Message to all classes...

Changes coming for fall...
As your teacher over this year, I have tried to prepare you for life outside the classroom and hopefully given you some life skills and "real world" application as well. One lesson you will need to learn in life is flexibility. We may not always like the changes that are thrown our way, but we learn to deal with them, hopefully gracefully. It is with a heavy heart that I say I will not be teaching most of you next year, but be assured that you are in expert hands. As I understand it I will be teaching 8th grade "regular" classes and welcome the opportunity to grow and learn the new Common Core standards that all ELA will be using this year. You may still use all resources on the sites I've given you. All the summer work you did (hopefully the reading) will not be wasted. Good luck as we approach the new year and continue to grow and learn all we can. You will be better for it and you have made me a better teacher having taught you.
With gratitude,
Ms. M., your "Captain"

Summer Reading: All PC classes!

Attention all PC classes...I will be emailing you instructions as soon as I put you all in a "group" email. For now, here are your basic directions:

Choice 1:  You may choose to read the following from Follett books online: http://masoncreek.dcm.schoolinsites.com/?PageName='Library'
You will need the username (masoncreek) and password (wolves).
6th grade (7th next year): If you choose to read from Follett I would like you to choose Mockingbird, Chains, The Luck of Buttons, or Hunger Games (if you've never read it). If you choose to use Follett instead of bookglutton.com, then you will need to make sure you can still log in to Moodle as your discussions will be posted there.
7th grade (8th grade next year): If you choose to read from Follett, I would like you to choose Mockingbird, Chains, or I highly suggest Ashes (it ties in with your SS curriculum).

Choice 2: Join me on bookglutton.com. You will need an invitation to do this...email or facebook with parent permission. I am testing this out as an online bookclub because it allows you to highlight, post questions, make observations right there on the screen. Once you receive your invite you will set up your own bookclub using your first initial and last name. You will invite me to join by either searching my group:

THE BOOK GODDESS: BOOK CLUB AND YOUNG ADULT NOVELS

or by email: tracymcneill@att.net.  (School related questions/emails only)

Many of the selections on here are higher level/high school reading, but some I think are in range. Take a look at the collection and let me know what you are interested in. I would suggest: Alice in Wonderland (with closer analysis/comparison and historical implications), Hamlet, Frankenstein, Dracula, The Count of Monte Cristo (a strong revenge theme here could be compared to Hamlet as well), War of the Worlds, Gift of the Magi, Little Women, Robinson Crusoe, Fall of the House of Usher (7th- if you had trouble with this in class you may want to choose it so you can help each other out), Time Machine, or How to Tell a Story- Mark Twain.

I don't want you stressing over this...it's only 1 book and many of them have AR tests so you will be one step closer to next year's goals. Talk to other friends in class and maybe pick the same books so you can discuss either on Moodle or on bookglutton.com

Email any questions and let me know if it works: tracymcneill@att.net
*I had to take "Chat" off of Cheetah due to some inappropriate use- you know who you are!*

- Ms. M.

Monday May 21, 2012

STANDARD: ELA7R1; ELA7W1
EQ: What do imagery and other literary devices add to a poem?
Warm-up: Go to http://englishhistory.net/keats/poetry/odeonagrecianurn.html and read the background and poem, "Ode on a Grecian Urn."
Lesson:
Go to http://www.archaeologychannel.org/content/video/ancgreece_300kW.html and watch "Pots Tell a Story." Then go to http://greece.mrdonn.org/vases.html and view other examples of Grecian Urns.
After viewing these, go to http://www.ancientgreece.co.uk/menu.html to see other examples.
Now, re-read Keat's poem and answer the following:
1. How did Greek artists tell their stories through art, pottery, or architecture?
2. What is the rhyme scheme of the first stanza? (you may use dictionary.com)
3. What images does Keat's use?
4. What metaphors can you find? What is he comparing?
5. What in the poem doesn't make sense?
6. One of the famous lines from the poem is: "Beauty is truth, truth beauty,- that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know." What do you think this line means? How could it relate to "real" life?

*When you have finished, shut down your computer and wait for video to begin. Turn in your work to the turn in tray.
Homework: Final is Friday- you will listen to a song, "Persephone," read a poem, read a short myth in your literature book, answer questions about the reading, and write several short journals. There will be no multiple choice- your test from last week counts as that test grade. Also, I will be assigning you some reading material over the break. You will be able to access these as ebooks online or some through bookglutton.com. Please check Cheetah Chat over the summer for more information. You will have writing assignments based on your summer reading when you return in August. We will also be using Moodle over the summer if you are interested in discussing/posting about your reading so make sure you can access it.

