Monday, April 27, 2009
Story...
When I was a tiny little scruffy thing, and we first met, it was love at first sight for both of us. She picked me up out of my cage full of other bum chi's who were stepping on me and held me so tight I fell right asleep. I knew she would keep me safe and warm, and she has. One thing she used to do when I was little was sing to me. She still does it, not as often, but I do love to listen to her lullaby's. I always fall asleep when she sings. Who am I kidding, I fall asleep all the time.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Sonnet Number 18
Shakespeare was considered a great writer of the Sonnet. One of his most famous sonnets is Sonnet number 18...
Read it and see how it can compare to something in your life, or someone you know!
William Shakespeare - Sonnet #18
Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And Summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And oft' is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd:
But thy eternal Summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wanderest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Read it and see how it can compare to something in your life, or someone you know!
William Shakespeare - Sonnet #18
Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And Summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And oft' is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd:
But thy eternal Summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wanderest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Favorite Poets
Some of my favorite poets are Langston Hughes, Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Frost, John Keates, W. B. Yeates, Emily Dickinson, Shakespeare.
Poetry...
These are all the different types of poetry. We will only be exploring a few specific types.
ABC
A poem that has five lines that create a mood, picture, or feeling. Lines 1 through 4 are made up of words, phrases or clauses while the first word of each line is in alphabetical order. Line 5 is one sentence long and begins with any letter.
Acrostic
Poetry that certain letters, usually the first in each line form a word or message when read in a sequence.
Ballad
A poem that tells a story similar to a folk tail or legend which often has a repeated refrain.
Ballade
Poetry which has three stanzas of seven, eight or ten lines and a shorter final stanza of four or five. All stanzas end with the same one line refrain.
Blank verse
A poem written in unrhymed iambic pentameter and is often unobtrusive. The iambic pentameter form often resembles the rhythms of speech.
Bio
A poem written about one self's life, personality traits, and ambitions.
Burlesque
Poetry that treats a serious subject as humor.
Canzone
Medieval Italian lyric style poetry with five or six stanzas and a shorter ending stanza.
Carpe diem
Latin expression that means 'seize the day.' Carpe diem poems have a theme of living for today.
Cinquain
Poetry with five lines. Line 1 has one word (the title). Line 2 has two words that describe the title. Line 3 has three words that tell the action. Line 4 has four words that express the feeling, and line 5 has one word which recalls the title.
Classicism
Poetry which holds the principles and ideals of beauty that are characteristic of Greek and Roman art, architecture, and literature.
Couplet
A couplet has rhyming stanzas made up of two lines.
Dramatic monologue
A type of poem which is spoken to a listener. The speaker addresses a specific topic while the listener unwittingly reveals details about him/herself.
Elegy
A sad and thoughtful poem about the death of an individual.
Epic
An extensive, serious poem that tells the story about a heroic figure.
Epigram
A very short, ironic and witty poem usually written as a brief couplet or quatrain. The term is derived from the Greek epigramma meaning inscription.
Epitaph
A commemorative inscription on a tomb or mortuary monument written to praise the deceased.
Epithalamium (Epithalamion)
A poem written in honor of the bride and groom.
Free verse (vers libre)
Poetry written in either rhyme or unrhymed lines that have no set fixed metrical pattern.
Ghazal
A short lyrical poem that arose in Urdu. It is between 5 and 15 couplets long. Each couplet contains its own poetic thought but is linked in rhyme that is established in the first couplet and continued in the second line of each pair. The lines of each couplet are equal in length. Themes are usually connected to love and romance. The closing signature often includes the poet's name or allusion to it.
Haiku
A Japanese poem composed of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five morae, usually containing a season word.
Horatian ode
Short lyric poem written in two or four-line stanzas, each with its the same metrical pattern, often addressed to a friend and deal with friendship, love and the practice of poetry. It is named after its creator, Horace.
