Show What You Know--#2

We have been learning tips and tricks to paraphrasing AND identifying theme.  Show what you know!  

1)  Paraphrase the following paragraph.


There are five species of rhinoceros, three of which are critically endangered due to illegal hunting.  Humans hunt rhinos for their horns which are carved into objects of ground into powder for medicines.  Importing and exporting rhino horns is illegal.





2)  Identify the theme of the following story.

For the past 2 years, Beth had been the best player on the city's U12 basketball team.  Trying out was just a formality, as she was certain she'd get a spot on the team.  What would they do without her?  While the other girls practiced passing, dribbling, and shooting in the days before the try-outs, Beth stayed at home and watched television.  While the other girls got up early to run and exercise, Beth sat on her porch eating ice cream and flipping through magazines.  On the day of the try-outs, Beth struggled to keep up with the other girls running from one end of the court to the other.  She frequently had to stop to catch her breath, and missed almost all of the shots she took.  When the coach put up the list of girls who'd made the team, Beth was surprised to find her name was missing.

Show what you know!

We have been learning tips and tricks to paraphrasing AND identifying theme.  Show what you know!  


1)  Paraphrase the following paragraph.
House plants look pretty, but they also do important work.  House plants remove carbon dioxide in the air as well as harmful chemicals such as benzene and formaldehyde.  These chemicals are found in cigarette smoke and can cause cancer.

2)  Identify the theme of the following story.
When Steven was 12 years old, he knew he wanted to be a filmmaker.  Using his father's movie camera, he began making short films starring his friends and neighbors.  When he was in high school, he applied to film school.  In fact, he applied 3 times, and each time he was rejected.  Undaunted, Steven found his way onto the campus of a large movie production company.  He made friends with directors, writers, and other people who worked on films.  He asked them questions and studied how they did their jobs.  For months, he simply hung in the shadows watching how films were made.  Eventually, he found a job working on the production of a television show, then went on to direct other television shows.  Today, Steven is a world renowned film director of some of the most popular movies of all time.

Paraphrasing #2

1)  List as many tips & steps to paraphrasing as you can remember.


2)  Paraphrase the following paragraph.  (Feel free to use the paraphrasing tool to help.)



The black part of your eye is called the pupil.  Its job is to let the right amount of light into your eye so you can see.  If you are in the bright sun, your pupil will be small because there is plenty of light.  If you are in a dark room, it will get big to let in as much light as it can.

Paraphrasing

1)  List as many tips & steps to paraphrasing as you can remember.

2)  Paraphrase the following paragraph.  (Feel free to use the paraphrasing tool to help.)

There are about 4,000 different species of frogs.  Frogs have adapted to live in many different climates.  They can live in the cool mountains, in the dry desert, or in tropical rainforests.  Most frogs are harmless, but the poison dart frog of South America is one of the most toxic animals on the planet!

Dear Diary (Jose)

Thinking about what you learned through the RAFT activity, now pretend you are Jose and write a DETAILED/DESCRIPTIVE diary entry explaining what happened to you.

You will be graded on your use of at least 2 adjectives, 2 adverbs, 2 similes OR metaphors, 2 onomatopoeias, and sensory details.

Dear Diary (Tom)**

Thinking about what you learned through the RAFTS activity, now pretend you are Tom Sawyer and write a DETAILED/DESCRIPTIVE diary entry explaining what happened to you.

You will be graded on your use of at least 2 adjectives, 2 adverbs, 2 similes OR metaphors, 2 onomatopoeias, and sensory details.

RAFTS--(add your role choice)

Today you will be putting yourself into the shoes of someone else and writing a crazy, creative RAFTS post.  

Remember to make your writing more interesting by using the techniques learned in class--Adjectives, Similes, Metaphors, Sensory Details, Onomatopoeias, and Adverbs.
**Remember that descriptive writing done well helps create imagery.

Print vs. Digital

Using an 8th grade quality response, complete the following blog prompt.

Which medium do you prefer to learn from?  Print or Digital? Why?

  vs.  

Uniforms

GROW YOUR MIND

Learn your societal issues to make the world a better place. Read, write, think, and reflect on the controversies that exist today.

Using your notes, write an argument paragraph about school uniforms.  Should uniforms be required o all students?  Why or why not?

Palatable

TODAY’S WORD:     palatable   

DIRECTIONS 

https://goo.gl/BmZtjz

1. Look up the dictionary definition of the word and write down ALL possible denotative definitions (dictionary definition).
2. Write down any and all connotative definitions of the word (an idea or feeling associated with the word).
3. Use the word in a sentence.
4. Write down 3 synonyms and 3
   antonyms of the word.
5. Add a picture

Setting -- Most Important

The setting of a story is very important and impacts the characters and events in the story.  We have been learning about both parts of setting -- time and location.  Which do you think has the most impact on the story?  Support your opinion with at least 3 examples and details.

Today I will be checking if you have a topic sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence.  (ACE) 

9/11: A Dark Day

"Boston Bombing: A 5 Day Manhunt"

"Chicago"

The Great Fire

"The Harlem Renaissance"

"Langston Hughes"

Thank You Ma'am

Setting -- "When"

The setting of a story is very important and impacts the characters and events in the story.  Thinking of the texts we have read in class, describe the "when" of a story and what effect it can have.

Today I will be checking if you have a topic sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence.  (ACE) 

9/11: A Dark Day

"Boston Bombing: A 5 Day Manhunt"

"Chicago"

The Great Fire

"The Harlem Renaissance"

"Langston Hughes"

Thank You Ma'am

Setting -- "Where"

The setting of a story is very important and impacts the characters and events in the story.  Thinking of the texts we have read in class, describe the "where" of a story and what effect it can have.

