First Term Reading and Writing Requirements
Friday Letter: August 27, 2010
Dear Middle School Families,
Welcome to another school year! We are pleased to welcome the new students, and look forward to learning all that we can from them. We have had a full week with seven different written assessments, two math assessments, and one history assessment. We have had two assemblies, one art history presentation, and one art history hands-on activity. And this is only the start of what we know will be a year full of extraordinary experiences!
As of next Monday, we will be offering students the opportunity to have some help to complete homework, or to finish up class work, from 3 to 3:30. Since each student’s participation is vital to our classroom discussion, we see the homework as a ticket in the door. Should we determine that a student needs more time to finish their work, we will ask them to stay after school in order to complete it. In this event, your child will call you to let you know, and you will need to arrange an alternate way home for them. For any student who did not complete the summer reading, please expect that they will be staying after school beginning on Monday, and will continue to do so until they finish the book.
Some important dates:
8/306th Grade Parent Meeting7pm
9/6Labor Day – No School
9/13-176th Grade to Eastern Sierra
9/17Early Dismissal 1:15
9/22Picture Day
9/23Back-to-School Night
If you would like to know what work has been assigned, please check out Willow’s blog, which can be accessed through the school website. Soon, we will launch the Middle School Book Blog, where you can read book reviews by Middle School students.
Please help your student to come to school well rested, well fed, and prepared every day.
May peace be with you,
Don & Willow
Summer Reading
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
A rollicking good read that chronicles the teenage protagonists transition from the school on the Rez to the school in town. A coming of age novel, with wacky illustrations and social consciousness.
Oh Pioneers!, by Willa Cather
The classic novel, by the classic author. This book tells the story of the land, and two women who work on the land in Nebraska at the turn of the century. Who knew I could be completely enthralled by a page explaining the nature of grass?
Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austin
Some say this is the perfect novel. Others claim it to be too set in its time period. I think the themes it covers - love, social class, pride - can be applied to any time period. It is a book to get lost in, in that the word choice and scene selection take the reader to an entirely different place.
32 Candles, by Ernessa T Carter
A first novel by a woman who went to my college, this was a perfect summer "candy" read. By candy, I mean it was just fun and light, without the weightiness that can make a book a struggle to get through. And it is pink, which is always a plus.
Willow's summer reading
In case any of you are checking my blog out this summer, I wanted to offer up a brief review of the books I read, as I go. Feel free to post your own reviews if you wish!
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Anne Barrows
A novel written in letters makes for an easy turning of the page. I picked up this book on a friend's recommendation and was drawn in by the varied letters at the start of the book. Set in England soon after World War Two, it introduces a cast of true characters on the small 7 mile long island of Guernsey. An author from London begins correspondence with one of the members of a book group and is drawn into their fascinating story as they struggle against German occupation. And the struggle is often humorous, which makes for a good read. Eventually she goes to the island, befriends the book group and joins their community, whilst fending off the romantic advances of the "American" suitor, and keeping up with her childhood best friends, one of whom happens to be her editor.
I got a good idea of the community the authors were trying to build in this book, and appreciated a small glimpse into a period of history that I know little about. One theme present in the book was appearance and reality, as the characters unveil themselves to be who they truly are. Even the German soldiers, set out as ruthless bullies, have moments of kindness.
The Hearts of Horses, by Molly Gloss
A young woman, just past her girlhood, rides into Eastern Oregon on her fire-scarred horse Dolly, looking for work breaking horses. She would say gentling them, but the year is 1917, and bronc busting is far more common in the male-dominated world of ranching. However, with the majority of the menfolk off at war, women rose to ranch work - baling hay, roping cattle, and training horses. Martha Lessing leaves her dysfunctional family to seek a life for herself and finds a lonesome community of ranchers scraping out a living from sheep and cattle. Slowly she makes her way into their lives, and we see the interconnection of all these families through her work with their horses.
I liked how this book brought me right into the place of the harsh winters, and heartbreaking realities of rural America in the early 1900's. This was the west before it was "modernized", and I like setting my mind in that space. I think I am drawn to books about the American West for this reason - it affords me a glimpse into a past I wish I could have known first hand. What would it have been like to ride a horse everywhere, and depend on the train to bring you in things you couldn't make yourself? How painful it would be to watch your children die from illness, and your farm shrink away due to a drought.
