Class Today

In class today, we worked on our narratives!  See the narratives link in the sidebar for the standards we looked at in class. 

I also added a link to our warm-ups for this week!

Today in Class

Today, in class, we continued watching the film version of To Kill a Mockingbird.

• Why do directors make the decisions they do?  For example, why would this director comine the characters of Miss Rachel and Miss Stephanie?  Why do we see the Atticus & Football Scene so much earlier than we do in the novel?
• How do directors show the characters' character without being able to use the inner dialogue (thoughts) that writers use?

We're also continuing to prepare for the CRCT.  Today in class, we're checking the 2011 Sentence Structure Practice.  See the handouts link in the sidebar!

TEN regular class days until CRCT!  You can do it!

Today in Class

Today, in all classes, we practiced using MEETS to find evidence.

M--money
E--effort and education
E--effects at home and globally
T--time
S--safety

If you consider all these timeless concerns, you'll have some pretty convincing support for your argument.  Check out this example:

For the thesis "Students should drink more water" ----

M--(money)-- Water is cheap.  Compared to juices or sodas, it's a big money-saver.

E--(effort/ed)-- Water helps me stay focused to learn.  Dehydrated people get headaches.  Plus, it's easy.  Just walk to the faucet or filter some with a carbon filter. 

E--(effects)-- If students drank more water, we would have a healthy world:  more efficient workers, less tooth decay, and less obesity. 

T--(time)-- Water drinkers live longer lives; they spend more time outside.  Starting a water drinking habit can impact every area of someone's life.  People who feel healthier, act healthier, and live longer.

S--(safety)--People don't have water allergies.  Especially if you use a filter, water is the safest, most natural drink there is.  You're made of it!

Tomorrow, we'll brainstorm and see what evidence you can gather for your own persuasive essay.

Today in Class

From now on, click your class level in the "Labels" heading to see what your class did.  If you're in the on-level class, click 8th ELA. If you're in the Advanced class, click TAG.

Today in class, we practiced identifying the "naysayers" in persuasive writing.  Even though persuasive writing isn't exactly like a debate, where you have your opponent sitting physically across from you, it kind of is!  Only in a persuasive essay, your opponent doesn't identify himself, you must identify him.  Sometimes, the hardest part of writing a good argument is figuring out who the disagree-ers are.

Who would disagree with the

Dear Mom, I want to drive a new BMW when I turn 16    ?


How about the

Middle school students should not have a curfew     ?


After we practiced identifying all the possible opponents, we began writing our first persuasive essay together.  We'll work on that more on Monday (Checkpoints pre-test and quiz tomorrow).

Today in Class

Today in class, we started answering the questions:

Who are we?
Who is my teacher?
What will we learn?
How will we learn it?

Please see the links in the Handouts sidebar to find any handouts you missed/misplaced.

Getting to Know You

So that we can get to know everyone in class a little more quickly, please click "Comment" and post your own version of a poem using this template. I've posted mine below as an example. I can't wait to read what you write!

Class Period/Initials________
Do not post your name or use your real name in any commenting sign-in.

Title (of poem)_______________
I will never _______________,
I will never ________________,
and I will never ______________.
I will always ______________.


A.C.

Buses
I will never forget the time green Fanta spewed on my lap in the back seat
I will never drive a school bus
and I will never understand why they're all orange . . . ish.
I will always remember my hours on the bus as life "study hall."