Delta 7 English with Ms. Marks (old Block 4) Assignments

If you are on the list from 6/2 Attendance Question Instructions, you need to makeup Narrative Writing.  (Disregard this assignment if you are NOT on the list from 6/2 Attendance Question).  


Please write about your life since Covid hit us and schools closed on 3/15/20.  What happened in the world and in your world, and how did you feel?  How did your life change or stay the same during T3 last year, over summer, starting school remotely in the fall, moving to 2 days in, then 4 days in for in-person learning, or staying remote?  What is your understanding of this historic time?

We did it!   Congratulations on completing a historic year! 


Attendance Question:   What was the most surprising thing about this school year?

Our penultimate day of this school year, class.  We made it through a scary, difficult and challenging year.  Congratulations and respects to you for your perseverance, your strength in struggles, and being your best selves-- I see you, and I'm glad to know you all!   I'll be speaking to individual makeup work and extra credit opportunities in class.  Meantime;


Attendance Question:  What is your favorite color?

If you are on the list below, please work on Narrative Writing Make-up.  
By Writing a Covid Memoir:  What happened during the past 15 months of your life since Covid hit us and schools closed on March 17?  What has your life been like, how have you spent your time, how did the Covid regulatations affect your life?   I have made an assignment tab for this, due Monday 6/7.


Otherwise, use the Student Portal, and check for a 2 grade, then search by date for that assignment in google classroom, and redo it by expanding descriptive language, elaborating textual evidence, and writing down connections between the question and a larger context, such as history, human emotions, and/or a sense of importance.  


Covid Memoir Group:
8th
K.A
A.R.
L.S.
F.D.
T.K.
L.S.


7th 
E.B.
E.H.
A.B.
A.B.
M.C.
P.C.
A.C.
O.P.
C.R.
C.W.


Attendance Question:
What did you do for Remote English Class today?

BBH, Pet Groups:  
a.  If you are done with the novel:  This goes in as either extra credit or Reading Literature Make-up:
Draw a Book Cover for your Novel.  You can also make a digital image.  Share your image with the class, or snap a picture and upload it to the comment section (unsure 

if this works, but let's try it!)

b.  If you are still reading, what is an observation or connection you have after reading 25 minutes today?


Chickadee Group:  After reading 25 minutes, what is an observation, question, or prediction you have for the story?  You can also draw a picture of a scene from the novel.  


Short Reads Group:  Open the savaas link in your upcoming tab about UFOs, read the text, then write an observation, question or connection about it in the comment section below!

BBH, Pet Groups:  
a.  If you are done with the novel:  This goes in as either extra credit or Reading Literature Make-up:
Write a well developed paragraph about Omakayas' or Jam's character.  
                   1.  Begin with a topic sentence that connects this character as the protagonist in the novel, and briefly describes her. 
                   2.  Describe its setting and its main conflict.
                   3.  Write 3-5 sentences that describe events that happen to her, and/or her personality, and/or her relationships.
                   4.  What what she learns about herself and her world.
                   5.  Write what the book teaches readers.  (You can use your answer from yesterday's attendance question here, if it still works.)

b.  If you are still reading, what is an observation or connection you have after reading 25 minutes today?


Chickadee Group:  After reading 25 minutes, what is an observation, question, or prediction you have for the story?


Short Reads Group:  Research "Chinese Adoptions" on the web and then write down a fact you learned from your source.  Be sure to name the article/website where you learned it.  Then, in a second sentence, connect what you learned to the short story, "Gotcha Day".  In other words, how does learning about Chinese Adoptions help you understand the story better?  (You can draw from the sentence you wrote yesterday about why the narrator is sad about "Gotcha Day".)

BBH, Pet Groups:  
a.  If you are done with the novel:  What is a lesson of this story?
b.  If you are still reading, what is an observation or connection you have after reading 25 minutes today?


Chickadee Group:  After reading 25 minutes, what is an observation, question, or prediction you have for the story?


Short Reads Group:  Who is the narrator and why is she sad about "Gotcha Day"?

BBH, Pet and Chickadee Groups:   What page are you on in your novel, and what is an observation or connection you made today after reading for 25 minutes?


Short Reads Group:  After reading today's selection, what is an observation or connection you've made? 


Please answer with formality in 1-3 sentences.  

BBH:  Your reading goal this week is to finish the last part of Birchbark House; Zeegwun (Spring).  To accomplish this, you'll need to be reading 10-11 pages per day.  Please don't let this pile up.  A half hour of reading,  or a little more if you are a careful reader should keep you on pace.  
Each day for your attendance question, please write the page number where you read to, and an observation about what you read.  


Pet:  Today you should read Chapter 11, and try to finish the book.  Please write an observation about your reading today.  


Chickadee:  Please read at your own pace, and make an observation about what you read today, after reading 25 minutes.  


Short Reads:  Please open the reading under separate tab, and write an observation, question or connection about what you read.

Pet:  On page 169, we learn that Moss is being hurt by a family member.  He draws a hibiscus flower to represent his uncle Hibiscus.  We meet Moss and Redemptions uncle on p. 87 at a routine family gathering.  Please reread p. 87-89 closely; Jam is feeling for any tension in the house after Pet warned her that the monster is there.  Is there any indication in these pages that Hibiscus is hurting Moss?  Explain your answer.  


BBH:  On p. 182, we learn that Nokomis has a visionary dream guiding her to find food to save the family (p. 182-183).  Have you ever had a vivid dream, or a dream that seemed important?  If so, tell you own.  If not, please retell Nokomis' dream in your own words.   


Chickadee:  Once Chickadee is taken in by the nuns and priest, they want to clean him up and give him different clothes, and also cut his braids.  How does Chickadee feel about this, and what does he do?  (p. 92-96)


Short Reads:  After reading "The Story of the Lazy Boy", please choose a discussion question to answer below in a well developed paragraph.

BBH:  Please write about one of the animals  that appears in Chapter 11:  Hunger.  This is an EXTENDED answer of 5-8 sentences; include the setting, describe the animal's character, what the situation was,. and how it resolved.


Pet:  Please write about a time when one of your own friends was mad at you.  This is an EXTENDED answer of 5-8 sentences; include a setting, describe the characters and the conflict, and how the situation resolved.  


Short Reads:  Read the text below, then choose ONE Discussion question to answer in a well developed paragraph below; include a topic sentence (what is the article about), answer the question with a statement (thesis), provide supporting details from the text, and draw a conclusion.  (Austin, Aubree, Alivia, McKenzie, Camren, Ayden, Evan, Clay, Drake, Blaire)


Chickadee:  Read first, then write a paragraph about what happens in Chapter 12, beginning on p. 77.  (You can skip ahead if you need to!)

All groups:


What is something interesting you learned reading in your book/short read this week?

After reading for 25 minutes today, remembering to answer formal and complete sentences, please answer:


BBH:  What is an observation, question or connection you have about Chapter 11?


Pet:  What is an observation, question or connection you have about Chapter 10?


Chickadee:  What is an observation, question or connection you have about Chapter 8, or your current new chapter?


Short Reads Group:  What is an observation, question or connection you have about the reading in the link below?

