Book Review Assignment and Reminder!

Hi 8th graders!
Hope you are having a good 3-day weekend.

In case you forgot your assignment at school, here it is:

Book Review Assignment
Sample Book Reviews

Remember -- typed draft due on Tuesday. Come with it printed and ready to go!

Assignments for Week of December 7th and Week of Dec. 14th

Assignments for week of December 7th:

Newsela -- due Wednesday, December 9th -- free choice; read, annotate, take the quiz.
Anne Frank Act II vocabulary quiz on Friday, December 11th

Assignments for week of December 14th:

Holocaust Book Review

• Typed draft due on Tuesday, December 15th
• Final draft due on Wednesday, December 16th.

Please return all library books borrowed from me BEFORE you leave for break. Any fines will be passed on to you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

If you were absent on Wednesday, November 25th, here is the link to the video we watched. It is called One Survivor Remembers and Gerda Weissman shares her amazing story of survival during the Nazi occupation of Poland.  Please take the time to watch it.
Here is the link:  http://www.tolerance.org/kit/one-survivor-remembers

Upcoming due dates:

• Newsela article on Germany and refugees due by Wednesday, November 25th before you leave for break.
• The Diary of Anne Frank Act I vocabulary quiz will be on Wednesday, December 2nd.  Try making a Quizlet to help you study! 
• Study questions for Act I will be due by Friday, December 4th.

I hope you all have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Anne Frank & the Holocaust

This week we are starting a unit on Anne Frank and the Holocaust.  We will be reading the play based on Anne Frank's diary and each student will be selecting a novel about the Holocaust era.  Students can select fiction, non-fiction, or memoir for their independent reading.

Upcoming due dates:
Wednesday, November 11th -- Newsela article due if not completed in class.
Thurday, November 12th -- 2nd Independent Novel Project due (extension from the 9th).
Friday -- Holocaust Background Vocabulary quiz on Friday, Nov. 13.

Please select novel by Monday, Nov. 16th!

End of Quarter and NaNoWriMo

This week we read a suspenseful short story entitled "The Landlady" by Roald Dahl.  Students are creating a newspaper account that reveals what happens to the main character, Billy Weaver.  Here is the assignment:
"The Landlady" Newspaper Article Assignment
A solid draft of your article is due on Monday!
Final draft will be due by  Friday, November 6th.

The next independent novel project is due on Monday, November 11th. Here is the assignment sheet in case you have misplaced it:  Independent Novel Project #2

Sunday, November 1st marks the first day of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month).  For my writers out there, this is a great way to give yourself an added challenge to just get the words down on paper!! Set a word count goal, dedicate some time each day, and write! The initial goal is quantity with quality and revision coming later on.  For more information, check out the NaNoWriMo Young Writer's Program website at:  http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/

Conferences on Wednesday only!

Just a reminder that I am available for conferences on Wednesday only. I will be at school from 8am to 8pm with a lunch break from 11:30am to 12:30pm and a dinner break from 5pm to 6pm.

Students:  Your final writing assignment for Nothing But the Truth  (Final Writing Assignment: NBtTruth) is due on Monday, October 26th. Please PRINT it BEFORE you arrive to class.  Your chapter questions that I've stamped along the way are also due on Monday.  If you haven't fully answered the questions, with examples from the text when required, then please add on to your responses before turning them on the 26th! I expect complete sentences and full answers.

Be sure to spend time reading your next book for your novel project! You should be done with your book by Thursday, October 29th!!

Enjoy your time off. I'm looking forward to meeting your parents and guardians at conferences!

Conferences next week on Wednesday, October 21st!

Last week, students participated in the first Socratic Seminar of the school year on our novel, Nothing But the Truth.  In a Socratic Seminar students are in charge of facilitating the discussion. They did a great job!  I was so impressed by their level of engagement as well as their ability to make sure everyone had a chance to speak.  No hands were raised, students politely took turns sharing in the discussion, and my role was only to listen and observe.

This week, we are doing a Webquest Research Presentation. In groups, students will be examining one of two topics from the book -- How is the first amendment right to free speech applied in public school settings? or What is the role of truth in journalism? Documents for the Webquest can be accessed in your Google Classroom.

Each group will create a Google Slideshow about their research findings as well as their connections back to the novel.

Next week is conference week.  It is important for families to know that because I am a part-time teacher, I am available to conference all day on Wednesday only. I will not be there on Thursday.  As most of you know, middle school conferences are "arena" style so you do not need to schedule a time.

Week of October 6

Last week we had an interesting presentation on banned books from the Mult. County Library School Corp.  We were all surprised by some of the books that have been challenged or banned.

This week we are continuing our short novel, Nothing But the Truth, and discussing both the First Amendment rights of students in schools and the role of truth and honesty in journalism.

