7th Grade English
Honor’s Summer Assignment Mrs. Kasten jkasten@bfcsmail.com Book: The Witch of Blackbird Pond Author: Elizabeth George Speare Other: Available as ISBN-13: 978-0547550299. Also as ISBN-10: 0547550299. (Other editions/publishings may be available; if you use an alternate edition, make sure yours is an unabridged version of the original.) Set in 1687, The Witch of Blackbird Pond is a novel about sixteen-year-old Kit Tyler. Kit has been forced to leave her beloved home on the island of Barbados and join a family she has never met. Kit is greeted with suspicion and disapproval from the moment she arrives on the unfamiliar shores of colonial Connecticut. Torn between her quest for belonging and her desire to be true to herself, Kit struggles to survive in a hostile place. Just when it seems she must give up, she finds a kindred spirit in Hannah Tupper. But Tupper is believed by the colonists to be a witch, and this forces Kit to choose between her heart and her duty. In preparation for the school year, 7th grade students are required to read at least one book and write responses. For this required reading, and other books you might read, use the prompts below to help and guide you with your writing assignment. Writing assignment is due Monday, July 24, 2017. Required Reading Assignment: The Witch of Blackbird Pond (book details above) Required Writing Assignment (use the below prompts to help you compose your assignment) : 1. What do you know about the main character, Kit Tyler? How does she change in the story? What brings about those changes? Describe at least two events Kit was involved in and how these events required her to change. 2. Think of three major events in the story. What caused the events? How did one thing lead to another? Why were the events important to the story? 3. In which time period and where did the story take place? What did you learn about the time period? Think about how the characters dressed and behaved; their schooling, jobs, traditions and daily routines. 4. There were many antagonists throughout the story. Identify three antagonists and explain what they did to try and disrupt the success of the protagonist. 5. Think about the author’s writing. What do you notice about the author’s style and technique?
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8th Grade Honors English
Summer Assignment Mr. Maruna [email protected] 8th grade English covers American literature, starting with the colonists and ending with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. To introduce American culture and identity, the honors summer reading assignment is My Brother Sam Is Dead, an American Revolutionary War novel about a young boy whose family is caught between both sides. Requirements: My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier (978-0439783606). As you read the book, you should keep a dialectical journal. “Dialectical” means “conversational”—so a dialectical journal is a conversation between you and the text. The dialectical journal as three key components: citation, passage (should include direct text evidence, but may also include summarization), and the reader’s commentary on the passage. Passages should come from throughout the text, and commentary should be thought-provoking and personal. Annotations are required and helpful through this process. The point of this is to demonstrate to your teacher that you THINK as you read and for you to track your thoughts as you read the book. Dialectical journals serve as a foundation for annotating texts. The quality of your entries is the most important piece of the journal; do not get caught up with how many entries you should have per chapter. Your dialectical journal should be kept in a composition notebook and be neatly handwritten, following the BFHS Standards for Handwritten Work, and is due the first day of school, in class. Please format your dialectical journal like the sample below from Dracula: Citation Passage Commentary Pg. 1 “I had for dinner, or rather supper, a chicken done up some way with red pepper, which was very good but thirsty.” The reference to “thirst” – does this mirror Dracula’s thirst or foreshadow the concept of thirst? I like the interesting use of color and imagery with the paprika that is red like blood. Extra Credit: For extra credit, write a brief (two-page) response essay answering the question: What does this book teach about American history at the time? Please note that we’re not asking you to summarize the book. Instead, your essay should be an answer to the question. Though this is a personal question, please do avoid using first and second person pronouns in your essay (ex. “I,” “we,” “us,” or “you”) when you talk about what the book teaches. Your essay should be typed, following the BFHS Writing Standards for Printed Work. Please email with any questions. Incoming 7th graders! Here is your required book list for next year:
Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths, Evslin, Bernard ISBN-13: (978-0553259209 or ISBN 10: 0553259202) The Story of Beowulf, Marshall, Henrietta Elizabeth (ISBN-13: 978-0486454498 or ISBN-10: 0486454495) Lamb, Charles and Mary - Tales from Shakespeare - ISBN-13: 978-1492152286 or ISBN-10: 1492152285) Oliver Twist, Dickens, Charles - (ISBV-13: 978-0486424538 or ISBN-10: 0486424537) Out of the Silent Planet, Lewis, C.S. - (ISBN-13: 978-0743234900 or ISBN-10: 0743234901) Important Notes: All of the reading selections above are to be purchased or otherwise provided by students/parents/guardians. ISBN numbers denote specific editions that are approved, unabridged, affordable, and readily available. As students are expected to have these books in class with them, and might use them in discussions or on open-book quizzes or tests, having the proper text is very important. Electronic readers may be used. 8th Grade Reading List The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain (978-0143107330) Shane, Jack Schaefer (978-0544239470) The Call of the Wild, Jack London (978-0451531346) To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee (978-0446310789) A Separate Peace, John Knowles (978-0743253970) Farewell to Manzanar, Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston (978-1328742117) The Watsons Go to Birmingham, Christopher Paul Curtis (978-0440228004) Important Notes: All of the reading selections above are to be purchased or otherwise provided by students/parents/guardians. ISBN numbers denote specific editions that are approved, unabridged, affordable, and readily available. As students are expected to have these books in class with them, and might use them in discussions or on open-book quizzes or tests, having the proper text is very important. Electronic readers may be used. Dear Chargers,
Welcome to quarter 4! We have 8 weeks of class left, with AZMerit testing next week (April 2-5). In English, we will be spending the month reading Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. A free audio recording can be found at Librivox.org or downloaded via the Librivox app. (Great for vacations or travel.) Lastly, we will read Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis, a shorter science fiction novel (the first in a trilogy). Extra credit will be awarded to students who read the second or third book in the trilogy before the year's end. Students may also watch any play or film production of Oliver Twist and write or present a comparison contrast for extra credit in April. Let's finish strong! :) EIW 7, the "My Dog" essay, will be graded and input by the end of the week. Late essays will be graded last. Any missing essays, (including those turned in late), will appear as a "0" in FamilyLink until the work is turned in. If the essay has received an asterisk* next to the "0," that means the work needs to be finished and re-submitted for a grade.
*Most likely, these papers are in the wrong order or dress-ups and sentences openers are unmarked. Once this is fixed, essays can be turned in to the late (black) bin. The final deadline for all late work and essay re-dos is March 2nd, Friday, by the end of the school day (3pm). This includes emailed work. This does not include make-up work from the preceding Tuesday-Thursday due to an absence from school. Students may take 2 days to make this up upon their return to school. However, all 3rd quarter grades will be final at the end of the quarter so work must be made up within the specified time. As we near yearly testing, we will be spending a little time in class practice reading and writing skills students will be expected to know towards the end of the year. For those who would like additional practice (a great idea!), here's a link to AZMerit sample tests.
In class today, we reviewed content in preparation for the final. Here's a copy of the review.
A reminder that bellwork journals will be collected on Monday, in class. HONORS students should have at least 15 entries and TRADITIONAL students should have 30. Journals will not be accepted late. For your own amusement, Joss Whedon's adaption of the song, "Sigh No More" from Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. Dear Chargers,
The final deadline for late work has passed (December 15th-as listed on my whiteboard) and finals are approaching. Here's what to expect: As I spend the next few days grading late work, students will be studying (mostly independently) in class on Monday and Tuesday. I have added copies of the study guide to Quarter 2 pages on weebly. Finals will take place during Wednesday and Thursday, according to normal block day schedules. The only difference will be slightly shorter classes leading to a half-day release time. Students in my class can expect to spend an hour taking their final and may bring a book to silently read if they finish early. Final grades will be submitted by Friday. After this time, I will not be able to alter them. Christmas Break: I am not assigning homework over Christmas break. However, Honors students will need to acquire a copy of William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet to bring upon returning from break in January. Students who wish to get ahead may read Tales from Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, or for Traditional classes, may also read King Lear and The Tempest, which we will study when we return as well. Semester 2: Students are invited to replenish our tissue supplies as we bear our way through a vibrant cold & flu season. To brighten the room, students are also welcome to bring in holiday decorations or window stickies that may easily be put up in the classroom. We might also make use of 1 more bottle of hand sanitizer and of course, always welcome donations of blue/black/red pens. Thank you for a wonderful year so far, Chargers. Let's finish this semester strong! We did some peer editing in class today using our research essays so I thought I'd share some tips for editing and a checklist to use on your own work.
