Thanksgiving Guest Writing Assignment Due November 24th

You have just been told that you may invite anyone in the world to your house as your guest for Thanksgiving dinner. You will be writing two paragraphs. The first paragraph will be about your guest. Who will you invite? Why have you chosen this particular guest? Try to write a creative, interesting paragraph which has a good topic sentence to get your reader's interest and attention.

The second paragraph should be about your celebration. What will you serve? What will you discuss? Will there be other guests? What do you plan to do to make it worth his/her time? Plan the celebration carefully and tailor it to your special person's needs and personality. Feel free to use the back of this sheet to do some brainstorming.

This two paragraph description is due Tuesday, November 24th.

Remember the following guidelines:

___ About 5 sentences for each paragraph, including a topic and concluding sentence

___ A TRANSITIONAL sentence which smoothly takes your reader from paragraph one to paragraph two

___ Six +1 traits of good writing; focus on ORGANIZATION, WORD CHOICE, and SENTENCE FLUENCY

___ Paragraphs are neatly written in ink or word processed

Vocabulary Unit 5a

Week of November 9-13, 2009

This week you will study the first ten words from Unit 5 of Vocabulary Workshop (pages 58 and 59). You will complete a variety of activities using these words. Some exercises will be done in class, and some assignments will be done as homework. This week’s words are also listed below for your convenience.

1. aghast 6. disdain

2. ample 7. epitaph

3. apparition 8. ethical

4. assert 9. facetious

5. cower 10. inaudible

Due Thursday, November 12th: On a separate sheet of notebook paper define each word listed above. You may use the definitions listed in Vocabulary Workshop or those found in a dictionary.

A quiz over these ten words will be given on Friday, November 13th.

Social Studies This Week --

1. Our "All About Me" introductory unit has been completed! Look for a major hall display of Personal History Time Lines. Notebooks will be graded at the end of this week.

2. Students are creating a Geography Handbook as an appendix to their interactive notebooks.

3. Our next unit of study will be called "A Meeting of Different Worlds." The North American continent in the 1500's was the place where three groups -- Native Americans, early European explorers, and African slaves -- converged to begin the process of forging a new country, unlike any the world had ever seen.

Colonial Novels Selected This Week!

We have begun our Literature Circles in Language Arts class. Soon we will begin reading historical novels linked to Colonial America and the American Revolution. The following novels are possible choices for this assignment:

1. Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes -- “This story of a tragically injured young silversmith who ends up hip-deep in the American Revolution is inspiring, exciting, and sad. Winner of the prestigious Newbery Award.” -- Editorial Review.

2. My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier -- “Young Tim is caught between his brother’s patriotism and his father’s Tory sympathies, in this classic story of the American Revolution. This stirring and authoritative novel earns a place beside our best historical fiction.” --The Horn Book (Strong language and graphic war descriptions).

3. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare -- “A high-spirited teenage girl rebels against the narrow-minded ways of Puritan Connecticut and befriends a lonely old woman who is subsequently accused of being a witch. Strong plot, fully realized characters, and convincing atmosphere distinguish this historical narrative.” --Booklist.

4. The Fighting Ground by Avi -- “At thirteen, Jonathan dreams of fighting in the American Revolution. Almost by accident, he is recruited into a fighting unit and experiences the reality of war, including being taken prisoner and coming to grips with his feelings about shooting to kill.” -- School Library Journal (Decoding level appropriate for developing readers).

5. The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare -- “Until the day his father returns to their cabin in the Maine wilderness, 12-year-old Matt must try to survive on his own. During an attack by swarming bees, Matt is astonished when he’s rescued by an Indian chief and his grandson, Attean. As the boys come to know each other, many months pass without a sign of Matt’s family. Then Attean asks Matt to join the Beaver tribe.” -- Editorial Review.

6. Sarah Bishop by Scott O’Dell -- “The tale of a girl’s strength and courage during the American Revolution, written by the Newbery Medal-winning author of Island of the Blue Dolphins. Readers will especially relish Sarah’s fierce independence.” -- School Library Journal.

Vocabulary Unit 4b

Week of November 2-6, 2009

This week you will study the second ten words from Unit 4 of Vocabulary Workshop (pages 52 and 53). You will complete a variety of activities using these words. Some exercises will be done in class, and some assignments will be done as homework. This week’s words are also listed below for your convenience.

11. peruse

12. porous

13. promontory

14. prone

15. qualm

16. recourse

17. residue

18. solicitous

19. staid

20. sustain

Due Wednesday, November 4th : On a separate sheet of notebook paper define each word listed above. You may use the definitions listed in Vocabulary Workshop or those found in a dictionary.

