There will be a Wordly Wise Lesson 5 QUIZ on Friday!  It is an OPEN BOOK quiz!  Make sure to have your book with you when you come to class.

Well, we're back!  December is in full swing and we are about two and a half weeks away from the Holiday Break.  I hope you all had a fabulously relaxing Thanksgiving Break and are ready to buckle down and dive headlong into Catching Fire.  So far we've read Chapter 3 and are currently completing a companion worksheet, which should look pretty familiar to you by now.  We're also working hard on Wordly Wise Lesson 5.  We've completed exercises A through D and soon you'll be writing a story using a minimum of 10 of your new vocabulary words.  Make sure you write your sentences and use the words CORRECTLY!  

ICYMI:  We watched some videos of interviews with Suzanne Collins about why she wrote The Hunger Games Trilogy.  We also discussed that an author's purpose means more than one thing: it could mean to persuade, inform, and entertain, and/or it can mean their reason for writing; their ulterior motive.  Here's the link to the full interview.  We only watched "Classical Inspiration", "Contemporary Inspiration", and "TV Violence and Desensitization" in class.

Suzanne Collins Interviews on YouTube

The Wordly Wise Lesson 3 Test is coming!  Make sure you have completed all 5 exercises prior to the test.  Remember, each exercise is worth 20 points on a quiz grade!!

QUARTER 2 IS HERE!!

We have started reading Catching Fire, book two in The Hunger Games Trilogy, and I couldn't be happier about it.  This is a great novel that has lots of action, romance, and inner struggle.  I hope you all enjoy it!

This quarter, I'm looking for every one of my students to try their best to keep up with classwork and homework!  That being said, we are starting Wordly Wise Lesson 3 as homework.  PERIOD A: Make sure that is finished by WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 12, 2014.
All other periods DUE THURSDAY NOVEMBER 13, 2014.

Missed class?

Here's the video of "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson.  It's broken into two parts.  Watch both.  After watching, write five sentences answer the prompt below.

Why do you think the 7^th grade teachers had you read “The Lottery” prior to reading the second novel in The Hunger Games Trilogy, Catching Fire?  Respond in five sentences.

This video of The Reaping from The Hunger Games may help clear things up for you.

Curious about The Hunger Games but don't have time to see the movie or watch the book?  NO WORRIES!  Shmoop, a great resource for students, has created this handy dandy video for you!

We are so close to reading Catching Fire I can almost TASTE it!  Before we read, there will be group work designed to help us remember specific plots points from The Hunger Games, so go home, read, watch, review, make yourself familiar with the story so you can participate in the review!

REMEMBER IF YOU ARE MISSING A PAPER YOU WILL BE WRITING INSTEAD OF DOING WORK ON THIS PROJECT!

Image Source: BlackFilm.com

WORDLY WISE REVIEW 

Lessons 1 and 2 Review sheets must be completed PRIOR to taking the test.  (See what I did there???)

The test is scheduled for Friday and/or Monday depending on which class you are in.

TO DO:

1. Finish Review Sheets.
2. Make sure you have completed all exercises for BOTH lessons.
3. Make flashcards to help you study or go to the website and use those flashcards: Wordly Wise Website
4. Study your patootie off!  I want to see you succeed!

GREAT WORK this week!  I am so excited to say that we're moving on from our narrative essays.  In the end, I want you to realize how proud I am of all the hard work you did.  I am truly impressed with your progress already.

Pretty soon we'll be enjoying the next adventures of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark!  But until then...

Wordly Wise will COUNT for your grade!  Remember this!

Lesson 2A and 2B should be done. In case you were absent the following classwork is now homework.

Use 6-10 Wordly Wise Lesson 2 vocabulary words correctly in a story about either Halloween, Fall, or a Haunted House.  Write as many sentences as you need to in order to complete this assignment.

Ideas:

    Ungainly Zombies

    Devouring brains

    Mythical creatures with plumage

    New England delicacies having to do with pie

And now I leave you with this thought...

YOU BETTER START WRITING IF YOU WANT TO READ ABOUT THESE GUYS!

Write a five paragraph essay in response to the following prompt.  Provide your first draft, pre-writing graphic organizer, final draft, and ratiocination sheet.  Show revisions after ratiocination in colored pencil.

People’s character traits define who they are and can help them throughout their lives. These character traits could include honesty, bravery, loyalty, compassion, determination, or creativity. 

In a well-developed composition, select one character trait you believe is very important in life and explain why that trait is so important.

