Ms. Leal

Please answer the following questions one paragraph each questions minimum:

1. Why doesn’t Brent admit that he tried to kill himself?
2. Does Mrs. Zamora know how much she is giving Brent? Does she know how much he needs what she gives him? Does it matter?
3. Do you think Brent gets off too easy? Would something else have been better punishment? Would something else have been better justice?
4. Why does Fleischman alternate Brent’s story with the stories of people touched by the whirligigs?
5. Describe how the whirligigs touch people’s lives.
6. Would the end of the story be different if the artist had not been there? If so, what would change?

For all Whirligig assignments, please see posts in the Page section of the website. Each Chapter has it’s own page! Thanks…

This week we will be finishing our book projects.

• All book reports and projects are due, including AR tests.
• Letter to your author
• Brochure biography of Author
• Nice notes for Classmates

We will also begin the novel titled “Whirligig”

Stay focused and work hard!!!

Only a couple of weeks left!!!

Letter to an Author assignment

This exercise, writing a letter to the author of a book you’ve read, is a way to practice writing — in concrete, detailed form — about the way a book can affect our lives.

Write a letter of up to 500 words to the author of the books you chose for third trimester.

Tell the author how reading his or her work (name the title) somehow changed your way of thinking about yourself or the world around you. Make a connection between yourself and a character or an event in the story. Did the book mirror your life in some way? What questions did the author force you to ask yourself or others? How did the book inspire you? Did it open your eyes so that you saw the world or yourself in a new way? Did it animate, motivate, or spur you into taking action to help yourself or others? Did it encourage, reassure, or just plain cheer you up when you were down? Maybe it caused your spirits to soar, your imagination to bloom, your belly to laugh, your throat to tighten, or . . . gasp! . . . your heart to beat, beat, beat with suspense. Whatever your reaction, exploring how and why you respond to the books you read is a valuable lesson. It helps you learn more about yourself—your hopes and fears, your secret desires and your not-so-secret disappointments. Using the books you have read explore the feelings you felt about the books and why you reacted the way you did.

Make a connection between yourself and a character or an event in the story. Did the book mirror your life in some way? What questions did the author force you to ask yourself or others? What surprised you about yourself when reading this book? What strengths or flaws do you share with a characters or characters in the book?

Explore changes. Before-and-after is a great way to organize your thoughts. What did you believe or how did you behave before your read the book? How did your thoughts of behavior change after you read the book? Was this change in you noticeable to others? How do you know?

Think about a book that inspired you, then write a personal letter to the author and explain why. DO NOT summarize the book’s plot. After all, the author wrote the book and already knows what happened. What the author doesn’t know is how the book affected YOU. Here’s another tip: Don’t write a fan letter. Forget the flattery. Instead of trying to impress, express yourself honestly. Just tell the author how his or her work somehow made a difference in your life. Then follow the how-to-enter guidelines on the next page.

Writing the Letter
Recommended word count
Level II: 250 - 500 words

Lead paragraph: Don’t waste words telling the author your name or where you go to school unless that somehow relates to the way the book affected you. Instead, begin with a question or an interesting but little known fact about yourself or where you live.

Tone: A letter is less formal than an essay or school research paper. It is conversational, friendly. Write honestly and sincerely, using your natural voice. But remember—this isn’t a fan letter meant to flatter the author. Correspond, don’t compliment!

Organization: A good letter, like any good piece of writing, has a concluding paragraph that sums up the key points made in the body of the letter. Your ending may also mirror your opening paragraph.

Return address: This is a letter, so include a return address. Print your name and complete address (either home or school) in the upper-right corner of the first page of your letter.

TESTING WEEK!

EARLY DISMISSAL (12:15) Tuesday through Friday

Poetry books/Projects due on Thursday!

Due to the Swine Flu dismissal of school, we are extending the grading period to next week! Yeah! So show up Thursday with all of your missing work for the third Trimester! See you then! Ms. Leal

Greetings Students!

Due to the outbreak of Swine Flu and the closure of our school, while you are home resting, please finish your poetry projects! Use your textbook to do your elegy and sonnet poems. They are the last two poems in the project.

Also for testing prep go to: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr/documents/cstrtqela8.pdf This is the 8th grade test release questions for the CST testing coming up! Work hard! There are math questions as well. Write your answers on a piece of paper and bring them in to class when you return. We will go over them (time permitting) before testing. If you have trouble with the link, the website is www.cde.ca.gov and then go to 8th Grade and select English-Language Arts. This is a PDF file which you can print, or take notes on and write your answers down.

Read your book! Your second book report is due on Tuesday May 19th, and your final book report is due on May 26th.

Email me if you have any questions!

I hope you are well and I get to see you soon!