Iambic pentameter
One short syllabel followed by one long one five sets in a row. Example: la-LAH la-LAH la-LAH la-LAH la-LAH
Idyll (Idyl)
Poetry that either depicts a peaceful, idealized country scene or a long poem telling a story about heroes of a bye gone age.
Irregular (Pseudo-Pindaric or Cowleyan) ode
Neither the three part form of the pindaric ode nor the two or four-line stanza of the Horatian ode. It is characterized by irregularity of verse and structure and lack of coorespondence between the parts.
Italian sonnet
A sonnet consisting of an octave with the rhyme pattern abbaabba followed by six lines with a rhyme pattern of cdecde or cdcdcd.
Lay
A long narrative poem, especially one that was sung by medieval minstrels.
Limerick
A short sometimes vulgar, humorous poem consisting of five anapestic lines. Lines 1, 2, and 5 have seven to ten syllables, rhyme and have the same verbal rhythm. The 3rd and 4th lines have five to seven syllables, rhyme and have the same rhythm.
List
A poem that is made up of a list of items or events. It can be any length and rhymed or unrhymed.
Lyric
A poem that expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet.
Memoriam stanza
A quatrain in iambic tetrameter with a rhyme scheme of abba -- named after the pattern used by Lord Tennyson.
Name
Poetry that tells about the word. It uses the letters of the word for the first letter of each line.
Narrative
A poem that tells a story.
Ode
A lengthy lyric poem typically of a serious or meditative nature and having an elevated style and formal stanza structure.
Pastoral
A poem that depicts rural life in a peaceful, romanticized way.
Petrarchan
A 14-line sonnet consisting of an octave rhyming abbaabba followed by a sestet of cddcee or cdecde
Pindaric ode
A ceremonious poem consisting of a strophe (two or more lines repeated as a unit) followed by a an antistrophe with the same metrical pattern and concluding with a summary line (an epode) in a different meter. Named after Pindar, a Greek professional lyrist of the 5th century B.C.
Quatrain
A stanza or poem consisting of four lines. Lines 2 and 4 must rhyme while having a similar number of syllables.
Rhyme
A rhyming poem has the repetition of the same or similar sounds of two or more words, often at the end of the line.
Rhyme royal
A type of poetry consisting of stanzas having seven lines in iambic pentameter.
Romanticism
A poem about nature and love while having emphasis on the personal experience.
Rondeau
A lyrical poem of French origin having 10 or 13 lines with two rhymes and with the opening phrase repeated twice as the refrain.
Senryu
A short Japanese style poem, similar to haiku in structure that treats human beings rather than nature: Often in a humorous or satiric way.
Sestina
A poem consisting of six six-line stanzas and a three-line envoy. The end words of the first stanza are repeated in varied order as end words in the other stanzas and also recur in the envoy.
Shakespearean
A 14-line sonnet consisting of three quatrains of abab cdcd efef followed by a couplet, gg. Shakespearean sonnets generally use iambic pentameter.
Shape
Poetry written in the shape or form of an object.
Sonnet
A lyric poem that consists of 14 lines which usually have one or more conventional rhyme schemes.
Tanka
A Japanese poem of five lines, the first and third composed of five syllables and the other seven.
Terza Rima
A type of poetry consisting of 10 or 11 syllable lines arranged in three-line tercets.
Verse
A single metrical line of poetry.
Villanelle
A 19-line poem consisting of five tercets and a final quatrain on two rhymes. The first and third lines of the first tercet repeat alternately as a refrain closing the succeeding stanzas and joined as the final couplet of the quatrain.
ABC
A poem that has five lines that create a mood, picture, or feeling. Lines 1 through 4 are made up of words, phrases or clauses while the first word of each line is in alphabetical order. Line 5 is one sentence long and begins with any letter.
Acrostic
Poetry that certain letters, usually the first in each line form a word or message when read in a sequence.
Ballad
A poem that tells a story similar to a folk tail or legend which often has a repeated refrain.
Ballade
Poetry which has three stanzas of seven, eight or ten lines and a shorter final stanza of four or five. All stanzas end with the same one line refrain.
