Sticky Note Madness

Literature circle discussions start this week.

For each discussion you need six sticky notes.

Four Role Notes:

Click on the following links for the role requirements
Connector

Visualizer

Passage Picker

Questioner

Download the full sticky note guide here.

Additional requirements:

One Wild Card Response per meeting
–Meeting One: Authentic Setting
–Meeting Two: An example of advanced punctuation technique.
–Meeting Three: An example of one of the lit techniques we’ve studied: alliteration, simile, metaphor, sensory language…
–Meeting Four: An interesting fact about the real place or time period of your book. You may use the Internet but include the source.
One Word Wizard response per meeting
–Copy the quote. Underline the word.
–What did you think it meant from context clues?
–What was the actual definition?

To view the literature circle discussion dates click here.

Formatting Your Feature Article

Rough Draft Conferences and the calendar

Each of you has signed up for your individual rough draft conference. At this meeting, you'll get credit for pulling together the basic parts of your article. You will also get the feedback needed to help you do well on the final draft, which has a much more thorough rubric. (You'll get a copy in your sourcebook.) Here are the basic requirements for your conference.

You must be ready on your conference day to get the full credit.

Present a complete draft at scheduled conference time: ____/10

Article is typed with columns, callouts, graphics, etc. ________/10

Proofreading for typos and errors is obvious. ________/5

The byline is typed and placed appropriately ________/5

Article has three subheadings, title and subtitle ________/5

Article has at least 5 quotes from several sources ________/5

Student has attempted an engaging lead ________/5

Student has attempted a satisfying sense of closure ________/5

As soon as your conference is finished, use the feedback you receive to rewrite, revise, and craft your draft into a final, polished piece. See the calendar below for all the important dates.

Parent Permission: Historical Fiction Literature Circles

This permission slip (below) was sent home on Monday and Tuesday with a quick due date of Wednesday and Thursday. If you;ve lost your letter, print this out and get it signed instead. We can't wait to jump into another round of literature circles.

We will soon begin another round of literature circles. This time, our study will focus on historical fiction. Reading novels from specific historical periods provides an excellent opportunity to study setting, characterization, and plot development while broadening their understanding of social issues and historical events. Your student will have the choice of several middle-school appropriate titles from a variety of historical periods that include slavery, the Holocaust, the Civil Rights movement, as well as periods of disease, poverty, or war. We are requesting your permission for your student to read one of these books. There is some mature language used as each writer attempts to accurately portray the historical events of each period. These books are all in circulation in middle school media centers and at the public library. We will be discussing the writer’s choices of language and the events of the novels with each group. The titles of the books are listed below. Different classes will have access to different choices based on availability and reading levels.

Across Five Aprils, Irene Hunt
A War Torn Sky, L.M. Elliott
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Bette Smith
Fever 1793, Laurie Halse Anderson
My Brother Sam is Dead, James L. Collier/Christopher Collier
My Name is Asher Lev, Chaim Potok
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Mildred Thompson
Soldier Boys by Dean Hughes
Soldier X by Don Wulffman
The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
The Glory Field, Walter Dean Myers
The House of Dies Drear, Virginia Hamilton
To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
The Year of the Hangman, Gary Blackwood

We will also watch a film that enhances our reading and gives us the chance to meet the state standards in speaking, listening, and viewing. Many literary techniques are easily observed in the “text” of a film. The film we would like to show is Life is Beautiful (La Vita E Bella), an Italian film that won three Academy awards--best actor, best foreign film, best music (for Nicola Piovani’s original dramatic score). In this film, an Italian man chooses to hide the atrocities of the Holocaust from his young son by pretending that they are playing an elaborate game. His intention is to ensure that, for his son, life will always be beautiful. Much of the movie actually takes place in Italy, developing the main character and showing the love and happiness of their family before they are sent to the concentration camp. It is rated PG-13 for Holocaust-related thematic elements but because it is often viewed through the eyes of a child, there are not graphic depictions of violence or death. In the past, our students have been moved by this powerful and sensitive movie. We hope that you will trust us to discuss these issues thoughtfully and professionally. We have attended special workshops to ensure that our teaching of Holocaust issues is appropriate and sensitive. Please call us if you would like more information about the film. It is readily available at any video store or the public library if you would like to preview it yourself.



