Recommended Books...

Hi, it's Rita. Here are some books that you might like to read, some are even on the ULTIMATE TEEN READING LIST.

~THE KITE RUNNER by Khaled Hosseini
~THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF CHARLOTTE DOYLE by Avi
~TWISTED by Laurie Halse Anderson
~A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madelene L'Engle
~I Was a Non-Blonde Cheerleader by Kieran Scott
~Teen Idol by Meg Cabot
~Girl at Sea by Maureen Johnson
~All-American Girl by Meg Cabot
~Talent by Zoey Dean
~Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
~Saving Juliet by Suzanne Selfors
~The Lacemaker and the Princess by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
~Shakespeare's Secret by Elise Broach
~The Iris House by Joan Fitzgerald
~The Doll in the Garden: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn (not that scary)
~The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
~Class Favorite by Taylor Morris
~13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
~The Princess and the Hound by Mette Ivie Harrison
~Jinx by Meg Cabot
~Art Geeks and Prom Queens: A Novel by Alyson Noel
~Avalon High by Meg Cabot
~Princess Ben by Catherine Murdock
~Bella at Midnight by Diane Stanley
~I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
~Daughter of Venice by Donna Jo Napoli
~The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

If there is a title that interests you, I can tell you a brief description of that book. Also, i own some of these books, just ask me, and i will tell you if i have it or not, so you can borrow it.

~RITA =)

WebQuest Complete....On to Writing!

We have successfully finished the WebQuest. 731 must complete any work that did not get done in class, at home over the weekend.

702 began to map out their plots today. 731 will begin the process on Monday.

Next week's activities:
Creating a cast of characters that are realistic in terms of how they look (we will "sketch" them); how they act (we will load their "backpacks"); what they say; what they feel/think; and their relationships (we will create a character "network").

Mrs. Moreno and I are still working to find a date for our Poetry Slam next week. More info to come soon.

Have a great weekend!

WebQuest, Day 2

Today 702 completed all tasks (if you didn't, please complete for homework, as we will not have laptops tomorrow).
731 will use the laptops for one more period tomorrow. Whatever is not completed should be done over the weekend.

Tasks we worked on today:
#2: Visit http://www.teachersnetwork.org/dcs/cyberenglish/outdoorpath3.htm
Read, modify and copy prompts into writer's sourcebook. Complete prompts. Generate a list of story ideas that you gathered from completing the prompts

#3: Read at least two published realistic fiction pieces from one or both of the following sites:
http://www.teachingmatters.org/ezine/category?cat=Realistic%20Fiction
and/or
http://www.teenink.com/Fiction

Read two stories that interest you. Record the titles, authors, brief summary (main idea of the story) and the ways in which the stories fit the realistic fiction genre.

#4: Reflect on a realistic fiction book you've read recently. Write a short summary of the book, including the author and title.
Visit either http://amazon.com or http://www.bn.com or http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/teenreading/trw/trw2005/fiction.cfm
and search for teen fiction. Find three realistic fiction titles that you have not read, but want to. Record the titles, authors, and a brief summary of the books. If visiting the ALA website, you will not get a detailed book summary. You will need to then visit Amazon or BN to obtain this info.

#5: Select an idea for your story.

#6: Write a 1- to 2-paragraph summary of your story idea that reflects your understanding of the genre and the task.

WebQuest, Day 1

Today we embarked on an interesting journey...through the Internet....to learn more about realistic fiction writing, generate story ideas, and read model stories written by students just like you around country.

Our first stop: http://www.southernct.edu/~brownm/Grea.html
We identified various sub-genres in realistic fiction, took notes in writer's sourcebooks, and created a list of story ideas.

Since you worked at your own pace and comfort level, some students proceeded to the second stop: http://teachersnetwork.org/dcs/cyberenglish/outdoorpath3.htm
At this stop, you answered (making changes when necessary) several prompts. These helped you generate story ideas based on your interests, experiences, relationships, etc.

We will continue our WebQuest tomorrow.

Please note: Our Poetry Slam will be rescheduled from this Friday to a day next week. The auditorium is being used all day Friday for high school testing. More details to come.

Tuesday's Lineup

702 has completed performances and will begin the short fiction writing unit. We will begin with a pre-unit assessment, as I will ask you to reflect on what you know about fiction in your sourcebooks. We will then have a short lesson on realistic fiction (the first genre) as well as some components of the style. On Thursday, you will hunt for clues and learn more about the genre through a WebQuest that I designed during my time in graduate school. Should be a lot of fun.

731 will perform their poems tomorrow. Please practice. You will be assessed on a variety of levels, including eye contact with your audience, volume of your voice, and emotion/feeling during reading.

Wed. is our 7th-grade class trip. Please do not forget to bring in signed permission slips!

Poets Perform

Poetry performances are beginning tomorrow. Please memorize your poems and practice your public speaking. This will count as its own grade.

Mrs. Moreno and I are thinking Friday for our Poetry Slam party. Details to follow.

On Tuesday, we will begin writing short fiction. We have a really fun WebQuest planned for you....to introduce the first genre, realistic fiction. The other choices are fantasy and mystery. These will be decided by a class vote.

Reminder - Materials, Publication Dates

Please bring in materials to create and bind your poetry books Friday. All four final drafts plus any rough drafts and brainstorms are due on Friday at the close of ELA class. There are no extensions.

A note about writing memory poems: Remember poets show rather than tell. Though your memory poem is narrative (you are telling a story) you have to paint a picture and use poetic tools.

We look forward to reading and hearing you perform these amazing poems we've watched you create and revise.