Pet Group:  On p. 139, towards the bottom, Jam wonders if there are "levels to monsters", if "some are worse than others", if it's even the kind of thing you could measure".   What are your answers to these questions?  Are there levels of monsters?  


BBH Group:  Having studied PTSD in the context of causes of homelessness, what evidence in this chapter suggests that Omakayas could be suffering from PTSD after the small pox epidemic in her town?  (You may research PTSD symptoms on the internet if you don't remember).


Chickadee Group:  What is something new in the story that has happened?  


Short Reads Group:  What is something you learned about the Holocaust from reading the article, "Courage in Denmark"?

Chickadee Group:  What is an observation or question you have after new reading for a half hour in your novel?

Short Reads Group:  After reading the 4 Dragons (attached below), please answer 2 of the 4 open response questions on a doc which you share with me, then answer:  Did you read this folktale and answer the questions today?



Pet Group:  What predictions do you have for when Pet finds the monster?


BBH Group:  Why might we describe Omakayas as a kind of hero in Chapter 10?

BBH Group:  Read Chapter 10 - The Visitor for 27 minutes, then make an observation or ask a question about today's reading.


Pet Group:  In this chapter, Jam has to explain something about humans to Pet, which Pet doesn't immediately understand.  What does she feel needs to happen first, that Pet had to learn to accept?  


Chickadee Group:  What is an observation or question you have after new reading for a half hour in your novel?


Short Reads Group:  After reading the 4 Dragons (attached below), please answer 2 of the 4 open response questions on a doc which you share with me, then answer:  Did you read this folktale and answer the questions today?

BBH Group:  Do you believe Nokomis' ghost story in Chapter 9 is meant to be a true story experienced by her character?  Why or why not?


Chickadee Group:  What is something important for the story that happens in your current chapter?


Pet Group:  How does Redemption realize that his little brother Moss is in danger?  


Short Reads Group:  Write an observation or question about Julio Noboa's poem, Identity.  (Link below)

BBH Group-:  This week is a lot of reading with long chapters; Chapters 9 and 10-- for today, please write an observation or question about something you read in Chapter 9.  Plan on finishing Chapter 10 by Thursday.  


Pet Group:  This week we'll read Chapter 9.  For today, please write an observation or question after reading 25 minutes.


Chickadee:  Chapter 7, or wherever you left off; For today, please write an observation or question after reading 25 minutes.


Short Reads Group:  Choose either 
a. "Danger:  This mission to Mars could bore you to death!" on p. 153 of your workbook, the answer q. 1-4 on p. 157.  Take a photograph and send it to me at [email protected], or share a doc with me with your answers.  
or  
"Mother-Daughter Drawings" on p. 87.  Then answer p. 91 Comprehension check for the 5 images on p. 91.  Take a photograph and send it to me at [email protected], or share a doc with me with your answers.

Write your story here, or on paper, or share it in classroom in the reply section for today's post.  Try to create a real sense of time and place (setting), experience with sensory imagery (what things felt, looked, sounded, even smelled or tasted like), and a clear progression of events (plot development). 


This could be written as a poem too.  


A first draft is due Wednesday, then we'll take Thursday and Friday to elaborate, develop, build detail, expand, and proofread...

Hello class, 


Today you have a choice between reading in the next chapter in your novel, and finishing your Narrative Writing #3 (prompts are found  in attendance question on Tuesday, 5/4/21).  You can also complete missing work or redo's to level up your grade on assignments.  


Attendance Question:


How are you using your time today in English?   (Remember to show formality in this answer-- capitalization, punctuation, subject-verb, makes sense!)

Rate yourself!


Is your narrative story or poem an incredibly rich reading experience that teaches your readers something important?  Give yourself a 4.


Is your narrative story or poem an interesting read that provides your readers with a clear sense of the experience?  Give yourself a 3.


Does your narrative story or poem provide a brief summary of the experience, but lacks the details of a clear sense of setting, character, plot events, or writer's purpose?  Give yourself a 2.


Is your work missing?  Give yourself some time to work on this and set a goal to turn something in.

Please continue to work on expanding and developing your Narrative Writing #3 assignment.  See the writing prompt choices at 5/4/21 Attendance Question.  If you are done, please unsubmit and add to your finished draft for the half hour. 


You can also record a flipgrid, or write your story/narrative on paper.  
You can even make a storyboard with captions and dialogue bubbles, if you want.  


Today's question:


What is something memorable you learned in English this year?

BBH:  For today, please write about one of the following themes from Chapter 8;
             a.  the first snow of the year, or a vivid snow memory 
             b.   a time when someone hurt your feelings, or made you feel happy
             c.  what you thought of school when you were little
             d.  a time when someone surprised you, or you learned something new about a person that you didn't know


Pet:  For today, please write about about one of the following themes from Chapter 8;
            a.  when you witnessed a kind of miracle, or something you didn't think was possible
            b.  a time when you realized something new about someone you thought you knew
            c.  a time when you made a mistake that hurt someone's feelings, or when someone hurt yours
            d.  a time when you felt someone was in danger


Chickadee:  For today, please write about about one of the following themes from Chapter 6;
            a.  a time when you played a trick on someone 
            b.  a time when you were in trouble with someone
            c.  a time when your dream was a premonition
            d.  a time when your family was worried about you, or you were worried about a family member or friend


Tech:  For today, please write about how you feel about technology, how you use it, and its value.

After reading Chapter 8 in your novel, what is an observation, question or prediction that you have?  


Chickadee Group will please turn in alternate assignment.

Hello class, 


A reminder that I am grading these open responses in 2 Standards; 


Language, where you show formality; capitalization, punctuation, subject-verb, makes sense


and 


Reading Comprehension, where you show that you understand what you are reading by answering questions about each chapter or story that you read.  


The good news is that you have some choices on how you can demonstrate your language skills and your understanding! 


a.  Scroll down in stream to a new flipgrid topic, so you can answer these questions by making a video!
b.  Make a story board with captions/dialogue.  
c.  Of course, you can also write your answer here.  




For today:


Chickadee:  Please make an observation, ask a question or make a prediction about the chapter you've read this week.  


BBH:  To what extent would you like to live in a traditional indigenous lifestyle, practicing an indigenous worldview, and using indigenous technologies for housing, clothing, food gathering, production and storage?  


Pet:  In what ways is Pet becoming a special friend to Jam?

After reading your chapter today, please answer the question below that pertains to your reading:


Pet:  On page 108, Pet states that "Younger ones [people] have fewer blocks about belief."  Reread through this scene, then answer:  What does Pet mean by this, and is it accurate?    


BBH:  In Chapter 7, the family prepares to move from their summer home in the birchbark house to a settler style cabin for the winter.  Thinking about our Big Idea about Indigenous Technology (skill), what are some of the preparations for winter food storage that we probably don't practice any more?  


Chickadee:  What is an important plot development/event in your chapter that affects the story?    (Whatever chapter you are reading, up to Chapter 6)


I am looking for 2-5 sentences, depending on your goal for a grade.  For a 3-4 grade, your answer should restate the question in your answer, provide supporting details, elaborate your reasoning, and make a conclusion.

What is an observation, question or prediction you have about your reading today?     Note that this is a formal open response, 1-5 sentences.  Because students are reading from among several titles, please be sure to include author and title of the reading in your answer.

