Language Arts for Middle School Blog

Chains Discussion Will be Next Week

Hello everyone,

There will be many absences tomorrow due to DI Globals.

We'll have the discussion regarding Chains next week.

Please bring in your creative responses tomorrow to share (if you will, please please please).

Middle School LAR - Chains

Hello everyone,

Please bring your books for the discussion of Part I tomorrow!

Thank you!

Middle School LAR - Chains

Hello all,

Please read Chains, Part I only. Be ready for discussion and writing on the 14th.

Thank you!

Read Everything on a Waffle

Quick read.

Finish (if you haven't already) your writing from Holes.

Make sure that you have Chains ready to start reading for the next week.

Thank you!

Reading and Writing - Holes

If you haven't finished Holes, please do so this week.

For writing, you can choose to do a creative response or a more academic response. Two(2) pages maximum (please!), half page minimum, but don't use words just to fill a page. Everything you write should be meaningful to what you want to say/show/reflect on, etc.

Just about anything goes as long as it refers to Holes in some way.

Creative writing ideas (feel free to create your own):

A letter from camp
Create a detention camp that's more humane (or not)
Write a poetry response
Write an alternate ending (once you've read the whole book).
Write one of the characters differently than the author did and show how the story would change (two pages max).
A BOOK COVER! Those were fun.

Essay

Write a free form thought essay (seriously)
Write about one theme or one character briefly, giving the essay reader everything they need to know about that character (two pages maximum) - less is more. Be precise.

Write a traditional 5 paragraph essay

I think there may be a blog entry below explaining a five paragraph essay.

I'll check and come back if I don't find one.

Happy reading and writing!

Holes

Hello,

Please read Holes, Part I (28 chapters).

Thank you for your beautiful work on the Animal Farm project!

Animal Farm Assignment Reminder

Hello all,

Please check the previous entry for the instructions for the assignment due tomorrow.

Remember the last class and all that work you did with that little pyramid - it will help!

Thank you!

Looking forward to seeing these projects!

Animal Farm Assignment

Animal Farm Assignment due week 3

Consider the themes, motifs and symbols in Animal Farm then create your own story of oppression, government corruption, class hierarchy and ignorance. You can do a graphic novel or a story, but you must include the following:

7 commandments
A song (consider the song The Beasts of England and how it affected the story)
A state ritual (parade, awards, etc.)

Consider the symbols George Orwell uses in the book: Animal Farm, the barn, the windmill. What did they symbolize? Use at least 2 symbols (not the ones from Animal Farm) to create depth in your story.

Please remember that this assignment will take a serious amount of time and effort.

Animal Farm

How's your reading going?

Remember to have this book read by Monday.

Have a lovely 8 days more!

Much love,
Jenny

Spring Term Syllabus

This is the format for the class. Please note, the binder. It's very important that everyone come prepared to each class. We had such a great term during the winter! I give thanks to the learners.

For each novel:

• Map, Author info, book info
• Discussion – factual, interpretive and evaluative Q&A
• Creative writing response
• Essay response
• Grammar
• Vocabulary
• Social implications and literary connections – book to book, book to self, book to the larger world
• Nonfiction connections may be discussed, as appropriate


We'll try to do this at least once: an in-class writing prompt – a 5-paragraph essay or free write.

Learners should have a binder with notebook paper for each class. They'll want to keep their work organized in some way and they'll want paper from time to time to take notes on the assignments.

Novels should be brought to each class, as well so that we can work from them during discussions.

Gathering Blue - Sequel to The Giver

A Village Home Mama (VHM) forwarded this to me and thought it would be interesting to those of you who've read The Giver and want to read the sequel. I agree! So, does anyone want to do this with us?

The Oregon Children's Theater asked Ruth Allen, the teen librarian at the Multnomah County Central library to facilitate a discussion of Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry, as they are doing a production of this in late April. Here's the info:

What: book discussion of Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
When: Saturday, April 20th, 2-3pm,
Where: Central Library, US Bank Room

To reserve a spot, email Sharon Martell of Oregon Children's Theater at sharon@octc.org or go to the event page at OCT and fill out the form:
http://www.octc.org/blog/entry/gathering_blue_book_group

Gathering Blue is a sequel to Lois Lowry's Newbery Award winner The Giver. Lois Lowry and the Oregon Children's Theater have entered their third partnership to create the stage production, running April 27 to May 19.

--Karen McElravy
Multnomah County Library Homeschool Liaison

Spring Term Booklist

George Orwell's Animal Farm to read over spring break (work in writing and discussion during weeks 1 and 2)

Louise Sachar's Holes (weeks 3, 4, and 5)

Polly Horvath's Everything on a Waffle (weeks 6 and 7)

Laurie Halse Anderson's Chains (weeks 8, 9, and 10)

Last Class of the Term

Hello all,

Please make sure you've read the last blog post.