Upcoming due dates are on the calendar to the right of this post.

This week in room 201

We have started our unit on Nothing But the Truth by Avi. Come prepared to discuss Chapters 1-12 on Friday!  You should have finished Chap. 1 through 9 study questions in class on Wednesday.

In Grammar 101, continue working on Pronouns.  Post-test will be October 1st.

Lots of students did not complete the Newela assignment due on Sept. 23rd.  Please complete for partial credit!

You have a second Newsela assignment this week.  We will focus on annotating and other reading strategies for improving your comprehension scores.  The quizzes are not easy and do require you to do some close reading.

Your first Independent Novel Project is due on Tuesday, Sept. 29th!

As always, please email me if you have questions.

Grammar 101 and Newsela

Last week we started two new web-based programs.  The first is Newsela -- which stands for News in English Language Arts.  I am really excited to be a part of piloting this program for PPS.   Newsela takes current articles from a variety of different, national newspapers and then rewrites those articles at a variety of reading (lexile) levels.  The events and articles are current, interesting, and cover a wide range of areas: war and peace, science, law, health, kids, money, arts, and sports.  Students can self-select the reading level they are comfortable with and at the end of each article there is a comprehension quiz and a writing prompt based on one of the Common Core standards.  It is a great way to focus on improving reading comprehension, annotation, and analysis, while also being engaging for students.

Check Newsela out here: https://newsela.com/

Grammar 101 is also an online program.  It allows individual students to focus their practice on the areas of each section at their own pace.  If a student does well on the pre-test, then that student does not need to complete all of the review exercises for the post-test.

Due dates!

I'm looking forward to reading your Photo Bio essays this weekend! Here is a list of what you need for class on Friday:

• 2 printed copies of your final, edited essay.
• Your drafts with peer editing sheets attached.
• Symbol that represents you.

In class, we will be putting together our posters. I'm working on getting your photos printed. It hasn't been as easy as I had hoped!

Today, we will sign in to Google Classroom and read our first articles on Newsela.

Weekend homework:  Complete both Newsela articles and assignments. Due by Monday, 9/14.

Don't forget to READ!! You should finish your novel by Sept. 21st!

PhotoBio Assignment

Here is a copy of your PhotoBio Assignment:

PhotoBio Assignment Description

Draft due dates are as follows:

Draft of Sections A & B for Wednesday, 9/2

Draft of Sections C & D for Thursday, 9/3

Draft of Section E for Friday, 9/4

No homework over Labor Day weekend unless you are really behind on your draft! Have fun!

Full, typed draft due on Wednesday, 9/9.  You will need it printed and ready at the start of class on Wednesday for editing activities.

Final copy due on Friday, 9/11.

Welcome to 8th LA 2015-2016!

I am excited to be returning for a second year teaching 8th LA! Welcome to the blog. I will do my best to keep it up-to-date with assignments, deadlines, and resources!

Upcoming deadlines

Poetry Portfolios are due on Friday, May 22nd -- or BEFORE you leave for Memorial Day weekend, whichever comes first.

Line count has been reduced to a minimum of 100 lines.

Independent Novel Projects are due on Friday, May 29th.

Poetry Portfolio Guidelines and assignments

Week of 5/3 to 5/8
If you have been absent due to illness or the Honorary Page program, please check in at the END of class or during 7th period to get your work. Always check the binder at the front of the room.

Here are the guidelines for your  Poetry Portfolio

As of 5/5/2015, you should have drafts of the following poems:

• Blackout Poem
• Zip Code Odes
• I Am From
• Ode to....

On Wedneday -- 5/6 -- we are studying "The Raven" and you will be working on your "Faux Poe"
Courthouse Field trip on Thursday!
On 5/8/2015 we will be going outside to work on Haiku poems -- weather permitting.

Good by testing! Hello poetry!

April 20, 2015

Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s),

Your students have worked hard since spring break to complete the Smarter Balanced tests for English/Language Arts. I have been so impressed by their level of focus and dedication. Testing is over during my class time -- hooray! -- however, students who have not yet finished will be pulled out of 1st period to complete their tests.

April is National Poetry Month and we will be starting our poetry unit tomorrow. Between the summer weather and post-testing burnout, the 8th graders could use a little fun and inspiration. I would like to show them the film Dead Poets Society with Robin Williams. Instead of using it as a culminating activity, I would like to use it as a starting point for inspiration and for discussion.

Although the film is rated PG, it has a couple of scenes with more serious, adult content. The first is a scene at a high school party where one of the characters gets drunk. The other involves the suicide of one of the main characters. The scene is not graphic, but it is evident that he has taken his life.

Dead Poets Society is a film with many deep and powerful messages, especially for teens. It addresses not only the power of words and poetry, but also themes such as, conformity, creativity, daring vs. caution, following vs. leading, and of course, "seizing the day."

