ASSIGNMENTS FOR THE WEEK OF
JANUARY 12-16
LANGUAGE ARTS
There's nothing like a good story. Our lives are filled with them, and we relish sharing them with those around us. When we write our stories down, we have the added benefit of being able to choose our words carefully, for greatest clarity and effect.
Personal narratives allow our audience to vicariously experience a personal moment in our lives. We create a window through which that particular moment is captured in all its vivid detail - all the sights, sounds, actions, and emotions. If done well, the writing connects us to our audience creating a shared experience.
Sample of a PERSONAL NARRATIVE. Also look HERE and HERE for others written by middle school students.
GETTING THOUGHTS DOWN ON PAPER
Last week we explored the power of good beginnings. This week, we'll better understand the place dialogue has in narrative writing. (Dialogue, you'll remember, gives your writing personality. It is an essential component of good narrative writing.)
- MONDAY: To learn how to weave dialogue into your writing, we'll begin with Calvin & Hobbs. Check your Google Drives for a particularly wonderful (if I do say so myself) lesson on writing dialogue through my favorite comic strip characters. You'll also find a helpful list of rules for writing dialogue and a short practice assignment, which will be due on Friday.
- TUESDAY: We're off to the theater! No class today. (You could work on your homework from yesterday, though. . .)
- WEDNESDAY: Continue rewriting your chosen comic strip into a narrative.
- THURSDAY: Be ready to share narratives with each other. Turn in. Now it's time to show what you know! Incorporate dialogue in your Personal Narratives. Use planning sheets from THIS site.
- FRIDAY: Concentrated effort on Personal Narratives. Check your Google Drives for a checklist to guide your completion.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Tuesday: "Design-a-Sarcophagus" (unfinished activity from last week)
Thursday: No internet today; ARGH! Therefore, we're going 'Old-School' and working on activities associated with pages 28-41 of Pyramid, by David Macaulay.
VIDEO WORTH WATCHING!
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WAY COOL PLACES TO INVESTIGATE! . . .
Whatever you want to know about ancient Egypt, you'll find HERE!Another site to get lost in is HERE! Wow!
Look HERE to see an interactive 3-D Illustration of the Giza Pyramids. Explore Khufu's pyramid HERE.
Lots of links at VIRTUAL EGYPT for those of you wanting to know more (...and more...and more...)
Free time? HERE are a few Egypt-related games to try!
Want to know how mummies are made? Check out THIS interactive!
SCIENCE
LET'S TALK CONSERVATION!
You can find 50 ways to conserve water HERE. Even more water conservation tips can be found HERE. Choose one and create an eye-catching poster or bumper sticker that includes:* WHAT you can do
* HOW you can do it
I was particularly intrigued by #46, which stated that 28 billion gallons of water are used to produced all the unwanted paper in junk mail. I deplore junk mail. This provided a website for anyone interested in taking their name off direct-marketing lists: dmachoice.org It's worth checking out!
MATH
Fun working with coordinating planes!
Here are some games, activities, and resources to reinforce this week's work: Catch the Fly, Coordinate Game and THIS link, which provides a coordinate grid generator and fun worksheets!
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Monday: Pages 125-126 and 3.7
Tuesday: Going to the thee-ah-tuh. No class today; however, a little Think Central wouldn't hurt! Practice, practice those skills!
Wednesday: Pages 229-130
Thursday: 3.8
Friday:Pages 133-134 and 3.9
WORD STUDY
Monday - Friday: Unit 8
Friday: BHT
Thought bubble image
Hand holding pen image
Personal Narrative cartoon image
Eye of Horus image
Egyptian Pharaoh image
Integer cartoon
