International Polar Bear Day: February 27

These confusable words are often used incorrectly: adapt, adept, and

adopt.Read the sentences. What does each underlined word mean? Write your answers in your writer’s notebook.1. Polar bears are uniquely adapted to their Arctic environment.2. They are adept at catching seals.3. You can adopt a polar bear through environmental organizations.

For American artist, Winslow Homer’s birthday, here is an idiom about art.

One picture is worth a thousand words

This idiom means that the graphic image conveys a stronger message than just words.

The saying was created by an advertising executive, Fred R. Bernard in an ad to promote his agency.

You will view a picture and write at least things you infer from the image.The next slide is an example.

3. I wonder if it was taken somewhere in the south.4. The man appears to be older. I wonder if feels angry,

humiliated, or resigned?5. Not only was there segregation, but the even the facilities

were not of equal quality. Look at the differences between the water fountains.

6. The pipe connects them. Is it a metaphor for brotherhood? Equality?

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN:

When I look at this photo, I infer:1.This photo was taken before the Civil Rights laws were passed.2. That means it must have been taken before 1970.3. I wonder if the president was Kennedy or Johnson.

What do you infer from this photograph?

List at least five things in your writer’s notebook.

National Tooth Fairy Day

What is your mental image of the Tooth Fairy? Unlike Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, the image of the Tooth Fairy is not consistent. To some, she looks like Peter Pan’s fairy, Tinkerbell. Others think of her as a child with wings, a pixie, a dragon, or a flying ballerina.

Consistent: having the same behavior, or support the same ideas or principles.

Describe a consistent behavior of someone in your family, a friend, or a character from fiction in your writer’s notebook.

Re-teaching Citing Sources

http://www.brainpop.com/english/writing/citingsources/

Wednesday, February 29

Silly Putty® for sale!

Silly Putty® was first appeared more than 50 years ago, described as “The Real Solid Liquid®.” Silly Putty appears solid, but it is actually a liquid form of the substance. Solid liquid is an oxymoron. An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines two opposite ideas, such as a solid liquid.

Complete these oxymorons:1. Potato chips, soda, candy are ____ food

junk food

2. Novels on disks are ___ on tape

books on tape

3. Large size seafood are ____ shrimp

jumbo shrimp

4. A car’s headlights are on the front ____

front end

5. A room in your house that you work in is your home ____

6. An unripe fruit could be a ____ orange

7. Coming down a ladder you ____ down

8. Someone feeling poorly is in ill ____

9. Something truly horrible is ____ awful

10. Zombies are the _____ dead

MAIN IDEA

http://www.brainpop.com/english/writing/mainidea/

THEME

ELA7R1 The student demonstrates comprehension and shows evidence of a warranted and responsible explanation of a variety of literary and informational texts.

a. Distinguishes between the concepts of theme in a literary work and the author’s purpose in an expository text.

EQ: HOW DO AUTHORS USE THEME TO INFLUENCE READERS?

THURSDAY, MARCH 1

In many books you read, there is a theme or message.

A message can be an axiom, a statement that is an accepted truth.

In honor of the birthday of Theodore Geisel, or Dr. Seuss, think about these thematic axioms from his books that you may have read:

“A Person’s a Person, No Matter How Small— So

share a good deed that made you feel

tall!”Horton Hears a

Who

you never know unless you try: Green Eggs and Ham

The sun did not shine.It was too wet to play.So we sat in the houseAll that cold, cold, wet day.

We looked! Then we saw himStep in on the mat!We looked! And we saw him!The Cat in the Hat!

What is the theme?

The Literary Element of Theme 

Theme is: the central, underlying, and controlling idea or insight of a work of literature.

•the idea the writer wishes to convey about the subject—

The writer’s view of the world or a revelation about human nature.

 Theme is NOT:

expressed in a single word

the purpose of a work

the moral

the conflict

 

Identifying the Theme

To identify the theme, be sure that you’ve first identified the story’s plot, the way the story uses characterization, and the primary conflict in the story.

Use these steps to determine the theme for a work:

1. Summarize the plot by writing a one-sentence description for the exposition, the conflict, the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution.

2. Identify the subject of the work.

3. Identify the insight or truth that was learned about the subject.

•How did the protagonist change?

•What lesson did the protagonist learn from the resolution of the conflict?

 

YOU TRY: This will be one of your

stations today.

READ THE SELECTION FROM THE LORAX.

Identify and write one of the themes. Then illustrate it in your writer’s notebook.

ELA7C1 – Conventions The student demonstrates understanding and control of the rules of the English language, realizing that usage involves the appropriate application of conventions and grammar in both written and spoken formats.

