Eighth Grade Spring 2012 Final Review

Know the following terms and be able to identify and define them:

Poetry:

·         Haiku

·         Narrative poem

·         Sonnet

·         Rhyme

·         Internal rhyme

·         Personification

·         Metaphor

·         Simile

·         alliteration

·         hyperbole

·         idiom

·         stanza

·         repetition

·         refrain

Grammar & Writing:

·         verb tense: present, past, perfect (progressive & perfect)

·         participles and participial phrases

·         Know all the steps and purposes of the writing process

Persuasion:

·         Claim

·         Support

·         Counter argument

·         Persuasive techniques

·         Emotional appeal

·         Ethical appeal

·         Rhetorical fallacy

·         Logical fallacy

·         Loaded terms

·         Leading questions

·         Caricatures

·         stereotype

·         cause

·         effect

·         rhetorical question

·         repetition

·         speech

·         factual claims

·         opinions

·         common place assertions

Be familiar with the following works:

“The Weak Shall Inherit the Gym” by Rick Reilly

“The Sanctuary of School” by Lynda Barry

“Educating Sons” speech given by Chief Canasatego

“The First Americans” letter by The Grand Council Fire of American Indians

“What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” Fredrick Douglass

Fiction:

·         myths

·         folktales

·         setting

·         plot

·         conflict types

·         “The Pearl”-be familiar with plot, character motivation, and symbolism

Media:

·         Know what media is

·         Digital media

·         Assessing formality of media

·         Know how to assess the role of media

Sound & visual techniques

Seventh Grade Spring 2012 Final Review

Fiction

Know the following:

Myths:

·         Know the traits of myths

·         “Orpheus and Eurydice”

·         “Icarus and Deadalus”

·         “Phatheon, Son of Apollo”

Epic Tales:

·         Know traits of epic tales

·         “Beowulf”

Fiction:

·         What is fiction

·         “The Last Dog”

·         “The Three Century Woman”

·         “Charles”

·         Setting

·         Plot sequence

·         Conflicts

·         Character motivation

·         “The Monsters are Due on Maple Street”

·         Dialogue

·         Stage directions

·         Cast of characters

·         “Clara Barton: Battlefield Nurse”

Grammar and writing:

·         They’re, there, their

·         Adverbs

·         How to write an effective summary

·         How to eliminate “to be-verbs”

·         Correct use of apostrophes

·         Proper nouns and titles

·         Steps in the writing process

Persuasion

Know the following terms:

·         Logical fallacy

·         Bandwagon

·         Factual Claim

·         Common place assertion

·         Loaded language

·         Claim

·         Opinion

·         Support

·         Rhetorical fallacy

·         Ad hominem

·         stereotyping

·         Exaggeration

·         Categorical claim

·         Testimonial

·         argument

·         Counter arguments

·         According to Aristotle, what are three fundamental appeals to convince a person?

·         Emotional fallacy

·         Ethical fallacy

·         Policy Speech

·         Kennedy’s speech

Poetry and literary language

Know the definitions and be able to find examples of the following:

·         Idiom

·         Hyperbole

·         Repetition

·         Refrain

·         Personification

·         Simile

·         Metaphor

·         Literal language

·         Figurative language

Monday is Picture Day

I hope everyone has enjoyed their Spring Break and is savoring their last weekend of freedom.  I want to remind students that Monday is picture day and a free dress day with the following rules:

·         Jeans should not have tears, rips, holes, or rhinestones

·         No profane, violent or inappropriate logos, designs, or references

·         No open toe shoes, sandals or high heels

·         No hooded sweat shirts

·         No skirts, dresses or shorts

·         No tank tops or muscle shirts

Students may wear their uniform pants, nice jeans, Polo shirts, or appropriate t-shirts.

I look forward to seeing all of the students in their own clothes on Monday. 

Woman's History Month Extra Credit

Students may create an author study over a female author.  The assignment should be on poster board and include the following: a brief biography of the writer which highlights major events in the author’s life.  Students will also need to create a timeline of the author’s life as well as the country and the world around them.  For example, if your author lived during the civil war, women’s suffrage, or the civil rights movement this should be included in the timeline, as major historical events frequently impact a writer’s work.  Students should also have at least three pictures of the author and events in their life.  This can be photos printed from online or copied from books, or student illustrations.  At least two sources should be used for the biography (Wikipedia is not a valid source).  All sources should be cited (this includes sources for photos).

Here are some recommended authors, however students may choose another female writer as long as she meets the following criteria:

·         She is a writer by profession- not someone who is known for something else and wrote a book.

·         Her work is appropriate for school.

·         Students have not already completed an author study on her this year.

·         She’s a woman

Angela Johnson

Sandra Cisneros

JK Rowling

Suzanne Collins

Louisa May Allcott

Katie DiCamillo

Harper Lee

Lorrianne Hansberry

Louis Lowry

SE Hinton

Julia Alvarez

Mary Shelly

Maria Arbatova

Jane Austen

Leslie Marmon Silko

Barnes & Noble Book Fair

Congratulations to this year's 2012 Wax Museum Honorees!  These students are invited to compete again at Barnes and Noble for trophies and prizes this Friday on March 2nd.  Please come join us from 5:30pm to 7:30pm and vote again to determine the school wide winners!  All students at the event will receive extra credit in their English class. Just make sure students check in with their English teacher first.  Also, Barnes and Noble will donate a percentage of money from the purchases made with SST book fair vouchers to our school.  Simply use our code #10684116 when checking out at any San Antonio area Barnes and Noble or online from March 2nd-4th!  Last year our event was a huge success, raising over $450 dollars for our English classroom libraries.  Let's make this year's event even better!

After School Work Day for Facebook Projects

The deadline for students Facebook projects is quickly approaching.  To ensure students receive all the support they need I will have another after school work day this Thursday, February 16^th.  Students may drop their projects off in my room before DEAR Time and then come work on them from 3:20-4:10 on Thursday. 

Students who finish early may also turn in their projects any time before February 21^st for extra credit. 

Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.

Black History Month Extra Credit

Students may create an author study over one of the writers below.  The assignment should be on poster board and include the following: a brief biography of the writer which highlights major events in the author’s life.  Students will also need to create a timeline of the author’s life as well as the country and the world around them.  For example, if your author lived during the civil war, women’s suffrage, or the civil rights movement this should be included in the timeline, as major historical events frequently impact a writer’s work.  Students should also have at least three pictures of the author and events in their life.  This can be photos printed from online or copied from books, or student illustrations.  At least two sources should be used for the biography (Wikipedia is not a valid source).  All sources should be cited (this includes sources for photos).

Approved Authors (if you are interested in selecting an author not on this list you should get teacher approval):

Lucille Clifton

Maya Angelou

Octavia Butler

Langston Hughes

Lorraine Hansberry

Alice Walker

Sharon G. Flake

Christopher Paul Curtis

Jacqueline Woodson

Angela Johnson

Berry James

Alice Childress

Ruby Dee

Eloise Greenfield

Nikki Grimes

Rosa Guy

Virginia Hamilton

Joyce Hansen

Kristin Hunter

Belinda Hurmence

Lynn Joseph

Julius Lester

Sharon Bell Mathis

Patricia McKissac

Fedrick McKissac

Walter Dean Myers

Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

Anne Lane Petry

Ethel Footman Smothers

Eleanora E. Tate

Mildred D. Taylor

Joyce Carol Thomas

Mildred Pitts Walter

Brenda Wilkinson

Camille Yarbrough