My child, _________________________________________, (student name) may read the books and view the movie for the Historical Fiction Literature Circle Study.

Parent/Guardian Name: _________________________________________ (please print)

Parent/Guardian Signature: ______________________________________

If you have concerns or reservations, please contact your child’s Language Arts teacher at the extensions or e-mails listed below. We can answer your questions and make recommendations about alternate choices for your student. Please return this part of the form by April 9th (b day)and 10th (a day), 2008.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Izzo and Mrs. Jackson

Homework: Bibliography/Works Cited

Last week, we bagan working on an assignment in class that is due on 3/26 for B day students and 3/27 for a day students. basically, you'll read six articles --at least three different angles--and write a summary. The specifics are on your slippey-doo and listed below.

How to do the assignment:

1. Read a magazine feature article. You can tell it's a feature article by looking at the table of contents. These are usually at least 2 pages long.

2. After you read the article, record the following information about the article:
Magazine name:
Month/Year of publication:(When was it published?)
Article Title:
Author of article:
From page ____ to page ____.

3. Then, write an annotation for the article. To do that, first fill in the blanks of this sentence--This was a _______________ type of article written for an audience of ___________ on the topic of ___________________.
To finish your annotation, write a couple of sentences explaining what you liked about the article and something you learned from reading it.

Here's a sample entry.
Gaffney, Timothy R. "Assault on Mars." Boys Life Sept. 1997: 24-26.
This was an informational type of article written for an audience of teen boys on the topic of Mars exploration and life on Mars. I liked the article because the graphics and informational captions made it interesting to read. I learned that scientists have three pieces of evidence that lead them to believe there was once life on Mars. They think it was once warmer on Mars and that water once flowed there. Also, they found meteorites that have microscopic shapes that look like fossils of germs.

4. Do this process five more times. (You must read a total of six articles. You must read at least three different types of articles. The tyes or angles are How to, Informational, Critique/Evaluation, Travel, Personality Profile, and Personal Experience.

5. Next, go to http://www.easybib.com/ and begin entering your information. Don't forget to click "yes" for annotations. You can do this part one entry at a time, as you read each article, or you can do the entire bibliography after you've read all your articles.

6. Next, click the blue text that says "Save list as Word (rtf)." This will make it a document that you can open with Word, or any other word processing program. Check it over for misspellings and completeness. It should look like the one below when you "Print Preview."

Make sure you don't change the type of font, the size of the font the color of the font, or the title. This would make your Works Cited have the wrong format.

This assignment will be graded based on content, completion, and format. Follow the directions carfully and you'll do well.

This assignment is due right before Spring Break and will count as the first grade of the fourth quarter. Can you believe it's the fourth quarter already?

Mrs. Jackson's 3b and 4b classes only: a new due date

This entry is for Mrs. Jackson's 3b and 4b classes only (or any students in the gifted program at other times of the day).
Your bookmark is due on March 5 due to the NASA field trip. Gifted classes have a different due date and a different plot structure for the plot bookmark assignment. It is called the Plot Snake, created by Dr. Allen Tilley.
Here are the directions:
PLOTSNAKE BOOKMARK DIRECTIONS
Choose a short story from your textbook or another collection.
Identify and explain the type of conflict. Include a quote that helped you decide the type of conflict in your book.
On your plot snake diagram explain what is happening at each stage.
Answer the questions for each stage. Provide a quote and page number that demonstrates your explanation.
After you finish your story, continue reading your current book and document the time and pages. You are still required to read 90 minutes and 50-150 pages. Due date: March 5
Here's the diagram and the questions.