Answer with FORMALITY in 1-5 sentences:


BBH:  (p. 89)  What does Omakayas' mother, Yellow Kettle learn about her daughter when they are looking for Andeg in the forest?


Pet:  On p.97, Jam calls Redemption on her tablet.  Jam's dialogue is in italics, but Redemption is in plain text.  What does this text feature (the type of font used) remind us about Jam's character, and what do we learn about their relationship?  


Chickadee:  Beginning on p. 33, what do we learn about Makoon's personality through his behavior with Zhigaag?






IF YOU ARE READING A DIFFERENT STORY, OR ARE FURTHER BEHIND THAN THE ASSIGNED CHAPTER:
Please write an observation, prediction or question about what you ARE reading.

Please read the next chapter in your novel today; 


BBH, Chapter 6


Pet, Chapter 6


Chickadee, Chapter 5

(If you are behind, or were assigned a different text please read for 25 minutes then write here an observation, question or prediction about what you have read)




then answer formally in 1-5 sentences:


BBH:  What is Pinch like as a personality?


Pet:  What is Redemption like as a personality?


Chickadee:  (p. 37)  What are Zhigaag's sons like?

Remember to use FORMALITY in your answer of 1-5 sentences.  


BBH Group:  On p. 80, Fishtail says of the Chimookoman (white settlers), "Not until they have it all... All of our lands.   All of our wild-rice beds, hunting grounds, fishing streams, gardens.  Not even when we are gone and they have the bones of our loved ones will they be pleased.  I have thought about this...  Before they were born, before they came into this world, the chimookoman must have starved as ghosts.  They are infinitely hungry."


Why do you think he says this, and do you agree?  




Pet Group:  On p. 79, the narrator explains that after the revolution, "People started believing the victims, and once it was apparent that is was safe to report monsters now, more and more people did so.  The monsters always tried to apologize when they were caught, using the same slippery words that had worked before.  They thought it would be enough, that some time would pass and they would be welcomed back as if nothing happened.  They were wrong."


What do you think the monsters were doing?  




Chickadee Group:  How does Chickadee feel about his name?  (See p. 25)

Remember to use FORMALITY (capitalization, punctuation, subject-verb, makes sense; SIMS) in your answer of 1-5 sentences.  

BBH Group:  Chapter 5.  We've made it to a new season in our novel.  What is some important information the girls learn by listening in on Dey Dey's conversation with his friends?  


Pet Group:  Chapter 5.  After going against her parents' wishes and deciding Jam needs Pet  the monster in Redemption's house, Pet asks Jam for her help.  What explanation does Pet give for needing her help?  (See p. 72-73.)  


Chickadee Group:  Chapter 4 (p. 22):  What happens when Chickadee meets the old man Zhigaag near the maple trees?

Please Answer BOTH QUESTIONS:  
a.   Do you have makeup work for English  (1's or 2's in a domain), or do you need help viewing Student Portal?         
b.   What is an observation, question or prediction you have about today's independent reading?


Remember to observe FORMALITY in this answer.  (Capitalization, Punctuation, Subject-Verb, Makes Sense SIMS Style:)


IF YOU ARE NOT CAUGHT UP WITH READING,  YOU HAVE HOMEWORK/Study Hall/Team Time Makeup work:


By the end of this week: 
7th grade:
BBH Group:  Chapter 6
Pet:  Ch. 6
Chickadee:  Ch 4


8th grade:
The Pearl, Chapter 4

Make-Up Day:


Chickadee Group:  Make sure you've read through Chapter 3 and have answered all your daily questions.


BBH Group:  Make sure you've read through Chapter 4 and have answered all your daily questions.


Pet Group:  Make sure you've read through Chapter 4 and have answered all your daily questions.




Attendance Question:


How are you liking your novel so far?   (Remember to answer this question formally  (with capitalization, punctuation, subject-verb, makes sense SIMS rules)!

Chickadee Group:  Thinking about Chapter 3 relating the dangers of gathering and preparing food, how does this compare to the way our culture gathers and prepares food?  What are the benefits of each?


BBH Group:  After reading Deydey's Ghost Story (61-67), answer:  Were the sisters real ghosts or was Deydey just trying to entertain his family, and what makes you think so?  


Pet Group:  In Chapter 3-4, we realize that these creatures made from Bitters' paintings; Pet and the one that came before, played a role in the revolution that led to a utopian society where there is no injustice; no "monsters".  Barring the possibility of supernatural aid, how might we be able to create a world where everyone of safe from all forms of violence?

Chickadee Group:    In Chapter 2 (p. 10-14),  the action continues to switch between the two storylines; the dad, Animikiins' narrow escape from drowning in the freezing river, and the twin brothers, Chickadee and Makoons' hunting expedition.  Two new characters appear in this chapter; the helpful spirit of Animikiins' own father, the boys' grandfather appears to the dad.  And Zozie, the boys' cousin.  
Attendance Question:  Choose either the grandfather spirit or Zozie to describe:  How does this character affect what happens?  


Birchbark House Group:  In Chapter 4 (p.51-61), we learn about growing corn in the traditional way.  These girls do not go to school but instead, on this day, are sent to guard the corn.  What are they learning, and how does it compare to what you learn?  


Pet Group:  In Chapter 3 (p. 38-51), what is some new information we learn about paintings that come to life, and what do the beings do when they get here?  


Remember to show formality on your answer.

Whether you are in 


BBH reading group, Pet reading group or Chickadee reading group, 


please read for a half hour, picking up where you left off in the story, and answer:


What is an observation, a question or a prediction you have about a character?


Remember to show formality in your response, as in "capitalization, punctuation, subject-verb, makes sense" SIMS rules, and also, not texting abbreviations or acronyms, as in, no "idrk".  (Spell it out!)

After reading Chapter 4 in your novel:


What is an observation, question or prediction you have about these plot developments?

BBH Group: Retell Chapter 2 from a brother bear's point of view. Write AS the bear/in the bear's voice/in the bear's character. How do the bears feel about this strange interesting-scary creature? What do Omakayas' reflections sound like from their perspective?

Pet Group: Retell Pet's emergence from the painting from Pet's point of view. Write AS Pet. What is Pet aware of, how does it see Jam, how does it feel? Where do you imagine Pet comes from? What was its world like before coming through the portal of the painting?

Chickadee Group: On page 8, a "bine" is seen perching in a tree. This is a kind of bird. The brothers want to hunt it. Rewrite this scene from the bine's point of view. What does it think of these boys with their arrows? Does it know what they want? Is it helping them by offering food? Have the boys' ancestors sent it? It's up to you to create the bird's perspective!

This can be a poem, or prose (paragraphs).

Have fun with this!

Show progress today, hard due date is Friday.

By Monday, please read through Chapter 3 in your novels.  If you are behind in reading, please take the time to catch up.


Your narratives are due today at 2pm.  If you need extra time, you may also take the weekend and finish writing your story that connects to what you've read in your novel.  
Remember:  Narrative means story.  It is not an informative or persuasive essay.  Your novels are narratives.  When you write a story spinning off from your novel, you too are writing a narrative.  


There is no Delta Writers Workshop with Ms. Codding today.