Due Thursday, November 5th: On a separate sheet of notebook paper use each word in a sentence that demonstrates that you understand its meaning. Underline the vocabulary word in each sentence.

There will be a quiz over these words on Friday, November 6th.

Halloween Literature Circles

This week students will select a "scary" short story from Elements of Literature to read and discuss as part of the beginning Literature Circle experience. During the early part of the week, Ms. Barnes will introduce lit circles and student roles in this cooperative group model. The purpose of lit circles is to create temporary reading groups to discuss a self-selected piece of literature. This model provides an opportunity for students to engage in authentic discussions of literature instead of relying on teacher-prepared questions or activities. 

Geography Quiz on Wednesday

There will be a short quiz on Wednesday, October 21st, covering the five themes of geography:

location, place, interaction, movement, and region. Students must know the descriptions of each theme and be able to draw a graphic representation of each one.

Vocabulary Unit 3b Activities

Vocabulary Unit 3b is featured this week. Activities include daily classroom review, definitions due this Wednesday, and a quiz on Thursday, October 22nd. The words for this week are:

11.  myriad

12.  perspective

13.  perturb

14.  prodigious

15.  relevant

16.  skittish

17.  tether

18.  unison

19.  vie

20.  willful

Personal History Time Line

Students are currently creating personal history time lines that depict 10 important events in their lives. Events on the time line may be all personal or may mix personal with world events such as 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, etc. Each event should be dated in chronological order, summarized in a sentence or two, and include some kind of graphic (photo, magazine cut-out, clip art, or drawing). The time line should contain a title (including student name) and text should be in ink or word processed. The time lines are due this Thursday, October 22nd.  

Novel Book Report Due October 30th

Book Report Guidelines

Standard Format for Fiction

(100 Points)

* Paragraph 1 -- Introduction (10 pts.)

Begin with a grabber to hook the reader. Tell the title of the book. Tell who wrote it. Provide the name of of the illustrator, if there is one. What kind of novel is it (historical fiction, science fiction, etc.)? Has the book won any awards? How many pages does the book have? When and where was it published?

* Paragraph 2 -- Setting (15 pts.)

Where and when does the story take place? Give a detailed

description of the setting and how it affects the story.

* Paragraph 3 -- Characters (20 pts.)

Who are the main characters in the book? How old are they?

What do they look like? Describe their personalities. How do

they change as the novel develops? Who is your favorite character?

* Paragraph 4 -- Plot (20 pts.)

Write a short summary that describes the important events that

happen in the book. Include examples from the beginning, the

middle, and the end of the book.

* Paragraph 5 -- Analysis (20 pts.)

What was the theme of the novel? Describe your favorite and least favorite parts of the book. Explain why. Is the book well written? Would you recommend this book to others? Tell why or why not?

* Don’t forget:

Spelling (5 pts.)

Capitalization and Punctuation (5 pts.)

Neatness (5 pts.)

Writing Assignment Due Friday

The Signs of Fall

For Language Arts this week, you are to spend some time sitting outside all alone. Be sure no one is around to disturb you. Listen carefully, smell deeply, touch objects, slowly look around you . . . look up, down, and to each side. Next, on the back of this paper, make a list of all the signs of fall you can find. Now, carefully write a paragraph in which you describe the signs you have chosen, so that anyone reading your paragraph will have a vivid mental picture of what autumn is like in our town. Be sure to develop a strong topic sentence with three to five supporting sentences and a good concluding sentence.

REMEMBER:

1. Five to eight sentences

2. Topic sentence, detail sentences, concluding sentence

3. Six traits of good writing, focusing on IDEAS and

WORD CHOICE

4. Clearly reworked rough draft

5. Final is neat and written in ink or word processed

6. Signature of adult who helped you proofread your

work for content and presentation (on RD)

7. All three papers (directions, rough draft, final) stapled together with final on top

THIS PARAGRAPH IS DUE ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16TH!

Vocabulary Bee Scheduled for Friday, October 16th

Vocabulary Unit 3a

Week of October 12-16, 2009

This week you will study the first ten words from Unit 3 of Vocabulary Workshop (pages 35 and 36). You will complete a variety of activities using these words. Some exercises will be done in class, and some assignments will be done as homework. This week’s words are also listed below for your convenience.

