Miss Lepley's Blog

What's happening in class?

2009-05-31T19:12:00.000-07:00

It's the last week of school!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Monday is a BIG DAY for the 8th grade class! We are going on a lunch/dance cruise aboard The Odyssey in Chicago. Students will dine, dance and cruise tomorrow afternoon for 2 hours, and spend time on Navy Pier. We leave at 9:00 A.M. and return at approximately 5:30.

Here's to a memorable experience!

On Tuesday, it's graduation practice 1st and 2nd hours and classes as normal the rest of the day. Wednesday will include graduation practice and an awards ceremony in the morning, followed by shortened classes and yearbook signing in the afternoon.

Wednesday night, will be Lakeview's class of 2009's graduation!!!!!!!!!!

I hope for nothing but the best for the class of 2009! I have truly enjoyed teaching each and every one of my students this year. They are a wonderful group of talented, bright, nice kids. Have a great summer!!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Miss Lepley

What's happening in class?

2009-05-25T16:51:00.000-07:00

There are only two weeks left in the school year!!!

In language arts, we will be continuing 2 minute speeches and we will be developing 8th grade school year time lines. Each individual time line will map out the 8 most important events in each student's 8th grade year.

In reading, we will be watching the movie, The Diary of Anne Frank, comparing and contrasting it to the play we read in class. I have corrected the final tests from Friday, and I'm happy to report the overall grades were great!!

Here's to a good week!

What's happening in class?

2009-05-17T15:17:00.000-07:00

During the week of May 18th through May 22nd, we will be doing a number of things in class.

In L.A., students will be writing creative color stories, based on their favorite color. Additionally, students will be giving impromptu persuasive speeches, based on random selected topics.

In reading, we will continue reading and discussing The Diary of Anne Frank. On Monday, we will review the Act one discussion questions assigned over the weekend. Beginning Tuesday, we will be reading and discussing Act two. On Thursday, we will review the entire play, and on Friday, we will take the final test on The Diary of Anne Frank.

AR book report quizzes will be taken in class on Friday, May 29th.

Here's to a good week!

What's happening in class?

2009-05-10T17:10:00.000-07:00

Last week I enjoyed hearing the fantastic adventure stories my students shared with the class. The majority of the students worked in pairs and their stories were creative, interesting and well-written!

The week of May 11th through May 15th will be another busy one!

In L.A., students will be writing letters to themselves about their current 8th grade experiences, their plans for the summer, and their goals for freshmen year. I will be mailing these letters to them next May so they can see how their past year developed and wheter or not they were able to achieve their goals.

In reading, we will be sharing poster board book reports, and choosing a new AR book report book. We will also continue reading and discussing The Diary of Anne Frank.

Here'a to a good week!

What's happening in class?

2009-05-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

We are officially in the month of May! :)

In L.A. this week, students will be working in pairs to develop an adventure story. Students will then be sharing their stories in class.

In reading this week, we will be starting The Dairy of Anne Frank. We will be discussing Hitler and the Holocaust, and then reading the play version of Anne Frank's diary out loud in class together.

Here's to a good week!

What's happening in class?

2009-04-26T16:12:00.000-07:00

In language arts this week, we will be doing a combination of things. I'm in the middle of correcting theme portfolios and I'm truly impressed! I will be handing them back to students this week. We will also be doing some creating writing in class.

In reading this week, we will be watching Romeo and Juliet, and comparing and contrasting it to the play.

Don't forget to keep reading book report books! The book report will be explained this week, and it will be due Friday, May 8th!

What's happening in class?

2009-04-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

What a nice weekend!! Hopefully you were able to enjoy it.

The week of April 20th through April 24th will be another busy one!

In language arts, students have been doing a great job on their portfolios. I'm anxious to see their finished products on the 21st!

In reading, we will be reviewing for the Romeo and Juliet test which will be on Thursday of this week. The final test will be worth 100 points, and it will cover both West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet.

Here's to a good week and more great weather!

What's happening in class?

2009-04-12T11:49:00.000-07:00

I hope all of you had a very nice Easter!

The week of April 13th-April 17th will be a busy one!

In L.A. we will kick off the second half of our poetry unit. Students will be using their creativity and talent to put together a theme portfolio, consisting of original poetry, a short story excerpt, song lyrics, published poetry, and a quote all focused on a theme of their choice. Students will be analyzing all of their selections, connecting them to their theme and to them personally. Students will be given 5 days in class to work on their portfolios.

***This assignment has always proven to be a favorite of mine and students alike, since it allows students flexibility and allows their unique personalities to shine. The portfolio requirements are listed below:

THEME PORTFOLIO REQUIREMENTS

***Your theme portfolio will be based on a theme which you chose. Everything in your portfolio will be a reflection of that theme and how it relates to you. This is meant to be a personal, reflective project.

****This assignment will be due on Tuesday, April 21st, and will be worth 130 points.
You must include the following in your portfolio:

1. A cover which includes your theme and your name
2. A formal introduction of at least 200 words which explains why you chose your theme, how it relates to you, and what you hope to accomplish through this project.
3. A table of contents which organizes your entries
4. At least two poems you have selected from a published author
5. At least two original poems you have written
6. At least one slogan (original or published)
7. The lyrics from at least one song
8. A literary excerpt (short story or novel)
9. An analysis of each entry explaining why you chose it, how it relates to the theme, and in turn, how it relates to you
10. A formal closing of at least 200 words which explains your feelings about your portfolio, and what you think you accomplished through doing the project
11. A bibliography including each borrowed piece of literature or music

***This project should be FREE OF ERRORS, attractive, professional looking, and must be typed. ( If computers are available, some class time will be designated for this).

In reading, we will continue reading and discussing Romeo and Juliet. The Act III quiz will be on Monday, and we should finish Act IV by the end of the week.

***Poor Romeo and Juliet are in dire straights. Romeo has been banished from Verona for killing Juliet's cousin, Tybalt, and Capulet has promised Paris he can now marry Juliet! Oh no! Stay tuned to see if the Friar can help them survive these circumstances, or if their fate is already sealed................

What's happening in class?

2009-04-05T19:57:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a great break! I loved spending the week in the Caribbean! It was very hard to come back to snow!! :(

The week of April 6th will be a short one! Students do not have school on Tuesday, due to teacher inservice, and we all have off on Friday.

In L.A. I will be introducing our next book report, and students will be working on it in class, and presenting the final products this week.

In reading, we will continue reading and discussing Romeo and Juliet, Act III. Romeo and Juliet are now married. Will this fact bring the two families together, or tear them apart? Tune in to find out!

What's happening in class?

2009-03-22T19:33:00.000-07:00

One more week before spring break! Yahoo! :)

In L.A, students are presenting their persuasive speeches beginning on Tuesday! On Monday, we will review speech requirements and the speech rubric, and choose numbers to decide the order of speakers. Additionally, we will discuss delivery-voice, eye contact, enthusiasm and poise.

In reading, we will continue to read and discuss Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet have just found out, after they have fallen madly in love of course, that they are each other's arch enemy. What will become of their relationship? Will love overcome their families' age old hatred for each other, or are they doomed??

The Act II quiz will be on Friday, March 27th.

Here's to a great week!

What's happening in class?

2009-03-15T17:36:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone enjoyed the beautiful weather this weekend!

The week of March 16th through March 20th will focus on preparation for persuasive speeches and finishing the first Act of Romeo and Juliet.

In language arts we will be researching speech topics in the IMC, putting together outlines, and formulating bibliographies. Below you will find the requirements for the persuasive speech:

LANGUAGE ARTS 8
PERSUASIVE SPEECH REQUIREMENTS

1. The speech must be 4-5 minutes long. YOUR GRADE WILL DROP A FULL GRADE IF YOU DO NOT STAY WITHIN THE DESIGNATED TIME FRAME.

2. You must use your OUTLINE, placed on NOTECARDS, to deliver your speech.

3. Eye contact is crucial for persuasion. Do not read from your note cards. Use them as a guide only. Reading your speech will result in a grade NO HIGHER than a D.

4. You must have a catchy introduction and a solid conclusion. DO NOT use the words "My speech is on..." or "I'm going to try to persuade you..." in your introduction, nor "I have just given you..." or "I have just told you..." in your conclusion.

5. Your persuasive purpose or intent must be CLEAR. It should be stated in your thesis statement, which is the last sentence in your introduction. Take a stand on an issue and convince your audience to side with you.

6. Be prepared to go on the day you are assigned. Failure to present your speech at that time will result in a ZERO.

7. You will be graded on delivery, length of speech, and persuasiveness.

8. Give me your final draft outline and bibliography on the day you deliver your speech, right before you begin speaking. You will need 2 copies of your outline. One typed to give to me, and one placed on note cards to use during your speech.

9. You must use at least five sources for your speech. You may not use two of the same source. For example, you may not use two Newsweek magazines.

10. You should use approximately 10 pieces of borrowed information in your speech, citing your source for each borrowed piece of information.

11. You will have approximately 5 class periods to do research. Any additional research must be done on your own time.

12. Speeches will begin on Tuesday, March 24th. Good luck!!!!!!

In reading, we will finish reading Act I in Romeo and Juliet on Monday, and take the Act I quiz on Wednesday.

What's happening in class?

2009-03-08T19:05:00.000-07:00

The week of March 9th through March 12th will be a busy one!

In L.A., we will be beginning our persuasive speech unit.

On Monday we will go through speech requirements and discuss topic ideas.

On Tuesday, we will select speech topics and discuss thesis statements.

On Wednesday, we will determine thesis statements.

On Thursday of this week, Miss. Hagensee will provide a reseach introduction in preparation for next week's individual student research.

In reading, we will be starting my favorite play, Romeo and Juliet!! This Shakespearian play has it all: LOVE! ROMANCE! DECEPTION! INTRIGUE! DESTRUCTION! DEATH! and HOPE!

We will be reading the modern version of the play, but I will be hi-lighting famous quotes in Shakespeare's language, and students will eventually be memorizing and performing these quotes. The Romeo and Juliet unit will include the reading of the entire play out loud, with students choosing new parts each day, and indepth discussion of the play, including plot analysis, and character motivation.

Throughout the play, we will be noting similarities and differences between Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story. The unit will also consist of ACT 1 through ACT 5 quizzes, and a final comprehensive test.

What's happening in class?

2009-03-03T08:07:00.000-08:00

The week of March 3rd through March 6th is all about ISAT testing!

Last week, students did an excellent job of preparing for the reading and writing tests. I'm hoping all their hard work pays off!

During L.A. and reading this week, we will begin a new combination unit, comparing Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story. We will be watching the 1961 Oscar Award winning musical this week, discussing it as we go.

Students will be provided with a detailed study guide for the movie, and on Monday, 9th, they will take the West Side Story quiz. ***See the link below for interesting information on this fantastic musical!

http://www.westsidestory.com/

What's happening in class?

2009-02-23T03:56:00.000-08:00

This week in L.A. and reading we will be doing power ISAT testing preparation! :)

In L.A., students will receive a complete review on how to write detailed, well structured, insightful persuasive and personal narrative essays. They will also have practice runs on writing in a timed environment and will receive credit for their work.

In reading, students will receive a complete review on how to read an excerpt in order to glean as much meaning as possible from the text, how to effectively take multiple choice question tests, and how to write a well thought out, detailed reading extended response. They will also have practice runs on writing in a timed environment and will receive credit for their work.

Let the fun begin!!

What's happening in class?

2009-02-17T03:50:00.000-08:00

***I hope everyone enjoyed his or her day off in celebration of Presidents' Day!

In language arts, we will be delving into the exciting world of adjectives and adverbs! Students will be reviewing and practicing using these two modifiers correctly in order to add description and clarity to their writing.

In reading, we will continue and finish the poetry unit we began last week. Students will have a final unit test on Friday which will challenge them to identify poetic terms, match poems with their themes, demonstrate their knowledge of a rhyme scheme, and analyze a given poem.

Below you will find student sample poems based on the poem, "Moco Limping."

"Jonathon" by Ashley M.

When I found out I was
getting a baby brother,
I saw many wonderful
things that could happen.
I’d now have a playmate
wherever I went. We’d be
best friends and share
everything we had. We’d
have secrets that no one
else would know. We’d be
open to each other and say
everything that is on our
minds. But as he grew, my
hopes started to wither away.
We’d start to fight for every
little reason. He’d spill out
every other secret I possessed.
He’d take things without my
knowledge. He’d embarrass me
every chance he got. But at the
end of the day, I always realize
that he’s the only one who
truly makes me happy and smile.
I’m glad that he’s my baby brother.

"Lucky Dog" By: Jessica L.

I always imagined having
a dog that will play fetch
and return the ball right
into my hands.
I wanted him to dive into
the pond with me and swim.
I wanted him to be just like
"Lucky", from 101 Dalmatians.
That dog was brave, cool and
could talk.
But instead my dog plays fetch,
but never returns the ball.
He hates water, and goes into
hysterics when the tip of his
paw steps near a puddle.
He’s clumsy, and gets envious.
He pretends he is human and
shows his feelings, too.
Although he doesn’t talk like
"Lucky" my dog still has the
brave, cool thing I imagined
he would.
He fits me like a pair of shoes.
He is like myself in dog form;
clumsy, funny, loving.
He’s my partner in crime
and I don’t have the slightest
clue on what I would do without
him by my side.

“My Sister” by Nicole L.

I wish I had a perfect sister.
One that would listen to
everything I would say.
One that would do favors
for me when I asked
politely. A sister that
would always be nice
to me and didn’t answer
rudely for everything I asked.
A sister that would never go
through my things and would respect me.
This would be the
ideal sister.
Instead I have an annoying,
computer hogging, back
talking sister. A sister that goes
through my things and never listens.
I have a sister that makes fun of
me for every little thing I do and
never lets me forget. A sister who
always wants to be the center of attention.
She’s annoying, rude and I just can’t
stand her.
Like I said, I have an annoying, computer hogging,
back talking sister, that I love. When she
truly listens to me things change. Sometimes
I feel that we are friends and not sisters.
Without her things just wouldn’t be the same.

“Matthew”by Kristy L.
I could only imagine
how many of my chores
could be done for me.
I wanted the perfect little
brother who never got
me in trouble.
He would be the cute,
understanding, sympathetic
kid who listened to
everything that I would say.
I wanted him to never
throw a fight or take
my stuff. I wanted him to be
nice, cooperate and act like
a mature child. But instead I
got an eight year old brother
who sometimes drives me
insane. He is loud and
obnoxious and runs around
like a mad man. He always
picks a fight, and I constantly
find my things being taken
and misplaced.
He cries or complains
when he doesn’t get his way or
when people don’t listen to him.
Although he drives me crazy
sometimes, he makes me
realize how much I would
dislike my life as an only child.
He looks up to me and asks
me for advice and he is
extremely caring and kind at
times. And then he looks up at me
with those big puppy dog eyes
and his cute face, and I realize
he is my only little
brother, and I can’t help
but hug him.

What's happening in class?

2009-02-09T05:00:00.001-08:00

I hope high school registration at DGS went smoothly for everyone! :)

In language arts this week we will be focusing on the exciting world of capitalization and punctuation! :) Daily instruction and in class practice will lead to demonstrating mastery through individual practice, and an end of the unit quiz.

In reading, students will receive back their "Flowers for Algernon" quizzes. Students did a very good job on the quiz overall, and their opinion based, reason supported writing was the best I've seen on a test this year! Students were asked whether or not Charlie (the main character) should have had the operation he did to triple his intelligence. Some felt it was the wrong thing for Charlie to do, but the majority of students felt the opportunity for Charlie to experience life as a genius, though tough at times, and only temporary, was worth it!

