Sentence Composing Quiz #2 - Simple Sentences

Here is a preview of Monday's quiz:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_i4DDlfmOFiV21IbDlZbXppY2s/view?usp=sharing

Quizlet - The Outsiders SAT Vocabulary Words

The quiz is tentatively scheduled for Monday, 10/9/17

I recommend that you study in short bursts at least once a night.

Good luck!

https://quizlet.com/_36a4i4

This Week's Agenda

Repost: Help with Simple Sentences

http://mostexcellentstudents.blogspot.com/2017/09/finding-simple-subject-and-simple.html

HMH Independent Reading Examples

USE THESE EXAMPLES OF ANSWERS FROM THE HOMEWORK TO HELP YOU WITH FUTURE HOMEWORK



ANALYZING THE TEXT page 232

A = Nailed it.  Spot on.  Not exactly the same words, but exactly the same answer.

B = Ballpark.  Not spot on, but in the vacinity.  Covers much of the same ground.

C = Different direction.  Answered the question, but arrived at a different place.

D = Completely missed the ball, but swung the bat.  You tried and there is an answer on the page, but the answer is either flat out wrong, or shows that you didn’t really understand question.

E = Did not do it.  Fail.

SWING +

+ Scores go up with:

          +  Lots of evidence that is clear (quotes, paraphase, summary, facts, info. text)

          + Effort.  Length and original ideas.

          + Different answer, but just as good.

- Scores go down with:

          - Repetition.  Filling space saying nothing new.

          - Sloppy, careless, lack of detail, low effort

          - Did not completely understand the question

DIRECTIONS:

Cite Text Evidence – Support your responses with evidence from the texts.

QUESTION 1

INFER.  Figurative language in which human qualities are given to an object, idea, or animal is called personification. What does the example of personification in the first stanza of “Hanging Fire” reveal about the speaker?

KEY VOCABULARY:  Infer, Personification, Stanza

PASSAGE – FIRST STANZA

I am fourteen

And my skin has betrayed me

The boy I cannot live without

Still sucks his thumb

In secret

How come my knees are always so ashy

What if I die

Before morning

And momma’s in the bedroom

With the door closed.

ANSWER 1

“My skin has betrayed me” is personification. The phrase suggests that the speaker is a teenager whose skin is breaking out.  She sees this as a personal attack.

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QUESTION 2

INFER. Reread lines 1-7 of “Hanging Fire.”  Based on these lines, what inferences can you make about the speaker of the poem?

KEY VOCABULARY:  Infer, Speaker

PASSAGE – LINES 1 - 7

I am fourteen

And my skin has betrayed me

The boy I cannot live without

Still sucks his thumb

In secret

How come my knees are always so ashy

What if I die

ANSWER 2

The speaker is a typical teenager who worries about her appearance and her boyfriend.  She has many questions but feels like no one will stop to listen to her.

------------------

QUESTION 3

Analyze.  Reread lines 19 – 21 of “Hanging Fire.”  What does the contradiction or inconsistency expressed in these lines suggest about the speaker.

KEY VOCABULARY:  Inconsistency, Contradiction, Speaker

PASSAGE – LINES 19 - 21

There is nothing I want to do

and too much

that has to be done.

ANSWER 3

The contradiction of having nothing to do but knowing there is much to be done suggests that the speaker is thoughtful and self-aware.  She feels pressures weighing on her.  Sometimes the reaction to pressure is a desire to do nothing at all.

------------------

QUESTION 4

Analyze.  Several themes are touched on in “Hanging Fire.”  Identify and explain one or two of these themes, using text evidence as support.

KEY VOCABULARY:  Analyze, Theme, Evidence

ANSWER 4

One theme of “Hanging Fire” is that even though teens may resent adults for not giving them credit for their ideas and accomplishments (“Nobody even stops to think / about my side of it;”  “I should have been on Math Team”), they still need adults’ love and support (“momma’s in the bedroom / with the door closed.”)

------------------ 

QUESTION 5

INTERPRET.  A simile is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things using the word like or as.   Identify a simile Mora uses in “Teenagers” that suggests what the speaker’s grown children are like.

KEY VOCABULARY:  Interpret, simile

ANSWER 5

“long bodies / that move past me / glowing / almost like pearls.” In this simile, the speaker’s adult children are compared to pearls. The speaker is overjoyed when they finally emerge from behind the shut door of their teenage years like pearls from closed oysters.

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QUESTION 6

COMPARE.  The speaker in each poem has a specific point of view, or position about the subject matter of the poem.  Tell one way the points of view are similar and one way they are different.

KEY VOCABULARY:  Compare, Similar, Points of View, Position

ANSWER 6

One way the speakers’ points of view are similar is that both feel isolated.  They are different because the teenaged speaker in “Hanging Fire” feels her mother has abandoned her, whereas the adult speaker in “Teenagers” feels shut out by the teenaged children.

x

Examples of Independent Reading Answers

These answers are directly from the teacher edition for Marigolds "Analyze the Text" on page 226. 

Students are encouraged to use these as examples for future homework assignments from the textbook, as they represent exemplary answers.