HOW TO WRITE this 5-6 paragraph essay :

PARAGRAPH #1:

    Expanded Moment

    3 Supporting Subtopics (turn your main idea and subtopics into a Magic 3)

    A Thesis Statement

PARAGRAPH #2:

    Expand Subtopic #1 into a 5-7 sentence paragraph

PARAGRAPH #3:

    Expand Subtopic #2 into a 5-7 sentence paragraph

PARAGRAPH #4:

    Expand Subtopic #3 into a 5-7 sentence paragraph

PARAGRAPH #5:

    Create a Full Circle Ending - look back at your expanded moment and restate a phrase, idea, or sentence

    Restate your thesis statement in A NEW WAY!

ALSO!  You need:

    1. A MINIMUM of 3 vocabulary words used correctly and underlined

    2. Three of the following (you pick):

            Magic 3

            Sensory and Specific Details

            Repetition for Effect

            Humor

            Figurative Language:

                Onomatopoeia 

                Metaphor 

                Simile 

                Hyperbole 

                Alliteration 

                Personification

            

NEXT UP!  Catching Fire!

If you've never read The Hunger Games, feel free to grab a copy at the library, watch the movie, or read up on the novel using one of the following links.  You will need background knowledge on the first book in order to understand the second book.  And, as Effie Trinket would tell you...

May the odds be ever in your favor.

http://m.sparknotes.com/lit/the-hunger-games/

http://www.gradesaver.com/the-hunger-games/study-guide/short-summary/

http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/h/the-hunger-games/the-hunger-games-at-a-glance

http://www.shmoop.com/hunger-games/summary.html

I am OBVIOUSLY terrible at blogging.  Today I am going to create a very unappealing post, but it is necessary.  Your rewrites are due SOON.  Please make sure to review this list in order to double check your work.

You are responsible for finishing this 5-6 paragraph essay regarding what you believe to be life's most important character trait before we start working on the editing process.  Due Dates vary dependent on your class and the waterfall schedule.

A Period: Due 10/9

D, E, and F Period: Due 10/10

B Period: Due 10/14

REMEMBER! All submissions must include the following:

PARAGRAPH #1:

    Expanded Moment

    3 Supporting Subtopics (turn your main idea and subtopics into a Magic 3)

    A Thesis Statement

PARAGRAPH #2:

    Expand Subtopic #1 into a 5-7 sentence paragraph

PARAGRAPH #3:

    Expand Subtopic #2 into a 5-7 sentence paragraph

PARAGRAPH #4:

    Expand Subtopic #3 into a 5-7 sentence paragraph

PARAGRAPH #5:

    Create a Full Circle Ending - look back at your expanded moment and restate a phrase, idea, or sentence

    Restate your thesis statement in A NEW WAY!

ALSO!  You need:

    1. A MINIMUM of 3 vocabulary words used correctly and underlined

    2. Three of the following (you pick):

            Magic 3

            Sensory and Specific Details

            Repetition for Effect

            Humor

            Figurative Language:

                Onomatopoeia 

                Metaphor 

                Simile 

                Hyperbole 

                Alliteration 

                Personification

GOOD LUCK!

Hello Students and HAPPY FRIDAY!  

Thanks for a good week.  I really loved seeing you work together to get those stations for the Smiley Face Tricks.  If you're interested in learning more about Smiley Face Tricks, or need a refresher, there are some great videos on YouTube.  Just search the phrase "Smiley Face Tricks" and you'll find them!  Next Monday is BREED READS and I am so excited about ReaderCon 2014.  I can't wait to come in dressed up and I am very curious to see what you come in as.  Don't forget, you don't need to wear tights or anything, just give me a hint as to who your favorite hero is.  Pay homage to that character in whatever way you see fit.  

See you then!

Mrs. Smith

Hello Students!

Welcome to my blog.  I know it's not much right now, but I hope to be able to update it weekly with a reflection on how our week went.  This week was, how shall I put it, tiring?  That seems too negative.  What I mean to say is that I went to bed around 8pm every night!  I guess that's just me getting back into the swing of things.  It's been great getting to meet all of you.  I feel I have a dynamic group of students this year and you're all so personable.  I look forward to learning more about you and your interests over the course of the year through your writing, our conversations, and your interactions with your classmates.  I'm thrilled, also, that I have such a nice and congenial group of new students.  I feel very blessed.

If you're looking for my website, here's the link: https://sites.google.com/site/mrssmithbreedms/

Be sure to bookmark it so you have easy access!  

ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND!  I know I will.  I leave you with one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite books.

Salut!

Mrs. Smith