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.