Exam Week!

LA EXAM

Tribute to a Deserving Person

If you could give a special gift or award to a deserving person, what would the award be and why does that person deserve that particular award?

Create your own award to give to someone you know or admire and who you feel deserves exemplifies the award. The award can be for any accomplishment–big or small–but you will need to think of more than one reason why the person you’re giving it to deserves the award.

Think of possible awards and important people you know who deserve each award.

• Influential Relative-
• Generous Friend-
• Supportive person
• Other

As you draft your Tribute to a Deserving Person Award and Speech, pick one quality as your theme. Your speech will contain each of the six parts.  Your writing will be scored using the 6 Traits of Writing Rubric.  In addition, your speech must be  between 2 to 3 minutes. NO LONGER!

A speech, like a paper, has three parts: introduction, body, and conclusion. 

• The introduction helps set the tone and direction of your speech.  It serves several purposes:

1.       Grab the attention of the audience (funny anecdote, poem, etc.)

2.       Introduce the topic

3.       State the purpose

• The body of the speech carries the message.  This is where you would explain how the person demonstrates the quality of the award.  Be sure to use transitions to help move from point to point.

 

• The conclusion helps focus the whole speech and leaves the audience with a clear picture.

Once your speech has been revised, it is time to start practicing.  Rehearse the speech until you are comfortable with it.  Ask someone to listen and give feedback.  Practice the following techniques:

1. Stand, walk to the podium and face the audience with your head up and back straight.
2. Speak loudly and clearly.
3. Don’t rush.  Take your time and glance at your notes when you need them.
4. Think about what you’re saying so your audience hears the feeling in your voice.
5. Talk with your hands.  Use gestures to help you communicate.
6. Talk with your eyes and expressions by looking at the audience as you speak.

**You may use note cards to aid you while you give your speech.

Awarding an Original Award Speech Planning Guide

1st hour exam is on Wednesday, June 6th and 3rd hour exam is on Thursday, June 7th.

Personal Memoir

“The next thing most like living one’s life over again seems to be a recollection of that life, and to make that recollection as durable as possible by putting it down in writing.”

-Benjamin Franklin

A Significant Memory

Throughout class, we will brainstorm, identify and write about memories that are most important to you.  You will choose one memory to write an extended memoir. This memory must have affected you, your life, or your personality.  The memory may also have changed the way you viewed something or someone.  Overall, this memory must have meaning in your life.

 

Here are some questions we considered when selecting a memory:

Questions for Memoirists

v      What are my earliest memories? How far back can I remember?

v      What are the most important things that have happened to me in my life so far?

v      What have I seen that I can’t forget?

v      What’s an incident that shows what my family and I are like?

v      What’s an incident that shows what my friends and I are like?

v      What’s an incident that shows what my pet(s) and I are like?

v      What’s something that happened to me at school that I’ll always remember?

v      What’s something that happened to me at home that I’ll always remember?

v      What’s an incident that changed how I think or feel about something?

v      What’s an incident that changed my life?

v      What’s a time or place that I was perfectly happy?

v      What’s a time or place that I laughed a lot?

v      What’s a time or place when it felt as if my heart were breaking?

v      What’s a time with a parent I will never forget?

v      What’s a time with a grandparent I will never forget?

v      What’s a time with a brother or sister that I’ll never forget?

v      What’s a time with a cousin or another relative that I’ll never forget?

v      Can I remember a time I learned to do something, or did something for the first time?

v      What memories emerge when I make a time line of my life so far and note the most important things that happened to me each year?

Memoir Scoring Rubric

PersonalMemoirOverview

Students are drafting this week.  Rough drafts are due on Thursday, May 24th and FINAL drafts are due Thursday, May 31st.

 

April is Poetry Month!

We are exploring the genre of poetry over the course of the next few weeks. Students are learning about figurative language, identifying the language in poems, and integrating it into their poems as well. Every day two students read a poem to the class. Peers then have the opportunity to respond to either poem.

This week students created a “Love Poem Between Two Inanimate Objects.”

Check out Sarah Kay’s sample that we used as a mentor text.

 

 

 

 

Persuasive Business Letters

For the final assessment of the persuasion unit, students have been working on a persuasive business letter. In this letter, students are lobbying for something that is important. Through persuasive statements and acknowledging the counter argument, you are on your way to a great final draft! Below is an overview of the final things you need to remember/have to receive a grade for all your hard work.

 

Final Draft Due Wednesday March 28, 2012

The following is a list of the items you must turn in along with the final draft of your business letter.

Final Checklist:

• __/5 Persuasive Argument Organizer (blue)
• __/5 Peer Revise with Perfection! (purple/white)
• __/3 Questions to Ask About Your Writing (yellow)
• __/5 Rough Draft
• __/2 Self Evaluation (on back of this sheet)
• __/ 80 Final Draft
  • 6 paragraphs
  • Typed
  • Font must be easy to read, size 12
  • Single Spacing
  • Correct format:

  • Your house number and street name City, state, zip code Date   Name of person receiving letter Person’s house number and street name City, state, zip code   Dear Mr./ Ms. _____ : Intro   body paragraph 1   body paragraph 2   body paragraph 3   body paragraph 4 –for the counter argument   conclusion   Sincerely,     Signature

Book Review

We will be submitting book reviews and posting them online using http://www.goodreads.com/ again.

Book reviews are due Wednesday, March 21st.

Students need to first add the book to their shelf.

Once they have done this, then they can add a review.

After the review is typed, each student should post the title of the review in the discussion thread for the class group.

1st hour: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/832091-3rd-quarter-reads

3rd hour: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/832094-3rd-quarter-reads

Here is the Rubric.Book Review Marking Period 3 2012 Reviews should be at least 4 paragraphs and include both summary and personal response.

Persuasive Writing

Our new unit kicked off this week, students are looking at a variety of types of persuasive writing. In this unit students will learn how to craft an argument and support it with sufficient evidence. They will also identify the opposition and respond to this counterargument.

After reading I Wanna Iguana, students brainstormed items they want and selected one to write a persuasive letter asking for the item from someone who could give it to them.  The letter is due on Monday, March 12.

Next week, students will choose a topic/issue that they are passionate about and write a business letter to the appropriate audience.

 

More information is forthcoming.

Activist Glogs

Check out the hard work students put into creating their glogs!

 

 

1st Hour

http://edu.glogster.com/flash/GlogPresentation1.swf

3rd Hour

http://edu.glogster.com/flash/GlogPresentation1.swf