March posting, 2nd option

For this post,

1. Interview three people (not classmates). Find out what their favorite poems are and why.

2. Read at least one of the poems yourself and respond to it.

3. Post the results of your interview and your reading here. Incude citation information so your classmates can find the poems as well.

March Posting, 2008

We're halfway through the third nine weeks!

For this post, find and share a favorite poem. In the space below, summarize the poem for us. Explain why it is your favorite. Include citation information and at least three quotes from the poem.

February 2008, Second Option

Don't forget--your first posting and your first response for this nine weeks are due by 2/25/08!

In addition to types of nonfiction (e.g., memoir, news article, essay, etc.), there are various nonfiction structures. For example, NC 7th graders learn about problem/solution structure in great depth as they prepare for the writing test. Other common nonfiction structures include cause/effect, compare/contrast, sequence/chronological order, and description. (Some include "question/answer" as an additional category.)

Identify a piece of nonfiction writing that you would like to share with your classmates. Include a summary of the piece, your reason(s) for recommending it, and what you believe to be the text structure. Justify your choice of structure using information from the text.

If you would like more information on nonfiction types versus structures, ask me in class. If you are at home, you can check out these links:

Types:
http://www.npusc.k12.in.us/high_school/languagearts/Characteristics%20of%20Nonfiction.pdf
http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/english/files/nonfictionposters.pdf

Structures:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/reading/bestpractices/nonfiction/fiveTextStructures.pdf
http://www.umass.edu/wmwp/ReadingInitiative/Reading%20Strategies%20Page.htm
http://www.somers.k12.ny.us/intranet/reading/signalwords.html

Favorite Books

The posts here are posts that did not respond to the prompt I asked, but instead were posts about favorite books. I have moved them because they were potentially confusing for other students who were looking for response opportunities. I appreciate your enthusiasm for the materials you are reading, but please remember to read the prompt before you post.

This posting option will remain open as a place to discuss favorite books, but it is a non-credit posting. (*I will give credit to 21e for the response I moved over.)

What Your Friends Are Saying...

The other 8th graders are blogging as well. The Eagles are up and running and the Falcons and Hawks are on their way.

Check out what your friends have to say about books:

http://stanbackeagle.blogspot.com/ (Ms. Henchey's students)

http://stanbackfalcons.blogspot.com/ (Ms. Watts's students)

http://thehawksreadingroom.blogspot.com/ (Ms. Johnson's students)

http://blackbearslunchbunch.blogspot.com (Ms. Slonecker's students)

February 2008 Posting

For this posting, you will need to locate a piece of nonfiction writing, such as a newspaper article, a magazine article, or a journal article.

1. Briefly summarize your source. Include citation information. If the article came from a website, you may provide a link to the article in your post.
*Tip: Go to http://citationmachine.net/ to help you format your citation.

2. Evaluate your source for possible bias. Some things to consider:
*How logical is the argument? Where is it sound? Unsound?
*Does the writer attempt to use neutral language, or is the language loaded?
*Has the writer included or left out opposing viewpoints?
*For newspaper articles, especially: how long is the article? Does the length of the story seem commensurate with (seem to match) the importance of the story? Sometimes, publications will "hide" important pieces of news by shortening the article to the bare minimum amount of facts. Publications may also "overinflate" the impact of a piece of news by doing an in-depth article on something of lesser importance. This practice can reveal the bias of the writer, magazine or paper.

3. Include your reaction to the article.

To get full credit for this post, you must include all three parts. I would recommend typing your response in a word-processing program first in order to take advantage of the editing and revising capabilities. Afterwards, copy and paste your work from the word processor into your blog posting. As always, you may turn this in as handwritten work. You may also use the computers in our classroom!

Remember, your first posting and first response are due no later than Feb. 25, 2008! You are welcome to post earlier...

Your teacher,
Ms. Bedell