Mood

The following words were studied on Saturday and can be used to describe the mood of a text:

Nostalgic (Noun)

Desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life, to one's home or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time: He was nostalgic for his college days.

Sympathetic (adjective)

Showing approval of or favor toward an idea or action: "he was sympathetic to evolutionary ideas".

Ecstatic (adjective)

Feeling or expressing overwhelming happiness or joyful excitement.

Insidious (adjective)

1. Proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with harmful effects: "the insidious effects of stress".
2. Treacherous; crafty: "an insidious alliance".

Hostile (adjective)

Unfriendly; antagonistic.

Foreboding (adjective)

Implying or seeming to imply that something bad is going to happen.

***These are not the ONLY words that can be used, we will add to the list each week***

Review for Glory Field Quiz:

1.  Be able to describe each of the following characters:

*Elijah, Sukey, Saran, Moses, Frank Petty, David Turner, Mr. Turner, Mr. Foster, Sherriff Glover, Goldie, and Abby.

2.  Where did the Glory Field get its name?

3.  Describe the money situation Saran and Moses are dealing with.

4.  Be able to explain how Abby and Elijah got to the island, who was with them and what they found. 

5.  Be able to explain why Elijah has to leave Curry Island. 

Glory Field Homework

Below is a list of the homework that is due for this week in class 803:

11/15: Read up to page 107
11/16: Read up to page 125
11/17: Read up to page 133 (this is the end of the section)

For each reading, you must answer the discussion questions that were handed out last week :)

Been A While...

Though this blog has not been updated for a few weeks, it does not reflect the amount of work we have been doing in our ELA classes.  We have been completing A LOT and working very hard (both 801 and 803).  As our unit on The Bronx Masquerade winds down, students in both classes are getting ready to turn in their first major assignment in 8th grade ELA.

The assignment consists of multiple parts:
1.  A journal entry that is written in the style Nikki Grimes uses in The Bronx Masquerade.   It reflects the idea that we all 'wear a mask' at times, and reveals some truth about 'true selves'
2.  Multiple poems
3.  A compare and contrast essay in which students closely analyze two characters and write an academic paper based on how these characters are similar and different
4.  The tree project (this is still a bit of a mystery to students as we are working on this assignment in class this week)

I have received the first draft of all the journal entries in each of my classes, and, as always I am incredibly impressed at the depth with which many students are willing to describe who they really are.  I am also impressed with the creativity and beautiful writing of many students.  Below is the opening of one student's paper- it is exceptional; it blew me away :)

         A tree is tall, thick headed, open minded, empty minded,strong, weak, bright, dull and in a way kind of like me. A tree keeps its silence when it is stepped on and bruised, when it is walked on allover, when people knock it off of its pedestal and when it is being judged by by passers still no sound. Yet in its own time it will speak up and give a gentle whisper, but only when it is caressed by the soft breeze coming from a far strong wind. With a gentle caring push it can brake out of its shell. So it will forever wait until that long awaited breeze comes and gives it a voice.

Thank you to the student who wrote this! You are helping to push your classmates (and myself) further in our writing!

Some Exceptional Work

Last week in our class we discussed many ideas regarding how to become inspired by the world.  We also looked specifically at what inspires or motivates us both intrinsically and extrinsically.  Through the use of collage, students in both classes (801 and 803) were able to show me and their peers what exactly drives them to do well in school.  The following are four exceptional examples of the final products:

Just a quick reminder- tomorrow there is a 'help session' for students who felt overwhelmed by the newspaper article analysis.  We will meet in my classroom from 3:15 until 4:00. 

Weekend Homework

I can't believe we are already through the first full week of school.  It seems like this year is going by too quickly already!

As promised, below are the assignments due for homework:
1.  The summer reading Bronx Masquerade packet is due in 2 Mondays (September 26th)
2.  You must, however, bring your Bronx Masquerade book to class with you THIS Monday as we will begin working with it next week.
3.  Bring your independent reading book to class
4.  You first Current Event Article Analysis is due on Monday as well

Below I have attached the current event analysis sheet (the formatting is not really correct, but at least it will give you the questions should you lose your paper).

Current Event Article Analysis

Class 803's Miracles

Below is a list of miracles compiled by class 803 in response to Walt Whitman's poem, Miracles.