This week we'll be switching gears and starting a new unit in poetry. Students will be analyzing poetry, as well as trying their hands at writing poetry as well. Do I have any budding poets in class? We'll soon find out the answer to that question............................

What's happening in class?

2009-02-02T03:40:00.000-08:00

In L.A. this week, we will be focusing on ISAT preparation. We will be discussing and practicing the differences among fables, fairy tales, myths and legends, as well as fiction and non-fiction. We will also be using our knowledge about The Outsiders to practice writing extended responses for the ISAT reading exam......

In reading this week, we will be reading the play version of "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes. It's a fictional story about a mentally challenged man named Charlie who is given the opportunity to triple his intelligence. He accepts the offer, but are the results, both mentally and emotionally worth it? Tune in later this week to see!

What's happening in class?

2009-01-25T19:24:00.000-08:00

The week of January 26th is s busy one for the 8th graders!

Monday night and Wednesday nights are open house nights for incoming freshmen at Downers Grove South! I highly recommend attending! It's a night filled with valuable information and a lot of fun!

This week in language arts, students will continue work on their theme plays. Monday through Thursday are practice days, and Friday is performance day. Students have come up with great themes and story lines and I'm anxiously awaiting their presentations!

This week in reading, students will get their The Outsiders final tests back. They did a great job on them! Students will also be able to enjoy watching The Outsiders movie. We will compare and contrast the novel and movie, paying attention to characters, plot, and overall appeal.

What's happening in class?

2009-01-20T03:46:00.000-08:00

I hope you enjoyed a day off in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday!

In language arts this week, we are beginning a mini drama unit. Groups of 4-5 students will create and perform one act plays developed around a chosen THEME.

All organizing, creating and practicing will be done at school. Memorization of lines and gathering of clothes for costumes will be done at home. NO PRACTICING WITH GROUPS OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL WILL BE REQUIRED.

In reading this week, we will finish The Outsiders. Due to several emotional and physical issues including the deaths of both Johnny and Dally, and suffering from a concussion from an injury he received during the rumble, Ponyboy collapsed. After 4 days of being in and out of consciousness, he is finally coming back physically, but is he ready to handle the emotional stress of reality yet? How will the trial go? Will his brother and he be separated? Tune in to find out...............

The Outsiders final test is scheduled for Friday, January 25th.

Here's to a new week and a new chapter in history! I hope both are good ones!

What's happening in class?

2009-01-11T19:41:00.000-08:00

This week is language arts, students will be sharing their favorite essays from the three essays they have written this year. Selection and polishing will happen tomorrow and sharing begins on Tuesday! Also this week, students will continue mastering ISAT study skills. Our goal is to improve all students' comprehension, thinking and reasoning skills.........

This week in reading, book reports are due. We'll be selecting new book report books and we will also finish S.E. Hinton's novel, The Outsiders........Johnny is not in good shape, Dally is seeking revenge, and the rumble to end all rumbles is scheduled for tonight.

Does Johnny live? Does Dally get his revenge? Does Ponyboy make it through the rumble and manage to stay with his family? Stay tuned to find out................

What's happening in class?

2009-01-04T18:14:00.000-08:00

Welcome back and happy 2009!

I hope everyone had a fun, relaxing vacation!

This week in language arts, we'll be focusing on subject-verb agreement. Understanding correct word usage is the key to good, clear writing.

This week in reading, we will continue reading The Outsiders. We will find out whether or not Johnny and Ponyboy get caught and tried for murder, or if something else happens to add an interesting twist to the story........................................Stay tuned to find out!

What's happening in class?

2008-12-15T04:01:00.000-08:00

It's the last week before Christmas break!

This week in language arts, we will be finishing debates. So far, there have been some very good debates! Overall, students have worked hard, and that hard work has turned into some interesting, educational entertainment. I hope this week's final debates continue to impress!

As a culminating activity, students are writing reflective poems about the 1960's. They may select their own topic(s) pertaining to the 1960's, and their poem may be rhyming or free verse. We will be presenting these poems in class on Tuesday, December 16th.

Additionally, on Thursday of this week, I will be going through high school registration. I will pass out DGS registration guides, and explain the packet information each student will be receiving in the mail over break.

This week in reading, we will continue with The Outsiders.

Dally has just come to the church to see Ponyboy and Johnny, with news that there is a planned greaser against soc rumble the following day, and that Cherry Valance is acting as a spy for them!

Thursday will be the first quiz in this novel unit. It will cover the plot, characters and vocabulary in chapters 1-5. It will be worth 40 points.

Have a fantastic break! Be safe and enjoy yourselves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What's happening in class?

2008-12-07T19:26:00.000-08:00

***The week of December 8th through December 12th should be challenging and entertaining!

This week in L.A. we will be performing the 1960's debates! We will be doing last minute preparation, discussion and planning on Monday and Tuesday, and performances will start on Wednesday! I'm looking forward to seeing the characters, moderators and reporters do very well!

This week in reading, we will continue reading The Outsiders. We will go through discussion questions for chapter 4 and begin reading and discussing chapter 5 tomorrow in class.

Here's to a good week!

What's happening in class?

2008-11-23T15:10:00.000-08:00

The week of November 24th through 25th may be short, but it will be action packed!

In both L.A. and reading, we will be discussing and organizing for our 1960's debates. Students will be choosing among the three roles of CHARACTER, MODERATOR and REPORTER. Each role will play an important part in a successful debate.

Each student will receive a complete explanation of his or her role during the debate, including all expectations and requirements.

Additionally, students will be choosing one of 5 debate topics in which they will participate. The debate topics are listed below:

*The Vietnam War
*The Counter Culture
*The Women's Movement
*The 1968 Democratic Convention
*The Space Program

During social studies class, Mr. Safranski will be taking the students through the research process for the debates and the actual debates will be performed in L.A. class.

Each student's debate performance will be worth 100 points!!

What's happening in class?

2008-11-16T17:32:00.000-08:00

The week of November 17th-21st will be another busy one!

In L.A. we are kicking off our 1960's unit! We will be studying and reflecting upon this influential decade. The unit will consist of class discussions, watching informational videos, research, and role-playing debates. This week our main focus will be on watching two interesting, enlightening videos. The first will give an overview of the 1960's and the second will focus in on the year 1963.

Additionally, rough draft persuasive essays will be turned in on Tuesday for a teacher edit. Students have done a nice job selecting some interesting, challenging, original topics. I'm anxious to see their working drafts!

In reading, we will finish out our mythology unit with a 50 point test on Tuesday. We will review on Monday, and students will have all the tools they need to do a fantastic job on their test!

On Wednesday of this week, we will begin the classic novel, The Outsiders. It's an oldie and a goodie! We will be doing the majority of reading in class together, but students will also be reading on their own, putting into practice the comprehension improvement techniques we've been focusing on in class.

If you are unfamiliar with this page turning novel by S.E. Hinton, click on the link below. It will tell you everything you need to know about the novel and the movie!

http://www.theoutsidersbookandmovie.com/

Here's to a good week!

What's happening in class?

2008-11-10T04:06:00.000-08:00

***The week of November 10th -November 14th will be a busy one!

Currently in L.A., we are finishing up P.A. P.N. I.O. and D.O. The quiz on these grammar super stars will be on Wednesday!

On Wednesday as well, we will begin our third formal essay, the persuasive essay. Students will have the opportunity to choose their own topic of persuasion (no research is required) and convince a reader, through writing, to side with their opinion. Ahhhh........the art of persuasion......(Sample character sketches will be on display soon. Check them out later this week!)

In reading, we will be continuing our mythology unit. Students did a great job on their god and goddess quiz. Today we will be moving into our mythology packet, a collection of Greek myths made famous throughout history.

***Magazine book reports are due on Wednesday. Requirements and the rubric are listed below.....

***Enjoy your day off tomorrow in celebration of Veterans' Day. (My dad was in WWII) Take a minute to honor the brave men and women who have served in the military for us!

Magazine book report information listed below!

2008-11-07T14:40:00.000-08:00

Magazine Book Report

1. After reading your biography or autobiography, pretend that you are an interviewer, and interview the subject of your book. (If your subject is no longer alive, pretend that he/she is still living.) You will be asking your person 10 in-depth questions which can be answered using detailed information from your book. Based on your person's fame, you will choose an appropriate magazine in which this interview might be found. (Examples: movie star = People Magazine, athlete = Sports Illustrated, political figure = Newsweek or TIME, rock star = Rolling Stone Magazine, etc.)

2. Design a cover for your magazine. First, draw, by hand, a detailed picture of your person and color it. Next, use construction paper, colored markers, colored pencils, or your computer, and add other touches to make it look like an actual magazine cover.
Think about the examples I showed you in class, and remember: Make it colorful!!

3. Your interview must be in final draft form. Either type your questions and answers for your interview, or write them in black or blue pen.

4. This book report is worth 30 points and is due on Wednesday, November 12th.

Magazine Book Report Rubric:

Detailed, interesting, well written information 10 points __________
about the person

Neat, detailed, colored cover complete with picture 10 points __________
of person

Overall effort and creativity in the development of 10 points __________
the “magazine”

+ __________
30

Check out my dog, Romeo, in his Halloween costume!

2008-11-02T17:23:00.001-08:00

***I hope everyone had a fun, safe Halloween!

This week in language arts, we will be continuing the study of pronouns. We will be focusing on pronoun case, and indefinite, interrogative and demonstrative pronouns. I will also return the graded character sketch essays on Thursday.

In reading, we finished the novel, Monster with the final test on Friday. Students did very well throughout the unit, and did a nice job on Friday's challenging test. In their discussion question on the test, they were given the opportunity to act as a juror, and using information presented during the trial, determine whether or not they agreed with the verdict Steve received.......NOT GUILTY.

Our new unit in reading is MYTHOLOGY!! Students will be exposed to both Greek and Roman mythology, with an emphasis on the 12 Olympian gods. Click on the link below to get a quick overview of these interesting mythological characters.............

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0881990.html

Here's to a good week!

Here are some great student narratives!!

2008-10-28T06:55:00.000-07:00

By: Krystal B.
"The Tough Choice"

"Are you going to the game, Stacey?" I asked. Of course, Stacey knew I was talking about the big football game everyone
was planning to attend. All of my friends were planning on dressing in our
school colors, green and white, to show our spirit. What I did know was that
almost the whole highschool was going to be there for opening game. But what I
didn't know was that the choice I would be forced to make would affect the rest of
my life.
"Of course I'm going to the football game!" exclaimed Stacey.
I knew she was going to say that, but I didn't want to show up all by
myself.
"My mom could drive us to the game," I suggested.
"Great!" agreed Stacey.
The game was on Friday night and it was already Thursday. My mom was
talking to me about the football game in the car ride home from school that day.
She had wanted to know all the little details like any other mom would want to know.
I had no idea how much fun these games were, because it was my first football game
at highschool, being a freshman.
We got home and I started working on my homework. The second I finished
my homework, Stacey called. She wanted to tell me that since her brother was
going to the football game as well, he could drive us home. I agreed, and we hung
up the phone.
For the rest of the night, all I could think about was the football game
and how much fun everyone was saying it would be. When the bell rang at three
o'clock the next day to end school I was excited. I ran to my locker, got my books,
and anxiously rode the bus the whole way home.
Two hours had passed and all I had done was homework. My clock turned five
o'clock and I ran to the garage, got my mom, and hopped in the car to go get Stacey.
When we got back to my house we ran to the bathroom and covered ourselves with green
and white face paint. I remembered while putting the paint on, Stacey's brother was driving us back home. His name was Steve and he was a senior in highschool. He wasn't always the brightest kid
and he always got in trouble. But from what I knew, he was a nice guy.
We got to the game just in time to see all the players walk out onto the
field. From a distance, I saw our friends with their arresting facepaint standing
under the bleachers. I didn't notice who they were talking with, but they looked
like seniors.
"Let's go see what they're up to," yelled Stacey.
We bolted across the field to under the bleachers to find a whole bunch of
kids, I felt stifled inbetween the crowd. I pushed through, with Stacey following
behind, to see Steve and his friends drowning themselves with alcohol.
My jaw dropped when Stacey had the audacity to run up to him and chug down
a drink. I didn't know what to do! All my friends were drinking and I was not
going to let that ruin my future.
"I'm going home!" I screamed over all the noise to Stacey.
She clutched my arm and shoved a drink in my face, trying to get me to
drink it. I pulled away and ran across the street from the highschool. I called my
mom to pick me up and I explained everything to her on our ride home.
The next day at school was not the same. Steve had gotten drunk, but still
drove Stacey and some friends home. Their retribution for drinking resulted in them
getting in a terrible car crash. Eventually, everyone would be okay, but it would
take some time for all their wounds to heal. Right after school I went to the
hospital to see Stacey. All I could think about was how much damage was done, just
from drinking alcohol.

Joseph N.
“Self Discovery”

There was a very wealthy inventor named Terrance O’Larry. He invented a machine that was able to detect when a person was lying. Since he made so much money off his invention, he was able to travel the world. When he began his travels, he had no idea that what he encounters will put him in tremendous peril.
Terrance planned many hours for his trip. He decided he should go somewhere in
Africa. He wanted to go on a safari. He decided to bring his good friend Michael
Dibaggo. Michael and he had been friends since college and they had similar personalities. They loved adventures, were smart and liked to build things. They both agreed that an African safari would be a great vacation.
They bought two tickets for a flight to South Africa. They decided to drive to a village in the northern part of South Africa. They would live there for three weeks with the villagers and a tour guide. What Terrance and Michael did not know was they were being followed by an evil co-worker, who wanted to kidnap Terrance and steal his ideas for his new invention.
As Michael and Terrance started on their tour, they became very good friends with the many tribal people they met along the way. There were several nights they were asked to stay in the huts with the families of the tribes. The tribesmen told Terrance and Michael of their concern of poachers killing the wildlife in Africa and how many of the animals were now endangered.
Terrance had been working on his next invention which was a pill a person could take that allowed him to have a force field around him that would last twenty-four hours. He was hoping the invention would help policemen. The evil inventor whose name is the sinister Dr. Edward wanted to steal this invention. He wanted to sell it to people who would use it for evil also. He was very greedy and wanted to make hundreds of thousands of dollars. He hired poachers to help him capture Terrance.
After one week of being on the safari, Terrance awoke to two gunshots to his leg. He could not move. The poachers then captured him and took him to Dr. Edward. Dr. Edward questioned Terrance about his new invention. Although Terrance was grimacing in pain, he refused to give him any information.
Back at the village, the tribesmen and Michael had been searching everywhere for Terrance. One of the tribesmen decided to stealthily look in the windows of all of the village buildings. Eventually, he saw Terrance and the bad guys in one nondescript building.
The tribesman ran and got the rest of the tribe and Michael. They decided to swallow the protective shield pill to save Terrance.
As they approached, they were spotted. Gun fire erupted, but the shield protected them all and the bullets just bounced off of them. They rescued Terrance and he was exuberant as well as his new friends and Michael. The poachers and Dr. Edward were arrested.
Michael and Terrance had, had a very exciting trip. Even though Terrance was kidnapped, he feels his trip was a success. His invention of the protective shield has now proven to be helpful with protecting the villagers and animals from dangerous poachers. Terrance was so pleased with how well the protective shield pill worked, he felt comfortable sharing it with the people who protect us everyday, our police department as well as our firemen. He also discovered something important about himself. He had the ability to invent something that could protect those who can not protect themselves, to those men and women who protect us all.