Editing is just a fancy word for scanning for errors and improving what's been written. This can be done by checking for grammatical errors, formatting errors (we use APA), or content (evidence, argument, clarity etc.). I recommend checking the formatting first on typed essays, then editing for content. Lastly, do another proof-read to check for spelling and punctuation errors. Be sure to catch extra/missing spaces and comma errors. +header (student name, teacher name, period, date) left when typed +double-spaced (make sure "add space before/after paragraph" is OFF) 2.0, no extra spaces between paragraphs +font is Times New Roman and 12pt size ONLY +correct length of words/paragraphs and paragraphs are indented + includes in-text citations in APA format (Smith, 2007, p. 9) or (Smith, 2007, para. 7) +for EIWs, sentence-openers should be marked with the designated number at the beginning of the sentence or in the margin, dress-ups should be HIGHLIGHTED +make sure all other checklist/rubric instructions have been followed (is the title correct? does it require an editor's signature? did you include the rough draft or outline?) +staple NEATLY in the correct order AFTER reading the checklist one more time TIP Use a ren pen or highlighter to edit your final draft. Mark all over it then re-do your draft one more time to make sure it's your best. Good essays often require multiple re-writes and edits. It's a good thing! Students who attend our theater department's performance of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream may bring a ticket/stub/program to class Monday for extra credit. (If this is not an option, you may watch a recorded version of the play by anyone else.) This is a short video summary of Shakespeare's play, Hamlet, as shown in class. Students should make note of the main characters; Hamlet, Gertrude, Claudius, Ophelia, Polonius, Laertes, Horatio, and Marcellus. Here's a short summary of the plot from A Midsummer Night. I have been made aware that parking is limited for the football semifinal this Saturday, at 6:30 in Tucson at Salpointe Catholic High School. Here is the map for parking.
Students have been sorted into houses by class, selecting a mascot drawn by themselves. Each class period will compete with the other "houses" by earning points for turning in homework on time and the like. The entire class must participate in order for their house to win a point!
This week we have been finishing our first research essay. Students are learning to use APA formatting which the English department recently made a switch to. The upcoming week long break for Thanksgiving is R&R, which means students will not have homework. However, if a student is missing work, this is an opportunity to make up work. Students who wish to get ahead (or work on reading comprehension) in the text may read Tales from Shakespeare. We will be reading Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing after our break so this is a good place to start. Break is a great time to complete make-up work, if needed, including missed journal entries. There will be a journal check in December as well as a final cutoff for late work before the end of the quarter. In light of our recent visit by the Southwest Shakespeare Company, we are diving right into Charles and Mary Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare, a compilation of the bard's works formatted for a younger audience.
Those who have already purchased this text will be required to bring them beginning this week. Those who have not yet purchased the text may find several of the tales free online and may print their own copies if needed. This is an example of the correct text on Amazon. You might also check used book stores, the library, or any 8th grader who attended BFHS last year for a used copy. Several copies of the text (search for individual stories) can also be found for free online (public domain). These may be printed and brought to class. On Monday, November 13th, the 7th grade class will be watching a special performance of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night presented by the Southwest Shakespeare Company. Students will review Mary Lamb's version of the play written specifically for young audiences before viewing the performance. EC During the 3 day weekend, students may watch any performance of Twelfth Night (Youtube has one version) or the movie, She's the Man (with Amanda Bynes) and write a brief comparison/contrast essay to earn extra credit under "Long-term Assignments." Paper must be: +Typed, Times New Roman 12pt, double-spaced +At least 1 full paragraph +Compares version read in class (Mary Lamb) to play or movie +DUE by Tuesday, November 14th +Points awarded based on quality and length of essay Characters Viola-twin sister of Sebastian, loves Duke, dresses as Sebastian Sebastian-twin brother of Viola, initially lost at sea Duke Orsino-infatuated with Olivia, employ Viola in disguise as her brother, Sebastian Olivia-love interest of Duke, mourning dead father, loves “Sebastian” or Cesario Cesario- Viola’s fake name while disguised as a man, works for Duke to win him Olivia Malvolio- Olivia’s head servant, enemy of Sir Toby, Maria, and Sir Andrew because he’s stuck up Feste- fool (jester) at Olivia’s house Sir Toby- Olivia’s rowdy uncle, hates Malvolio but loves Maria (eventually) Maria- Olivia’s clever lady-in-waiting (servant), foils Malvolio Sir Andrew Aguecheek- Sir Toby’s friend who hits on Olivia, who is out of his league, thinks he’s all that but isn’t Antonio- rescues and cares for Sebastian Illyria-setting, coastal place where Duke and Olivia live
