Language Arts Goals:
* Write to communicate for a variety of purposes by composing persuasive, expository, narrative, poetry, MLA research, and creative pieces.
* Know and use specific words, phrases and clauses to speak and write for a more formal audience.
* Compose and produce descriptive and sensory language.
* Write with purpose to avoid wordiness and redundancy.
* Discuss original writing with a partner to improve structures and ideas.
* Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
* Know and use specific words, phrases and clauses to speak and write for a more formal audience.
* Compose and produce descriptive and sensory language.
* Write with purpose to avoid wordiness and redundancy.
* Discuss original writing with a partner to improve structures and ideas.
* Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
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Veterans' Day Poem & I-Movie Project
The Great Gatsby
Please look at the Keynote attached and all handouts for this unit. Also, videos for this unit are attached.
writingprompts4gatsby.pdf | |
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the_great_gatsby.key | |
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gatsbyi-movieprojects.pdf | |
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Chapter 1 of The Great Gatsby Flipping the Class Video
Before you finish reading chapter one, review this video and look at the prompts for your thesis. As you read, highlight, annotate, and evaluate chapter 1, be ready to discuss the key ideas from chapter 1 in class.
Flipping the Classroom Video : Chapter 2 The Great Gatsby
Be ready to discuss this chapter; please review the points made in this video and explain and analyze in your own words, but also use quotes from the text in correct parenthetical documentation to support your findings.
Flipping the Classroom Video : Chapter 3 The Great Gatsby
Alert: My voice sounds weird (technical difficulties) Use in-depth analysis and support your ideas with quotes from this chapter. Make sure that you use correct parenthetical documentation. Submit your analysis to Turnitin.
Flipping the Classroom Video: Chapter 5 The Great Gatsby
Use in-depth analysis and support your ideas with quotes from this chapter. Make sure that you use correct parenthetical documentation. Be ready to discuss this chapter in a Socratic Seminar tomorrow.
Flipping the Classroom Video: Chapter 7 The Great Gatsby
Use in-depth analysis and support your ideas with quotes from this chapter. Make sure that you use correct parenthetical documentation. Be ready to discuss this chapter in a Socratic Seminar tomorrow.
Video of citing book with one author in parenthetical documentation and constructing a works cited page.
Video of citing a reference book in parenthetical documentation
Patriot Pen Essay Winners
shannonlandersessay.pdf | |
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patriot_pen_essay_katie_maloney.pdf | |
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marleywiestessay.pdf | |
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Eighth Grade Poem Winners
All eighth grade students were required to compose a poem that contained figurative language and a rhyme scheme for Grandparents' Day.
sonnetharnisch.pdf | |
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annierangelpoem.pdf | |
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Informational and Nonfiction Articles
Understanding the skills and strategies for navigating while reading nonfiction is important in comprehending and enjoying nonfiction. The following strategies will be used while reading nonfiction: Using diagrams and maps effectively --helps the reader gain more information about the topic and shows the reader what the main ideas look like; understanding cause and effect-- helps the reader understand why something happened and provides a solution to the problem; identifying an author's purpose for writing a text-- helps the reader draw conclusions and inferences, and skimming and scanning-- helps the reader get the "gist" of what material the text is covering and how the article is organized.
nonfiction-onbeingseventeenandunabletoread.pdf | |
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nonfiction--unable_to_read_worksheet_and_written_response.pdf | |
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informationalarticle-whokilledmydaughter.pdf | |
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informational_article__whokilledmydaughter_worksheet__written_response_-1.pdf | |
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newspaperarticle-thesummit.pdf | |
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the_summit--informational_article_worksheet__written_response.pdf | |
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typhoid_mary_worksheet__written_response.pdf | |
File Size: | 27 kb |
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nonfictionarticle-trailoftyphoid.pdf | |
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Ambrose Bierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"
In this short story, the students will complete questions, write a thesis and paper, and watch the movie that goes along with this short story that takes place during the Civil War.
annotatedowlcreekbridge.pdf | |
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owlcreekstudyguide.pdf | |
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Persuasive Writing
Students will learn how to write an effective persuasive paper with a clear thesis that demonstrates assertion and how to support their papers with facts instead of inferences and judgements. Attached below are the persuasive paper criteria and prompts for this assignment.