Don't "GET" the poem? Try these sources to help you...
http://voices.yahoo.com/an-analysis-ode-grecian-urn-national-poetry-2837397.html
http://www.enotes.com/ode-grecian-urn

Good luck on your final...we will be discussing Persephone, sharing your insight into Keat's poem, and toasting to change. Time allowing you can share your change poems (if you wish). Be looking for invites to our online book club for summer reading and sign the email list in class tomorrow.

Happy reading, writing, and many adventures to you this summer ;) It has been my pleasure (most of the time) being your captain.

-Mishaun ;)

7th grade: Adjective and adverb clauses

7th grade Language Arts
STANDARD: ELA7C1; ELA7R1; ELA7W1
EQ: What is the difference between and adjective/ adverb clause and phrase?

5/15/12    Directions: We've had a LONG break from grammar, but it's back...so...
1. Review the slideshare projects (top right on Cheetah Chat) on adjective and adverb phrases and clauses.
2. Go to http://quizlet.com/1860294/adjective-and-adverb-clauses-flash-cards/ and play the "Scatter" and "Space Race" game for adjective and adverb clauses.
3. Go to http://quizlet.com/44006/adjective-and-adverb-prepositional-phrases-flash-cards/ to review the differences between adjective and adverb phrases.
4. Go to http://www.englishgrammar.org/lessons/ (one of the BEST resources around) and review any grammar you feel you still "don't get."
5. Finish your homework assignment (casting the novel you read as a movie).

SUB PLAN:  5/16/12
EQ: What conventions do I still need to master?
  Final grammar quiz- your paper please. Homework: Journals must be complete by tomorrow, AR tests must be taken, and be prepared to share your "cast" for your movie version of your literature circle book.

5/17/12 Journal 1- "Looks can be deceiving"- Think of a story you have read where looks may have been deceiving. Think of a character who may have been beautiful on the outside, but shallow. Or a character who may not be the most georgeous, but has georgeous character traits- kindness for example. Then, agree or disagree with the following: You can/can't always judge a book by it's cover. (2-3 paragraphs)

5/17/12  Journal 2: Metamorphosis- Last year when you studied Greek mythology you were introduced to many stories, such as Baucis and Philemon, that featured several types of metamorphosis, or changes. You, as a seventh grader, may have undergone many metamorphosis even this year. Write 1/2 page on how you have changed this year. Try to think of changes other than just physical changes.

5/18/12  Toast for Change: Last year you wrote an "I am" poem for our narrative poetry unit. Re-read Journal 2 and reflect on how you have changed this year. Did you meet all your goals? Are there still aspects of your character you want to change? Write your "Toast for Change" on the handout given.

5/19/12 Change Poem: Fill in the blanks on the poem thinking of the ways that you have or would like to change. Please be honest. These will go in your portfolios, but only brave volunteers will share with the class. Due: Thursday

5/18/12  Read "Master Frog" pp. 637-643 in your Literature book. Answer questions #7 and #8 on p. 644 on your own paper.

6th grade MYTHOLOGY

Michael C. Carlos Museum (at Emory):
http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/GREECE/home.html

Video clips: Ancient Greece: http://videoclips.mrdonn.org/greekgods.html
http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=406BCD33-2C17-41A2-95D8-1519627FB045&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US


Which mythological figure are you? http://thewalters.org/exhibitions/heroes/quiz/

Greek gods/goddesses family tree: http://greece.mrdonn.org/greekgods/familytree.html
gods/goddesses museum: http://www.ancientgreece.co.uk/gods/explore/exp_set.html

Mt. Olympus and the 12 Olympians: http://greece.mrdonn.org/greekgods/mountolympus.html

Myths and Legends:
http://reading.pppst.com/myths.html

BEST MYTHOLOGY SITE:   http://www.theoi.com/
http://www.usefulcharts.com/history/greek-gods-chart.html
http://greekmythology.com/
http://www.mythweb.com/index.html
http://www.mythweb.com/teachers/index.html
http://www.mythweb.com/teachers/why/index.html
http://www.mythweb.com/teachers/learning/wrath/WrathGuide.pdf

3rd/5th period:

The Odyssey: http://greece.mrdonn.org/odyssey.html
Trojan Horse: http://greece.mrdonn.org/trojanwar.html
Odyssey game: http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~loxias/odchoice.htm