Take care,

Ms. Leal

Check it out: http://tonyaleal.podbean.com

Poetry Book Project You will write a collection of poems in this project. They will include the following types of poetry: 

1. Lyric Poem
2. Narrative Poem
3. Ballad Poem
4. Epic Poem
5. Ode Poem
6. Sonnet Poem
7. Metaphor Poem
8. Free Verse Poem
9. Elegy Poem
10. CINQUAIN Poem
11. Image Poem
12. Acrostic Poem
13. Parts of Speech Poem
14. Color Poem
15. Personification Poem
16. Your choice of Poem (any of the above)
17. Important Poem

 Ø  Your poetry book must have a creative and colorful cover (may include pictures)Ø  A creative title for your book (not “My Poetry Book”)Ø  A table of contents, with Poetry corresponding to correct page numbersØ  Each Poem typed and/or decorated/illustrated with pictures etc.  Lyric Poem: Poem that does not tell a story by expresses the personal feelings of a speaker.Narrative Poem: a poem that tells a story, sometimes a series of events.Ballad Poem: a songlike poem that tells a story, but it’s not as long as most narrative poemsEpic Poem: an epic is a long narrative poem featuring a hero of the culture of that poem. You could create a fictional story or base it on truth (yourself, a friend, a political leader, a sports star) 1. The main character must act heroically (at least I his own eyes) 2.        The hero must fight a “monster” in some way (even just with words)3.        You must show an event in this hero’s quest.4.        Your epic must rhyme (approximate rhymes okay too)5.        You must use elevated language whenever possible (fancy words rather than simple: a thesaurus is valuable here)6.        Your hero must show values that people at the time would cherish7.        Your epic must be at least as long as the “Beowulf” excerpt (35 lines)8.        Your epic must look like a poem, not a prose story.9.        Your epic must have a title. Ode Poem: traditionally celebrates a person or thing and does so in an elegant way. Pick a favorite person (living or dead) or thing (grand or ordinary) you may tell a story or specifically describe the subject.1.     There must be one clear subject (i.e. the toad, a word thanks, the cat, mom)2.    The ode must describe the important or valuable characteristics of the subject.3.    The ode must have a rhyme scheme4.    The ode must be at least seven stanzas long5.    The ode must have an overall tone that can be identified by the reader (humorous, melancholy, ironic, etc…)6.    Your ode must look like a poem, not a prose story.7.    Your ode must have a title that intrigues the reader and makes them want to read it.8.    Your ode must show careful thought and consideration of the subject9.    The ode must give three examples of figurative language: a simile, a metaphor and a personification. Sonnet Poem: a fourteen-line lyrical poem, written in iambic pentameter (see “On the Grasshopper and the Cricket” for an example Metaphor Poem: “Oh Captain My Captain”1.     Title: Subject chosen2.    Line 1 title + how it arrives or begins3.    Line 2 tell what it does4.    Line 3 and how it does it5.    Line 4 and where it is6.    Line 5 Tell how it leaves Example: THUNDER          Thunder comes in loudLike the majestic roar of a lion.It answers the callOf lighteningBy striking fear into people. Away, somewhere in the unknown, An unknown voice,          And then leaves without a traceOf its existenceExcept in peoples’ stories           Free Verse Poem:           Elegy Poem: Pick a person, animal, place, idea, institution, or “thing” that has passed away. It could be someone/something very close to you, someone/something from history or a fad or concept or place that no longer exists.1.     There must be one clear subject2.    The elegy must describe the events surrounding 3.    The elegy must have a rhyme scheme.4.    The elegy must be at least three stanzas long, twelve lines (minimum)5.    The elegy must have a mournful overall tone.6.    Your elegy must look like a poem, not a prose story. 7.    Your elegy must have a title that intrigues the reader8.    Your elegy must show careful thought and consideration of the subject.9.    The elegy must give three examples of figurative language: a simile, a metaphor, and personification.  Cinquain Poem: a Cinquain is a poem with five lines. There are a few things to remember not to do with a Cinquain or any short poem:

1. don’t be tempted to add extra words of syllables to fill out the form
2. if every line sounds “finished” there is a full stop at its end and it sounds boring
3. a CINQUAIN should build to a climax and have a surprise at the last line. CINQUAINs can be of either of two patterns: one is built on the number of words in a line: the second is based on the number of syllables in a line.

WORD PATTERN: Line 1= one word (noun) subject and title of poemLine 2=two words (adjectives)Line 3= three words (verbs)Line 4= four words that relate feelingsLine 5= one word that repeats or refers to line 1 (subject) Image Poem: this poem is to help you “see” things you can write about. Line 1: Describe the object with two or three adjectivesLine 2: Give the object an actionLine 3: Put the object somewhere. Acrostic Poem: Use the letters in your name to describe yourself. Write the words vertically down on your paper, with an adjective for each letter to describe yourself. First and Last names please. Parts of Speech Poem:  use the following format to write a poem about a person or character. Line 1: Noun                                                                 RalphLine 2: Adjective, adjective                                   Fair, intelligentLine 3: Verb-ing, verb-ing, verb-ing              Swimming, exploring, laughing    Line 4: Four word free statement                      He tells Piggy’s secretLine 5: Synonym for first line.                                       Chief  Color Poem: Title: Pick a colorLine 1: Describe something associated to itLine 2: simile or metaphorLine 3: Adverb or adverb phrase (where) Personification (sense) Poem: think of a place that is special. Form an image in your mind of this place. If you need to, cluster this image. Then complete the following statements.

1. I see_______
2. I smell _______
3. I hear__________
4. I feel __________
5. I taste __________
6. I think __________

I see the sage-covered desertI smell the freshness of the morningI hear the scream of the hawkI feel the caress of a breezeI taste the dew on the windI think the new day is bornAfter you have written out the sentences, remover the pronouns, verbs, and articles:Sage-covered desertFreshness of morningScream of the hawkCaress of a breezeDew of the windNew day born