Attendance Question:  
Are you on pace with the reading and writing assignments this week?    (Reading now in Chapter 3, Completing Attendance Questions back through March 22, and Writing a Narrative in the voice of a brother bear.)
Show that you meet the Language Standard by answering formally with "capitalization, punctuation, subject-verb, makes sense" style.

Your narrative writing goal this week is to finish your story by Friday.

Group 1 (BBH): Write in the voice of a baby bear and retell the scene where the bear family meets Omakayas in the strawberry patch. You can make up things that happened earlier, or make up what happened after that scene, as well as retell the scene from the book from the bear's point of view.

Group 2 (Pet): Write in the voice of the creature, Pet, as it emerges from Bitter's painting. You can make up things that happened earlier, or make up what happened after that scene, as well as retell the scene from the book from Pet's point of view.

Group 3 (Chickadee): Write in the voice of the bird, the bine/partridge the twin brothers are hunting. You can make up things that happened earlier, as well as retell the scene from the book from the bird's point of view. It was watching them. It didn't seem afraid. Why, do you think?

You can also draw/add images from the web!

Your reading goal this week is to read the book all the way through Chapter. Once you have finished your narrative writing, please continue on to read Chapter 3 in your book.


4/1/21: What are you doing in English class today? (Remember to answer in a complete sentence showing capitalization, punctuation, subject-verb, makes sense :)

As you know, this week you are writing a narrative poem or story in the voice of a non-human character from your novel. Today, please work on this writing, and please come to office hours or gmail me if you need help.

Attendance question for today:
Have you had trouble accessing Savaas readings this year? (This is the digital version of your workbook.)

BBH Group: What is Old Tallow like?
Pet Group: What is Pet like?
Chickadee Group: What is Chickadee like?

Answer with both a physical description AND a description of the personality. You can use your own words and/or quotes from the text.

*Answer in 1-5 sentences, using FORMALITY; capitalization, punctuation, complete sentences with a subject-verb structure, and check that your answer makes sense. It's a good idea to restate the question in your answer.

What did you do in English class today?
Please reply with the appropriate answer.

a. I read Chapter 2 (p. 19-32) in Birch Bark House and met Old Tallow and her dogs.
b. I read Chapter 2 in Pet (p. 21-37) and met the creature that came out of Bitter's painting.
c. I read Chapter 1 in Chickadee and met Omakaya's twin boys.
d. I will need to do my reading later today so I can be prepared to answer questions about it for the rest of the week.

Reading Group 1 (BBH): What is something new you learned about Anishinaabe culture after reading Chapter 1?

Reading Group 2 (Pet): Beginning p. 15, in subtle terms, we learn that Jam identifies differently that the gender assigned to her at birth. This is called "transgendered identity". What clues from the next few pages of text tells readers (and his family) that Jam was born a boy but identifies as a girl?

Answer in complete sentences, with correct style.

For readers of BBH: In Chapter 1, Nokomis, the grandmother makes an offering of tobacco to the birch tree and calls her "sister". What does this tell us about Anishinaabe relationships with nature?

For readers of "Pet": On p. 12, Jam's mother says, "Monsters don't look like anything, doux-doux. That's the whole point". Then, on page 12, Jam is thinking about her mother, Lucille's paintings of angels. What does the mom mean by this statement, and how does it complicate Jam's understanding of "goodness"? In other words, if monsters don't look like anything, can angels look good?

In BBH, at the end of "Prologue, The Girl from Spirit Island", a man named Hat decides he's going to tell his wife about the baby.

Why is he afraid to tell her?

If you are reading "Pet", please describe the protagonist, the main character...

Thank you for the beautiful narratives about difficult relationships, to those of you who turned them in. You can either revise your draft or do independent reading for the half hour of English time today.

For those of you who need more time to finish your narratives, please take today to finish up.

Attendance Question: What lesson or lessons from our Second Step program might help you manage your difficult relationship?

On this last day of this assignment before it is due at 2pm,
how far along are you in your narrative about a difficult relationship you have with someone else?

A. Still figuring out what story I'll tell.
(Hint: You could even write a story about a difficult relationship you have with... YOURSELF! Thanks to
Payton Russell for that stroke of genius!)

B. Created a doc for the assignment and started writing.

C. Mid-way through my story.

D. Finishing up.

E. Rereading and revising for clarity and formality.


Some tips towards getting a 3 in Narrative Writing:
Create a sense of characters so they come alive in your writing through descriptions of physical appearance and personality.
Create a sense of setting by describing place and time with rich detail.
Create a sense of imagery with sensory detail-- what do things look, sound and feel like, perhaps even taste and smell like?
Create a sense of drama through the remembered or imagined dialogue.
Build tension through choices in plot sequence. Do you want to use flashback? Foreshadowing? Or do you want to tell the story in the chronological order in which events happened?

Did you watch Maya Angelou's video interview on Savaas? She had a difficult relationship with her mom, and it took a long time for her to process all of her feelings. She loved her mom, yet felt conflicted. Today and Wednesday, please write your own nonfiction narrative, a true story in your own voice, about a difficult relationship you've had with someone you care for, or someone who has had an influence over your life; a sibling, a parent or guardian, a babysitter, a pet, a teacher, or even a celebrity.

You will have today, tomorrow and Thursday to work on your story. It doesn't have to be long, but you should have a clear sense of what the situation was, what happened, how you felt, and if it was, how it resolved.

How far along are you in your narrative about a difficult relationship you have with someone else?

A. Still figuring out what story I'll tell.
(Hint: You could even write a story about a difficult relationship you have with... YOURSELF! Thanks to
Payton Russell for that stroke of genius!)

B. Created a doc for the assignment and started writing.

C. Mid-way through my story.

D. Finishing up.

E. Rereading and revising for clarity and formality.

Are you working on your story about you in a difficult relationship? Do you have any questions or need help getting started?

How do you define technology?

What piece of writing did you choose for your Best Work - T2 Showcase Essay?

Please choose and add your best writing for T2 to this assignment tab.
Then, please go back into it try to level up to the next level by proofreading, editing and revising.

Use the rubric attached below to set your goals and make the necessary adjustments.

Proofreading: Reread, and check for punctuation; if your voice pauses, you likely need a comma. If your voice stops, you need a period. Check for capitalization; capitalize all the first letters of the first words of sentences, and also proper nouns (names of people, names of places, and titles of stories and articles).

Editing: Reread for clarity. Does your writing make sense? Try to say it. If it doesn't make sense, try to say it differently, maybe break up an long sentence, or add in missing words. Watch for underlined words in the google doc program-- it will catch most of these errors, and even offer suggestions.

Revising:
Make sure you have an Introduction that sets up the topic of the paper, and ends with a thesis statement. See Claim and Organization in the rubric.

Make sure you cite your sources, and use text-based evidence in your writing to support your claim. See Reasoning, Evidence and Sources on the rubric.

Check your work against the Transitions and Style criteria on the rubric. You may have covered this in the proofreading and editing stages.

Reread your conclusion. Does it build excitement, urgency? Does it expand the focus to a universal truth, historic importance, or a moral obligation?



Thanks for all your amazing reading, thinking and writing this term. It has not been easy, and I respect you all for doing your best in making sense of our world.

This is where you will compose your 350-400 word persuasive essay in answer to this question.

