Final 7th Grade Assignments in English

Tuesday, 5/31

- 3rd Independent Reading Review

Wednesday, 6/1

- Wordly Wise 6-10 Test

Thursday, 6/2

- "Power of the Moon" Revision

Monday, 6/6

- Final Portfolio Due

Homework, 5/19 and Beyond

Thursday, May 19

- "Romeo & Juliet" Finish Act 4

Tuesday, May 24

- "Romeo & Juliet" Finish Act 5

Wednesday, May 25

- 8th Grade Only: Revised Power of the Moon Essay

Thursday, May 26

- "Romeo & Juliet" Act 4 and 5 Final Performances

Wednesday, June 1

- 7th Grade Only: Revised Power of the Moon Essay

Putting Together Your Final Autobiography

As we get into the last weeks of the autobiography project, it’s time to start thinking about how to put the book together. The following is a list of materials you will need to put together your final autobiography.

Materials Needed:
• 3-ring binder, 1”-2” capacity
• Package of Sheet Protectors, 3-ring binder ready, letter sized
• Various photographs of you growing up (enough to fill between 5-10 pages of the autobiography and some for the cover)
• Tabs to label each chapter (optional)
• Any additional collage materials you might want for each section and/or the cover
• Final, clean copies of each autobiography chapter. The chapters should be typed, double-spaced and with a clear number and title (i.e., Chapter 1—Family)
• A clean, final copy of your six-word memoir
• A clean, final typed copy of your personal action peom
• A clean, typed, final copy of your Spanish Identity poem (including English translation)
• A typed table of contents, listing the chapters in order

Important Dates:
• All materials for the final autobiography must be brought in by no later than Tuesday, May 17th. If you want to bring them in earlier, there will be a place in the classroom to store all autobiography materials.

YEAH, AUTOBIOGRAPHIES!

Homework for Week of 5/9

Triplets

Thursday, 5/12

- "Romeo & Juliet" Finish Act 3

7th Writing

Tuesday, 5/10

- Autobiography Workshop: William, Khalil, Kai, Cara, Jamie

Friday, 5/13

- Autobiography Workshop: Becca, Altana, Oni, Isaiah, Bradley

8th Writing

Thursday, 5/12

- Prepare for Wordly Wise 6-10 Jeopardy

Thursday, 5/19

- Wordly Wise 6-10 Test

Farm Week Work

7th and 8th Grade

During the farm week, please complete the following work:

"Romeo and Juliet"

- Finish Act II and read Act III, scenes i-ii

- Character/Event Chart for II.v and III.i

Due Monday, 5/9

Final Independent Reading Book and Review

Due for 8th Grade Wednesday, 5/11 and for 7th Grade Monday, 5/16

7th Grade

On Wednesday 5/4 and Friday 5/6, you will have class in the Computer Lab with Alex and Paul. You must have an electronic copy of chapters that you want to revise either in your email or on a flash drive. Those classes will be devoted only to autobiography revision, so please come to class prepared.

8th Grade

Don't forget, your final, beautifully revised short stories are due on Monday 5/9

Revised Autobiography Schedule!

Revised Autobiography Schedule

Wednesday, April 27

- Revised Lesson Learned

Monday, May 2

- Revised Chapters 6 &7

- Six-Word Memoir

Friday, May 6

- Revised of Who Am I?

Monday, May 11

- Revised Six-Word Memoir

- Chapter 9: 20 Years From Now

Note: No Autobiography Chapters Will be Accepted After Wednesday, May 13

Homework for After the Break

Hi 7th & 8th Grade!

While you don't have any work due the day you return from break, there will be work due later in that week.