Blank verse
A poem written in unrhymed iambic pentameter and is often unobtrusive. The iambic pentameter form often resembles the rhythms of speech.
Bio
A poem written about one self's life, personality traits, and ambitions.
Burlesque
Poetry that treats a serious subject as humor.
Canzone
Medieval Italian lyric style poetry with five or six stanzas and a shorter ending stanza.
Carpe diem
Latin expression that means 'seize the day.' Carpe diem poems have a theme of living for today.
Cinquain
Poetry with five lines. Line 1 has one word (the title). Line 2 has two words that describe the title. Line 3 has three words that tell the action. Line 4 has four words that express the feeling, and line 5 has one word which recalls the title.
Classicism
Poetry which holds the principles and ideals of beauty that are characteristic of Greek and Roman art, architecture, and literature.
Couplet
A couplet has rhyming stanzas made up of two lines.
Dramatic monologue
A type of poem which is spoken to a listener. The speaker addresses a specific topic while the listener unwittingly reveals details about him/herself.
Elegy
A sad and thoughtful poem about the death of an individual.
Epic
An extensive, serious poem that tells the story about a heroic figure.
Epigram
A very short, ironic and witty poem usually written as a brief couplet or quatrain. The term is derived from the Greek epigramma meaning inscription.
Epitaph
A commemorative inscription on a tomb or mortuary monument written to praise the deceased.
Epithalamium (Epithalamion)
A poem written in honor of the bride and groom.
Free verse (vers libre)
Poetry written in either rhyme or unrhymed lines that have no set fixed metrical pattern.
Ghazal
A short lyrical poem that arose in Urdu. It is between 5 and 15 couplets long. Each couplet contains its own poetic thought but is linked in rhyme that is established in the first couplet and continued in the second line of each pair. The lines of each couplet are equal in length. Themes are usually connected to love and romance. The closing signature often includes the poet's name or allusion to it.
Haiku
A Japanese poem composed of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five morae, usually containing a season word.
Horatian ode
Short lyric poem written in two or four-line stanzas, each with its the same metrical pattern, often addressed to a friend and deal with friendship, love and the practice of poetry. It is named after its creator, Horace.
Iambic pentameter
One short syllabel followed by one long one five sets in a row. Example: la-LAH la-LAH la-LAH la-LAH la-LAH
Idyll (Idyl)
Poetry that either depicts a peaceful, idealized country scene or a long poem telling a story about heroes of a bye gone age.
Irregular (Pseudo-Pindaric or Cowleyan) ode
Neither the three part form of the pindaric ode nor the two or four-line stanza of the Horatian ode. It is characterized by irregularity of verse and structure and lack of coorespondence between the parts.
Italian sonnet
A sonnet consisting of an octave with the rhyme pattern abbaabba followed by six lines with a rhyme pattern of cdecde or cdcdcd.
Lay
A long narrative poem, especially one that was sung by medieval minstrels.
Limerick
A short sometimes vulgar, humorous poem consisting of five anapestic lines. Lines 1, 2, and 5 have seven to ten syllables, rhyme and have the same verbal rhythm. The 3rd and 4th lines have five to seven syllables, rhyme and have the same rhythm.
List
A poem that is made up of a list of items or events. It can be any length and rhymed or unrhymed.
Lyric
A poem that expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet.
Memoriam stanza
A quatrain in iambic tetrameter with a rhyme scheme of abba -- named after the pattern used by Lord Tennyson.
Name
Poetry that tells about the word. It uses the letters of the word for the first letter of each line.
Narrative
A poem that tells a story.
Ode
A lengthy lyric poem typically of a serious or meditative nature and having an elevated style and formal stanza structure.
Pastoral
A poem that depicts rural life in a peaceful, romanticized way.
Petrarchan
A 14-line sonnet consisting of an octave rhyming abbaabba followed by a sestet of cddcee or cdecde
Pindaric ode
A ceremonious poem consisting of a strophe (two or more lines repeated as a unit) followed by a an antistrophe with the same metrical pattern and concluding with a summary line (an epode) in a different meter. Named after Pindar, a Greek professional lyrist of the 5th century B.C.
