Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Anti-Smoking Presentation



Thanks to our Say Yes site coordinator, all eighth grade students will have the opportunity to participate in an interactive presentation about smoking in their ELA class on Wednesday, February 29th. In addition to learning about the health risks of smoking, students will also learn about advertisements used to target their age groups and ways to avoid such marketing.

Students of the Week

Congratulations to the Students of the Week for February 13th to February 17th:

Period One - Vishma B.
Period Two - Natale D.
Period Three - December A.
Period Five - Jamal H.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Preparing for the NYS ELA Exam

Beginning next Monday, students will begin preparing for May's NYS ELA exam. Students will spend the week reviewing strategies for all three parts of the exam and will put those strategies into practice by completing a practice exam. Most importantly, students will utilize the rubrics for short and extended responses in order to create successful and complete answers.

Earn a Homework Pass


Students can earn a homework pass by answering the question below on our class blog:

Test preparation is a necessary part of preparing for May's New York State ELA exam. How could we make that test prep more fun?

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

25-Book Assignment

Students are reminded that they can earn credit for reading seven (yes, seven) books by simply reading two related books during the third marking period.

  • Students need to select two books with a related theme or some other element that ties them together (written by the same author, same topic, etc.).
  • Students then need to complete a summary activity for each book.
  • Finally, students need to complete a DETAILED Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the two books.
  • All projects are due by March 30th at 3 PM.

Friday, February 17, 2012

February Break


Ms. Short would like to wish all of her students a restful and safe February break!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Take Home Poetry Exam

In lieu of a traditional exam on the topic of poetry, students were given a take home poetry exam yesterday. The exam covers the vocabulary related to the topic, an analysis of a poem by Langston Hughes, general questions regarding how to analyze poetry and what differentiates poetry from other writing, and the creation of an original poem. Students must turn in their exam by 2:05 PM on Friday, February 17th.

Monday, February 13, 2012

The Prove It's Poetry Project


Students will have the opportunity to take their favorite song and through close analysis, prove it is poetry. Students will create a poster using the lyrics of the self-selected song and identify
  • At least two of the three R’s of poetry

- Write examples of RHYME in green

- Write examples of REPETITION in blue

- Write examples of RHYTHM in red

  • An example of ALLITERATION – underlined once
  • At least three examples of FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE (simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, personification, idiom) – circled and identified
  • At least one example of IMAGERY or SYMBOLISM – underlined twice and explained in margin


Students will also write a paragraph on the back of their poster that clearly explains the theme or message of their song. The paragraph should be five to seven sentences and free of any grammatical errors.

Students will also present his or her findings to the class in a two to three minute presentation. Students will explain the elements of poetry found in the song, its theme, and a final conclusion as to whether or not the song is actually poetry. Students can use music and/or video clips to enhance their presentation.

Project Timeline

Monday, February 13th – Introduce Project

Tuesday, February 14th and Wednesday, February 15th – In-class Work Days

Thursday, February 16th and Friday, February 17th – Presentation Days

Friday, February 3, 2012

Students of the Second Marking Period

Congratulations to the outstanding students of the second marking period!

First Period

Excellence - Jahmakah S.


Most Improved - Mukoma M.


Second Period

Excellence - Sarah B.


Most Improved - Kapri D.


Third Period

Excellence - Sierra D.


Most Improved - Ricky P.


Fifth Period

Excellence - Nina W.


Most Improved - Yasin K
.