Tuesday, March 31, 2009

We Are Poets

In preparation for Poetry Month in April, we have started to craft self-portrait poems, in which we as poets look deep inside ourselves and use similes, metaphors, symbolism and other literary language to express ourselves.

So far, we have experimented with...
* Free verse
* End rhyme
* Internal rhyme

We "publish" at least two versions of the self-portrait poem Friday. We will continue to revise all month, ultimately creating our own poetry books containing at least four different genres. We will perform our poems at a poetry slam. Details to come.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Ally Carter, Well known author!!!

Guess What!?!?! Ally Carter, author of the Gallagher Girls series is coming to NYC! =] May 28-31 at the Book Expo America! I think that we should go on a trip there. I mean it is a convention for books. What better way to explore new authors and create a wider range of reading, then meeting the authors and viewing JUST RELEASED books?

I think it is a GREAT IDEA. May 28th is a Thursday, so it could be a trip date. Also, it is about 1 month away, so it will be enough time to plan a trip.

Ally Carter's Website is allycarter.com

~RITA =)

Monday, March 23, 2009

Print/Send Blogs, PowerPoints, etc.

REMINDER: Please print and send your PowerPoint and blog presentations to Mrs. Moreno @ mary.moreno@att.net ASAP. We are still constructing our bulletin board, as well as selecting work to showcase in the portfolios.
Please post blog links here or send the links to Mrs. Moreno at the e-mail listed above or to Mrs. Marks @ SMarks4@schools.nyc.gov

Congrats to Mrs. Moreno and her debate team - particulary Sal Pitino and Rita Cinquemani, who took home medals for their efforts this Saturday. You guys were obviously very persuasive. Cheers!

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Book Partnerships

We are getting ready to move into book partnerships next week. You will be reading the same text as one or two classmates who are on or near your reading level. The entire grade will be reading the realistic fiction genre. See the list of author sites to the left of this post.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Print electronic presentations; Pub Party

Electronic presentations such as blogs and PowerPoints should be printed (print each screen) for your portfolios and for us to hang on the hallway and interior bulletin boards. PSAs and other video presentations should be stored on CDs. should be printed...we will hang them for display on the hallway and classroom bulletin boards. Please submit all printed materials to Mrs. Moreno or Mrs. Marks by Wednesday.

702 presentations will continue Tuesday and if necessary, Wed.

We are planning publishing celebrations/gallery walks for Thursday. Details to follow. Every student should bring in a snack, drink, cups, etc. We will circulate a list the day before the party.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Thanks...

A big thank you to Mrs. Marks' advisory (plus the girls from Mrs. Moreno's advisory) for coming up with a great title (actually 2 titles) for this month's bulletin board. Thanks especially to April, Eilina, Woo Young, and Crystal for sweating in the hallway as they dissembled and put up the new board background.
Thanks to John D. for being an excellent "tech guy" during 731's presentations.

Presentations a Success So Far...

I was really impressed with the presentations today.
Presenters spoke clearly, maintained good eye contact, used visuals and narration to persuade the audience, and accepted and answered constructive criticism and questions.
Audience participants were respectful, attentive, and came up with excellent feedback.
Tomorrow, we will continue the presentations.
We will celebrate our work with a gallery walk and publishing party some time next week. Details to follow.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Presenting....

We will begin presentations tomorrow. Be prepared to not only share your work, but add commentary and answer questions so that your audience is engaged, informed, and of course, convinced to jump to your side of the issue.

Ahead in the next few days: We will begin to discuss and start in-class book clubs.

Reminder: Please return signed portfolio conference slips to your advisor.

Homework: Read/Respond March #7.

Friday, March 6, 2009

NEW DUE DATE for persuasive writing...

Writing due Tuesday. On Monday, everyone will get a copy of the rubric you so expertly crafted. Monday will also cover editing and citing sources. Please bring all of your work to class on Monday.

Homework: Read/Respond March #4.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Alexander Mildener - Speaking Up For the Aquarium!

Our very own Alexander Mildener is being featured in a NY Times article this Sunday. He was interviewed because he is a frequent visitor to the Aquarium at Coney Island (a very cool place). Apparently, NY's governor is considering cutting some of the city's most treasured natural attractions, including the Aquarium and The Bronx Zoo. What a shame.
Alexander and my advisory are starting up a letter-writing campaign in which the entire 7th-grade will participate. We will persuade the Gov. that this is wrong.
More info to come from Alexander.

WRONG!

Ms. Marks has informed 702 that the projects are due on Monday, not Friday. So we have some extra time. Horray!

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Revision - Day 2 Wrap-Up; Portfolio Selection

731 did an amazing job of revising work today - independently and with others.
We reviewed the revision process - and students used what they knew and what they learned to make their persuasive arguments even more convincing. They changed language, organization, eliminated unnecessary information, and generally improved the quality of their work.

We will begin to present our work next week.

Term 2 Portfolio Selection
Term 2 is coming to an end soon (it's gone by quickly). Advisory conferences are coming up soon, too. Students will begin to select three pieces of work that demonstrates that they are meeting or exceeding the ELA standards, and reflect upon the process and the product. We will review portfolio selection criteria, ELA standards, and practice "justifying" our work and learning before conferences roll around. We've done some amazing work - now it's your turn to show off.

Homework: Read/Respond March #2

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Revision - Day 2

It looks as if the Town Hall Meeting will run into period 2 ELA with 702 and one of the ELA periods with 731. This means we need to focus, focus, focus, to meet our goal of publishing persuasive writing by Friday. Many of you did great work today, keep it up.

Homework: Read/Respond March #1.

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