1.  When it is cloudy and then the sun comes out.
2.  When you are short by only one dime but find it on the street so you can buy a soda
3.  The way the air smells when it is raining
4.  Dimples
5.  Laying on the grass and noticing the shape of the clouds
6.  Being warm in the winter time
7.  The smell of food cooking
8.  Butterflies in a garden
9.  The sunlight in the morning
10.  Being alone (once in a while)
11.  The smell of freshly cut grass
12.  Big wool socks that warm up your feet
13.  The taste of lemonade
14.  Waves in the ocean
15.  Family members helping each other
16.  Seeing the light of a new day
17.  Not being nameless
18.  Ants gathering food
19.  Different colored leaves swinging on the tall gorgeous trees
20.  One raindrop from the open gray skies
21.  Sun sparking on the waves of the ocean
22.  Younger siblings that look up to you
23.  bubbles are rainbows in a sphere
24.  The colors purple and green together
25.  The sunset
26.  Noticing one single grain of sand
27.  Birds resting on a fire escape
28.  The creaky sound of floors
29.  A shaky frying pan handle
30.  A small crack in the wall
31.  A bird feeding its babies
32.  Watching a little baby walk
33.  When family members look alike
34.  The feeling of water when you are hot
35.  Silence

Class 801's Miracles

Below are some of the miracles class 801 came up with in response to Walt Whitman's Poem.  

1.  Friends that help us when we're down
2.  Hats that block the sun
3.  The world because we are alive
4.  Snow that collects on tree branches
5.  City lights
6.  When you just miss a subway train and one comes immediately after
7.  The budding flowers
8.  The color of the sky in the morning
9.  The fact that there is a day and a night
10.  When a person succeeds at something they've never done before
11.  The stripe of lights in a room in the early morning
12.  Having a supportive family
13.  Being forgiven
14.  Colorful yarn
15.  Colored pencils that can be used to shade in a picture
16.  A new moon
17.  When the moon is split perfectly in half
18.  A hawk in a tree outside our windown in the city
19.  Having all five senses to view the world
20.  Going for a very long walk
21.The garden in front of a window
22.  The colored candles on a dinner table
23.  Wooden floors
24.  Seeing an eclipse
25.  How bright stars can be
26.  Beaches with black sand
27.  Waking up and looking outside a window
28.  Mothers
29.  Fathers
30.  Staying healthy even in the winter
31.  Receiving a letter in the mail
32.  Being able to see the sunset over buildings
33.  The smell of nature
34.  The reflection of light off of fingernails
35.  The moonlight inside of an apartment
36.  Having an education
37.  The smell of new books
38.  A deep green wall
39.  The feeling after playing a sport
40.  Life!

Miracles: Inspired by Walt Whitman

I spent some time this weekend collecting my own 'miracles'.  As opposed to writing out a list, I decided to compile them in picture form; enjoy!

 Or a bright, flamingo-pink house decorated months too soon for Christmas,

 

Or the sand after having been washed over by the ocean, leaving ribbons of  pattern to mark it's departure,

 Or the criss-cross overlapped threads that make up the clothing on my back,

 Or colorful twinkle lights reflecting off a cracked mirror,

 Or the unlikely combination of a restaurant and furniture store, shopping with efficiency?

Or a grave yard perfectly posed amidst a port and it's ships,

Or an old couple carrying a Sponge-Bob balloon to a child,

Or my bike's peeling gold handlebars tracing the edge of the bike path,

Or a sweet, pink-hued sunset falling over the baseball fields in Inwood Hill park,

Or the cerulean sky draped over a sandy beach and a reflective ocean.


I hope you enjoyed my list- I can't wait to see yours tomorrow!

Weekend Homework

Just a reminder, your homework for this weekend is a reflection on the poem, Miracles by Walt Whitman.  You need to make a list of at least 10 'miracles' you notice in the world that you haven't noticed before.  The list will be collected on Monday during class.

Have a great weekend!

So Happy to be Back!

Seeing everyone today has made me even more excited for this upcoming school year!  In case you misplace the poem, I have attached it below:

Miracles by Walt Whitman

Also, I thought this picture of Inwood went nicely with the poem :)

Welcome Back

Welcome back to school this year!  I'm so excited to be teaching the 8th grade, especially since I have known most of you for the past three years! 

This website will be used for our class and will be updated regularly with important information.  You will be able to find assignments, examples of essays and projects, as well as class announcements.  At times you will even be able to write a post to our class blog!

Be certain to check back here as often as possible for the most up to date information regarding ELA in 8th grade.

Classroom policies can be found here:
Ms. Salvitti's Expectations