Slam Poetry

In class this week, we will focus on rhyme and rhythm as they pertain to poetry. Ultimately, students will take part in rhythmical "Slam" poetry and performance.

Ed Smith Community - WE NEED YOUR HELP!

On March 21st, I will be shaving my head as part of the St. Baldrick's fundraiser for pediatric cancer research. The event has raised over $69 million dollars to date for kids with cancer. Please cut and paste the link into your browser, read some stories, donate, and pass it along. Thank you.

https://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/jimmysmith

Poetry time!

With the beginning of the new comes a new unit! We are starting our poetry unit that will span several weeks and encompass several forms. Also, my student teacher, Mr. Spanfelner, from Syracuse University will be taking over for the 4th period and 5th period ELA classes. We are very excited to have Mr. Spanfelner here. If you have any questions about the unit, feel free to ask.

Mr. Smith

Welcome Back!

I hope you had a restful recess! Now it is time to get back into the swing of school! We will wrap up our public speaking unit with speeches Monday and Tuesday of this week, and we will finish the week with a mini-unit focusing on some important reading strategies. And then, on to poetry!

Presentations RESCHEDULED! Acuity today!

We have rescheduled the speeches for the week after break. Early this week, we will be working on Acuity testing in ELA class, then Wednesday and Thursday will be devoted to watching famous public speeches and responding to them via an in-class writing assignment. Mr. Smith will be absent Wednesday through Friday for surgery. Then, enjoy your vacation!

Public Speaking Presentations Tuesday!

Our final presentations for our public speaking unit will take place on Tuesday, February 9th. Students are responsible for getting up in front of the room and delivering a 45 second to 1 minute speech about one of the following four topics:

*The availability of soda for lunch
*Valentines day at its merits/problems
*Hats being allowed in school
*The economic implications of the Super Bowl

All speeches will be graded as per the 7 P's of Public Speaking notes that we covered in class earlier this week. Good luck!

Public Speaking!

With the two remaining weeks before break, we'll be focusing our energy in ELA on learning the elements of Public Speaking! Students will be performing all sorts of speeches in front of classmates in the hopes of developing strong oratorical skills.