VERY IMPORTANT:  MUST CITE TEXT EVIDENCE  (evidence is marked in red)

Notice that most, if not all, of the answers contain evidence from the text in the form of quotations, line number citations, or paraphrasing facts and details from the text.

QUESTION 1  

INFER

In lines 8-9, Collier writes that an abstract painting "does not present things as they are, but rather as they feel."  What can you infer about the narrator's childhood experience based on her description of her home town?

ANSWER

The shanty-town is full of dusty dirt roads, bare yards, and poor people living in ramshackle homes.  The crushing poverty of the setting permeates Lizabeth's adolescence, filling her with half-understood rage.


QUESTION 2

SYNTHESIS

What part do the "chaotic emotions of adolescence" (lines 17-18) play in motivating Lizabeth to taunt Miss Lottie?

ANSWER

The conflicts and emotions associated with Lizabeth's age play a significant role in motivating her actions.  She is old enough to feel the pain and rage of her circumstances but not old enough to control her reactions to these emotions.


QUESTION 3

INFER

Reread lines 162 - 185.  What might explain the children's reactions to the marigolds?

ANSWER

The colorful beauty of the flowers does not make sense to the children, who are too young to articulate their feelings of anger and humiliation about their impoverished lives.  They feel that they must destroy the intrusion of beauty on their otherwise ugly world.


QUESTION 4

ANALYZE

Review lines 257-293.  How does the conversation between Lizabeth's parents motivate Lizabeth's later actions?

ANSWER
The role reversal represented by her father's crying and her mother's strength fills Lizabeth with fear and bewilderment.  This incident unleashes Lizabeth's smoldering fear and rage and compels her to commit the story's climactic, destructive act.


QUESTION 5

COMPARE

How does the narrator's understanding of Miss Lottie at the end of the story compare to her feelings about the woman at the beginning of the story?

ANSWER

In the beginning, the narrator sees Miss Lottie as a crazy old woman obsessed with flowers.  At the end, Lizabeth feels compassion for Miss Lottie and understands that she tried to create beauty in the midst of ugliness.


QUESTION 6

DRAW CONCLUSIONS

What is the story's theme?  Note at least three clues that help you recognize the message the author is sharing.

ANSWER

With the loss of youth's innocence comes compassion for others and a deeper understanding of life.  The description of Miss Lottie in lines 354 - 356, the details in lines 370 - 375, and the last sentence of the passage all support this theme.


QUESTION 7 

ANALYZE

What do the marigolds symbolize in this story?  Explain how they contribute to the development of the story's theme.

ANSWER

In the beginning of the story, the marigolds represent to the children something that does not make sense in their dusty, colorless world.  At the end, the marigolds symbolize the possibility of beauty in a bleak existence.


QUESTION 8

DRAW CONCLUSIONS

What conclusions can you draw about the narrator's present life from the last paragraph in the story?  Drawing on your understanding of the story's symbolism, paraphrase the last line.


ANSWER

The narrator describes her present life as barren.  I, too, have tried to create something of beauty to combat the emptiness of my life.

Upcoming Deadlines and Due Dates

Just a reminder...

On Monday 9/25/17 students will be taking The Outsiders slang vocabulary quiz from Quizlet.com.  The link to the words for studying is below.

On Tuesday 9/26/17 students will be turning in their Independent Reading Homework from the HMH Collections textbook that answers questions 1 - 6 on page 233.

HELP Finding the Simple Subject and Simple Predicate Links

As a resource and a review, students may get additional support by watching and listening to following links:

What is a Simple Sentence?

     Videos:
     https://youtu.be/_fC6MevkPpc
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwB1cdFI0WU

     Web Page:
     http://www.grammar-monster.com/glossary/simple_sentence.htm

Finding the Simple Subjects & Simple Predicates


     Videos:
     https://youtu.be/fdUXxdmhIsw

     Web Pages:
     http://www.k12reader.com/term/simple-subject/
     http://www.k12reader.com/term/simple-predicate/

No Homework Rosh Hashanah

Just a reminder, that there is no homework assigned for Wednesday 9/20/17 and Thursday 9/21/17 out of respect for the Jewish holiday.  Any homework collected in PowerSchool may be turned in on Friday 9/22/17 at no penalty for those celebrating.

*Extra Credit Opportunity

In an effort to encourage students to synthesize their knowledge from the classroom into the real world, students may gain 5 extra credit points if, on the day of the Sentence Composing Quiz, they turn in a print out (hard copy) of a simple sentence that they identified in their own choice novel. 

Just like in class, they would need to underline the simple subject and put brackets [ ] around the simple predicate. 

They also need to include the name of the author, the page number, and the title of the novel.

For example: 

"The idea of cutting and sewing the dress by herself [was] novel and exciting."

                      - Elizabeth George Speare, The Witch of Blackbird Pond  (page 21)

ACADEMIC LANGUAGE

These definitions are for use with the HMH Collections Textbook Homework Assignments

Analyze: to examine methodically and in detail the structure of (something, especially information), typically for purposes of explanation and interpretation.