First, I have another source for you to consider as you continue to formulate your thoughts about this problem, which I share with you here. I spoke with Krista Cattrell of the the Bennington Coalition for the Homeless on 3/2/21. I am quoting her below, and you can quote/cite her in your paper too, as you see fit:

"PTSD is a leading cause of homelessness. Substance abuse is another leading cause of homelessness, because people with active addiction exhibit behaviors that have negative consequences, such as losing their housing vouchers. PTSD itself can lead to addiction, because people can use substances to deal with PTSD, and it becomes a vicious cycle.

"Lack of affordable housing in the area, and lack of job opportunities are also significant factors that drive homelessness. In my experience, lack of affordable housing is the greatest problem of all, because many people are one crisis away from not being able to pay for housing. It is difficult for people to save money when working at a $12-$14 job. Most rentals require a first and last month rent, as well as a security deposit to sign a lease, and that is out of many people's reach. The lack of public transportation serving rural areas makes it difficult for people to get to jobs. Ex-felons and people with criminal records can have a difficult time finding employment and getting into housing because many employers and landlords won't give them a chance.

"Other causes of homelessness include domestic violence, where survivors and their families are fleeing abusive situations. Vermont has high rates of domestic violence given the small population of the state. Additionally, people who have aged out of the foster care system at 18 often have no resources and face homelessness. Foster care parents no longer receive money after a child turns 18 and DCF is no longer involved in foster children's welfare after they turn 18. LGBTQ youth are at a higher risk of running away and becoming homeless than non-LGBTQ youth. P.A.V.E. and Vermont Victims Advocates are two organizations that help survivors of domestic abuse connect to services."



I recommend that Wednesday you draft an Introduction, Thursday, you draft the Body paragraph, and save the Conclusion for Friday. Take time to think through your argument. Attached is graphic organizer for you to use as needed. If you don't have a printer, you can recreate the content on paper. I am really looking forward to your work on this topic.

What is an important fact from the article below that shows the link between homelessness and domestic violence?

What did you work on in English today?

What improvements to available services would address and prevent veteran homelessness?

What is your thesis statement to answer how to address and prevent veteran homelessness?

Did you read the interview with Krista Cattrell in the Veteran Homelessness assignment, and start your paper today?

What are 1-3 facts from today's readings that you can use in your Americanism essay on how to help homeless veterans.

What is an important fact from today's reading?

I appreciate all your hard work on making meaning in remote English class this week. For today, choose a direct quote that represents Malala's mission from her speeches, or, perhaps, make a statement about her in your own words, to create a single google slide. You can search images to upload for the visual impact of your meme. You will find blank slides in your google drive, in the waffle, top right. I'll be checking gmail in case you need help.

Below are two of her speeches to search for your quotes.

Please post below for everyone to enjoy.

What is the most interesting thing you've learned during your 7th grade year?

Please write a well-developed paragraph explaining what Malala wants.

A well-developed paragraph has all the elements of a well-developed essay; a thesis (the claim which answers the question), supporting evidence from the text, and a conclusion connecting to the importance of this topic. Use formality (capitalization, punctuation, complete sentences) and reread and revise for clarity.

A well developed paragraph can have 5-12 sentences, but if you are an effusive writer, don't feel constrained by the form. Express yourself, and work with today's text to share your understanding of Malala's values.

What does Malala want?

Could you be as brave as Malala, to continue to blog and go to school even though threats to your life were made against you?

After reading the short article on Malala, under a separate tab, please answer these questions using text-based information.

While we've been studying "A Christmas Carol", the world has continued to rotate on its axis, and revolve around the sun. Now, another global celebration is upon us; The Year of the Ox! After reading the article, (which is made difficult because of the ads, but is worth it for the good information shared) please answer the following question:

What are 3 facts you learned about this holiday?

After watching this short film version of "A Christmas Carol", what are observations or questions you have about this experience, as compared to reading the original excerpt, the written play, and now two film versions?

Examples of questions you could ask: What gets added/lost in this animated version? What is clear to you now, or what do you miss from a written version? How is consuming story different when it is in a printed text versus a film?

PS: Marley and the two children, Ignorance and Want are VERY SCARY!!! Please don't have nightmares!!!

After reading an excerpt from the original 1843 novella, "A Christmas Carol", by Charles Dickens, please make an observation or ask a question about this version.

Some ideas to consider for your response:
What is different, surprising, confusing, clearer, difficult, better about the original than either the play adaptation we read, or the 1979 film adaptation we've started watching?

Please zoom in to English class today at your regular time, read along with the original scene of Scrooge and Marley's meeting, discuss, then answer:

How is Marley about to begin to persuade Scrooge to become a better person?

After watching the first 30 minutes of the film "A Christmas Carol" (link posted towards top of stream), make observations about consistencies (things that stay the same) and changes to setting, script/dialogue, plot and characters (especially Scrooge's character).

How does this 1979 version compare to the version we read?

Yesterday, you wrote 3 benefits of Urban Farming as an attendance question. Today and tomorrow, I'd like you to work this understanding of the reading that you've shown into a well developed essay.

Write a composition/essay/piece about Urban Farming for a sixth grade audience. You will want to provide an introduction, describing what Urban Farming is, and what urban landscapes can look like before Urban Farming revitalizes them. You should end your introduction with a statement arguing for/promoting Urban Farming as a solution for urban problems.

For your body, you will expand, elaborate, develop a discussion of the benefits of urban farming that you've identified, use text-based evidence from the article (Savaas link under separate tab under UPCOMING), and connecting that evidence to your thesis/argument. If cited (named by author/title), you may also include additional sources you have researched on this topic, as well as personal experience.

Lastly, for a conclusion, you want to communicate the importance of this topic, and connect your argument into a moral or historic or human rights context so as to provide excitement and urgency to your argument. Alternately, you might also choose to connect the benefits of urban farming to our local situation.

You have 2 days to complete a first draft of your composition/essay/piece. I look forward to your thoughts on this matter of urban farming and its importance.

Have you written about the Urban Farming article, due today (See text and assignment tab under UPCOMING), or do you need more time?

How far have you gotten on writing your Urban Farming essay?

Consider prewriting activities like planning, brainstorming, outlining, drafting and freewriting.

According to the photo essay, "Urban Farming is Growing a Greener Future", what are 3 benefits/positive outcomes of humans practicing agriculture in cities?

Did you follow your Zoom schedule and go to school today?

After reading the article about Urban Farming, list all the benefits to communities that Urban Farming provides.

Create your doc here to write your persuasive essay about whether or not to ban or limit plastic straw use. Don't forget to open up tabs with each of your 3 sources, and the instructions page. I strongly encourage you to do some paper planning (outlining, using the graphic organizer, brainstorm and clustering strategies) before you begin to draft your essay.

You'll have time next week to revise/develop your essay based on targeted feedback. I have attached the rubric here so you have it for your reference.

Today, for my Winter Benchmark I

A. Reread the articles or thought about the problem of plastic garbage in the ocean, landfills and incinerators, especially plastic straws and other "single-use" non-recyclable items.

B. Organized my brain for writing with pre-writing activities like brainstorm ideas on a separate sheet of paper or doc, drew clusters or idea maps to gather and connect my ideas, outline my 5 paragraph essay with my thesis, main points A, B and C, and the expansion of my discussion in the Conclusion to connect this topic to... history, human responsibility, evolution, etc.

