Summer Reading

Summer is here!  

Congratulations on successfully finishing another school year, and a special congratulations to the graduating 8th graders.  All of you will be missed by the Saint Anne School community.  I hope you will stop by and visit us next year.

In the midst of all of the fun summer activities that all of you will be doing, I want to strongly encourage you to take the time to read while you are on vacation.  It is really important to continue to accelerate your reading and vocabulary by continuing to read over break.  Studies show that many students' Lexile (reading) level drops over the course of the summer due to lack of reading.

Summer Challenge and Assignment

All students must read and be prepared to discuss 1 book.  The summer challenge is a reading challenge to be completed over the summer.  The winner of the challenge will be awarded a $15 Gift Card.

The challenge has 2 options:

Option 1: Create a Graphic Novel or Comic Book of the story of one of the books from the list provided.

• The Comic book must contain:
• Colored illustrations
• Cover page
• All of the major events/dialogue in the story
• A logical sequence of events is presented
• Important details from the story are illustrated
• Demonstrate effort on part of the student
• All the pages of the book must be bound together
• Book must be at least 5 pages (front & back)

Option 2: Create a reading blog that documents your reading of one of the books from the list provided.

• The Reading Blog must contain:
•  At least 10 posts
• Each post should document the pages read in the book, what your reaction/feelings towards what you read, and discuss important/interesting points you came across in your reading
• The blog is meant to inform and interest others in the book. So, you should choose interesting aspects of the book to discuss and make connections to today's world/issues to discuss
• Pictures/music/videos that relate to the theme of the novel 
• Some points to discuss:
• Major characters (what do you think of them? What do you find interesting about them?)
• Major plot twists (how did the author create the twist?  Did you see the twist coming or was it surprising?)
• How does the setting of the story effect the story?
• How would you have handled the conflict that the character is facing?  
• Would you recommend this book to others?  Why or why not?
• What did you think of the ending?  How would you change the ending, if you could rewrite it? 

The best Graphic Novel and the Best Blog will be awarded.  So, there will be 2 winners for all of middle school!

Reading List (choose one of these books for your project)

Here is a link to the summer reading list:

http://smpl.org/Recommended_Reading.aspx

I look forward to seeing your creatively created blogs and graphic novels!

Link to the school website: www.saintanneschool.com

School interactive calender: http://www.saintanneschool.com/events/

School Twitter Feed:  @SAS1908

The best method to reach me is by e-mail: mmoussa@saintanneschool.com

Have a wonderful summer!
Mrs. Moussa

Easter Vacation Assignments/Grammar

Happy Easter Students and Parents,

I hope all of you had a blessed Easter holiday!

The following are the assignments for Easter vacation for grades 6th, 7th, and 8th for Easter Vacation.  

Homework Assignments for 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade

6th Grade: Outline and Rough Draft Due on Tuesday

6th grade is working on a Greek Methology essay and presentation that are due on Thursday, May 1st.  Over Easter break students must complete their outline and rough draft for the essay, and be ready for in-class peer editing on Tuesday.  

Here is an example of an outline - (students would need to fill in all the information about their chosen Greek God/Goddess into their own outline.)

Greek God/Goddess Outline

• Introduction
• Hook (focus of the entire essay).
• Background information, or possible statement on topic.
• State thesis statement.
• Include titles and authors of all texts you’ll use as evidence

• Body
• Three paragraphs
• Topic sentences at the beginning of paragraph.
• Examples, details and evidence from information you gathered.
• One paragraph per idea.

• Conclusion
• Briefly restate thesis.
• Hit key points (more than one sentence).
• Finish with a final thought (Use a personal thought without using “I think that…”)

• After completing the outline, transfer your information into a rough draft
• Make sure it is DOUBLE-SPACED!

7th Grade: 1-point perspective artwork due Tuesday

7th Grade is working on 1-point perspective artwork.  The completed artwork is due on Tuesday.  Also, All make-up assignments/quizzes need to be handed in/completed by Tuesday in order to receive credit.  All of the 7th grade students should complete the www.NoRedInk.com assignments online over break.  (See instructions on how to access NoRedInk below)

8th Grade: video/presentation for How-to Essay:

8th grade's how-to essays were due on Thursday, before break.  If you have not turned in your essay, Tuesday is the last day that I am accepting late assignments.  Students should practice and organize their presentations for their how-to assignment, or record their how-to videos that they will be playing for the class.  