Summer Letter and READING
Howdy folks! Happy summer! May there be many popsicles, bodies of water, and good books in your future.
Willow
7th Grade Reflection Questions
DUE Wednesday 6/2
Answer the following:
- What are some of the things that you have learned this year?
- What are the best memories of the year?
- What are you going to need to know for 8th grade? For High School? How will you learn/acquire these skills?
- What are you most looking forward to in 8th grade? Why?
- What are your prejudices about 8th graders? How do you think they are supposed to act? Do you think other people think they are scary/smart/crazy/???
- What can Don and I do to help you next year?
Pride and Prejudice
Choose one question from the attached study guide, run it by me, and research it in preparation for Ashland. You should prepare a written response recording your findings.
Homework 5/19
6/8: A paragraph reflecting on a theme in Hamlet. Refer to your theme list or the four common themes in Shakespeare's work. DUE 5/20
Sonnet recitation and translation on Friday.
Homework 5/17
Math One: page 454 2-24 even, PLUS quiz corrections
6/8: Shakespeare Theme worksheets; Sonnet assignment DUE Friday
Shakespeare Sonnet Homework
Using the above website find a sonnet, memorize it, and be able to recite it in front of the class. You will need to turn in a copy of the sonnet, a written translation in your own words, and be able to talk about the meaning of the sonnet. What is the main idea?
DUE Friday May 21
Homework 5/12
Math One: page 438 7-16, 28, 29
6: Samurai Final Book DUE 5/18
6/8: Write your own sonnet DUE Tuesday 5/13
8: Hamlet research DUE Friday 5/14
6th Grade - Age of Exploration
Using the above website and your textbook, draw a map of the oceans and continents that reflects the following voyages:
- Vasco de Gama
- Pedro Cabral
- Columbus
- Magellan
- Hernan Cortes
- Francisco Pizarro
- John Cabot
- Giovanni de Verrazano
- Henry Hudson
Your map should be in color, include a key
Hamlet Study Guide
8: Select one question from the study guide to research. Write at least a one paragraph summary and be prepared to be the expert on this topic to present to the class and your parents in Ashland.
Homework 5/5/10
6/8 Re-write of To be or not to be speech from Hamlet.
6/7/8 Second book Review Due 5/11
6/7 Samurai Final book DUE 5/11
Math One:
6/7 Grade Japan Final Project
Rough Draft Due Tuesday May 4th
Pretend you are a daimyo, a warrior-lord in 14th-century Japan. You want to create an illustrated handbook to instruct new samurai who come to fight for you. Your illustrated handbook should clearly address this question: What must a samurai know in order to be successful? Your illustrated handbook should include ALL of the following elements:
| A. | An imaginative title and cover page that will appeal to new samurai. | ||
| B. | An introductory page that welcomes the new samurai and gives background detail on the rise of the samurai. | ||
| C. | A table of contents page. | ||
| D. | At least three pages on topics important to new samurai: armor and weapons, military training, mental training, cultural training, religious training, the Code of Bushido, and women samurai. Each page should have |
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| • | a topic heading. | ||
| • | a description of the topic that is at least one paragraph in length. | ||
| • | illustrations to help instruct the new samurai. | ||
| E. | A final page that wishes the new samurai good luck and gives a top-ten list of reminders for becoming a samurai. | ||
| F. | Clever and creative touches to make the handbook more interesting and realistic. | ||
| G. | An outline of notes from your Web sources and textbook. | ||
| H. | A rough draft of your handbook. | ||
| I. | A typed final draft with correct grammar, correct spelling, and a bibliography of your sources. If necessary, use footnotes where appropriate. |
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Manifest Destiny Essay
8th Grade essay:
First Draft Due: Tuesday, May 4th.
Research the 19th century doctrine of Manifest Destiny, using the library, the internet and your textbook. Write a 500 word essay focused around the following questions:
- How did the doctrine of Manifest Destiny influence people?
- Did everyone in the United States agreewith this doctrine?
- Do you agree with it?Why?
- How did it affect government policy toward Native Americans?
- How did it influence public opinion about the invasion of Mexico?
- Are there parallels to this doctrine at work in the world today?
- Cite modern instances in which religious or ethnic factors have led to political movements, territorial disputes or warfare.