Final Reflection: 9 Questions to really make you THINK!

Final Reflection - Please incorporate these nine questions into your final reflective blog for the school year. Keep in mind these questions should be focused on your time in Mrs. Larson's English Language Arts classes.:)

1- What are the three most important things you learned this year?

2- What is something we did this year that you think you will remember for the rest of your life?

3- What was the nicest thing someone in our class did for you this year?

4- What is something you taught your teacher or classmates this year?

5- In what area do you feel you made your biggest improvements? What is something you accomplished this year that you are proud of?

6- What was the most challenging part of this year for you?

7- What was the best piece of writing that you did this year? Why do you think it is your best?

8- Of the books you read this year, which was your favorite? Why?

9- What advice would you give students who will be in this class next year?

Literature Circle/Non-Fiction Article blog

Choose one of your Essential Questions and describe how your EQ tied in to your novel study. What was the outcome? (1 paragraph)

Core Standard: Analyze how one topic may be presented in different ways. While reading your Literature Circle book and an non-fiction article, determine how the authors use the same information, but produce different texts because they interpret the information differently. Please make sure to include textual evidence and to follow the TIQA paragraph format. (Minimum 2 paragraphs)

Make sure that you include your MLA citation for your article and book.

Socratic Seminar Morrie Reflections

Explain how the past four Socratic Seminars have influenced your thinking about Tuesdays with Morrie and life in general.

What trends did you notice with yourself and your personal goals for each seminar? How did your personal goal(s) change and what did you actively do to change throughout our last four discussions?

What trends did you notice with the class for each seminar? What did you notice that helped or hindered a specific seminar?

The Perfect Day

"What if you had one day perfectly healthy, I asked? What would you do?

'Twenty-four hours?'

Twenty-four hours.

'Let's see . . . I'd get up in the morning, do my exercises, have a lovely breakfast of sweet rolls and tea, go for a swim, then have my friends come over for a nice lunch. I'd have them come one or two at a time so we could talk about their families, their issues, talk about how much we mean to each other.

'Then I'd like to go for a walk, in a garden with some trees, watch their colors, watch the birds, take in the nature that I have't seen in so long now.

'In the evening, we'd all go together to a restaurant with some great pasta, maybe some duck-I love duck-and then we'd dance the rest of the night. I'd dance with all the wonderful dance partners out there, until I was exhausted. And then I'd go home and have a deep, wonderful sleep.'

That's it?

'That's it.'" 

"It was so simple. So average. How could he find perfection in such an average day? Then I realized this was the whole point." (Tuesdays With Morrie, 175-176).

Morrie's perfect day revolves around people, and things he wants to do with them. What would your perfect day look like?

These questions might help you get started:

• Where would you be?
• Who would be with you?
• What would you be doing?
• What wouldn’t you be doing? (and then leave this out!)
• How would you feel?
• What steps do you need to take to start making this more of a reality?

Morrie's Aphorisms - Final Project

Poster Part 1 directions: Choose one of Morrie’s aphorisms that you have been collecting and create a poster based on its meaning. Your poster should be completed on 8 ½” x 11” computer paper and mounted on a complimenting color of construction paper. You may use graphics, and/or pictures, but the bulk of your illustration should be hand-drawn and may incorporate color or black/white with pencil shading. Also, the aphorism should be legible and should stand out (readable from a distance). Your poster will be assessed by the following: readability of the aphorism, color and illustration choices, theme, creativity, and effort.

Blog Part 2 directions:

1-  Explain the aphorism in detail. what was Morrie's main message?

2-   Relate the aphorism to a movie, song, historical event, current event, personal experience, etc. and explain in detail how the example you have chosen relates to the aphorism.

3-     Evaluate the aphorism by explaining why you agree/disagree with it. Give specific reasons for your position and specific evidence from the text to support your position.

4-     Take a picture of your aphorism to use as your graphic.

5-   Include your own aphorism regarding life.

8th Grade Literature Circle blog

For this week you will be blogging about your Literature Circle book you have been reading. Go here in order to see the different prompts that you may choose. You must have at least  three paragraphs, the first being a summary of what you have read thus far.

Happy Blogging:)