Thank you, Rabbi Oratz!

Donuts upon your arrival help to make an icy commute better...

Welcome to Elizabethan England!

With the completion of their English research papers, eighth-graders reached another milestone in their last year as middle school students.  Way to go!! Students spent a month gathering sources, taking notes, and synthesizing research on a topic related to Elizabethan England.  During the process, they refined their writing skills while following the MLA format for citing the research. Just to give you a glimpse, I've listed some of the creative titles of their research papers:

What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger: The Life and Reign of Queen Elizabeth I (by Noa C.)

Killer on the Loose: The Black Plague in Elizabethan England (Chloe N.)

The Tower of Terror: The History Behind the Tower of London (by Lauren B.)

Triple E: Elizabeth Evolves England (Yonathan M.)

The Queen Who Really Lost Her Head: The Life of Mary, Queen of Scots (Hannah R.)

Elizabeth I: The Queen of Hearts (Celia W.)

Once students submitted the paper, they used the Perfect Captions app to create, display, and share some of the information they learned from their research.  See examples below:

               

Care to solve a riddle?

In Ursula LeGuin's fantasy novel A Wizard of Earthsea, characters are tasked with solving riddles.  As part of this unit, students followed in the Anglo-Saxon tradition of writing and sharing riddles.  Each riddle needed to describe an ordinary object or something from nature.  Moreover, students needed to include a kenning.  Up for a challenge?  See if you can solve the riddles below.

 Meira and Hailey's riddle: (click on picture to enlarge)

Jason and Josh F.'s riddle:

 

Analyzing Characters in Fahrenheit 451

As a warm-up/drill activity, eighth-graders offered creative responses to such questions as "How is Millie like an airplane?".  Each question used a simile which forced students to make unusual yet insightful connections.  Their responses demonstrated an understanding of character motivation and development.  I've included some of their ideas below.

How is Guy Montag like an oven?

  - An oven  is where things process; Montag is the "processor" of the rebellion (Allison R.).
  - In the beginning of the book, Guy's feelings were cold, but he begins to heat up (Josh D.).

How is Mildred like a television?
 
  - She speaks a lot of nonsense (Hannah R.).
  - She talks at you, but she doesn't hear your response (Orly K.).

How is Faber like a book?

  - He holds a lot of knowledge, and he is helpful (Chloe N.).
  - He provides the foundation, but the rest is up to you (Lauren B.).

How is Clarisse like a mirror?

   - She likes to reflect on her feelings (Ezra S.).
   - She makes Guy reflect and see his true self (Zack L.).
   - She can make others see who they really are (Haviva G.).
   - She makes you want to improve yourself (Sammy C.).
   - She is the opposite of the people in her society (Josh D.).

Character Foils & Student Foils

Last week, seventh-graders were introduced to the literary term "foil."  A foil is a secondary character who serves to highlight the traits of the main character through contrast.  A foil often has similar circumstances as the main character but he/she acts differently, showing more clearly the main character's traits.

To help explain this idea, students identified ways in which Squidward serves as a foil for SpongeBob.

Then students put their new knowledge to work by identifying characters who serve as a foil for Tom in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Grace's handout: (click on picture to enlarge)

Finally, to cement this new learning, each student created a foil for her/himself.  For this assignment, students were given the task of creating a "character" that shared some traits in common with the student but that was also a contrast. Students had a lot of fun sharing their finished foils with the class.

Hailey G.'s foil:

Jason S.'s foil:

Jaclyn's foil:

 

Leah's foil:

Josh S.'s foil:

 

Readbox & Short Story Trailers

Lego figurines, masks, dolls, and toy food.  Could this be English class?  Yes!!  Over the last week, students have been busy filming trailers using the iMovie app.  The process began with each group selecting a short story (from the five stories that were read for class) and creating a trailer that would establish the story's setting, protagonist, and primary conflict.  By selecting a complementary trailer template and music, students also demonstrated their understanding of the story's mood. Throughout the process, students were collaborating, problem-solving, and using technology in a meaningful way.  Upon completion, each trailer was assigned a QR code.  These codes are displayed on our "Readbox," giving students and parents the opportunity to link to all of the trailers.  I've included a few of the trailers below.  Enjoy!

Noa and Celia's trailer for the short story, "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell.

Hannah and Skylar's trailer for the story, "The Sniper" by Liam O'Flaherty.

Personal Narratives

                                           
Last week, seventh graders were given the task of writing a "slice-of-life" narrative.  We discussed how, often, the smallest moments in our lives make the best stories. For instance, do you remember your first rollercoaster ride?  Or your first time swimming in the ocean? Do you remember driving home with your first pet?  Students brainstormed narrative topics that would allow them to both reflect on an experience and showcase their skill at descriptive writing.

They worked hard to make their narratives interesting for a reader. This required including enough sensory details so a reader could accurately picture the event. 
We used the metaphor of looking at something through binoculars.  The students needed to give enough details --the best details--so readers could "zoom in" on the action.

Below, I've included some excerpts from their work.


Here is the beginning of Jack's story about a childhood game of hide-and-seek or "manhunt".  He does a really nice job of hooking his reader.

"I was more alert than a mouse hiding from a cat; my palms were sweaty and there were only two of us left.  I shivered as I heard them walking by, searching. "


In David D.'s story, titled "Leap of Faith," he describes landing a ski jump. His story is filled with great sensory details like the "cold air whistling through [his] helmet."  Moreover, he includes a nice reflection: "I felt victorious, like I could do anything.  Now that I look back on it, I know not to go that way again; however, I also know not to worry about things I think I can't do."


Brooke's story, titled "Salt in the Air- Sand in My Hair," describes the experience of being knocked down by a wave and dragged along the ocean floor.  When Brooke finally emerged from the water, her hair had "flipped on top of [her] head and was sticking up." Later, this detail is used to comic effect in her reflection: "I learned never to turn my back on the ocean and never to go swimming when the waves are so rough.  I also learned to wear my hair up when I'm in the ocean."

Nice work, everyone!