Compare and Contrast:  To identify the similarities and differences between two or more subjects.  (R66)

Contradiction - a combination of statements, ideas, or features of a situation that are opposed to one another. 

Example: “Mom said, don’t you contradict me, young lady!”

Development:  The progression or change of something over time.  For example, character development refers to how a character changes over time (character arc).   Symbols and themes can also develop over the course of a text.

(Draw) Conclusion: a judgment or decision reached by reasoning.  (Dictionary)

Evidence:  a specific piece of information that is offered to support a claim.  It can take the form of a fact, a quotation, an example, a statistic, or a personal experience among other things (R68)

Inconsistency:   Not staying the same throughout.

Example: “The baseball pitcher was inconsistent this season, going through hot streaks and then wild spots of failure.”

Inference:  a logical guess that is made based on facts and one’s own knowledge and experience (R71)

Paraphrase:  to restate in your own words (as opposed to using a quote)

Synthesize:  to take individual pieces of information and combine them in order to gain a better understanding of the subject (R77)

Theme:  A message about life or human nature that the author shares with the reader.  In many cases readers must infer what the author’s message is.  One way of figuring out the theme is to apply the lessons learned by the main characters to people in real life. (R77)

This Week's Agenda

Preparedness Grade

In an effort to promote personal responsibility in preparing students for high school, I will be adding a grade category "Preparedness" for 25 points in every class.

Each student will begin the quarter with 25 total points, or an "A."

If a student comes to class without assignments that are due or without the materials we use daily, they will lose 5 points for each incident.

If students have an assignment that is due in a hard copy, but they haven't printed it out yet, they will also lose 5 points.

If there are extenuating circumstances -- or there was a last minute change in what materials are needed on a given day -- students will be given flexibility.

For the record, on NORMAL days students should always bring:

1)  Their sentence composing journal
2)  A choice novel
3)  A pencil, pen, and/or highlighter
4)  Their planner
5)  And any work that is due that day in hard copy (unless otherwise stated).

Additionally, we will be rotating curricular phases where either:

1) the HMH Collections textbook,
2) the HMH Close Reader workbook,
or 3) the HMH Performance Assessment workbook

... will also to be brought to class regularly.

Finally, on Flex Friday students may bring work from other classes, earphones or earbuds, or other personal work.

This "squishy skill" is not only important for their future academic success, but success in life.

It is my sincere hope that by providing both a positive incentive and a gentle consequence students will develop good habits that will serve them well in the future.

What is Flex Friday?

Flex Friday is an opportunity for the teacher to work with students one-on-one or in small groups.

It is also an opportunity to differentiate instruction for students by either providing enrichment opportunities or modification.

It is also a "flexible" time allowing students the ability to tie up loose ends, to get information that they missed, or address various sundry opportunities for learning.

It is much more than a glorified study hall, and it is absolutely not a time to play video games, socialize, text friends, or to be unproductive.

Below is the slide we use as a guide to facilitate this classroom tool:

Sentence Composing Quiz #01 - Figurative Language

For your convenience and study purposes, here is a copy of the actual quiz we will be giving on Monday 9/18/17.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_i4DDlfmOFiaXo0bE84ZUFUMEU

Quizlet Outsiders Slang Vocabulary Study

Before reading The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, students will study vocabulary words from the novel that contain both slang and cultural references of 1965.

A quiz for these terms will be given, tentatively scheduled for Monday, September 25th.

https://quizlet.com/_1gpu3f

This Week's Agenda

Curriculum Night Availability

Hello Parents,

Due to an unavoidable scheduling conflict, I will not be present for Curriculum Night here at Derby slated for Thursday, September 14th .

However, I will be making myself available on Friday, September 15th, between the hours of 6 pm and 8 pm in room 205.

Also, I will have my room open on curriculum night and ask that a brief video introduction be looped on our fancy new screen.  This should answer many basic questions about my educational philosophy and pedogogy.

Here is a link to that video:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_i4DDlfmOFid1BvN2JFMW5lRW8/view


Furthermore, your child has already received the following handout which contains a one page  overview of this year's curriculum.

Here is the hand out as well:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_i4DDlfmOFic1lzS1hqQzdTX0k


If you have any additional concerns and cannot attendant curriculum night or my Friday make up session, please don't hesitate to contact me via email at jchappell@birmingham.k12.mi.us

Thanks you and best wishes,
Jonathan Chappell

Quiz on Monday

Just a reminder to students:

there will be a 50 point quiz on Monday for Lord of the Flies.  

It is a multiple choice quiz and is open book.

Students will have the option of working with their seating partners.

PLEASE BRING YOUR COPY OF THE BOOK

HMH Collections Textbook Independent Reading Schedule

In lieu of daily reading logs, students will read the textbook independently and answer written questions in a response journal along the timeline of the document herein:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_i4DDlfmOFiUWd6Q2dmakdzQjQ

2017-18 8th Grade Curriculum Overview

Link to One Page Tentative Syllabus

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_i4DDlfmOFic1lzS1hqQzdTX0k

This Week's Agenda