Tiger Writers

Research papers finished!

2011-12-18T13:30:00.000-08:00

On Monday, Dec. 19th the 8th graders will hand in the final draft of their research papers on a controversial issue. They have been working on these papers for a month. They followed the following steps: selection of topic, writing a preliminary thesis, gathering articles, writing note cards, writing a rough draft, doing a peer edit and finally finishing the final copy with a works cited page.

Our school librarian, Mrs. H, visited the class twice to talk about important research issues, such as locating reliable sources and avoiding plagiarism. Mrs. S talked to the class about how to take different types of notes and how to set up the note cards. We also addressed parenthetical citation, and students were given a detailed hand-out on how to write their works cited page.

Two copies will be handed in: one to Mr. S in Civics, who will review the historical accuracy, and one to Mrs. S who will grade the writing style and skillful use of research. Congrats to the 8th graders for completing this important project!

Research On-line Sources

2011-11-23T11:25:00.000-08:00

If you need to get a better understanding of how to do research step by step, check out these two sites with useful information:

http://homeworktips.about.com/od/paperassignments

Type in "Research note cards" for information on how to do note cards.

Also, check out

http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/mla

for some pointers on how to write a research paper following MLA format. MLA stands for Modern Language Association, and this is the method we use for doing research papers in our school.

Start with a Quotation!

2011-11-23T11:15:00.000-08:00

The 7th graders recently learned about four methods of starting an essay: question, unusual fact, anecdote and famous quotation. There are some great on-line resources for finding famous quotations to kick off your essay and intrigue your reader. One great site is www.quoteland.com

Go to the site and type in the key word/theme/idea of your paper. Several quotations will pop up-- some from presidents, writers, activists, actors, sports figures, etc. You will be certain to find something interesting that you can use to start off your essay!

7th Graders First Essay!

2011-11-20T10:29:00.000-08:00

The seventh graders just completed their first literary analysis essay based on the novel Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. The assignment was to analyze the changes the main character, Brian, went through. They gathered textual evidence on a pre-writing sheet prior to writing the essay. The rough drafts were turned in on Friday, November 18th. Mrs. S will read them over, write comments on them, and return them to the students so that they can hand in their final copies for December 1st.

The students did a great job discussing the novel which focused on overcoming obstacles. We related this to their lives: though they face obstacles, with determination and God's help, they can overcome these obstacles.

They took notes on how to write an essay and applied the lessons to this important assignment. This writing assignment will help prepare them for their high school writing career!

Research Hints

2011-11-12T10:58:00.000-08:00

This week the students will be viewing a power point presentation I created to better explain how to take notes from the articles they are collecting. Many students feel overwhelmed by research, and since some articles are written in difficult language, they find it hard to decide what to select from the articles.

Students will be reminded of the key topics (history, definition, people, pro and con), how to high-light with purpose, and how to take notes on the note cards (paraphrase, summary or direct quotation).

REMINDER: Make sure when you print out an article, you also copy the works cited information. It is very important to give accurate credit to sources.

If you are struggling, please stop by 4th period for additional help. Our school librarian is also willing to assist where needed.

Research Deadlines for 8th graders

2011-11-12T10:50:00.000-08:00

Most students have chosen their topics by now. They were to show Mrs. S one article with a few notes attached. This grade will be posted in RenWeb shortly.

All sources, 3-5 are due by Dec. 1
Note cards, 12-20 are due by Dec. 8
Rough Draft due on Dec. 13
Final Draft due on December 19

Each step will be checked and graded.

For English class, the final draft will be 20% of the marking period grade, so do your best!
Parents, please make sure your child has a folder to keep all the papers organized for this important project.

8th grade research project

2011-11-07T15:53:00.000-08:00

The 8th graders are beginning an interdisciplinary research project, co-taught by Mrs. S in English and Mr. S in Civics. They will work on the paper in both classes, and will need to hand in copies to both teachers. Each student should have chosen a controversial issue and written a preliminary thesis statement.

This week students are to locate at least one resource on their subject. Mrs H., the school librarian, visited today in English and shared 3 useful sites:
http://fofweb.com Facts on File
http://ebscohost.com Ebsco datebase
http://easybib.com which helps students to set up an accurate "works cited" page.