Cody F
"The Magnificent Tortoise King"

On a small island, just off the coast of Puerto Rico, there was an unknown and unmarked village, older than time and stranger than fiction. Fascinating natural characteristics and breathtaking views just enhanced the villagers’ charming distinctiveness. It was a flawless island paradise, that was, until the lions came!
The villagers were almost all perfectly normal and perfectly happy by any standard means. However, they were all mice, except for Javier, the very old and very wise tortoise king. The mice loved and cherished Javier. Javier was their teacher, their mentor, their sage. He taught them, well, everything. In his daily lectures and debates at the local tikki bars, he spoke intelligently of the world and its workings. They were living the good life.
Years passed and the tortoise king and his faithful mice subjects conceived they were all alone on the Earth and Javier did nothing to tell them otherwise. One late afternoon, the tortoise king was sharing knowledge about the uses of folding chairs and tables, when they all heard a rustling in the nearby bushes. The mice thought it was just the breeze coming off the ocean, but Javier knew better for he had heard this noise before. He remembered years and years ago, the same noise, a different island, a different time and of course different subjects. He thought it couldn’t be, but it was! Lions!
Vehemently, the tortoise king broke into a frantic sprint, running circles, squares and even zigzags screaming about lions, lions, lions! By the time the crazed king stopped to take a breath, the lions had destroyed half of the beautiful tikki village. Meanwhile, the mice had not taken a step, frozen and pondering, not understanding the tortoise king’s panic. Of course never ever having seen a lion before, the mice looked at each other in shock. The king had never mentioned lions.
Then it became acutely apparent that the lions were not destroying the village, but searching the village and they were not looking for mice. For everyone knows that lions are allergic to mice. The panicked tortoise king eventually caught the eye of the vexed lions and realized what they had been looking for.
With valor, Javier pleaded with lions for his life, but soon he was gobbled up leaving some very confused mice and a much damaged tikki bar. Hence, the mice learned Javier’s final lesson about life. If you run into a pack of hungry lions in paradise, it is better to be a meek peasant mouse than a magnificent tortoise king!

Here are some great CHOICE essays!!

2008-10-27T07:26:00.000-07:00

Grace G.
The Music Man Tryouts

Last year, my friends and I were talking about joining the school play. When we heard that it was a musical, we were a little uncertain because we didn’t know if we would have to do solos (which we didn’t really want to do).

On the first day of Drama club, I decided to go. It was a lot of fun because we played a bunch of crazy games. Then later we learned the steps for a really fun song and we learned how to sing three different songs. It was a little hard to memorize but in the end we got it. At the tryouts, we would sing one song and dance the steps to another song. Three of my friends and I all signed up to try out the same day.

The whole day long, the songs were stuck in my head and I was really nervous. I had butterflies in my stomach all day long. When school was over I got my music from my locker and practiced with my friends until it was our turn. When they called our names, we went into the room. I could tell we were very anxious. We all did the dance together and I thought we did it pretty well. Next we all had to sing a song on our own. That was really nerve-wracking.

After our tryouts were over, I was relieved! I thought I did pretty well. I was confident I would get a good part. That night I couldn’t sleep I was so nervous. The next day the cast list went up. I fought my way to the crowd to see who I was going to be. I didn’t get a big part, but I did end up with a great part and had so much fun during all of the practices and the performances. I can’t believe I actually doubted signing up!

In the end I was really glad I decided to try out because I had a blast. I had so much fun on stage and backstage! I learned that if you are unsure about something, you should just try it to see if you like it. You might learn to love it! I’m sure I’ll try out for the play this year too!

John B.
Basketball Traveling Team

It was in the fall of 4th grade that I had a decision to make. My dad told me there were going to be tryouts for the Downers Grove Nomads traveling basketball team. They are one of the more elite travel basketball programs in the area for most age groups. We talked about how I should maybe go to the tryouts since I liked basketball so much and how it could be good to get on a good team like that. I wasn’t really sure at the time.

During the week my dad was encouraging me to maybe try out for the team on Saturday and Sunday night of the upcoming weekend. We talked about it for a little while and then we decided that I would go and see what happens even though I wasn't really sure I should. When Saturday came, I got ready for the tryouts and left with my dad at about 6:30 to be on time for the tryout which was 7:00 to 8:30 P.M.

I was pretty nervous when I got there because it was my first time tryout out for a traveling basketball team. I just put on my basketball shoes and shot around for a few minutes to get loose and warm. The head coach then called us over and said a few things and told us our parents had to fill out a form with our information on it. After that, we started to do some drills that consisted of ball handling, shooting, passing, etc. to show some of our skills. We then scrimmaged against each other on teams near the end of the tryout. After it was over I had thought I did pretty well and the coach asked me to come back tomorrow as he did for the rest of the kids that he was interested in making the team.

On Sunday, I was very nervous for tryouts later that night. My dad and I left at 6:30 again to get there on time for the tryout at 7:00 P.M. We did some basic drills to get warmed up and then moved to more advanced things till we scrimmaged at the end of the night. Then, the head coach called everyone over and thanked us for coming out and for doing a good job whether we made it or not. He then said he would give our parents a call during the week to let us know if we made it or not.

It was Wednesday when my dad got a call from the head coach and was told that I had made the team along with 9 other kids, that practice started in early October, and that there would be a parent meeting in a few weeks.

I am still on this team today along with 7 other kids that made the team with me that year, and we are all good friends. We have won 7 tournaments and have had a winning record every year. This will be my 5th year on the team this upcoming basketball season. This experience has taught me to not be nervous anymore. I have more confidence in myself now, and I realize that if I put my mind to it, I can do anything.

Tony L.
Stitches

It was the fall of fourth grade. There was no homework for the day and the bell was going to ring any second. At exactly 2:25 P.M.; the bell rang and I exited the school to get on the bus. I was talking to my friend about what we should do after school on this glorious, fall afternoon. We decided to go to the park with a couple friends and play cherry-cherry.

I got off the bus and dashed home as fast as possible. I got home and threw down my backpack. I was hungry, so I grabbed a quick sandwich which was my afternoon snack. I gobbled that down in less than a minute with a huge cup of milk. Then, dashed to the garage to get my bike to meet my fellow friends at the park.

When I arrived, we had a race to see who could get to the swings first in order to know who will be the person who is “it.” Unfortunately, I was the person so I had to count to thirty and try to find and tag someone with my eyes close. I successfully tagged my friend Kyle which then he had to count to thirty and find one of us. While he was counting, I had a couple of choices of where I could hide. A couple of the choices were on the of the monkey bars, in the tube slide, under the steps, on top of the swings, or just basically run from him.

I decided to climb on top of the monkey bars and hide there where I thought Kyle could not reach. He was right below me and then I started laughing which gave away my position. Following that, I quickly jumped up to try to avoid his tag. I did dodge it, but I slipped and hit my mouth on the bars and I started to cry and bleed severely from my mouth and tooth. At the time, I was panicking and blood was all over the playground. Finally, my friends Alvin and Kevin got their moms and brought me back to my house.

They grabbed a wet towel and put it in my mouth to stop the bleeding and then Mrs. Seelander drove me to the hospital. My parents, aunt, uncle, grandma, and grandpa arrived at the hospital to give me company while I was waiting for the doctor. Because I was not brought there by an ambulance; I had to wait three to five hours before I got some medical help. The doctor finally entered and I had to get a couple of Novocaine shots and then approximately six to ten stitches. And after a week, two crowns on two of my teeth.

I learned from this experience that going on top of the monkey bars isn't always the best idea. I felt lots of pain from the fall to the shots, to the stitches, to the exposed tooth nerve, to the tooth treatment, and I do not think I will go back on top of the monkey bars forever. Not only do I have great friends to remind me of this incident, but I have a life long scar and crowns to remind me too. So, basically, I know to always play safe and play smart.

What's happening in class?

2008-10-27T04:06:00.000-07:00

The last week of October is going to be a busy one!

This week in language arts, we will be finishing the character sketch essays. Students have been doing a very nice nice job describing the people in their lives who have impacted them in positive ways! Self edit and revision will take place Monday through Wednesday, and final drafts are due on Thursday!

We will also be delving into the exciting world of pronouns! :) Our focus this week will be on personal and possessive pronouns and their antecedents.

In reading, we will be finishing the novel, Monster, by Walter Dean Myers. It is not looking good for Steve right now. The many witnesses for the prosecution have been very detrimental. However, we have not heard Steve's side of the events surrounding the trial. Will things turn around for Steve? Will he be acquitted or spend the next 20 years behind bars?

Thursday of this week will be the review of the novel, and Friday will be the final test. Students have done an excellent job analyzing the information throughout the trial and are anxious to hear the verdict on Wednesday, which will decide the future of the main character, Steve Harmon. Tune in to see what happens............

What's happening in class?

2008-10-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

The week of October 20th-24th will be another busy one!

In language arts, we will be writing our first expository essay! This essay is called a character sketch. It consists of drawing a picture of a person through words. Students will be selecting a person whom they know very well, and writing and essay about them. Not only will the essay focus on the person's personality but also it will reflect the relationship between writer and subject. We will be writing the majority of the rough draft together in class, and the final draft will be due on Thursday, October 30th.

In reading, the story of Steve Harmon, the main character of the novel Monster, continues to unfold. We are getting close to the end of the novel, and this week, students will be working in groups, further analyzing the information they have been gathering about the robbery/felony murder, and working towards their determination of Steve's guilt or innocence. Stay tuned!

What's happening in class?

2008-10-14T04:03:00.000-07:00

Though short, the week of October 14th through October 17th will be busy!

In language arts last Friday, students took a verb quiz covering all the verb info. we had covered in the the last 2 weeks. They did very well on the quiz!

In language arts this week, we are entering the exciting world of prepositions! :) We will begin review and practice today, and and there will be a preposition quiz on Thursday. I'm hoping this part of speech will also be easily mastered..........Also, I will return final draft narrative essays on Thursday of this week. So far, the essays look good! Revisions have turned several essays into well-written, "A" worthy narratives!

In reading, we continue delving into the world of Steve Harmon, the lead character of our novel, Monster. Things are not looking good for Steve. Several witnesses' testimonies have been quite damaging and we're not even certain Steve's own father believes his innocence. Stay tuned to see if things start turning around for Steve..........

What's happening in class?

2008-10-06T04:13:00.000-07:00

***On Tuesday of this week, October 7th, the 8th graders will be taking the EXPLORE test. This is a standardized test required by DGS. It allows DGS to gauge the ability of all incoming freshmen from the various feeder schools. The test will be given at Lakeview by the 8th grade teachers, and the test will run from 1st through 4th hours.

In language arts this week, we will continue with verbs. The verb quiz originally scheduled for last week will now be given this week. I felt the need for some reteaching of subject matter, and believe that students will officially be "verb ready" on Friday, which is the new verb quiz date.

Students will also receive their teacher edited narrative essays back on Wednesday of this week, and the final draft essays will be due on Friday!

In reading, we will continue to read and discuss the novel, Monster.

And......AR book report quizzes are due on or before Thursday, October 16th!

What's happening in class?

2008-09-28T18:27:00.000-07:00

During the week of September 28th, students will continue writing their first narrative essay of the year. After sharing topic ideas on Monday, students will write their introductions, bodies and conclusions. ***Rough drafts (2-2 1/2 pages) will be due on Thursday, October 2nd. I'm looking forward to reading some creative stories!

In reading, students will get back their graded short stories test. Overall, students did an excellent job on their first big test of the year! I had several great grades and I was very happy with the results!

The next unit in reading will be a study of the novel Monster by Walter Dean Myers. It is an intriguing, thought-provoking novel written in a combination of diary and play form. It is the story of a 16 year old African American boy named Steve who is accused of felony murder. The book can't help but spark very interesting discussions involving our judicial system and when and when not a person is guilty of a crime.
Stay tuned....................:)

What's happening in class?

2008-09-22T03:48:00.000-07:00

The week of September 22nd will be a busy one!

In language arts, students will be creating their first narrative essays of the year. After looking at sample essays, discussing topic ideas, and planning their papers, students will be creating their own original stories. Rough draft essays will be due next Thursday, October 2nd.

In reading, we will begin sharing poster board book reports in class today! I'm anxious to see the final projects!

This Friday, students will be showcasing their knowledge via the short story final test. They have been doing an excellent job throughout this unit. Students will receive a final review and have two days to prepare for the test.

***This Friday students will also be going on a golf field trip, with an opportunity to try their hands at the golf range, miniture golf, or the challenging 3 par course.!!

Story Board Book Report requirements and rubric - 40 pts.

2008-09-18T07:05:00.000-07:00

********The purpose of this assignment is to tell the plot of your book through pictures.

Procedure:
1. Number 1 - 8 on a piece of paper. Write down, in order of occurrence, the 7 or 8 most important events that take place in your book.

2. Leaving space for the title of your book and the author's name, (which you will need to include somewhere on your poster board), divide your poster board into 7 or 8 squares, to match the number of important events you've chosen to share.

3. Now draw your story's plot, using the squares to tell your story. Color your pictures. ****Under each picture, write a brief explanation of your picture. (Explain what's happening in your picture) These short explanations should be in final draft form.

4. Since you won't be able to tell your entire story through your poster board, (you will just be focusing on the main events from beginning to end) you also need to write ( in final draft form) a complete one page summary of your book, which you will give me the day you present your book report.

5. On Monday, September 22nd, we will begin oral presentations of the poster boards. Your grade will also include your speaking skills. Remember to speak clearly, loudly enough for all to hear, and slowly enough so we can follow along and understand what you are saying. Eye contact is also very important! Please practice your presentation before class.

Rubric:

Explanation of novel plot (detail, clarity) 10 pts.______

Pictures telling story 10 pts.______
(neat, detailed, colored
and blurbs in final draft)

Delivery (enthusiastic, good eye contact) 10 pts. ______

Story summary in written form (final draft) 10pts. ______

+__________
40 pts.

What's happening in class?

2008-09-15T03:49:00.000-07:00

***The Irons Oaks field trip was a definite success! The weather (80 and sunny) cooperated and so did the kids! The 8th grade class bonded while working together to accomplish challenging, sometimes frustrating, yet rewarding activities.

This week in L.A., students will be entering into a review of the exciting world of NOUNS!! :) We will be reviewing concepts, practicing key ideas, and using their knowledge in writing.

This week in reading we will be reading the short story, "The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs. It is an interesting story which challenges your opinion about fate.

Even if you were warned of the possible negative consequences of doing so, would you still be tempted to make three wishes if you knew they'd be granted? Click on the link below to see what happens to the main character in "The Monkey's Paw" when he is faced with the same dilemma.........
http://www.americanliterature.com/Jacobs/SS/TheMonkeysPaw.html

Students will also begin work on their first book reports. Each student will be creating a poster board story board which will summarize his or her chosen novel.

***Later this week I will post the book report requirements and the grading rubric.

Tuesday evening is Lakeview's OPEN HOUSE. I hope I see you there!!

What's happening in class?

2008-09-07T20:42:00.000-07:00

The week of September 8th - September 12th will be a busy one!

***The 8th grade cooperative learning field trip to Irons Oaks Adventure Center is Thursday, September 11th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cross your fingers for good weather. :) We're going rain or shine!

In language arts, students will be presenting their "Me Bag" speeches. These speeches give students the opportunity to share several different items and explain their connection to their lives. All 6 items are put into a bag, and then taken out and displayed during the speech about themselves, thus the title, "Me Bag" speech. Students are asked to include the following:
1. Favorite food
2. Ethnic background and/or religion
3. Something that captures his/her personality
4. A hidden talent
5. An admired family member
6. A goal for the 2008-2009 school year

***We began speeches last week. They were informative, interesting and fun, and I'm looking forward to learning more about the rest of my students this week!

In reading, we are continuing the short story unit. The two story's we will be focusing on this week are "Raymond's Run" by Toni Cade Bambara and "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe. They are two totally different stories, yet both very intriguing in their own ways. Check them out yourselves by clicking the links below!

http://www.nexuslearning.net/books/Holt-EOL2/Collection%201/raymond1.htm

http://www.literature.org/authors/poe-edgar-allan/tell-tale-heart.html

ENJOY!!