Quatrain
A stanza or poem consisting of four lines. Lines 2 and 4 must rhyme while having a similar number of syllables.
Rhyme
A rhyming poem has the repetition of the same or similar sounds of two or more words, often at the end of the line.
Rhyme royal
A type of poetry consisting of stanzas having seven lines in iambic pentameter.
Romanticism
A poem about nature and love while having emphasis on the personal experience.
Rondeau
A lyrical poem of French origin having 10 or 13 lines with two rhymes and with the opening phrase repeated twice as the refrain.
Senryu
A short Japanese style poem, similar to haiku in structure that treats human beings rather than nature: Often in a humorous or satiric way.
Sestina
A poem consisting of six six-line stanzas and a three-line envoy. The end words of the first stanza are repeated in varied order as end words in the other stanzas and also recur in the envoy.
Shakespearean
A 14-line sonnet consisting of three quatrains of abab cdcd efef followed by a couplet, gg. Shakespearean sonnets generally use iambic pentameter.
Shape
Poetry written in the shape or form of an object.
Sonnet
A lyric poem that consists of 14 lines which usually have one or more conventional rhyme schemes.
Tanka
A Japanese poem of five lines, the first and third composed of five syllables and the other seven.
Terza Rima
A type of poetry consisting of 10 or 11 syllable lines arranged in three-line tercets.
Verse
A single metrical line of poetry.
Villanelle
A 19-line poem consisting of five tercets and a final quatrain on two rhymes. The first and third lines of the first tercet repeat alternately as a refrain closing the succeeding stanzas and joined as the final couplet of the quatrain.
Monday, April 6, 2009
News Reports
Hey Gals and Guys!
The unit we are working on is news reports. There are certain ways to write news reports. The basic outline is WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, DETAILS and QUOTES. In your news report, you can and must include all of these details. Some of them are going to be included in the information you note, but you need to pay attention to what you are getting in your outline. Each outline can be easily turned into a news report in a few simple steps! Make sure you are writing each night!
The unit we are working on is news reports. There are certain ways to write news reports. The basic outline is WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, DETAILS and QUOTES. In your news report, you can and must include all of these details. Some of them are going to be included in the information you note, but you need to pay attention to what you are getting in your outline. Each outline can be easily turned into a news report in a few simple steps! Make sure you are writing each night!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Editorial
Aim: Students will be working on their editorials for their portfolios.
Topic: Editorial Writing
Topics of discussion:
1. Someone you look up to
2. Sports
3. Video Games
4. Fashion
5. Shopping
6. Dogs
7. People
8. Vacation Spots
9. Places
10. Parties
11. Movies
12. Music
13. Television Shows
14. Books
15. Technology
16. Culture
17. Countries
18.
Topic: Editorial Writing
Topics of discussion:
1. Someone you look up to
2. Sports
3. Video Games
4. Fashion
5. Shopping
6. Dogs
7. People
8. Vacation Spots
9. Places
10. Parties
11. Movies
12. Music
13. Television Shows
14. Books
15. Technology
16. Culture
17. Countries
18.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Persuasive Essay
Hey guys!
We are working on our draft persuasive essays!
Here are some topics that you guys said you wanted to work on:
1. Adoption
2. Global Warming
3. Drugs
4. Gangs
5. Smoking
6. Alcohol
7. Music and Violence
8. Racism
9. Economy
10. Child Labor
11. Weight Loss and health
12. Charities.
13. Homeless
14. Pollution
15. Animal Abuse
16. Child Abuse
17. Video Game
18. Peer Pressure
19. War
20. Military
21. Price of Gasoline
22. Animals becoming Extinct
23. Foster Children
24. Smoking
25. Sports
26. Starvation
27. More jobs/stronger economy
28. Saving the Enviromnent
29. Wildfires
30. Crime
31. Gossip
These topics are all up for grabs. If
We are working on our draft persuasive essays!