Greek interactive timeline: http://www.teachingandlearningresources.co.uk/greektimeline.html

Pots Tell the Story (Ancient Grecian art)
http://www.archaeologychannel.org/content/video/ancgreece_300kW.html
http://greece.mrdonn.org/vases.html

Make your own vase: http://www.schoolsliaison.org.uk/kids/preload.htm

Greek craft ideas: http://www.wartgames.com/crafts/greekgods.html

Online activities:
http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210200/ancient_greece/online_activities.htm

WRITING YOUR OWN MYTHS:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/mff/mythmachine.htm



http://greece.mrdonn.org/index.html

Major Greek gods/goddesses
http://greece.mrdonn.org/greekgods/index.html

Greek politics and government:
http://greece.mrdonn.org/government.html

Greek Jeopardy:
http://greece.mrdonn.org/powerpoints-jeopardy.html

Greek Games:
http://greece.mrdonn.org/index.html
http://greece.mrdonn.org/games.html
Symbol game: http://www.ancientgreece.co.uk/gods/challenge/cha_set.html

Greek Alphabet:
http://greece.mrdonn.org/alphabet.html

GREEK THEATER:
http://greece.mrdonn.org/theatre.html

More Greek myths:
http://greece.mrdonn.org/myths.html

Greek Museum: http://www.ancientgreece.co.uk/menu.html

BBC Greek information:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/ancient_greeks/

Edith Hamilton's mythology:
http://www.desy.de/gna/interpedia/greek_myth/story.html#Stories


Aesop's Fables:
http://www.wartgames.com/themes/aesop.html

6th grade MYTHOLOGY

http://www.usefulcharts.com/history/greek-gods-chart.html

7th grade: Literature circles

You may use these links to help you with your books:

The Borrowers:
http://www.easyfunschool.com/article2083.html
http://www.lessonindex.com/The_Borrowers_by_Mary_Norton.html

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making:
http://us.macmillan.com/thegirlwhocircumnavigatedfairylandinashipofherownmaking/CatherynneMValente

The Single Shard:
http://www.bookrags.com/lessonplan/a-single-shard/intro.html
http://www.merrybee.info/ba/single.html

The Absolutely True Story of a Part Time Indian:
http://www.enotes.com/absolutely-true-diary-part-time-indian

Links for Literature circles: 6th grade

More to come...
To Kill a Mockingbird:
http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Belmont_HS/tkm/
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/to-kill-a-mockingbird/at-a-glance.html
http://www.gradesaver.com/to-kill-a-mockingbird/

Pride and Prejudice:
http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/pride-and-prejudice.cfm

Wayside School:
http://www.louissachar.com/Wayside.htm

39 Clues:
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/curriculum-guide-39-clues-book-1-maze-bones

The Wave:
Holocaust Museum website
http://www.ushmm.org/

Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix:
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/harry-potter/reading/2698.html

Westing Game:
http://www.shmoop.com/westing-game/

Flipped:
http://www.amazon.com/Flipped-Wendelin-Van-Draanen/dp/0375811745

Scorpia:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/542414.Scorpia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTLz8-Ur2vk&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1

Travel Team:
http://books.google.com/books/about/Travel_Team.html?id=2MPND7Va03oC

Fahrenheit 451:
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/451/
http://www.raybradbury.com/

Reminders for ALL PC classes...

7th grade: Your final copies of your stories and collages are due on Friday- project grade. We must have these and begin your literature circles due to the upcoming field trip. Listen to announcements...I think there is an informational meeting for your parents this week.
Also remember to bring your literature circle books if you are not in The Wave, Flipped, or Single Shard group.

6th grade: Remember your literature circle books on Wednesday/Thursday- I do not see all classes Wed. due to testing so don't forget. If you do not have a class set book or one that I created (The Wave/Flipped), then I reserved some copies in the library- if they had them I pulled them under my name. They will check them out to you. Reminder that you can only have 2 books out...so...the one for my class should be one of them.
Also, begin brainstorming for your 6th grade survival guides- rubric, details, and deadlines later this week.

You (all classes) will have several in class/out of class projects before school is out:
7th- your writing is one project grade, literature circles are classwork/project grades, and we will have one other unit in May (To be discussed as a class). Also remember that the last two days of school are 1/2 days for finals...this is new this year.

