as ourselves. Christ Jesus, friend and Teacher most patient, bless us and teach us. O Light of the world, teach us always to follow You that we should not walk in darkness, but have forever the Light of Life! Amen. Archives
August 2023
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