Welcome Back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-08-27T13:21:00.000-07:00

****I hope everyone had a great summer! I spent my summer moving into a new house and making it a home. It's been exciting and exhausting and I've loved every minute of it. :)

Additionally, I took an interesting class at C.O.D. , traveled, played some golf and spent time with family and friends.

Now I'm looking forward to starting a new year with the new 8th graders!

All of my classes will experience individual, as well as group learning, participate in discussions, and further develop reading, writing, speaking and thinking skills. Our ultimate goal is to prepare your child for high school, making the transition from 8th grade L.A. and reading to freshmen English, a smooth and successful one.

Below are the eighth grade language arts and reading texts and workbooks:

English - Houghton Mifflin
English workbook plus - Houghton Mifflin
The Language of Literature - McDougal, Littell
ISAT Coach (ISAT test practice) - Triumph Learning

***This year in reading, we will be doing novel studies, a short story unit, poetry, mythology, drama, ISAT test preparation, vocabulary development, and book reports.

***This year in L.A., we will be doing speeches, debates, grammar, sentence structure, usage, subject-verb agreement and A LOT of writing!

Here's to a fun, challenging year!!!

What's happening in class?

2008-06-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

Is it really the last week of school???

This week, though super short, will be exciting for the 8th graders.

Monday night is the 8th grade dance at Cornerstone! 6:30 P.M. -9:00 P.M.
Tuesday night is the 8th grade graduation! 7:30 P.M.-?

In language arts, we will be doing 1 minute persuasive speeches. Students will choose from topics such as: What is the best movie of all time?

In reading, we will finish reading and discussing the play version of The Diary of Anne Frank.

I've enjoyed teaching the class of 2008! Good luck to all of you!!!!!!

What's happening in class?

2008-05-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

***A past student of mine, Kevin Coffee, who is currently attending Northern Illinois University, has written a novel entitled, The Prince of Penance. My students read the first two chapters in class and gave Kevin feedback, based on their initial reaction to his story. Click on the links below to read Kevin's novel for yourself!

Novel by Kevin Coffee:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

The week of May 27th through May 30th will be action packed!

In L.A., students will continue to work on theme portfolios. Portfolios are due on Wednesday, May 28th! On Friday, May 30th, students will be sharing selections from their portfolios with their classmates. I'm looking forward to some very creative end results!

In reading, students will continue to read and discuss the play version of "The Diary of Anne Frank."

On Thursday, May 29th, the 8th grade class will be going on a filed trip to Six Flags Great America!!! Let's hope for a fun filled, sun filled day!!!!!!!!!

What's happening in class?

2008-05-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe there are only 3 weeks left in the school year!

The week of May 19th - May 23rd will be a busy one!

In L.A. class, we will begin the last project of the year! Each student will be designing a portfolio based on a theme of his or her choice. Included in the portfolio will be a selection of original poems, published poems, song lyrics, a motto, and a short story or novel excerpt. Also, for every selection, students will write an analysis explaining the connection of their selections to their theme, and inturn, themselves. I'm looking forward to reading their finished products, which will be due on Wednesday, May 28th!

In reading class, we will start reading the play version of The Diary of Anne Frank. We will open the unit with a historical discussion of WWII, Aldolf Hitler, and the Holocaust. Students will also be given background information on Anne Frank herself, and the life she lead before and leading up to the time Anne's family and she went into hiding.

Here's to a good week!

What's happening in class?

2008-05-09T10:05:00.000-07:00

The week of May 12th-May 16th..............

There are DEFINITELY some mighty fine poets in my reading classes!

Currently, in reading class, we are reading and discussing a variety of poems. We are looking at authors' styles, formats, use of rhyme, and the moods they create. Students are emulating several of the poems we are focusing on, putting their own unique spin on them. The week of May 12th-May 16th we will continue this trend.....

***After reading Ralph Waldo Emerson's poem entitled, "What is Success?" students were asked to use Emerson's format, and write about their own interpretaion of success. There are several example student poems below. Enjoy!

What is success?
To live freely without guilt or lies;
To raise a family that will always be there for you;
To live every day to its fullest;
To own a house on a beach with a big sail boat;
To have a red Ferrari in your garage;
To retire young;
To have a good influence on children;
To have a wife to help you get through hard times;
To make a difference in someone’s life;
To be remembered;
This is to have succeeded.
-By Sam K.

What is success?
To appreciate a family that loves and cares
for you every day;
To make new friends everyday and have them
beside you time after time;
To live in a nice, warm place where
you can call home;
To have your parents be proud of
who you are;
To have had a sibling to be with
and care for you;
To go on a vacation with the ones you love;
To go skydiving out of a plane and
see the world from that point;
To have a good career;
To have your own, healthy family that you can love;
This is to have succeeded.
-Jen L.

What is success?
To have many good friends whom
you can trust;
To not care what other people think;
To have a family that loves
and cares for you;
To enjoy being akid while you can;
To be satisfied with what you have;
To do what you love and
love what you have;
To not let others get in the way
of your dreams;
To make the world a better
place to live;
This is to have succeeded.
-Kristin D.

What is success?
To know you only live life once;
To have paid attention in school;
To have a happy family;
To listen to others;
To own a house on the water;
To have no regrets;
To have fun every day you live;
To never take things too seriously;
To laugh every day;
To make someone else laugh every day;
To make an impact on someone's life;
This is to have suceeded.
-Dominic P.

What is success?
To face all your fears;
To achieve goals you didn't
think you could;
To never let loved ones go;
To do the right thing
even if it's hard to do;
To gain the respect of ones
you respect;
To always try a little bit harder;
To be there for my friends
and family;
To have no regrets;
This is to have succeeded.
-Mark O.

What is success?
To own a car and house you love;
To try your hardest to achieve;
To laugh your hardest with your friends;
To love your job and appreciate it;
To have a family close at heart;
To help others fight through the rough;
To buy pets you love and care about;
To go to college and graduate proudly;
To have your friends close by;
To live your life the way you love;
This is to have succeeded.
-Lori P.

What is success?
To accept change with a willing heart;
To support my own family;
To become what I once dreamed;
To not let anyone or anything
change what I truly believe;
To play softball until I can't anymore;
To be happy and to
never let that change;
To never give up when things get hard;
To never back down when I'm scared;
To fight for what I want
and let no one get in my way;
To be able to look back
on my life and smile, because
I know I lived out my dreams.
This is to have succeded.
-Alyssa A.

In L.A. this week, students will be writing letters to themselves that I will be mailing to them next year. The assignment is a combination of implementing the correct friendly letter format, setting goals for the end of 8th grade year, the summer, and freshmen year, and having something to look forward to next May! :)

Here's to a good week!!!!!!!!!!!

What's happening in class?

2008-05-04T13:37:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful Sunday weather!

***Speeches are finished! :)

***Students did a very nice job on their persuasive speeches! I thoroughly enjoyed listening to all the presentations! Well done!

The week of May 5th-May 9th in L.A. will be a combo. week. Students will be working on a variety of tasks throughout the week:

Wordskills unit 16 will be introduced on Monday and due on Friday.

On Tuesday, students will be developing a creative color story to be shared in class on Wednesday.

On Thursday, we will catch up on current events through reading and discussing SCOPE magazine in class.

In reading, students will begin a three week unit on poetry. We will be reading, analyzing and writing a variety of poems and the unit will culminate with students developing a self-selected theme portfolio. I can already see the creative wheels turning...................:)

Here's to a great week!

What's happening in class?

2008-04-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

Wow!! This past week was a busy one!!

***I'm looking forward to the week of April 28th-May 2nd, because all 8th graders will be performing their persuasive speeches-3 weeks in the making!

Thus, in language arts this week, students will be giving and listening to persuasive speech presentations.

In reading, we will continue watching and discussing the 1968 Frank Zeffirelli directed movie version of Romeo amd Juliet , starring Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting.

On Wednesday, students will be performing their memorized, chosen quote from Romeo and Juliet.

On Friday, students will be presenting their creative book mark book reports to their class.

What's happening in class?

2008-04-21T04:09:00.000-07:00

Wasn't Sunday a beautiful day?! I hope you were able to get out and enjoy it!

The week of April 21st-25th will be quite busy!

In L.A., we will be organizing outlines for persuasive speeches. Students will receive instruction and examples on how to put together a detailed outline for their 4-5 minutes speech. Additionally, we will be working on constructing a formal bibliography.

In reading, students will be reviewing for and taking their final combination test on Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story! Students will receive an abundance of "tools" to use to prepare for their test. If they use them, they should do a fantastic job on this 100 point test!

Later in the week, we will be watching the 1968 movie of Romeo and Juliet, so students can experience the Shakespearean language, and prepare for their next week's quote reenactments!

What's happening in class?

2008-04-14T07:52:00.000-07:00

The key word for the week of April 14th-18th is ......RESEARCH!

During language arts, students will be researching for information to support their side of their persuasive speech topic. Students will have access to books, magazines, newspapers and websites. (Each student received a reference sheet from Ms. Hagensee, listing all sources available to them.)

***Parents: For specific information regarding time lines, due dates and assignment points for the 4 week persuasive speech unit, please refer to the email I sent on Monday, April 7th.

This week in reading class, we will continue to read and discuss the tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. True to Shakespearean style, the plot continues to thicken. Currently, we are waiting to see if Friar Lawrence's potion plan works.

Will the potion work?
Will Juliet remain "dead" for 42 hours?
Will word of the plan get to Romeo so they can escape to Mantua together and live happily ever after?
.............or will she awaken early in her ancestors' tomb and go insane?

Hmmm........tune in later this week to find out!

What's happening in class?

2008-04-04T12:13:00.000-07:00

The week of April 7th is going to be a busy one!

This week in language arts, we will be working on Wordskills unit 14. I will introduce the unit on Monday, and the quiz and book for the unit will be due on Friday, April 11th.

On Tuesday, I will be introducing the requirements for this year's persuasive speech. Students will receive a detailed requirement sheet and an abundant list of speech topic suggestions.

On Wednesday, students will be selecting speech topics and writing thesis statements for their speeches.

On Thursday, students will write their contoversies and pre-plan their 3-4 main sections/arguments.

***We will be researching for speech information the week of April 14th and organizing outlines the week of April 21st.

***Speeches begin on Monday, April 28th!!!!!!!!!!!!

(AR book report quizzes are due on Monday, April 7th!!!!!!)

In reading class, we will continue to read and discuss Romeo and Juliet. Our focus this week will be on Act III, and we will have a quiz on Act III on Thursday.

Students' grades were excellent on the Acts I and II quiz, so I have high hopes for a continuing trend!

What's Happening in class?

2008-03-30T17:43:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a fun, relaxing spring break!!!!!!!!!!

***I would like to introduce my spring 2008 student teacher, Mrs. Ann Ruvalcaba!! Mrs. Ruvalcaba comes to Lakeview from North Central College in Naperville. Mrs. Ruvalcaba has a history with Lakeview in that both her children attended Lakeview, and she was a fantastic teacher's aide at Lakeview a few years back, for approximately 2 1/2 years. She then decided to go back to school to get her teaching degree, and my students and I are very lucky to have her back in my classroom in the role of teacher!

Welcome back, Mrs. Ruvalcaba! We're happy you're here! :)

This week in language arts, we will be focusing on Unit 13 in Wordskills. We will introduce the unit on Monday. On Friday, unit 13 will be corrected, and there will be a quiz on the unit's 20 target words' definitions.

Additionally, we will be reviewing capitalization rules this week, including a daily focus of 4-5 rules, group practice of the rules during class, and individual practice each night.

This week in reading, we will continue reading the play, Romeo and Juliet, discussing and analyzing the plot, characters and language as we do. There will be a quiz on Acts I and II of the play this week, and all students will receive study guides and an in-class review to prepare for the play's first quiz.

***Here's to the hope that the month of APRIL will bring warmer weather!

What's happening in class?

2008-03-14T05:09:00.000-07:00

ISAT testing is OVER! :)

We have one short week before spring break!!!!

We'll be switching gears in L.A. by focusing on the exciting world of predicate adjectives, predicate nominatives, direct objects, and indirect objects. :)

In class we will review key concepts, and practice using P.A.'s. P.N.'s, D.O's and I'O's together, and then students will practice independently on nightly homework assignments.

In reading, we will continue reading Romeo and Juliet. We will finish ACT I on Tuesday, review ACT I (characters +plot) on Wednesday, and have a quiz on ACT I on Thursday.

I hope everyone has a fun, safe SPRING BREAK!! See you on March 31st..................

What's happening in class?

2008-03-07T13:53:00.000-08:00

THE ISATS ARE HERE!!!!!!!!!

***The school wide focus the week of March 10th through March 13th will be ISAT testing.

My 8th grade L.A. and reading students have been working exra hard to prepare for this statewide test. *****Here's to doing an EXCELLENT JOB!!!

Due to testing, we will be working on an altered schedule, which means I will meet with only select classes each day. Therefore, though all my students will be accomplishing the same tasks this week, they will be doing so on different days.

In L.A. this week, we will be working on and grading Wordskills, unit 12.

In reading, we will be starting my favorite play, Romeo and Juliet!! This Shakespearian play has it all: LOVE! ROMANCE! DECEPTION! INTRIGUE! DESTRUCTION! DEATH! and HOPE!

We will be reading the modern version of the play, but I will be hi-lighting famous quotes in Shakespeare's language, and students will eventually be memorizing and performing these quotes.

The Romeo and Juliet unit will include the reading of the entire play out loud, with students choosing new parts each day, and indepth discussion of the play, including plot analysis, and character motivation.

Throughout the play, we will be noting similarities and differences between Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story. The unit will also consist of ACT 1 through ACT 5 quizzes, and a final comprehensive test.

What's happening in class?

2008-03-03T14:06:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone enjoyed having Monday off!

The week of March 4th through March 7th will be short, but it will be action packed!

Once again, our focus will be ISAT preparation! When I say "ISAT!" You say "Preparation!" "ISAT!'......"Preparation!" Can't you just feel the excitement??!! :)

On Tuesday in L.A., we will review everything there is to know about writing a well developed personal narrative.

On Wednesday in L.A., students will write a timed personal narrative in class which I will grade based on a standard ISAT rubric.

On Thursday in L.A., students will take a timed ISAT reading test, complete with multiple choice questions and an extended response question. I will grade these as well, using a standard ISAT rubric.

On Friday in L.A., I will return both the graded personal narrative essays and the reading tests and we will discuss the results in preparation for the ISAT tests beginning on Monday, March 10th.

In reading, we have just begun a new combination unit, comparing Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story. We will be watching the 1961 Oscar Award winning musical this week, discussing it as we go.

Students will be provided with a detailed study guide for the movie, and on Friday, March 7th, they will take the West Side Story quiz. ***See the link below for interesting information on this fantastic musical!

http://www.westsidestory.com/

***As a reminder, the book report books students have had for three weeks, need to be read by Friday, March 7th!

What's happening in class?

2008-02-25T04:00:00.000-08:00

The week of February 25th-February 29th is going to be a busy one!

In language arts, ISAT preparation will be our main focus!!

1. On Monday, we will be reviewing how to prepare for and write a timed practice ISAT persuasive essay.

2. On Tuesday, students will then write a timed practice essay in class, using an ISAT formatted prompt. It will be scored and graded based on the standard ISAT rubric, and returned to students on Wednesday.

3. On Wednesday, we will review the graded essays, and then move on to reviewing how to take multiple choice tests, and how to write reading extended responses.

4. On Thursday, students will take a practice timed ISAT reading test, including MC questions and an extended response. Both tests will be scored and graded based on the standard ISAT rubric, and returned to students on Friday.

