Gandalf said it best…the time to prepare for our short story unit test is now! Many students have already completed their study packet and have begun preparing for our unit test. We will spend time in class this week reviewing concepts and practicing literary device identification. However, adequate preparation at home will be essential!

Click the link below to access the original review post:

Grade 7: Short Story Unit Test (Monday 12/14)

Here are a couple of extra resources that can be used to prepare for this test:

Short Story Review Kahoot

Figurative Language Worksheet

 

As we prepare for a day of distance learning tomorrow, students will engage in a meaningful letter writing exercise. Students are being tasked with creating holiday letters for soldiers that are deployed overseas. Our goal is to show our appreciation and spread holiday joy. This activity will be explained in person today, but students will work on this at home during class time tomorrow.

This activity embodies our Jewish values (gemilut hasadim) and our North Stars (each person is responsible for the other).

Each letter will include the following information:

• A brief introduction about yourself (name, age, school)
• Some hobbies, activities, and interests that you enjoy (sports, clubs, instruments, volunteering, etc.)
• Expressions of gratitude
  • Thank them for their service
  • Wish them a happy holiday
  • Offer words of appreciation

Your letter should be at least two paragraphs 

Each letter should also include visuals (these could be hand-drawn or computer-generated)

CAF Letter Template

This week our class will finish our short story unit. Today we will read and discuss Names/Nombres by Julia Alvarez. Tomorrow students will spend time answering comprehension questions.

Names/Nombres Comprehension Questions

At the end of last week, students received their study package to prepare for their upcoming Short Story Unit Test on Monday, December 14th, 2020. Students are advised to begin studying each night, as this assessment will encompass a variety of literary terms and concepts.

 

Today students will be receiving a study package that can be used to prepare for their short story unit test. The test will take place on Monday, December 14th, 2020.

The short story unit test will include multiple-choice questions, a definition matching section, short answer questions, along with a short passage analysis.

Click the link below to access the review:

Short Story Unit Test Review

Check out this jeopardy review game: https://jeopardylabs.com/play/short-story-test-review-66

 

This week Mr. Kom will be running a seminar for each cohort about the Read & Write program. This assistive technology extension can be used to boost reading and writing confidence. By the end of the week, each student will have the Read and Write extension downloaded on their Google Chrome Web Browser. 

This program includes:

• Text-to-speech to hear words, passages, or whole documents read aloud with easy-to-follow dual color highlighting
• Text and picture dictionaries to see the meaning of words explained
• With speech-to-text, dictate words to assist with writing, proofreading & studying
• Word prediction offers suggestions for the current or next word as you type
• Collect highlights from the text in documents or the web for summarizing and research
• Create and listen to voice notes directly inside of Google Docs
• Simplify and summarize text on web pages to remove ads and other copy that can be distracting

Click the link below to access Mr. Kom’s presentation: 

Read and Write Presentation

 

This week students will be uploading a few artifacts of learning to their blogfolios. These posts are intended to showcase projects and assignments that demonstrate growth.

In case students are having trouble creating their blog posts or changing their blogfolio layout, I have included a couple video tutorials.

Check out these useful blogging videos that Mrs. Thompson created:

Creating a Post

Writing a new post is quite easy! It is very similar to writing a page or even a document in Word of Google Docs. You can choose to write a new post in a few different spots throughout your dashboard; either way will bring you to the same place.

Inserting a Google Doc

Hyperlinking Docs

You are always able to hyperlink to a Google Doc, which will direct people to an external link where they will be able to see the document. Depending on the sharing settings, you can choose whether they can edit, view or comment. If you would like this document to be publicly accessed, it is also important to change the settings so that ‘anyone with the link’ can view the document, otherwise you’ll be getting lots of emails from parents requesting access.

1. Click Share in the top right hand corner

2.  If you would like to share it with specific people, start typing their name or email address

3. Decide whether you would like them to be able to view, edit or comment.

4. If you would like to allow anyone with the link to have access to the document (best if you are linking on your blog so that parents can access the document without it being shared with them, click Change at the bottom of the Get link box.

5. Click the arrow for the drop down menu next to The Ottawa Jewish Community School and select Anyone with the link. Remember to also select whether you would like those with the link to view, edit, or comment.

6. Copy the link URL to then add as a hyperlink within your document. You never want to paste a long URL to your blog.

Embedding a Google Slides Presentation

Just as with Google Docs, there are a few different ways to embed a Google Slides presentation, and the option you choose will depend on the purpose for sharing. 

If you would like to share a Google Slides presentation for people to view only, the best way to do so would be to publish the presentation to the web and obtain an embed code. 

Embedding Docs as PDF

If you would like to embed the actual document into your post, as is recommended, you will need to save it as a PDF so that it will show up as an image within your post.

Changing Your Theme

The theme of your blog is the way it will visually appear and be laid out when it is visited by the general public. If your blog is shared amongst a few teachers, make sure to check in with them before making any changes.

 

As we continue to analyze the various components of a short story, students will spend time reading and analyzing The Landlady in class this week.

Students will re-read the text in order to complete the required reading comprehension/analysis questions. Additionally, students are being asked to investigate this text and search for the following literary elements: similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, irony, and foreshadowing.

Important links:

The Landlady (PDF)

The Landlady Reading Comprehension Questions

Students have been assigned a list of vocabulary terms to learn over the course of the next week and half. These exercises are designed to allow students to practice using/recognizing these new words in a variety of activities. Each student will receive a physical copy of their vocabulary list and practice questions.

Grade 7 Unit 1

 

Grade 7 Enriched Unit 1

Tomorrow we will begin reading and analyzing our first short story of the unit. Students will explore The Monsters are Due on Maple Street by Rod Serling. We will be focusing on analyzing the setting, character development, and theme of this text.

Audiobook: Monsters.m4a

Click here to access the corresponding comprehension questions and activities:

The Monsters are Due on Maple Street Assignment