I believe the film has a lot to offer this age group and that viewing it, discussing it, and writing about it will be a valuable experience for your child. It can also serve as a great starting place for discussions that you can have at home on a variety of subjects, including peer pressure, teen suicide, and academic/social stress. Ms. Kobs has been addressing these topics throughout the year in health class.

If you would prefer that your child not view and discuss Dead Poets Society, please contact me as soon as possible so that I can make alternative arrangements. It will not impact your child's grade in any way.

I'm looking forward to keeping your 8th graders interested and challenged this last quarter of the year!

Carpe Diem!

Leah Hermes

More testing this week -- April 13 - 17th..

Today we had almost 100% attendance for the performance task classroom lesson. Thank you!  We will start the performance task portion of the Smarter Balanced test tomorrow, April 14th. With any luck, we will finish it up by Monday.

Quite a few students did not finish the computer-adaptive test from last week. Starting next week, those students will be pulled out of their first period class in order to complete it. We do not want them to test more than once in the school day.

I am looking forward to wrapping up testing and returning to Language Arts. We will be starting a poetry unit next -- both studying it and writing our own.  I love teaching poetry and seeing their creativity come to life.

Have a great week.

Testing coming up!

Dear 8th grade families,

Next week we will begin our English/Language Arts (ELA) testing using the Smarter Balanced test (SBAC).  The first test is a computer-adaptive test (CAT) that is similar to past OAKS tests only now students will also be typing answers to questions in addition to the more traditional multiple choice questions. 

We will be testing from Monday, April 6th through Thursday, April 9th.  April 10th is the end of the quarter and there is no school that Friday.

The second test is a Performance Task.  I will be teaching a scripted classroom activity on Tuesday, April 14th, and then students will complete a performance task based on that activity on April 15, 16,  and 17.

It is especially important for students to be present in class on Tuesday the 14th because they need to be a part of the classroom activity in order to complete the performance task.  Please get them to bed early starting Sunday, April 5th and try to convince them to eat some breakfast and to actually eat lunch so they have some stamina in the afternoon.  Students are encouraged to bring their own ear buds/headphones for comfort, but we have plenty of extras for those who do not bring their own.

I do not want students to feel anxious regarding this testing. They have done years of OAKS testing and, while this is a different test, I am confidant that they will do just fine.  

Please let me know if you have any questions. -- Leah Hermes

Resources for your literary analysis paper

Resources for your literary analysis paper:

Here is the handout I gave you for using quotations:
http://sharepoint.mvla.net/teachers/AprilO/American%20Literature%20Survey/Documents/Using%20Quotations.pdf

Here is the YouTube Video we watched in class on "Quote Bombs":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONxZeLhJbOg

Here are a few other good videos on how to integrate your quotations:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUIztcQsYG0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qew6ZauujOk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68vm-y1IzYQ

TKAM Unit test on Friday

This week:  3/9 to 3/13 

Timeline Review is practice for the TKAM unit test.  Finish Wed. night.
Review on Thursday.
Test on Friday 3/13.
Decide on topic for literary analysis by Monday.  Which character or theme will you be analyzing.

Next week -- 3/16 to 3/20

Monday -- write thesis; find supporting evidence and fill out organizer/outline
Tuesday --Writing workshop day. Work on rough draft of paper
Wed. -- No school today.  Come to class Thursday with a solid rough draft of paper (either typed or handwritten).
Thursday -- Writing workshop day. I will meet with individual students to answer questions and provide feedback.
Friday -- Typed rough draft due today before the dance at 1:30.

Assignment requirements:  TKAM Literary Analysis Paper

Novel Project extension ...

Novel Projects can be turned in on Monday for full credit.
Those students who finished on time or early will receive extra-credit.

Unit Test on TKAM will be at the end of the week, not on Tuesday.

Independent Novel Projects, TKAM Unit test, and Grant Forecasting

Important dates for the week of 3/2 to 3/6:

• Independent Novel Projects are due on Thursday, March 5th.
• Grant will come during 6th period for forecasting.
• Field trip to Art Museum on Friday, March 6th.
• TKAM unit test will be Tuesday, March 10th unless we have further disruptions to the schedule in the afternoons.

Homework for the weekend of Feb. 20-22:

Read To Kill a Mockingbird Chapters 18, 19, & 20 for class on Monday, February 23rd:

No study questions required, but do a close reading of the chapters and come prepared to discuss these important trial scenes.

Independent novel projects may be turned in from February 23rd to March 5th.  Students are encouraged to look at their personal activity and homework schedules and plan accordingly.

How is it already mid-February?!