5. On Friday, we will discuss the MC and extended response results, and prepare to do one more practice run next week.......................

Repeat after me: "I love ISATS!!!!!!!" :)

In reading, we will be finishing the page turning novel, Monster, by Walter Dean Myers.

The students have done an excellent job acting as jury members, dissecting testimonies and weighing evidence. They are eagerly awaiting this week's verdict of whether the main character, Steve Harmon will be found guilty or innocent, and wondering how his life will change, depending on that verdict.

Tune in later this week to find out what happens....................................

What's Happening in Class?

2008-02-19T03:54:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone enjoyed a relaxing, fun Monday!

This week in language arts, we will be focusing on Wordskills unit 11. The unit will be introduced on Tuesday, and due on Friday. (book and quiz).

Additionally, we will begin our in-depth preparation for the ISAT test. 8th graders are testing in both reading and writing, and over the next three weeks, we will be working on every aspect of the test, making sure students feel comfortable and confident before taking the test.

This week we will focus on reading and answering multiple choice questions.

***ISAT tests are the week of March 10th.

In reading class, we will continue reading the novel, Monster. We are nearing the end of the novel. This week, the defense will rest, we will ear closing statements, and Steve's verdict will be read. Stay tuned to see what Steve's future holds!

What's Happening in Class?

2008-02-10T13:58:00.000-08:00

WOW! The 1960's debates are off to a great start!

The debates started last Friday, and I was impressed with many of the students' performances. There were some pretty challenging roles, and most handled them with grace and spunk! Grades are now posted if you want to see your point totals!

This week in language arts, in addition to performing debates, we will be focusing on several lessons from the ISAT Coach workbook, and we will be working on a 1960's culminating activity which requires students to develop an original piece of work based on the information gained during the unit. Explanation of the assignment is below:

Write an original poem revealing a personal point of view of the 1960's. Select from the given topics on your assignment sheet, or choose one of your own, equal to those suggested. Your poem must be at least 16 lines in length and may rhyme or be free verse. ***If you choose to write a rhyming poem, make sure it doesn't come across as silly or insincere.

We will then be sharing these poems in class and displaying them in the hallways for everyone to enjoy. I will also post a selected few on my blog!

This week in reading, in addition to performing debates, we will be selecting a new book report book (free choice fiction).

We will also continue to read and discuss the thought-provoking novel, Monster. Steve's future still lies in the balance. Based on the testimonies of several people, it does not look too promising for him. Stay tuned to see if his defense attorney can turn things around!

What's happening in class?

2008-02-04T15:43:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone enjoyed the three day weekend!! Snow days are fun! :)

***This week's schedule is readjusted because of last Friday's snow day. Below you will find the new plan of attack for Monday, February 4th through Tuesday, February 12th:

Monday = L.A. = Wordskills unit 10 (book corrected and quiz taken)
reading = LAST DAY OF RESEARCH in IMC for DEBATES!!

Tuesday = No School

Wednesday = L.A. and reading = Organizational day for debates. Schedule for debates decided, role playing requirements discussed, last minute preparation (information, questions, introduction speeches and bibliographies)

Thursday = Early dismissal (students dismissed at 11:30)
L.A. and reading = Read and discuss the novel, Monster.

Friday = L.A. and reading = DEBATES!!

Monday = L.A and reading = DEBATES!!

Tuesday = L.A. = DEBATES!!
reading = Correct ISAT Coach workbook pages 228-245.

***To get into the role of a strong debater, you may want to check out the movie, The Great Debaters, starring Denzel Washington. Click on the link below to read more about the movie!!
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809870043/info

What's happening in class?

2008-01-27T19:37:00.000-08:00

It's the last week of January! Where does the time go?

***This week will be pretty busy for all of the 8th graders, both in and out of class. Here are some important dates and events to remember:

Monday night (January 28th) at 7:00 P.M. = DGS open house for incoming freshmen, last names beginning with A-Mal.

Wednesday = (January 30th) 8th grade picture day! Dress sharply!

Wednesday night (January 30th) at 7:00 P.M. = DGS open house for incoming freshmen, last names beginning with Mam-Z.

This week in L.A., we will be working on Wordskills unit 10. The completed book and quiz are due on Friday. Additionally, we will be researching information pertaining to the 1960's hot-button debate topics.

***Debates begin on Wednesday, February 6th!!

This week in reading class, we will continue reading the novel, Monster. It is not looking very promising for the main character, Steve Harmon, right now. The prosecutor's witnesses have definitely done some damage to Steve's character.

Will he be able to win the jury over when he testifies, or will he simply do more harm than good? Stay tuned to find out!

What's happening in class?

2008-01-21T20:05:00.001-08:00

I hope everyone enjoyed having a day off from school to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday!

This week in language arts, we will continue the 1960's unit. On Tuesday, January 22nd, I will be explaining the role-playing debates, and discussing the 5 hot-button topics students will be debating. Each student will have the opportunity to rank his or her preference of the role he or she would like to play, and all students will also be able to rank which topics they would like to research.

Roles for each debate include:

***2 opposing characters, presenting opposite views of a given topic using reasoning skills and facts...
***1 moderator, running and contolling the debate, making sure each character has an equal opportunity to share his or her oppinion, backed up with facts...
***1-2 reporters, asking questions, and challenging answers during and after the debate.

The debate topics are below:

1. Women's Issues (stay at home mom versus women's rights advocate)
2. The Vietnam War (Vietnam vet versus war protester)
3. The Counter Culture (generation gap-parent versus hippie)
4. The 1968 Democratic Convention (Mayor Daley versus Tom Hayden)
5. The Space Race (astronaut versus social worker)

***In language arts, we will also have a 1960's test, based on the three informational videos viewed in class last week. A study guide will be provided on Tuesday, and the test will be on Friday.

In reading, we will continue reading and discussing the novel, Monster.

What's happening in class?

2008-01-11T13:30:00.000-08:00

The 1960's were awesome!!

Next week in L.A and reading, the 8th grade class will begin a 4 week unit focused on the 1960's. We will be viewing and discussing videos of the decade, researching hot-button topics of the decade and performing role-playing debates reflecting the top 5 hot-button issues of the times. Check back next week when I will have more specific unit information posted on my blog..............

Additionally....
In L.A. we will be working on unit 9 from the Wordskills workbook. Monday I will introduce the unit, and Friday, students will correct their workbooks and take a quiz on the 20 target words in the unit.

In reading, we will continue reading and discussing the novel, Monster by Walter Dean Myers. Steve Harmon, the 16 year old main character of the book is charged with felony murder. We find out in the opening few pages that his supposed role in the murder was that he was the person who went into the store just prior to the robbery/murder of the store owner, to make sure all was clear. In otherwords, he went into the store to make sure there were no cops in the store, and therefore the robbery could take place.....

Wait a minute...... If that's all he did, why is being charged with felony murder???????

What's happening in class?

2008-01-07T19:09:00.000-08:00

The first week back from winter break will be a busy one!

In language arts, we will be accomplishing two tasks. The first task is to write the required essay for DGS. ***On Tuesday, January 8th, all 8th graders will be given a prompt created by the English staff at DGS. They will have 30 minutes to write a well organized, detailed essay, on the given topic. These essays will then be used as one of many criteria to help determine placement in freshmen English classes for the 2008-2009 school year.

Secondly, we will be delving into the exciting world of subject-verb agreement. :) Students will learn to identify and use correct subject verb agreement in order to improve their writing and speaking skills.

In reading, we will begin reading the novel Monster by Walter Dean Myers. It is a thought provoking story about a 16 year old on trial for felony murder. Check out the link below for more information about this current day piece of literature.
http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/0060280778.asp

***Just as a reminder: AR book report quizzes are due to me by Wednesday, January 16th!!!

Original Student Myths:

2007-12-18T09:52:00.000-08:00

How Tornados Came to Be
Rachel C.
One day, Windius, the goddess of wind got very bored. She heard about taking a dance class from a friend. So she signed up and attended her class. During the class, they started to work on turns. Excited, Windius began to practice. Whenever Windius moved, the wind blew. So, while she was spinning, the wind began to pick up speed. Since Windius was so excited and hyper, she started to spin a lot and loose control. The wind started to form into a funnel as Windius was spinning. The wind gained speed as Windius kept on spinning. Suddenly, with a big gust of wind, a tornado was formed. It destroyed almost everything in its path. When Windius gained control of herself and stopped, the tornado vanished. Zeus found out what she had done and banned her from dancing. But Windius loved to dance. So she decided that she would secretly dance while Zeus was dealing with the other problems. Every couple weeks, maybe months, Windius would practice her super cool dance moves. And whenever she tried the turns, she would get out of control and cause another tornado.

Great Student Persuasive Essays:

2007-12-18T09:36:00.000-08:00

Karyna R.
Extra Curricular Activities

Do you often find yourself sitting in front of the TV doing nothing after school? Would you like something fun and interesting to do instead? If so, then an extra curricular activity is the perfect thing for you! Lakeview Jr. High has a wide variety of clubs, committees, and sports for a wide variety of personalities. Therefore, everyone should partake in an extra curricular activity.
Joining extra curricular activities can help students meet different people and form new relationships. It is important for teens to have a wide range of friends in order to become well-rounded individuals. Through extra curriculars, students can be introduced to many diverse groups of people. This could open the doors to interests and talents that many students never knew they had. Furthermore, participating in extra curricular activities may enhance students’ people skills by teaching them how to get along with and work with different people. Good people skills are essential in the future. For example, at a job, you are required to work with co-workers of various personalities, and with these skills, you will be able to better get along with everyone.
Not only can extra curricular activities help students meet new people, but they are also an excellent way for them to have more fun. After a six or seven hour school day, students are often stressed out. By being in an extra curricular activity, students can have more fun, which may relieve that stress. Last year, I was in the drama club. We did funny skits and exercises that were extremely fun. I know that by laughing and joking with my friends, I definitely relieved stress and had more fun than I would have at home. In addition to this, a typical student might spend most of their time hanging out with friends, watching TV, playing video games, or going on the computer. These same activities day after day may get boring after a while. Students can break this cycle by signing up for an extra curricular activity. Instead of playing a one-on-one basketball game with your friend, you could play on the school team and improve your skills. You could substitute watching Hannah Montana sing on TV with singing in the choir, or replace playing EA Sports on X-Box with the real thing. You could even type up an article for the school newspaper instead of typing an instant message to your friend. Joining these extra curriculars, or others, will give students something new to do after school, resulting in a more fun and happier student.
As well as having more fun, extra curricular activities are useful distractions from the many bad influences that teens face. More and more of today’s teens are abusing drugs and alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and having sex, which can result in teen pregnancies and STD’s. Extra curriculars help keep students away from the bad peer pressures that influence these harmful behaviors. There they can associate with kids with positive goals, which could inspire them to set goals of their own and encourage them to choose positive behaviors in order to reach them. Also, a great number of extra curriculars, such as sports, punish their members for participating in drugs and/or alcohol. Hopefully, many students will be motivated not to take part in these activities so that they can stay in their club, committee, or team.
Everyone should participate in an extra curricular activity. There are many rewards that come along with them, including meeting new people and having fun. Extra curriculars can also keep teens away from harmful peer pressure, drugs, and alcohol. No matter who you are, there is something out there for you, so join an extra curricular activity today!

Amelia G.
Demolishing Gang Violence
Almost everyday someone is shot or killed by gangs in Chicago, some of those people are gang members themselves, but some are just innocent people. Gangs are increasing everyday and so is the number of lives being taken away by the violence on the street. These are the reasons why the Chicago area should do their best to lessen gang violence.
Policemen across the state need to make gang violence a priority. Instead of worrying about the little things such as parking tickets, they should worry about the most important thing, people’s lives. They can make gang violence a priority by having gang specialists come in and teach new cops about so that way cops can arrest gang members faster since they know more about them. If these policemen captured gang members earlier, then that would decrease the number people being shot or killed. The state can also prevent shootings by making guns illegal. Many unlicensed teens are now in possession of guns leading to lives being killed. If guns were illegal, only good results would come from it.
Along with police making gang violence a priority, they should also worry about the drugs coming from these gangs. More and more teenagers are starting and getting addicted to drugs. Some of these drugs are reaching the suburbs, causing our supposedly “safe” neighborhoods to change into a not so safe area for kids and young adults. Gang member smuggling drugs into the U.S. is changing our world in so many ways. The amount of people going to rehab has increased rapidly through out the years. Also, many more people are doing drugs because it is easier to get yet they do not know the consequences. They may think they are just going to try it ounce, but after that one time, they start craving it making them become addicted. People lose their friends and family and sometimes even their own lives form being addicted to drugs that were supplied to them by gang members.
In addition to stopping drugs from going around, cracking down on gangs will prevent teenagers from turning into hardcore criminals. What will happen to these teenagers in the future if they’re already committing illegal actions? When teenagers/young adults graduate college, they already have there whole life planned out. Most teenagers in gangs don’t even graduate high school and they end up living in a life with little education and a no good future. When gang members first start out they think it’s a good business to be apart of, you get lots or money and get to be with your friends, but it’s also a business you can never get out of and a business that just keeps getting worse and more dangerous the longer you’re involved.
Chicago should try harder to lessen gang violence. Many people don’t get how much gangs influence and change the world we live in today. If policemen made gang violence a priority, then they could prevent many things from happening such as drug use increasing and gang members becoming hardcore criminals in the future. It’s our duty to keep Chicago’s streets safe. Aren’t you tired of turning on the news and hearing about another death in our city? I know I am.
Karyna R.
Extra Curricular Activities

Do you often find yourself sitting in front of the TV doing nothing after school? Would you like something fun and interesting to do instead? If so, then an extra curricular activity is the perfect thing for you! Lakeview Jr. High has a wide variety of clubs, committees, and sports for a wide variety of personalities. Therefore, everyone should partake in an extra curricular activity.
Joining extra curricular activities can help students meet different people and form new relationships. It is important for teens to have a wide range of friends in order to become well-rounded individuals. Through extra curriculars, students can be introduced to many diverse groups of people. This could open the doors to interests and talents that many students never knew they had. Furthermore, participating in extra curricular activities may enhance students’ people skills by teaching them how to get along with and work with different people. Good people skills are essential in the future. For example, at a job, you are required to work with co-workers of various personalities, and with these skills, you will be able to better get along with everyone.
Not only can extra curricular activities help students meet new people, but they are also an excellent way for them to have more fun. After a six or seven hour school day, students are often stressed out. By being in an extra curricular activity, students can have more fun, which may relieve that stress. Last year, I was in the drama club. We did funny skits and exercises that were extremely fun. I know that by laughing and joking with my friends, I definitely relieved stress and had more fun than I would have at home. In addition to this, a typical student might spend most of their time hanging out with friends, watching TV, playing video games, or going on the computer. These same activities day after day may get boring after a while. Students can break this cycle by signing up for an extra curricular activity. Instead of playing a one-on-one basketball game with your friend, you could play on the school team and improve your skills. You could substitute watching Hannah Montana sing on TV with singing in the choir, or replace playing EA Sports on X-Box with the real thing. You could even type up an article for the school newspaper instead of typing an instant message to your friend. Joining these extra curriculars, or others, will give students something new to do after school, resulting in a more fun and happier student.
As well as having more fun, extra curricular activities are useful distractions from the many bad influences that teens face. More and more of today’s teens are abusing drugs and alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and having sex, which can result in teen pregnancies and STD’s. Extra curriculars help keep students away from the bad peer pressures that influence these harmful behaviors. There they can associate with kids with positive goals, which could inspire them to set goals of their own and encourage them to choose positive behaviors in order to reach them. Also, a great number of extra curriculars, such as sports, punish their members for participating in drugs and/or alcohol. Hopefully, many students will be motivated not to take part in these activities so that they can stay in their club, committee, or team.
Everyone should participate in an extra curricular activity. There are many rewards that come along with them, including meeting new people and having fun. Extra curriculars can also keep teens away from harmful peer pressure, drugs, and alcohol. No matter who you are, there is something out there for you, so join an extra curricular activity today!