persuasive_writing.pdf | |
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persuasiveoutline.pdf | |
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persuasvie_ubd.pdf | |
File Size: | 65 kb |
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Hawthorne's "The Minister's Black Veil"
Students will be reading Hawthorne's "The Minister's Black Veil." All students are responsible for completing the reading, answering study guide questions, and developing a thesis and paper for this short story. Attached below are the questions for the reading and possible thesis ideas to develop for a paper.
the_ministers_black_veil.pdf | |
File Size: | 64 kb |
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annotatedministersblackveil.pdf | |
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Outstanding MLA Career Research Papers
Researching a topic and citing sources helps lend credibility to one's paper. It demonstrates that one sought out similar information from experts in the field, which makes one's writing more believable. Here are some outstanding eighth grade examples of the career research paper: Hayley V., Julia J., Josie P., Marty M. and Logan C.
haileysmlaresearch.pdf | |
File Size: | 56 kb |
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julia_johnsons_research_paper.pdf | |
File Size: | 53 kb |
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9researchpaperpaetow.pdf | |
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martymlapaper.pdf | |
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Keynote Presentation on What Is the Difference between Primary & Secondary Sources
secondarysources.key | |
File Size: | 565 kb |
File Type: | key |
Eighth Grade MLA Research Information & Handouts
usingquotesinmlapaper.pdf | |
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Using Present Participles and Avoiding Dangling Modifiers
Having learned how to use a participle phrase correctly, the class was introduced to dangling modifiers, which are words or phrases that modify a word not clearly stated in a sentence. A modifier describes, clarifies, or gives more detail about a concept. The students wrote sentences which contained a dangling modifier, and then they illustrated the sentence; next, they revised the sentence with the incorrect usage and illustrated the sentence as well and below are outstanding samples from the students.
Creating a Strong Thesis Statement
The Thesis Statement: The thesis statement is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper. It directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. It sometimes makes a claim that others might disput and is a single complex or compound-complex sentence that has assertion that is researchable, is not too broad or vague, or has split assertion. Please use the attachments below for reference as they contain the formula to writing a strong thesis and worksheets to practice mastering the art of writing a strong thesis. . Also, there are samples of students' thesis statements from this year on Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew.
thesisformulahandouts.pdf | |
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eighth_grade_thesis.pdf | |
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Grandparents' Day Poem
All students are required to compose a Grandparents' Day Poem as this poem is worth 100 points. Students will have to type their poem at home as school laptops will not be available in time for this assignment. Grandparents' Day Poems are due on September 7, 2012, and Grandparents' Day is September 10, 2012. Please review the criteria and rubrics that were discussed in class.
The Most Dangerous Game
All students will read Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game" as it is a short story filled with figurative language and suspense. By analyzing this piece of literature, students will learn about good writing and figurative language. Students will be responsible for the reading, finishing the study guide, and taking tests on this short story.
Annotated Text of The Most Dangerous Game
most_dangerous_game.pdf | |
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voc.-most_dangerous_game.key.pdf | |
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themostdangerousgamestudyguide.pdf | |
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contrastunit--poe.pdf | |
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ubdlessonplanfortaming.pdf | |
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Eighth Grade Grandparents' Day Poem Winners
Eighth grade students who were selected to read their poems were Amanda C., Marty McK., Kara C., Nancy L., Kylie S., and Logan C. These students not only composed a wonderful poem for their grandparents that was filled with figurative language, but they also did an outstanding job of reading their poems during our Grandparents' Day celebration. Check out their poems below!
marty_mckenna_poem.pdf | |
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karacase.pdf | |
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amandacarberryspoem.pdf | |
File Size: | 19 kb |
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Veterans Day Shakespearean Sonnets and Poems
julias_poem.pdf | |
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david_reddys_sonnet.pdf | |
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hannahvasilsonnet.pdf | |
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kandallyerkesveteransonnet.pdf | |
File Size: | 19 kb |
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sara_campione.pdf | |
File Size: | 18 kb |
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Patriot Pen Essay Winners
rileyspaper.pdf | |
File Size: | 37 kb |
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kailey_fitzgerald.pdf | |
File Size: | 30 kb |
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laithabad.pdf | |
File Size: | 32 kb |
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grade_8_narrative_rubric.pdf | |
File Size: | 26 kb |
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Gerunds, Infinitives, & Participles Worksheet
grade_8_persuasive_rubric.pdf | |
File Size: | 26 kb |
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