In The Poet's Shoes: A WebQuest

Hello seventh grade students! Today in class you were introduced to your latest assignment--a poetry WebQuest. Together, we went over your task as well as the eight steps you will need to take to complete the quest and produce a well done finished presentation. I have posted a link to the WebQuest site below.

IN THE POET'S SHOES

Things to Remember

1. Use only the resources provided for you on the website.

2. Do not forget to fill out your Thinking About Poetry Notes to record the proper bibliographic information.

3. Use the Thinking About Poetry Questions to help you read and interpret the poems you read and complete your chart.

4. Once you choose your favorite poem (the one you will perform), use the Presentation Links to help you prepare for your presentation.

5. Before you begin, review the instructions.

A Sentence as a Poem: Photos and Story

Enjoy transforming these pictures we discussed in class today into descriptive sentences, and then into poems. Remember that each picture has a possible story behind it. Consider that as you construct your sentence and poem. Also, don't forget that your poem may not include words that are not already in your sentence. Feel free to use William Carlos Williams' The Red Wheelbarrow as a model, it is posted below. Have fun and I look forward to hearing your work.

The Red Wheelbarrow

by William Carlos Williams

so much depends

upon

a red wheel

barrow

glazed with rain

water

beside the white

chickens

On Girls Lending Pens by Taylor Mali

Some of you may have had the chance to listen to this poem before. I've posted it here simply for you to enjoy. Enjoy!

Strategies for Reading

Hello seventh graders! In class today we learned about the great American author Langston Hughes, and began reading his short story Thank You Ma'am. Your homework was/is to finish reading the story; as you read, incorporate the strategies for reading that we learned in class. As you work through each strategy, please remember to use the margins to write down your thoughts so that you can share them in class. I have listed the six strategies below.

Happy reading!

PREDICT: Figure out what might happen next. You can even write your predictions in the margins

VISUALIZE: Picture the people, places and events in the story.

CONNECT: Connect personally with what you are reading; think of similarities between the characters of the story and the story of your own life.

QUESTION: Ask questions about events in the story- What happened? Why? How do the people involved feel?

CLARIFY: Review your understanding; summarize, identify main idea and theme(s), come to some conclusions about the characters in the story.

EVALUATE: Form opinions about what you read. Do this while you're reading and after you have finished the story.

Homework Questions: Phoebe and the General

Hello sixth graders! Below I have posted the questions you will need to answer for homework and have ready to hand in tomorrow (Tuesday, 1st period). Please answer each question on a lined piece of loose leaf paper with the proper heading. I have given you an example of what a proper heading looks like below.

Proper Heading:

Name

Class (English)

Assignment

Date

Please write all of your answers in complete, sixth grade sentences.

Homework questions:

1. Phoebe's father owned the Queen's Head, and she worked for him. How would you describe her job?
2. Why is George Washington in danger?
3. What makes a good leader? Name some personal qualities that George Washington may have had.
4. How does Phoebe feel about becoming a spy?
5. Samuel Fraunces expresses his fears to his daughter and asks for her help. What does this say about their relationship?

The Giver Quiz

Hello again students! Summer is winding down and I hope you are all looking forward to getting back to school.

This post is especially for the incoming seventh graders; you should be finishing up The Giver by Lois Lowry. When you return to school we will be talking about the novel and you will be taking a short quiz. I've supplied a link to an online free quiz on The Giver that you can take on your own in preparation for the quiz you will be taking in class.

The Giver Quiz

Summer Reading

Hello students! I hope you are all enjoying your summer vacation, and that this has been a time of rest and refreshment for you. As we approach the end of July most of you should be starting your summer reading assignments in preparation for next school year. If you have already started I would be interested to hear how things are going. Are you enjoying the book(s)? When and where do you find it easiest to get some good reading done? What do your journal entries look like? Do you have any questions?

I look forward to hearing your responses and pray that the remainder of your summer vacation goes well.