Samples of Poetry

As we discussed in class, poetry can be found in a variety of places, written in a variety of forms, and written about a variety of topics. Take a look at the examples below that highlight how classic poems can be used to sell modern products as well as express a person's innermost thoughts and feelings.

Introduction to Poetry

In addition to preparing for the ELA assessment in January, we began a short poetry unit this week. Students should review the following terms that we have studied in class.

poetry - a type of literature that expresses thoughts and feelings in compact and imaginative ways

rhythm - the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem or it's beat

rhyme - the repetition of similar sounds at the end of words

repetition - repeating a word or phrase in a poem in order to emphasize a specific idea

Multiple-Choice Test Taking Strategies

For the past few weeks, we have been practicing a variety of test-taking strategies in preparation for January's exam. Students have also been practicing these strategies in all of their classes as part of the Do It Now (DIN) Activity. Students should remember to:
- read all directions before beginning any part of the test
- review the questions before beginning to read the selection
- read the selection with a critical eye underlining or circling key words or phrases
- star any information in the passage that can be used to answer any specific questions
- read all possible choices before selecting any answer
- eliminate silly or unrelated choices
- go back to the selection as much as needed

Having Fun With English

Try this fun ELA game where you create as many words as possible using the letters provided.

	I love to play Tumble Bees Form words to fill the honeypot with this sweet online word game.
Pogo.com — play hundreds of fun games online!

Reminders for Checking Grades

Just a reminder that you can check your grade by going to www.mygradebook.com or clicking the link on this page. Each student has an individual password and the Classword for each class is as follows:

Period One - ELA7P1
Period Four - ELA7P4
Period Five - ELA7P5
Period Six - ELA7P6

Please remember that all classwords must be in all caps and all passwords must be in lower case. If you are having trouble logging on, please contact Ms. Short

Students of the Week

Congratulations to the Students of the Week for December 1st through December 5th, 2008.

Period One - Mr. Davis
Period Four - Miss Maddox
Period Five - Mr. Outley
Period Six - Mr. Santarelli-Hansen

Preparing for the State Assessment

We have been working hard to prepare for January's ELA assessment. If you would like to take a look at a sample test for the 7th grade ELA, please follow the link below. We will continue to practice for the assessment as well as review helpful test-taking strategies.

http://www.nysedregents.org/testing/eleminttests.html