Note: Very Important

Please remember, the week we return to school there will be NWEA Testing; therefore, it is important to review any skills/areas that the test results from previous exams have indicated that you need to strengthen.  An area that all middle school students need to work on is grammar.  Therefore, I have provided additional online grammar practice for students. 

• Go to www.noredink.com 
• Create a log in, using your e-mail address and create a password
• Once you are logged in, you will need the class code to get to the assignments/exercises I created.  
• Here are the class codes:
• 6th Grade: xamcww8x
• 7th Grade: hffmx44f
• 8th Grade: ee3ah3fx

• Once you enter the class code, you should be able to access all of the assigned practice
• Please make sure you read/listen to the tutorial before you begin the practice questions!

Have a wonderful week!
Mrs. Moussa
  

Poetry Anthology - Due Thursday 4/17/14

Poetry Anthology

The poetry anthology is due on Thursday 4/17/14.

Please see the earlier post for all of the directions for the poetry anthology project.  The bibliography will no longer be required as part of this project.

The following is an outline of how the anthology should be organized: 

1.  Cover – with illustrations related to the poems

By line – first and last name

2. Dedication – dedicate in 1 – 2 sentences

3. Table of Contents – list the items in the book and their page numbers.  Example of a table of contents:

Table of Contents

Ogden Nash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Pg. 3

“Poet's Title” . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . Pg. 4 - 6

4. 1^st Poet page – include poet’s biography (1-2 paragraphs)

• Short life story of poet, include:
• birth date and place
• family life
• education
• career highlights/awards
• what they were famous for

5. Poem#1 - 

• Type poem using the same format as the poet
• 1-2 paragraphs explaining the poet's tools (use notes from class to help you write this paragraph)
• 1-2 sentences about the tone of the poem:
• How the poem makes you feel
• What is the poet's attitude/feeling conveyed in the poem?
• What in the poem led you to feel that this is the tone of the poem? (Use evidence-quotes from poem)
  

6. Poem#2 - (Same as above)

7. Poem#3 - (Same as above)

8. 2^nd Poet Page- (repeat all of the above steps)

9. Poem#1

10. Poem#2

11. Poem#3

12. 3rd Poet Page - (repeat all of the above steps)

13. Poem#1

14. Poem#2

15. Poem#3

The Giver Test this Friday

Dear parents and students,

There will be a test on The Giver this Friday.  The students were notified of the test last Thursday (3/27/14).  The test will be comprised of multiple-choice questions covering the entire novel.

The students will also be turning in all of their Giver packets for a cumulative project grade for that novel.  This is due Thursday, April 10th.

Current 7th Grade Poetry Anthology Project

Hello parents and students,

Here is the current poetry anthology project that we are working on in 7th Grade during reading.  So far, the students have chosen three poets from the list provided, and collected 3 poems for each poet (9 total).  Currently, the students have been assigned to identify metaphors and similes in their poems.

Poetry Anthology – Final Project for Unit 5

Your assignment is to create your own anthology of poetry. You are the editor of this anthology — the person who chooses the poems and puts the book together. The lesson involves looking closely at poems and learning about tools that poets use to help readers see images and to convey ideas in poems. You will also develop research skills and will create additional materials.  All this is part of being a good editor.
Your anthology will be illustrated. You may draw, select photos, or use images from greeting cards, calendars, magazines or other sources to decorate your books. Your anthology will be a personal collection that expresses your unique personality and taste. Work and planning can take place evenings and weekends. Remember, this is not a one-night or one-week assignment. It is a process of reading and choosing, of preparing to create a collection that reflects who you are. Have fun with it!
You will write short biographies for each of the three poets you choose, telling a little about their lives in your own words. Poets often write from their experiences. Knowing about the lives of poets can help you to understand their poems in a deeper way.
Your anthology must have page numbers in the lower right corner of each page (excluding the cover). Please use the numeral only — no parentheses, "page", "p." or "pg.," and no period (.) following the numeral