Alisa Z.
Materialism
Chanel, Abercrombie, Coach, and Hollister are not even a quarter of the expensive brands Americans buy today. People are getting addicted to shopping and can’t stop the urge to buy more things. Americans are too materialistic.
Americans spend too much time competing over materials. There are people who only wear on outfit once. For example, the character Massie from the book series, The Clique, only wears one outfit once and when people read these books, they want to be like her. When they think of ways to be more like Massie, they automatically think, “I need more clothes”. There are people constantly comparing what they have and how much money they have with the people they want to be. For example, if you are a fashion magazine reader, you would constantly see spotlights in these magazines about celebrities being acknowledged about the designer things they have or are wearing. If you constantly think about how you look, then you would definitely try to have what these celebrities have.
Not only are Americans spending too much time competing over materials, they are also spending too much money on materials. Many people are in deep debt and on the edge of bankruptcy. One of my mom’s friends is like that. She lives in a condo that is covered with clothes from the floor to the ceiling. She can’t control how she spends her money and she owes a lot of money to credit card companies. There are many people who head straight to the mall right after they get their paycheck. These people need to learn how to spend money wisely because there are people who are becoming homeless because they can’t pay for their rent.
In addition to spending too much money on materials, Americans also pay too much attention to materials. Many people who are materialistic don't have a good relationship with their family because their attention is too focused on having the next big thing. I have a friend whose mom is too materialistic. Her mom shows love through buying her daughter materials. Even though she gets whatever she wants, she is still not happy because she is missing the things she needs most, love and attention. Also, Americans pay too much attention on materials by obsessing with fashion magazines. Having lots of stuff doesn’t make you a better person, caring and just being a nice, respectful person is what really makes you a good person.
Americans are too materialistic. Being able to buy whatever you want is fine, but don’t abuse it. Americans spend too much time competing over materials, too much money on materials and, too much attention on materials. Buying whatever you want doesn’t make you a better person, in fact it will harm you in the long run if you don’t know how to control yourself. When parents are too materialistic and spoil their children, their child becomes materialistic too. Then the children influence other people. It’s like a bad disease spreading fast and damaging our generation.

Danielle P.
Later Days
How do you think kids would feel if school didn’t start until later in the day? If schools were to start later in the morning, and end later in the day, kids would greatly benefit the average 8-9 hours of sleep. Schools should consider changing their hours.
Schools should start later in the morning because then students would be able to get the regular 8-9 hours of sleep that they need. There are many advantages to this. First off, kids would be in a better mood in the morning. This would mean that students would get along better with both peers and teachers. Another reason would be that students would have more energy in the morning. This means that students would be able to pay better attention in class and actually stay awake through their classes and lessons. Another reason would be that they would be able to get a better start to the day. This is good because starting the day off on the right foot could put a student in a good mood and possibly keep them that way.
Not only will kids be able to get more sleep at night, but they will also have a chance at getting better grades. There are a few good reasons supporting this idea. One would be that kids would have extra time to do homework before school. This is a huge advantage because if a student had an activity after school the night before or if they didn’t have enough time to finish everything, they could finish it in the morning and still get a good grade for it. A second way that could help their grades would be that with the extra time in the morning, they can study for a quiz or test and then that would give them a much higher chance of doing good on the quiz or test they take. One last way starting school later could help student’s grades would be that the extra sleep would most likely help the brain and then kids would be able to understand the lesson better. This would help the students grades because if you understand something, the homework, quiz, and tests on it would be easier then resulting in good grades on work.
In addition to better grades, students would be able to stay out later doing different activities. One of the advantages to this would be that students wouldn’t have to worry about getting home early enough to study or do homework when they could do it in the morning. This is nice because then both parents and students wouldn’t have to worry so much about the time. Another advantage to this would be that if any activities were to run late, no one would have to worry about rushing home and cramming everything in. This means there might even be less arguments at home. Another way letting kids stay out later is an advantage because they’ll be able to have more fun as a kid. This way instead of remembering all the nights of cramming everything in, they can look back on how much fun they had even when they did have school the next day.
Schools should change their hours. Later school hours could result in kids getting more sleep, better grades, and being able to stay out later. Both students and teachers shouldn’t have to get up so early. I’m sure many people would be with me saying that school shouldn’t have to start until atleast 9:30 a.m.

Go Packers!!
Jacquelyn T
Super Bowl

Don’t look now, but the Green Bay Packers may have an appointment with destiny. The historical franchise has turned around its recent years of misfortune. The Packers are off to a ten and one start in the 2007 season. If the Green Bay Packers keep up their good work, they will make and win the Super Bowl.
One thing that makes the Green Bay Packers so awesome is their amazing defense. The Green Bay Packers are ranked fifth out of thirty two teams. They have two shutdown cornerbacks and they really have a good defensive line. Aaron Kampman is especially good with eleven sacks and Cory Williams with seven sacks to date. Johnny Jolly is a great run stopper too. The Packers linebackers are extremely strong too. Nick Barnet leads the team in tackles. The Green Bay Packers give up an average of 315.4 yards per game. They give up an average of 215.3 yards per passing game. Lastly, the Packers give up an average of 16.8 points per game.
The Green Bay Packers don’t just have a great defense, but they also have a great offense too. This has helped the Packers become a better rounded team. Offensively, they are ranked third out of thirty two teams. The Packers are currently first in their conference, the National Football conference, with a record of ten wins and one loss. The Green Bay Packers keep starting quarterback is Brett Farve. Brett has set many prestigious records and as a result will end up in the Hall-of- Fame upon retirement. Farve’s quarterback rating is 101.5. Although Brett is famous for his passing, the Packers recently have had a strong offensive running game. This helps take the pressure off of Brett and the wide receivers. Another player that makes their offense stronger is the addition of rookie kicker Mason Crosby. Mason Crosby has completed 22 of 28 field goals to date. He also has thirty-two points are extra points. The offensive team has averaged 380.4 yards and 26.9 points per game.
In addition to their outstanding offense, their new coach has worked wonders. Mike McCarthy has the best record of any Green Bay Packer coach in his first twenty-seven games. His record is eighteen wins and nine losses, which is better than Hall-of- Fame coach Vince Lombardi. His success can be attributed to his ability to have his player’s play with confidence and believe in him. The year prior to Mike McCarthy’s arrival, Green Bay Packer, Brett Farve, threw twenty nine interceptions. Mike McCarthy impressed upon Brett that he must make better decisions at the quarterback position. As a result, Brett has only thrown eight interceptions in eleven games this year. McCarthy’s confidence in Farve’s ability to make good game decisions is further evidenced by McCarthy letting Farve call audibles at the start of plays. Farve’s previous coaches limited Brett’s ability to do this. Farve has taken advantage of many defensive situations this year. As a result, the Packers have had an increase in big plays.
Another reason I feel the Green Bay Packers will go to the Super Bowl is they have the best momentum of the NFC. The Packers have won fourteen of their last fifteen games. Only the Patriots have a comparable record at this time. The Packers are also improving as the season progresses. They have scored at least thirty-one points in their last four games. In the last three games, the Packers have led by nineteen points or more. The only weakness appeared to be their running game. However, in the last five games they have averaged 101.2 yards per game. This is a great improvement over the first six games in which they averaged only 65.6 yards.
If the Green Bay Packers keep up their good work, they will make it to and win the Super Bowl. The Green Bay Packers strengths that are helping them with their great season are the offense, defense, coaching, and momentum. This could help bring another championship to the NFL franchise that already has more than any other team.

What's Happening in class?

2007-12-14T09:37:00.001-08:00

The week of December 17th will be busy!

In language arts, students will be selecting one of their three final draft essays to polish and share with the class. They will also be creating visual aides to go along with the reading of their essays. Preparation for the presentations will take place in class on Monday and Tuesday, and we will begin sharing essays on Wednesday!

In reading, We will be reading the long short story, "Flowers for Algernon." Parents around my age may remember the movie version of the story called Charlie. It's a science fiction tale about a intellectually challenged man who has the opportunity to triple his intelligence! The story delves into the pros and cons of being intellectually challenged and the pros and cons of being intellectually gifted. Charlie, the main character, deals with academic, emotional, and social challenges, and we get to go along for the interesting ride. Students will be taking a quiz on "Flowers for Algernon" on Friday, December 21st!

***All students have selected their new book report books too! They are accelerated reader books and the AR quizzes will be due to me roughly 2 weeks after winter break.

HAVE A SAFE, FUN WINTER BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll be in MEXICO! :)

Magazine book report information below:

2007-12-11T12:05:00.000-08:00

Magazine Book Report Rubric

Detailed, interesting, well written information 10 points __________
about the person

Neat, detailed, colored cover complete with picture 10 points __________
of person

Overall effort and creativity in the development of 10 points __________
the “magazine”

Magazine Book Report

1. After reading your biography or autobiography, pretend that you are an interviewer, and interview the subject of your book. (If your subject is no longer alive, pretend that he/she is still living.) You will be asking your person 10 in-depth questions which can be answered using detailed information from your book. Based on your person's fame, you will choose an appropriate magazine in which this interview might be found. (Examples: movie star = People Magazine, athlete = Sports Illustrated, political figure = Newsweek or TIME, rock star = Rolling Stone Magazine, etc.)

2. Design a cover for your magazine. First, draw, by hand, a detailed picture of your person and color it. Next, use construction paper, colored markers, colored pencils, or your computer, and add other touches to make it look like an actual magazine cover.
Think about the examples I showed you in class, and remember: Make it colorful!!

3. Your interview must be in final draft form. Either type your questions and answers for your interview, or write them in black or blue pen.

4. This book report is worth 30 points and is due on Thursday, December 13th.

What's Happening in class?

2007-12-07T12:25:00.001-08:00

The week of December 10th will be action packed!

In language arts, we will be working on Wordskills unit 8. The unit will be due on Friday.

We will also be writing original myths. What seemingly unexplainable occurance would you like to explain? Do you know the real reason there is thunder? Are the gods and goddesses actually having a fierce bowling competion on Mount Olympus? Students will have a chance to tell their version of why something really is the way it is when they write original myths and share them with the class on Friday. I will be posting some interesting ones next week. Check back and check them out!!

In reading, we will be taking the mythology packet quiz on Monday! It will be worth 35 points, and cover the 4 myths covered in class. A study guide, which includes everything students need to know to do well on the quiz, was handed out and gone over in class today. (Friday, December 7th)

On Tuesday, December 11th, I will be explaining and showing examples of the magazine book report which will be due on Thursday, December 13th. Students will all receive a copy of the book report requirements, and I will also be posting the book report requirements Tuesday afternoon if you'd like to see them!

***Only two weeks left before winter break!!!!!! :)

What's happening in class?

2007-12-01T12:35:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

This week in language arts, stuents are turning in their final draft persuasive essays. They are due on Monday! The rough drafts looked very good overall, so I'm looking forward to seeing the end results. We will be delving into more grammar this week as well. Prepositions and prepositional phrases will be our focus.

This week in reading, we will continue the mythology unit. Students did a nice job on their god and goddess quiz, and now we will be reading and discussing some chosen myths. In the last myth we read, entitled, "The Trickery of Hermes," we discovered that it's not really white clouds that we see crossing the sky on a windy day, it's actually Hermes, the messenger of the gods, driving his white cattle across the sky.........no really, it is! :) Additonally, we will be doing some more practice for the ISAT reading test, using the ISAT workbook and writing an ISAT extended response tied to the myth, "Phaethon."

What's happening in class?

2007-11-20T12:46:00.000-08:00

The week of November 26th will be a busy one!

1. On Tuesday, November 27th, students will receive their 1st trimester report cards!!

2. On Wednesday, November 28th, the 8th graders are going on a bowling field trip! They will leave Lakeview at approximately 9:30 A.M., and return at approximately 12:15 P.M.

3. Thursday night, November 29th, is parent request parent-teacher conference night.

4. Friday, November 30th, there is NO SCHOOL!

In class, we will also be busy:

In Language arts, we will be working on Wordskills unit 7. The book will be due, and the Wordskills quiz will be qiven on Thursday. We will also continue working on the persuasive essay. Things are progressing nicely, and by the end of the week, rough drafts should be complete!

In reading, we will continue our mythology unit. On Monday, November 26th, there will be a 30 point quiz on the 12 main gods and goddesses, and then students will be turning themselves into gods or goddesses through self drawn pictures. They will decide what they will look like, what they will be in charge of, and where their kingdom will be.

***I think I would like to be the goddess of shopping! Hmmmmmm......sales everyday, and my favorite stores right in my neighborhood! :)

Check out the link below to find out COOL information about 12 gods and goddesses!!

http://www.mythweb.com/gods/index.html

What's happening in class?

2007-11-16T12:25:00.001-08:00

This upcoming week is going to be short and sweet! We have school on Monday, November 19th and Tuesday, November 20th, and then we have 3 days off for Thanksgiving vacation!

***Enjoy the turkey, have fun and stay safe!

In language arts, we're going to continue working on persuasive essays. The below list contains some of the topics students chose:

1. school uniforms
2. homework
3. year round schooling
4. the best movie, tv show or extra curricular activity
5. daily exercise
6. Internet safety

In reading, we will begin a new unit on Mythology. We will spent time Monday and Tuesday discovering some pretty interesting facts about the 12 main gods and goddesses of Greek and Roman mythology.

For instance, did you know that Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom was born out of Zeus's brain?

Now you do! :)

Romeo, my Yorkie, helped me correct the character sketches below! :)

2007-11-11T08:53:00.001-08:00

Character sketch #1

2007-11-11T08:31:00.000-08:00

Adam T.
11/11/07
Character Sketch

He’s four feet and eleven inches tall. He has brown eyes and long brown hair. He is always wearing a Dale Earhart Jr. racing hat. He is my cousin David. He is a very kind and intelligent boy. My cousin David is the best.

David is one of the funniest people I know. Last summer when the song “Hey There Delilah” came out, David made a very funny parody of it. He sang it to my mom and I and we laughed so hard. He made it up when we were on vacation, so it made the trip whole lot more fun. One thing that makes me laugh is when he laughs out loud. One time when I slept over at his house we watched the movie Bad News Bears. It was my first time watching it. The beginning was already funny. When David started laughing, I was laughing the hardest I have ever done. I started to cry too because David’s laugh made me laugh even harder. Now I know every time I see David I will always laugh.

In addition to being funny, David is very nice. One time I was over at his house and we were hanging out with his friends. There was this one kid, Tyler, who was with us. Tyler called our friend Dylan fat right to his face. David told him to stop, but Tyler didn’t. Finally David told him to shut up and stuck up for Dylan. Then we all left Tyler. Another time, I was hanging out with David and his friends after their hockey game. Our parents were upstairs of the ice rink getting something to eat. We all decided to play a big game of tag around the ice rink. When we were done deciding who was “it”, someone said that we should ditch the kid that was it. David refused because he knew that would be mean. At that moment I realized how nice David is.

Not only is David nice, he is athletic. One sport that he and I both enjoy is ice hockey. He loves the game just as much as I do. He is always talking and asking how my team is doing. Since we never play each other, we go to each other’s games and root for each other. Another sport David plays a lot of in the summer is golf. He is in a league with his friends and play every Friday. One sport he just started playing is lacrosse. His friends and he joined together and they all love it. I have never been to one of his games, but he tells me he is good and scores a lot of goals.