Just for fun... In honor of all the spectacular costumes I saw today. All midterm grades will be entered by the end of the school day today. They will be added to the "Quizzes & Tests" group and averaged. Any corrections to assignment grades listed on FamilyLink/Gradebook must be made by the end of this school day. When the school day ends, all grades will be fully updated. These will be your quarter 1 grades. TRADITIONAL: Your homework is to procure a copy of H.E. Marshall's, The Story of Beowulf, and bring it to class when we return from break on October 16th. If you do not currently have a lined composition journal that is exclusively for English class, get one. This is also homework. Take this time to organize, get dividers or folders, and restock your supply of loose-leaf paper and pens (blue/black & red). I suggest a section for: Grammar, Writing, & Reading. HONORS: Your homework is to read the King James translation of the New Testament book, John. This is 21 chapters, around 14 pages. You will also answer the reading questions on the handout given in class. A copy may be found under Quarter 1 as well as the bottom of this blog. You should spend about the same amount of time you would dedicate to 2 nights of homework. If you do not currently have a lined composition journal that is exclusively for English class, get one. This is also homework. Take this time to organize, get dividers or folders, and restock your supply of loose-leaf paper and pens (blue/black & red). I suggest a section for: Grammar, Writing, & Reading. ALL: Have a wonderful break! Happy Autumn. :)
Below is the list of study topics I discussed in class today. Use the handouts from class, old quizzes/tests, and resources on this website to study areas you have forgotten or still find challenging.
2017-2018 Quarter 1 Midterm Study Guide Plagiarism Hero’s Journey Parts of Speech Tense agreement BFHS writing standards Quarter 1 vocabulary-ALL 32 words Hake lessons 1-25 Greek gods, myths, monsters book main characters (from notes) Dear Charger Parents:
Your students have been given progress reports listening all of their assignments and grades in my class this quarter. I handed these out on Monday. They need to be signed by you and returned no later than block day this week. That's tomorrow, Wednesday, for 1st & 3rd period, and Thursday, for 2nd, 4th, & 6th period. To answer a few commonly asked questions: "F" almost always means the assignment was not turned in. Please refer to the points the assignment was awarded. Missing work is given a 0. I do accept late work; the deadline for all past-due work for quarter 1 will be the end of next week, September 22nd. Participation and Long-term Assignments make up the largest portion of your child's grades. As stated in my syllabus, they represent 30% each. As I tend to assign fewer long-term assignments, a single missing item can have a huge negative impact on grades. These will be primarily EIW's, or Excellence In Writing (essays) that students turn in with a checklist. As we finish this quarter, we will complete one more EIW in traditional, take our last grammar and vocab test for the quarter, and honors will have at least one more reading quiz. I will be giving an end-of-quarter review test. Old quizzes and notes are great ways to study for this as well as seeking tutoring in any difficult areas such as grammar or writing (EIW's). Thank you for all you do. Sincerely, Ms. Johansen It was a blast to meet parents & families last night at Back-to-School Night. Thank you to all who came.
For those who missed it, here's the brief quiz I gave for bell work. (Don't worry, it's not for a grade.) Check with your students for the correct answers! Back-to-School Parent Quiz
I have input grades for participation (Scholarship Points) which includes each day in the month of August. I will add a new grade for each month.
While I have not adjusted these yet, they will be in flux until the end of the month when students have had the opportunity to earn/lose scholarship points through good behavior, preparedness, and class participation. Please refer to my syllabus if you have questions about grade weight. Here is a photo of the book cover of the text we will begin reading on August 14th. Students must have a copy with them in class on Monday. Kindle is acceptable, iphone kindle apps are not.
This is the book listed on Amazon, though you may purchase or borrow the book from other sources: Heroes, Gods and Monsters This website has resources for practicing grammar, including knowledge of the 8 parts of speech.
This link leads directly to a short practice quiz I even took myself. It's short! Give it a try: uOttowa Quiz. |
My Book Recommendations:
Lockwood & Co. series The Lost Prince Chronicles of Narnia A Little Princess The Hobbit Ender's Game Holes Anne of Green Gables Monster-Peretti
Check current grades!
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