ANTHOLOGY

Cover (5 pts.)
Design a cover using a drawing, photos or other images. Include on the cover the book's title, and the name of the author and illustrator.
Dedication (5 pts.)
The dedication is a line acknowledging to or for whom the book was created. Sometimes dedications offer a few words of thanks.
Table of Contents (30 pts.)
List the book's chapters and the poems within them. Include page numbers to tell the
reader where chapters begin and poems appear. Also list the special sections at the
back of the book, like the bibliography (these are usually called
"Appendices").
Poet Pages (20 pts.)
You will choose 3 poets for your anthology. For each, you will write a brief biographical sketch of 5-7 sentences. Then, write 3-5 sentences about why you chose this particular poet to be part of your personal anthology. Give some examples of lines or words you like from the poems you've chosen. Include a picture of the poet, if you can find one — or draw one yourself, if you can find a photo to guide you.

Poetry Pages (20 pts.)
Use each poet's page to begin a section of poems written by that poet. Include three poems by each poet, one per page. Beneath each poem, include the following:

Tone. Write a sentence or two about the tone of the poem. A simple definition of tone is "a way of saying"; the tone of a poem reflects the attitude of the poet toward what or whom the poem addresses. In considering this, you can ask yourself how the poem makes you feel. How do you think the poet felt when he or she wrote the poem? Try to find a few words or phrases that describe the tone of the poem. Consider whether the tone changes throughout the poem or remains the same.

Poet's Tools. We've learned about various tools poets use to make poems rich and vivid, and to convey meaning and ideas. Find and record at least two places in the poem where a poet uses a special tool or "literary device," such as personification, hyperbole, alliteration, metaphor or simile. Think and write about the effect.

Bibliography (20 pts.)
List the sources you used to write the book.
Web resources:
Academy of American Poets
Favorite Poem Project
Bartleby's - Search by verse, anthology or volume.
Bibliomania - Select "Poetry" from the "Choose a section" pull down menu and the poet from the "Choose" pull down menu.
CMU Poetry Index
Thirty Poets from Gale Group
Representative Poetry On-Line - Search by title, first line, keyword or poet's last name. Also features a timeline and glossary of poetic terms.

List of Authors to Choose From:

·        E.E. Cummings (“Just”)

·        Shel Silverstein (“Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out”)

·        Lewis Carrol  “Father William”

·        Robert Frost (“Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening”)

·        Sandra Cisneros (“Four Skinny Trees”) pg. 230

·        Walt Whitman (“Miracles”) pg. 228

·        Ogden Nash (“The Hippopotamus”) pg. 383

Current Writing Assignments/Projects

Hello parents and students,

The following are the current writing assignments/projects that we are working on in the middle school classes.  These writing assignments are currently in progress, the classes are working through the writing process; therefore, the deadline for the writing assignments will be announced in class, once I feel the students are ready for their final drafts.

6th Grade:

Sixth grade is currently working on a compare-and-contrast essay.  The students were asked to compare-and-contrast two characters that we have read about in the reading book.  The students are comparing and contrasting the characters' successes, failures, personalities, backgrounds, etc.

The writing process that the students are currently working on is:

1. Venn diagram
2. Outline - to organize ideas
3. Elaboration and use of textual evidence 
4. Rough draft
5. Final draft

7th & 8th Grade:

Seventh graders are working on creating a short story narrative.  The 7th grade students were given the writing prompt:

"How are we going to get out of here?"  Tom asked Kate

"I'm not sure," replied Kate, "But we'll have to hurry."

The students have created plot diagrams for their short stories, and created characterization diagrams that depict the main characters' physical attributes, personalities, and background information.  Currently, students are working on depicting the settings for their short stories.  The final short stories will be five pages, typed and double-spaced.

The 8th Grade students were given the writing prompt of using a painting of Edward Hopper on page 85 of their Grammar textbook as inspiration for the short story they create.  They are following the same writing process as the 7th grade class.

Thank you,

Mrs. Moussa