Please remember to bring your 3 questions for the discussion. That's the most important thing.

Please remember that we're reading a book over the break - see last blog post.

Thank you!

Read, Write a Report, Finish the Last Assignment, etc.

Next week is the last class for the term. Then we have 2 weeks of spring break.

Today, most people handed in their last assignment or they had some done and wanted to finish next week. It was a big assignment. I'm impressed by the quality of the work. The quantity of the writing is increasing, too, but not unnecessarily so. I think there's a great natural progression going throughout the room. I couldn't be happier. It's truly a pleasure to see the work coming in.

There are book reports to do (see the handout). The book reports will be much more traditional this time. Please don't feel compelled to write on those tiny spaces - feel free to rewrite the bookmark format or use another format that answers the same sorts of questions.

We'll finish and discuss the book for next week, too. Please bring in your 3 questions before class as that makes discussion go more smoothly.

We'll be reading Animal Farm by George Orwell over the break and will discuss it at the first class of spring term. The students came up with the idea of reading over the break - that's how awesome they are.

Story, Newspaper Article and a Letter

Finished mine!

Can't wait to see what you all have come up with.

You still have time. Yes?

Week 8 homework for week 9

Hello all,

Please read Moon Over Manifest to, but not including, Miss Sadie's Divining Parlor, July 3, 1936. Note that we'll read the rest of the book for discussion on week 10.

This week's creative writing endeavor is as follows:

Write a story, starring a protagonist you enjoy working with. This could be a protagonist from another piece of creative writing that you've worked on before or it could be a whole new character that you'd like to work with.

Include at least 1 letter (more would be better) from someone else. This letter will provide context for the time in which the story is written, so it could be historical fiction or it could be futuristic (sci fi). It could be present day, I guess.

You'll also write a newspaper article or two (or three). Make sure that it looks like a newspaper. You could include advertisements, the weather report, a gossip section, sports section. The article could be the editorial.

This will require at least two hours of your time to do a minimal job, so start now, rather than later. If this assignment will take longer than you have this week, please bring what you have to class anyway.

Please remember the rule! There really is only one.

Moon Over Manifest

Hello everyone,

Please read to the chapter called "Frog Hunting."

I love the book covers!

Thank you!

If you can't see the photo here in your email, check the blog please.

Book Cover Literary Response - Tom Sawyer

Please see the photo attached to jog your memories. Also, see your notes from class.

Remember that this is a thoughtful and creative literary response. Every piece of this is meant to be a critical (as in, interpretive and expository, rather than disparaging) analysis of this piece of literature and its author.

Choose 3 of the following words.
Sagacity
Obliged (obleeged)
Diligence
Peculiar
Interval
Pantaloons
Derision
Ambuscade
Adamantine
Homely
Frivolous
Tempest

The 5 questions (who, what, etc.) apply to Mark Twain.

Finish Tom Sawyer

Hello all,

Please finish Tom Sawyer. That is all.

Thank you!
Jenny

Mark Twain's Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Read 10 more chapters, so you'll finish Chapter 18.

Create an adventure for Tom Sawyer - it can take a non-writing form. The adventure must include a chore, a friend and some weirdness, strangeness or ritual (in which no harm comes to living beings, even if they are "just" fictional).

Mark Twain's Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Hello everyone,

Another good week of writing participation! I'll get those papers back to you next week (including the ones I owe you from the break). Even if you decide not to re-write using my edits, I'd love for you to read the edits.

Please start reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Read Chapters 1 through 7, finish 7 (also finish the ones before that one).

Thank you and happy reading!

(Please make sure that you've read these chapters because we will be discussing them and we'll have writing to do so you won't want to fall behind).

Character Essay - Bridge to Terabithia

If you've done your essay already, I thank you and can't wait to read what you've written.

If you're not happy with your essay or you haven't started yet and are worried about it, choose one of the options below:

1. Check out these links for more help with the logistics of writing your essay.

http://notebookingfairy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/character-sketch-thumbnail.jpg

http://teacherweb.com/CA/MillerMiddleSchool/MJalali/Essay-Outline-CharacterWS.pdf

2. Write a character the way that you would have liked to have written them, not as the author did. For example, what would you have changed about Leslie's character? Would you make someone else have a larger role in the story? Would you have someone have a smaller role? You must tell us why you've done this and why the author should've done it your way! You must also tell us how and why the story would change if you had your way. You'll notice that there is a subtle, but significant difference between writing an essay like this and writing a creative story using an alternate ending.

Bridge to Terabithia Character Essay

First of all, I'd like to thank every student for reading the book - 100% participation. Wahoo!

I'd also like to thank everyone for writing an alternate ending last week. Yeehaw!

This week's assignment is an essay.

The goal is to write about a character from the book - what is their role in the story, why did the author paint this character the way she did, how does the character change from the beginning to the end?