Here are some topics that you guys said you wanted to work on:
1. Adoption
2. Global Warming
3. Drugs
4. Gangs
5. Smoking
6. Alcohol
7. Music and Violence
8. Racism
9. Economy
10. Child Labor
11. Weight Loss and health
12. Charities.
13. Homeless
14. Pollution
15. Animal Abuse
16. Child Abuse
17. Video Game
18. Peer Pressure
19. War
20. Military
21. Price of Gasoline
22. Animals becoming Extinct
23. Foster Children
24. Smoking
25. Sports
26. Starvation
27. More jobs/stronger economy
28. Saving the Enviromnent
29. Wildfires
30. Crime
31. Gossip
These topics are all up for grabs. If
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Portfolio Work
So, here it goes.
You have a portfolio, due in June.
You have *4* pieces to put in it in addition to 25 books and summaries.
The following are the genres of writing we have to do;
Persuasive Essay
Narrative Account
Narrative Procedure
Report of Information
In these types of work, there are definite formats that we have to follow. I will give you examples that you can follow, but you cannot copy them and use them for your portfolio.
The topics of these pieces of writing can be entirely up to you unless I specify something else.
You have a portfolio, due in June.
You have *4* pieces to put in it in addition to 25 books and summaries.
The following are the genres of writing we have to do;
Persuasive Essay
Narrative Account
Narrative Procedure
Report of Information
In these types of work, there are definite formats that we have to follow. I will give you examples that you can follow, but you cannot copy them and use them for your portfolio.
The topics of these pieces of writing can be entirely up to you unless I specify something else.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Parts of Speech Review
Simile
Metaphor
Hyperbole
Alliteration
Personification
Idiom
Oxymoron
Onomatopoeia
The following are words you *need* to review for the exam!
Simile - a figure of speech comparing two things that are not normally put together using the words like and as. Her hair was yellow like gold. She was as light as a feather. He ran like the wind. The kitten was as small as my fist. Her hair was as soft as silk.
Metaphor - a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance, as in “all the world’s a stage” “the streets are paved with gold” “The road was a ribbon of moonlight.”
Alliteration – Words in a sentence all starting with the same sound, for example, Peter Piper picked a pack of pickled peppers. She sells sea shells by the seashore.
Personification - When a writer gives human traits to an inanimate object. Such as the teapot and teacup and clock in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. This also applies to animals since they do not speak and have the same characteristics as humans.
Hyperbole - an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as “to wait an eternity.” More examples are These books weigh a ton. (These books are heavy.)
I could sleep for a year. (I could sleep for a long time.)
He must have jumped a mile into the air. (He jumped very high into the air.)
I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse. (I'm so hungry, I could eat a lot.)
I'm doing like 15 trillion things right now. (I'm busy.)
Oxymoron - a figure of speech by which a locution produces an incongruous, seemingly self-contradictory effect, as in “cruel kindness” or “to make haste slowly.” Long shorts, jumbo shrimp, hurry up and wait.
Idiom - an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements, as kick the bucket or hang one's head, or from the general grammatical rules of a language, as the table round for the round table, and that is not a constituent of a larger expression of like characteristics. For example, kick the bucket means a person died and I could eat a horse, means I am hungry. My mouth is dry like a desert. That means my mouth is dry.
Onomatopoeia - the formation of a word, as cuckoo or boom, by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent, a word so formed, rhetoric. the use of imitative and naturally suggestive words for rhetorical effect.
Examples: tick tock, ring ring, snooze, bark, meow, moo, drip, choo choo.
Metaphor
Hyperbole
Alliteration
Personification
Idiom
Oxymoron
Onomatopoeia
The following are words you *need* to review for the exam!
Simile - a figure of speech comparing two things that are not normally put together using the words like and as. Her hair was yellow like gold. She was as light as a feather. He ran like the wind. The kitten was as small as my fist. Her hair was as soft as silk.
