TKAM - Found Poetry

Write a found poem that represents a character and their beliefs or a character through the beliefs of others as present in To Kill a Mockingbird. You must produce 15-20 lines of key words or phrases. Once your poem is finished, please write an explanation of your poem in paragraph form in the commenting section of your blog.

Think of the process in which we went through for our found poem in class.

"What real courage is..."

By Mrs. Larson's class

TKAM - Character Relationships

By the close of Chapter 9, Lee has introduced most of the major characters in the book. One way the reader comes to know these characters is through their interaction with Scout. These interactions help to show how each character resembles or differs from Scout.

Characters who reflect aspects of Scout's own character are known as alter egos. Those who are sharply different serve as foils. 

A careful study of these character relationships help to show the network of personalities in Maycomb and how they shape Scout's life.

Think about the two characters in each pair below.  Note at least two ways they are alike and two ways they are different. From there, decide what relationship each has with Scout and what effect they have on her. You only need to choose one pair to blog about.

Character pairs:
1- Dill and Francis
2- Aunt Alexandra and Uncle Jack
3- Mr. Avery and Miss Maudie
4- Miss Maudie and Calpurnia
5- Aunt Alexandra and Atticus

Format:
a. Similarities to each other
b. Differences from each other
c. Relationship to Scout
d. Effect on Scout.

TKAM - Setting Analysis

Review Harper Lee’s descriptions of Maycomb from your novel To Kill A Mockingbird.

You will be selecting a photograph that represents your idea of Maycomb, AL based on Harper Lee’s description.

Incorporating the different criteria from the Visual Literacy Guide, write a thoughtful, thorough, and well constructed response relating the photograph to Maycomb, AL.

Make sure to include:

• The image of the photograph you have selected for analysis (make sure to cite your photograph)
• Your written analysis

Reflections on Poe

This week you have investigated the life and times of Edgar Allan Poe and learned the good, the bad, and the ugly! Now is time to put what you learned about Poe in writing.

Here are some questions to ponder in your reflection:

What did you know about Poe before your research? How has that changed during your research? What did you find most intriguing? How might Poe's life have affected his writing? What are the similarities/differences between living in the 19th century (1800s) vs. the 21st century (2000s)?

Voting for your Poe narrative

As you are reading through your peer's narratives you want to keep in mind the criteria that these pieces will be judged on.

Criteria for the Voting on Thursday:

1- Best Written (Stay with the boundaries of the storyline)

2- Most Complex/Suspenseful

3- Most Creative/Original 


Have fun and keep notes as to which ones you will want to vote on this Thursday. Please comment on AT LEAST four students narratives as you read them.

Cask of Amontillado Narrative

After having read "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe, you are going to put your narrative writing skills to work and choose one of the three options below to explore more in writing.

1- You are Montresor and need to explain the details of your confession. Where are you? Why did you do it? What was the insult/background story? Why kill him in the way that you did?

2- You are a local police detective and you have been tasked with investigating the disappearance of Fortunato. Retrace his steps leading up to his disappearance. Remember to interview anyone that may have seen him that night. After gathering all of your information, write a detailed missing person's report on behalf of Fortunato's family detailing Fortunato's last day on earth.

3- Imagine that it is fifty years after Montresor's crime against Fortunato has been committed. Montresor believes that he has gotten away with this crime, but suddenly new evidence has come to light. Another festival attendant recalls seeing Fortunato leave the party with Montresor. This witness hasn't come forward until now because she was afraid of what he might do; however now that she is old, she has decided that there is nothing to gain by continuing to hide his secret.

The authorities have picked up Montresor and brought him to the local police station for questioning. Write a one page dialogue that illustrates Montresor's conversation with police. 

***Make sure to include specific facts from the text. You'll have to use your imagination and knowledge on narrative elements in your writing, but all elements should be believable. ***

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. [W-8.3]

Time Travel - 8th grade

Format: Interview

Q: Where would you go?
Q:To which year or period would you travel?
Q: Who would you want to meet or what event would you want to witness?
Q: Where would you find this person or see this event?
Q: Why would you want to meet this person or witness this event?
Q: How might YOU change history?

New Ending to "The Lady or the Tiger?- 7th grade

You will be creating an ending to "The Lady or the Tiger?"

