Next Unit -- Genre Studies!

Howdy! Welcome back from break. Our next ELA unit is a genre study unit where we will focus on a new genre of writing each week. We will read some pieces, take some notes on the genre, and each Friday a new writing piece in that specific genre will be due.

This week, we started off with folktales. I am collecting those pieces today. Next week, we will move to talk about creative non-fiction. It should be fun!

ENJOY YOUR MID-WINTER RECESS!

See you back at Ed Smith soon!

Mr. Smith

Literature Circles-Novel in a Nutshell

Hello! Our literature circles will be wrapping up any day now, and as a final assessment, we will be completing the "Novel in a Nutshell." The details are as follows:



The ‘Novel in a Nutshell’ project is a different type of assessment from the regular book report. It is a presentation, merged with an art project, with a bit of an essay tossed in.
Each group is required to bring in a standard size shoebox. It is the responsibility of the group to fill the shoebox, or nutshell, with ten small tokens that each represent an important idea or theme in the novel. For example, if I read Romeo and Juliet, I might put a toy knife representing the theme of violence and suicide, or a heart, symbolizing the love between Romeo and Juliet.
Then, each group is required to write a paragraph description of each item on a 3X5 card that describes the item, what it represents, and why it is important in the novel, then put them in the box.
Finally, each group is required to decorate their shoebox in a style that befits their novel. The group could choose an element of the setting, a specific scene, or anything that relates to their novel.
Each group will receive one hour of workshop time in class to put their nutshell together. It is the responsibility of the group to bring in EVERYTHING necessary to complete the project. Mr. Smith will not be responsible for providing anything other than time and guidance.


Presentations will be on Friday, February 18th. Each member MUST participate in the presentations. Good luck!

Literature Circles

We are taking part in literature circles in class for the next two weeks. You should see a response journal coming home each night as a way for the student to work with the text. In class, we will be reading and discussing. Very fun!

Research Paper -- DUE MONDAY

REMEMBER! Research papers on famous mentors will be collected on Monday!

Mentoring Research Paper!

Hello! Students in ELA 8 have a research paper due on Monday, January 24th. They are to research a famous mentor throughout history and write a two page research paper on them. They should be in the notetaking phase this weekend! If you have any questions, email me at jsmith49@scsd.us .

New Unit - National Mentoring Month

January is National Mentoring Month. As a result, students in Mr. Smith's 8th grade ELA class will work to learn about mentoring and the effect it can have on a life. We will then take part in researching a famous mentor, and end the unit by doing some mentoring of our own! It should be fun!

For more information, go to http://www.nationalmentoringmonth.org/