Metaphor - a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance, as in “all the world’s a stage” “the streets are paved with gold” “The road was a ribbon of moonlight.”
Alliteration – Words in a sentence all starting with the same sound, for example, Peter Piper picked a pack of pickled peppers. She sells sea shells by the seashore.
Personification - When a writer gives human traits to an inanimate object. Such as the teapot and teacup and clock in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. This also applies to animals since they do not speak and have the same characteristics as humans.
Hyperbole - an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as “to wait an eternity.” More examples are These books weigh a ton. (These books are heavy.)
I could sleep for a year. (I could sleep for a long time.)
He must have jumped a mile into the air. (He jumped very high into the air.)
I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse. (I'm so hungry, I could eat a lot.)
I'm doing like 15 trillion things right now. (I'm busy.)
Oxymoron - a figure of speech by which a locution produces an incongruous, seemingly self-contradictory effect, as in “cruel kindness” or “to make haste slowly.” Long shorts, jumbo shrimp, hurry up and wait.
Idiom - an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements, as kick the bucket or hang one's head, or from the general grammatical rules of a language, as the table round for the round table, and that is not a constituent of a larger expression of like characteristics. For example, kick the bucket means a person died and I could eat a horse, means I am hungry. My mouth is dry like a desert. That means my mouth is dry.
Onomatopoeia - the formation of a word, as cuckoo or boom, by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent, a word so formed, rhetoric. the use of imitative and naturally suggestive words for rhetorical effect.
Examples: tick tock, ring ring, snooze, bark, meow, moo, drip, choo choo.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Today
You guys took a practice ELA. I hope that it has almed your nerves for the coming test next week.
Make sure you are reviewing sequencing and poetry.
See you tomorrow!
Make sure you are reviewing sequencing and poetry.
See you tomorrow!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Poetry Rhyming Sequence
You guys asked today how to determine the rhyming sequence of a poem. There are a few types of sequences that you can review, AB, AAB, ABBA, etc.
Make sure that you read the poem looking for the subject and all of the key points in the story. The poems that you will probably have on the exam are going to be narratives. These poems will contain stories and you need to be able to find out the important details so that you can answer the questions with ease.
Make sure that you review the information that is down below on the blog so you can see what you are looking for :)
Make sure that you read the poem looking for the subject and all of the key points in the story. The poems that you will probably have on the exam are going to be narratives. These poems will contain stories and you need to be able to find out the important details so that you can answer the questions with ease.
Make sure that you review the information that is down below on the blog so you can see what you are looking for :)
Sequencing
Today we learned about sequencing. Remember that sequencing is a turn of events in a story that happens from beginning to end. On the ELA, we will be asked questions that involve putting events in order. Make sure you check back against the story to see how the events occurred.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Homework 620
620 Homework.
Think about Rigo in the story. How does he cact at the beginning of the story? What happens to make him change? How does he act at the end of the story? Use details from the story to support your answer.
In your answer, be sure to include the following:
How Rigo acts at the beginning of the story...
What happens to make Rigo change...
How Rigo acts at the end of the story...
Details from the story to support your answer.
Please do this in your notebook and skip lines. Please be careful of grammar and spelling.
Have a great weekend!
Think about Rigo in the story. How does he cact at the beginning of the story? What happens to make him change? How does he act at the end of the story? Use details from the story to support your answer.
In your answer, be sure to include the following:
How Rigo acts at the beginning of the story...
What happens to make Rigo change...
How Rigo acts at the end of the story...
Details from the story to support your answer.
Please do this in your notebook and skip lines. Please be careful of grammar and spelling.
Have a great weekend!
Taking Notes
Today we focused on taking notes in 620 and 621.
The name of the story is "The Bat in the Refrigerator" by Jean Craighead George.
We listened for important information about the bat, why she was in the fridge, her name and other important details. After this, we answered the three short answer questions that went along with the passage.