EQ: How do I identify correct usage of the English language? 

TAKE A SECTION OF THE NEWSPAPER AND FIND EXAMPLES OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING. MAKE A CHART, LIKE THE ONE ON THE BACK OF THIS PAPER, CUT THE EXAMPLES OUT, AND

GLUE THEM TO THE PAPER IN THE APPROPRIATE CATEGORY.

 1 adverb clause 1 adjective clause

2 simple sentences

2 compound sentences 2 complex sentences

2 participles (present)* 2 participles (past)*

2 pieces of dialogue 1 alliteration*

2 past tense verbs* 2 adjectives*

2 adverbs*

*You can cut out the entire sentence and highlight these.

Verb Review Game

ELA7C1 – Conventions The student demonstrates understanding and control of the rules of the English language, realizing that usage involves the appropriate application of conventions and grammar in both written and spoken formats. c. Uses standard subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement. d. Identifies and uses verb tenses consistently (simple and perfect).

EQ: How do I determine the correct form of verbs to use in writing and talking?

Directions:

Each person takes out a piece of paper. Be sure to write your first and last names on it. Choose a timekeeper.

When the timekeeper says, “GO!” the first card is flipped. You have 30 seconds to write as many answers as you can. Repeat the process three times.

Now, check your lists and eliminate and words that are repeated.

Take the words left and complete the attached form as a group. Use a dictionary if you need it.

By the way, the person with the most correct words written wins. See me for the prize!

Small Group Station:

 

Come on over and work in a small group to expand your

skills!!

You get your teacher’s full attention!

VOCABULARY STATION 

ELA7RC3 – Reading Across the Curriculum The student acquires new vocabulary in each content area and uses it correctly. The student: b. Uses content vocabulary in writing and speaking. c. Explores understanding of new words found in subject area texts. 

EQ: How does vocabulary help us communicate with each other? 

Directions:

Shuffle the cards. Deal the cards evenly among the players, placing them facedown in front of each player.

Players turn over a card each at the same time. The first player to spot two word cards that have the same meaning takes them. If the cards do not match, players turn over another two cards and place them next to the other cards. Words that have asterisks (*) are part of a three of a kind set. That means that three cards are synonyms. Asterisked word cards must remain face- up until all three words are found.

Play continues until all cards have been matched. The player or team with the most cards at the end of the game wins.

If no one knows the word, you may check the dictionary for meaning.

Figurative Language Station

ELA7LSV2-The student listens to and views various forms of text and media in order to gather and share information, persuade others, and express and understand ideas. ELA7R1 – Reading & Literature The student demonstrates comprehension and shows evidence of a warranted and responsible explanation of a variety of literary and informational texts. g. Explains and analyzes the effects of sound, form, figurative language, and graphics in order to uncover meaning in literature: i. Sound (e.g., alliteration, onomatopoeia, internal rhyme, rhyme scheme) ii. Figurative language (e.g., simile, metaphor, personification, and hyperbole) 

EQ: How does using figurative language in your writing and identifying it in your reading make both more pleasurable?

 Directions:

Part A: Listen to the flocabulary song on the ipod.

Then match the phrases with the correct form of figurative language.

Part B:

Pick a number out of the box. Find it on the paper and then write an example of it, along with the poem or book where you found it. Each member should complete five different numbers.

Write these on your paper.

Choosing Strong WordsThe student demonstrates understanding and control of the rules of the English language, realizing that usage involves the appropriate application of conventions and grammar in both written and spoken formats. The student a. Identifies and writes simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences correctly, punctuating properly, avoiding fragments and run-ons, adding or deleting modifiers, combining or revising sentences

EQ: How can I use strong words to write interesting sentences?

No matter what genre you happen to be writing in, readers judge your writing by the words you select. Strong words are more specific, descriptive, or convincing than ordinary words. By choosing strong words, you give power to your message. Try it, and see how just a few changes in word choice can make a difference!

Original Paragraph:  It makes sense to ask your parents permission before you hold a party in your house. If you don’t, you can get into trouble. Your parents will be upset. You may find that they’ll say yes if you ask permission. So it’s best to ask than to be sorry later. .

• Revised Paragraph with Strong Words: 

Clearly, it makes sense to ask your parents’ permission prior to holding a party in your house. If you don’t, you will undoubtedly get into trouble, your parents will be understandably upset if you don’t ask. Conversely, you may find that they’ll say yes if you ask their permission. Simply put, it’s better to ask than to be sorry later. 

• Using the Strong Words for Essay Writing sheet, write a sentence containing each type of strong word.

For example: Persuasive Allowing time during the school day is undoubtedly an easy solution to encourage students to read more