C. Drafted my paper in a doc which I've created or added to google classroom.

D. Looked over my paper for minor edits, such as capitalization, punctuation, subject-verb, makes sense, and corrected.

E. Submitted my paper ON TIME by 2pm today, showing good habits of work.

Today, for my Winter Benchmark I

A. Reread the articles or thought about the problem of plastic garbage in the ocean, landfills and incinerators, especially plastic straws and other "single-use" non-recyclable items.

B. Organized my brain for writing with pre-writing activities like brainstorm ideas on a separate sheet of paper or doc, drew clusters or idea maps to gather and connect my ideas, outline my 5 paragraph essay with my thesis, main points A, B and C, and the expansion of my discussion in the Conclusion to connect this topic to... history, human responsibility, evolution, etc.

C. Drafted my paper in a doc which I've created or added to google classroom.

D. Looked over my paper for minor edits, such as capitalization, punctuation, subject-verb, makes sense, and corrected.

E. Submitted my paper and gotten targeted feedback from my teacher.

Now that you've been thinking about straws in the ocean as you're working on your Benchmark today, tomorrow and Friday, how do you rate/evaluate modern human beings' respect, responsibility and best efforts on this planet?

What did you do on your Winter Benchmark today?

Have you opened the Winter Benchmarks and started the 3 readings and directions?

What are three things Scrooge does in Act 2, Scene 5 that show he is really changed?

Which of the 3 Christmas ghosts is the most persuasive for Scrooge to change his ways, and why?

Write a paragraph about this story.
First, describe this text; what it is about, its narrator, her age, and her personality.
Next, write a statement explaining the turning point in this story; the discovery that changes the narrator's world view.
Now, write sentences describing the other discoveries that lead her to want to share with her parents, and what happens when she invites the parents to see.
Describe how she reacts to her parents' reaction; how she deals with it.
Your last sentence should explain why this story is valuable for reading; what it teaches.

What is the turning point for Annie Dillard in this story from "An American Childhood"? In other words, what is the discovery she makes that changes how she sees the world?

What do you do if, in your reading today, you don't know what amoebas, water bears, diatoms and hydra are?

Please write a reflection telling about a time when you realized, like Annie Dillard, something about your parents or guardians that affected you profoundly.

Write your answer like this, but fill in the blanks with what you what you want to focus on:

1. Scrooge sees ____________. This makes him realize that _____________.
2. Scrooge also sees __________. This helps him understand that _______________.
3. Lastly, Scrooge sees ___________. This teaches him that _______________.

Go back to the text Act 2 (posted under UPCOMING on our main page) or in your workbook, if you need to refresh your memory. We Read Act 2, Scenes 1-4 this week.

What is something Scrooge learns from his experiences with the Ghost of Christmas Present?
Join us in zoom today; read from Act 2, Scene 3 of the Savaas link, p. 270 in workbooks to find out!

Hi,

If you miss class because of zoom/tech issues, you can participate here.

What does the Ghost of Christmas Present look like?
(see p. 266 in your book, or Act 1, Scene 1, Line 14 in the digital link under UPCOMING)

In, at, near, from, beside, until, since, above, beyond, across-- we've talked about prepositions before. Now, let's practice :)

Let's see what we can learn about ourselves, our culture, our values, by reading this story and thinking about it!

After watching this video of Langston Hughes', "Thank you, Ma'am", please write in your best formal writing about the various "turning points" in the plot.

The protagonist (main character) starts out with certain intentions, and makes certain decisions, but things don't go as expected.

In an open response, try to introduce the story with a brief summary, discuss 3 places in the story where the events are surprising, and conclude with your feelings about the surprising values this story teaches.

Use FORMAL WRITING when you answer these questions; capitalization, punctuation, complete sentences with a subject (in this case you) doing verbs. Check your answers to make sure they make sense and say what you want them to say clearly and completely.

Below, share a highlight of your vacation with as much detail as you can; tell about an experience or experiences, and how they affected you.

Then, choose 2 classmates' journals and reply with a comment or question about it. The goal here is to draw out the written communication.

If you send me a private journal, that's fine, but please be sure to reply to the 2 classmates so they can see.

How do you think you're doing in English class? What do you like? What is hardest?

Use the following words in original sentences about "A Christmas Carol"

What are

a word,
a phrase,
and a sentence

that are important images to understand this scene's main events and themes/ideas?

Write A WORD, A PHRASE (part of a sentence), and a SENTENCE

that you feel are indicative of/say something about the main idea of this scene.

Create a doc in which to write your answer:

Write down key words from this scene that show evidence of Scrooge's attitude towards Christmas.

(This can be in note-taking form; not necessary to write in sentences and paragraphs, unless you are going for the 4)

After reading this scene,
1. Write down the characters' names and personalities.
2. Describe the setting.
3. Describe the mood in detail-- showing key phrases that tell you...
3. Reflect on how Scrooge feels about the situation, and what he reveals about his values.

See the articles offered in the stream and choose one or two to address the social problem of Homelessness in your community, state or nation.

IN YOUR FINAL DRAFT in your own style, include the following information:
1. State which article(s) you are addressing by title and author (or corporate author in the case of wikipedia) in the introduction.
2. Write a topic sentence that states what the article is about.
3. Provide 3 details from the article and make connections to your observations and experiences.
4. Provide a conclusion that offers a solution for, or way to prevent homelessness.

Here is where you can write your rough draft after completing your pre-writing activities about this question:
What happened during the Great Dust Bowl? What can you learn about the Great Depression? Based on this, what responsibility, if any, did government have for helping poor farmers who lost their livelihoods in the Dustbowl, or at least for ensuring that their children had adequate food and shelter?

(See Stream for Question/Topic)

Create a doc here to take notes from any RESEACH (useful quotes-- limit three lines of text per quote), and don't forget to name your sources/author/title/website;

and
BRAINSTORM or write a reflection about how you feel about this question, or how you think the farmers felt, and what they would have wanted, and begin to explore your vision of what a government is for, or not for, in times of national crisis. (You might end up using this in your paper tomorrow.)

and
OUTLINE: What's your thesis/claim/opinion about this question?
What are 3 ways you can support your point of view/perspective on this matter?

Jot down your ideas in a way that works for you to organize your thoughts.
Your assignment today is to get ready to write/draft your persuasive essay tomorrow.

If you are ready to start drafting, you can open up the 12/4 Persuasive Writing assignment and begin.

Today, please write about yourself. It can be a memory, a dream, a conversation, a diary or journal entry. It can even be a letter to someone about something you have lived through or experienced, something you remember or feel.

When your proofread, please make sure you've used at least 5-10 prepositional phrases to provide your writing with rich detail about when, where and how things happened in your story. Work these prepositional phrases in to your story as needed.

Examples of Prepositional Phrases:
into the woods, out of Africa, over the rainbow, under the moon, over the hill, around the school, near the water, after sunset, before nightfall, at the house, in the oven, on the shelf, beside the shed, for the record, until it rains, of a song, to a friend, atop the mountain, through the fields, after the show, upon receipt, to the ocean, when it snowed, where it began...