Today I will be checking if you have a topic sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence.  (ACE) 

9/11: A Dark Day

"Boston Bombing: A 5 Day Manhunt"

"Chicago"

The Great Fire

"The Harlem Renaissance"

"Langston Hughes"

Thank You Ma'am

The setting's effect on the Harlem Renaissance

What effect do you think where you live (setting) had on the Harlem Renaissance?  Would the result have been different if it hadn't started in Harlem, NY?

Harlem Renaissance

Using your (5) senses, what does this music, image, and poem represent to you?

Dream Variations

Langston Hughes, 1902 - 1967

To fling my arms wide
In some place of the sun,
To whirl and to dance
Till the white day is done.
Then rest at cool evening
Beneath a tall tree
While night comes on gently,
    Dark like me—
That is my dream!

To fling my arms wide
In the face of the sun,
Dance!  Whirl!  Whirl!
Till the quick day is done.
Rest at pale evening . . .
A tall, slim tree . . .
Night coming tenderly
    Black like me.

Edict

TODAY’S WORD:     Edict   

DIRECTIONS 

"Dic-, Dict-." - Word Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.

1. Look up the dictionary definition of the word and write down ALL possible denotative definitions (dictionary definition).
2. Write down any and all connotative definitions of the word (an idea or feeling associated with the word).
3. Use the word in a sentence.
4. Write down 3 synonyms and 3
   antonyms of the word.
5. Add a picture

Effective Writers

Use ACE to write an 8th-grade quality response for the following prompt:
Why is it important to be an effective writer?

Grow Your Mind: Social Media 1

GROW YOUR MIND

Learn your societal issues to make the world a better place. Read, write, think, and reflect on the controversies that exist today.

Social media includes any web based social networking in which people can interact and communicate with one another. How familiar are you with social media? Do you think it is having a positive or negative impact on our society? Explain your answer! 

Oblivious

TODAY’S WORD:     Oblivious   

DIRECTIONS 

1. Look up the dictionary definition of the word and write down ALL possible denotative definitions (dictionary definition).
2. Write down any and all connotative definitions of the word (an idea or feeling associated with the word).
3. Use the word in a sentence.
4. Write down 3 synonyms and 3
   antonyms of the word.
5. Add a picture

Tragedy

Reflect on a time you have experienced a tragedy, and think about how you felt.  

How do you think the people of the Chicago Fire, Boston Marathon Bombing and 9/11 survivors felt?  How do you know?

RAFTS-- (Role)

Today you will be writing another crazy, creative RAFTS post.  Create your own RAFTS scenario or use the one below.

Role	Audience	Format	Topic	Strong Verb
Desk chair	Mr. Duffy	Letter	I want out!	Begging

Strong Verb Examples:

Plead Implore Wrangle Bellow Scold

Bark Roar Criticize Chasten

Admonish Reprimand Rabe Suggest

R.A.F.T.S. ---

Role	Audience	Format	Topic	Strong Verb
Astronaut	Your wife	letter	Won’t make it home in time for dinner AGAIN!	Explaining
Foot	Your Body	Letter	How you feel at the end of the day	Complaining
Cowboy Songwriter	Cattle	Song/ Poem	How much you love them	Declaring
Gladiator	Romans	Interview	I am the best/ worst gladiator EVER!	Describing

Calamity

TODAY’S WORD:     Calamity   

DIRECTIONS 

1. Look up the dictionary definition of the word and write down ALL possible denotative definitions (dictionary definition).
2. Write down any and all connotative definitions of the word (an idea or feeling associated with the word).
3. Use the word in a sentence.
4. Write down 3 synonyms and 3
   antonyms of the word.
5. Add a picture

What do you see?

JOURNAL ENTRY

What Do You See?

• What THREE words come to mind when you see this photo?  Explain why.
• If you could be anything in nature, what would you choose to be?  Ex: flower, tree, rain, etc.  WHY?
• Do you think it is important to keep our outdoors clean and preserve nature?  Why or Why not?

Grow Your Mind

GROW YOUR MIND

Learn your societal issues to make the world a better place. Read, write, think, and reflect on the controversies that exist today.

Imagine you’re 25 years old. Where do you hope to be in your life? 

Vocabulary

VOCABULARY

TODAY’S WORD:     MAELSTROM   

DIRECTIONS

1. Look up the dictionary definition of the word and write down ALL possible denotative definitions (dictionary definition).
2. Write down any and all connotative definitions of the word (an idea or feeling associated with the word).
3. Use the word in a sentence.
   
4. Write down 3 synonyms and 3
   antonyms of the word.
   
5. Add a picture

Impact of Setting

Using the ACE method we learned about in class, write an 8th-grade quality response to the following blog prompt:

Thinking about what we learned yesterday in your opinion, how can changing the setting of a story impact its characters or the actions and events in the story?  

What do you see?

Thinking about the ACE method we learned about in class, write an 8th-grade quality response to the following blog prompt:

What Do You See?

• In your opinion, what does the American flag symbolize?

• What do you think people who live in other countries think when they see the American flag?

• Do you think America has a unique sense of pride in its nation? 

Remembering 9/11

Look at the picture below.  This is one of the memorials at the World Trade Center site.  All of the names of the people who died are on this memorial reflection pool.  Why do you think this memorial was built?  How do you think this memorial can help the families of those who lost their lives?  Explain using specific evidence from what you have learned about 9/11.

Weekend Happenings

Using an 8th grade quality response, complete the following blog prompt.

What did you do over the long holiday weekend?