The questions included a graphic organizer, and two short answers. The graphic organizer focused on sequence. When in the story did certain things occur. The second question, short answer focused on a certain word, WHY. When you answer the question, you *need* to put in details. The second short answer question also focuses on WHY. This question asks you also to put in details from the story to support your answer.
This is WHY you need to take awesome notes. Make sure you go back to your notebook and focus on the different types of note taking skills that we worked on!
I know you guys are doing a great job on the note taking skills. Please continue to review the blog later and over the weekend for more updates!
The name of the story is "The Bat in the Refrigerator" by Jean Craighead George.
We listened for important information about the bat, why she was in the fridge, her name and other important details. After this, we answered the three short answer questions that went along with the passage.
The questions included a graphic organizer, and two short answers. The graphic organizer focused on sequence. When in the story did certain things occur. The second question, short answer focused on a certain word, WHY. When you answer the question, you *need* to put in details. The second short answer question also focuses on WHY. This question asks you also to put in details from the story to support your answer.
This is WHY you need to take awesome notes. Make sure you go back to your notebook and focus on the different types of note taking skills that we worked on!
I know you guys are doing a great job on the note taking skills. Please continue to review the blog later and over the weekend for more updates!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Poetry
Today, we reviewed some poetry of Robert Frost.
The titles of these poems are;
Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening, The Road Not Taken, Nothing Gold Can Stay, The Pasture.
These poems are pretty easy to figure out. Some clues to reading poetry is to read the poems like stories. If you can read the poems like that you can see that we can find plot, characters, setting, and lots of other goodies. Poetry also includes mood and ideas and you can find that stuff by reading the poems carefully.
We analyzed The Road Not Taken and you guys just figured what the poem meant by just reading it. It also brought us into an awesome discussion about life and how decisions shape our lives.
You guys are definitely getting the hang of it! Keep checking the blog for some more tips :)
The titles of these poems are;
Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening, The Road Not Taken, Nothing Gold Can Stay, The Pasture.
These poems are pretty easy to figure out. Some clues to reading poetry is to read the poems like stories. If you can read the poems like that you can see that we can find plot, characters, setting, and lots of other goodies. Poetry also includes mood and ideas and you can find that stuff by reading the poems carefully.
We analyzed The Road Not Taken and you guys just figured what the poem meant by just reading it. It also brought us into an awesome discussion about life and how decisions shape our lives.
You guys are definitely getting the hang of it! Keep checking the blog for some more tips :)
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Multiple Choice Strategies
Multiple Choice Questions are hard. A couple of tricks that I use to help myself are the following. If you are comfortable using them, please do.
Read questions First
Read Answers
Read Documents
Narrow down IMPOSSIBLE choices and cross them out.
See how many possible answers you have and then check them against the story. Most times you can get the correct answer when you read the story.
Pick answer and check again!
Read questions First
Read Answers
Read Documents
Narrow down IMPOSSIBLE choices and cross them out.
See how many possible answers you have and then check them against the story. Most times you can get the correct answer when you read the story.
Pick answer and check again!
Taking Notes
Note Taking is a big deal, especially when that is all you have to rely on.
What does a good listener write down when taking notes?
Main Characters
Emotions and Feelings
Traits
Relationships and
Problems
Big events - Plot
Changes in Character
Problems
Obstacles
Plot
Lessons Learned
Character
Supporting Characters
When you take your notes, you can use graphic organizers to help you. I would make a T-Chart and mark first and second time. You can fill in the G.O. on the left for the first time you are read to and then the side of the T on the right, you can fill in when you are read to the second time. This will help you not take the same notes twice and really be able to pay attention.
What does a good listener write down when taking notes?
Main Characters
Emotions and Feelings
Traits
Relationships and
Problems
Big events - Plot
Changes in Character
Problems
Obstacles
Plot
Lessons Learned
Character
Supporting Characters
When you take your notes, you can use graphic organizers to help you. I would make a T-Chart and mark first and second time. You can fill in the G.O. on the left for the first time you are read to and then the side of the T on the right, you can fill in when you are read to the second time. This will help you not take the same notes twice and really be able to pay attention.