From the colorful sheet that I handed out, choose a character that interests you.

To write the essay, you start with a quote spoken by the character that you've chosen to write about. Choose a quote that exemplifies this character's role in the book - something significant, important, meaningful.

Then you start writing about the character. I wrote on the board (and you took notes) that say, "Character (did, is, said, wants, etc)..."

What I mean by this is, start writing about the character.

Please don't worry about format so much. Just choose a character you care about and find a quote and write.

You can't do this wrong! You can only do the best you can and whatever you come up with will be great, as long as it looks like an essay intended to impress the class and me.

Don't worry! Just write. You can do this!

I received several messages about this assignment so I know that I failed to communicate. I am blaming this on the lack of time I allowed at the end to lay it down for you. We had so many good stories to read! It was a happy problem to have, but I do understand all the confusion.

Apologies!

First Writing Work for Bridge to Terabithia

Thank you to everyone for reading the book over the break! You all are marvelous!

Please write an alternate ending to the story. No zombies please.

Be prepared to share unless you really don't want to. I won't force you to, but I'd love it if you would!

It can be no more than 2 pages double-spaced typed and no more than 3 pages hand-written.

Thank you!

Syllabus

This is the format for the class. Please note, the binder. It's very important that everyone come prepared to each class.

For each novel:

• Map, Author info, book info
• Discussion – factual, interpretive and evaluative Q&A
• Creative writing response
• Essay response
• Grammar
• Vocabulary
• Social implications and literary connections – book to book, book to self, book to the larger world
• Nonfiction connections will be discussed


In addition to the above, there will be an in-class writing prompt – usually a 5-paragraph essay or free write. Learners should have a binder with notebook paper for each class.

Novels should be brought to each class, as well.

Winter Term Reading List

Hello all,

Hope your break is going well, if you have much of a break - homeschoolers don't take breaks!

We're reading The Bridge to Terabithia by Katerhine Paterson over the break. We'll discuss it at the first class and we'll incorporate some writing and other discussions for the first 3 weeks of class.

Then we'll read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by the Mighty Mark Twain. We'll have 4 weeks of reading and writing and the learners will be reading several chapters per week for in class discussions.

Then we'll have 3 weeks of Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool. This book is gorgeous. This will also require keeping up with the readings and writing assignments.

Much love,
Jenny

Next week

To reiterate what's happening in class...

We'll be reading Bridge to Terabithia for next term! So, it's over-the-break reading now. One week is not enough time.

I'll send a reading list ballot home and I'd like it to be returned as soon as possible after the break starts so that I can get the list put together for holiday shopping lists.

Everyone has an essay assignment. They have handouts.

They're bringing in favorite books to share - we'll feast on them instead of on food.

We'll be talking about word origins and grammar at the next (our last) class, too.

Bridge to Terabithia

We'll read Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson for the first class next term (January).

Please remember to read (or re-read) it during the break!

Week Ten!

Wow, week ten is next week.

Please bring in your essays (see handouts).

Please bring in a favorite book to share with the class.

This week

Hopefully, you've already started reading Hatchet and/or My Side of the Mountain.

Hopefully, you've started thinking about your 3 questions.

In any event, please be done with the reading and bring in your questions for the book discussion this week.

Remember, what you learned vocabulary-wise and grammar-wise last week. There will be more of that this week.

Yay!

Hello everyone,

We voted on a long list of books. I'm using some veto power to create this list, too (see book 3).

The learner can choose to read one or both books for each due date.

1) My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George and/or Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (to be discussed on October 23rd)

2) Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkein and/or Percy Jackson & The Olympians: Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (to be discussed on November 6th)

3) Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (to be discussed the last Tuesday of Class - November 13th)

Please purchase and/or check out all books chosen by you/your learner now. Please don't wait.

The Watsons Go To Birmingham, 1963

Please have the book read by Tuesday as we'll discuss it.

Bring in your 3 questions (one factual, one interpretive, one evaluative).

Remember to bring in your kindest attitude. We're working on trusting and being trustworthy as it's best in a community of writers and readers to communicate in a way that promotes listening. It's easier to listen to someone who has your back than to someone who doesn't. For example, if something isn't spelled with standard spelling, think about ways to point that out without being too terribly blunt. Perhaps, for example, it isn't a situation where it's important that something is spelled correctly. Perhaps, you could tell me if you see a misspelling or other error and I'll be the one to correct it. And if you've spelled something incorrectly, please don't take it personally - it's all just words and we're all just learning.

Please bring in any writing that you're still working on. You may be done or you may have decided to put down what you've started. It's all ok. We're working towards being able and willing to turn in and share all work. If you want me to edit, you MUST write, "Please Edit," at the top. I will give feedback on all work, but I won't edit grammar without explicit permission.

Thank you!