6th- survival guide is a project grade, literature circles are classwork/project grade, and you will have a mythology project in class/at home the last three weeks of school. Also, your last two days (May 24-25) are 1/2 days for finals.

Now is not the time to tune out and turn off...time to get you ready for the next grade. Show me your best- haven't picked my honor's night students yet...will it be you?

"Naming of Names" comprehension quiz

—Suppose that Harry Bittering kept a journal on Mars. Write the entries he might have made about these developments:

—A. how he feels when he first looks around the Martian landscape

—What changes he notices in things and people

—Why he begins to build a rocket

—What he does and thinks during the picnic by the canal

—What he thinks when he leaves for the Martian villa

—Why he decides not to go back to the town

7th grade: SCIENCE FICTION PROJECT

You will be reading Ray Bradbury's "Naming of Names" in class and listening to three songs that are comparable in theme to his short story. The videos/lyrics are posted on Cheetah Chat. You will:
1. Read the story in class
2. Complete the in class activities
3. Create a short story of your own- rough draft due next WEDNESDAY. Your FINAL COPY with your COLLAGE
(#6 below) is due when we return from spring break.
4. Analyze one of the three songs in 2-3 paragraphs using direct quotes from the lyrics.
5. Compare/Contrast one of the songs or another that you know with the theme or setting that Bradbury creates.
6. Create a collage for your story using clipart, your own drawings, painting, magazine clippings, publisher, polyvore, or other software/mixed-media. Your collage should focus on your story's setting. Start gathering your items so you can "put it all together." Have it all ready for AUTHOR's CHAIR when we come back from spring break.

Check out what I did at Polyvore.com:
http://www.polyvore.com/playing_with_fire/set?id=45592193

EXTRA CREDIT: After you complete all of the above, you may choose two movies or a book and a movie and compare/contrast the following: characters, setting, conflict, theme. If you choose a book that also has a movie, critique the two using specific examples of both the strengths and weaknesses of each. Examples: War of the Worlds, Ender's Game, Martian Chronicles, Matched, 1984*, Brave New World*
(*mature- must have parent permission for these), and the ever popular- Hunger Games. You may also use the short story we read in class- "The Lottery"

Participle and Sentence Structure Help

The following link may help you with your homework and next CDA. We will continue work on this after the break as well as review of sentence structure.

Participles:
http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/participle.htm

Sentence Structure:
http://www.quia.com/rr/126726.html
GAME: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/english/spelling_grammar/language_structure/play.shtml
Quiz:  http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/cgi-shl/quiz.pl/sentence_types_quiz.htm

Verb tenses:
http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/grammar/tenses.html
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/601/01/
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbtenseintro.html

Keep at it!!!
Ms. M.

7th grade- 1/25/12

STANDARD: ELA7W2; ELA7R1
EQ: How can I use model text to help me understand sentence structure?
Warm up: Log in to Word
Lesson:
1. Type your "mock" writing- EDIT/REVISE, SAVE, PRINT- TURN IN!
2. Work on your ALEXANDER book; Use your project sheet guidelines
3. Work on your other project assignments (poetry, drama etc.)
Homework: ALEXANDER books due FRIDAY- don't forget to number pages, label sentences, and have an illustration per page.

1/26/12 CDA- if open; if not...lab time to work on project or book

1/27/12 Minis in class to work on research, poems, groups

Welcome Back!!! 7th grade only

We will be finishing your unit on technical writing and starting our unit on poetry/drama this week.

Monday January 8, 2012
STANDARD: ELA7W2
EQ: How is a resume' and example of technical writing? How is this relevant to the "real world?"
Warm up: get out your own resume' and log in to Word. Choose resume' template
Lesson: Resume'
Type your own resume' using the examples I gave you in class or the one I project on the screen. I will also post this on Moodle if you need to save/finish at home. We will have the mini computers today and tomorrow, but will also be starting your next project. Get ready!
Summary: Partner pair/share
Homework: bring in a self-addressed stamped envelope so we can mail your business letters; Check McNeill's Masterminds for links to help you in tomorrow's spelling bee.
*Reminder* Your next writing assessment will be January 18th through homeroom, but I will be scoring them for ideas, organization, style, and conventions. Good luck!!!

Tuesday January 9. 2012
SPELLING BEE!!!

Wednesday January 10, 2012
Poetry/Drama- notes/grammar
literary terms review

Thursday January 11, 2012
Poetry/Drama- reader's theater

Friday January 12, 2012
Review final
Notes quiz