Triplets

Thursday, 4/28

- "Romeo & Juliet" Finish Act 1 and Read Act 2, Prologue, Scenes 1-2

- Character/Event Charts for the following scenes: I.ii, I.iii, I.v, II.ii

7th Writing

Wednesday, 4/27

- Lesson Learned Revised

Friday, 4/29

- Wordly Wise 9 Quiz

8th Writing

Thursday, 4/29

- Wordly Wise 10 Exercises (A-D)

Monday, 5/9

- Final, Beautifully Revised Short Story

Homework for Week of 4/11

Triplets

Thursday, 4/14

- "Romeo & Juliet" Act 1, Scene 1

- Character/Event Chart

- Shakespearean Insult Sheet

7th Writing

Wednesday, 4/13

- "Who Am I?" Chapter

- Workshop: Stef, Mikah, Sophie

Friday, 4/15

- Rewrites of "Free Choice #1" and "A Day in the Life"

8th Writing

Thursday, 4/14

- Wordly Wise 9 Quiz

"Color of Water" Final Blog Post

In what ways have Ruth and James changed over the course of the book? What change is most significant for each of them and why?

Homework for Week of 4/4

*****Power of the Moon Sheets Due Friday, 4/1*****

Triplets

Monday, 4/4

- Color of Water chapters 23-4

Tuesday, 4/5

- Color of Water -- finish book & Final Blog

Thursday, 4/7

- Color of Water Revised Blog Posts Due

Monday, 4/11

- "Power of the Moon" Essay Drafts Due

7th Writing

Wednesday, 4/6

- Free Choice #3 Chapter Due

Friday, 4/8

- Wordly Wise 9 Exercises (A-D)

8th Writing

Thursday, 4/7

- Wordly Wise 9 Exercises (A-D)

"Power of the Moon" Essay

Power of the Moon

Now that you’ve determined what aspect of life in your family operates like the power of the moon, create an essay based on your brainstorm. In The Color of Water, McBride sees “the question of race like the power of the moon” is his family. What, for you, operates the same way?

Fill in this statement: _______________________________________________is like the power of the moon in my family.

Next think about how and why?

• How does this power play a vital role in your family? What examples can you think of that illustrate this power?
• Why is it such an important part of your family? Why is it a silent force?

Assignment: Write a personal essay focusing on the “power of the moon” in your own family. In your opening, present your thinking about what the moon’s power is and how it works as a metaphor in relation to your own family. You should also include a thesis, which in this case is simply stating what that power is and how it operates. Next, in about 3 detailed body paragraphs, provide evidence to show how this power operates in your family. Think of particular moments and stories that work well as examples. Analyze the examples so that it’s clear how they connect to the moon’s silent power. And be sure to wrap it up with a detailed and evocative concluding paragraph.

Tips

Think about the following in planning, writing and revising this paper:

• Use of I – Because this is a personal essay, the use of the personal pronouns like “I” and “me” will be a vital part of your essay.
• Use of Example – Like a formal essay, you will need evidence to support your thesis. This evidence will come from your personal experiences, so include as many vivid and specific details as possible. Show the reader how this power is part of your family.
• Analysis – This essay requires analysis. The analysis will come primarily from asking the question why. Why is the power you mention like the power of the moon? What is at the root of it?
• Language – This essay is like a formal essay in that it requires specific, descriptive language. It also requires avoiding conversation language and words like thing and stuff that tell the reader very little.

First Draft Due Monday, April 11

"Color of Water" Discussion Questions (17-22)

Discussion Question Groups

For Thursday’s class, we will begin with discussion questions created by you. You will be put into groups (see below) that focus on a pair of chapters. Please focus your questions on those chapters. Each group member needs to come up with two discussion questions. One should be a clarifying question, focusing on event, character detail, etc. The other should focus on a more analytical aspect of the book such as theme, character, symbol or a connection between the chapters. Remember that a good discussion question is one that requires evidence, doesn’t have a simple answer and one that reflects careful analysis of the reading.

You must be in contact with your group members ahead of time to be sure your questions don’t overlap!

	Chapters 17-18	Chapters 19-20	Chapters 21-22
Triplet 1	Brittney Louisa Oni William	Brianna Isaac Jamie Rehana	Bradley Camrin KJ Nicholas
Triplet 2	Altana Claudia Quitze Khalil Summer-Grace	Ana Helena Mikah Vaughn	Jack Isaiah Kai W. Rebecca
Triplet 3	Ari Cara Mayo Sophie	Anja Emma Kai M. Kyle	Becca Ian Kira Stef

"Color of Water" Blog Post #4

In what ways do the chapters "The Promise" and "Old Man Shilsky" connect? Why did McBride choose to pair these two chapters together?