Essay Writing
Whether you are writing an essay or a short answer, the format is always the same.
After you read the question, you remember the B&B.
First, you outline with your boxes and bullets!
There are, generally, three questions that you will be asked to answer: Why, The Parts of and When.
So, lets use my example of shopping:
Times when I like to shop:
1. When I am sad
2. When I want to get out of the house
3. When I need or want something new.
Why I love to shop:
1. So I can get something new
2. So I can feel better.
3. I can find fun things.
Parts of shopping I love
1. Shoes
2. Clothing
3. Pocketbooks
4. Sales
5. Spending time with my friends.
Now, each essay will start by you restating the question you are answering.
Example: I love shopping because....
In an essay, you start with the introduction. Each sentence will be the first sentence of the paragraphs in the body of the essay. Then we end with a conclusion.
After you read the question, you remember the B&B.
First, you outline with your boxes and bullets!
There are, generally, three questions that you will be asked to answer: Why, The Parts of and When.
So, lets use my example of shopping:
Times when I like to shop:
1. When I am sad
2. When I want to get out of the house
3. When I need or want something new.
Why I love to shop:
1. So I can get something new
2. So I can feel better.
3. I can find fun things.
Parts of shopping I love
1. Shoes
2. Clothing
3. Pocketbooks
4. Sales
5. Spending time with my friends.
Now, each essay will start by you restating the question you are answering.
Example: I love shopping because....
In an essay, you start with the introduction. Each sentence will be the first sentence of the paragraphs in the body of the essay. Then we end with a conclusion.
Topics
Topics can range on the ELA.
You guys will mostly come across Non Fiction.
There is also Realistic Fiction, Poetry, Folk Tales and Myth.
Those are the most common. There are many themes that come across in each and you have to know what you are looking for. I think that it is easy once you know what you are looking for.
Remember that you always need to pay attention to what the character is doing. The character will be high-lighted in many questions during the test. They will ask you what he or she is most likely thinking and why he or she most likely acts in certain ways.
Most of the questions, we will be able to reference to the story. If we are able to reference them to the story, we can make sure that we get the answers correct. I know that when I am able to check my answers, I feel confident about being right!
You guys will mostly come across Non Fiction.
There is also Realistic Fiction, Poetry, Folk Tales and Myth.
Those are the most common. There are many themes that come across in each and you have to know what you are looking for. I think that it is easy once you know what you are looking for.
Remember that you always need to pay attention to what the character is doing. The character will be high-lighted in many questions during the test. They will ask you what he or she is most likely thinking and why he or she most likely acts in certain ways.
Most of the questions, we will be able to reference to the story. If we are able to reference them to the story, we can make sure that we get the answers correct. I know that when I am able to check my answers, I feel confident about being right!
Ela Test
Hey Guys!
There are *9* days until the ELA. Lets make sure that we get it together and can handle the work. I know you guys can do it!
Make sure you remember the following:
Read the questions fully.
Read the stories.
Underline and circle words that may help you.
Note bold words.
Take notes.
Make a T-Chart
Organize your notes.
Take notes first and second time the passage is read to you.
Graphic Organizers work!
There are *9* days until the ELA. Lets make sure that we get it together and can handle the work. I know you guys can do it!
Make sure you remember the following:
Read the questions fully.
Read the stories.
Underline and circle words that may help you.
Note bold words.
Take notes.
Make a T-Chart
Organize your notes.
Take notes first and second time the passage is read to you.
Graphic Organizers work!
Welcome
Hey 620, 621, and 723,
Welcome to the blog. I was thinking that we should have a running record of things that we are up to in class. Assignments and a place to talk and throw ideas out. Here it is.
If you need anything, please post it here and we will disccus it!
Bye!
Welcome to the blog. I was thinking that we should have a running record of things that we are up to in class. Assignments and a place to talk and throw ideas out. Here it is.
If you need anything, please post it here and we will disccus it!
Bye!
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