David is the greatest. He is one of my favorite cousins. I love having him around because he is like a brother to me. I don’t know what I would do without him.

Character sketch #2

2007-11-11T08:30:00.000-08:00

Michele J.
11/11/2007
Per. 3-4
Amazing Aunt

My Aunt Jenny amazes me. She has a very hectic life, yet you’d never know it because she’s always so calm. She has 4 kids ranging in age from 2-14 years old, yet she always seems to find tome for her many nieces, of which I am proudly one. Jenny can brighten up any day and she’s always fun to be around. My Aunt Jenny is a great person.

My Aunt Jenny is very patient. She puts up with so much in one day. She has to figure out schedules, cook for 6, potty-train, help with homework, referee several matches of child wrestling, be my conformation sponsor, and keep her house at least semi-clean. She has to organize rides to dance class, karate sessions, soccer practice, and T-ball games. Once she picked me up to go to her house to play with my cousins. Five minutes after we got there, we were back in her car, off to karate class. I also remember that when I was little, she drove my cousin and me to dance class. I can’t think of anyone but her who can be fun and energetic while also being responsible.

In addition to being patient, My Aunt Jenny is very helpful. One time she helped me was learning to ride my bike. I was on my cousin’s bike which she didn’t know how to ride either. My aunt Jenny has a long driveway that has a dip in the middle that goes up just in time to be up on the street. She asked me if I trusted her and I told her that I did. So she sent me down the driveway, down the dip, and back up, turning just in time before I was on the street. I rode back to her with a huge smile on my face. She helped me ride on a two-wheeler! My mom was so proud of me and so was Jenny. That was a great day. Another time she helped me was recently, she agreed to be my sponsor for my conformation. A sponsor basically helps the person making their conformation. The day I asked her to be my sponsor was a great day. I remember being very nervous. If she said no, I’d be so embarrassed. But I knew she was the one I wanted to share this with, so I’d take the risk. I asked her if we could talk in private, and I took her into the hall. When I asked her, she was so happy. She was happy to help me! I swear, the whole room brightened up. And when I saw that she was happy, I couldn’t help but feel so good about my self because I brought her so much joy. I will never forget that. She almost cried tears of joy. I loved it.

As well as being helpful, Aunt Jenny is also outgoing. She can be so fun. I can’t believe how energetic she can be when she has the stress of 3 crazy kids and 1 bratty teen. I remember one time in her car that I won’t soon forget. My cousin Amanda and I were around 6, my sister Johanna was almost 5, and the Back Street Boys were hot! We were listening to one of my favorite songs, “I Want it That Way.” The sunroof was open, we were all belting out the lyrics, and we were having the time of our lives. At the best part of the song, my aunt turned it up very loud and we practically screamed, “Don’t wanna hear you!” Nothing could ever compare to that. Another time was less than half a year ago. Jenny thought that it might be fun to make a home cooked meal together, which I thought was crazy considering there were 7 of us, two of which were toddlers. We were all given a job to do. We made parmesan chicken, real parmesan chicken, not the stuff from the box. It was delicious. As the minutes went by, more people came. By the end of dinner, there were 17 people there. Even her neighbors who were on a bike ride stopped by unexpectedly, and Jenny just went along with it. I admire her for that.

My Aunt Jenny is amazing. She has always been there for me. She portrays so many important qualities that I would look for in a friend. I love her so much and I would never change her.

Character sketch #3

2007-11-11T08:29:00.000-08:00

Number One Grandma
Angela Z.

She’s about to turn 60, but doesn’t look it. She has five grandchildren. The oldest is fourteen years old and the youngest is six. She loves to cook and is very good at it. During the summer, she has many beautiful flowers around her house, but hates to take care of them. My grandma is the greatest grandma around.

My grandma is one of my biggest supporters. I remember one time when I had a softball tournament all the way in Orland Park on a hot summer day. My grandma said she wanted to come, so she drove there just to watch me play. Once we started to play, it was about twelve o’clock and ninety degrees outside. After about two hours, the game was in the last inning. She was still there cheering me on, even though we were getting slaughtered and she was sweating. Another time when my grandma was supportive, was when my sister had to go to the emergency room. We were on our way home from Michigan because my sister got whipped in the face with a tubing rope that had snapped. When we were about thirty minutes away from home, my mom called my grandma to tell her what had happened. My grandma said she would drive my mom and sister to the hospital since it would be around eleven o’clock when we got home. After we pulled in the driveway, there she was, driving down the street right behind us. When they were done with the appointment it was two o’clock in the morning, but my grandma was still wide awake when she drove them home.

Not only is my grandma very supportive, she is also the hardest working person I know. Every holiday during the year, my grandma has dinner at her house. She never allows any family member to help her out by making anything either. For example, last Christmas she started a week before Christmas making cookies. She made about ten dozen different cookies throughout the week. Then, on Christmas Eve, she spent the whole day making mashed potatoes, corn, stuffing, and jello, just to name a few things. On Christmas day, she then made ham and turkey. Another time I remember her being hardworking is when she had just opened her pool for the summer. Her pool was pretty green, so every day for about a week she spent a couple of hours working on the pool. She spent time putting different chemicals in the pool, vacuuming it, and cleaning the filter. Soon, it looked better than ever!

In addition to being hardworking my grandma is extremely generous. I remember one time when my grandma was driving me home from softball practice. I mentioned to my grandma that I was really hungry and I couldn’t wait to get home to eat. Then she asked me if I wanted to stop for Frosties. My grandma went inside to get them while I stayed in the car. When she came out, she had three Frosties in her hand. Not only did she buy one for me, but she bought one for my brother and sister also. I thought that was very generous of her. I remember another time when it was my thirteenth birthday. I really wanted a cell phone, but of course my parents said no because it was too expensive. My grandma knew I really wanted one, so she didn’t give up on the idea. Even though it was over one hundred and fifty dollars, she bought it for me, with my parents’ permission.

The greatest grandma around is my grandma. I know we will always be there for each other for the rest of our lives.

Character sketch #4

2007-11-11T08:02:00.000-08:00

Eric V.
11/11/2007
MY DAD
We are with each other all the time. We watch football often, play catch in the backyard, and he will even help me with my homework. No matter what we do, we have a great time. I am very lucky to have a great father.

When I think of the word helpful, I think of my dad. One time I did not know how to do my math homework. I handed it to my dad to see if he knew how to do it. He looked at it, then looked at me and told me how to do it. Another time my dad and I were golfing in Jamaica and I wasn’t doing very well. I got very mad. He told me to calm down, keep my eye on the ball, and bring my feet together a little bit. I hit the ball and it went flying down the middle of the fairway. Then my caddy told me, “Good shot mon.”
I ended up following what my dad had told from then on, and I ended up golfing very well. Another time. I bragged to my dad about how I could beat him in ping-pong and how nobody could beat me. He challenged me to a game. I had never played my dad and I thought I would beat him 21-0, but he was been pretty good. Before I knew it, he had a 20-15 point lead. I could not believe that he was about to win. After he won, he taught me how to make the ping-pong ball curve left or right. After I knew how to do it, I told him that I could definitely beat him. We played again. He won 21-15, but he had told me I had gotten much better. No matter what I need help with, my dad is always there for me.

In addition to my dad being helpful, he is also very hard working. I remember one time about a year or two ago when we were remodeling are kitchen. We hired someone to come in to remodel it. Before that, my dad and I had to take every tile, every cabinet, and a lot of drywall out of are kitchen. I woke up at 4:30 in the morning. I heard a loud, loud banging. My dad was hammering tile and taking them out. My dad told me to help him. We worked until about 10:00 in the morning, and at that time we were not even half way done with are work. I decided to go over to my friend’s house, and when I got back around 5:00, I looked in the kitchen, and my dad only had one more cabinet to take down. I couldn’t believe he worked the whole time while I was gone. My dad also works hard every day. Every morning he will get up at 4:30 am to drive to work, near Chicago. He doesn’t get home until after 5:00, yet, when my dad gets home, he still does work around the house. My whole life I have not heard one complaint from him.
Not only is my dad hardworking, but he is also a very positive guy. He will make every situation better. One time my family went on a vacation in California. We were driving to our hotel from the airport and we didn’t know how to get there. We all were getting kind of mad, but my dad never really got angry. He calmed everybody down and we eventually found our way to the hotel. Another time my grandma died. My mom cried for a really long time. My dad calmed her down and told her it would be ok. After a day or two, my mom didn’t cry anymore. Another time my family and I were at home, and our power went out. We were all hoping it would come back on right away. We waited and waited. Then we got a call from our electric company, ComEd. They told my dad that we wouldn’t have power for a day or two. Every one got mad, and thought, “What were we going to do without power?” Luckily my dad came up with great ideas. During the day, my dad and I went golfing, and during the night we made a bonfire. The next day my dad and I were working on our chipping in the backyard, and out of nowhere, we heard a loud ringing. our power was back on. It would have been a very boring couple of days without my dad.

I am very lucky to have a great father. I can count on him for everything. I cannot imagine my life without him.

What's happening in class?

2007-11-09T12:30:00.001-08:00

In language arts, students did an excellent job of polishing their character sketches. They will be giving their essay gifts soon! (I will be posting 4 example essays this weekend. Check back and check them out!)

On Monday, November 12th, students will be taking a quiz on VERBS. (linking, action, helping, and irregular)

They will also begin work on Wordskills Unit 6. The book + quiz will be due on Friday, November 16th.

Later in the week, students will begin their 3rd major essay of the year, a persuasive essay. After discussion of several suggested topics, and the sharing of some previous model student persuasive essays, students will select a topic from a provided list, or come up with one on their own. ***This will be an opinion based paper, not one requiring research. We will do the majority of writing in class, and editing and revising will be done at home.

***Check back at the beginning of the week, when I will post the suggested topic list for persuasive essays in case anyone wants to get a jump start on selecting a topic.

There is a lot going on in reading! On Monday, November 12th, students will be turning in their 1st ISAT extended response. We worked on the new 2007-2008 format in class on Thursday, and students did very well organizing their rough drafts. I'm looking forward to seeing the final results!

Also on Monday, students will receive their culminating assignment for The Outsiders. They will be writing a detailed paragraph, comparing and contrasing themselves to one of the characters from The Outsiders, using examples from the book and their own personal experiences as support.

AND.......we will then be watching the 1981 movie, The Outsiders!! Though this is close to my 70th time watching the movie, I still enjoy it. AND.....I have to admit, I still have a crush on Soda Pop, played by Rob Lowe. :)

What's Happening in Class?

2007-11-02T13:27:00.000-07:00

In language arts, we will be tackling our next part of speech, VERBS! (linking, action and helping)

I will also be returning graded final drafts of the character sketch essays on Tuesday, November 6th. Students will then be polishing their essays and giving them to their character sketch subjects as gifts.

In reading, we will be finishing the novel, The Outsiders.

Currently, Ponyboy is in denial. He doesn't want to face the pain of losing Johnny, seeing Dally killed and the possibility that he may be separated from his brothers. Will everything work out for Ponyboy? Stay tuned to find out!

***Students have done an excellent job during this unit of character analysis, problem solving, predicting and sequencing.

The final test on The Outsiders will be on Friday, November 9th!

***In Hombase, we will be discussing service project ideas, and planning what we can do throughout the year to show our support.

What's happening in class?

2007-10-26T12:55:00.000-07:00

***Students do not have school on Monday. I have to say I'm a little jealous! :) Use that extra day to make your character sketch extra special and extra good!

In language arts, students will be turning in the final drafts of their character sketches on Tuesday, October 30th. Based on how detailed and insightful their rough drafts were, I'm looking forward to seeing the finished products!

We will also be working on Wordskills unit 5 throughout the course of the week, and we will be delving into the exciting world of pronouns!

In reading, we will start off the week with a review and a quiz on chapters 6-8 in the novel, The Outsiders. We will then continue reading, discussing and analyzing chapters 9, 10 and 11...........

***Currently, Johhny is in bad shape. He was burned badly in the church fire, and also broke his back when a beam from the crumbling church fell on him. Dally is in the hospital too, but a badly burned arm is not going to keep him there for long. The rest of the greasers are getting ready for the big rumble with the socs. The winners will get satisfaction as well as bragging rights, and if the greasers win, the socs will have to stay out of their terriory forever.

Will the greasers win the rumble? Will everything go smoothly, or will something go tragically wrong? Stay tuned to find out!

What's Happening in Class?

2007-10-21T10:20:00.001-07:00

This week in L.A., we are continuing our work on an expository essay in the form of a character sketch. By the end of the week, all students should have a well developed, detailed rough draft of their chosen person essay!

This week in reading, we will continue reading and discussing the novel, The Outsiders. Students just completed a quiz on chapters 1-5 and did a great job overall! ***I just posted the quiz grades online, so check them out if you are interested!

We will be covering chapters 6-8 this week, and the plot thickens. Stay tuned to find out what happens when Dally, Ponyboy and Johnny return to the church after their trip to the Dairy Queen..............Is smoke in the air?

***Click on the link below to find out a lot of cool information about S.E. Hinton, the author of The Outsiders! You will also find interesting information about the movie, The Outsiders, and the actors who starred in the movie!!
http://www.sehinton.com/

Human vocabulary!!!

2007-10-19T09:28:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, October 18th, all my reading classes participated in a vocabulary review game to prepare them for the vocabulary portion of their chapters 1-5 The Outsiders quiz on Friday. Students were turned into living words, and all of them needed to obtain the signature of every "living word" when trying to match sentences with the correct word.

Students did a great job finding correct answers!! The first three correct finishers are listed below and were showcased on a Wall of Fame located in my classroom. GREAT JOB!

2nd hour = Alissa Z., Jeremy R. and Jerrika P.

4th hour = Keaton F., Andy K., and Kristin D.

7th hour = Karyna R., Alex I. and Brett B.

What's happening in class?

2007-10-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

***This week will be a little crazy, schedule wise!:) On Tuesday, all 8th graders will be taking the Explore test during 1st-4th hours, but will have their regular classes 5th-8th. On Wednesday, we have early dismissal, so students will meet with all of their classes, but only briefly. Dismissal on Wednesday is at 11:30 A.M.

In language arts, we will be starting our next essay. This essay will be an expository essay, in the form of a character sketch. Students will be selecting a friend or family member to "sketch" through words.

In reading, we will continue reading the novel, The Outsiders. The socs, lead by Bob, did decide to take out their anger on the greasers, and Ponyboy and Johnny ended up being easy targets! Johnny, in order to save Ponyboy's life, stabs and kills Bob, and now, the two greasers are on the run............Tune in later to find out what happens next!

***The first quiz for The Outsiders will be on Friday, October 19th, and it will cover chapters 1-5.

THE EXPLORE TEST

2007-10-13T13:49:00.000-07:00

***The 8th graders will be taking The Explore test on Tuesday morning, October 16th. Downers Grove South High School requires all of its incoming freshmen to take this test. It is a 4 part, multiple choice test, covering language arts, reading, math and science. Each subject test is 30 minutes long. The Explore test will be one of several components used to help determine placement in freshment classes at DGS.

***Please encourage your teenagers to do their best on the test, get a good night's sleep Monday evening, and have a healthy breakfast Tuesday morning before the test!