Homework for Week of 3/29

Triplets

Tuesday, 3/29

- Color of Water chapters 17-20 & Blog Post

Thursday, 3/31

- Color of Water chapters 21-2

- Discussion Questions (see recent post for details)

- Quiz Corrections Due (mandatory for all scores of 70% or lower)

7th Writing

Tuesday, 3/29

- Lesson Learned Chapter (NEW DUE DATE!)

Wednesday, 3/30

- Wordly Wise 8 Quiz

Friday, 4/1

- Free Choice #2 Chapter Due (NEW DUE DATE!)

8th Writing

Wednesday, 3/30

- Wordly Wise 8 Quiz

Thursday, 3/31

- Object Story: Create a short story, at least 4 pages in length, featuring an object that plays a significant role. The object should work both to move the plot forward and as a significant symbol

Proper Dialogue Format

In memoir and fiction writing, the use of dialogue is a crucial tool in showing information about characters, creating conflict and providing background information. To use dialogue effectively, it's important to understand and incorporate it using the proper format.

Dialogue Format

1. The text and punctuation must be in quotes, particularly of the speaker isn't identified.

Examples

"I am hungry."

"Are you going to the movie with us?"

"This is absolutely ridiculous!"

2. If the speaker is being identified and what he/she is saying is a statement, use a comma at the inside the quotation mark.

Examples

"I am hungry," Sara said.

"This might be a problem," he admitted.

3. If the speaker is asking a question or saying something emphatically, use proper punctuation inside the quotation marks and a period at the end of the sentence.

Examples

"Are you kidding?" she asked.

"That is fantastic!" Mark said.

4. In most instances, a new piece of dialogue means a new paragraph. Examine the following example:

The storm moved closer. Martin looked at the horizon with concern. The clouds grew darker and darker and he moved onto the porch where Melanie stood waiting for him.

"That looks bad," she said.

"You think?" he asked.

"I do," she answered. "The wind is picking up, too. I remember that last storm."

"But that was different."

"How?"

Martin stood still he shrugged and looked inside, thinking of the house they had lived in, the tornado that had flattened it only two years before.

"How?" Melanie asked again.

"It was just different."

Notice how, once the two speakers have been established, it doesn't include a he said or she said after each line of dialogue.

8th Grade--"Village 113" Blog Post

In "Village 113" there are a number of significant symbols. Choose one you find especially meaningful and provide a quote and analysis of that quote showing how and why it is a symbol. Please review all post previous to yours to be sure that no quote is used by more than one person.

Homework for Week of 3/22

Triplets

Tuesday, 3/29

- Color of Water chapters 17-20 & Blog Post

7th Writing

Wednesday, 3/23

- Rewrite of Hobbies and Passions

Friday, 3/25

- Wordly Wise 8 Exercises (A-D)

Tuesday, 3/29

- Lesson Learned Chapter (NEW DUE DATE!)

8th Writing

Tuesday, 3/22

- Glen Ligon Trip Sheet and 1-page Response

Wednesday, 3/23

- Finish "Village 113" and answer Blog Post

Thursday, 3/24

- Wordly Wise 8 Exercises (A-D)

"Color of Water" Blog Post #3

In chapter 16 James writes: "I began my own process of running" (138). What does he mean? What examples from this chapter best show how and why Jack symbolically began to run away?

8th Grade Homework--Week of 3/14

Tuesday, 3/15

- Read "The Monkey's Paw" and complete the following questions: Questions and Comments--1-3, 6, 8; Word Study--4-5; Composition--1

English Work During 7th Grade Farm Week (for both 7th and 8th Grade)

ALL WORK DUE ON MONDAY, 3/21

1. Read Chapters 11-16 in The Color of Water

2. Complete Blog Post

3. Bring in 4 discussion questions (written in notebook), 2 for the "Boys" chapter and 2 for the "Daddy" chapter

4. Bring in 2 quotes that reveal how James' perception of his mother has changed in these chapters. Include 2-3 sentences explaining what that change is.

5. Revised Heracles Essay (must also hand in first draft with my comments)