It's Beginning to Look Like Halloween...

in ELA 7, at least when you consider the play we've been reading this week.
It's called "The Dead Rising" and it tells the story of Mercy Brown, the alleged New England Vampire.
I've suggested a field trip to visit the cemetery where Mercy is buried, but I'm not getting my hopes up!

EXTRA CREDIT

It's time for another extra credit assignment.
Students who wish to earn extra credit can complete the following by Tuesday, October 15:
1). Visit the interactive map of vampire incidents in New England.
2). Choose three separate locations and read about the vampire incidents that occurred there.
3. After you "get the gist" of each incident, write a paragraph for each in which you retell or paraphrase what happened.
4. Type your assignment.

What's Up? (week of 10/1)

Here's "what's up" in ELA class this week:
We've been reading narrative nonfiction in the form of an article called "Dying to be Strong" about the dangers related to steroid and performance enhancing drug use.
Also, we heard from several students who shared books they've been reading lately. Among the titles that students shared were Scorpia Rising, Thirteen Reasons Why, and Orleans.

Notes From Saturday: The Week Ahead

But first, a look back...
The last full week of September saw our class working through language arts exercises (here and here) on verb tense and apostrophes.
We ended the week with a writing assignment based on the independent reading that students have been doing (I wrote a model based on Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann).
Mrs. Kennedy came to class for book talks this week and shared some science fiction titles:
The Golden Hour, The Long Earth, Life We Knew It, Coraline, World Shaker, Flip, The Boxes, and Cinder.

Notes From Saturday: The Week Ahead

...But first, a look back.
We read an abridged version of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer this past week and we also continued independent reading.
This week we'll begin with some grammar, as we work through an activity called "The Lazy Editor". Among the things also on tap is a visit from Mrs. Kennedy for book talks. She's planning to share some science fiction titles.
I'm not sure if any of these are among the books she'll discuss, but here's a list of "9 Best Science Fiction Novels for Young Adults Besides Mockingjay". (I'll post a list of books that Mrs. Kennedy shares later this week).

Extra Credit: 9/16

Students can earn extra credit this week by answering questions about the video "Malala Returns to School" (Watch the video here by clicking "video" in the section on "Malala the Powerful" resources).
After watching the video, students will answer the "Video Discussion Questions" (you can print them or I will provide a copy in class).
For extra credit, students must answer the questions in complete sentences.
This extra credit assignment is due Thursday, 9/19.

Notes From Saturday: The Week Ahead

In ELA class this week, students will continue the group work that they started on Friday, which is working together to answer some close reading questions about the article "Malala the Powerful."
There will be an extra credit opportunity tied to a short video about Malala returning to school (which will be posted on this blog later).
We'll also look at identifying a text's central ideas and supporting details.
Book trailers have been popular with the students so far, and I'll share one for 3:15 Season One: Things That Go Bump In The Night by Patrick Carman.
Enjoy your weekend.