Prepositional Phrases add interest and specificity to your writing.

Let's take a simple sentence to start:

The Joads packed up their car.

Kind of boring, right?

Now let's add some prepositional phrases to make it more interesting. (I'll capitalize the prepositions)

The Joads packed their car WITH everything they owned UNTIL the car was weighed down and Grandma had to squeeze BETWEEN all the clothing rolled up IN the bedspreads.

Like adverbs, prepositions tell us where, when, and how things happen. They're like adverbs, but instead of just one word, they begin phrases of several words to add rich detail.

Here are some examples of prepositions that we use in prepositional phrases:
into, in, on, behind, above, near, until, at, next to, over, beside, onto, under, through, past, around, from, of, onto, beyond, to, before, after, along, between, below, for, including, inside, with, against, when.

Do you see how these start phrases that add interest and detail to your writing? Let's try it!

Read this excerpt from the VERY LONG book about the 1930's Dustbowl, when many farmers (it used to be the #1 occupation) had failed cotton crops and drove to California looking for work in the fertile Central Valley. Treated as disposable, these families suffered a lot.

The reading is available in your workbook, p. 457.

After reading Chapter 1 of Grapes of Wrath, please answer ALL of the following questions:

1. What is the MOOD you get from this Exposition?

2. What is the CONFLICT, which will set the RISING ACTION into motion?

3. What do you observe about the writer's STYLE of including the landscape, animals, and weather so prominantly in the exposition?

4. What PREDICTION can you make about what will happen in this novel?

After reading the article on cell phone addiction, you will write an argument detailing what you think sensible family rules and school policies should be to protect children and young adults from addictive cell phone behaviors.

In your Introduction, be sure to set up your readers' expectations. What are you writing about; what is at stake? What do you think is the solution?
In the body of your composition, be sure to cite/use evidence from the reading as well as your experience and reasoning to support your point of view. Develop 3 lines of support.
In your conclusion, expand on the importance of your work; how it will help people, and why it is the right solution.

You have 5 days to complete this writing, with steps in the process due each day.

You may wish to PLAN your answer; brainstorm, cluster, outline on a separate piece of paper before you being to write.
You also MAY research and incorporate additional sources you find through your research.

As your teacher, I do not have to AGREE with your point of view; I just have to see the structure of your argument, your use of supporting evidence, and sense of importance.

After reading the Amnesty International article on Cobalt Mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo, consider this question:

Should industries such as Apple and Samsung be responsible for effects of their product (in this case, cell phones) in human populations?

You may wish to consider this question as it applies to YOUR paper on sensible family and school cell phone policies.

You can reply to each others' posts!

Please do! Please post your answer, then comment on 2 other students' posts by 2pm. Habits of Work rubric: Best Effort

Copy and paste from completed assignments from T1. (unsubmit to gain access)

Provide titles for each piece of writing.

Edit/revise for clarity.

You need 3+ pieces of writing that prove you understand the T1 readings. (RL.2)
You need 2+ pieces of writing only at this time for your portfolio to prove you can write persuasively
(arguments). (W.1) (*We will write our last essay for this Standard in class on 11/16-17.)

Portfolios are due at the end of the day Friday, Nov 13. However, you must work on your portfolio every day of Remote Learning this week; W, Th, and F. I will see your changes, and comment on your progress. You must add to/edit your writings each day, spending 20 minutes each day actively wroking on your portfolio.

The writing rubric has been posted in the STREAM.
If you are going for a 4 or a 3, you should review this document and edit accordingly.
If you are going for the 2, you should first make sure you have the contents of your portfolio complete and may need to write drafts of missing assignments.

I have listed page numbers of My Perpectives texts (the ones in your textbook), and attached links to the other texts to the top of CLASSWORK. You may also locate assignments by scrolling back through our classroom stream/classwork tabs.
As always, please reach out with questions.

Options for English learning activities today:
1. *VERY Late: Make a portfolio (see Thursday's assignment)
2. *Late: Copy and Paste 5-6 original assignment/s into your portfolio.
3. Make a Flipgrid answering: What is the text your talking about? What is it about? What is it's CENTRAL IDEA and why is it important? (paste link into your Portfolio)
3. Your My Perspective Workbook 1st 4 questions that follow any of the following readings: Ruby Bridges, Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington (p. 315-319), Aleeza Kazmi (324-326), or student -selected readings from Unit 3: What Matters ("Words Do Not Pay by Chief Joseph, p 307-309)
(Note title, author and page numbers in Portfolio, Teacher must check)
4. Write a Reflection on an Independent Reading Choice (add to Portfolio)
5. ***Make Up/Redo: Choose a story, name it by title and author, explain what it's about, what is its Central Idea, and why it's important. (add to Portfolio)
6. ***On pace: Revise/develop one of your writings by adding 5+ adjectives and 3+ adverbs, rereading for clarity and completeness, and revising as needed.

Options for English learning activities today:
1. Late: Make a portfolio (see Monday assignment)
2. Copy and Paste an original assignment into your portfolio.
3. Make a Flipgrid answering: What is the text your talking about? What is it about? What is it's CENTRAL IDEA and why is it important? (paste link into your Portfolio)
3. My Perspective Workbook Writing Activities on The Circuit, A Work in Progress, The Story of My Life, and/or A Young Tinkerer Builds a Windmill
(Note page numbers in Portfolio, Teacher must check)
4. Write a Reflection on an Independent Reading Choice (add to Portfolio)
5. Make Up/Redo: Choose a story, name it by title and author, explain what it's about, what is its Central Idea, and why it's important. (add to Portfolio)

Answer this question for attendance credit for Remote Thursday.

What did you do for 20 minutes in English class today?

Did you...
work on your T1 English Portfolio by copying and pasting writing samples?
read through posts and comment on them?
make a flipgrid?
make a list of missing assignments?
edit/expand your written submissions in the Portfolio?
reread a text you want to write about?

After reading the poem under the CLASSWORK tab, leave it open to refer back as you answer these questions.

Today, you will continue working from where you left off writing yesterday, about the blind, deaf author, Helen Keller.

Answer the following questions in a doc you create here (top right of screen), continue to write, or unsubmit to access again. Turn in by 2 pm to be marked present for school today.

Try to develop each answer as a paragraph, using details from the two texts in yesterday's classwork stream; the video, "How Helen Keller Learned to Speak" and the reading, "from "The Story of My Life".


You may copy and paste these questions into your doc to start. And please, reread the passage and re-watch the video again, if needed. You do not have to remember the information. It is there for you to review.

1. Why do you think Helen Keller wrote, "In the still, dark world in which I lived, there was no strong sentiment or tenderness" (paragraph 3)?

2. What breakthrough in understanding did Helen Keller have at the outdoor water spout in the yard, and how was this different that the sign language she had learned to imitate before when her teacher would sign "d-o-l-l", and other names for objects in her hand? Hint: Did she really associate the "finger play" with the objects they were meant to represent before "water"?

3. What do you learn from the video of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan that you wouldn't realize from just reading the passage?