Basics:
You need to keep the characteristics that Stockton has already created for your characters.

• You many change the POV
• You MUST include details, details, details!
• Have fun!

1st Quarter Reflections

We have reached the end of 1st Quarter...can you believe it?! Now take a moment to reflect on what you have learned so far. Some questions to consider:

Where are you in your 40 Book Challenge? How have your blogs been progressing since August? What strategies have benefited you? What have you learned about the world? How have your research skills improved?

Make sure to include a topic sentence and supporting details that fully support your main idea.

Passion Project

Since we have spent the last couple of weeks delving into our passions, now is the time to put our pencil to the paper and begin to commit to what project or passion you will focus on.

Some questions to ponder...

What do you want to do for your passion project? What will this look like? How long will this take to achieve?

Why do you want to do this for your project? What are you looking to achieve? How will you know if you've been successful?

 

Book List Challenge

You must compile a list of the 10 books that are personal favorites or which have influenced you the most in your life. After each book title and author, please provide a graphic of the book cover and a brief blurb as to why this is a personal favorite or has influenced you.

1. To Kill a Mockingbird  by Harper Lee
This novel is one of my all-time favorite novels due in large part to the narrator, Scout. We are able to learn about her life and see firsthand the powerful affect her father, Atticus Finch, has on her and the town they live in. I remember the first time that I read To Kill a Mockingbird was in 9th grade and the lessons that I learned about the existence of social injustice and the importance of morals were as relevant then as they are now.

2. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

3. The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank

4. The Giver by Lois Lowry

5. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

6. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

7. Wonder by R.J. Palacio

8. Little House on the Prairie Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder

9. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

10. Night by Elie Wiesel

Summer Reading!!

You have made it to Summer Break!!! Congrats...now get reading! For this summer you are required to read at least two novels and complete two blog posts per novel. Therefore, you will have a total of at least four blog posts.

You do not need to comment on other's blogs, but it is highly recommended.  Please have your two books read and four blog posts completed by August 15th. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at slarson@bsd100.org.

Enjoy your summer!

Blogging with Malaysia on our Butterfly Project

Today we will be viewing the blogs of our friends in Malaysia, as well as the blogs of our peers in class. You will be provided a rubric in which to use to assess your peers. Below is an example of what an inappropriate vs. an appropriate comment looks like.

Comments:

Inappropriate - This is a really good butterfly with lots of information. I like the way you used the colors and the images really show the meaning in the poem. It is just the right size and shape and very clear. Your writing is also very clear and it was easy to read. Well done. (Too general & rushed. Not thought behind it- could apply to any butterfly. Not rooted in the text)

Appropriate - I really liked your use of color, especially when you chose black to represent death instead of the usual red. I feel that really made your piece stand out. When you used the words 'to hell and back' I think you captured one of the key ideas in the poem and the rest of the images support this. They are all quite thought-provoking and by including one of the actual camp gates, we can see how intimidating it must have been for small children to be trapped there. You have a couple of typos with spelling such as 'scary' and 'terezin' without a capital letter, but overall, your butterfly really made me see more meaning in the poem and appreciate the emotions that the writer tried to communicate. Thanks!

Blog for 2/10/14 - 7th Grade

For this week you will be creating a Two Voice Poem based on the book  you are currently reading. 

Two -Voice Poetry

What is a Two-Voice poem?

Two-voice poetry is written for two people to perform. The poetry usually has two columns—one for each person who is reading the poem. Each person reading the poem reads the text in one of the columns. Sometimes, the poet wants the two readers to say something at the same time; so the poet writes the words on the same line in each column. These poems often sound like a dialogue for two people. 

How do I write poetry for two voices?

Just like all poetry, poems for two voices need an idea. Nature makes great subject matter for poetry for two voices, but two voice poems can also be written about school, current events, or events in literature. In writing your own poem for two voices, think about ideas that need discussion or make for great dialogue. List 3 ideas from your own life that might make for good poetry with more than one voice. 

1. 

2.

3.

Begin crafting your poem into two columns—one column for each speaker in the poem. Your poem should have a minimum of 20 lines per person and at least 5 of those lines must be shared. Please see a brief example below.