Sorry for the delay in blog updates.  I am late, but there was an update that I accidentally left in "edit" mode thinking I had hit "publish,"  so I am even more behind than I realized.

We have finished Part I of To Kill a Mockingbird.  Students have been doing a better and better job with class discussions and looking  back at the text a second  (or even third) time to find support for their answers.  Most of the study questions are used to guide class discussions, but from time to time I do have them write their answers down on paper. Please keep these question sheets to help review for the unit test.

Students had a lot to say about the documentary, The Murder of Emmett Till.  I was so impressed to hear students connect how their viewing of the film was similar to how the public and news media reacted to Mamie's decision to show the world what happened to her son.  Seeing the documentary, just as seeing Emmett's body,  really illustrated the dangers African Americans faced in all areas of their daily life during the Jim Crow South.

I have not been able to link the study question documents for you to download, but there are extra copies in the binder at the front of the classroom.  In the upcoming weeks, I will be incorporating some grammar and conventions lessons as well as our continued work on vocabulary.  We will also be reading and responding to some non-fiction pieces related to the time period or the novel.  All of these skills will help students be more successful on the upcoming Smarter Balanced test in April.  In March we will take a look at the Smarter Balanced practice tests and make sure that all students know the basics of how the test is formatted and what tools (dictionaries, highlighting, note taking, etc...) they will have available to them.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Six-Word Memoirs and To Kill a Mockingbird

Last week, students completed artistic representations of their individual Six Word Memoirs. They are hanging in the classroom and are truly fabulous! It is amazing how much emotion and information six words can convey.

We also started our unit on To Kill a Mockingbird (TKAM).  Here is the introductory Prezi (like a Power Point only more fun) for students who were absent: http://goo.gl/Yvb4ke

Because the novel is set in the South in the 1930s, we will be examining the historical time period, including the use of racist language and the laws surrounding the Jim Crow era South during the Great Depression. The novel brings up many difficult topics, including racism, rape, lynching, and innocent people being convicted of crimes they did not commit. These are obviously intense subjects, and while I believe it is important for students to understand these aspects of history and how they relate to the novel, I will be sensitive and purposeful about how they are dealt with in class. I will also expect the students to be appropriate and mature, especially in regards to the use of racist language.

In order for students to better understand the history behind these elements of the novel, we will be discussing both the infamous Scottsboro Boys trial and the Emmett Till murder and subsequent trial -- both of which Harper Lee used as a basis for the events in the novel and the trial of Tom Robinson.  If you or your student is uncomfortable with viewing the 2003 PBS documentary The Murder of Emmett Till, please let me know and I will find an alternative placement for him/her during the video. For more information, please follow this link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/till/

EXTRA-CREDIT OPTION for either 2nd or 3rd quarter:
Right now the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education (http://www.ojm.org/) is hosting a museum quality exhibit from the Anne Frank Center in New York. The exhibit runs from January 15th to April 14, 2015.  Most Sundays at 1pm, the museum hosts a public tour followed by a talk at 2:30 from a member of the museum's Holocaust Speakers Forum. Be sure to check the website, as I noticed that this Sunday, January 25th, there is not a guided tour available. As part of the exhibit, there is an excellent short film entitled, The Short Life of Anne Frank. In order to receive extra-credit, students need to type a half-page to a page describing what they learned, include the date and time they attended, and have a parent or guardian sign the paper.  

I considered a possible field trip. but after attending the Open House for Educators, I decided that due to the small space and the large amount of text, it would be better experienced in small family or friend groups.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at: lhermes@pps.net.

Happy 2015!

Welcome back!  I hope everyone had a fun and relaxing winter break! 

This week we are working on "Six-Word Memoirs" (http://www.sixwordmemoirs.com/schools/). Legend has it that when Ernest Hemingway was challenged to write a six-word story, he came up with, "For Sale: baby shoes, never worn."  It is amazing how much six words can convey.  Students came up with a wide variety of potential backstories for these six words.  

Today we looked at Six-Word Memoirs written by students, mostly teens, from all over the US. Crafting Six-Word Memoirs forces us to focus on purposeful and precise writing. They also allow us to examine the power of particular words and the importance of punctuation. One comma, moved to a different part of the sentence, can change the entire meaning. And, most importantly,  it lets students share a story from their own life in a creative and meaningful way. 

We will be working on these memoirs in class and there is no homework this week in LA/Lit so that students can focus on completing their C-SPAN projects.  Independent Novel Project #3 is due on Friday, January 16th. Here is the assignment sheet:
Independent Novel Project #3

Next week, we will start To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  It is one of my all-time favorite novels, and I am excited to share it with my classes.  We will examine life in the Jim Crow-era South, prejudice and racism, judgement and justice, and many other important themes.  Students will have short, nightly reading assignments two to three nights a week during this unit.