Narrative Essay #1

2007-10-13T13:44:00.000-07:00

His Death, to the Magical Pond
By Jennifer

I heard my mom coming upstairs. I forcefully, but quietly, pulled the sheets of my bed over my head. Still sad and mad over what had just happened. I told him not to go, but he just had to. My mom opened the door as quietly as she could and sighed as she heard me whimpering. “David,” she said. “Can you please just listen?”
“What,” I said in a quiet voice.
She walked over to sit on my bed and stroke my hair. “Dad had to go,” she exclaimed. “It was his duty if he has this job.” I took the covers of my bed and looked outside my window as I saw the fire still going and spreading from the distance. I felt like I should have run after him or punching something so hard it would bleed to death, but I couldn’t. “I know this is hard,” she exclaimed,” but it was his time.”
During the funeral, I found out my dad had died in the fire while trying to save a trapped kid. I felt sorry for the child, but proud that my dad had tried. “Mom,” I asked. “Are you ok?”
“Yes dear,” she said, as I she tried not to cry while the priest was saying his words. I was holding my dad’s firefighter hat close to my heart so I could feel he was close by me. I started thinking of the good times we had spent with each other and just thinking of them made my stomach sick. After the funeral, many people brought wondrous, delicious foods for my mom and me to comfort us.
“Mom, I’m going to go take a walk to try and get some air to clear my thoughts,” I said.
“Ok, but don’t go too far,” she replied.
“Yeah, I know.”
As I was walking, I spotted a family of deer and started thinking mine and how that could’ve been us, still together. “Stop it David!” I told myself. “Thinking about it will just make you feel worse.” Soon I started to get thirsty and I was pretty far from the church. “Hey, there’s a lake,” I said, “and oh thank-you God.” As I ran towards the sparkling water, I put my hands in. The water was so cool and I felt like I could swim in it. “I’ll just take a sip and then go back,” I said. As I drank it down slowly, it was really refreshing and cold, until I heard a loud boom that made the water ripple. “Who’s there?” I cried. All of a sudden, I felt a cold, wet hand around my wrist that pulled me in the water. “Oh no, help!” I yelled. “I’m drowning!” Soon, I sank into the deep water and felt every part of my body become numb with the coldness. I opened my eyes and felt like this was the end for me, but it wasn’t. “I can breathe underwater?” I asked.
“Well, now you can,” a man’s voice said.
“Who are you and what do you want?” I said. I soon saw a white figure coming close to me. I looked at him and saw myself as a white figure also, but floating in the water.
“Son,” he said, “I’m your father.”
“What?” I said. “No you’re not. My father’s dead and you couldn’t possibly be him!”
“But I am his ghost,” he said. I soon saw his face, it was him.
“Oh my God! You are!” I said. “Is this a dream?”
“No David, it’s real,” he said. “It can be, if you stay with me here forever.” I was shocked, here with him?
“Yeah dad, I want to,” I said, as I cried and hugged him. “I’ve missed you so much and so has mom, but if i stay here, what will mom do?” I asked. “She’ll worry about me and have no one with her.” I saw my dad’s expression and knew he was disappointed, but knew that was true.
“Ok son, I’ll let you go,” he said. “Just remember, I’ll always be in your heart and never forget you.”
“Thanks dad,” I said, as I hugged him once more.
“Now, close your eyes,” he said, “and wake up.”
“Wake up David,” Mom said quietly. “We’re about to close the coffin honey. Do you want to say any last words?” I was back at the church and looked at my dad once more. Everyone was watching me as I said my words in a quiet voice.
“Thank you dad. You were the best and now that you are gone from this world, just remember, you’ll always be in my heart and I’ll always be thinking of you,” I said proudly. A tear dropped from my eye and as it fell on his suit, I thought I saw him smile at me.

Narrative Essay #2

2007-10-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

The Red-tailed Tale
By Greg

“Ah, the woods, so peaceful and quiet,” James said. “Let’s pause and appreciate its beauty, Kyle.” The boys hear ominous roars, birds chirping, and a chainsaw chopping down a large evergreen tree.
“Yeah, really peaceful,” Kyle said sarcastically. Kyle and James have been friends since the first grade. Even though they really are best friends, they don’t like to say it because they think it sounds girly. These so called Men are camping in the woods for the weekend: if you call living in a cabin with wool couches, indoor pluming, and an HDTV camping. James has always been the funny guy while Kyle is more serious. They tend to even each other out.
On their way to the cabin, the boys spot a deer. While Kyle looks through his backpack to find his camera, James decides to catch it as a pet. There was a thud and Kyle looked up. He saw the deer running away and James wrapped up in his net, struggling on the ground. As Kyle watches, the deer run away, he sees that the deer had a red tail, all while James is still on the ground. “A red tail?” Kyle asked puzzled. As he wonders about it, Kyle steps over James and walks away.
“H- Hey! Where are you going? Ugh! Get back here and help me!”
While in the cabin, Kyle is making Mac and Cheese in the microwave. Real outdoors men, right? He was watching cartoons on the big screen, when in comes James who was covered with leaves, branches, and what he hopes is mud.
“Thanks for the help,” James said sarcastically.
“That was your own fault,” Kyle reacted. “Now shut-up, I’m watching this,” he said with his mouth stuffed with cheese and pasta.
“What are you watching?” James asked. “Oh, SpongeBob, Big macho man. Why don’t we watch baseball or something?”
“Nothing’s on, it’s just news,” Kyle remarked.
“I don’t believe you, change the channel,” James demanded.
“Alright then, I will change it,” Kyle said all sure of himself.
“Click. Click. Click.”
“See, just news. I win,” Kyle said with his hollow victory.
“Yeah, way to go,” James said while sitting down.
While enjoying his Amazing accomplishment, Kyle overheard the reporter talking about a red-tailed deer. He was talking to a hunter. The hunter said that the red-tailed deer’s blood gives someone the ability to live forever!
The boys, jaws open, immediately started to scream. Kyle was screaming because of the fact that there was a hunter in the woods that would kill anybody to get to the deer. James was screaming because Kyle was screaming right in his ear. Once out of breath, Kyle began to explain his thoughts to James. James wanted to find and sell the deer.
“No,” yelled Kyle, “we have to put it in the zoo.”
“Well, whatever we do, we have to catch that deer,” James explained.
James and Kyle set out on their hike to find the red-tailed deer. For hours and hours, they were out on their dedicated and dangerous journey.
“What was that?” James asked after hearing a strange sound.
“That was a squirrel… again,” Kyle said, now irritated. While in the woods, the boys began to get tired and hungry.
“Let’s go back,” James suggested. “I can’t stand hiking,” he began to whine.
“It’s a good thing that we came to the woods than,” Kyle said sarcastically. “We’ll just stay out for a few more minutes.”
“You said that an hour ago,” James said with anger. “I’m going back.”
“No, we have to stay together,” explained Kyle.
While on the road, they saw headlights and turned back. Knowing it was the hunter, the boys looked around for the deer.
“There it is!” James exclaimed. They saw the hunter go right for it. While running after the car, they heard a thud. As the hunter stepped out, Kyle went to help the deer, while James went after the hunter. To help James, Kyle got out his camera, flashed a shot, and stunned the dangerous man. While James tied up the hunter, Kyle called the police.
“I still think we should have sold it,” James said at the zoo. The majestic animal has brought in enough tourism to put every other zoo out of business. While watching the deer, Kyle felt some sort of gratitude, from the deer. This was going to be his one, silent victory.
“Yeah, we Really should have.”

Narrative Essay #3

2007-10-13T13:08:00.000-07:00

GO DEEP!
By Keaton

"HUT!” Shane heard someone shout. He started to back up from what looked like giants. He looked down and he had a ball in his hand. He looked around and he was in a stadium of some sort. He looked to his right and there was someone in a headset yelling at him. He looked forward and… BOOM!!!! He was down.
Shane stood up and realized that he was the quarterback in the Super Bowl. He had zoned out for a second and forgotten where he was. The excitement must have overwhelmed him, but it was all coming back to him. He was the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears. He became the starter when the Bears dropped Rex Grossman, which was a smart move, since Shane and the quarterback behind him were way better than Grossman.
“Shane, are you ok?” asked one of his lineman as he helped him up.
“What happened?” asked Shane.
“You got hit so hard, I thought you got knocked back into yesterday,” said his lineman.
Shane looked up at the scoreboard. It said Bears 0 Patriots 0, with 14:37 left in the first quarter, 2nd down and 15, and the Bear’s ball on their 19.
“Hut!” yelled Shane. He dropped back, stopped, and threw a 15 yard pass. The ball was now on the 34 yard line. During the next two plays, he handed the ball off to Cedric Benson, and he had gotten the ball to their 47 yard line
“Hut!” yelled Shane again. This time, though, the Patriots had blitzed. Shane dodged Patriot after Patriot, but finally he ran toward the sideline and threw a pass to a wide open Bernard Berrian. Berrian dove into the end zone, stretched out as far as he could, and caught it one handed. The referee raised both arms, signaling a touchdown. Everybody went crazy and was happy. Shane, getting high fives, walked back to the sideline.
By halftime, the score was tied at 7. The Patriots’ quarterback, Tom Brady, had thrown a 20 yard touchdown to Randy Moss in the second quarter, tying the game. In the locker room the Bears head coach, Lovie Smith, was giving his halftime speech.
After, the Bears went back on the field not knowing what would happen later…
It was the 4th quarter, and there was 1:10 left in the game. The Patriots had the ball on the Bears 20 yard line. The Patriots drove the ball to the 10 yard line with 25 seconds left in the game. Tom Brady dropped back to pass, threw it over the middle, and Brian Urlacher picked it off! He ran it back to the Bears 40 yard line. He got hit before he could run out of bounds, so the Bears had to use their last time out to stop the clock at ten seconds.
The Bears had time for only one last play. Shane lined up and got ready. “Hut!” he yelled. He dropped back and rolled to his right. He saw Devin Hester down field and just before he got tackled, he threw a deep pass to him. It seemed like the ball stayed in the air forever. Shane saw the ball hit off Hester’s hands, but then Hester dove and caught it in the end zone. The Bears had won!
After the game, hundreds of reporters asked him the same question, “What are you going to do now?”
“I’m going to, going to, going to school?”
“Yes, Shane. It’s Wednesday morning. You have to go to school. Get up or you’ll be late”

What's happening in class?

2007-10-09T10:14:00.000-07:00

L.A. = In language arts class we are finishing our review on nouns. On Wednesday, October 10th, students will demonstrate their brilliance by performing well on a 15 point noun quiz!

Wednesday, October 10th also marks the day I will return final draft narrative essays! Overall, students did a very nice job on their essays! Students turned in a variety of original story ideas, ranging from serious - a teenager deals with the realization that her best friend has a life-threatening illness, to silly - a family of pickles panics when the baby pickle goes missing, to adventurous - two boys outsmart a hunter and save a rare red-tailed deer.

***Check back later this week when I'll have 3 student essays posted on my blog for you to enjoy!

READING = This week we will continue to read and discuss the novel, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Ponyboy, the lead character, and his friends, Johnny, and Two-Bit, (all Greasers), have just spent the evening at the drive-in movie with Cherry and Marcia, the girlfriends of two Socs, their arch rivals. Once the Socs find out, will they let it go, or will they seek revenge on the Greasers? Stay tuned to find out!

***Students should also contunue reading their AR silent reading book. AR quizzes are due to me by Tuesday, October 23rd!

What's Happening in class?

2007-09-27T20:14:00.000-07:00

READING............

On Monday, October 1st, students will be taking their first unit test in reading. Each student will receive and complete in class a study guide for the test which will include a list of targeted vocabulary for making flash cards, a list of the short stories covered in the unit + a summary of each story, and the definitions of the key elements of a short story. Studying this information before Monday should ensure a good grade on the test!

***We will be choosing a new silent reading book on Tuesday, October 2nd, and students will be selecting Accelerated Reader free choice novels.

On Wednesday, we will begin our first novel study, The Outsiders - a well-loved classic exploring the topics of stereotyping, overcoming tragedy, growth, and acceptance.

LANGUAGE ARTS..........

Rough draft narratives were turned in last Monday for teacher edit, and returned on Friday. Final draft narrative essays are due on Tuesday, October 2nd. They are worth 100 pts! Here's to creating great polished essays!!!!!!

What's happening in class?

2007-09-19T16:50:00.001-07:00

L.A. = Currently, each student is working on writing an original narrative essay. After discussing what makes a great story, and listening to and reading model essays from past 8th grade writers, students concieve their own topic idea and are then encouraged to use creativity to develop their own story and writing style.

You never know. We may have a future author among us! Keep in mind the fact that S.E. Hinton was only 16 years old when she wrote her first novel, The Outsiders.......

reading = Currently, we are multi-tasking in reading class. Tomorrow, September 20th, students begin presenting their first book report - a story board focusing on the plot of their free choice fiction novel......We are also in the middle of a short story unit, which exposes students to a number of writing styles, plots and focus. In addition to reading the stories and discussing them, we are also expanding vocabulary understanding and doing reflective writing.

Before reading the short story, "The Lady or the Tiger," by Frank Stockton to prompt a character study of the main character, the princess, students were asked to respond to the question, "Which emotion is stronger, love or jealousy?" After reading the story, the students used knowledge gleaned from the text to write their own ending to the unfinished story, defending their belief that the princess made her decision based on either love or jealousy over powering her in the end.

What do you think? Check out the story at http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/Frank_R_Stockton/The_Lady_or_the_Tiger/The_Lady_or_the_Tiger_p1.html

What's happening in class?

2007-09-19T16:50:00.000-07:00

Rubric for Poster Board Book Report

2007-09-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

Explanation of novel plot (detail, clarity) 10 pts.______

Pictures telling story 10 pts.______
(neat, detailed, colored
and blurbs in final draft)

Delivery (enthusiastic, good eye contact) 10 pts. ______

Story summary in written form (final draft) 10pts. ______

+__________
40 pts.
Comments:

Story Board Book Report

2007-09-18T09:25:00.000-07:00

***The overall purpose of this assignment is to tell the plot of your book through pictures.

1. Number 1 - 10 on a piece of paper. Write down, in order of occurrence, the 8, 9 or 10 most important events that take place in your book.

2. Leaving space for the title of your book and the author's name, (which you will need to include somewhere on your poster board), divide your poster board into 8, 9 or 10 squares, to match the number of important events you've chosen to share.

3. Now draw your story's plot, using the squares to tell your story. ****Under each picture, write a brief explanation of your picture. (Explain what's happening in your picture)

4. Since you won't be able to tell your entire story through your poster board, (you will just be focusing on the main events from beginning to end) you also need to write ( in final draft form) a complete one page summary of your book, which you will give me the day you present your book report.

5. On Friday, September 20th, we will begin oral presentations of the poster boards. Your grade will also include your speaking skills. Remember to speak clearly, loudly enough for all to hear, and slowly enough so we can follow along and understand what you are saying. Eye contact is also very important! Please practice your presentation before class.

Me Bag Speech

2007-09-06T14:24:00.000-07:00

****Beginning Friday, September 8th, my language arts classes will present Me bag Speeches. The Explanation of and the rubric for this presentation are below:

"ME BAG" SPEECH
Directions: Present a 2-3 minute speech about yourself which contains an introductory statement, a concluding statement, and an object for and an explanation of the following:

1. The food you love the most
2. Your ethnicity, culture, background, religion
3. Something that captures your personality
4. A hidden talent that you possess
5. One admired family member
6. One goal you would like to accomplish this year

*****Speeches will begin on Friday, September 7th

GOOD LUCK!

____________________________________________________________________

ME BAG SPEECH RUBRIC

1. INTRODUCTION (interesting, focused on self) 4pts. _____

2. BODY OF SPEECH 12pts. _____

A. Favorite food
B. Ethnicity-culture-background-religion
C. Object the captures personality
D. A hidden talent
E. One admired family member
F. One goal for the school year

3. CONCLUSION (summarizing, tied to introduction) 4 pts. _____

4. DELIVERY (posture, voice level, clarity, eye contact) 5 pts. _____
(enthusiasm)

GRADE =

TOTAL = + _____
25 pts.

____________________________________________________________________