All students took notes on the presentation and copied down the user name and password information, so they could access these sites at home. Happy researching!

Writing Portfolios

2011-11-06T19:31:00.000-08:00

Each student maintains a writing portfolio (folder) in English class. It includes the steps of the writing process used to complete an assignment, as well as the final copy. For each assignment, we usually do brainstorming, rough draft, specific peer edit, and then final copies. Each student keeps a checklist inside the folder to keep track of the work done. The writing folder becomes a classroom resource, and we use it to apply different lessons. For example, this week we are learning about complex sentences. Students will go on a "treasure hunt" in their folders to see how they used complex sentences. Students can keep track of their writing progress and better assess their strengths and weaknesses with the regular use of the writing portfolio. The portfolios are kept in the classroom, but if parents stop in, they may look at their child's work.

Journals

2011-11-03T13:23:00.000-07:00

Every student keeps a journal in English class. The journal is a place for students to write down their reactions to some of the books we read. In journals. students can express themselves and get regular writing practice. The 7th graders just finished their 10th journal entry, and the 8th graders have completed seven.

Some topics included the following: What would you have done if you were in the main character's position? Is this book suspenseful? How would the book differ if the main character were female instead of male?

Many students are integrating their vocabulary words in their journals. Many also enjoy sharing them with the class. Congratulations to all the students who are keeping up with their journals and doing a thorough job with this important assignment.

Write like an Author

2011-10-31T19:10:00.000-07:00

The 7th graders are reading Gary Paulsen's novel Hatchet, a story of a young boy's survival in the wilderness. We discussed some of the different techniques the writer used, such as step-by-step detail, repetition, varying sentence lengths, use of fragments, and repetition.

The students then tried their hand at using these techniques with a subject of their choosing. As usual, many were willing to read and share with the class. The results were impressive!

Understanding a writer's techniques will help you to better understand the reading, and it also helps you become a better writer, too!

Magnetic poetry

2011-10-29T20:10:00.000-07:00

In room 46. you may notice some tiny words stuck to the file cabinets in the corners of the room. These are the beginnings of poems. When students finish work early or are in study hall, they may go to the magnetic words and move them around to create a poem. There has been a lot of interest in this; Mrs. S collects about a dozen poems per week from the box. She then types them up in groups of 6, photocopies them, and distributes them to all 7th and 8th graders to vote on. The winner receives a free homework pass, and his/her poem is posted on the bulletin board. Stop by and read a few!

If you would like to create your poem on line, go to http://kidsmagpogames.com .Make sure to go to the kids' section for different themes. You can email your poem to your friends and your teacher.

8th grade writers

2011-10-29T20:00:00.000-07:00

The 8th graders kicked off the year by writing an essay on Bullying. This is a nation-wide problem, and with the new bullying laws that have gone into effect, it is on the minds of many. The students described the types and causes of bullying and prosposed ways to deal with it. Kudos to them for dealing with this tough issue in a mature manner.

Some 8th graders opted to do a "pre-law" essay. They assumed the role of a lawyer (either prosecutor or defender) and argued for the guilt (or innocence) of Mr. Baumer, a character in the short story, "Bargain" in our literature book. They had to use their reasoning skills and provide specific evidence to "win their case."

7th Grade Writers

2011-10-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

The 7th graders have been busy writing. After reading AWrinkle in Time, they tried their hands at writing their own time travel stories. Many went above and beyond the 4-5 page guideline and composed 7 or 8 page stories! The creativity in them was amazing! They have also written a letter to a character and a descriptive paragraph about a friend or family member; currently, they are working on author imitation paragraphs and compare contrast paragraphs (teens vs. children). They have been very busy, but they rise to every challenge set before them.

Welcome to Room 46

2011-10-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

There are many exciting things happening in Room 46. The purpose of this blog is to update you, in a general manner, about the different readings, writings and projects happening in Mrs. S's classroom. If you are a tiger writer, a parent of a tiger writer, or a teacher, I want to say, "Welcome!"