Sit Right Down and Write Yourself a Letter

Based on this lesson by a teacher in Canada, students will be writing a letter to their "future selves."
Ok, so it's not too far into the future (I'll be collecting these letters and returning them during the last week of school in June).
The letter should be a Google Doc and should include:
Greeting/Salutation (Dear...)
Body (my hopes, fears, dreams, intentions, goals, problems, concerns, likes, dislikes, joys, frustrations; what I like about myself; what I don’t like about myself; what I’m proud of; what I think about; what bothers me; who I am, predictions about the upcoming school year, etc.)
Closing (Sincerely, Yours Truly, etc.)

DUE DATE: Monday, 9/14. Your letter should be typed as a Google Doc and should be 500 words in length, minimum.
Here's an example of what this letter might look like: http://www.stageoflife.com/Default.aspx?tabid=72&g=posts&t=4142
Here's another: http://www.stageoflife.com/Default.aspx?tabid=72&g=posts&t=4183

Stumped on What to Read Next?

Try a book trailer...
Here are some links to sites where you can watch book trailers and hopefully get ideas on great books for independent reading:
The Children's Book Council YouTube Channel
Penguin Teen YouTube Channel
Harper Teen YouTube Channel
We'll be reading in class several times a week and students should have their independent books with them each day.
Happy reading!

Happy New Year! (Stuff for Parents of Grade 7 ELA Students to Know)

September, 2015

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome to grade 7 ELA class!

I’m looking forward to working with you to help your student have a great school year.

Here are some expectations I’ll share with your student related to behavior in my class:

1. We listen respectfully when someone is talking.
2. We arrive at class ready and prepared to learn.
3. We show respect to each other at all times.
4. We work to the best of our ability.

I’m hopeful that you’ll find these rules fairly straightforward and easy for your student to follow.

In addition, I’ll enforce the rules of student conduct as explained in the middle school handbook.

While the majority of assignments will be completed during class time, occasionally there will be work for the student to do at home. Typical homework assignments may include independent reading, writing/revising essays or other written assignments, etc.

While we’re on the subject of homework, here’s some that could really help me if you have the time to complete it:

“Please write an email or letter that describes your child. Include anything that you would like me to know about your child, his or her needs, your goals, etc. If there is anything you would rather share or ask me in person, we can certainly set up a conference time in the first weeks of school." 

NOTE: While I will make every effort to post reminders about assignments on the Team Whiteface page at www.slcs.org, it may not always be possible to do so. If you have questions about homework, or anything else pertaining to ELA class, please feel free to call me at home: 354-8496 or email me at carlistdon@slcs.org.

"Who Are You?": A Portfolio Final Assignment

The assignment described below will take the place of a final exam in ELA 7 (all grade 7 students, regardless of ELA teacher, will complete this work in place of a test).

Who are You?

For your final project, you will create a portfolio that is all about YOU.  You will work on each part, one at a time, and hand in the entire project when you’re finished. There are planning pages you will complete before you begin to write certain pieces..   Be sure to complete every part of the project, as this is your ELA 7 final.  

“Who are you?” Portfolio

1). Title Page:  title of your project, your name, ELA 7 and the date

2). “My Inspiration”:  Research a person who is an inspiration to you.
Research person’s life and print at least one article
Write a short essay explaining why this person is an inspiration
Typed, 12 point Times New Roman font, double-spaced
2 pages
Introduction
Three Body Paragraphs
Introduce the person
First reason why he or she is an inspiration
Second reason why he or she is an inspiration
Conclusion
*NOTE: THE FOLLOWING LINKS MAY BE HELPFUL!*

Www.biographyonline.net/people/inspirational.html

inspiremykids.com

3). Works Cited Page

4). “Soundtrack of My Life”:  Choose a song that means a lot to you.  The lyrics must be appropriate.  
Print the lyrics and include them in your portfolio
Write a short essay explaining why this song means so much to you
What is the title of the song?
Who recorded the song?
Who wrote the lyrics?
In your own words, explain what the lyrics are about.
If you could choose another title for the song, what would it be? 
What is the musical genre of this song?
Typed, 12 point Times New Roman font, double-spaced
1-2 pages
*NOTE: THE FOLLOWING LINK MAY BE HELPFUL!*
http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2009/11/23/the-best-places-to-find-lyrics-on-the-web/
http://www.lyricsondemand.com/

5). “Collage of My Life”:  Create a collage of pictures that represent who you are.
This will be in color
You may use pictures from the computer, but you will need a Work Cited page if you do
Two journal entries explaining the process of choosing the pictures
Journal One:  When someone looks at my collage, the three things they learn about me is...
Journal Two:  Describe a connection between one or more of your pictures, and the song lyrics you chose.
Check out this link for help finding pictures to include in your collage: http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2008/10/11/the-best-online-sources-for-images/

NOTE: PLEASE SEE TEAM WHITEFACE HOMEWORK PAGE FOR DUE DATES

Poetry Reflections: 4/17 and 4/20

Poetry Reflections

Please compose a 300 word minimum journal on a Google Doc that discusses, analyzes and reflects upon one poem you have read and another of your choice. NOTE: You must write a reflection for each of the two poems you choose.

In addition to choosing one of the poems we read together in class, please choose a poem from the Poetry Out Loud website.

Please include the name of the poet and the title of the poem in your journal reflection. To help give you ideas about what to include in your reflections, please consider including your response to any of the following prompts:

• I think this poem means...

• When the author said, “....”, I think he/she was trying to...

• This poem makes me feel ..... because....

• I really like this poem because...

• I really dislike this poem because... (please do not say “because itʼs boring/ difficult/dumb, etc.)

• This poem reminds me of...

• One line of the poem that really stands out for me is “...” ......because....

• One thing I noticed about that poem is... 

April is Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month and we'll be marking the occasion in ELA 7.
First up this week, we'll look at "Introduction to Poetry" by Billy Collins. We'll spend the majority of our time this month reading, writing about, and writing poetry. Check this space often for updates about our poetic endeavours.

Pendragon Young Playwrights' Festival

Post winter vacation we are turning our attention to Pendragon Theatre's Young Playwright's Festival.
Earlier this school year, the students were treated to an assembly in which they viewed a performance of last year's winning play which was written by Saranac Lake High School student student, Witter Swanston.
The students will start this week by writing monologues based the theme "a very bad day."
An example of a student performing a monologue can be found here.