Plot Bookmark (Due 2/28, B and 2/29, A)

It's homework time! In class we will be discussing plot soon, and then you will need to complete a plot bookmark.

Plot Bookmark Directions

-- Choose a short story from your textbook or another collection.
--Identify and explain the type of conflict. Include a quote that helped you decide the type of conflict in your book.
-- On your plot diagram explain what is happening at each stage.
--Answer one of the questions for each stage (see below). Provide a quote and page number that demonstrates your explanation.
--After you finish your story, continue reading your current book and document the time and pages. You are still required to read 90 minutes and 50-150 pages.

Due date: 2/28 (B) 2/29 (A)

duvalschools.org

We've got a new e-mail address. Please update your address books. We are excited about this shorter e-mail address that lets parents and students know exactly who we are.



Mrs. Izzo: izzok@duvalschools.org

Mrs. Jackson: jacksonm3@duvalschools.org

Books, and Dances, and Field Trips: Oh My!

BOOKS
We've just passed out Scholastic book catalogs. We'll send in the order on Friday, January 25th. Students can bring in the order form filled out with a check or cash. Alternately, parents can enter the order online and send the credit card information directly to Scholastic. To do this option, go to this website: http://pcool.scholastic.com/parentordering/login.jsp. You'll need to log-in using the information below.

Jackson's students: lavillajackson password: marbles
Izzo's students: lavillaizzo password: marbles

Students in our 1b class can use Mrs. Jackson's log-in (lavillajackson). Students in our 3a class can use Mrs. Izzo's login (lavillaizzo). The book orders will still be delivered directly to the classroom.

The Eighth Grade Trip

Bring $65 - cash or money order in a sealed envelope. On the envelope, write:

• your name,



• t-shirt size and



• bus number (1,2,3 or 4).

Turn the envelope into Ms. Chantal Graham in the main office before school. Deadline is February 29, 2008!

We take four coaches. Get with your friends and decide which bus you all want to be on – 1, 2, 3 or 4. (We reserve the right to change your seat if the buses fill up.)

Bring your own money for food and souvenirs.

Students with three or more discipline referrals will not be allowed to attend. (This does not include Tardy or ID referrals.

Annual pass holders still have to pay $35 for the bus.

You do not have to stay with the chaperone, just check-in at designated times

Dress Code-the official t-shirt must be worn at all times. You may wear a bathing suit under the shirt.

The Eighth Grade Dance: Kaleidoscope

$10 Cash or Money Order
To pay, place money in a sealed envelope labeled with:
Your name
8th grade dance ticket money
Name of your Language Arts teacher
Turn into Ms. Chantal Graham in the front office before school.
Receipts will be returned through the langauge Arts teachers. Official tickets will be sent one week before the dance.


Who can go?
Any LaVilla 8th grader
Who cannot go?
•Any other LaVilla Student
•A student from another school
•A LaVilla 8th grader with three or more discipline referrals. (Does not include tardy or ID.)


Suggested dress is funky-fabulous!
or as we like to call it,
K a l e i d o s c o p i c Dress Code Approved.


A professional photographer will be in attendance. You will soon receive a flyer with her prices for different packages. Money is due to her at the dance. (Do not turn into teachers.)
Any questions see Ms.Malkewitz in the tech room #129A

Editorial Final Drafts Due 1/14(B) 1/15(A)

EXTRA, EXTRA! Read all about it!
You have an opportunity to earn 10 bonus points if you turn your final draft in on time. They are due next week (1/14, B day and 1/15, A day). These bonus points can improve the grade you earned on the first draft. The actual final draft grade will count in the third quarter average.

As you revise, don't forget to apply all the feedback we provided on your first draft. Also, consider the lessons we've had in the past week: word variety, transitions, and weaving in a variety of support. Don't forget to create a works cited page using easybib.com. To view our original entry on editorials, click here.