Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Final Exam Time

Just when it seems like there couldn't possibly be MORE tests this year, here comes final exams.
In light of all the test taking, I've designed the ELA final to be quite manageable for students. First, the test will cover only content from our last ten weeks (the bulk of which has been our "Mark Twain" author study unit). Therefore, please follow this link for Mark Twain review materials that I posted in a blog that I wrote last year. NOTE: the only review materials from the link that are relevent to this year's final exam are the "Mark Twain Author Study" materials.
The final exam will consist of several short answer questions about selected Twain readings that we covered in class, including "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" and the "whitewashing episode" from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. In addition, the students will read additional Twain related material during the exam and answer comprehension questions. Finally, there will be at least one "extended response" (essay question).
The final exam for ELA 7 will be held on Monday, June 18, from 9:30-10:50.

Monday, June 4, 2012

The School Year Winds Down, As Does the "Twain" Unit

Our Mark Twain author study unit continued with a viewing of the Disney's Tom and Huck, followed by a non-fiction article about the author's world wide fame and his family.
Then, we watched an episode of TV's Ghost Hunters, in which the paranormal investigators tried to determine if Twain's Hartford, Connecticutt home was haunted.
We'll conclude our unit by an reading an excerpt of Susy Clemens' biography of her father, as well as an excerpt from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
I'll post information pertaining to the ELA 7 final exam (which will cover only material from the fourth marking period) later this week.