1. allot

2. amass

3. audacious

4. comply

5. devoid

6. elite

7. grapple

8. incapacitate

9. instigate

10. longevity

Due Wednesday, October 14th: On a separate sheet of notebook paper define each word listed above. You may use the definitions listed in Vocabulary Workshop or those found in a dictionary.

Due Friday, October 16th: Be prepared to participate in a vocabulary bee that includes words from Unit 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, and 3a above. For your convenience, listed below are the words from Units 1 and 2. You need to be able to define each of the 50 words we have already studied this fall.

Unit 1 Unit 2

1. adage 1. antics

2. bonanza 2. avowed

3. churlish 3. banter

4. citadel 4. bountiful

5. collaborate 5. congested

6. decree 6. detriment

7. discordant 7. durable

8. evolve 8. enterprising

9. excerpt 9. frugal

10. grope 10. gingerly

11. hover 11. glut

12. jostle 12. incognito

13. laggard 13. invalidate

14. plaudits 14. legendary

15. preclude 15. maim

16. revert 16. minimize

17. rubble 17. oblique

18. servile 18. veer

19. vigil 19. venerate

20. wrangle 20. wanton

Frozen Moments in US History

This week students are staging "frozen moments" in US history. Each group has selected an event from the past to dramatize as a still photograph. The rest of the class tries to identify the event based on the "photo." Events include 9/11, the Civil War, the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima, the assassination of JFK, the Boston Tea Party, and many others. Check back here for photos in the near future.

Vocabulary Unit 2a

This week you will study the first ten words from Unit 2 of Vocabulary Workshop (pages 28 & 29). You will complete a variety of activities using these words. Some exercises will be done in class, and some assignments will be done as homework. This week’s words are also listed below for your convenience.

1. antics 6. detriment

2. avowed 7. durable

3. banter 8. enterprising

4. bountiful 9. frugal

5. congested 10. gingerly

Due Wednesday, September 30th: On a separate sheet of notebook paper define each word listed above. You may use the definitions listed in Vocabulary Workshop or those found in a dictionary.

Due Thursday, October 1st: On a separate sheet of notebook paper use each word in a sentence that demonstrates that you understand its meaning.

A quiz over these ten words will be given on Friday, October 2nd.

Reading Log #3 Due Monday, October 5th

Remember to read 30 pages outside of class and complete three log entries this week. Again, the task is to summarize and react to what you are reading about every ten pages. You may read fiction or nonfiction, magazines or newspapers.

Welcome to Ms. Barnes’ Blog

Yes, you’ve found our 8th Grade Block Blog! I hope that you and your parents will find it helpful in tracking our class activities and homework assignments. This week we will complete the Easy CBM Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary district tests on Wednesday and Friday, as well as welcoming a guest speaker from the Peace Jam movement on Thursday. Also, we are looking forward to Open House here at Monroe on Thursday evening (September 24th). See you in class.

Reading Log #2 Due Monday, September 28th

Remember that you are responsible for 30 pages of outside reading each week. For Reading Log #2, you are supposed to summarize and react about every ten pages. If you are an avid reader, you may wish to summarize and react every 20 pages. Relax and enjoy whatever you are reading -- short stories, novels, newspapers, biographies, game manuals, etc. Your reading log should include three well written entries each week.

Vocabulary Assignment

This week we are studying the second half of the words from Unit 1 in Vocabulary Workshop (pages 22 & 23). Definitions are due on Wednesday, September 23rd; sentences are due on Thursday, September 24th; and there will be a quiz over these words on Friday, September 25th.

The words are listed below:

11. hover 16. revert

12. jostle 17. rubble

13. laggard 18. servile

14. plaudits 19. vigil

15. preclude 20. wrangle

Paragraphs Based on Grandparent Survey

Now that you have interviewed your grandparent/parent/guardian, you will use that information to write a paragraph or two to introduce them as our links to "Living History." Using the purple survey sheet, combine answers to create a short but compelling character study of your relative. Be sure you use what you have learned in class about writing powerful paragraphs. See the reminders below.

A powerful paragraph includes:

1. A topic or main idea sentence that captures the reader's attention

2. Supporting detail sentences that develop the main idea

3. A variety of sentences -- including short, medium

4. Correct capitalization, grammar, spelling, and punctuation

5. A concluding sentence that echoes or extends the main idea

Although we will begin writing these paragraphs in class, you should expect to finish this assignment as homework. Your final copy should be written in blue or black ink or word processed. Your completed piece of writing, along with a drawing/clipping/photo, is due at the beginning of Language Arts class on Wednesday, September 23rd . This assignment is worth 30 points. Late assignments will receive reduced credit.