Today you'll read this passage about Helen Keller's first word, WATER, and you'll also watch a video of Helen Keller's later awakening to spoken language from her teacher's point of view. Having lost her sight and hearing in her infancy, Helen Keller lived almost completely cut off from the world, and it was very frustrating. As a child, she suffered greatly from lonliness, and, unable to express her feelings, she often had temper tantrums, even as an older girl. Only through the dedication of her teacher, Anne Sullivan, was Helen Keller able to break through the barriers of her isolation and learn that words represent ideas, and that access to words would give her the empowement she needed so badly to coexist, and shape her own world. Once you've watched the video, and read this short passage from her aurobiography, please open the Assignment tab and answer the questions there to show your understanding of this material.

Hello class,

Today, you have a choice of writing topics:

a. Write a 1st person narrative from the point of view of William Kamkwamba. Use the "I" voice, as if you are him, to tell his story as you've learned it. You may embellish (add) with details that you have learned about in your Malawi research. For instance, you may include descriptions of the landscape, the town, and the culture to generate interest, and develop a sense of scene. You may choose to start your story with this sentence starter: My name is William Kamkwamba.

b. write a 20-30 minute journal entry on your life; what's been happening, how you are feeling and things you are thinking about.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

If you come to zoom, you will be marked present for class. If you miss zoom, you can still be marked present today by answering your choice of the following questions in a paragraph:

Question Choices:
1. What have you learned in your research on Malawi and colonialism that might explain why William Kamkwamba's country is so poor, and so poorly developed?

2. What are some of William Kamkwamba's personality or character traits that made him want to produce electricity with his windmills?

3. How do you make electricity from a windmill? (Scroll down the stream to the video to learn how)

To start the week, I'll have you conduct some independent research to accompany our reading of the Kamkwamba story about his youth building windmills.

I'l like you to send me your NOTES on the following search terms. Make sure you are synthesizing this information (making it yours), and not just copying and pasting your sources. List the websites you used at the end of this doc. You MAY use Wikipedia as a source. I checked these articles and they are accurate as of last night.

Search terms:
1. Malawi. Learn about the animals, geography, capital, history and ethnic groups.

2. Colonialism. What is this historic, political and economic system of European colonialism, and how has contributed to impoverishment on the African continent today? Which European nation(s) colonized Malawi, and when did they leave?


I want us to see this man's story in the context of history, and learning about these search terms will help us begin to do this.

As always, gmail me if you need help.

As you read, think about what inspired Mr. Kamkwamba, what resources he had to use, and the social purpose he fills in his community. Most importanty, why do you think Africa is "energy impoverished"?

Answer at least ONE of these questions in the comment thread below, to show you've attended Friday Remote English.
1. What inspired Mr. Kamkwamba?
2. What resources did he have to use at first?
3. What social purpose does Mr. Kamkwamba fill in his community?
4. Why do you think Africa is "energy impoverished"?

As you know, adverbs modify/describe verbs. They can also modify adjectives, such as "incredibly blue skies", and other adverbs, such as "the COMPLETELY UTTERLY best 7th grade class ever!"

When Adverbs describe HOW, and TO WHAT EXTENT things happen, they almost always use the -ly suffix.
(But hey, did you notice "almost" and "always" describe TO WHAT EXTENT adverbs use the -ly suffix? So, they're adverbs too!))

Adverbs can also describe WHEN and WHERE things happen!

Below, diligently work through the questions for practice accurately identifying and using adverbs. When you use adverbs frequently, our writing will definitely level up :)

You may use online research to help you.

This is a practice quiz to apply our lesson from Tuesday on adjectives. Do your best, have fun, and don't forget, working on this assignment is how you will be marked "present" for Remote Wednesday English.

Today, you will develop 1 paragragh in answer to the question below. At a minimum, your answer should include an introductory statement that answers the question, 3 sentences describing 3 exampes from the text that support your answer, and a concluding sentence that provides your reader with a sense of the importance of author Aimee Mullins' experience.

Question: According to Aimee Mullin's narrative, which has been more challenging for her to deal with-- having prosthetic legs, or dealing with people's attitudes about her because of her prosthetic legs?

You don't have to write from memory. Please reread "A Work in Progress" and take notes that will help you compose your paragraph.

As you read, think about your own attitudes about what is acceptable for yourself and others, and about what others think is acceptable for yourself and others...

Take notes as you read: Who is it about, what are her challenges, how does she overcome them, what are her rewards for her attitude and self image?

Please write an open response that answers this question:

What does the boy understand about his father's leaving, and, in the second stanza, how does the father answer his son's feelings?

Try to develop clarity and detail that show your reading of the conflict (problem) and resolution (ending) in this poem.

Once you create your doc, be sure to share it with myself, Christina Marks, and Ms. Jessica Lillie.
Create a beginning, a middle and an end of your story. Communicate the central idea and rich details.
Use as many adverbs as you can as you retell the story for a friend who missed the video.

Your answer is in an outline form:
My claim/opinion/thesis statement goes first.
A. Something from the reading that supports my statement.
B. Something else from the reading that supports my statement.
C. Something else, or perhaps, some reason I have from personal experience or background knowledge.

What is the purpose of Literature? To help us have empathy (feelings) for other people's experiences.

Why would we want to do that? So we can better understand the world.

Why would we want to better understand the world? Because, maybe, by understanding better, we can decide how we want the world to be, and work towards making it a reality.

Read the instructions, then answer the questions as best you can.
Remember, your work on this assignment is evidence of your attendance in Wednesday Remote School :)

So far, we've read two poems this year that have to do with facing challenges. In Naomi Shihab Nye's poem "Making a Fist", the poet works through being afraid while she is sick, and later, sad. Her mom was a great source of strength.

After reading today's poem, Tupac Shakur's "The Rose That Grew From Concrete", you'll hopefully recognize that this poem is addressing a different kind of challenge-- one that children and young men and women face growing up in cities. He deals with this challenge by finding his artistic voice, and writing an ode in praise of survivors that he symbolizes with the rose.

For today, I'd like you to share about a challenge you've faced, and the values you've had that help you get through it.

This is hard work because it's asking you to really think about your own life, your own struggles, and be willing to share with me, your teacher, but still, in September, a relative stranger. I hope you will trust me with your story, and know I appreciate you, your strengths, and your trust.

PS: You can write this as a poem or in paragraphs. Maybe I'll even see you using metaphors, imagery, and symbolism!

This is the document that serves as our agreement for our objectives and expectations for the year of 7th grade English.

Please read the document. On the last page is a place for you and your parent/guardian to sign that you agree to our objectives and expectations.

If you are unable to sign/write on the agreement on the last page, as a backup, please send me a
gmail with your name, your parent/guardian name, and their preferred contact information.
I will credit you for completing the assignment that way as well.

[email protected]

Please read and sign, and have your parent/guardian sign and complete preferred contact information.

Complete these multiple choice and open response answers for today's classwork.

Most of us face challenges in our lives; some small and some very difficult. Sometimes, we face challenges as group members. As you write or video your answer on FlipGrid, try to communicate detail so that your classmates can have a clear picture.

In these short answer questions, I'll ask about your history of reading, your learning style, and your relationship to reading. This will help me get to know you as a student, and plan our year accordingly!

Please answer these 5 questions today to receive credit for Wednesday remote learning, and always, gmail me if you need anything :)

How are you feeling as we start a new school year?
What are you looking forward to?
Do you have questions or concerns?
Let's talk!