Yesterday we finished our second set of check-ins. Everyone in the class has finished reading their novels! The next step in the process is creating your artifact. Remember that the presentation of this project will be via blog post. If you created an artifact by hand you will be responsible for posting pictures of the artifact on your blog. Be sure you include all of the necessary pieces of the blog post.

Artifact/Blog Post Due: Friday, May 1st, 2020

Process

1. Create your artifact

• • Use the artifact description as a checklist that describes what you need to do for your artifact to be complete
  • Exhilarating Reading Project Requirements

2. Edit written work

• • Remember you should spend a significant amount of time editing your written work (this includes your blog post).
  • Editing tips
    • Try reading your paper out loud
    • Review your paper with a friend/parent
    • Printing out your paper and making edits with a pen
  • Click here to access a COPS Editing Checklist
  • Track your edits in your planer

3. Look over the rubric and use it to grade your artifact

• • How can you improve your artifact to get a better grade?
  • Grade yourself and make changes to your project

4. Write a blog post to display your artifact and be sure to include the following

  A. Explain why you chose your specific artifact type to connect to your book

  B. Explain why you chose the elements from your book that you included in your artifact

  C. Reflect upon what you would change if you were going through this process again

• • • How could you prepare differently?
    • What did you learn?

 

As we begin to wrap up our novel study, students will be asked to choose one of the following options to complete as a culminating activity. Please remember to complete your character web assignment as well which is due on Friday, May 1st. The quotes you selected for your character web may also be applicable for this assignment.

Artifact Options (Choose ONE):

• • • Essay
    • Letter of Recommendation
    • Facebook Profile
    • Film Comparison

Click this link to view the artifact descriptions, requirements, and rubric:

The Outsiders Culminating Activity Google Doc

Schedule: 

Assigned: Tuesday, April 21st

Check-In #1- Tuesday, April 28th

Check-In #2-Friday, May 1st

Due: Monday, May 11th

This week we will begin our novel study of The Great Gatsby. Throughout the duration of the novel, students will participate in a variety of different activities. The first skills that we will focus on are annotation and characterization. We will spend time in class discussing the era of the 1920’s prior to reading the novel.

Great Gatsby Annotation/Characterization Guide

Great Gatsby Novel Study Google Slides

 

Click here to access the audiobook component: Great Gatsby Audiobook Google Doc

*Reminder: You still need to follow along with the text in order to effectively annotate/enhance reading comprehension.

This post contains all of the essential information for public speaking

Welcome to this year’s public speaking contest for grades 6-8.  Expressing ideas aloud in a clear and effective way is an important life skill! Students will have the opportunity to plan, develop, and deliver a speech to showcase these skills. Students will be spending the upcoming weeks working towards preparing a 4-5 minute speech. Additionally, we will be spending time in class practicing various oral communication skills (eye contact, inflection, effective use of gestures, etc.)

Important Due Dates

• Topic Brainstorming Sheet Due: Monday 4/20
  • Choose topic + fill out topic brainstorming sheet (email your teacher with your choice by the end of the day)
• Speech planner/Graphic Organizer Due: Friday 5/1
• Introduction Paragraph Due: Friday 5/8
  • I will be providing students with feedback on each paragraph throughout the speech writing process
  • If students complete paragraphs early they can always move ahead and work on the next step in the process
• Body Paragraph 1 Due: Wednesday 5/13
• Body Paragraph 2 Due: Tuesday 5/19
• Body Paragraph 3 Due: Friday 5/22
• Conclusion Due: Wednesday 5/27
• Class Presentations Begin: Tuesday 6/2
• Self-Assessment/Reflection Due: 6/12
• The date of the Public Speaking Finals has yet to be determined (TBD)

Click the links below to access important public speaking documents: 

2020 Public Speaking Student Package

• • • This contains the public speaking writing process, tips, and requirements

2020 Public Speaking Due Dates Checklist

2020 Public Speaking Speech Planner Graphic Organizer

2020 Public Speaking Rubric

2020 Public Speaking Self-Reflection

 

Beneficial Resources:

 

I hope everyone is having a fantastic Passover break. A few students have reached out and asked for some resources/websites that could provide a spark for a public speaking topic.

Reminder that students have been asked to complete the PS Topic Brainstorming Graphic Organizer by Monday, April 20th, 2020. The students must brainstorm 2-5 topics and decide the purpose of their speech for each topic. Once completed, this graphic organizer should be shared with Mr. Washerstein

Check out these public speaking topic brainstorming resources:

https://www.myspeechclass.com/school-speech-topics.html 

https://blog.prepscholar.com/good-persuasive-speech-topics

https://www.write-out-loud.com/interesting-speech-topics.html

https://www.5staressays.com/blog/impromptu-speech-topics

Today we had another fantastic discussion with the Grade 7 students. It’s time for us to “begin with the end in mind” and prepare for our future English classes.

Upcoming Schedule:

1. Read Ch.8 & Ch. 9 by Monday 4/20 (yes…you need to continue reading over the break)
2. Read Ch. 10 by Wednesday 4/22
3. Read Ch. 11 & Ch. 12 (finish the book) by Monday 4/27
4. Complete Character Web Assignment by Friday 5/1

Today we will discuss public speaking! We will review the different types of speeches (informative, entertaining, and persuasive). Students will receive more information about public speaking (due dates, check-in dates, etc.) after Passover.

Click the links below to access our first public speaking sources:

Intro to Public Speaking Slideshow

PS Topic Brainstorming Graphic Organizer

Task: Students will complete their Brainstorming Graphic Organizer by 4/20 

• • • • The students must brainstorm 2-5 topics and decide the purpose of their speech for each topic. 

As we continue to work on our Exhilarating Reading Adventure Project, our class is focusing on diving deeper into various literary elements that appear in novels. Last week we discussed characterization (direct & indirect), mood, and theme.

Today we are going to continue to explore theme identification. We will complete the first example together as a class. Then students will have time to complete the last two examples independently.

Click here to access the assignment: Identifying the Theme Practice

When trying to identify the theme of a story or novel think about the following:

• What life lesson/idea is the author trying to teach the reader?
• How can this lesson/idea from the “small world of the story” be applied to the “real world”?
  • • • • Think about the big picture
• The theme is not going to be stated directly
  • • • • You will need to make an inference (read between the lines)

Welcome to all wizards, muggles, trolls, and goblins! The Triwizard Tournament might be over, but today competition awaits middle school students at OJCS. A muggle librarian named Sydney Krawiec from McMurray, PA (Pennsylvania) created this adventure. You may keep your wand at the ready, but wait for Professor Washerstein to send you own your way. Which student will emerge victorious from each house (grade) at OJCS? Even Professor Trelawney can’t predict that!

Please do not access the link to this activity prior to receiving the official “Go” in class. 

Click the link below to access a unique journey:

Hogwarts Digital Escape Room

When you have escaped, please report back to the Google Meet to log your time with Professor Washerstein. He will be timing each student as they complete their journey. 

 

Welcome back to another week of online learning. I have been thoroughly impressed during our novel study discussions thus far. I enjoy hearing the opinions and insight that each member of our classroom community has to offer during these chats.

Please review the following due dates:

1. First ReadWorks Assignment (Monday 3/30)
2. Ch. 6 of The Outsiders must be read before class on Tuesday (3/31)
3. Ch. 7 of The Outsiders must be read before class on Thursday (4/2)
4. You should be continually working on the Character Web Assignment which will be due upon the completion of the novel.