Extra Credit Opportunity

Students can earn twenty points to be added to their lowest grading category by creating a poem in the style of Langston Hughes' poem, "Mother to Son." Students are asked to create an extended metaphor comparing their life to an object or idea. As a reminder, the text of "Mother to Son" is below.

Next Installment of 25-Book Assignment

Just a reminder that the third installment of the twenty-five book assignment is due on Thursday, April 1st. Students need to turn in all book summaries by 3PM on the 1st. Students were required to read seven books for the third marking period.

Students of the Week for 3/22/10 to 3/26/10

Congratulations to the following students who earned the distinction of Student of the Week for 3/22 to 3/26:
Period One - Alize
Period Three - Jacob
Period Five - Nickoy
Period Six - Helena

Upcoming Day Off

Just a reminder that there will be no school next Friday, April 2nd, in observation of Good Friday. Enjoy your day off!

Important Poetry Terms

The following terms are important for students to review in order to successfully complete the Prove It's Poetry Project:
rhythm - the beat of a poem
rhyme - the repetition of sounds at the end of the word
repetition - a word or phrase that is repeated in a poem for emphasis
alliteration - a type of consonance where a consonant sound is repeated at the beginning of words
consonance - the repetition of consonant sounds in a line of poetry
assonance - the repetition of vowel sounds in a line of poetry
symbolism - when an object, idea, etc. represents something larger than itself

Prove It's Poetry Project

Students will be working on a poetry project over the weekend and throughout next week. Students will choose a song that they will prove is poetry by identifying and explaining examples of poetic elements found in the song. The project is worth 100 points total. The project will be graded in two parts: the poetry poster and the presentation. Every student has a copy of the directions and grading rubrics for the project.

Welcome, Miss Constantine!

Jessica Constantine, a student at SUNY Cortland, will be working with our class for the next seven weeks as a student teacher. Jessica is a very qualified individual who has already student taught at Groton High School. Miss Constantine plans to teach an innovative poetry unit using the novel, BRONX MASQUERADE by Nikki Grimes, as a medium. We are very excited to welcome Miss Constantine into our learning community.

Students of the Week

Congratulations to the following students who were named Students of the Week for 3/15-3/19:
Period One - Himzija
Period Three - Alma
Period Five - Yvonne
Period Six - Draquan

Figurative Language Quiz

All eighth grade students took a figurative language quiz last year and many students did exceptionally well. Overall the average for the entire grade was a 81.43. Students who achieved an "A" on this quiz were:
Adi
Asmae
Nickoy
Arsen
Amir B.
Alma
Tiffeny
Nick
Jacob
Sheldon
Safi
Meg
Blerta
Jair
Arij
Alexus
Nathalie
Abdinoor
Natalie
Ta'Carra
Alex
Bailey
Alize
Naomi
Patreah
Donovan
Raheem

Scholastic Reading Inventory

All eighth grade students will be taking the Scholastic Reading Inventory on Tuesday, March 16th. The computer based exam will determine each student's reading level. If parents are interested in obtaining the results, please contact Ms. Short.

Students of the Week

Congratulations to last week's Students of the Week:

Period One - Jazmine G.
Period Three - Sheldon H.D.
Period Five - Am P.
Period Six - Ronasia D.

Figurative Language Quiz

We will begin the week of 3/15 by reviewing for Wednesday's quiz on figurative language. Students have been studying and practicing many different aspects of figurative language and should review all of them including:
- literal meaning of words and phrases
- figurative meaning of words and phrases
- personification
- simile
- hyperbole
- metaphor
- onomatopoeia
- idioms
- cliches
Students can review a wide-variety of idioms and their explanations at www.idiomsite.com.

Thank You

I would like to thank all of my students and their families for their support and understanding after my mother's passing last month. I am very lucky to teach the students I do since they were wonderful in my absence. Thank you again.

Ms. Short