Dedicated Students!

Here's some great pictures of student's hard at work after school... blogging and working on their literature symbols! :-)

See--- staying after can be productive and fun!

Halloween Dance

Halloween Dance was a blast!

Taking a Look at Tangerine

Working together in groups, students began examining their summer reading, Tangerine, and identifying the various symbols within the novel. Each group is responsible for bringing in or creating items/pictures that represent the symbols.

 They are to put these symbols into one bag which their group has designed to reflect Tangerine. Each student is also responsible for a brief write-up explaining the symbolism behind one of their chosen objects/pictures.

Jalapeno's on Wednesday!

O'Maley Innovation Middle School

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SCHOOL, PTO, AND SAIL'S CLUB!!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

after 4pm head to Jalapeno's

EAT-IN OR TAKE-OUT

See you there! :-)

Surprising Symbolism

As a class we discovered and examined the meaning of common symbols in literature. Students seemed surprised by some. Of course the owl is associated with rational knowledge and wisdom-- but who knew it could represent a "messenger of death"? And why is the moon a feminine symbol? Also, what is the deal with lions? Why do they signify courage and pride? Then, there is the whole issue of a forest representing evil-- what is going on there? Oh-- and those seasons! They all shed their various meanings upon us as well! Why is autumn a symbol of decline or growing old and winter a symbol of death or stagnation? Furthermore, the color yellow can represent rotting, decay, and decrepitude--- but why?

These are just some of the questions asked and talked about today in room 301 as we deciphered symbolic meaning in literature. Authors need to set the tone and they want to convey layers and layers of meaning that a simple literal or blunt statement could not. You may not always be able to articulate fully what a symbol means, but you will always find that if that symbol is powerful and well-chosen, then it will speak forcefully to your emotions and imagination.

Best Way to Write Conclusions...

THANKS C BLOCK!


& 

D BLOCK!

 

Problmz of nawt poofreadin

Students finished their open response today and learned how to FLIP-FLOP TOPIC, CIRCLE, SUBSTITUTE in order to compose a conclusion! We also discussed the importance of proofreading and spell checking. Our mind plays tricks on us when we try to check our work, so reading aloud (or covering our ears and whispering) as well as "reading backwards," really allows us to correct what we have written.

Don't believe that your mind plays tricks on YOU? Step up to the challenge like the students did today and see if you can count how many F's are in the following sentence ...

.... what do you think?


3?




4?




----- IT IS SIX! SEE IF YOU CAN FIND THEM! (Hint-- Don't forget the word "of")

Three-Column Notes!

In class this week students have been working hard on improving their writing and their reading comprehension. The three-column note technique was introduced, explained and modeled in order to teach students how to effectively answer an open response/writing question. By thoroughly examining the question to understand what it is asking and then fully dissecting the text through paraphrasing, students are learning how to become more active in their reading and in the organization of their writing. I am so impressed with each class's drafts so far! Their responses to Fred Jennes tall tale, Why I Never Shoot Bears are coming out amazing, especially because of their ability to now understand how to include transition words in their writing!

The Final Product

A few of Beauport 7th Graders created commercials that emphasize a thesis or product claim and utilize a technique to HOOK the audience!

1..2..3.... ACTION!

Beauport 7th graders performed their product skits today stressing thesis and hooks!  Look for an update (hopefully) soon to see if videos of the commercials can be posted! 

Until then.. here are a few pictures:

 

HAPPY FRIDAY !!

Collaborating on Commercial Claims!

Today Beauport students collaborated in groups creating commercials! Students began to better understand how to develop a thesis and capture an audience's attention. Each group was given a product and began working on a thesis, or product claim. For example, if their product was Herbal Essence shampoo, then their claim may have been that "Herbal Essence shampoo maximizes hair volume." Each group is responsible for writing a short commercial script (30 seconds to 1 minute) focusing on using one of the many techniques we discussed in class in order to "hook" or grab the audience's attention. Tomorrow during class we will present the commercials and find out which group does the best job expressing their product claim and captivating their viewers!

How to Hook Those Readers!

Today in Room 301 students went fishing! We discussed how important it is to capture your reader's attention and HOOK them into your writing. We reviewed several different techniques on how to reel reader's in. For example, telling an anecdote, posing a question, stating a startling fact, expressing a quote or proverb, or beginning with an analogy, are all excellent ways you can start off your writing! Think about your readers and grasp their attention. No one likes being bored! How creative can you get with your writing to HOOK readers and express your thesis/claim?

THE TONE OF ELA: It's Always a Good Time

Today we continued our discussion on author's purpose by determining the tone of the author. What is the mood or tone of the author? How do word choice and details convey this tone? We began to think about these questions by first experimenting with song lyrics and music! Students examined various song lyrics and we listened and tried to establish the tone that the songwriter was conveying via words. After getting a feel for what it means to say "an author's tone," we wrapped up our discussion by talking about the tone of the authors that we have read thus far. Students should be well prepared and ready for the quiz tomorrow!