Week of September 19

Students will continue working on the personal narratives. Students will demonstrate their abilities to use writing techniques such as thoughtshot writing (creates a more personal connection with the topic and the reader of the essay), using verbal snapshots which create a more detailed description in the essay and exploding the moment, a technique that encourages a more focused approach to the writing topic. We will also begin a new unit in novel study and response to literature. Our first novel of the year will be Mildred Taylor's "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry". Students are encouraged to bring their own personal copies of the novel for annotation purposes.We will focus on the historical background of the novel, study how the historical setting influences the plot, and learn how the author uses universal and recurring themes in the novel to make observations about life and human nature. Previous journal entry topic words--altercation, cacophony, capacious, fickle, infamy and infamous.

Interdisciplinary Studies--Week of September 12

Our students learned the Cornell note-taking system last week, and this week we will continue to reinforce their ability to use the system across the disciplines.

Week of September 12

Students will enter the fourth week of their unit of study on the short story and the personal narrative. In reading, our objectives will be to analyze the development of the plot in a short story through the internal and external responses of the characters, including their motivations and conflicts. Students will be periodically evaluated on their comprehension of selections from the literature reader. In writing, the students will complete the revision and editing of their personal narratives and submit the final draft for a major grade. The students will also be evaluated on their presentation of the final draft to the class. Ms. Brown’s class will attend the library on Monday, Sept. 19.

Week of September 5

Students will enter the third week of their unit of study on the short story and the personal narrative. In reading, our objectives will be to learn the influence of setting on plot development, the application of the narrative structure to poetry, and the style of the personal essay. Students will be periodically evaluated on their comprehension of selections from the literature reader. In writing, the students will revise the rough drafts of their personal narrative. Minilessons will be followed by independent drafting time and short periods of peer conferences to share work in process. By the end of the week, students should be ready to submit their revisions to their personal narrative for evaluation.

We are off to a great start!

Thank-you, parents, for doing your homework and adding yourselves to our distribution list! The students in ELA will begin their year with a unit of study on the short story and the personal narrative. Our objectives will be to learn the structure of a story plot, to write a personal narrative, and to improve our reading comprehension by making personal connections to the stories and memoirs we are reading. During the week of August 29th, we will study the short story, “Seventh Grade,” by Gary Soto, diagram its plot, and use our knowledge of plot structure to plan and create a first draft of a personal narrative. The students will be evaluated on their comprehension of Gary Soto’s short story and on their prewriting and rough draft of their personal narrative.